[BigTerminator]

  Thanks for the info. At least, now I know which muses to get.

 
The only two legit re-sellers, that I know do orders to US address, are Digikey and Mouser. Digikey won't sell any batch smaller than 100 units and Mouser charges a fortune per piece. 
 
If I buy them from Mouser, I might as well buy a Schiit Asgard 2/Valhalla or some other external amp.
 
Anyone know whether it's better off to get those Muses or external amp like Schiit Asgard/Valhalla? 

Please do not spend more on op amps than you do on the card itself. I would not spend more than $10 per op amp. From my experience with op amp rolling, its about finding op amps with your sound signature. $50 for the MUSE is not worth it. There are a lot of good cheap chips out there. 
 
If you are using headphones, than it is even more useless because the headphone output only uses 2 op amps, it does not use the buffer. Save that money and get a great headphone amp. The Xonar's have decent amps but are not known to be the best. 
 
How good is your computer's PSU? When I went from my old PSU to an EVGA Supernova G2, the sound quality was more improved than any op amps I had tried. I got that PSU partially because it had the lowest ripple. Bass was the most noticeable improvement. 
 
I personally used 3 x LME49860's. This op amp is all about clarity and detail. Lacks some bass, but I had a subwoofer to take care of that. I have since gotten a Musical Fidelity V90 and the difference is negligible. This shows how good the Xonar's DAC is. Spend the money on a headphone amp if you want to hear an actual difference.  

 

[theShaz]

Just desperately want someone to respond to me regarding where to buy these OpAmps..

 

[Natslx]

Texas Instruments.

 

[PeanutsJr]

  Please do not spend more on op amps than you do on the card itself. I would not spend more than $10 per op amp. From my experience with op amp rolling, its about finding op amps with your sound signature. $50 for the MUSE is not worth it. There are a lot of good cheap chips out there. 
 
If you are using headphones, than it is even more useless because the headphone output only uses 2 op amps, it does not use the buffer. Save that money and get a great headphone amp. The Xonar's have decent amps but are not known to be the best. 
 
How good is your computer's PSU? When I went from my old PSU to an EVGA Supernova G2, the sound quality was more improved than any op amps I had tried. I got that PSU partially because it had the lowest ripple. Bass was the most noticeable improvement. 
 
I personally used 3 x LME49860's. This op amp is all about clarity and detail. Lacks some bass, but I had a subwoofer to take care of that. I have since gotten a Musical Fidelity V90 and the difference is negligible. This shows how good the Xonar's DAC is. Spend the money on a headphone amp if you want to hear an actual difference.  

 
I am also using  EVGA Supernova; mine's the 1300W Plat 80+ version.
 
How does LME49860 compare to those stock Muses on the card?
 
Do you think something like Schiit Asgard 2 would bring significant difference?
 
edit: So the headphone's sound quality is only influenced by the I/V op-amps? What's the buffer op-amp used for?

 

[BigTerminator]

   
I am also using  EVGA Supernova; mine's the 1300W Plat 80+ version.
 
How does LME49860 compare to those stock Muses on the card?
 
Do you think something like Schiit Asgard 2 would bring significant difference?
 
edit: So the headphone's sound quality is only influenced by the I/V op-amps? What's the buffer op-amp used for?

All 3 Op Amps are in use when using the RCA out, 2 when using the headphone amp. The LME49860 is a cherry picked LME49720 which is included with STX II's. I had the Xonar Essence ST so I do not know what the Muses sound like. If you like a bright, open, detailed, sound signature then they are for you. I got 3 of them for $10 total. You can have some fun rolling $5 op amps but going all out for $100+ is nuts and will not do enough. You have a great power supply so the card should be running at its full potential.
 
A separate headphone amp would do way more, amps in general make more sonic difference than DAC's. That being said I compared my Musical Fidelity V90 with a Yulong A800 headphone amp against the Xonar with DT990's and the Xonar was very close, and when I say very close it means that placebo might have played a role. As much as I love my DAC and amp, it makes me appreciate the Xonar more. As for amps, I am a headphone noob as I love speakers. The Yulong A800 which I am using is VERY powerful and has very clean sound. There are not many comparisons or reviews on it though. Schiit Magni 2 is probably all you really need. Spend the money on better headphones, that is what makes the difference, amps and dacs start sounding the same after $100. 
 
Is there anything in the sound that you do not like? 

 

[PeanutsJr]

  All 3 Op Amps are in use when using the RCA out, 2 when using the headphone amp. The LME49860 is a cherry picked LME49720 which is included with STX II's. I had the Xonar Essence ST so I do not know what the Muses sound like. If you like a bright, open, detailed, sound signature then they are for you. I got 3 of them for $10 total. You can have some fun rolling $5 op amps but going all out for $100+ is nuts and will not do enough. You have a great power supply so the card should be running at its full potential.
 
A separate headphone amp would do way more, amps in general make more sonic difference than DAC's. That being said I compared my Musical Fidelity V90 with a Yulong A800 headphone amp against the Xonar with DT990's and the Xonar was very close, and when I say very close it means that placebo might have played a role. As much as I love my DAC and amp, it makes me appreciate the Xonar more. As for amps, I am a headphone noob as I love speakers. The Yulong A800 which I am using is VERY powerful and has very clean sound. There are not many comparisons or reviews on it though. Schiit Magni 2 is probably all you really need. Spend the money on better headphones, that is what makes the difference, amps and dacs start sounding the same after $100. 
 
Is there anything in the sound that you do not like? 

I use to have ZXR but its driver kept crashing so I ended up returning it. Compared to the ZXR, STX II sounds really dull and empty. It feels as if sound doesn't feel as flowing continuously and lively. I want to improve its dynamic feel.
 
I am using Senn HD700 and, if I want to upgrade then it will have to be HD 800. But that will cost me a fortune. So I am not looking to upgrade my headphone anytime soon. I am trying to find alternative means to improve on the sound quality. I read Magni has no impedance gain switch. My HD700 is 150 Ohms. Will that work?

 

[BigTerminator]

  I use to have ZXR but its driver kept crashing so I ended up returning it. Compared to the ZXR, STX II sounds really dull and empty. It feels as if sound doesn't feel as flowing continuously and lively. I want to improve its dynamic feel.
 
I am using Senn HD700 and, if I want to upgrade then it will have to be HD 800. But that will cost me a fortune. So I am not looking to upgrade my headphone anytime soon. I am trying to find alternative means to improve on the sound quality. I read Magni has no impedance gain switch. My HD700 is 150 Ohms. Will that work?

With my Xonar I got a very airy, bright, detailed, sound signature. Is that what you want?
 
Your STX II should have an extra pair of op amps that are 49720's. Have you tried dabbling with the settings of your Xonar? Changing the gain in the software? Make sure you are in hifi mode. 

 

[PeanutsJr]

  With my Xonar I got a very airy, bright, detailed, sound signature. Is that what you want?
 
Your STX II should have an extra pair of op amps that are 49720's. Have you tried dabbling with the settings of your Xonar? Changing the gain in the software? Make sure you are in hifi mode. 

 
I tried Hifi mode. It feels a bit too muted/distanced. 
 
I tried the other op amps which came with the box. They made the bass feel a bit muddy. 

 

[echineko]

I tried Hifi mode. It feels a bit too muted/distanced. 

I tried the other op amps which came with the box. They made the bass feel a bit muddy. 

Actually, I'm using my HD700 with the STX II as well, and while its decent, I am planning to get a separate amp as well, since I think it would do better with a decent dedicated amp. BT is right about diminishing returns though, the MUSES did make a tangible difference to me, but they're not exactly a cost-effective upgrade. If you want to upgrade the STX II no matter what, I recommend it, if you're thinking of an external component, maybe you want to try that first.

Me, I knew I wanted to try for myself if these MUSES are really as good as everyone says

 

[PeanutsJr]

Actually, I'm using my HD700 with the STX II as well, and while its decent, I am planning to get a separate amp as well, since I think it would do better with a decent dedicated amp. BT is right about diminishing returns though, the MUSES did make a tangible difference to me, but they're not exactly a cost-effective upgrade. If you want to upgrade the STX II no matter what, I recommend it, if you're thinking of an external component, maybe you want to try that first.

Me, I knew I wanted to try for myself if these MUSES are really as good as everyone says

After some thought, I am going to skip Muses which cost 71 USD per piece from Mouser. With that money, I might as well jump to an external amp instead.
 
What amp are you planning to get?

 

[echineko]

After some thought, I am going to skip Muses which cost 71 USD per piece from Mouser. With that money, I might as well jump to an external amp instead.

What amp are you planning to get?

Looking at the Schiit Lyr 2 right now, because I want something that will play well with the current dynamic 'phones, as well as the planar magnetics I want to try (in a few months or so). But haven't pulled the trigger yet, still looking for stuff in that sub $500 range

 

[PeanutsJr]

Looking at the Schiit Lyr 2 right now, because I want something that will play well with the current dynamic 'phones, as well as the planar magnetics I want to try (in a few months or so). But haven't pulled the trigger yet, still looking for stuff in that sub $500 range

 
That Lyr 2 is a tube amp, right?
 
Do you think a tube amp better complements HD 700 over a solid state one?
 
I read tube amps may distort clarity - probably I am wrong. I would hate to lose HD700's clarity. 

 

[echineko]

That Lyr 2 is a tube amp, right?

Do you think a tube amp better complements HD 700 over a solid state one?

I read tube amps may distort clarity - probably I am wrong. I would hate to lose HD700's clarity. 

Well for one thing, all the reviews I've read say it's more of a hybrid sound than a full tube amp signature (not as warm or "syrupy" as dedicated tube amps), but enough to experiment with the tube sound, tube rolling etc . The main point for me is being able to drive different types of 'phones, especially since I'm keen on exploring planar magnetics in the near future. I'm going to audition it first before deciding, but for my use cases it seems pretty intriguing. Was also looking at some stuff from Woo Audio, but this is leading on my shortlist. Check out some impressions from the HD700 threads as well, generally people seem to think the Lyr 2 goes well with it.

 

[Renfield1217]

  I use to have ZXR but its driver kept crashing so I ended up returning it. Compared to the ZXR, STX II sounds really dull and empty. It feels as if sound doesn't feel as flowing continuously and lively. I want to improve its dynamic feel.
 
I am using Senn HD700 and, if I want to upgrade then it will have to be HD 800. But that will cost me a fortune. So I am not looking to upgrade my headphone anytime soon. I am trying to find alternative means to improve on the sound quality. I read Magni has no impedance gain switch. My HD700 is 150 Ohms. Will that work?

Before you do anything pickup an LM4562 and use it as a buffer in the STX II and install the 2-LME49720 that you got with the op amp kit in the IV sockets. I also found the stock Muses opamps too laid back for my ears.
BTW, that is the op amp setup that Asus recommends for the ST and the STX and is also the stock opamp setup for their STU USB device.
 
http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?id=20110131154355949&board_id=21&model=Xonar+Xense&page=1&SLanguage=en-us
 
Lots cheaper than a new unit or the more expensive Muses.

 

[Toube]

 
Before you do anything pickup an LM4562 and use it as a buffer in the STX II and install the 2-LME49720 that you got with the op amp kit in the IV sockets. I also found the stock Muses opamps too laid back for my ears.
BTW, that is the op amp setup that Asus recommends for the ST and the STX and is also the stock opamp setup for their STU USB device.
 
http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?id=20110131154355949&board_id=21&model=Xonar+Xense&page=1&SLanguage=en-us
 
Lots cheaper than a new unit or the more expensive Muses.

Hi,
I just ordered the LME49720NA as suggested at Asus forums for the STX II.
I ordered from ebay uk.. hopefully it will be an authentic one.. any thoughts?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171118880649