Asustek Xonar Essence STX 2 Channel PCI Express Audio Card

Title : Asustek Xonar Essence STX 2 Channel PCI Express Audio Card
ASIN : B001P9O894
Description : The Stock availability and Price are correct at the last update, however, our Web team are working very hard to update more detailed information on this product - Please call us on 0844 5838000 should you require any more details
Features :

• Device Type:Sound card
• Form Factor:Internal
• Interface Type:PCI Express x1

List Price : £178.71
Price : £147.11
Saved Price : £31.60

category: Products
brand: ASUSTek
Item Page Detail URL : link
Rating : 4.3
Review : Fantastic sound, the software could be better
I'm very pleased with the sound from this device. Running through my stereo speakers with Dolby signal processing enabled, my music sounds amazing. Since installing this card I have been giving much of my music collection a fresh listen and enjoying some of it it more than I ever did on my old equipment (an Audigy 2).

With headphones, I prefer to have the signal processing off, as the Dolby Headphone modes can distort some sounds too much for my liking. The dedicated headphone amp goes up to 11 and is a fantastic change from the weedy signal that I made do with from my previous sound card. It's great for getting decent volume on tracks that were mastered at quieter levels.

My only gripe is with the bundled software. Switching between the stereo component outputs and the headphone amp requires opening the software, clicking a button to reveal some menus, and then choosing the output option from a drop-down menu. This quickly becomes tedious, and it's ridiculous...