[ROBSCIX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfrank /img/forum/go_quote.gif finally got my essence st yesterday ..so far gotta admit for games this thing is not as good as my fatal1ty card you can really tell the differance between the 2 gaming wise..... as for music, so far they seem the same...but i am using 2.1 T.H.X. speakers with the sub woofer..sounds ok but so far switching between the 2 cards and playing cds..and checking you tube music videos..they seem to sound the same..could just be me.. downloading the new patch now , maybe will make a improvement.

What model of speakers are you using?

 

[macrog]

I had an X-Fi Elite Pro before I got my Xonar D2 then D2X then STX. Even the D2 sounded way better to me than the X-Fi. You have got it on the Hi-Fi preset I hope ? I have always run my HTPC through a reasonably high end stereo setup Linn preamp 4x linn mono poweramps and monitor audio pl300 speakers. I do use other sources such as wadia, cambridge 840c, Dacmagic and a hifidelio.

Perhaps it just needs running in ?

 

[genclaymore]

Speakers and headphones play a important role too, because you can have the sound card and run them thru cheap speakers and dont get there full sound. Some people dont realize that.

 

[ROBSCIX]

Running a high quality PC soundcard on a cheap set of Logitech or other cheap speakers is seriously going to limit the sound quality your going to hear.

 

[cfrank]

LOL ok to start yes i guess i am new to this sound card , perfect audio bit.. so yes maybe like i said before could just be me. i have been trying them out again today ..still cant tell the differance to be honest ..except for games..though like people are saying speakers make a big differance. i currently use Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX Certified Computer Speaker System ..not too bad and i have a altec lansing n.x.t sound bar i plan to try hook it up 2..maybe see a quality differance then. i dont plan on returning the card i can only imagine it takes a while to notice the differances between the two cards and apprecate them..if nothing else i am still gald i have the card..

 

[Bojamijams]

Klipsch makes good speakers.. I don't know about that particular one but I know the company's rep

What bitrate is your source? If its all 128kbps MP3 then you most definetly will not hear a difference. STX may even make it sound worse. If you got some 256kbps and higher MP3 or even better, lossless, then do a listen with those.

And listen to a whole album you love (your #1 fave) completely with one card and then with the other. Changing halfway between a song or even just doing one song isn't enough to appreciate the subtle differences.

 

[ROBSCIX]

Your speakers and source material are very important.

 

[ZeNmAc]

Is the ST really that much better than the STX? I'm about to order parts for a new computer. I was going to get a STX, but after reading this thread is it really worth it to wait for the ST? Is it even being sold in the US yet?

I'm just trying to figure out if it is better, and if its worth being stuck with a pci sound card in the dead center of my slots (eventually between cards in crossfire)

.

 

[IINOPP]

when is this thing going to be released?
im in australia too; ill probably have to wait longer.

 

[thoppa]

I got mine last week. HK$1350 = US$175. I had the STX before but I had issues with it and returned it.

I've upgraded the op amps to AD8620BR - not cheap but almost ideal for his card IMO. Note the BR is higher spec than the AR so it costs quite a bit more. Perhaps not worth the extra.

I'm going to look into upgrading some of the caps in the buffer stage and get better op amp sockets fitted to get the best from the op amps.

I'm using an independent power supply for the card. I wanted to use a linear regulated design but there isn't space in my PC so it is SMPS with high-quality caps (Phillips etc).

AD8620BR datasheet pdf datenblatt - Analog Devices - Precision, Very Low Noise, Low Input Bias Current, Wide Bandwidth JFET Operational Amplifier ::: ALLDATASHEET :::

The ST powers HD650s quite comfortably.

The jitter-reduction circuit seems to be effective ( I listen to uncompressed CD files) and the sound is quite a bit more detailed than the STX.

I've tried various sample rates, (44, 96, 192) and both 16-bit and 24-bit settings (in the ASIO driver, not the main driver interface). They have a limited effect; wider sound, more distant vocal, 'smoother' highs. I think this is because the AV100 chip isn't that good at upsampling and the driver still doesn't allow bit perfect playback.

The jitter reduction chip helps to smooth high frequency detail and give the overall presentation more definition and space but, IMO, it isn't remotely comparable to dedicated upsampling chips like the AD1896, or ultra-low jitter clocking like a Tent labs XO. But for a sound card, it's great value and I have no hesitation recommending it. Don't get this card if you want good upsampling though !

I think it's definitely better than the STX, although I think for most people there's no reason to switch if you're happy with your STX. Tough decision really.

One odd thing I noticed was the balance wasn't exactly centred in the driver when I first started it up. It looked like it was just off centre to the left by the smallest possible amount. Maybe it was my imagination. Anybody else see this ? Do I need glasses ?

 

[ablaze]

thoppa, any chance you'd be able to purchase it for me and ship it to Singapore? anybody found any place to order it for a good price? my searches are turning up short. argh.

 

[thoppa]

Hi,

I don't mind doing this but you won't have a warranty - HK has its own warranty system and they don't apply internationally.

Add in the cost of shipping (recorded delivery), Paypal fee, and my cost of petrol and you're looking at around HK$1,600 or more.

Maybe I should put on one Ebay ?

Tom

 

[cfrank]

Just letting you know.. i found out why my asus essence st wasnt sounding to great the driver wasnt running correctly on my pc ..it worked but no presets was working or hifi or music presets were not working..i didnt really mess with them too much until today..but anyway unistalled my drivers and reinstalled them and now the sound card is working perfectly

.glad i didnt give up on it..not sure why drivers wasnt working correctly when the asus console was loading and running, it seemed ok but anyway yes the sound is better than my fatal1ty..very pleased with the differance in sound, games still not so great but who cares

.Thanks for the tips on getting this thing running correctly. And yes its worth buying one from europe even if its a bit more expensive than you would normally pay...if you have good equipment you wont regret it.

 

[ROBSCIX]

@thoppa, yes I have noticed that little blip in the sliders. IIRC, it is a common glitch in GUI's among the Xonar cards. The balance slider even though dead center in level -it looks like it is pushed left slighty.
Also, if you want bit perfect playback you set the sample rate in the drivers. They allow bit perfect playback but they do not have auto sample rate adjustment.

 

[thoppa]

Hi,

I am not convinced that the card is bit perfect for 44.1Khz because I think it might be automatically upsampling - I think selecting 44.1 simply means the SPDIF output from the AV100 (or is it 200...?) is set to 44.1, so that is fed into the DAC. I don't think it is passing through in a bit perfect way. Have you got any data or datasheets or whatever that can confirm what the architecture of AV chip is and how it processes signals ?

It's good they added the bit depth to the ASIO settings, and they had a good stab at the SVN too but it still boosts background noise and quiet passages too much.

They haven't fixed the problem I have with multiple bit rate files in Foobar - a 96/24 file will play fine but if the next file in the list is different then it is played at the wrong speed; over twice the speed = hello chipmunks ! Same with playing 44.1 - no problem - but if the next file is 96, then again, wrong speed. Or should I say wwwrrrrrrrroooooooooooooonnnnngggggggg ssssssssppppppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeddddddddd. Just clicking stop and play and the file is fine again.

Hey ho. It's still a great card for the money.