The Xonar Essence STX Q/A, tweaking, impressions thread
Nov 11, 2012 at 2:57 PM Post #3,917 of 5,721
Nov 11, 2012 at 4:29 PM Post #3,918 of 5,721
Quote:

Can't get the first link.
 
The second link is frugalphile, he has a good rep. with Head-fier he has delt with.
 
Nov 11, 2012 at 9:54 PM Post #3,919 of 5,721
Quote:
Trying to record some guitar trough the mic input of this card,but I get high latency so its imposibole to play.
Is there a way to get this latency down,I use N-track studio.

 
What drivers are you using? For better latency, try the Uni Xonar Drivers:

https://brainbit.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/asus-xonar-unified-drivers/
 
Nov 12, 2012 at 4:33 AM Post #3,920 of 5,721
Quote:
Trying to record some guitar trough the mic input of this card,but I get high latency so its imposibole to play.
Is there a way to get this latency down,I use N-track studio.
 

Uni drivers,
turn off hardware buffering (no idea how myself, got this info from a friend running linux) and he got it down to about 50ms
 
Nov 12, 2012 at 5:11 AM Post #3,921 of 5,721
Will the DIP-8 adapters fit under the stx shield ?
 
Nov 12, 2012 at 5:12 AM Post #3,922 of 5,721
Quote:
turn off hardware buffering (no idea how myself, got this info from a friend running linux) and he got it down to about 50ms

 
The best loopback latency (playback+recording) I measured with the STX on Linux is about 7.3 ms using ALSA (device hw:1,0), a sample rate of 44100 Hz and a buffer size of 256 sample frames (4*64), the default fast roll-off DAC filter, and no special low latency kernel or real-time scheduling priority. Interestingly, the hard limit seems to be the buffer size (256), if I try to reduce it to 128 at 44100 Hz, then there are continuous xruns, but 256 at 96000 Hz works fine, and gives a playback+recording latency of slightly less than 4 ms. I can even raise the sample rate to 192000 Hz and the latency drops to less than 2 ms, but there are some xruns then. Switching the DAC filter to slow roll-off mode (probably not available on Windows) that has a shorter impulse response also improved the latency slightly, and made it similar to the Xonar D1, which uses a CS4398 DAC (minimum phase filter, no pre-ringing).
Poor latency on Windows is clearly a software/driver problem. Try using different drivers, different audio API (if possible), lower buffer size, maybe higher sample rate, and check any Windows audio settings that may affect latency/buffering.
 
Nov 12, 2012 at 7:58 AM Post #3,924 of 5,721
Nov 12, 2012 at 9:43 AM Post #3,925 of 5,721
Hey guys, quick question and concern here.
 
Just installed Windows 8 and the latest Xonar Unified Drivers (1.64).  Note that I have also witnessed this problem with the Windows 8 Beta Drivers from ASUS.
 
Every time I switch output between my headphones and speakers via the control panel, there is now a LOUD pop coming from the switched-to device.  The loudness of the pop is consistent and does not depend on what I have the volume set to.  The pop is very audible through my Senn H598s and can be heard over the normal analog switching noise that the card normally makes.
 
Any thoughts?  I'd prefer to fix this if possible, but I'm more concerned right now that these pops will damage my headphones.
 
Nov 12, 2012 at 6:11 PM Post #3,927 of 5,721
Quote:
maybe your eeprom got overwritten. i had that issue with a STX from a friend.
 
please reinstall Firmware in eeprom as described here:  http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Xonar_EEPROM_Failure

 
I checked that when I first got the card it seems that there are no 64 bit drivers and will not work for me (Win7 x64). I ended up having to do a full windows reinstallation and then it seemed to accept the card, but I have been wary of installing the Uni Xonar drivers since I would prefer to not have to do a full reinstall again should something not work as intended.
Any helpful tips on this are appreciated.
 
Quote:
Hey guys, quick question and concern here.
 
Just installed Windows 8 and the latest Xonar Unified Drivers (1.64).  Note that I have also witnessed this problem with the Windows 8 Beta Drivers from ASUS.
 
Every time I switch output between my headphones and speakers via the control panel, there is now a LOUD pop coming from the switched-to device.  The loudness of the pop is consistent and does not depend on what I have the volume set to.  The pop is very audible through my Senn H598s and can be heard over the normal analog switching noise that the card normally makes.
 
Any thoughts?  I'd prefer to fix this if possible, but I'm more concerned right now that these pops will damage my headphones.


I am curious about this as well. Mine does the same thing.
 
Nov 13, 2012 at 1:16 AM Post #3,928 of 5,721
Quote:
 
I checked that when I first got the card it seems that there are no 64 bit drivers and will not work for me (Win7 x64). I ended up having to do a full windows reinstallation and then it seemed to accept the card, but I have been wary of installing the Uni Xonar drivers since I would prefer to not have to do a full reinstall again should something not work as intended.
Any helpful tips on this are appreciated.
 

I am curious about this as well. Mine does the same thing.

The official drivers and the unofficial ones work perfectly on win7 x64, THe UniDrivers are much better. 
 
 
to everyone - I have updated the wiki, included a no sound in games fix, clarified music settings, listed goto opamps.
 
EDIT: and I included the results from stv014's Foobar2000 resampler testing.  (let me know If I interpreted it wrong.)
 
so seriously just point the noobs towards it.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/asus-xonar-essence-stx-virtual-7-1-channels-pci-express-interface-124-db-snr-headphone-amp-card#wiki
 
Nov 13, 2012 at 7:09 AM Post #3,929 of 5,721
Hi guys,

I have a few questions if you don't mind helping out.

I'm currently using a set of LME49720 with my Audio Technica ATH-A700s. They're okay compared to the stock op-amps since they lack bass. The A700s already lack bass so pairing it with the 49720s makes it more undesirable.

I know everyone has been opting to use LME49990s and have been saying they work well. I'm hard pressed to find a post detailing why they so highly used and comparisons of it versus the stock or other op-amps. So what makes them good?

I will be grabbing six LME49990s from TI:
http://www.ti.com/product/lme49990

And a set of three of these dual SOIC-8 to DIP-8 adapters. Can anyone confirm that these will fit under the metal cover of the ASUS Xonar STX?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Dual-SOIC-DIP-8-Convert-PCB-Adapter-SMD-OPA627-/320824421618?pt=US_Amplifier_Parts_Components&hash=item4ab2a02cf2

I have soldered many SMD parts before so this will not be a problem. I will review the datasheet and ensure that everything is correct before the order. Is there anything else I should know?

Thanks. :)
 
Nov 13, 2012 at 11:20 AM Post #3,930 of 5,721
Quote:
Hi guys,

I have a few questions if you don't mind helping out.

I'm currently using a set of LME49720 with my Audio Technica ATH-A700s. They're okay compared to the stock op-amps since they lack bass. The A700s already lack bass so pairing it with the 49720s makes it more undesirable.

I know everyone has been opting to use LME49990s and have been saying they work well. I'm hard pressed to find a post detailing why they so highly used and comparisons of it versus the stock or other op-amps. So what makes them good?

I will be grabbing six LME49990s from TI:
http://www.ti.com/product/lme49990

And a set of three of these dual SOIC-8 to DIP-8 adapters. Can anyone confirm that these will fit under the metal cover of the ASUS Xonar STX?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Dual-SOIC-DIP-8-Convert-PCB-Adapter-SMD-OPA627-/320824421618?pt=US_Amplifier_Parts_Components&hash=item4ab2a02cf2

I have soldered many SMD parts before so this will not be a problem. I will review the datasheet and ensure that everything is correct before the order. Is there anything else I should know?

Thanks. :)

from what I can tell, neutral sound, nothing added or removed, and enhanced clarity. Largish soundstage (smaller then AD797 which is the largest most probably tied with LME49860) and thats about it. I wouldn't be surprised if the soundstage is actually on par
 

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