Audio Is Essense STX audibly better than Xonar DX?

Gryph0n

Gryph0n

Adept
I have an Asus Xonar DX, which currently fulfills my "Audiophile" needs. I was planning to get a decent integrated amp this year, but due to wallet constraints :( the plan is being postponed till next year. So, diverting my attention towards the source.

Will there be an audible difference if I upgrade from Xonar DX to Essense STX ? I am aware specs wise, the Essense STX beats the DX, but I am not sure if there would be difference when listening.

FYI, the kind of music is mostly Poppish/Rock - Bob Dylan, a-ha, Springsteen, U2, Smashing Pumpkins, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits. Sometimes listen to Western Classical, mostly Bach & Chopin.

Can anyone who has heard both of these soundcards give their opinion ? If you have heard both the soundcards in the same setup(PC, Speakers/Amps), that would be most excellent.
 
Ummm...i really dont want to sound rude. But this actually is a pointless question and totally comes down to what you are going to use it with.
 
I haven't heard the Essence, but I would hesitate to recommend either of these two cards as a long-term source, unless you are looking for mid-fi performance (at best). Even if your source is not the limiting factor, a good source is a safe investment. I don't consider the Essence a safe investment, at least not in the long-to-medium term. If you're looking for something to ride you over till your upgrade next year so you can keep your grubby hands away from your wallet till that time, go ahead and pick it up. It won't lose much value over that time (unlike most computer hardware), and may be a closer match to good equipment till you can get a better source. The DX is not bad, but is pretty limited in a number of areas in analog performance (primarily because of the way the negative supply for the output opamps is generated, and AFAIK all PCI-E soundcards have the exact same issue) and the shortcomings are easily detected even with middle-of-the-road gear.
 
Ive heard the STX being used as the source in very high end DIY speaker setup as well as modded Wharfedale 9.6s.It did sound very detailed and as good as the Maverick D1 DAC but then it could also be because the speakers itself were amazing and I don't have much knowledge of speakers etc .

Anyways it depends a lot on what the OP plans to use it with. A good DAC would be better than STX in my opinion , especially if one plans to drive high impedance cans etc.
 
I don't even consider the 9.6 a very good speaker :)

Let's wait for the TS to respond. I don't want to suggest a space shuttle if all he eventually wants is a three wheeler, though technically the shuttle does have three wheels :).
 
@OP,

I think titana is using both D2X and STX. He'd the best person to clear your doubt.

STX can make a decent source. Are you going to use them with an integrated amp and speakers?

@Faheem,

Actually, STX sounds better than Maverick D1's DAC in my setup. Since each setup & it's synergy is different, it may or may not be the case with other setups :)

And for a stereo (speaker based) setup, a good DAC will be costlier.
 
FaH33m said:
A good DAC would be better than STX in my opinion , especially if one plans to drive high impedance cans etc.
Click to expand...

Yeah, a DAC instead of the STX would be good second option to have given he already has a soundcard.

A USB 2 one would prolly get around the limitations of these internal cards for much less and the money would be going into the part that makes the music ie the DAC instead of all the other bells & whistles a soundcard has to have.
 
ViKiD said:
Ummm...i really dont want to sound rude. But this actually is a pointless question and totally comes down to what you are going to use it with.
Click to expand...
Yes, you're right. I would be pairing it with Usher S520 speakers. Although I don't think many here would have heard them.

Desecrator said:
What source and what cans/speakers? :)
Click to expand...

I don't have any "audiophile" grade cans, and not really that interested in performance with cans. On few occasions, I use my cheap Chinese headphones. Source material would be mostly FLACs ripped from Audio CDs, and a few in MP3 @ 320.

blr_p said:
Yeah, a DAC instead of the STX would be good second option to have given he already has a soundcard.

A USB 2 one would prolly get around the limitations of these internal cards for much less and the money would be going into the part that makes the music ie the DAC instead of all the other bells & whistles a soundcard has to have.
Click to expand...

I am skeptical if an external DAC would really sound better than the Essense.

Of course, an external DAC has convenience of portability, and would probably run with native drivers while SoundCard needs vendor drivers to be installed.
 
For the S520 (I have pretty extensive experience with them), the limitations of the Xonar DX will be plainly audible and irritating, the upgrade to a good source will be worthwhile. I heard those speakers once with a Ayon Audio CD-1s (~2L source) and it does show off the upgrade reasonably well, which means it won't be the limiting factor in a source upgrade. What amplifier and cabling do you use? :) something else from ARN?

I would skip ahead from the Essence, FWIW. The Lynx Two B is what you really need to be looking at :) I know it's a pretty penny, but definitely worth it. For a cheaper solution, look at the tricked-out Prodigy: https://tienda.acens.com/epages/aud...ctPath=/Shops/audiohum_es/Products/2210100007 - a great deal below 25K after customs and shipping.

The STX would also do, but I suspect you will tire of it in time. It's not really much of a high-end solution, the S520 mates well with electronics in the $500 range and the STX won't be able to keep up with pretty much anything in that price bracket.

Good Luck. the S520s are very good speakers, and deserve a good source. I don't know that the Asus cards will fit the bill.
 
cranky said:
For the S520 (I have pretty extensive experience with them), the limitations of the Xonar DX will be plainly audible and irritating, the upgrade to a good source will be worthwhile. I heard those speakers once with a Ayon Audio CD-1s (~2L source) and it does show off the upgrade reasonably well, which means it won't be the limiting factor in a source upgrade. What amplifier and cabling do you use? :) something else from ARN?

I would skip ahead from the Essence, FWIW. The Lynx Two B is what you really need to be looking at :) I know it's a pretty penny, but definitely worth it. For a cheaper solution, look at the tricked-out Prodigy: https://tienda.acens.com/epages/aud...ctPath=/Shops/audiohum_es/Products/2210100007 - a great deal below 25K after customs and shipping.

The STX would also do, but I suspect you will tire of it in time. It's not really much of a high-end solution, the S520 mates well with electronics in the $500 range and the STX won't be able to keep up with pretty much anything in that price bracket.

Good Luck. the S520s are very good speakers, and deserve a good source. I don't know that the Asus cards will fit the bill.
Click to expand...
Well, it wasn't directly from ARN. Bought em 2nd hand from someone who bought from ARN :eek:hyeah: I believe you are also on the HFV forum where they got sold. Maybe I should also post there :)

Shall be pairing them with an Ampino amp, which I would be getting from ARN. Since these are my first passive speakers, havent got any cables/interconnects at all. Am planning to go for MX or Monster cables. I don't have any faith in Audiophile "Cable voodoo" :bleh:

And yes, I've been told that S-520 are very transparent speakers :eek:hyeah: . If anything in the chain is bad (Source, DAC/SC, Amp), they will not mask it :ashamed:
Cranky, would you be aware of any other "Audiophile" SC/DAC which would beat the STX at their price ? (~8k)
 
No, I'm not on that forum any more, left under distasteful circumstances.

Don't use Monster, it's not worth the money. And MX is not very good (inferior grade copper in all their stuff), get Blue Jeans. They're not expensive, they ship fast and very well-built.

Unfortunately there are not many good options under the 10K range. There is the Beresford something or the other, but I heard it and it just depressed me no end. The DX sounds better. If you have a budget set in stone under 10K, you won't be able to do much better than the STX in any case.
 
BJC use Belden cables & Neutrik connectors, both of which are available here in India.

Might be interesting for those who are DIY inclined. ;)
 
@titana, no Neutrik connectors on BJC. Canare for digital, and some other brand for analog.

For DIY at the BJC money you can do a whole lot better, actually. Let's not open *that* can of worms :)
 
Back
Top