[Rayz]

Hey people, what's the exact differences between the original STX and the new STX II? also in terms of sound of course. is it worth upgrade (I can use 2nd card anyway)?

 

[Sactus]

  Op Amps do not do much. I have done various swaps and listening through a speaker system where the differences would be more apparent, the differences were negligible. Op amps solely will give the sound a different color kind of like how an eq would. I chose LM49860's for all 3 slots because they are bright and detailed. I have a sub so bass performance is not that important. It was not night and day and for your headphones I doubt you would have heard much difference. I would rather spend that money on getting a better DAC. But the truth is if you swapped DAC's entirely you will probably not hear much of a difference. I used a TEAC-UDH01 for a couple days and the bass was better but I lost the detailed highs from my Xonar with LME49860's. I preferred my Xonar.
 
If you have the STX II with muses op amps than you are set. If you have the ST or STX than I would advise on trying some $3-5 op amps but that's is it. You would be better off getting a better DAC than spending $50 on an op amp.

 
I beg to differ. A few weeks back I replaced my old Auzentech Meridian 7.1 (1G) + OPA637 with the Essence STX II. The first time I played music with the stock OPAMPS, I about bursted to tears. The quality of the audio truly was horrible in comparison, and I am not exaggerating. Using the OPA637 in the Asus however, was even worse, probably because the Asus has a lower gain in the circuit.
I replaced the I/V with the LME49720's and the buffer with the unity gain stable OPA627. It sounded quite like the Auzentech now, had them both in the PC and connected to the same AMP, switching inputs to observe difference in sound. Still the Auzentech was slightly, just slightly more detailed and had a wee better sound stage, but negligible. However, after a while I noticed the hissssssing in vocals, and went on a search for different I/V's to match with the OPA627. I found a thread somewhere mentioning the LT1498CN8 to match nicely (giving a larger soundstage as well), and I confirm. The bass is more tight, sound stage and stereo separation is bigger, the sound is more neutral (as the OPA627 tends to be a wee darker) and more importantly, the hissing is gone
I've tried other OPAMPS as well in the buffer, together with the LME49720's in the I/V, such as the AD797, OPA2604, AD825, LME49990 and some others, and again there was a very noticeable difference in sound. The difference was even more noticeable than in the Auzentech by the way. Next to the OPA627, the AD797 performs very nicely, though a bit too bassy / muddy in the low end when listening to classical music. The OPA2604 has been the most amazing, true to life experience yet, bizarrely crisp and detailed in all ends. However, it also becomes bothersome after a while (days/weeks) to listen to, and it tends to start hissing noticeably in the high ends. Perhaps this is also solved with different I/V's, maybe I'll give them a try with the LT1498's as well.
Anyway.. The stock Muses really degrade the quality the board can deliver. If you want anything better but not pay too much, I can advice the AD797 best, as the OPA627 is much more expensive.

 

[BigTerminator]

The fact that you did not like the stock op amps shows that this DAC is not for you. I have not heard anyone else hate the sound especially while using the Muses. 
 
Instead of spending $100's of dollars experimenting with op amps I would rather spend it on a better DAC that suites my sound signature. I myself spent maybe $30 in op amps but that is as far as I am willing to go. 
 
If you really want to make the Xonar sound better get the best low ripple power supply you can afford. Going from my old Corsair TX750 to an EVGA Supernova G2 made the Xonar sound clearer with tighter bass. If you have a really crappy PSU than the difference will be greater. But again, you will be better off spending it on a better or different DAC, or just loving the sound you currently have. 

 

[Wamoto]

What really bugs me about this sound card (Basicially any sound card except creative ZXR that got a external volume control device) is that if you want to use a other headphone you must fiddle the cables at the back of you computer to change the headphones and need to use the software to control the volume. I'm using right now Xonar Switch and an extension cable (Still the cables hang around and gets annoying) that helps a bit but I am currently searching for a solution to plug my headphones into a small little device that I can control the volume without altering the sound with while in the xonar software the volume stays at 100 all the time so I can change the output on the fly easily without any fiddling in the software around. In the end a physically volume knob is the best.

 

[icsi]

We need something like this:
http://kepfeltoltes.hu/141229/asusdrivebay_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

A drive bay, with a pci riser. I dont understand why asus didnt think about this. they sould throw out the Pros kit tool and give something like this to the packeg.

 

[echineko]

  The fact that you did not like the stock op amps shows that this DAC is not for you. I have not heard anyone else hate the sound especially while using the Muses. 
 
Instead of spending $100's of dollars experimenting with op amps I would rather spend it on a better DAC that suites my sound signature. I myself spent maybe $30 in op amps but that is as far as I am willing to go. 
 
If you really want to make the Xonar sound better get the best low ripple power supply you can afford. Going from my old Corsair TX750 to an EVGA Supernova G2 made the Xonar sound clearer with tighter bass. If you have a really crappy PSU than the difference will be greater. But again, you will be better off spending it on a better or different DAC, or just loving the sound you currently have. 

 
I ended up getting the MUSES01 and MUSES02 upgrades for about $30 each, and while I did notice a better overall sound (clarity and warmth, at least to my ears), I agree that it probably wasn't $90 worth. I'm satisfied that it was a positive upgrade, but not the best value for money. Thanks for your earlier input
 
Still, I now have absolute proof of this, instead of always wondering for myself, I count that a win. To anyone else who's thinking of doing the same, I'd say go ahead if you can spare the cash, but don't expect miracles And be really careful when plugging these opamps in, it's scarily easy to bend the metal legs (but luckily also fairly easy to correct, if you're careful)

 

[BigTerminator]

Glad you like your upgrade. I myself just ordered a Musical Fidelity V90 DAC. I of course am hoping for a lot of improvement but honestly not expecting much. I would honestly be happy if it retains the detailed highs of my Xonar but also improves the bass. And being the audio obsessed person I am, I will probably later upgrade the PSU for another $50-100. Is it worth it, no but I like spending money on audio for whatever reason. DAC's tap out early though. After a $100 you are emptying wallets to pinch out just a little bit extra. That goes for most audio equipment but DAC's peak a lot earlier. 

 

[Yatsuman]

Hey fellas! I've got a few of questions for you. I have read the entire thread and couldn't answer those myself in terms of my case.
To help you out a bit, let me give you some initial info about the situation I am currently placed in.
I have the ASUS Xonar U7 to which I have connect my Sennheiser PC350 headset and the Logitech Z-5500 speakers via optical.
Recently I have ordered Sennheiser HD700 and I would like to experience them in the best possible way, without losing the out "hot swap" with.my speakers.
I am leaning towards STX II over the old card, because of the feedback given here.
Unfortunately, here is the place where I also read about the STX's jitter issue, which is non-existent in the ST series.
As per my sound image preferences I'd say I like present, punchy bass with distinctive, clear mids with somewhat neutral to slightly bright highs.
Something that would make mixed gender vocals sound life-like without losing any detail in the bass guitar's chords or the barely noticeable xylophone presence in Vivaldi's Winter I. Alegro non molto, performed by Yehundi Menuhin.
My genre preference is so vast, that I'd better say I like melodic tunes with significant musical harmony.
Using my modded PC350 and playing with the EQ I got closer to my desired sound image, but I felt something is till missing.
I thought it maybe is the bigger soundstage of the open cans, which everyone is talking about.
I was also firstly thrilled by the HD800's, but I read I will have to invest much more in terms of gear and sources for those, as well as them being quite the non-forgiving cans.
Some of the music I like isn't available in lossless formats, so I thought the HD800's wouldn't be the greatest choice, thus the purchase of the more forgiving, yet still awesome HD700's.
So here are my questions:
 
TL/DR:
I own Sennheiser PC350 and Logitech Z-5500, and just purchased HD700's. 
 
1, Do I really need to upgrade my external U7 ?
2. If yes, what should my choice be Essense ST or STX II?
2a. Will I be able to have the DTS/DDL signal output emitted through the SPDIF to my Z-5500?
2b. Can I "hot swap" the playback device same as on my U7 (with a single button click in the ASUS Xear Software)?
2c. Could you explain the STX (possibly STX II) jitter issue, as to an intelligent person with not much of an experience in the area?
3. If no, is just the U7 enough or should consider an AMP?
 
Thanks a lot in advance for your time and effort in answering those for me, I promise your opinion will be valued and remembered!
 
Best regards,
Yatsu

 

[headfinoob]

Quick question regarding this sound card. I have been searching around. Is there another card with similar SNR on the input? This card seems to have the best specs. I saw some RMAA loopback measurements that were fantastic. I just want to know if there are any close competitors that would have similar or better loopback performance.

 

[Renfield1217]

hi and hope this helps
1) upgrading is up to you from your U7
2) I would go with the STX !! I have had an STX ( which I really did not like), tried an ST ( which I very much liked) and running now the STX II
2A) Yes but by doing that you are bypassing all the STX II's sound is basically a sound passthrough an you will utilizing the Z-5500's DAC
2B) Yes, but I have heard of issues of loud pops when doing this ( personally I have not tested this)
2C) There is no jitter issue with the STX II it has a better clock than the ST at least to me
3) depends on what you want for my needs the STX II does it fine. I ran an Auzentech Prelude for years and am an ex musician. I use the STX II in stereo only for headphones, the computer set up, my main amp/speaker set up and for some music streaming to friends.
 
my suggestion to you is order one for a trial from a supplier that gives a 30 day return. That way you can test it yourself on your rig against the U7, but to be honest you have to use the analog out to get all the quality the card can deliver and that you pay for. If you are mostly using passthrough to another DAC digitally you will see no real change in sound.
 
Hope this helps

 

[Yatsuman]

 
hi and hope this helps
1) upgrading is up to you from your U7
2) I would go with the STX !! I have had an STX ( which I really did not like), tried an ST ( which I very much liked) and running now the STX II
2A) Yes but by doing that you are bypassing all the STX II's sound is basically a sound passthrough an you will utilizing the Z-5500's DAC
2B) Yes, but I have heard of issues of loud pops when doing this ( personally I have not tested this)
2C) There is no jitter issue with the STX II it has a better clock than the ST at least to me
3) depends on what you want for my needs the STX II does it fine. I ran an Auzentech Prelude for years and am an ex musician. I use the STX II in stereo only for headphones, the computer set up, my main amp/speaker set up and for some music streaming to friends.
 
my suggestion to you is order one for a trial from a supplier that gives a 30 day return. That way you can test it yourself on your rig against the U7, but to be honest you have to use the analog out to get all the quality the card can deliver and that you pay for. If you are mostly using passthrough to another DAC digitally you will see no real change in sound.
 
Hope this helps

Thanks a bunch for your sharing your experience and opinion!
I am mostly going to enjoy the STX II (eventually) on my headphones with all the FLAC and ALAC files from my library and eventually gaming. The Z-5500's own sound is quite OK with me for movies, even thought it's mostly enjoyed by my friends for its loudness and overwhelming bass
Maybe I will give the STX II a try and return it, if it doesn't deliver for the 250% of the U7 I have!
 
Thanks again,
Yatsu

 

[Renfield1217]

hi lol  and there are many other cards that are better  there is a totally professional recording studio line of cards   but they cost thousands. as far as consumer grade cards this is the best todate.

 

[Yatsuman]

I have just installed the card and the question pops up:
Is there any way I could set this bloody card to output voic comm through the headphones, while other media streams through the SPDIF?
 
Thanks in advance!

 

[Wamoto]

  I have just installed the card and the question pops up:
Is there any way I could set this bloody card to output voic comm through the headphones, while other media streams through the SPDIF?
 
Thanks in advance!

 
My guess is to set in windows the standard output device to the spdif and your voic comm (Do you mean voice communication?) to normal stx output while you set the output in the asus software to headphones. I testet it with foobar playing to the headphones while windows media player played through spdif and saw peaks in the windows sound device manager. This should bascially work if you can set your output for that voi comm thing. Hope I could help you out.

 

[paulguru]

What is the output power of hp amp ????