[Saucerful]

Hey there,

I've got a set of Sennheiser HD555 which are rated at 50Ω. Is there any advantage/disadvantage/no effect of using the high gain setting on the Asus Xonar Essence STX which I believe is labeled as >64Ω?

 

[leeperry]

it'll sound distorted as hell...did you try the line-out w/ the supplied adapter?

 

[Saucerful]

No, I just use the normal gain setting on the headphone jack, which I assume is what it's meant for. I've just heard all this stuff about "the HD555 sounds better with an amp!" and I was wondering if that would help it at all. I plan on getting some better cans in the coming years anyway, so I'm happy with my choice of the STX, but for now I was just wondering what are my ideal settings for the HD555.

 

[leeperry]

the STX line-out has a beefy gain, if I were you I'd give it a shot...and possibly upgrade the op-amps.

putting some LT1364/LT1213/LT1124/OPA2132P/OPA2107AP would substantially increase the SQ.

 

[Saucerful]

Ok, but just out of the box, with the stock op-amps, how does the line out differ from the dedicated headphone jack?

 

[leeperry]

if your phones have a low impedance? clearer trebles, cleaner SS, less distortion and higher SNR.

but well, the stock 2114 are a major bottleneck..ditch'em!

 

[Saucerful]

heh. The price tag on the card itself was enough for now, thanks.

Ok, I'll have to give that a try then with line out then. I thought the headphone jack with normal gain setting, labeled as being for cans with 0 to 64Ω impedance, would be the ideal one but maybe not.

 

[leeperry]

ask for free samples...well, if your ethics are not too high that is

 

[Saucerful]

Sorry, you lost me on that last one. Free samples of what?

 

[ROBSCIX]

Opamps.

 

[Saucerful]

Well, call me crazy but I think I prefer the sound from the headphone jack for my headphones over the line out. I have it at the Normal Gain setting, which is what Asus recommends for 50Ω headphones.

 

[Surfaced]

Wait, so if I have Denon D2000s (25 ohms) would I be in for a nasty surprise if I bought the ST(X)? Anything I should do immediately upon receiving it?

 

[chintimin]

Surfaced: I've heard that people have a great time with that pairing.

 

[Shizdan]

I used the D2000's with my Essence STX. Sounded great but I missed my old HD580's...