The Verdict
Based on my long term testing with the STX card, from engineering sample to final production version I have been highly impressed with the Xonar Essence STX. ASUS set out to build a new flagship card for stereo and headphone use and definitely pushed the bar much higher for other companies who want to follow suit. This soundcard was built with a driving end result, high sound quality and the entire design clearly shows that ASUS wanted the best sounding card they could build at this point in time within the price point.
From the EMI shielding, high end DAC to the Nichons, Os-Cons and choice for opamps all aimed at giving their current fans and future Xonar fans a highly enjoyable audio experience without breaking the bank. The Xonar Essence STX has high end sound quality and features in spades.
While the Essence can use GX 2.5 gaming driver to add EAX emulation to games the effects are by no means a perfect copy of hardware based effects and there were some anomalies and instances of the driver not performing at all in the tested games. With that being said, if it comes between GX 2.X drivers or plain stereo sound with no effects in Vista I will gladly take the GX effects. The GX 2.0 drivers definitely increase the enjoyment factor of the card while gaming.
ASUS has proven that they are not only a presence in the PC audio market but a serious force to be reckoned with and an audio design entity not to be taken lightly by fans or competitors. The Xonar sound machine has been put into high gear and the question on my mind is; if the Essence has sound quality this impressive; imagine what ASUS has up their sleeves next?
We highly recommend this card to anybody who wants exceptional sound quality for their headphones or stereo speaker system. This card offers sound quality that is many times better then its price really reflects. I am also awarding this card the Top Pick Editors choice award and it will remain my new reference card for headphones until surpassed by ASUS or another.
Site
Navigation
