Xonar Essence STX & Beyerdynamic T1
May 10, 2013 at 8:37 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 12

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Can you tell me if it is possible to drive Beyerdynamics T1 quite well using an Asus Xonar Essence STX?

Many Thanks.

Best luck!
 
May 10, 2013 at 8:50 PM Post #2 of 12
In my experience the Xonar STX hasn't really been that good at driving anything with over 32 ohm impedance. If you want to get a good sound card with a legitimate built in amp, my favorite that I've purchased so far (and the only one I felt was worth reviewing) was the Creative Sound Blaster Z, which has a built in 600 ohm amp which coincidentally is the same as the T1's. Of course, when you get into headphones this powerful most sound cards will pale in comparison to an actual DAC. For T1's I would suggest getting a real DAC amp, but you could get by with the SBz.
 
May 10, 2013 at 9:41 PM Post #4 of 12
The amp being capable of driving 600 ohm headphones in most sound cards are just largely marketing ploy. Sure you can use it, but whether it sounds good or not has nothing to do with the fact that it can "drive 600 ohm headphones", Anything with a headphone out jack can drive a 600 ohm headphones.
 
When I had my TiHD (same league with the STX) it drove my D5000 quite well. The T1 is very different in terms or amplification though.
 
May 10, 2013 at 10:56 PM Post #5 of 12
I appreciate your answers. Thanks!

Any other opinion?
 
May 11, 2013 at 7:51 PM Post #6 of 12
I'm comparing Ipod Shuffle 4G > Fiio E07K >Beyerdynamic T5p vs. Asus Xonar Essence STX >Beyerdynamic T1 Which is a better choice? (It is very difficult to find dedicated 600 Ohms headphone amplifiers in my country)
 
May 11, 2013 at 8:14 PM Post #7 of 12
It's not really about a "dedicated" 600Ohm amplifier... it's just that most of these cheaper amplifiers just don't have the power to control high impedance headphones properly. 
 
I'm also now confused if you want your setup to be portable or not?  cause a desktop sound card + T1 is not portable.  Is there a reason you don't take that budget and throw it a lyr/HE-500 rather than looking into portable T5p rigs?
 
May 11, 2013 at 8:37 PM Post #8 of 12
It is impossible to buy HiFiMAN products here where I live and the only amplifiers you can find here are Fiio's (E11,E12,E07K, etc)

I don't care if the set is portable or not, but it is really difficult to find a good headphone amplifier (600Ohm) in this country.

: /
 
May 12, 2013 at 4:11 AM Post #9 of 12
Objectively speaking, there is no reason why the Xonar Essence STX would not be perfectly fine to drive the T1. It is false information that it has "not enough power" to drive those headphones, and is mostly based on audiophile prejudice against sound cards, and the (incorrect) assumption that an expensive headphone requires an equally expensive amplifier. In fact, this card has worse - but usually still not bad - sound quality when driving low impedance headphones (and especially some IEMs), so you can ignore advice from those who suggest it is "not suitable for driving anything higher than 32 Ω". The only way in which high impedance is "difficult to drive" is that it needs more voltage for the same power, but the amplifier on the card can output enough voltage (up to about 7 Vrms without audible distortion) for almost everything, including the T1.
 
None of the FiiO amplifiers would "upgrade" the Xonar STX for the purpose of driving the T1. The T5p is basically a closed version of the T1, and sacrifices some sound quality for isolation. If you do not actually need isolation, it is a worse choice for the price, regardless of what you drive it with.
 
Note however, that the T1 might not be the headphone you want anyway (unless you have already listened to it, preferably compared it to others, and liked the sound). It is overpriced compared to the similar sounding, but 4x cheaper DT880, and many people do not like its treble. If you are not sure yet what headphones would be the best to buy, you may also consider some other models. The headphones are the most important factor determining the sound quality, so it is important to choose the best ones for your tastes.
 
May 12, 2013 at 12:55 PM Post #10 of 12
Quote:
Objectively speaking, there is no reason why the Xonar Essence STX would not be perfectly fine to drive the T1. It is false information that it has "not enough power" to drive those headphones, and is mostly based on audiophile prejudice against sound cards, and the (incorrect) assumption that an expensive headphone requires an equally expensive amplifier. In fact, this card has worse - but usually still not bad - sound quality when driving low impedance headphones (and especially some IEMs), so you can ignore advice from those who suggest it is "not suitable for driving anything higher than 32 Ω". The only way in which high impedance is "difficult to drive" is that it needs more voltage for the same power, but the amplifier on the card can output enough voltage (up to about 7 Vrms without audible distortion) for almost everything, including the T1.
 
None of the FiiO amplifiers would "upgrade" the Xonar STX for the purpose of driving the T1. The T5p is basically a closed version of the T1, and sacrifices some sound quality for isolation. If you do not actually need isolation, it is a worse choice for the price, regardless of what you drive it with.
 
Note however, that the T1 might not be the headphone you want anyway (unless you have already listened to it, preferably compared it to others, and liked the sound). It is overpriced compared to the similar sounding, but 4x cheaper DT880, and many people do not like its treble. If you are not sure yet what headphones would be the best to buy, you may also consider some other models. The headphones are the most important factor determining the sound quality, so it is important to choose the best ones for your tastes.


Many Thanks! I've found your opinion really convincing!
Sadly there aren't many hi end headphones to buy in my country.
The only DT880 I can find here is the Pro version 250 Ohms and it is
3,33 times cheaper than the flagship T1.

Do you think that DT880 Pro 250 Ohms at that price is still a better choice?

Other options here are:
Shure Srh1840 which are 2,7 times more expensive than DT880 Pro
Sennheiser HD600 which are 1,6 times more expensive than DT880 Pro

Many Thanks!
 
May 13, 2013 at 11:42 AM Post #11 of 12
Quote:
Many Thanks! I've found your opinion really convincing!
Sadly there aren't many hi end headphones to buy in my country.
The only DT880 I can find here is the Pro version 250 Ohms and it is
3,33 times cheaper than the flagship T1.

Do you think that DT880 Pro 250 Ohms at that price is still a better choice?

Other options here are:
Shure Srh1840 which are 2,7 times more expensive than DT880 Pro
Sennheiser HD600 which are 1,6 times more expensive than DT880 Pro

Many Thanks!


All headphone provide a different experience, try to test them;  and if you can't , you'd still have something to enjoy regardless of your choice. Maybe stating your musical preferences could help.
The srh1840 is known to have important measured distortions, but still there are people that enjoy them.
The hd600 is a "straightforward" choice for a lot of people, but unfortunately the price was raised by senn.
If you want to go the flagship road , you may consider the hd800.  I  got a similar problem as you, with a limited availability of amps where I  live,
and I  run a hd800 from my xonar stx. I  think it sounds overall better that my other mid fi headphone (hd595, srh940, hd25 II 1),
and I  still hear what's makes the hd800 "special" (soundstage, clean sound), so I don't care if my source might not be the best.
 
May 13, 2013 at 7:24 PM Post #12 of 12
Quote:
All headphone provide a different experience, try to test them;  and if you can't , you'd still have something to enjoy regardless of your choice. Maybe stating your musical preferences could help.
The srh1840 is known to have important measured distortions, but still there are people that enjoy them.
The hd600 is a "straightforward" choice for a lot of people, but unfortunately the price was raised by senn.
If you want to go the flagship road , you may consider the hd800.  I  got a similar problem as you, with a limited availability of amps where I  live,
and I  run a hd800 from my xonar stx. I  think it sounds overall better that my other mid fi headphone (hd595, srh940, hd25 II 1),
and I  still hear what's makes the hd800 "special" (soundstage, clean sound), so I don't care if my source might not be the best.


I really appreciate your opinion! Thanks!
 

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