[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

200 pages? I don't think so.
If you don't care to validate your statement by actually posting real facts on Asus software being more easily fixable when compared to Creative software, don't bother.

Nope.
 
 
 

 

[Audioexcels]

Quote:

 
What i just witnessed (not this message per say but the last few) is an unfortunate side effect of type as a medium of communication, namely the difficulty to converse tone, which can lead to disagreements that were not intentional, i dont think you or Audioexcels meant any disrespect or harm to each other, but i feel it needs to stated in an obvious manner by a neutral party, namely me.
 
On-T@Audioexcels: the asus products have a few nice features, Dolby Digital and Headphone among a few. So that does place it above other sources in my books, I would say get the ST, or the STX and doing the Audio GD mod, it is still a viable option if your a modder.
Not be rude or blatant, but it seems you have the money to spend, so just pend it, i do think your over thinking it. You will be happy with the ST I am sure.
 
peace
 

 
Thanks to both you and ROBSCIX.  I went ahead with the ST version in spite my motherboard uses ALL PCI-E.  It is coming from Amazon so I can always refuse it and grab an STX along with the Audio GD parts to solder onto the STX board OR wait for the newest gen cards w/same clocking but w/native PCI-E vs. converted PCI to PCI-E as is the case with the STX.  From all I have read, the ST does in fact have the better jitter and easily discernible sound even via digital only.
 
To answer some questions about use of an external dac vs. the onboard dac of the STX, my friend owns an ST with zero modifications and it was close enough (subtle differences) to a $1500 dac that is raved about as being in the top 5 dacs produced in year 2011, and competitive with mega buck options in reviews.  He was using an integrated Triode amp so maybe that bit of gain and having it directly connected to a very nice amp is the key here.  Now he runs a preamp and bypasses the internal one in the amplifier and gets very very clean sound through the ST.  
 
 

 

[Roller]

Quote:

Nope.
 

It's a shame that posting unsubstanciated opinions don't warrant for anything worth reading in the long run. So, avoid posting fluff in the future.

 

[WiR3D]

Quote:

snipped

I'm sure it will do nicely, also dont forget to try the UNI-drivers if you dont like the stock, personally I dont mind either, but run both
 
I'm probably going to do the AudioGD mod myself, I THINK I read sumwhere that taming jitter my help with harshness, and ill be damned if I'm going to continue to listen to my beloved Denon D2k like this, (still need an impedance cable and sum opamps tho)

 

[Audioexcels]

Quote:

I'm sure it will do nicely, also dont forget to try the UNI-drivers if you dont like the stock, personally I dont mind either, but run both
 
I'm probably going to do the AudioGD mod myself, I THINK I read sumwhere that taming jitter my help with harshness, and ill be damned if I'm going to continue to listen to my beloved Denon D2k like this, (still need an impedance cable and sum opamps tho)

Where do you get the AudioGD parts from and how much are they?  I had recalled that soon there will be a PCI-E native of this and a couple of other cards coming out.  Maybe it makes sense to just go with one of them?  My personal take on jitter control is that it is all system dependent and also how our ears hear it, what cables we are using, etc. etc.  I heard the Audiophilleo in my system and it was literally unbearable to listen to.  But in a different system, besides bad treble sound, it was super laid back/mellow...so I have no clue why or how this happens, but I do think some jitter control can help.  A LOT?...well, that may be unnecessary or irrelevant, even worse for our system/tastes/etc.  

 

[ROBSCIX]

You get the Audio-GD parts, from Audio-GD.  They are a small company that sells audio components.  Here is a link to their site-> LINK

 

[WiR3D]

Quote:

Where do you get the AudioGD parts from and how much are they?  I had recalled that soon there will be a PCI-E native of this and a couple of other cards coming out.  Maybe it makes sense to just go with one of them?  My personal take on jitter control is that it is all system dependent and also how our ears hear it, what cables we are using, etc. etc.  I heard the Audiophilleo in my system and it was literally unbearable to listen to.  But in a different system, besides bad treble sound, it was super laid back/mellow...so I have no clue why or how this happens, but I do think some jitter control can help.  A LOT?...well, that may be unnecessary or irrelevant, even worse for our system/tastes/etc.  

 
True that, well I'm after a non-harsh, smooth (almost sunday chilled vibe) with lots of clarity and soundstage, bass should be +1 or +2 above balanced (if +4 is Hisound POP level, and +5 just destroys all the other frequencies.) so i think i'm going to be relatively busy.
 
With my Denon d2k it will be tricky, possibly easier with my AKG K242HD on the way

 

[ProjectDenz]

I don't think the ST can drive my DT880 (250Ohm) properly, it only sounds marginally better/more neutral than my DT440.
 
Yes I tried max gain settings as well.

 

[derbigpr]

Quote:

I don't think the ST can drive my DT880 (250Ohm) properly, it only sounds marginally better/more neutral than my DT440.
 
Yes I tried max gain settings as well.

 
 
Is it not loud enough or...?
I think ST might like the 600 Ohm version better than 250 Ohm. ST has a quite high output impedance on the headphone jack, so you'd get a much better damping factor with 600 Ohm version. I've tried my friends DT770 600 Ohm version a few weeks back when I wanted to buy DT990, and wasn't sure which version to get, since I thought 600 Ohm will be too hard to drive. Well, it appeared to me that DT770 were plenty loud even compared to HD650, and they didn't feel like there's not enough power fed into them.

 

[ProjectDenz]

Quote:

 
 
Is it not loud enough or...?
I think ST might like the 600 Ohm version better than 250 Ohm. ST has a quite high output impedance on the headphone jack, so you'd get a much better damping factor with 600 Ohm version. I've tried my friends DT770 600 Ohm version a few weeks back when I wanted to buy DT990, and wasn't sure which version to get, since I thought 600 Ohm will be too hard to drive. Well, it appeared to me that DT770 were plenty loud even compared to HD650, and they didn't feel like there's not enough power fed into them.

It might be the sound signature of the DT800 but coming from the DT440 it feels like a bit of energy is being lost. It feels a bit more laid back and neutral. Bass is slightly light, but tight. Midrange is fine and the treble feels nicely extended. Details and clarity certainly feel a very little bit better than the DT440 but the vocals feel a little sluggish. My main issue here is that there isn't much of a step up here in SQ and feels more like a sidegrade. I'm wondering if it's a sound signature issue in the end but talking to others who owned the STX they say that a good dedicated amp seems to power them more properly and sound better than with the STX's amp.
 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

True that, well I'm after a non-harsh, smooth (almost Sunday chilled vibe) with lots of clarity and sound stage, bass should be +1 or +2 above balanced (if +4 is Hisound POP level, and +5 just destroys all the other frequencies.) so i think i'm going to be relatively busy.
With my Denon d2k it will be tricky, possibly easier with my AKG K242HD on the way

Please post your impressions on the AKG K242HD, for one thing is was it made in Austria or China?
I'm thinking of ordering the K242HD from Thomann in the UK (I'm in California).
 
 

 

[mataso]

Hello all, I'm looking for LME49860 on my Xonar ST. Found that you mentioned LME49860NA, but in my local store I also found LME49860MA and LME49860NA/MA NOPB OPAMPS:
http://www.lemona.lt/index.php?page=search&filter=0&q=LME4986&option=0
What are the differences between these? LME49860NA is everything what I need?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Hello all, I'm looking for LME49860 on my Xonar ST. Found that you mentioned LME49860NA, but in my local store I also found LME49860MA and LME49860NA/MA NOPB OPAMPS:
http://www.lemona.lt/index.php?page=search&filter=0&q=LME4986&option=0
What are the differences between these? LME49860NA is everything what I need?

The LME49860MA is a SOIC op-amps, means it needs to be soldered to something.
NOPB is lead free, No Pb
So you want the LME49860NA (or LME49860NA/NOPB) which is the DIP-8 (socketed) op-amp.
 
So, you are all the way over in Lithuania?
 
 
 

 

[mataso]

For now I'm just looking, didn't purchase any of them. Big difference between w Pb & w/o Pb?
If I only want to improve sound over Edifier 2.0 setup, I need to change buffer OPAMP? I/V don't touch?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

For now I'm just looking, didn't purchase any of them. Big difference between w Pb & w/o Pb?
If I only want to improve sound over Edifier 2.0 setup, I need to change buffer OPAMP? I/V don't touch?

Between the w/Pb & w/o PB, just get whatever is cheaper.
It's safer to use three matching op-amps.
I believe I/Vs are more for the headphone output and the buffer affects speaker.
But It's been awhile since I've done any reading on the buffers & I/Vs
 
Some sellers (nooelec?)on eBay will ship four LME49860NAs to you for $18.50 (US), they are located in New York.