Soundcard : Xonar Essence, D1, or DX

[lordmanatee]

I'm looking to buy a soundcard to pair with my Senneheiser HD 595s. I will be gaming and listening to music. My MoBo is an ASRock Extreme6 so I have the space for it, and I could care less about the price difference between these options. I just want to know if its worth shelling out the extra cash for the built-in headphone AMP on the Xonar Essence. If its not, then between the D1 and the DX which one comes out on top.

Cards :

ASUS Xonar Essence - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132010

ASUS Xonar DX - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132006

ASUS Xonar D1 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132007

Any help is welcome,

Cheers.

 

[chrislewsey]

I'm looking to buy a soundcard to pair with my Senneheiser HD 595s. I will be gaming and listening to music. My MoBo is an ASRock Extreme6 so I have the space for it, and I could care less about the price difference between these options. I just want to know if its worth shelling out the extra cash for the built-in headphone AMP on the Xonar Essence. If its not, then between the D1 and the DX which one comes out on top.

Cards :

ASUS Xonar Essence - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132010

ASUS Xonar DX - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132006

ASUS Xonar D1 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132007

Any help is welcome,

Cheers.

Hi
If your into gaming Asus have just released a new gaming card with an amp for headphones called the Phoebus cheapest place to buy if in the uk is Dabs at £167.99

 

[lordmanatee]

I'm in the US, and it would seem its not been released here yet..though I could be wrong.

Doesn't seem (to my uneducated eye) to be any better than the Essence..and the volume knob sling that comes with it isn't that important because I have full media control on my keyboard already.

 

[staytuned]

I think Xonar Essence One is good enough to drive the Senneheiser HD 595s, and it has a 6.5mm jack headphone out with independent volume knob.

 

[ChrisUlrich]

What about his question about the D1 vs DX?

 

[gamerk316]

The D1 and DX are basically the same exact chip, the only difference is the DX is PCI-E and requires a floppy power connector.

Unless you need the headphone amp [which I believe the 595's don't really need], then the D1/DX is probably the best option.

 

[ChrisUlrich]

How would you rate them compared to the ST and HT Omega Claro II?

 

[gamerk316]

Different markets. The ST(X) is designed to drive either very high impedance headphones or studio quality speakers. If you plan to move up to a higher quality headset, then OK, but for a set of 595's, the ST(X) is overkill.

The Claro II is a slightly more modern design compared to the D1/DX (the D2/D2X is ASUS' equivalent, and the Meridian 2G is Auzentechs), but for the most part, the quality difference doesn't justify the increased price. If you can snag one for about $100, it would be a good deal, but those cards typically hover around $120 or so...

 

[lordmanatee]

So, Gamer..All-in-all what would you recommend for my needs? It also seems as if they jacked up the price on the STX by 20 bucks..so that's definitely out of the question.