Industry-leading 124dB SNR

Choosing only the best components and finest design, Xonar Essence STX achieves unprecedented 124 dB SNR – 64 times clear than on-board solutions, bringing top-o-the shelf audio experience for audiophiles.

Precision clock tuning for perfect audio

Xonar Essence ST is the world’s first audio card to focus on precision clock tuning to minimize audio jitter. The result is extensive musical details and lively sound image presented for revolutionary experience.

Multi-channel Upgradable

Essence ST is designed to allow full 7.1 surround enjoyment with future upgrade. The high fidelity Xonar H6 multi-channel extension board sold separately in the future provides 120dB signal-to-noise ratio, offering the ultimate surround sound quality ever in the market.

Built-in headphone amplifier

Most quality headphones require extra driving power from amplifier to perform their best, otherwise, they distort and lose details

Driving with Ease and Quality

Xonar Essence STX’s built-in headphone amplifier is ready to drive ANY headphone to it’s full performance stage, with under 0.001% distortion

Designed in Essence to achieve Excellence

EMI-free analog output path
EMI shielding seals all analog output signals perfectly from noise, offering distortion-free audio enjoyment

Independent power for analog signals 
Draw additional power from MOLEX ensures the power-sensitive analog signals treated with the cleanest power source 

Hyper-Grounding circuitry design 
Utilizing multi-layer PCB design to separate audio from noise

Specifications

Audio Performance	Output Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted): 124dB for Front-out,117dB for Headphone-out (600ohms) dB  Input Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted): 118 dB  Output THD+N at 1kHz: 0.0003% (-110dB) for Front-out, 0.001% (-100dB) for Headphone-out  Input THD+N at 1kHz: 0.0002% (-113dB) for Line-in  Frequency Response (-3dB, 24-bit/192kHz input): <10Hz to 90KHz  Output/Input Full-Scale Voltage 2 Vrms (5.65 Vp-p)
Bus Compatibility	PCI: PCI v2.2 or above bus compatible
Main Chipset	Audio Processor: ASUS AV100 High-Definition Sound Processor (Max. 192KHz/24bit)  24-bit D-A Converter of Digital Sources: Texas Instruments PCM1792A*1 for Front-Out (127dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/24bit)  24-bit A-D Converter for Analog Inputs: Cirrus-Logic CS5381* 1 (120dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/24bit)  High Fidelity Headphone Amplifier: Texas Instruments 6120A2*1 (120dB SNR, 100dB THD+N @ Vcc±12V, RL=600Ω, f=1kHz)
Sample Rate and Resolution	Analog Playback Sample Rate and Resolution: 44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @ 16/24bit  Analog Recording Sample Rate and Resolution: 44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @ 16/24bit  S/PDIF Digital Output: 4.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @ 16/24bit, Dolby Digital  ASIO 2.0 Driver Support: Supports 44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @16/24bit with very low latency
I/O Ports	Analog Output Jack: RCA jack *2 (Front R / Front L), 6.30mm jack*1 (Headphone out)  Analog Input Jack: 6.30mm jack *1 (Shared by Line-In/Mic-In)  Other line-level analog input (for CD-IN/TV Tuner): ux-In (4-pin header on the card)  Digital S/PDIF Output: High-bandwidth Coaxial/TOS-Link combo port supports 192KHz/24bit  Front-Panel Header: Shared by Headphone out / 2 channels out /  Microphone in  S/PDIF Header: Connects to compatiable graphic cards for HDMI output
Driver Features	Operation System: Windows Vista/XP(32/64bit)/MCE2005  Dolby® Technologies: Dolby® Digital Live  Dolby Digital Live encodes any audio signal on PC in real-time to Dolby Digital (AC3) 5.1 surround sounds to your home theater environment through one single S/PDIF connection  Dolby® Headphone  Dolby Headphone technology allows users to listen to music, watch movies, or play games with the dramatic 5.1-channel surround or realistic 3D spacious effects through any set of stereo headphones.  Dolby® Virtual Speaker  Dolby Virtual Speaker technology simulates a highly realistic 5.1-speaker surround sound listening environment from as few as two speakers.  Dolby® Pro-Logic II  Dolby Pro-Logic II is the well-known technology to process any native stereo or 5.1-channel audio into up to 6.1 channel output, creating a seamless, natural surround soundfield.  Smart Volume Normalizer™: Smart Volume Normalizer™  Normalizes the volume of all audio sources into a constant level and also enhances your 3D sound listening range and advantages in gaming  Xear 3D™ Virtual Speaker Shifter: Virtual 7.1 speaker positioning  Karaoke Functions: Music Key-Shifting and Microphone Echo effects like professional Karaoke machine  FlexBass™: Professional Bass Management/Enhancement system  3D Sound Engines/APIs: Vista: DirectSound3D® GX 2.5, DirectSound® HW, DirectSound SW, A3D®1.0, OpenAL generic modes, 128 3D sounds processing capability  XP: DirectSound2.5 SW, A3D®1.0, OpenAL generic modes, 128 3D sounds processing capability  VocalFX™: the latest vocal effect technologies for gaming and VoIP, including: -VoiceEX: produces vivid environmental reverberation for your voice in EAX games -ChatEX: emulates different background environment effects when you chat online -Magic Voice: changes your voice pitch to different types (Monster/Cartoon…) for disguising your real voice or just for fun in online chatting
Accessories	1 x S/PDIF optical adaptors