[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I've been playing around with my STX for a couple of days now and it sounds great but to be honest with my HD598 its a bit too neutral for my tastes. I'm thinking of swapping out the op-amps. Is there anything that I should look into for a little more bass? I'm considering some LME49860s.

It's only $15 for three LME49860NA, off eBay.
The LM4652, LME49720NA & LME49860NA are the same op-amp, the LME49860NAs just have a better voltage range.

 

[BababooeyHTJ]

Quote:

It's only $15 for three LME49860NA, off eBay.
The LM4652, LME49720NA & LME49860NA are the same op-amp, the LME49860NAs just have a better voltage range.

Thanks for the info.
 
I ended up picking up three from digikey. I'll report back with my thoughts.

 

[jdip]

Quote:

 
 
I don't know about op-amps, but after getting my Musical Fidelity M1DAC I realized how harsh and bright STX sounds. It became clear to me why Q701's suck when plugged into it.

I just got an STX today and have been listening with my ATH-M50s.  I definitely feel that it is very bright and "harsh" and somewhat lacking on the low end.  But I think it improved when I switched from using the headphone out to the RCA outputs (with the M50s).  Those are my initial impressions.  But I'm hearing more detail as well (compared to my onboard Realtek ALC892 and my iPhone 3GS).

 

[peck1234]

Quote:

I just got an STX today and have been listening with my ATH-M50s.  I definitely feel that it is very bright and "harsh" and somewhat lacking on the low end.  But I think it improved when I switched from using the headphone out to the RCA outputs (with the M50s).  Those are my initial impressions.  But I'm hearing more detail as well (compared to my onboard Realtek ALC892 and my iPhone 3GS).

Spot on my impression as well.  Thus is why I returned my card.  Cymbals are to bright, Mid High's are lacking, and overall tonality in my opinion is OFF.  
 
I actually prefered my ALC888 onboard audio.  The New Realtek Chips in my opinion are fantastic on board sound has come a long way.. The latest ALC898 pushes out 110DB SNR.   
 
But...
 
Just purchased a HRT Music Streamer.  Hopfully I like that when it comes in.  
 
$200 dollars is a lot to spend for a sound you dont like.   So make sure you compare it to your onboard and if you dont find it superior get your MULA back.

 

[WiR3D]

Quote:

I just got an STX today and have been listening with my ATH-M50s.  I definitely feel that it is very bright and "harsh" and somewhat lacking on the low end.  But I think it improved when I switched from using the headphone out to the RCA outputs (with the M50s).  Those are my initial impressions.  But I'm hearing more detail as well (compared to my onboard Realtek ALC892 and my iPhone 3GS).

 
 
Quote:

Snip

 
Yes the stock card is harsh, and the JRC opamps are mainly to blame, swap them out with something else and you will be good, like the THS4032.
 
Avoid the AD797, its got very very good clarity, but its arguable harsher then the JRC2114D

 

[Fakeyfakerson]

Hey guys, I'm wondering how the STX driver settings interact with windows settings, and what the best settings were overall in terms of audio quality. I listen to mainly v0 mp3's, so I have the driver set to 192 Khz sample rate with 2 channels over the headphone analog out. I haven't touched any windows settings, under the sound control panel. Any recommendations or thoughts/comments?

 

[germanium]

Quote:

Hey guys, I'm wondering how the STX driver settings interact with windows settings, and what the best settings were overall in terms of audio quality. I listen to mainly v0 mp3's, so I have the driver set to 192 Khz sample rate with 2 channels over the headphone analog out. I haven't touched any windows settings, under the sound control panel. Any recommendations or thoughts/comments?

Definately make sure that you are at least operating in 24 bit mode in the advanced souncard properties for your speaker output. This will guarentee you get the best results if you plan to use windows mixer. Not much else really seems to matter that much is seems with the STX card I have.

 

[derbigpr]

Quote:

Hey guys, I'm wondering how the STX driver settings interact with windows settings, and what the best settings were overall in terms of audio quality. I listen to mainly v0 mp3's, so I have the driver set to 192 Khz sample rate with 2 channels over the headphone analog out. I haven't touched any windows settings, under the sound control panel. Any recommendations or thoughts/comments?

 
Just put all settings to the highest sample rate possible.

 

[SimmoW]

Hi everyone, I just joined and wanted to say thankyou to all those who've posted all the useful info on this amazing thread! Thanks to you, I bought a Xonar STX and stuck it in my Core i7 920 pc and am gobsmacked how good it sounds!
 
I bought a new pair of Grado SR325is last yr. They sounded excellent on my Rotel CD and RSX-965 amp setup, but once I hooked em up to the Xonar, my GOD. I spent 2hrs straight going through my whole ripped CD and itunes collection, jaw dropping at the ridiculous amt of air pushing into my ears, the 'real' sound of simple instruments like banjo, piano, sheesh anything! Modern tracks that I formerly thought were real pianos were revealed obviously as very good synths. Stunning, quite amazing for the price. One quiet piano track floored me, you could hear and almost feel the hammers hit the strings. Guitars have 10 times the resonance/after effects that I've heard before. Switching from the Xonar to my Sony Xperia S phone is very telling, hilarious. It sounds like a transistor radio or like someone's put jello in my 'phones.
 
Connecting direct to the pc has an added bonus - by being able to flick between tracks almost instantly, you can sample a huge range of music quickly. I could even flick between high res downloads and lower res versions instantly, helping to convince myself that it IS worth getting the higher res versions, if only to a minor extent. It Makes my old Rotel CD player pretty well redundant. Sad, as it cost me a heap a few yrs ago. The Xonar setup is far superior to the CD, other than the annoying fan noise close to me.
 
So I'll continue reading this great forum for more tweaking tips (I only have the default opa's for now. I'm pretty stoked with the headphones though, they'll do me for a very long time. Yes they start to hurt my lobes after an hr, but that's the price you pay.
 
Of course I'll always be open to even improving the DAC setup one day. I'd love someone to prove that an external DAC can noticeably improve the sound I'm getting now. And if it does, it must be incredible! 
 
It's a great time for audiophiles eh...

 

[bcschmerker4]

Congratulations, SimmoW, on landing the Grados®.  The STX can drive an external DAC with either PCM or Dolby® Digital Live multichannel through it S/P-DIF jack, which will handle 75Ω RCA coaxial or 3.5mm optical cable; with the correct switching hardware, one can A-B-C the STX' internal DAC, an S/P-DIF-driven external DAC from the STX' digital output (explained above, in PCM mode), and an external USB 2.0 or 3.0 power DAC (provided that it pack its own power supply unit to feed its electronics properly) to see which of the three sounds best for a given head- or earset.
 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Hi everyone, I just joined and wanted to say thankyou to all those who've posted all the useful info on this amazing thread! Thanks to you, I bought a Xonar STX and stuck it in my Core i7 920 pc and am gobsmacked how good it sounds!
I bought a new pair of Grado SR325is last yr. They sounded excellent on my Rotel CD and RSX-965 amp setup, but once I hooked em up to the Xonar, my GOD. I spent 2hrs straight going through my whole ripped CD and itunes collection, jaw dropping at the ridiculous amt of air pushing into my ears, the 'real' sound of simple instruments like banjo, piano, sheesh anything! Modern tracks that I formerly thought were real pianos were revealed obviously as very good synths. Stunning, quite amazing for the price. One quiet piano track floored me, you could hear and almost feel the hammers hit the strings. Guitars have 10 times the resonance/after effects that I've heard before. Switching from the Xonar to my Sony Xperia S phone is very telling, hilarious. It sounds like a transistor radio or like someone's put jello in my 'phones.
Connecting direct to the pc has an added bonus - by being able to flick between tracks almost instantly, you can sample a huge range of music quickly. I could even flick between high res downloads and lower res versions instantly, helping to convince myself that it IS worth getting the higher res versions, if only to a minor extent. It Makes my old Rotel CD player pretty well redundant. Sad, as it cost me a heap a few yrs ago. The Xonar setup is far superior to the CD, other than the annoying fan noise close to me.
So I'll continue reading this great forum for more tweaking tips (I only have the default opa's for now. I'm pretty stoked with the headphones though, they'll do me for a very long time. Yes they start to hurt my lobes after an hr, but that's the price you pay.
Of course I'll always be open to even improving the DAC setup one day. I'd love someone to prove that an external DAC can noticeably improve the sound I'm getting now. And if it does, it must be incredible!

Have you tried using Foobar to play audio?

 

[WiR3D]

Quote:

 
Just put all settings to the highest sample rate possible.

ah no, firstly the STX measures best at the lower sample rates, secondly 96kHz and 192kHz inherently creates issues at certain frequencies. So no don't put the sample rate the highest, put it at whatever your music files are, generally 44.1kHz to prevent upsampling. And use WASAPI or ASIO drivers.
 
Quote:

snip

Congrats!
If you want even more clarity swap out the I/V opamps with AD797, but it can be overpowering for some, but since you are hooking it up to an amp it shouldn't be a problem,
 
Also use a good music player, either Foobar or my favourite MusicBee, with WASAPI or ASIO drivers, it really does make a difference.

 

[stv014]

Quote:

ah no, firstly the STX measures best at the lower sample rates

 
Not at 44.1 kHz, or its multiples (88.2/176.4 kHz). Using any of these, the noise level of the DAC is significantly higher than at 48/96/192 kHz.

 

[SimmoW]

More thanks guys! Oh dear, much to learn still then. I've only downloaded Mediamonkey. I'll definitely check out those players. ASIO? That has another meaning in Australia..

Foobar sounds great just from the name. I don't intend streaming to the receiver just YET, wanna get the headphone setup just right first. Im fascinated with steaming though, I'll research some of your signature specs soon!

Wir3d- what, I can get MORE clarity?!My ears might start bleeding ok, I'll try it, hell my ears already hurt enough with those cans after an hr.

 

[derbigpr]

Quote:

Hi everyone, I just joined and wanted to say thankyou to all those who've posted all the useful info on this amazing thread! Thanks to you, I bought a Xonar STX and stuck it in my Core i7 920 pc and am gobsmacked how good it sounds!
 
I bought a new pair of Grado SR325is last yr. They sounded excellent on my Rotel CD and RSX-965 amp setup, but once I hooked em up to the Xonar, my GOD. I spent 2hrs straight going through my whole ripped CD and itunes collection, jaw dropping at the ridiculous amt of air pushing into my ears, the 'real' sound of simple instruments like banjo, piano, sheesh anything! Modern tracks that I formerly thought were real pianos were revealed obviously as very good synths. Stunning, quite amazing for the price. One quiet piano track floored me, you could hear and almost feel the hammers hit the strings. Guitars have 10 times the resonance/after effects that I've heard before. Switching from the Xonar to my Sony Xperia S phone is very telling, hilarious. It sounds like a transistor radio or like someone's put jello in my 'phones.
 
Connecting direct to the pc has an added bonus - by being able to flick between tracks almost instantly, you can sample a huge range of music quickly. I could even flick between high res downloads and lower res versions instantly, helping to convince myself that it IS worth getting the higher res versions, if only to a minor extent. It Makes my old Rotel CD player pretty well redundant. Sad, as it cost me a heap a few yrs ago. The Xonar setup is far superior to the CD, other than the annoying fan noise close to me.
 
So I'll continue reading this great forum for more tweaking tips (I only have the default opa's for now. I'm pretty stoked with the headphones though, they'll do me for a very long time. Yes they start to hurt my lobes after an hr, but that's the price you pay.
 
Of course I'll always be open to even improving the DAC setup one day. I'd love someone to prove that an external DAC can noticeably improve the sound I'm getting now. And if it does, it must be incredible! 
 
It's a great time for audiophiles eh...

 
 
Just to tell you, even though you might not accept it now (I know I didn't lol), but forget about DAC upgrades.  Trust me, you won't get anything better than STX unless you invest some serious money (a couple of grand), and even then, differences will be much smaller than between your Rotel CD/amp and the STX.
I recently got a Musical Fidelity M1DAC, which is about 800$ new, and is considered by many who tried it a giant killer, a DAC that performs and measures at the level of much more expensive DAC's.  Even the manufacturer itself challenged other DAC makers, if they can provide a DAC that costs up to 10 times as much, and prove that it measures or sounds better, they will stop producing the M1.  Well, its all nice, but to be honest, I don't hear any major difference in quality between it and STX DAC.  To be honest, the only difference there is in sound signature, not sound quality. STX even sounds clearer, more detailed and crisper sometimes, while M1DAC is I guess a bit more lush and warm. But the difference is REALLY REALLY small, none of them stand out, and none of them offer something that the other one doesn't. Basically, the point is, DAC inside the STX is "as good as it gets". Anyone that claims otherwise is a victim of marketing and placebo. This might sound harsh, but it's the honest truth.