[Jogiya]

Hey Guys and Girls!
I've been thinking about getting iBasso D10 for a few days now but yesterday i came across Xonar Essence STX and it seems to be one of the best sound cards out there..

Now my question is, which option i should choose?
My main concern is Music.
gaming comes next, but then none of these two options do 5.1 (am i right?)
The most important question would be: Which one Sounds better??

Please let me know about the features/benefits that Xonar has and D10 doesn't and vice versa.
Is the only benefit of getting iBasso D10 is being able to use it with Mp3 players and portability? (Huge benefits for me!).

I have Westone 3 and IE8 (yeah i got IE8's Again after selling them a few months ago)
Currently i have Asus Rampage Formula motherboard (Optical and Coaxial available) with SupremeFX II Riser Card.
MP3 Players: Sony A728 & Creative Zen Vision M

Thanks!

 

[Bojamijams]

STX does 5.1 (or 7.1) over SPDIF and helps a lot with gaming with Dolby Headphone and Software EAX, etc.

Yes the D10 has a big benefit in being portable, so if you NEED that, then there really is no question. I haven't heard the D10 myself, but I'm curious about it, however spec-wise, the STX has better SnR and THD+N but specs aren't everything

 

[Jogiya]

Thankx for the usefull info. Bojamijams..
I see you have A5's... i have their little brothers, A2's. Can you let me know how much of an improvement was the upgrade to Essence STX? How did it effect the sound?

I would love to hear more from people who have experience with STX and D10 (or similar quality portable amp).

 

[dippyboy_87]

^

 

[Jogiya]

Still waiting to hear from someone who has heard both or from those who have a good external DAC and a good sound card.
Does STX sound way better than D10?

 

[jwatkins]

I'm in a similar position, and I want to get an STX but obviously it wouldn't work for my laptop. Portability is not an issue for me. Anyone have a D10 or other similarly priced usb dac/amp in a position to judge?

 

[ROBSCIX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jogiya /img/forum/go_quote.gif Still waiting to hear from someone who has heard both or from those who have a good external DAC and a good sound card. Does STX sound way better than D10?

I haven't heard that DAC sorry.
Do any of your buddies have this DAC? If they do, go purchase a STX from a local shop and do the comparison yourself.
Make sure the shop has a return policy so if you like the DAC better just reaturn the card as it doesn't fit your needs.
Your ears will make the best judge.

This way you can also check for any features you want or issues for either
hardware that might pop up with your system. Good luck. If you do the comparison let us know your results.

 

[Bojamijams]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jogiya /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thankx for the usefull info. Bojamijams.. I see you have A5's... i have their little brothers, A2's. Can you let me know how much of an improvement was the upgrade to Essence STX? How did it effect the sound? I would love to hear more from people who have experience with STX and D10 (or similar quality portable amp).

I Only listened to a5 with the STX but I have heard the a2s with onboard and it's no contest

 

[thoppa]

Hi,

I have a modified external DAC - Musiland MD10 - which is great for Grados but sucks for Senns. I also have an ST (like the STX but a little better) which works much better with the Senns. The modded MD-10 cost 3x the ST and it is way better but with the Senns, the much cheaper ST wins. I've stopped using the MD-10 for cans and sold on the Grados.

My point is that you need to listen to know but if you can't, I'd get the ST (or STX if you don't have a PCI slot). I think the ST is a safe bet.

Tom

 

[Filburt]

STX has the higher end D/A converter, iBasso D10 probably gives a more seamless amp/dac experience. If I were making the decision for myself, I'd get the Essence STX since it's multipurpose and can have the default op-amps swapped to improve performance further, building upon an already higher-end d/a converter (PCM1792 in the STX vs WM8740 in the D10).

However, if you're really looking for a guarantee on what is just going to positively wow you right out of the box, it's hard to say since there isn't any information here about what your preferences are like. Since the STX has substantial flexibility in changing its output stage (e.g. through op-amps; these are complex circuits in and of themselves, after all), it seems like the safer choice to me, but I'm rather DIY-centric so I guess keep that in mind (though, of course, changing the sound of the D10 would involve a similar operation).

 

[hifidk]

You can swap op-amps on D10 also. If you need portability then you should go with D10. If not, I don't know since I don't have STX.

 

[dippyboy_87]

still no clear answer

 

[Filburt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hifidk /img/forum/go_quote.gif You can swap op-amps on D10 also. If you need portability then you should go with D10. If not, I don't know since I don't have STX.

Yes I know you can. I indicated that in my post. However, I still think the STX has better hardware overall on it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dippyboy_87 /img/forum/go_quote.gif still no clear answer

It's about as clear as it's going to get. None of us have some crystal ball where we're going to be able to perfectly ferret out what the OP wants. Hence, why I said the STX is probably the safer choice since, whatever it is he happens to like, it may be more apt to get him there.

 

[B0b]

I have an Asus Xonar D2X, similar card as yours, and decided to move to an iBasso D10.
Because:

1- I needed an AMP.
2- It's portability (may eventually swap to a laptop).
3- I believe the sound quality will be higher; for music, maybe not for gaming.
4- Gaming sound issues with the Xonar serie on Vista (WATCHOUT, I think the Essence still suffer of this - it's a plague).

I ordered it yesterday, will post my comparison if this topic is still up and I remember it.

Note that you won't benefit of some gaming sound effects with the D10, that's the only downside.

HD595 headphones.

 

[Jogiya]

Thanks for the valuable input guys..

I actually decided to go with Xonar Essence ST as it gives me a better source and i don't really need the portability right now. but where to get one??

I recently read about ST while researching about STX, and the ability to add H6, a multi-channel expansion card, providing best of both worlds (audiophiles and gamers), really attracts my attention.

But the thing is that i am trying to find it online for 2-3 days now and only found two places; scan.co.uk and iKonic IT
Do you guys know if scan.co.uk ships internationally? I emailed them but haven't gotten any replies yet.

Any other online stores that ship to Australia?

thoppa.. where did you get your ST from? did you also get H6?

Bojamijams.. do you mean no contest between A2's and A5's or between STX and onboard?

STX vs on-board is definitely a no contest but I wouldn't be surprised if A2's vs A5's is a no contest, as both are different monitors aimed at different types of users.