Brand | ASUS |
---|---|
Item model number | Essence STX II |
Hardware Platform | Headphones |
Item Weight | 1.56 pounds |
Item Dimensions LxWxH | 6.61 x 4.21 inches |
Number of Processors | 1 |
Computer Memory Type | DDR3 SDRAM |
Batteries | 1 A batteries required. |
Manufacturer | ASUS |
ASIN | B00ONSBF4K |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | April 4, 2014 |
ASUS Sound Card Essence STX II
Brand | ASUS |
Hardware Interface | PCIE x 1 |
Audio Output Mode | 7.1 |
Platform | Not Machine Specific |
Hardware Platform | Headphones |
About this item
- Keeping the audiophile spirit and philosophy alive
- Legendary audio quality that just got better
- Celebrated muses op-amps
- Industry-leading 124dB SNR
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Price | $99.99$99.99 | -11% $40.06$40.06 List: $44.99 | -17% $49.99$49.99 List: $59.99 | -18% $89.99$89.99 List: $109.99 | -14% $59.99$59.99 List: $69.99 | -11% $203.99$203.99 List: $229.99 |
Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31 | Get it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31 | Get it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31 | Get it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31 | Get it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31 |
Customer Ratings | ||||||
Sound quality | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.3 |
For gaming | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.2 |
Easy to install | — | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.3 |
Volume control | — | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.2 | — | 4.3 |
Easy to use | — | 4.4 | 4.4 | — | 4.1 | 4.0 |
Sold By | Computer Headquarters, Inc | Amazon.com | Creative Labs, Inc. | Creative Labs, Inc. | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
hardware interface | pci x 1, pci x 1, pci x 1, pci x 1 | pci express x1 | headphone | pci express x1 | pci express x1, pci x 1, pci x 1, pci x 1 | pci express x4 |
audio output mode | 7.1 | Surround | Stereo Surround | Surround | 7.1 | Surround, Dolby Digital |
surround channels | 5 1 | 5.1 | 7.1 | 7.1 | 7.1 | 7.1 |
hardware platform | Headphones | PC | Speakers, Headphones, PC | Speakers, Headphones | Speakers, Headphones, PC | Headphones |
192 KHz | 192 KHz | 192 KHz | 192 KHz | 192 KHz | 384 KHz | |
signal-to-noise ratio | 124 decibels | — | 120 decibels | 116 decibels | 106 decibels | 127 decibels |
Product Description
Four years after the debut of Essence STX - the long-term holder of the number-one position in Head-Fi's Sound Cards segment, as voted by highly-satisfied users globally - ASUS remains committed to delivering ever better high-end sound cards to delight the most demanding audiophiles. Drawing on years of experience in developing Essence One, Essence STU and Essence III, Essence STX II delivers meticulous design, quintessential performance and profound musicality - elements that shape the spirit of the whole Essence Hi-Fi series.
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Additional Information
Customer Reviews |
3.7 out of 5 stars |
---|---|
Best Sellers Rank | #35 in Computer Internal Sound Cards |
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From the manufacturer
Keeping the audiophile spirit and philosophy alive
Four years after the debut of Essence STX — the long-term holder of the number-one position in Head-Fi's Sound Cards segment, as voted by highly-satisfied users globally — ASUS remains committed to delivering ever better high-end sound cards to delight the most demanding audiophiles. Drawing on years of experience in developing Essence One, Essence STU and Essence III, Essence STX II delivers meticulous design, quintessential performance and profound musicality — elements that shape the spirit of the whole Essence Hi-Fi series.
Easily adjust the sound for your ears
Three swappable op-amp sockets.
Essence STX II benefits from swappable op-amp sockets that allow users to create different timbres and tonal combinations.
Additional op-amp swap kit
Essence STX II even comes with a swap kit that includes three additional op-amps — two Texas Instruments LME49720s and one MUSES 8820 — and a clamp tool that makes it easy to remove the op-amp microchips.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the value of the sound card. They say it's a good product that lives up to its specs. However, some customers have reported compatibility issues and issues with the adapter. Opinions are mixed on sound quality, performance, ease of installation, quality, and software.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the value of the sound card. They say it's an awesome product, good, and lives up to its specs. Customers also say it delivers astounding quality, rich, detailed sound, and is worth every penny. They mention that the software is exceptional and is especially good in mid-range.
"As far as the sound goes, it's pretty great. Headphone amp is very useful and is the biggest reason I needed external soundcard...." Read more
"...The Good:1. SOUND: Impeccable sound. This card delivers simply astounding quality2...." Read more
"All the sound is there, every bit of it. It is especially good in mid-range.The software is exceptional also...." Read more
"Pricey for a computer audio card. It's about $100 more than the STX...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the sound quality of the sound card. For example some mention it has high quality audiophile level sound, and works flawlessly. They also appreciate the beautiful soundscape and the fact that it has very few distortions in sound. That said, some complain that there're not many high quality sound cards available, and that sound cards are becoming obsolete.
"...Why a 5 star because the card sounds awesome with my Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX Certified Computer Speaker System (Black) which I..." Read more
"...It makes my headset and my mid-range monitors sound absolutely incredible. Definitely consider picking some up for yourself...." Read more
"...audio output quality: my Bravo Audio headphone amp died a few months ago and I decided to try the direct output from the card...." Read more
"...the extra headroom you obtain from this brings out much more depth, sound-stage, detail, and bass extension even played at normal volume...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the performance of the sound card. Some mention that it works great with their old Windows 7 PC, while others say that it didn't work in their PC. The sound quality is good, and it runs perfectly right out of the box. However, some customers report issues with the drivers and the microphone working sporadically.
"...So I downloaded the Asus Xonar Drivers from Asus website. Ran perfectly except when I tried to use my headphone in the back headphone jack...." Read more
"...A review on here said that this card is not compatible with AM4 AMD CPUs which isn't true...." Read more
"...It now works flawlessly and I love the beautiful soundscape paired with my DT 990 Pro 250ohm...." Read more
"...part down to PSU, none of which made difference - card simply would not work with AM4.After MSI's response I contacted ASUS...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the ease of installation. Some mention that it was very simple to install, with seamless software integration. However, others say that it took them a while to install and that the UI is not really user friendly.
"...Flawless easy install. Linux recognized the card and installed all the drivers automatically...." Read more
"...Other than that installation was pretty basic. I had to move some cables around to get the card to fit in a good PCI express port...." Read more
"...CONs: This isn't the easiest sound card to install since it requires a MOLEX 4-pin connector, yet the Amazon sales advertisement didn't mention this..." Read more
"...My PC is custom built running Windows 8.1 and this was a simple plug & play...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the quality of the sound card. Some mention that the build quality is excellent, and the card has been pretty solid so far. However, others say that the driver quality is lacking, lacking, and rough.
"...Drivers are rough...." Read more
"...using an MSI B450-A Pro Max board with a Ryzen 3 2200G. The card has been pretty solid so far, a few glitches with audio cutting out one day of..." Read more
"...Apparently this card is very finicky about drivers...." Read more
"...Yes the drivers are old and just twicked to work with Win 10, but they work...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the software. Some mention that it's standard software that lets them customize the sound to a high level, while others say that it is convoluted, mediocre, and amateurish.
"...Pulse Audio worked great with this card and is a great substitute for the included Software...." Read more
"...but the head phone amp is okay for gaming and music, also the software is convoluted that requires to much toggling with settings...." Read more
"...It is especially good in mid-range.The software is exceptional also...." Read more
"...It produces muddy, flat sound. The software is very amateurish design...." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the compatibility of the sound card. They mention that it is not compatible with their CPU, Windows 10, and other drivers. Some customers also report that their motherboards didn't recognize the cards.
"...Next ran it under Windows 7 64 Bit Professional. The Card wasn't recognized. So I downloaded the Asus Xonar Drivers from Asus website...." Read more
"While Asus' website says this card is not compatible with a B450 mb I am not yet suffering from the BSOD switching outputs...." Read more
"It turned out to not be compatible with my CPU so I returned it with no problem." Read more
"3 D.O.A.'s in a row from Amazon. 3 Motherboards didn't recognize these cards, in multiple PCI-e x1, x4, or x8 slots...." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the adapter. They mention that it's difficult to install, requires a MOLEX 4-pin connector, and that there's no adapter included. Customers also say that the adaptor is needed for subwoofer and expansion, and there're no free molex cables to hook up to the sound card.
"...AND... there's no adapter included. ASUS includes an adapter to go the other way, to convert the preamp phono connections to 3.5...." Read more
"...: This isn't the easiest sound card to install since it requires a MOLEX 4-pin connector, yet the Amazon sales advertisement didn't mention this..." Read more
"...because the envy was not designed for expansion, and there was no free molex cable to hook up to the sound card...." Read more
"...Only problem, needs a connector for subwoofer." Read more
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Windows 7 64 Bit Install.
Upgraded from a Upgraded from a SB X-Fi Mod: SB0880
I run a Dual Boot System.
First I installed in Linux Mint 18 which is a Ubuntu derivative. Flawless easy install. Linux recognized the card and installed all the drivers automatically. Sounds great but doesn't have all the bells and whistles of running in Windows.
Next ran it under Windows 7 64 Bit Professional. The Card wasn't recognized. So I downloaded the Asus Xonar Drivers from Asus website. Ran perfectly except when I tried to use my headphone in the back headphone jack. No sound came out, although the program showed music playing. Finally figured out that Windows recognized the Front Audio not the back. So I switched the headset to front. No sound.
I'm not sure if I had to do Plan B. It turns out that the trick to running the headset is to have windows Speakers selected. Then in the Xonar software choose "HeadPhone" Or " Pass Through " or Front Panel Headset
Some Tips:
By the way in varied music from The Who, Johny Cash, to Vaud and the Villains the Setting> Effect >Rock sounds incredible.
Don't forget to raise the Impedance for your Headphones. I found that for my Audio Technicas that for the rear the setting "Normal Gain" worked great but for the FP Jack I had to raise it to " High Gain"
In order to avoid problems with voltage causing interference this card is powered by a 4 Pin Molex.
I bought the following 3 items to make sure that I'd have no problems with connecting the card. My case is unusual Corsair Carbide Series Air 540 Windowed ATX High Airflow Cube Performance Computer Case with White LED Fan - Arctic White
To make everything clean I bought the following 3 Connectors
1. StarTech.com 4x SATA Power Splitter Adapter Cable (PYO4SATA) . This beauty split my SATA Power Connection. Because it's long I figured that it would reach far if needed
2. C2G/Cables to Go 10149 15-Pin Serial ATA Male to LP4 Female Power Cable -6-Inch This turned the Sata Power into a Molex Connector
3. 24" 4-Pin Molex Extension Cable with Black Sleeving & Connectors This extended the Molex Connection to reach very neatly to the card.
You can do some variations on these items depending on your power supply and case configuration. This ended up working perfectly for me because even though I had a spare Molex in my power supply it just wouldn't align correctly with the pins, so I was forced to split Sata Connection and use adaptors instead.
In Linux a system wide equalizer called Pulse Audio worked great with this card and is a great substitute for the included Software.
I've put a link to it in the comment section below.
Or just open a terminal and put in the following.
~ $ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nilarimogard/webupd8
~ $ sudo apt-get update
~ $ sudo apt-get install pulseaudio-equalizer
Yeah it's just that easy. Difficulty was finding the instructions
I put it on Rock Mode and my Movies really shone.
Note: Plan B may or may not be necessary. Many reviews in Win 7 and 10 had complaints about the STX II Drivers which haven't been updated since 2015. They say that they solved the problems by installing the Maxedtech STX II Unified Driver below. Be careful because different revisions for the drivers are written for different cards.
Plan B. A company called Maxedtech at the same with a com at the end. has "Unified Drivers" for all Windows versions. I downloaded UNi Xonar STXII 11.5 v1.80b r3 Driver which is specifically for the STX II in Windows 7 64 bit. I installed the drivers and installed "C-Media Audio Panel"from the system.
Why a 5 star because the card sounds awesome with my Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX Certified Computer Speaker System (Black) which I picked up over at the bay for around $40.00 less. For around $300.00 I'm experiencing fabulous sound. I admit that I'm not an AudioPhile but I can tell the difference that this card makes. BTW no hissing sound during the silences. In addition it powers my Audio-Technica ATHM50RD Professional Studio Monitor Headphones, Red which the Soundblaster X-Fi didn't have enough juice to do.
I was using the Optical Out with a Turtle Beach Earforce DSS now they have a version 2 Turtle Beach Ear Force DSS2 Dolby Surround Sound Processor - Xbox 360 . By the way it still works with this.
One of my favorite features of this Card is that the Software is User Friendly. The previous Soundblaster was so complicated, you needed to be a Audio physicist to use it. So I never used it. On the other hand Xonar Audio Panel and C-Media Panel are a snap to learn.
Flawless install and detection in Linux, Amazing Sound in both Windows and Linux. I just couldn't bring myself to deduct a star for the Windows 7 compatibility problem.
So 5 star it remains
This is definitely an audiophile grade sound card. I loaded up a game of Battlefield V and the sound was incredible. I could pinpoint where tanks and vehicles were rolling from and planes dropping bombs from overhead sounded incredible. The report of my sniper rfile also stood out and sounded great. I'm going to play some PUBG today to see if I can here footsteps and located people better in that game, which was a problem with the Recon 3D, even with it's supposed "Scout" mode.
I definitely recommend you switch the I/V Muses amps with the TI amps that come in the kit you get with it. Leave the 8820 in the buffer but swap the other two. It has tighter bass with the TI amps and sounds even better. I use the "Classic" equalizer setting and find that sounds best to me, but tweak it to what sounds good to your ear. Bravo ASUS on a great sound card that has lasted all these years and is still blowing people away!
Update: So I've decided to start downloading high quality music instead of listening to the crap compressed music on Spotify. My go to place now is hdtracks.com . I got FLAC download of Thriller and it sounds INCREDIBLE! . The detail is amazing! I also started using Tidal instead of Spotify since they stream high quality music. I love it! Get this sound card now!!
Edit: Lastly, do yourself a favor and get a proper IC removal tool. They are $5 or so on this site and the one included with the card is crap. It doesn't have grooves to grip the chip and isn't the proper way to remove op amps.. Look at the tool in the picture and look at a proper IC removal tool and you'll see what I mean. Just order one with this. Good luck!
Latest Update: So I bought 3 Burson V5 op amps to swap in for on the sound card, and they are a HUGE upgrade. I can't recommend pairing these with the Buron V5 op amps enough. It takes the sound to a whole new level. I'm sure the V6's are amazing also, but I can only comment on the V5. It makes my headset and my mid-range monitors sound absolutely incredible. Definitely consider picking some up for yourself. Google Burson Audio to check them out.
Top reviews from other countries
I built my own (I-3 core) NAS Server and I'm using the STX-ii for very high-quality 2-channel sound reproduction.
The background noise is non-existent (black, in fact). The opamps that come installed on the card most people will find, are the best. The others that come with it change the sound but don't necessarily improve the sound. For that I went with a single Classic Burson Opamp that really improved the existing sound in a variety of ways.
If you are using headphones through the card, AND using it for stereo use, you will need to purchase (3) Burson opamps, total. IF you are using the card for 2-ch stereo through speakers, you need only one. You will have to remove the ASUS "shield" as the Burson is a couple of inches tall.
I'm playing back through a 10K speaker system and a high-end Integrated Yamaha and couldn't be happier. The I-3 core is quiet and the case-fans never kick on. In other words, the system itself is quiet.
As is, the STX-ii is a fantastic soundcard, with the upgraded Burson opamp(s), even better.
I doubt I will ever go the External DAC route, but if someone has with this card, I love to hear about it.
Su servidor es audiofilo desde 1987, me toco conocer los mejores equipos de audio de los 80s y de los 90s.
la scheda audio per eccellenza, sia in ambito musicale, video o gaming che sia,
ha una qualità, pulizia e precisione impressionante;
è una scheda stereo, se intendete utilizzare audio multicanale 5.1/6.1 o 7.1 avrete bisogno della versione con scheda figlia aggiuntiva;
nella scatola presente un adattatore riduttore da 6.3" a 3.5mm, utile per collegamento cuffie/microfono,
e adattatore rca stereo a jack 3.5mm, la scheda ha i collegamenti rca,separati, destro e sinistro;
collegamento al pc tipo PCI-EX ,si puo' installare sia nelle porte PCI-EX 1x (quelle piccole) che in quelle 4x,8x o 16x, quelle per le schede video (attenzione in questo caso che la scheda madre non scali a 8x+8x in caso di due perfiferiche collegate, altrimenti la vga andrà 8x)
necessita di alimentazione aggiuntiva tipo Molex, qualsiasi alimentatore ne è provvisto;
il DAC è l'ottimo TI Burr-Brown PCM 1792A, molto conosciuto e presente su DAC esterni di qualità;
ottimo il ritorno del TCXO clock source,assente nella STX 1, era presente nella ST, la versione pci,
si sente la precisione maggiore, venendo proprio dalla STX, decisamente fa la differenza, anche a livello di latenza e jitter;
ottima la presenza dei capacitori WIMA e condensatori low-dropout (LDO), per stabilizzare l'alimentazione;
amplificatore per cuffie sino a 600ohm, se collegate le headphones direttamente alla scheda è una feature che fa la differenza;
scheda ultra consigliata se volete il massimo, ma bisogna anche supportarla con monitor o cuffie di qualià, altrimenti non puo' fare miracoli, ovvero bisogna collegarla ad apparecchiature di un certo livello per dare il massimo..
monta opamp Muses (due 8920 su I/V stage e un 8820 nel buffer), nella scatola troveremo anche altri 3 di ricambio, due Texas Instrument LME49720 e un Muses 8820, comprensivi di pinze per effettuare l'operazione di sostituzione;
consiglio di lasciare gli opamp presenti di default, se poi si volesse ulteriormente migliorare la resa, si puo' acquistare un Muses 02 da mettere nel buffer, oppure sperimentare con combinazioni di opamp in vendita;
ottima anche in produzione audio, la migliore scelta entro i 200-250, non c'è dubbio, abbondantemente superiore a interfacce esterne mid-class come le Focusrite Scarlett, che al confronto perdono miseramente su tutti i fronti, neanche paragone; oltretutto la STX II è interna, con tutti i vantaggi del caso rispetto a schede usb..
per quanto riguarda i drivers, consiglio di intallare Uni Xonar, che oltre ad essere piu' aggiornati, sono piu' bilanciati e neutrali, e possono essere installati in modalità "low latency" o "c-media panel", riducendo notevolmente la latenza DPC, molto utile sia in produzione che coi giochi; e consiglio anche di applicare il "disable speaker compensation" tweak, sempre di Uni xonar, potete trovare maggiori delucidazioni sul sito facilmente raggiungibile via google..
ricapitolando, consigliata a scatola chiusa per qualunque ambito, e un occhio di riguardo anche in produzione, dove risulta una scelta azzeccata e completa, se non si vuole arrivare a schede come le UAD dal prezzo decisamente diverso..
per il resto.. buon ascolto!
Reviewed in Italy on March 29, 2018
la scheda audio per eccellenza, sia in ambito musicale, video o gaming che sia,
ha una qualità, pulizia e precisione impressionante;
è una scheda stereo, se intendete utilizzare audio multicanale 5.1/6.1 o 7.1 avrete bisogno della versione con scheda figlia aggiuntiva;
nella scatola presente un adattatore riduttore da 6.3" a 3.5mm, utile per collegamento cuffie/microfono,
e adattatore rca stereo a jack 3.5mm, la scheda ha i collegamenti rca,separati, destro e sinistro;
collegamento al pc tipo PCI-EX ,si puo' installare sia nelle porte PCI-EX 1x (quelle piccole) che in quelle 4x,8x o 16x, quelle per le schede video (attenzione in questo caso che la scheda madre non scali a 8x+8x in caso di due perfiferiche collegate, altrimenti la vga andrà 8x)
necessita di alimentazione aggiuntiva tipo Molex, qualsiasi alimentatore ne è provvisto;
il DAC è l'ottimo TI Burr-Brown PCM 1792A, molto conosciuto e presente su DAC esterni di qualità;
ottimo il ritorno del TCXO clock source,assente nella STX 1, era presente nella ST, la versione pci,
si sente la precisione maggiore, venendo proprio dalla STX, decisamente fa la differenza, anche a livello di latenza e jitter;
ottima la presenza dei capacitori WIMA e condensatori low-dropout (LDO), per stabilizzare l'alimentazione;
amplificatore per cuffie sino a 600ohm, se collegate le headphones direttamente alla scheda è una feature che fa la differenza;
scheda ultra consigliata se volete il massimo, ma bisogna anche supportarla con monitor o cuffie di qualià, altrimenti non puo' fare miracoli, ovvero bisogna collegarla ad apparecchiature di un certo livello per dare il massimo..
monta opamp Muses (due 8920 su I/V stage e un 8820 nel buffer), nella scatola troveremo anche altri 3 di ricambio, due Texas Instrument LME49720 e un Muses 8820, comprensivi di pinze per effettuare l'operazione di sostituzione;
consiglio di lasciare gli opamp presenti di default, se poi si volesse ulteriormente migliorare la resa, si puo' acquistare un Muses 02 da mettere nel buffer, oppure sperimentare con combinazioni di opamp in vendita;
ottima anche in produzione audio, la migliore scelta entro i 200-250, non c'è dubbio, abbondantemente superiore a interfacce esterne mid-class come le Focusrite Scarlett, che al confronto perdono miseramente su tutti i fronti, neanche paragone; oltretutto la STX II è interna, con tutti i vantaggi del caso rispetto a schede usb..
per quanto riguarda i drivers, consiglio di intallare Uni Xonar, che oltre ad essere piu' aggiornati, sono piu' bilanciati e neutrali, e possono essere installati in modalità "low latency" o "c-media panel", riducendo notevolmente la latenza DPC, molto utile sia in produzione che coi giochi; e consiglio anche di applicare il "disable speaker compensation" tweak, sempre di Uni xonar, potete trovare maggiori delucidazioni sul sito facilmente raggiungibile via google..
ricapitolando, consigliata a scatola chiusa per qualunque ambito, e un occhio di riguardo anche in produzione, dove risulta una scelta azzeccata e completa, se non si vuole arrivare a schede come le UAD dal prezzo decisamente diverso..
per il resto.. buon ascolto!