Asus XONAR ESSENCE STX - Sound Card - 192 kHz User manual

E4253
Xonar Essence STX
Audio Precision Test Report
Version 1.0
2008/10/6
• Disclaimer: The information and contents contained in this test report are for Xonar Essence
STX user’s reference only and may not be altered in any manner. Test results may very with
different testing environment and equipment.

2ASUS Xonar Essence STX Audio Precision Test Report
The story behind the new Essence series of Xonar
Aiming to create a classic master piece, the development of the new Xonar Essence line has
triggered us to engage a new quest in search for true high end audio and the essence of sound.
We looked for all traces and only to realize that the answer lies in the very root of our own
culture, and that it is the process of searching for the purest sound in harmony with man and the
environment that defines the highest level of audio.
4000 years ago, our ancestors were also searching for instruments that play the heavenly music,
not just to pay homage to the gods, but also to represent the harmony between man and nature.
Throughout the time, they crystallized their knowledge of the materials and the spiritual pursuit into
that piece of the Chime of Tiger.
Like our ancestors, the Xonar team also searched for only the best components and used only
the finest designs in order to reproduce that purest essence of sound. As the Chime of Tiger totem
gold-plated on our EMI shield, Xonar Essence STX was born with the mixture of ancient but never
changed spirit and nowadays cutting-edge technologies.
This Audio Precision test report was prepared not only to back up the unprecedented performance
of Xonar Essence STX, but is also a footnote of our ongoing quest in search for the essence of
sound.
Test Platform Information
• Audio Card: ASUS Xonar Essence STX
• Audio Precision Instrument: SYS-2722
• Test Signals: 48KHz, 24bit (192KHz, 24bit for frequency response test)
• M/B: ASUS P5N72-T PREMIUM
• CPU: Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66G
• RAM: Apacer 1G DDR 2
• HD: Segate 40G HD
• DVD Rom: Asus DVD E616A
• VGA: Geforce PCX 5750
• Power supply: Delta 650W power supply(GPS-650AB B)

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ASUS Xonar Essence STX Audio Precision Test Report
Audio Precision Test Report
Test Signals: 48KHz, 24bit (192KHz, 24bit for frequency response test)
Noise Level
(SNR~124dB)
(Line Out)
Frequency Response
(<[email protected])

4ASUS Xonar Essence STX Audio Precision Test Report
THD+N Full Band
(-116~-110dB for
20~20KHz)
(Line Out)
THD+N 1KHz
0.0003%
(-110dB) @997Hz

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ASUS Xonar Essence STX Audio Precision Test Report
Dynamic Range
(~124dB)
(Line Out)
Crosstalk
-132dB @ 1KHz
-140~-120dB for
20~20KHz
Left
Right

6ASUS Xonar Essence STX Audio Precision Test Report
Noise Level
(SNR~118dB)
(Line In)
Frequency Response
(<[email protected])

7
ASUS Xonar Essence STX Audio Precision Test Report
THD+N Full Band
(-110~-115dB for
20~20KHz)
(Line In)
THD+N 1KHz 0.0002%
(-113dB) @997Hz

8ASUS Xonar Essence STX Audio Precision Test Report
Dynamic Range
(~118dB)
(Line In)
Crosstalk
-102dB @ 1KHz
-117~-94dB for 20~20KHz
Left
Right

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ASUS Xonar Essence STX Audio Precision Test Report
Appendix 1: Glossary
• Noise Level
The level of any undesired system noise signals over the audio spectrum, including AC mains
hum, white noises, stray magnetic field, etc.
• SNR
Signal-to-Noise Ratio, the ratio of the maximum amplitude signal to the sum of the noise
energy. The higher, the better.
• THD+N
Total Harmonic Distortion plus Noise, measured by attenuating the fundamental signal with a
narrow band notch filter, then measuring the remaining signal which consists of harmonics of
various order. This implies the linearity of the audio converter and the lower, the better.
• Frequency Response
A measure of a device's ability to respond to a fixed input voltage, at different input
frequencies, and the difference in amplitude reproduced for each frequency. The flatter curve
at wider frequency range is better.
• Dynamic Range
The difference, usually expressed in dB, between the highest and lowest amplitude portions of
a signal which a device can linearly handle. Ideally it should be very close to SNR value and
the higher, the better.
• Crosstalk
Unwanted signal coupling from another channel of stereo or multi-channel transmission. The
lower value is better.

10 ASUS Xonar Essence STX Audio Precision Test Report
Team Director
Kent Chien Eric Cheng
Team Staff
Sean Lai Jason Liang
Yitse Huang Josephine Lin
Green Chuang Teddy Lee
Ives Chiu Casper Che
Arthur Tsai Michael Chen
Marcus Hsu
Viki Chen
Appendix 2: Credits