ASUS Essence STX II 7.1 Sound Card Review - Introduction

My fellow audio maniacs, it is that time once again.  That's right, time for a new review from the Guru3D Audio Lab.  For those that have been following the advancement in the PC audio world, you may have noted the Xonar Sound machine has become quite the diverse player in the audio world.  ASUS products have been seen everywhere from the high end external market, HTPC world to the entry level price conscience segment.

For the past while, ASUS has been concentrating their efforts on the external desktop component market with the impressive Essence external product lineup.  We think many proponents of the PC audio market place where unsure if the Xonar label would ever grace another soundcard product or if the company would continue to concentrate on the arguably more lucrative world of external audio.

The Xonar Sound Machine decided to switch gears and once again has aimed their design prowess at the high end add in soundcard market.  The Xonar soundcard line started with the early D series card, with their last contributions being the premium STX and PCI 7.1 version, the ST Deluxe.

Both these premium cards are considered high grade products to the PC audio world.  That being said, it begs the question; Can ASUS truly surpass these earlier heavy weight products with their new Essence STX II 7.1?

Without further discussion, today in the Guru3D Audio Lab, we have a brand new ASUS Essence STX II 7.1 soundcard ready to be plugged in, cranked up and rocked out.  Asus has some very big shoes to fill and a possibly a more impressive feat of surpassing such well known audio cards, the questions stands will they succeed?

There is only one way to find out, let’s get to it.