[Brownbay]

I had one quick and general question about the ONE:

Can the Essense ONE be used a as stand alone DAC that is fed to a power amp? 

 

[Optimus Praim]

Hey guys i don't know if it was answered before and i skipped it but can i hook up my monitor speakers via XLR and adjust the volume from the knob?
My setup would be like this:
Pc (via optical or usb) --------->Asus one (XLR) ------>Speakers
Can i use it as a DAC but with no need of an extra pre amp to control the volume?

 

[AhhHoNG]

Quote:

Need serious help here. I tried to update the firmware and it says "PASS" so i restart the One and it no longer works. No matter wad button u press, you cant choose the inputs or upsampling. In short, there are no lights at all except for the power button. I cant hold the upsampling and mute button together and go to the 3 red lights settings to update the firmware again. Do i really need to send my one back to exchange? Thanks.

 
Attention to new users of E1, your E1 could be the new batch tat comes with the latest USB and firmware updates. Do not try to update the firmware as it will kill your DAC. Do check ur version if its the latest one b4 doing so.

 

[AhhHoNG]

Quote:

Hey guys i don't know if it was answered before and i skipped it but can i hook up my monitor speakers via XLR and adjust the volume from the knob?
My setup would be like this:
Pc (via optical or usb) --------->Asus one (XLR) ------>Speakers
Can i use it as a DAC but with no need of an extra pre amp to control the volume?

 
Yes i am using E1 -> XLR -> Focal Cms 40 and E1 -> RCA -> subwoofer at the same time

 

[Optimus Praim]

Thanks man,nice speakers you have there...
I maybe one day get their Cms 65..
How do you find E1 with your Focal's?

 

[gkl]

Quote:

 
 

No the case/system would be grounded.
The circuits themselves can be damaged as they run on very small amounts of voltage and static is a very high voltage in comparison.

Thanks for the info!

 

[AhhHoNG]

Quote:

Thanks man,nice speakers you have there...
I maybe one day get their Cms 65..
How do you find E1 with your Focal's?

 
jizz in my pants everytime i hav a chance to turn up the volume alittle and enjoy my music

 

[vrln]

This is a completely shameless plug: I just put up an E1 for trade only (primarily for various headphones) in the FS forums: http://www.head-fi.org/t/609697/ft-asus-essence-one-dac-pre-hp-amp-eu 

 

[DMarasovic]

Quote:

It is emhasized in datasheet that needs PSU bypass. Those Wima caps are for that purpose, but maybe too low value or too far from chip on module. At these high MHz frequencies every milimeter matters. There will be no problem to solder bypass caps, but problem will be to make propper ground connection - the ONE could look like Power Plant

.
 
 

I had some time to investigate oscillations from AD 797 BR swapped opamps. I made PSU bypass on some browndog adapters soldered directly at chip pins and tried them at every position in E1.
The only position without oscillation was at number 2 - low pass filter - with or without PSU decoupling. At other positions oscillations were largely dependent on potentiometer setting.
Conclusion is that oscillations came from internal design that is inappropriate for such opamp.
Observation : AD 797 at low pass filter position gives more natural high frequency tones, but bass tones are more voluminous and not so defined. Space is wider, with more "out of phase" effect.
I prefer original opamps as sound is more precise and rhytmic and reflects what is on the record. It shows that Asus engineers knew well what they want by selecting the right opamps.
It will not stop me to try other opamps - first from recommended swap guide. 

 

[leeperry]

Yay, just as I suspected, thanks for the update! Well, TI make it clear that blind rolling is bound to fail: http://e2e.ti.com/support/amplifiers/precision_amplifiers/w/design_notes/upgrading-op-amps-in-audio-equipment.aspx
 
You can't just slap AD797 and LT1028 anywhere and hope that a design meant for 5532 and 49720 will get them stable. It won't.
 
So, if you're in the market for a non-cranky "unity gain stable" opamp that comes already soldered onto PNP adapters for a low price, I guess our only option is the OPA627AU modules from Audiojade? I know some high-end DAC's that run OPA627AP and they sound mighty good. The last issue is that cheap 627's from mainland China will most likely be fake.
 
Anyway, every serious roller should own an oscilloscope...I wonder if there's any of those USB cheapies that could do the trick.

 

[Sk1n5]

ccarl,
If you're running in USB mode with ASIO the problem is most likely another device connected to the same USB controller. The only time I've been able to create the problem is when I transferred files to a USB drive while playing music. I think normal peripherals are fine, but anything that will hog bandwidth will cause the issue. Hope this helps.

 

[DMarasovic]

Quote:

.......... It will not stop me to try other opamps - first from recommended swap guide. 

New opamps came so this is my setup after making some swaps:
1. I/V section - AD 797 BR on adapers
2. Low Pass Filter LME49860
3. XLR, RCA output LME 49860
4. Headphone buffer LME 49860
 
AD797´s do not oscillate in this setup. Tried OPA 627 AU on adapters, sound similar to AD797 but with little less detail in highs and less sounstage.
LME 49860 gives more details in mids and highs, less but tighter bottom than default. AD 797 gives wider soundstage and more voluminous bottom.
The whole combination sounds more vivid, spatious and natural comparing to default.
All tunings  were made primary via headphones as it is 90% of my listening, but when E1 was connected to my active loudspeakers via XLR balanced cable (3 way 150+80+80 wrms , 27 cm woofer per box), it was a pleasant surprise - a new life; sound that costs much more than spent. The only thing I could improve now is to buy a new headphones and build well engineered dedicated audio room

.  It is easier now to forget all that electrons, copper and silicone and enjoy the pure music.
P.S. If AD 797 would oscillate, OPA 627 would be a good replacement. Maybe there could be better combinations, but one can not try all the available opamps.  

 

[Mr.Sneis]

I must know.  Has anyone compared the Asus Essence One to any Apogee gear like the Duet or MiniDAC?

 

[DraconiaN]

Without reading this all 'til end - LME49710HA TO-99 should be better than the (99.9% same) LME49720HA OpAmp? Okay, but what about the LME49990?! ppl say that sounds outstanding compared to the TO-99 720HA....i just want the best OpAmp possible in my Essence STX...currently on -720HA TO-99's and it sounds great with HD650 Cans...

 

[DrakAyla]

Hi, I wonder if the Essence one works with macbook?