Asus Xonar Essence STX or ST?

Shou Miko · Aug 9, 2011

which model should i get?

i got a Asus Maximus III Gene motherboard and i want another audio card than my Auzentech Bravura 7.1 PCI-E x1 currenty i got a PCI-Express x1 flex riser on so my EVGA GTX570 can run x16 instead of x8.

i currenty stopped my search for a another motherboard and i listen more and more to music so and i always had a good eye on the Asus Xonar Essence but still i dunno which model to take since i can use both.

STX = PCI-E x1 & ST = PCI the only price difference between STX vs. ST is €6,44 / 33,74 USD where STX is the cheapest one of them.

i can save about €9,40 / 13,37 USD if i buy it in germany so maybe i will do that at http://www2.anobo.de/ when they get them in stock again, but what is more future proff PCI-E x1 or PCI? ino PCI has been around like an age or more but still i dunno what to take, so a little help here plz ^^;

Asus Xonar Essence STX
Asus Xonar Essence ST

Grings · Aug 9, 2011

If you have a pci slot, may as well get the pci version, the pci-e version is the same chip with a pci-e to pci bridge chip anyway, and while it may not introduce any latency, i'd rather stick to the chips native connection

majestic12 · Aug 10, 2011

Some say that the ST sounds cleaner than the STX (I heard no differences when auditioning them though), plus it has the option for the H6 upgrade (analog multi-channel out) that is not offered on the STX. Are you using speakers or headphones and by which method do you want to output sound (digital or analog)?

Shou Miko · Aug 10, 2011

oh, i only got my Creative Aurvana Live! headphones and my Logitech Z-2300, and i don't use Digital Out or TosLink cable for my speakers bcs i am more into use my headphones actually ^^;

majestic12 · Aug 10, 2011

Roger that -if I had to pick between the two, the ST would be my choice then. Any plans for different speakers/headphones in the future as well to go with it? The Essence ST/STX are wonderful soundcards for headphones.

Shou Miko · Aug 10, 2011

when my Creative Aurvana Live! can't anymore i think i will buy a pair of Denon AH-D1100 since Denon AH-D1001 can't be find in my country, and my speakers ain't that uses even they r some years old, but i can clear hear the different from onboard to my Auzentech atm also with them.

Wile E · Aug 10, 2011

If headphones are your primary preference for computer listening, the STX is the way to go with it's built in headphone amp.

Play3r · Aug 10, 2011

I have the ST they are basically the same card but the ST being released later has something called precision clock tuning that the STX doesnt have. I dont actually know what it is but im sure its better! and i dont think there will be any worry for pci to disappear to soon.

Also which ever you buy i recommend using the HiFi setting on the soundcard as it is the best i have found in 8 months of having the soundcard.

Play3r · Aug 10, 2011

Wile E said:
If headphones are your primary preference for computer listening, the STX is the way to go with it's built in headphone amp.

they both have headphone amps.

Wile E · Aug 10, 2011

Play3r said:
they both have headphone amps.

I missed that. Thanks.

I'd still go STX, as PCI IS disappearing. Many of the new high end mobos don't have any PCI at all.

EDIT: If I had to recommend a PCI sound card for headphone use, it would be the HT Omega Claro or Claro XT.

Play3r · Aug 10, 2011

Wile E said:
I missed that. Thanks.

I'd still go STX, as PCI IS disappearing. Many of the new high end mobos don't have any PCI at all.

EDIT: If I had to recommend a PCI sound card for headphone use, it would be the HT Omega Claro or Claro XT.

i will agree that pci is disappearing but that is mainly on very high end motherboard and there is generally at least 1 pci port on most motherboards

Play3r · Aug 10, 2011

looking at the Maximum III Gene aswell you would probably be better of using the top 16x slot rather than the 2nd one as some of the time the second one will only run at 8x

Shou Miko · Aug 10, 2011

yeah i have been wondering when they will cut back on PCI, bcs i won't be upgrading until Ivy Bridge or when nanometer gets lower than 22nm i think, so ino that PCI will work for me now but future i am not sure, but still i want the best of the two ^^;

majestic12 · Aug 11, 2011

(looking at your signature)

^toradora? tiger / dora-err... doragon=dragon! Not familiar with the series. Comic, cartoon, or both?

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System Name	Lynni PS \ Lenowo TwinkPad T480
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Raphael \ i7-8550U Kaby Lake-R
Motherboard	ASRock B650M PG Riptide Bios v. 2.02 AMD AGESA 1.1.0.0 \ Lenowo 20L60036MX Bios 1.47
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15 Chromax.Black (Only middle fan) \ Lenowo WN-2
Memory	G.Skill Flare X5 2x16GB DDR5 6000MHZ CL36-36-36-96 AMD EXPO \ Willk Elektronik 2x16GB 2666MHZ CL17
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Storage	Gigabyte M30 1TB\|Sabrent Rocket 2TB\| HDD: 10TB\|1TB \ SKHynix 256GB 2242 3x2
Display(s)	LG UltraGear 27GP850-B 1440p@165Hz \| LG 48CX OLED 4K HDR \| AUO 14" 1440p IPS
Case	Asus Prime AP201 White Mesh \| Lenowo T480 chassis
Audio Device(s)	Steelseries Arctis Pro Wireless
Power Supply	Be Quiet! Pure Power 12 M 750W Goldie \| 65W
Mouse	Logitech G305 Lightspeedy Wireless \| Lenowo TouchPad & Logitech G305
Keyboard	Akko 3108 DS Horizon V2 Cream Yellow \| T480 UK Lumi
Software	Win11 Pro 23H2 UK
Benchmark Scores	3DMARK: https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/89434432? GPU-Z: https://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/details/v3zbr

System Name	Majestic Command 3.0
Processor	Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard	ASRock B450M Pro 4
Cooling	Corsair water loop
Memory	2x8GB Ballistix DDR4
Video Card(s)	RX 5600 XT
Storage	1TB WD Black SN750 M.2, a home server
Display(s)	Asus VG249Q
Case	Darkflash DLM22 - black
Audio Device(s)	X-Fi HD>AT-HA25D>FR-N71X
Power Supply	EVGA 600W standard
Mouse	Razer Mamba Elite
Keyboard	Razer Blackwidow Chroma TE
Software	Windows 10

Asus Xonar Essence STX or ST?

Which model to get PCI-E x1 or PCI?

Asus Xonar Essence STX

Asus Xonar Essence ST

Shou Miko

Grings

majestic12

Shou Miko

majestic12

Shou Miko

Wile E

Power User

Play3r

New Member

Play3r

New Member

Wile E

Power User

Play3r

New Member

Play3r

New Member

Shou Miko

majestic12

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