Need advice from all Asus soundcard owners

I also noticed an improvement after swapping from a D2 to an ST.
It definitely wasn't any kind of placebo or expectation bias effect and was noticeable on both RCA to amp and with headphones.

Is a night and day difference? No.
Is it worth it? To me, yes.

The D2/D2x is a great card and I'd happily recommend it to anyone, but if you can stretch to an ST/STX and you have a good pair of headphones or hifi setup, it's worth the extra IMO :)
 
I guess it may not seem like much on paper when looking at SNR ratios, but when you look at the difference in the components that are used, the 'snakeoil' kind of argument that comes with stuff like speaker/interconnect cable debates is a non-starter.
If you have actual experience of both products like you and I do, there is no question :D
 
For me it's the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz (AKA: Videologic Sonic Fury) of today. Back then that card under XP had "Perfect" drivers that never needed updating because they had no issues. Sound quality was sublime and its reputation almost legendary.
 
I was still on a soundblaster live! back then, poor as I was :D

I don't wanna get all 'audiophile' here, but here's an example of what I noticed when I switched from D2 to ST a few months ago after having the D2 for over a year.

One of the current tracks I'd been playing over and over was (and still is) The Who - Eminence Front (FLAC) and immediately there was a noticeable increase in separation/clarity along with added depth and definition across the board.
The percussion, especially the snare drum just had this extra space around it and it all just 'came together' in a way that put a massive smile on my face in less than a minute of listening :)

I loved my time with the D2 and still rate it very highly, but this was a clear improvement.

If anyone else is weighing up a choice between the two and thinking that £120-150 is a bit much, look into buying a used one. I got mine for around the same price as a new D2 which made it even more of a pleasure I guess :D
 
I'm coming from the Creative Titanium HD and the sound on the STX is much warmer and punchier. It's hard to describe sounds with words but there is a noticeable difference.

I wanted was the simultaneous functionality anyway but the improvement in sound is an unexpected bonus.

I like the clicks that it makes whilst switching inputs, but maybe that was coming from my amp, so I'll need to test that further tonight.

Cons
- Lack of Accessories (Skimping on cables and adapters)
- GUI is not as intuitive and nice looking as Creative's console
- Doesn't have the illuminated I/O ports like on the D2X.
- I would have preferred if the metal shield design covered the whole soundcard.
 
The clicks are normal. It's because it uses relay switches which physically move to change the circuit path. Like changing tracks on a railway I guess :)

I do miss the illuminated I/O's. They were cool :D
 
I don't want too argue to much on this as you've heard them, not be, but I've listened to enough stuff to know that the excitement and expectation (even the increased concentration) of listening to new gear always results in these kind of impressions ("more detail!") when upon a later DBT the differences were imaginary. Even listening a few dB louder will produce most of the impressions you just gave.

The on-paper measurements (SNR, distortion) are way below human hearing capability to make a difference. Straight into headphones the headphone-out of the STX ought to be better so I don't dispute that, but through a good amp? I'm skeptical.

Not to knock your purchases - it's a good bit of kit and I'd probably own one if I wasn't putting all my money into a β22 right now :eek:
 
Uncle Petey said:
I use them. They do seem to be more stable.

@mrk
Which opamps did you go for and in what areas did you hear improvements?
Click to expand...

Vocals are more lively and background instruments are isolated a bit better as well. The default opamps were excellent but these gave even more warmth.

2x LME49720NA for the I/V.
1x LM6172IN for the buffer stage.
 
joeyjojo said:
I don't want too argue to much on this as you've heard them, not be, but I've listened to enough stuff to know that the excitement and expectation (even the increased concentration) of listening to new gear always results in these kind of impressions ("more detail!") when upon a later DBT the differences were imaginary. Even listening a few dB louder will produce most of the impressions you just gave.

The on-paper measurements (SNR, distortion) are way below human hearing capability to make a difference. Straight into headphones the headphone-out of the STX ought to be better so I don't dispute that, but through a good amp? I'm skeptical.

Not to knock your purchases - it's a good bit of kit and I'd probably own one if I wasn't putting all my money into a β22 right now :eek:
Click to expand...

It's not a case of listening with more concentration, perhaps some people do this but to me the difference was obvious playing the same music at the same volume that I have done for years. You don't just randomly notice more instruments standing out in the BG one day unless something in the hardware has changed.

It was a case of "hang on, there's more things in this track than I've heard before" and not "I must try and hear a difference".

Anyway, as has been mentioned, everyone has different hearing sensitivity so it's impossible to convince some people otherwise that what one person hears isn't what most others will.
 
Cheers mrk, I'll look into getting hold of some soon.

@joeyjojo
Yes, the difference is more marked when using headphones due to the amp amongst other things, however I can say without doubt that through an amp/speakers, there is still a slight, but noticeable improvement over the old card. More depth, slam, warmth and separation to put it simply.

I accept that a lot of people are victim to 'new gear is better' syndrome, but I can assure you that it's not the case here. The differences I mentioned stood out immediately and I honestly wasn't expecting that much.
 
Fair dos
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