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Comparison Asus Xonar Essence STX II vs Asus Xonar Essence STX

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Asus Xonar Essence STX II
Asus Xonar Essence STX
Asus Xonar Essence STX IIAsus Xonar Essence STX
from $313.00
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from £499.98 
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Featuresaudiophile (Hi-Fi)audiophile (Hi-Fi)
Specs
Typeinternalinternal
InterfacePCI-EPCI-E
Channels22
AudiochipASUS AV100ASUS AV100
ASIO
 /2.0/
Additional power
 /molex/
DAC
DAC resolution24 bit24 bit
Max. sampling rate192 kHz192 kHz
Signal-to-noise ratio124 dB124 dB
ADC
ADC resolution24 bit24 bit
Max. sampling rate192 kHz192 kHz
Signal-to-noise ratio118 dB118 dB
More features
 
headphones amplifier
Inputs
Jack (6.35 mm)1
/line/microphone/
Outputs
Jack (6.35 mm)1
/headphones/
RCA22
Optical S/P-DIF
/combined with coaxial/
Coaxial S/P-DIF11
Added to E-Catalogseptember 2016january 2014

More features

— Headphone Amplifier. The presence of a separate headphone amplifier in the design of the sound card. Such equipment allows at least to improve the overall sound of the “ears”, as well as to implement various additional settings for such sound (for example, a separate volume control). And some headphones — primarily high-impedance Hi-Fi models — in principle cannot be used without special amplifiers.

— External control module. The presence of an external control module in the design of the sound card. Such a module is actually a control panel with a wired connection; it doesn't give you the freedom of movement that a wireless remote control does (see below), but it's cheaper and often more convenient. So, the control module does not have to be in direct line of sight with respect to the audio card, and the length of the wire is often enough to place the device at the user's hand. However the set of adjustments placed on the external unit is usually limited to the most basic settings; however, even this, usually, is quite enough for comfortable use. In addition, the control unit often provides additional connectors for connecting headphones and a microphone. Among other things, this feature is especially convenient in games — it allows you to adjust the sound without distracting from the game itself. However, other types of sound cards can also be equipped with external modules (see "View").
...
— Remote control. A remote control is included with the sound card. Do not confuse this function with the external control module described above: in this case, we mean a classic wireless IR remote control, like those used in TVs. Such a device does not necessarily cover all the capabilities of the audio adapter, however, the range of functions of the remote control can be quite extensive. On the other hand, the need to control a sound card from a distance is extremely rare, and in most cases, the mentioned external module is enough for this. So models with a remote control are not widely used.

Exit to the front panel. Ability to connect an internal sound card (see "Type") to the connectors on the front panel of the PC. To do this, a special connector (or several connectors) is provided on the board, which is connected to the corresponding connector (s) using a wire. The convenience of this feature is obvious: in desktop computers, the front panel is located closest to the user, and it is to it that it is easiest to connect peripherals that involve frequent plugging and unplugging, such as headphones and microphones. Actually, connectors for such devices are most often displayed on the front panel.

Optical S/P-DIF

The number of S/P-DIF optical outputs provided in the design of the sound card.

S/P-DIF is a digital audio transmission standard, including multichannel, quite widespread in home acoustics. At the hardware level, this standard has two versions — coaxial (see below) and optical, which is discussed here. The TOSLINK fiber optic cable used for this type of connection is highly resistant to interference: electromagnetic pickups do not interact with the light pulses that transmit the signal. On the other hand, such a cable is more expensive than coaxial electrical wire and requires careful handling — strong pressure or a kink can damage the fiber.
Asus Xonar Essence STX II often compared
Asus Xonar Essence STX often compared