[Winterlord]

Hello,

I am sorry to bug with this question, but I have yet to find a direct comparison between the Xonar STX (nor the ST) and dedicated DACs, even if these do not have similar price points.
Some have said that the STX can beat a DAC1 and other high budget DACs, but I can't tell if this was just related to the hype around the card when it was new.

I have decided to upgrade the source and I can't decide what will fit me the most. Will a 200$ sound card in a good case with a high quality PSU (Corsair HX520) do as good a job as a dedicated external DAC at up to double the card's price point, be it a USB I2S or SPDIF interface. I play games and listen to music. For games a can keep the current Xonar D2 and relay the SPDIF signal to a dedicated DAC if that's a better solution.

So, anyone has some answer that could help me to make a better suited purchase?

 

[ChroniCali]

I'm actually looking for this answer right now too, except I'm going to be using speakers. Will be watching this thread.

 

[skurge13]

Ditto! Except my new 'phones will need an amp too. Somebody suggested the Compass dac/amp in another thread. Don't know if I should go with that (over 100 bucks more than the STX card) or another dac/amp, or just the STX. I have my doubts about the whole EMI interference thing, especially since the STX is shielded.

 

[Kurotetsu]

It depends on whether the DACs on the soundcard are as good or better then whatever unit(s) are in your price range. The Xonar D2 you have uses Burr-Brown DACs (Burr-Brown PWM1796 to be precise), and from what I understand they have an excellent reputation. You may be better off just keeping your D2.

EDIT:

I should specify, Burr-Brown itself has an excellent reputation. I have no idea how good that particular model DAC is though.

 

[obobskivich]

reality is, the maximum audible difference between devices is more or less non-existant, if you disagree, see point #3, and I'm not responding to anything illogically formed or any ad hominem attacks (in other words, I'm probably not responding to this thread again)

cheers

 

[a1m80t]

Something to consider is that an onboard sound card can do a lot more than DAC. A dac can only output 2 channels. However, most DAC uses built in drivers from the O/S and tend to be rock solid. That said, i was on a budget and went with the y1 gamma ~100 route over the xonar.

 

[ROBSCIX]

The DAC vs soundcard comes down to the features present on both. What do you need?
Find what fits your needs the best and you will be happy no matter if your device of choice is a soundcard or DAC.

 

[moonboy403]

If gaming is part of your equation, then soundcard would most definitely be your best bet.

As for the discussion of external DAC against STX, I have yet to see any comparison from more a experienced member and I'm sure that it'll stay that way because once you buy a more expensive DAC or go external, you'll almost never go back. So the more experienced members will never buy the STX for the sake of testing it against their external DAC.

I'm not implying if one's more superior than the other. I don't know the answer to that, but that's the way things work around here.

 

[Alydon]

@Winterlord, AFAIK the STX has only been compared to two external DAC's on these forums.

taso89 compared it to his Zero DAC w/ OPA-Earth HDAM installed, and he found the STX to be "clearly superior" to the Zero.

scytheavatar compared it to his iBasso D2 Boa, and said the STX made the Boa sound like an "utter turd" by comparison.

Of course both of those DAC's are in the same ballpark price range as the STX. I don't think anyone's compared it to a high-priced DAC at all. However, the STX does have a Burr-Brown 1792A DAC chip on it, which is TI's flagship DAC. So it's certainly no slouch in the DAC area.

Gamewise tho there's not much difference between your Xonar D2 and STX. Both have their own issues/problems with certain games. Barring any bugs, both cards perform similarly for gaming, although I found directional queues to be a little more precise and natural on the STX than the D2, especially once I upgraded the STX's opamps...

It looks like you don't have a headphone amp either so you'd definitely benefit from the HP-out on the STX too (yes, even w/ your easy-to-drive SR225's

). Just something to think about.