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Xonar DGX or DSX?

D

djfunz

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 2, 2007
Messages
161
Hi guys,

I've been doing some research on sound cards and have come down to two of them. I admit , i'm not very informed on the nuances of audiophile hardware.

It's come down to the Asus Xonar DGX and the DSX. I have the Sennheiser PC 350 headphones which have the 150 ohm impedance. Unfortunately, my Asus P9X79 Deluxe motherboard's onboard audio doesn't push these. They are very quiet at maximum levels.

From the reviews I've read, it's suggested that the DGX is catered to headphone users because of added universal surround sound and the DSX is catered to a 5.1 speaker connection because of a lack of virtualization support for headphone users.

It continues however stating that the DSX is better for base which I do like.

So what to choose since I will be using these primarily with headphones? The cost is not an issue but I don't want to spend $100 on a sound card. Thanks guys.
 
Well, If the primary use is headphones then I would get the card with the headphone amp, especially since you are driving headphones that are harder to drive than normal.
 
Well, yeah you swap out the OA's on the DSX, but what would be the point since you will need some kind of amp to get the best out of those headphones. Since you use headphones the most and they are hard to drive, I recommend getting the xonar DG or DGX.

Or you can up your budget and get the Xonar essence ST or STX best of both worlds, swappable OA and good headphone amp.

another option would be to get the DSX and combine with an external amp. The amp then can go with you when you move computer etc.
 
I'm still up in the air. Since the DSX doesn't have a headphone amp and I don't see any specs listing the impedance range, I just don't know if it has the gain to push the PC 350s. I like this card because I listen to a lot of electronic music on my headphones and the bass was noted to be more prevalent with the DSX. If the included Op-Amp can handle 150 Ohm headphones, I would buy it.

While the DGX has a dedicated headphone amp, it seems to cater more to mid range audio and vocals. While this isn't bad, I would be disappointed if there was a lack of bass using the DGX.

While the STX is impressive, it also comes with a a price tag of $188.00. At this point, I can't seem to justify that given I won't be using most of the features.
 
I seriously doubt the DGX has an extreme sound signature emphasis towards mids or treble, there might be a slight hint of that but you can always EQ it to compensate if you think the bass is a little weaker than it should be with your headphones. A different (possibly closed) pair of cans is always gonna result in far deeper/more detailed bass if that's really what you end up craving later on

People tend to overstate the sound difference between gear that's supposed to be fairly transparent IMO (like these cards). Then again, I've only really heard the old DG and my own STX.
 
djfunz said:
I'm still up in the air. Since the DSX doesn't have a headphone amp and I don't see any specs listing the impedance range, I just don't know if it has the gain to push the PC 350s. I like this card because I listen to a lot of electronic music on my headphones and the bass was noted to be more prevalent with the DSX. If the included Op-Amp can handle 150 Ohm headphones, I would buy it.

While the DGX has a dedicated headphone amp, it seems to cater more to mid range audio and vocals. While this isn't bad, I would be disappointed if there was a lack of bass using the DGX.

While the STX is impressive, it also comes with a a price tag of $188.00. At this point, I can't seem to justify that given I won't be using most of the features.
Click to expand...

You seem to be a bit all over the place ;) For a start no matter what OP-AMPs you put into the DSX it still won't help it drive the headphones better. As for swapping out OP-amps in the first place, well, I am not a big believer in it. They are supposed to be transparent, and I highly doubt in a blind listening test most people would be able to tell the difference.

In your situation the DG will sound better strictly because it drives the headphones better. And like Impulse says, if you need more bass get different headphones,
 
You're right. I have been all over the place. :) After further deliberation and a lot of additional reading, I think I've decided to go with the Xonar Essence STX.

I've realized that I've not put as much emphasis on sound cards as perhaps was needed. I've invested a lot of money in other hardware to build my rig, so why skimp on the sound card?

I think I'll stick with the PC 350s I have right now and if it turns out I don't like them, I can always opt for the HD 650s later. :)

Thanks again for all the help.
 
go to digi key website and order 3 opamps. opa2107AP and 2 LME4860NA

make sure you get them in 8 pin dip packages and install them in the stx

your ears will thank you
 
djfunz said:
You're right. I have been all over the place. :) After further deliberation and a lot of additional reading, I think I've decided to go with the Xonar Essence STX.

I've realized that I've not put as much emphasis on sound cards as perhaps was needed. I've invested a lot of money in other hardware to build my rig, so why skimp on the sound card?

I think I'll stick with the PC 350s I have right now and if it turns out I don't like them, I can always opt for the HD 650s later. :)

Thanks again for all the help.
Click to expand...

Good choice!! let us know how you get on :)
 
123Lanoix said:
go to digi key website and order 3 opamps. opa2107AP and 2 LME4860NA

make sure you get them in 8 pin dip packages and install them in the stx

your ears will thank you
Click to expand...


Thanks. I just ordered on Amazon. I looked up those Op-Amps and the second one (LME4860NA) is not rendering any results.

Also, I was reading positive comments regarding the LME49720. Any experience with that one?
 
djfunz said:
Thanks. I just ordered on Amazon. I looked up those Op-Amps and the second one (LME4860NA) is not rendering any results.

Also, I was reading positive comments regarding the LME49720. Any experience with that one?
Click to expand...

Swappable OP-AMPS are a bit of a gimmick. Manufacturers already use the best OP-AMPs for the job, in the circuit that they designed. They should be audibly transparent.
 
djfunz said:
Thanks. I just ordered on Amazon. I looked up those Op-Amps and the second one (LME4860NA) is not rendering any results.

Also, I was reading positive comments regarding the LME49720. Any experience with that one?
Click to expand...

i have the 49720 you want the 49860's

you want 2 for the headphones

and one opa2107ap for the buffering
 
I have to ask- why not a USB DAC/AMP? It's not like the sound card's software is going to do something special for you (or anyone). How's the mic input on that board?
 
The DGX has the Headphone Amp on it so it would allow you to use those headphones without having to crank it up. The DSX doesn't have the dedicated headphone amp so consider what's more important. An alternative might be just getting the DSX and later buy a separate headphone amp to help boost the signal. I fully understand why you went with a higher impedance headphone, but it does have it's draw backs.
 
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