[pkgk1]

There is an odd static hiss coming from the card, it is especially apparent when I turn mic boost on. 

I've even purchased a new card to ensure it wasn't just a bad card, and I get the exact same problem

Other things I've tried:
Turn the GPU fan down (no difference)
Give it its own modular connection from the PSU (Kingwin Lazer PSU)
Uninstall onboard drivers
Reinstall Asus drivers



Whatever I do, this static hiss remains, it is especially apparent when I turn microphone boost on, and record from the microphone input (bear in mind no microphone is plugged in, this is solely from the card)

Here is a recording of what the static sounds like, I toggle microphone boost on and off during this recording a couple times, to show the difference:


http://www.mediafire.com/?a2q5rw1mieh37xw

 

[pkgk1]

Update: 

I've tried:
Installing old drivers
Changing PCI slots
Turning off ALL fans (including CPU and GPU fans)
changing modular connections
taking out my wireless card (someone said it might cause interference)
Disabling front panel connections


All to no avail; I have just placed an order for an AC to molex power supply. If this doesn't work, my only other idea would be to reinstall windows. 


Could any other xonar essence owner turn mic boost on and record on audacity or use monitoring (with no mic plugged in), and tell me if they get the same issue as the sound file above? I'm not sure if this is just the result of mic boost that occurs with all of these cards. Mic boost might just be amplifying a slight hiss that supposedly all of these cards have.

To turn mic boost on, right click your volume icon in windows, click the "recording" tab, disable the Line In connection (to ensure "Microphone" is enabled), right click "Microphone", select properties, click the custom tab and select microphone boost and monitoring. 

Thanks to anyone who can be of assistance! 

 

[stv014]

I get a similar level of noise from the microphone input at the maximum recording level. What are trying to achieve exactly ? If you need to record a low level signal at high quality, it is best to use the line input with an external pre-amplifier. The microphone level control and +20 dB boost is probably just a simple digital gain that also amplifies the noise of the ADC. The front panel microphone jack is probably also noisier than the line input.

 

[arijspieter]

i do have the same hiss as you do. no idea how to get rid of it though... :/ (and i also have a seperate, modular psu cable going from my cooler master m600 to my xonar stx)
but if i turn off mic boost, i can't hear anything when monitoring my mic...(razer carcharias headset mic)
it's not really a problem for me as no one has ever noticed it when i use skype or other voice communication software...

 

[Docks]

What are the impedance of all of your heapdhones? The essence St has a 10 ohm output impedance........ this can cause a hiss in lower impedance headphones.

 

[stv014]

Quote:

What are the impedance of all of your heapdhones? The essence St has a 10 ohm output impedance........ this can cause a hiss in lower impedance headphones.

 
More precisely, it is not the output impedance that is causing hiss with sensitive low impedance headphones (in fact, it even slightly reduces the hiss), but rather the fact that there is no analog gain or volume control on the card, so it always outputs the maximum level of noise from the DAC, even at low gain and low volume. Less sensitive headphones simply reveal the constant noise floor less. The noise is also higher at sample rates that are multiples of 44100 Hz. However, microphone noise is an unrelated issue.

 

[nagual]

Set  priority of the player, in Task Manager, to real time, or high.
Good luck !