[CrazY82]

Hi, i want to replace my Xonar Essence, for dac/amp of the same or better qualitu. I have around 200 euros to pay for that, here is mine favorites:

 
SMSL M6 - 170e
xDuoo XD-05 - 210e

Micca Origen+ - 110e
SMSL M3 - 85e
Teac HA-P50-B - 200e
Audinst HUD-MX1
AudioEngine D1 - 145e
Objective2 and ODAC Rev. B DAC & Amplifier - 290e - 210e?
Schiit Magni 2 Headphone Amplifier - 100e
Schiit Audio Modi 2 Uber Digital/Analog Converter - 100e
 
Also, except music im doing a lot of games, so its important to me to have same or better soundstage like Xonar Essence.
Dont recomend me to use this sound card in combination with dac/amp, cause i dont want to have sound card in my computer again.
When im going i dont use any of those DSP nonsense, wich sound horrible, Creative is better than Asus in those effects, but still nothing beats clean and natural stereo sound.
 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Did you disable the motherboard's on-board audio, in the BIOS, when you installed the STX card?
Have you tried the Unified Xonar Drivers?
http://maxedtech.com/asus-xonar-unified-drivers/
 
You might be better off spending 50-60 Euros on better op-amps (Operational Amplifiers) for the STX card.
Otherwise I do not think your budgeting enough (200 Euros) to make a worthwhile improvement, over replacing the STX card.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/421890/the-xonar-essence-stx-q-a-tweaking-impressions-thread

 

[CrazY82]

I did all that, and i tried uni drivers, and original one from asus are better.
But i dont want to go in to that, i dont want anymore to have sound card in my case, it doesnt belong there, i gonna sell it.
I want DAC/AMP, are those that i named good enough to replace STX, to be at least on the same level?
Soundstage is important to me, because of games.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  I did all that, and I tried uni drivers, and original one from Asus are better.
But I don't want to go in to that, I don't want anymore to have sound card in my case, it doesn't belong there, i gonna sell it.
I want DAC/AMP, are those that i named good enough to replace STX, to be at least on the same level?
Sound stage is important to me, because of games.

 
With out the sound card, you no longer have a headphone surround sound feature.
If your ok playing playing FPS gaming in stereo audio, then going with an external DAC/amp is fine.
 
Hifimediy DAC, $42-$70.
http://hifimediy.com/DACs/ready-made-dacs?sort=p.price&order=ASC&limit=15
 
Headphone amplifier?
Might depend on what headphones you use?

 

[CrazY82]

I had Xonar Essence STX for 2 years, and i never used any of those DSP features for games or anything, i tried them, and tried to love them, but they sound so artiffical and metal, that it just ruins it for me. I like clean and natural sound, and i get that only by using them in stereo,  and i have good headphones Sennheiser 558, which have great soundstage, and that is all i need for my FPS and all other game genres.