[usf09]

Just curious...I got my new Essence after RMAing the first one, and this sounds absolutely perfect...(NGX, I think you had the hiss also, I would RMA it if you haven't already)...anyways, what settings do you all use? I saw the Dolby 7.1/PXII/Dolby Headphone...

I don't really favor any of those settings turned on, I just set the sample rate to 44.1 khz and that's it...I liked this sound best out of all the settings there are, I was just wondering how other people felt...

 

[ROBSCIX]

@USF09. glad to hear you got it figured out and are now enjoying your new card.

 

[usf09]

Thanks, appreciate it...I'm really glad I went through with it, such a huge difference...Absolutely silent in all quiet playback (unless hiss from recording studio itself, can't be helped)...This is my first venture into higher end (still low/mid-fi I know) equipment, and this card with my studio monitors and with my hd650s are unbelievable coming from bose triports...

I listened to my Bose again, and everything is so muddled, it just sounds awful compared to this setup...I'm still in the process of figuring out all the settings, but so far, the stock settings with the bass upped for larger headphones are the only changes I've made

I'll probably keep this for a while, I can tell the dolby 7.1 puts me into a virtual room or sorts, i guess...they are two different sounds, and I am on the fence as to which type of sound I like better...

 

[EBisky]

I just got an Essence. I had a 'hot-rodded' xi-fi, but I started getting a lot of static which was probably due to the solder points coming undone.

Anyways, the question I had was if I set it to high gain(60-300 ohm) for my ATH-A900(40 ohms), would I see any benefit in doing this or could it possibly damage my headphones?

Thanks!

 

[clasam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alydon /img/forum/go_quote.gif You are correct. I think I'm the only person who's posted a comparision of the STX's amp section to an external amp so far. Make no mistake, the STX has a very nice amp section.

When you say amp section, does this refer to the headphone amp only?

I wasn't able to find the info on the asus website, but does it have an amp section for speakers via the RCA outs? Or is it just line level?

Also, theoretically speaking, when watching a movie, is it possible to use the analog outs as your mains while routing the surround sound through the digital out -> amp -> surround speakers?

Thanks,

Jon

 

[audionewbieyao]

yes, Xonar Essence STX does have an amp section for headphone.
The RCA out is normal 2vrms line out.
The 3rd jack from left is the one with headphone amp.

It's thearatically possible, but no one is doing that because most of the headphones will block out the environment sounds so you can enjoy your music better. So in reality, it's not possible, unless it's designed from a complete system point of view.

 

[scytheavatar]

Wow, 2XLME49720 in the i/v slot is awesome, far more than 2XLM6172. Alydon, try them out!

 

[Alydon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scytheavatar /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow, 2XLME49720 in the i/v slot is awesome, far more than 2XLM6172. Alydon, try them out!

Hmm, I'm a little hesitant to try them out since they're just rebadged LM4562's... Dunno, maybe National cherry picks their silicon for the "performance audio" line.... But they are only $9 for a pair of 'em so I might give 'em a shot anyway.

Before I do tho I have a few questions for you....

Are you listening to the HP-out or RCA-outs?

What other equipment (cans, IC's, amps) are in the chain you're listening to?

What are you using for a buffer opamp?

I remember you mentioning the 6172's had decreased resolution compared to the stock 2114D's (whic is the opposite of my experience). Did they ever open up for you or become more detailed after burning-in?

And the big one..... What specifically do you like about them over the 6172's?

 

[s2kphile]

I've actually tried those LME49720 in the I/V slots. I really don't know how to describe the sound but lets say it's a bit warmer then the LM6172, imo. All I know is after listening to it I went back to the LM6172 maybe it's cause of the set up I'm using which include

D5000 | AD700 | MSOne | HD280Pro | Mackie MR5

I think the LM6172 sound better in the I/V slot especially paired with a LT1361 or LT1364.

 

[Alydon]

*nods* Hmmm, yeah that was kinda what my suspicion would be. The 49720's I'm guessing would produce a brighter sound that would emphasis the lower-mid treble area. A lot of the music that's out there produces quite a bit of its sound around those freq's so it's entirely possible they might sound more detailed or clearer than the 6172's on some gear. The 6172's may not pair well on darker/less revealing gear. Or maybe Scytheavatar's ears are just broken..

Yo scythe, you didn't happen to install the 6172's in backwards did ya?

j/k *ducks*

 

[scytheavatar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alydon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmm, I'm a little hesitant to try them out since they're just rebadged LM4562's... Dunno, maybe National cherry picks their silicon for the "performance audio" line.... But they are only $9 for a pair of 'em so I might give 'em a shot anyway. Before I do tho I have a few questions for you.... Are you listening to the HP-out or RCA-outs? What other equipment (cans, IC's, amps) are in the chain you're listening to? What are you using for a buffer opamp? I remember you mentioning the 6172's had decreased resolution compared to the stock 2114D's (whic is the opposite of my experience). Did they ever open up for you or become more detailed after burning-in? And the big one..... What specifically do you like about them over the 6172's?

I am listening only straight from the headphone out, on my AD2000. And only swapping the I/V slots. IMHO the LM6172 is 1 step forward, 1 step back from the 2114, while I liked the improved neutrality the soundstage and transparency seemed to have suffered, it's almost like the Esscence's magic is sucked out and it sounds more lower end. It does improve a bit after a short (about 10 hours) burn in, I think I will swap them back and burn them in more to see how much better they can get. The LME49720s on the other hand has an incredible transparency and treble extension, plus an incredible soundstage. IMHO it's an upgrade from both the 2114 and 6172. I strongly disagree that it's warmer than the 6172; in fact I disliked the LME49720's bass which seemed to have become softer. But the tradeoff is worth it IMHO.

 

[s2kphile]

Which OPAmp do you have in the buffer slot? Thats why it's all subjective and we need a detail list of how each opamps sound. I'm using mostly my Mackie speakers as my test since it uses both the buffer and i/v slots.

 

[scytheavatar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by s2kphile /img/forum/go_quote.gif Which OPAmp do you have in the buffer slot? Thats why it's all subjective and we need a detail list of how each opamps sound. I'm using mostly my Mackie speakers as my test since it uses both the buffer and i/v slots.

I am using the headphone out, so the op amp in the buffer slot doesn't matter. I haven't change it from the LM4562.

 

[dex85]

hi again, how do you guys control volume for headphones and active speakers? do you use foobar or asus software that comes with card?

 

[Tiramisu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EBisky /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just got an Essence. I had a 'hot-rodded' xi-fi, but I started getting a lot of static which was probably due to the solder points coming undone. Anyways, the question I had was if I set it to high gain(60-300 ohm) for my ATH-A900(40 ohms), would I see any benefit in doing this or could it possibly damage my headphones? Thanks!

This is what I'd to know as well. Say a Sony V6 with 64ohm and a Beyerdynamic DT 770-80ohm both on the verge of Low/Medium gain setting (0 to 64ohm and 64ohm to 300ohm, respectively) Which of the setting would you guys say for phones in the upper low gain range and lower medium gain range? And like the other guy has said, would selecting a medium gain for a relatively lower impedance phones (45-80ohm) damage the phone in the long run?