ASUS Xonar Essence STX, SNR up to 124dB

[grimREEFER]

in my humble opinion, the creative x fi's that audiophiles seem to hate and the 5.1 analog headphones audiophiles seem to hate are the best for gaming.
its all about positional audio.
knifing in cod4 based on visual cues alone isnt as satisfying.

[Vargher Warg]

It's a great amp. Even better after I sent it back to Mesa for the WIMA caps mod. No grain at all in the mids now and I can use any output tube I want (KT-88, EL34, E34L, KT-90/99, 5881/6L6). No prob driving 2 ohm loads. With 5881's (shown) it gets out a powerful 150/wpc. With KT-99's it can do a huge-ass 225/wpc. Just tweak the bias a little for the tube type and good to go.

And them's ballsy, transparent TUBE watts gentlemen...not the low-current, high-screech "blah blah watts-per-[pick your number]-channels that you get from cheesy surround-sound receivers and PC sound cards!

Nice Drums!

Could you recommend some good nice budget amps of the newer models on the market?

I have started to learn how to record my guitar with Sonar and Reaper & the poor Line 6 KB37 midi keyboard (guitar sounds muffled) but I'm slowly starting to collect hardgear for a small hobby home studio.

I now have Roger Linn's drum & stomp box AdrenaLinn III - playing through my Marshall JVM

Quite good for my guitar and fun to play around with. I am in the process to buy a e-drum kit to play drums, connected with my Addictive drums and EZ-drummer software through MIDI.

(sold my old late 70's Ludwig drum kit when I sold the house & moved into an apartment )

Need a new house soon so I can build my home studio in the basement

Right now I'm waiting and looking for some nice deal here in Europe on some small & good quality neutral studio monitors and a small but good mixer.

Do you know any good names and budget models I could look for?

I find it easy to find recommendations on the more expensive high end sound & studio equipment, but soo difficult to find any good budget alternatives.

Of course! you always get the sound you pay for! but the best stuff is out of my reach!

So the question is - is there any good budget sound alternatives out there?

[Donnie27]

in my humble opinion, the creative x fi's that audiophiles seem to hate and the 5.1 analog headphones audiophiles seem to hate are the best for gaming.
its all about positional audio.
knifing in cod4 based on visual cues alone isnt as satisfying.

QFT!

@aztec

I have NO illusions of Audiophile-dom with a PC =P At best, mine is Mid-Fi and I'm glad I broke my habit years ago.

I works, how you ask? Sitting my computer, a friend was convinced my Center Channel was enabled. "well, Donnie, it only sounds better because your center ch is helping". I made him stand up and put his ear to the speaker to verify that it was in fact off. Then says, "holy $#it" then gives me a high five. Very nice imaging! Now 15 people have tested it this way and only one has been able to tell that the Center wasn't on. Closes to being true Audio Lover but not an Audiophile. He said "no way the Center could sound that good, must be a sound stage or phantom speaker thing going on there" LOL!

[aztec]

Vargher Warg -

Thx for the kind words on the drums. They're fairly rare Tama Exotix I Starclassics with a chestnut outer ply. Only 49 kits of various sizes were made. Pies are all Paiste Signature, Sound Formula, or Traditionals.

The Baron is a home audio amp. I don't think it would be the best idea for pro audio/reinforcement. For the drums I mostly deal with mics, not so much the rest of the band setup, and plug into whatever board is being used.


Donnie27 -

Yeah, a decently set up multi-channel can sound good I'll admit. But great imaging/soundstaging in 2-ch can be just as nice!

[Nanometer]

That is one beastly card. I hope ASUS continues making sound cards so that I will for ever be free of Creative products.

free some creative's support!

[Donnie27]

Vargher Warg -

Thx for the kind words on the drums. They're fairly rare Tama Exotix I Starclassics with a chestnut outer ply. Only 49 kits of various sizes were made. Pies are all Paiste Signature, Sound Formula, or Traditionals.

The Baron is a home audio amp. I don't think it would be the best idea for pro audio/reinforcement. For the drums I mostly deal with mics, not so much the rest of the band setup, and plug into whatever board is being used.


Donnie27 -

Yeah, a decently set up multi-channel can sound good I'll admit. But great imaging/soundstaging in 2-ch can be just as nice!

Absolutely. I forgot to mention that my little demo above was done in stereo. That's what so awesome about the that Phantom Center Channel. On certain source material, I even get some Phantom Rear and Center sounds.

I have 24bit-96KHz native recordings so I don't put much into CD Audio. I do however love SACD or Super Audio CD for the younger here and DVD Audio Disc like Hotel California and Mike Oldfield's "I Robot", been trying to find the remastered Tubular Bell, but I digress. I'd rather have great source material on a Mid-Fi system that plain old CD on an High end one. Nothing like listening to a Scout Turn Table, 180 Grain album on an old school real 150 watt per channel Nakamichi and playing through HPM 1500's.

I need to find another hosting site, Putfile is really starting to suck! I built a another set of speakers just to use up some left over drivers, most Polk and Cerwin Vega, connected to the HK-730 they're pure bliss, Thanks for the tips "Madisound"!

[Donnie27]

free some creative's support!

I kind of giggle each time I see this. All 3 of my creative cards on 3 very different systems perform without a problem. Of these, the Prelude sounds the best but the Xtreme Platinum is the most stable. Meanwhile, even long time DIYers are having problems with the Xonars as well. Some of them post here. Only someone fooling themselves think Xonars aren't having Driver issues as well.

[aztec]

Donnie -

Yeah, I s'pose none of 'em are perfect. I guess it depends on the rest of your rig as to what if any probs you might have with sound card drivers.

I say: flip a coin, pick a good one and hope for the best.

You have a Scout? Noice 'table! I upgraded my HW-19 to Mk IV level long ago, then replaced the original springs with AudioQuest sorbothane Big Feet on all 4 corners. Very worth it, and no sandbox or Towhshend-type base needed. Now I can stomp the piss outta the drum kit in the same room, crank the N803's up LOUD with the Baron, and have never had a feedback issue nor a skipped a groove. It is truly f*ckin amazing! Gets along nicely with the Well Tempered Classic arm & VandenHul Frog cart too.

Do you also have a PLC? Helps in the bass dept.

[Donnie27]

Donnie -

Yeah, I s'pose none of 'em are perfect. I guess it depends on the rest of your rig as to what if any probs you might have with sound card drivers.

I say: flip a coin, pick a good one and hope for the best.

You have a Scout? Noice 'table! I upgraded my HW-19 to Mk IV level long ago, then replaced the original springs with AudioQuest sorbothane Big Feet on all 4 corners. Very worth it, and no sandbox or Towhshend-type base needed. Now I can stomp the piss outta the drum kit in the same room, crank the N803's up LOUD with the Baron, and have never had a feedback issue nor a skipped a groove. It is truly f*ckin amazing! Gets along nicely with the Well Tempered Classic arm & VandenHul Frog cart too.

Do you also have a PLC? Helps in the bass dept.

I saw a lot that caused the so called driver problems. These sound cards don't like (not saying they will not work) systems overclocked to the brink, certain chipsets, contending with a lot of USB devices, Certain Cheap PSU's, known problem with nVidia and VIA chipsets, overclocked RAM, Hot interior of cases plus many more screw ups. I've fixed a ton for folks, saw many of these problems first hand!

Hell no, I don't have a Scout or any of that stuff I mentioned. I'am an Audio Nut that will drive 40 miles one way to hear it at a Bud's home. He even has a listening Room, chair and everything calibrated. We do a lot of stuff through Acoustic Sounds and Music Direct.

http://store.acousticsounds.com/
http://www.musicdirect.com/

He and his wife has a nice collection of 180 and 200 Grain Albums. Still, my favorite is remastered SACD.

He has this model.
http://www.musicdirect.com/product/84180

Upgraded from the S-1. The funny thing is, another guy was bragging about paying 6.5K for the same TT Yes, expensive but no need to waste even more money and this is not even the best deal. He says money is an Object High costs don't always mean the best and you DON'T always get what you pay for. I miss my old Phase Linear Series II system.

[vengance_01]

I really hated my Xonar Dx. It sounded like a bowl of Rice Krispies. I have my doubts about this.

Then you must have been doing something wrong. Love my card. Sounds better then my creative card without the haft @$$ drivers that creative puts out. Its not mind blowing, but paired with my Altec MX5021's, its a solid card.

[kaskuli]

On another note, CAN THEY BE PUT IN SLI? YES PLEASE!

[D749]

Looks nice but I'm sticking with my Pop Pulse PC Link II USB to SPDIF Converter connected to a Beresford TC-7510 MK6/3 DAC. Works great and there are no crappy drivers to deal with.

[Donnie27]

Looks nice but I'm sticking with my Pop Pulse PC Link II USB to SPDIF Converter connected to a Beresford TC-7510 MK6/3 DAC. Works great and there are no crappy drivers to deal with.

Since I dumped the last Xonar I tried, I've not used any crappy drivers. Sitting here listening to Creed with my Prelude as I type this.

[aztec]

Hell no, I don't have a Scout or any of that stuff I mentioned. I'am an Audio Nut that will drive 40 miles one way to hear it at a Bud's home. He even has a listening Room, chair and everything calibrated. We do a lot of stuff through Acoustic Sounds and Music Direct.

http://store.acousticsounds.com/
http://www.musicdirect.com/

He and his wife has a nice collection of 180 and 200 Grain Albums. Still, my favorite is remastered SACD.

He has this model.
http://www.musicdirect.com/product/84180

Upgraded from the S-1. The funny thing is, another guy was bragging about paying 6.5K for the same TT Yes, expensive but no need to waste even more money and this is not even the best deal. He says money is an Object High costs don't always mean the best and you DON'T always get what you pay for. I miss my old Phase Linear Series II system.

I usually buy high-end stuff used or demo that's in great shape. But yeah, just being more expensive doesn't always mean better sound. The right components together set up correctly is what makes the difference.

I've bought stuff from music direct and AS, lots of 180/200 gram LPs from MoFi, AudioQuest, etc., plus I have quite a few original recordings. IMO, sometimes SACD has the edge, sometimes vinyl does.

[Donnie27]

I usually buy high-end stuff used or demo that's in great shape. But yeah, just being more expensive doesn't always mean better sound. The right components together set up correctly is what makes the difference.

I've bought stuff from music direct and AS, lots of 180/200 gram LPs from MoFi, AudioQuest, etc., plus I have quite a few original recordings. IMO, sometimes SACD has the edge, sometimes vinyl does.

I couldn't agree more. There thousands of deals out there. Here's an example.

http://www.musicdirect.com/product/73833

MARANTZ - DV 7001 UNIVERSAL PLAYER
The Best Universal We Sell Under $1000 - The Newly Upgraded DV-7001!
Now SAVE 50% on This Player! Was $800... Now ONLY $399!

The new Marantz DV-7001 Universal Disc Player offers incredible sound quality from standard CDs and absolutely stunning sound from SACD and DVD based discs. We have never heard a better sounding Universal player for the price.

See the specs but they don't do this thing any justice at all. I heard this Merantz (Pre amp-amp) stuff connected to Martin Logan minis of all things. If I had $1500 at the time hell I'd have bough them The problem with SACD was that they tried to sell it as a Mass Market product, IMHO, it should have been treated the same as 200 grain Records. I agree again. Certain music just needs that "warmth & fullness" records do that CD don't always convey!

[aztec]

Wow, @ 400 clams that's a great deal. Not a bad unit at all. And it plays everything so you don't need like 3 separate players sitting around.

Don't get me started on Martin Logans! Wish I still had my CLS IIa's.

[dexman]

omg guys, could we keep this on topic? i'm subscribed to this thread and every time new post appears i see you two exchanging information about audio gear that has nothing to do with this thread.

[aztec]

Audio cards and audio gear are related. Get a clue.

[dexman]

oh yeah, and presentation of all your audio toys are what related to this thread? you get a clue.

[flopper]

its under news section, for asus essence card.
make a new thread under audio for your toys and get the hell out of here.

[aztec]

Any of the PC audio cards mentioned from the PC toys everyone here is using can be plugged into the "audio toys".

Dumb ass.

[dexman]

^^you are a little bit slow, aren't you? i don't mind a little offtopic excursion when something needs to be explained but you and donnie have been clearly offtopic for page worth of posts. like flopper said, make your own thread and you can show off and discuss your gear however you want. clear or more explanation is needed?

[lochabar]

its under news section, for asus essence card.
make a new thread under audio for your toys and get the hell out of here.

^^you are a little bit slow, aren't you? i don't mind a little offtopic excursion when something needs to be explained but you and donnie have been clearly offtopic for page worth of posts. like flopper said, make your own thread and you can show off and discuss your gear however you want. clear or more explanation is needed?

....Are these guys for real?

[Frodin]

Lol! Happy Yuletide guys!

[Donnie27]

^^you are a little bit slow, aren't you? i don't mind a little offtopic excursion when something needs to be explained but you and donnie have been clearly offtopic for page worth of posts. like flopper said, make your own thread and you can show off and discuss your gear however you want. clear or more explanation is needed?

Sorry, my Sound Cards are connect to Harmon Kardon receivers, not computer multimedia speakers. The Asus Xonar card is made more for Cans than AMPs. The Better the system (Hi-Fi/Mid-FI) used to connect the Xonar card or any other will matter. Off topic? Relevant, yes! Like it or NOT, many of us have our SOUND CARDS connected to this gear being shown off