Audio Sound Card Recommendation (Xonar DX or ST/STX)

A

Alias

Skilled
I was purchasing the Altec Lansing MX5021 speakers this weeks so thought of getting a sound card for it.

Currently using the onboard AC889a.

Normally usage tends to be Gaming, Movies and music.

I was planning on getting the Xonar DX initially but bcoz of PCIe slot issues thought of getting a D1.
Anyway to cut a long story short, couldnt find the D1 available in indian market for purchase. DX seems to be available for around 5k+ and so is the STX and ST.

Since the Essence ST is a PCI card, i was toying with the idea of getting it over the DX coz i do use a headphone (Sennheiser HD 280 pro).

So what do you guys think, considering my speaker set and headphone, is it worthile to spend the 3.5k over the DX to get a Essence ST as in would i feel the difference in quality? (an added bonus of it being PCI slot also)
 
I own Xonar D2X & STX & the STX is a significant improvement over D2X so I am pretty sure that its totally worthwhile to spend 3.5k extra over DX to get a ST/STX.
 
The Essence ST has a pretty good BurrBrown DAC and has all the bells and whistles,Dolby Headphone,Dolby Surround etc.Feature wise it has everything the Halo has but I don't remember what compelled me to get the Claro Halo instead,it was some time ago :huh:
The expansion card for the ST,if you're planning on using it in the future,requires a pci-e slot while the halo one doesn't.
The ST makes more sense to me because its available locally and it wasn't back then so it comes out to be cheaper than the Halo when in fact the Halo is $10 less.
Another thing is driver support,the Halo was one of the first cards to have Win7 64bit drivers and hence more review for it I guess but I don't think that's an issue now with the ST.
 
I'd still bet on that DX on the second slot on your motherboard. Not sure if the MX would sound any better with the Essence ST/STX. The Essence can drive high-end cans as well. So if you plan to invest in one, it's a good investment.

Where are you located? Maybe you could try the DX on the second slot if someone around your place has it.
 
Desecrator said:
I'd still bet on that DX on the second slot on your motherboard. Not sure if the MX would sound any better with the Essence ST/STX. The Essence can drive high-end cans as well. So if you plan to invest in one, it's a good investment.

Where are you located? Maybe you could try the DX on the second slot if someone around your place has it.
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Hmm, yeah, if could try it out could know. Not sure if should take a gamble on it.

Am located currently in Trivandrum, Kerala.
 
^I got my DX from RedBull aka Imrahn. He's from Kottayam or thereabouts - not sure on that. PM him and get hold of a DX and do give a try. He can actually arrange a DX for you from his dealer as well.
 
Desecrator said:
^I got my DX from RedBull aka Imrahn. He's from Kottayam or thereabouts - not sure on that. PM him and get hold of a DX and do give a try. He can actually arrange a DX for you from his dealer as well.
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Redbull? Ok. Will give him a PM. Am on weekends in kottayam (hometown) so should be possible. Thanks a lot!
 
me using dx+ mx 5021 its really awesome....but for hp get a portable amp fiio e5 and your hp will rock...this is what i use,,,,u will be totally satisfied
 
titana said:
I own Xonar D2X & STX & the STX is a significant improvement over D2X so I am pretty sure that its totally worthwhile to spend 3.5k extra over DX to get a ST/STX.
Click to expand...

Can you pls.say something more in comparison?
What is + in STX than D2X(I have).Pls.write in detail.
 
Alias said:
So what do you guys think, considering my speaker set and headphone, is it worthile to spend the 3.5k over the DX to get a Essence ST as in would i feel the difference in quality? (an added bonus of it being PCI slot also)
Click to expand...
I'm in the same boat as well with that PCI reqmt. Most of the pro sound cards are PCI but they're not making any more new ones for that interface. For sound alone PCIe offers nothing more in comparison to PCI.

But the problem with getting PCI is its being superceded as a std so how long will newer mobos continue to have a PCI slot ? You would like to use a card like that for a while at least so it then becomes a reqmt to have a mobo that will sport PCI slots and this in turn limits your choice in mobos in the future. PCIe is not backwards compatible with PCI on the physical interface level. You cant stick PCI cards into PCIe slots.

There is one factor that will overrule all of this and its whether you prefer the sound of the ST over the DX or vice-versa. Is there any way you could audition them before buying ?

Otherwise all you have to go with is what ppl say re: the two cards. Nearly everyone agrees the ST(X) series sounds better than the D series, but will you like this better enough to pay the premium for it.

anandkrishnantc said:
Got a Xonar Essence STX. Its best for music.
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It's not, the ST is better soundwise that the STX acc to many at head-fi.
 
spirovious said:
Can you pls.say something more in comparison?

What is + in STX than D2X(I have).Pls.write in detail.
Click to expand...

The STX takes power from separate molex line direct from psu.

It also has swappable opamps though the stock opamps are the same as D2X.

It has better capacitors & overall better components which reflects in its better specs.

And not to forget the onboard headphone amp based on tpa6120 chip which can drive any current headphone with aplomb & does a reasonable job with my notoriously hard to drive orthodynamic headphones too.
 
Hello guys decided to go for the PCIe card so just checking if its worth buying the STX over the DX.

Coz I believe in case of my speaker setup, i suppose it wont make much of a difference since its a MX5021.

But for my headphones (HD 280 pro) , would the DX suffice?
 
For the headphones the D2X or ST/STX would be better as it has a dedicated headphone amp out.Not sure if it would be worth the extra money :p.
 
Alias said:
Hello guys decided to go for the PCIe card so just checking if its worth buying the STX over the DX.

Coz I believe in case of my speaker setup, i suppose it wont make much of a difference since its a MX5021.
But for my headphones (HD 280 pro) , would the DX suffice?
Click to expand...

If you wish to upgrade your speakers to powered bookshelves, this is a viable upgrade I'd say. Like faheem pointed out, the card has a dedicated headphone amp and can even drive a 600ohm headphones without a fuss.
 
The choice is very simple .. If you have over 8k to spend and going to use 2 channel go for the ST/STX. There is no difference between the two though some audiophiles would strongly disagree. (I have the stx and my audioengines sound awesome with them).

If you want to spend less and will be using a 5.1 channel ... go for the d series.
 
isn't the PCIe slot the same one where we put our gfx card....... i mean if i have it correctly, i cannot have a Xonar STX + my 9800gt in my system unless i have two PCIe slots??

:huh:
 
^ Nah.. Don't worry the PCI-e slot for the graphics card is a x16 slot while the one for Xonar DX/ sound cards is a PCI-e x1 slot .So you can use both the cards in your PC :).

Google for images of x1 and x16 slots and you will understand easily .Physically the x16 slot is quite bigger than the x1 slot .
 
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