Asus Xonar Essence ST soundcard - experience

[haisaikat]

I posted this in another thread though, but reposting here (gave up so far the hope of recording)

I am planning for a USB DAC since my HTPC cabinet being low profile cannot accomodate the better cards like Xonar ST/X. On similar budget as Xonar I found reviews of ODAC to be very well. Read the below review, putting some excerpt

Brief Odac impressions

I had the chance to A/B today against the Xonar Essence STX (/w LME49720s) for an hour in a quiet listening environment.

I think overall the ODAC is a step up from the STX's DAC.

ODAC is clearer sounding in the mid frequencies and lets more of the recording's details through. As such the sense of ambience in recordings is enhanced.

I think it is a question of the brain getting used to it, but absorbing more information from the mids tends to create the illusion of lesser bass presence in terms of quantity. However, when tested with bass notes, the ODAC clearly has no deficiency. In comparison the STX sounds like the sound has more body, but it is muffled.

The ODAC's highs are the biggest improvement over the STX. They just seem more realistic on good acoustic recordings - clear, extended and with remarkable resolution. In contrast the STX is harsh and sibilant at times.

I wouldn't say the STX sounds bad, but the ODAC seems to offer better fidelity. The differences weren't night and day, but obvious enough to be clearly noticed in a short listening session.

I also noticed that the ODAC did produce a high-pitched noise when connected to a switched off desktop PC. Strangely this doesn't happen when connected to my laptop.

 

[arunlouie]

Apologies for hijacking from running subject.

Can anyone give me some pointers for Essence ST best configuration?

PS: Currently using with headphones and computer speakers.

Guys ANy pointers?? Still Waiting ...... :sad:

 

[naren2512]

Hi Friends,

I just bought a used Xonar ST and i shall receive the delivery of the same by Wed / Thursday.

Please can you guide me as to what all i need to keep in mind / do in order to get the best output from my sound card?


1) What version of Xonar drivers should i use for Windows & OS ?

2) What player should be used ? I think Sonosphere used Foobar 2K with Kernal streaming and Hydra suggested Foobar with WAPSAI .. can some one guide me what does Kernal streaming or WAPSAI mean ? are these different versions? or something used in addition to the Foobar software? l tried to look up on Foobar's website but couldn't find anything like that.

3) Also after the download and installation of Asus drivers + Foobar. Do we need to do any tweaking of settings etc to get best output from sound card? if so can you please guide me as to what may be the good settings?

Thanks for your help in advance, hope to get some idea on above before i get my card


Regards,
Naren

 

[hydra]

Congrats on managing to get one of those!

1) Use whatever is the latest version. I do so, for my STX.

2) Foobar + WASAPI is what I used to use. After having used JRiverMC v17 for some time, and then making a comparison with Foobar, I prefer JRiver, with WASAPI Event Style enabled. JRiver is $49. They have a 1 month trial. Some of the advantages I found over Foobar are:
- Sounds better overall, especially bass handling. In comparison to JRMC, bass from Foobar seems very bloated and slow.
- JRMC will index WAV files just like FLAC files, and you can tag WAV files from within JRMC. Foobar is very bad at handling WAV files, unless you want to make individual playlists.
- JRMC will index and handle FLAC files where the entire album is a single file, with a .cue file with individual track listing included with it. IN Foobar, you have to add this .cue file into a playlist to see the individual tracks. JRMC handles this transparently and will add the individual tracks from the .cue file into the master library.

3) Yes, you can do the following:
a) Set the sound card's output to 44.1/48Khz. (Change it only when you need to play hi-res files).
b) In Windows Sound properties ("Manage Audio Devices" in the control panel), in the "Advanced" tab properties of the Xonar ST Device, make sure that the two check boxes ("Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device" and "Give exclusive mode applications priority") are ticked.
c) In the "Change System Sounds" option in the control panel, select "No Sounds" in the pull down menu. This is just an extra precaution.
d) Go through this: Optimising your PC for audio on Windows 7 .: Focusrite Answerbase
e) In Foobar (if you'll be using Foobar), select WASAPI in the output devices. You'll need to install the WASAPI component first.
f) Match the Foobar output bit depth (ideally 16bits) with what's set in the Xonar ST software.

Kernel streaming and WASAPI are two different ways of stopping Windows from messing with the sound output stream. I'm not sure how KS does it, but KS is supposed to give a really low latency output. WASAPI basically lets the sound card get the output stream directly from the software, without it passing though, and getting messed with, by the Windows sound system. I've found KS to sound a bit edgy (to my ears), and so I've preferred WASAPI always.

 

[naren2512]

Hey Hydra,

Thanks a ton for sharing the knowledge which you must have gained after a lot of effort and experimentation

At the moment i dont want to spend on software so should i start with Trial version of JRiver or go with Foobar freeware?

Also can you help me know as to where to get Kernel streaming and WASAPI ( i guess softwares ) from ? I have found Foobar website for JRiver i havent tried for can google and find.. what i could not find was KERNEL streaming ( havent tried for WASPAI yet )


Also do i have to first install Foobar or JM River and after that either of KERNEL streaming or WASPAI software has to be installed ? what is the right approach / proceedure.

Thanks for your help and have a great day ahead.

Regards,
Naren

 

[spirovious]

Kernel streaming and WASAPI are two different ways of stopping Windows from messing with the sound output stream. I'm not sure how KS does it, but KS is supposed to give a really low latency output. WASAPI basically lets the sound card get the output stream directly from the software, without it passing though, and getting messed with, by the Windows sound system. I've found KS to sound a bit edgy (to my ears), and so I've preferred WASAPI always.

KS/DS sounds detailed to me,with mp3 little sharp. wasapi is little soft & can sound better with bright setpu.

 

[hydra]

You're welcome, Naren. I wouldn't call it knowledge, really. The more I read and experience, the less I seem to know, or seem to be able to do.

WASAPI component for Foobar: foobar2000: Components Repository - Kernel Streaming support

Kernel Streaming Component for Foobar: foobar2000: Components Repository - WASAPI output support

From Foobar2000 FAQ:

How do I install additional components?
To install components from the foobar2000 installer that you did not choose to install during the initial installation, just rerun the installer and select them; your settings will be kept intact. Please read on to learn about installing other components.
Note that this content applies to foobar2000 versions 1.1 and newer. If you're using an older version, please upgrade now to utilize the new interface.
Step 1: Open the foobar2000 preferences dialog.
Step 2: Go to the Components page.
Step 3: Click the Install button and select the component archive, or simply drag it to the list.
Step 4: Press OK, you will be prompted to restart foobar2000 in order to load the newly installed component.

This is the JRiver MC website: JRiver Media Center software

With Foobar, you'll need to first install Foobar2000, and then install the various components you need. You'll need to then Select the WASAPI output option in the dropbox in Preferences > Output.

JRiverMC does not requite any additional component install. You can select the "WASAPI Event Style" option in Preferences (I think the output option) and adjust the latency to 25ms. If your machine stutters at 25ms, increase the latency a bit. I have mine at 25ms.

 

[naren2512]

Hydra,

Thanks a ton for your help, The courier guys delayed the shipment so I got the card yesterday night i could fit it in my computer last night itself but installed the Asus drivers and Foobar 2K today morning.

So as of now I have installed Foobar 2K with WASAPI and I could play music by connecting Xonar ST L& R speaker out with my Onkyo 608 AVR with help of a 2RCA cable

Now the issue is I can either select the input source as AUX or PC from my AVR, If I select PC then I can see my PC's desktop but Music cant be heard as Xonar ST is sonnected to AUX in, when I select AUX in as source then I can hear Music being played from my PC via Xonar ST however the desktop dis-appears

Below is how my PC is connected to my AVR.

Asus Xonar ST's Speaker out -> 2RCA -> Onkyo 608's Aux in for speakers

My PC's HD 5570 Display cards HDMI out -> HDMI cable -> Onkyo AVRs HDMI in ( it in turn sends display signal via HDMI Display out to my TV )

Please can anyone help me know how can I get display on my screen and Xonar ST's sound output work together?

Thanks for the help in advance !


Regards,
Narne

 

[spirovious]

You can add another cable say VGA & connect to VGA of Onkyo & connect xonar out to PC in(linked to VGA).Now you can see it OR use DVI to HDMI & connect PC directly to HDTV.

 

[akhil7j]

Hey Naren,

I had the same issue few months back. Let me give you a very easy option. You have a graphics card installed in your pc. That means you have a HDMI out and a DVI out in your card. The HDMI is connected to your AVR. Buy HDMI to DVI cable and connect it directly to TV. So when you listen to music from your sound card the audio will be routed via asus then RCA n AVR and Video will be from DVI - HDMI.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[naren2512]

Spiro and Akhil,

Thanks for you replies, and Spiro Thanks for your reply to my pm as well last night .. really appreciate your help.

I tried to look at what all connection onkyo 608, it has component Ins for various sources in addition to the HDMI Ins and good thing is the component IN and HDMI in for each source get activated together when you select any particular source.

So I tired to connect HDMI in PC the HDMI in and Xonar's L & R speaker out in Component in ( meant for speakers ) of the PC In and it worked .. finally i can see the desktop and listen to music output of Xonar at the same time

I feel the sound of Xonar is echoing a bit, is there any particular setting in Xonar or Foobar that is considered to be good for Music? any suggestion on setting to get best sound from ( Xonar + Foobar with WASAPI -> Onkyo 608 -> PSB Image B6 ) ?

Regards,
Naren

 

[mbhangui]

Spiro and Akhil,
I feel the sound of Xonar is echoing a bit, is there any particular setting in Xonar or Foobar that is considered to be good for Music? any suggestion on setting to get best sound from ( Xonar + Foobar with WASAPI -> Onkyo 608 -> PSB Image B6 ) ?

Regards,
Naren

Connect the TV directly to the graphics card. It looks like there are two audio streams. One from the HDMI and one from the ASUS card.

Remember that HDMI carries both audio and video. So you may be having two different audio streams (with a slight time difference which causes the echo).

 

[spirovious]

Connect the TV directly to the graphics card. It looks like there are two audio streams. One from the HDMI and one from the ASUS card.

Remember that HDMI carries both audio and video. So you may be having two different audio streams (with a slight time difference which causes the echo).

It is not possible when you select audio output from Foobar or any other SW.
I am using analog & HDMI together.There is no mixing as long as you select output properly.

 

[mbhangui]

It is not possible when you select audio output from Foobar or any other SW.
I am using analog & HDMI together.There is no mixing as long as you select output properly.

In my Xonar ST card the digital out (SPDIF) is always on regardless of the output chosen in foobar, media monkey. I get the same song played on the digital out even if I have selected analog out (ASIO, WASAPI or DS). Though I don't normally connect the AVR on the digital out, but if I do, I get an noticeable time difference between the digital and analog streams (which causes an echo). I have two amps connected to the Xonar. There is no time lag if I select analog out.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Doesn't the Xonar software include a "mixer" where you can mute the unwanted output?

 

[spirovious]

In my Xonar ST card the digital out (SPDIF) is always on regardless of the output chosen in foobar, media monkey. I get the same song played on the digital out even if I have selected analog out (ASIO, WASAPI or DS). Though I don't normally connect the AVR on the digital out, but if I do, I get an noticeable time difference between the digital and analog streams (which causes an echo). I have two amps connected to the Xonar. There is no time lag if I select analog out.

You can switch off digital out in Xonar control panal. For digital out,you have to select wasapi xonar digital out to get perfect bitstream audio.If you select xonar speaker in wasapi,you will get digital out(when turned on in xonar CP),but it will not sound the best.

 

[thevortex]

In my Xonar ST card the digital out (SPDIF) is always on regardless of the output chosen in foobar, media monkey. I get the same song played on the digital out even if I have selected analog out (ASIO, WASAPI or DS). Though I don't normally connect the AVR on the digital out, but if I do, I get an noticeable time difference between the digital and analog streams (which causes an echo). I have two amps connected to the Xonar. There is no time lag if I select analog out.

The Xonar control panel is just a step short of disgrace. It looks good, but functions in less than ideal ways!

Try clicking SPDIF output on and off and then on again. Or off if you wish to keep it off. Next, use Windows Audio Mixer tool to select the default audio playback device. Next, go to your preferred player and setup the default audio playback device. If foobar is used, do not forget to use ASIO4ALL and configure it through foobar's output plugin menu...

 

[stevensrocking]

You can switch off digital out in Xonar control panal. For digital out,you have to select wasapi xonar digital out to get perfect bitstream audio.If you select xonar speaker in wasapi,you will get digital out(when turned on in xonar CP),but it will not sound the best.

Hello everybody, I am new to all this, I have installed this sound card on my htpc, which allready has zotac 210 graphic card on it. When I on the system sound output of the xonar card is coming out through hdmi of graphic card, is it good or should I use optical out on the sound card to connect with denon 1513 avr. It plays both. Plays otical in auxillary mode when I coonect hdmi of graphic card to tv directly but when I coonect the hdmi of graphic card to avr, it plays through hdmi, displays multi in, when it does so. I could not find much difference in sound output. Sometimes I feel hdmi is better, sometimes I feel optical is better. I also feel that optical is bettwr in listening songs and hdmi isbetter in movies, can somebody elaborate please, which setting is advisable for it, I can not keep shufling my connections.thx in advance