[medex]

When running low impedance headphones 64Ohm (A700), how much better would the STX sound vs the DX?  Is the extra $150 worth the price, for just music, tv and movies.

 

[luminouslight]

It would probably be better to get something like an DAC such as the Musiland 02 US as opposed to the STX if you were thinking of upgrading purely for music, tv, and movies.

 

[medex]

Yeah, from what I have read these Asian Dac things look to be just scams.  I think id prefer something from a know company.

 

[Steve-o27]

The DX is an awesome card for it's price but, don't get me wrong, if you have some decent headphones you will notice the difference between the DX and the STX right out of the box. I had the DX for about four months and it drove my HD555s very well and if I recall correctly they're 50Ohm headphones so I have no doubts that it will drive your A700s without any issues. Is it worth the extra $150, IMO yes, especially if you need really high quality stereo outputs.

 

[medex]

Quote:

The DX is an awesome card for it's price but, don't get me wrong, if you have some decent headphones you will notice the difference between the DX and the STX right out of the box. I had the DX for about four months and it drove my HD555s very well and if I recall correctly they're 50Ohm headphones so I have no doubts that it will drive your A700s without any issues. Is it worth the extra $150, IMO yes, especially if you need really high quality stereo outputs.

 
So you noticed a quality difference that was worthwhile with your 50Ohm headphones?
 

 

[Steve-o27]

I bought the ST especially for it's high quality DAC and dual stereo outputs, and yes, the changes were obvious right out of the box. I don't think the integrated amp has something to do with it...

 

[ROBSCIX]

I have tested both the STX and the ST and find the strong part of the card is the DAC quality.  The can amplifer is reasonable for the end price point but it won't surpass external amplifers that are worth more then the soundcard.

 

[shimm]

Good impedance for ST(X) is about 100-300 Ohms. 50 Ohm is a bit low though.
http://forum.ixbt.com/topic.cgi?id=12:48601:2981#2981
THD % (150 Ohms/64 Ohms) = 0.0006 / 0.003
IMD % (150 Ohms/64 Ohms) = 0.0028 / 0.011

 

[1226su]

Trust me, the superior sound quality and the opamp actually worth the extra price!
 
However, DX is good enough for mainstream use like playing games