• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

ASUS Announces Xonar Essence STU External Sound Card and Headphones Amplifier

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
46,274 (7.69/day)
Location
Hyderabad, India
System Name RBMK-1000
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory 2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s) BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s) ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard Gamdias Hermes E2
Software Windows 11 Pro
ASUS today announced the Xonar Essence STU USB external digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and headphone amplifier, based on the acclaimed design and quality of Xonar Essence ST/STX internal sound cards and going beyond their already high standards. Offering audiophile-grade performance, Xonar Essence STU delivers USB connectivity and accessible external controls.

It offers clear sound with a 120dB signal to noise ratio (SNR), strong 600ohm headphone amplifier, asynchronous USB audio and swappable Op-Amps for DIY sound modification. Precision clock tuning technology further enhances audio fidelity, making Xonar Essence STU a great choice for discerning music lovers who need a quality DAC and headphone amplifier to drive the full capabilities of high-end headphones.



"We received considerable positive feedback from customers regarding the excellent sound quality of Xonar Essence ST/STX sound cards, which led us to develop Xonar Essence STU as a USB device that offers even more premium audio quality plus easy controls and connectivity to notebooks. This is another example of ASUS listening to the community and acting on consumer demand", said Ives Chiu, Audiovisual Product Manager at the ASUS Multimedia Business Unit.

High quality precision audio
Xonar Essence STU delivers clean, clear, and low distortion sound with 120dB SNR. It achieves this thanks to exacting hardware design, which includes balanced (or mirrored) PCB layout for accurate reproduction of all sound sources and minimal component crosstalk, or interference.

ASUS uses audio industry-leading components such as the Texas Instruments PCM1792A DAC and TPA6120A2 headphone amplifier, which supports up to 600ohm impedance. Also included are audiophile-approved WIMA FKP2 and Nichicon Finegold capacitors for balanced and rich sound.

To satisfy the most demanding users, Xonar Essence STU features precision clock tuning technology and asynchronous audio transfer. Both ensure accurate and jitter-free sound fidelity, allowing customers to enjoy music in its purest form. Bit-perfect playback is aided by support for ASIO audio drivers.

Complete ease of use
As an external device, Xonar Essence STU offers readily-accessible controls with no need to go into software menus. Customers can switch between low and high gain settings, accommodating better listening experiences across a wide range of headphones, from in-ear headsets (typically 16ohm-32ohm) to premium full-size headphones (up to 600ohm). This is especially useful with the increasing popularity of mobile devices, which normally ship with low impedance/high sensitivity headsets.

Dual volume controls help users change speaker and headphone sound levels simultaneously, similar to features offered by dedicated audio decks. The USB interface means connectivity with USB-compliant devices, while I/O ports include stereo RCA out, a 6.3mm headphone jack, two digital inputs, and auxiliary in.

Xonar Essence STU can be placed horizontally and vertically with a bundled stand, giving customers more space-saving flexibility for different locations and situations.

Tonal tuning and advanced controls
Texas Instruments NS-LME49720 and NS-LM4562NA Op-Amps (or operational amplifiers) deliver acoustics fine-tuned by audio engineers to support livelier and more detailed spacious sound.

Xonar Essence STU has room for three swappable Op-Amps, which can be replaced by users to adjust tonal performance based on personal taste. This open-ended and customizable design is inherited from previous Xonar Essence audio products, and remains true to the series' commitment to accommodating as many customer preferences as possible.

Additional advanced features are a jumper switch that re-routes sound via Xonar Essence STU, allowing it to be used as a pre-amplifier in conjunction with a dedicated power amplifier. Customers can opt to adjust master volume directly on the power amplifier without having to reach Xonar Essence STU controls. Also, a selectable DC servo headphone output can be activated to minimize pop noise which may occur when powering on.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site
 
Joined
May 21, 2011
Messages
660 (0.14/day)
System Name Tiger1-Workstation
Processor Intel XEON E3-1275V2 / E3-1230V3
Motherboard ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 / AsRock H87 Performance
Cooling Corsair H80i Watercooling
Memory 32GB Corsair Dominator Platinum 2400
Video Card(s) Inno3D GTX 780 Ti
Storage 2TB SSD(4X OCZ vertex 4 256GB LSI RAID0 + Crucial M550 1TB)
Display(s) 2x Dell U3011 30" IPS
Case Silverstone Raven 03
Audio Device(s) Xonar Essence STX--> Xonar Essence One --> SPL Auditor -->Hivi X6
Power Supply Corsair AX860i Platinum
Software Windows 8.1 Enterprise
seeing as they already have the Essence One, I'm not sure there's a lot of point to this. No price was listed so we'll have to wait, but perhaps its to fill the price gap between the Essence ST and the One.
 
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
40 (0.01/day)
What are the actual differences between this and the Essence One? I have the STX and always wanted the One but was put off by the price and apparently dodgy driver support. I would however jump at getting rid of the dirty molex connection to the STX, so this would be ideal.
 

Edgarstrong

New Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2011
Messages
66 (0.01/day)
Location
Marsala
Still won't beat my Marantz MCR 603 based PC system I am afraid.

I am looking forward to times when I actually can build a PC sound system without resorting to equipment that wasn't intended for PC use.
 
Joined
Mar 14, 2012
Messages
2 (0.00/day)
As an external DAC, it'll be up against a lot of competition in terms of sound quality.
 
Joined
May 15, 2008
Messages
2,863 (0.49/day)
Location
Brasil
System Name Sovereign // HTPC
Processor i7 3770k 4.2 // i7 3770k 4.2
Motherboard Maximus V Gene // Sabertooth Z77
Cooling Noctua D14 // Intel HSF
Memory 16GB Samsung // 16GB VengeanceLP
Video Card(s) Deciding // 660 DC2
Storage OS (X25-M), Data (Seagate 1TB) // Samsung 840 120GB & bunch of drives
Display(s) Samsung T240HD // LG TV
Case TJ08e // Grandia GD08
Audio Device(s) DT880 Pro 250 ohm // TV speakers
Power Supply Seasonic Plat 1000 // Seasonic Gold 760
Software Windows 8 Pro x64 // Windows 7 Pro x64
STU for stamina training unit? If you know what i mean?
 
Joined
May 22, 2010
Messages
2,516 (0.50/day)
Location
Canada
System Name m1dg3t | DeathBox | HairPi 3
Processor 3570k @ 4.0 1.15v BIOS | q9550 @ 3.77 1.325v BIOS
Motherboard Asrock z77e iTX | p5q Dlx 2301 BIOS
Cooling Custom Water | D-14 & HR-03gt | Passive HSF
Memory Samsung MV-3V4G3D 4g x 2 @ 1866 1.35v | OcZ RpR 2g x 4 @ 1067 2.2v
Video Card(s) MSi 7950 tf3 @1000 / 1350 | Asus 5870 V2 @ 900 / 1275
Storage Adata sx900 256Gb / WD 2500 HHTZ | WD 1001 FALS x 2
Display(s) BenQ gw2750hm | 46" Sharp Quatron
Case BitFenix Prodigy - m0dd3d | Antec Fusion Remote MAX
Audio Device(s) Onboard Toslink > Yamaha HTR 6290 | Xonar HDAV1.3 > Yamaha DSP z7
Power Supply Ocz mXp700w | Ocz zx850w | Cannakit 5v 2.5a
Mouse Logitech G700s | Logitech G9x - Cable Repaired
Keyboard TT Meka G1 - Black w Cherry Blacks| Logitech G11
Software Win7 Home | Xp sp3 & Vista ultimate | Raspbian
Benchmark Scores Epeen!! Who needs epeen??
Another overpriced, useless piece of kit from Asus. :shadedshu
 
Top