ASUS Xonar Essence STX

Engineered for the most discernible audiophiles, the ASUS Xonar Essence STX sports many features never seen before in consumer level sound cards. For those that wished to maximize the potential of their their high end headphones as well as those that wished for their PC to be able to output near reference sound quality to enjoy the best of high quality encoded music, the Xonar Essence STX is the only sound card worth taking a look.

Featuring independent power sources for line and headphone outputs, Burr Brown 1792A DAC, swappable OPAMPS, hyper grounding circuitry, professional audio grade capacitors, and EMI shielding, the Xonar Essence STX is made for only one purpose: to output the cleanest, clearest possible sound that captures the whole sonic spectrum so that you can enjoy your music the way it's meant to be heard.

Guru3D:
"We highly recommend this card to anybody who wants exceptional sound quality for their headphones or stereo speaker system. This card offers sound quality that is many times better then its price really reflects. I am also awarding this card the Top Pick Editors choice award and it will remain my new reference card for headphones until surpassed by ASUS or another." Full review

FiringSquad:
"With its high dynamic range, low stereo crosstalk, and excellent THD performance, the Essence STX certainly approaches within reference quality sound levels." Full review

ExtremeTech:
"We haven't heard sound so clear from a PC sound you definitely cannot get from an onboard audio solution." Full review