Asus Xonar Essence STX II Sound Card (90YA00MN-M0UA00)

Keeping the audiophile spirit and philosophy alive

Four years after the debut of Essence STX — the long-term holder of the number-one position in Head-Fi's Sound Cards segment, as voted by highly-satisfied users globally — ASUS remains committed to delivering ever better high-end sound cards to delight the most demanding audiophiles. Drawing on years of experience in developing Essence One, Essence STU and Essence III, Essence STX II delivers meticulous design, quintessential performance and profound musicality — elements that shape the spirit of the whole Essence Hi-Fi series.

Legendary audio quality that just got better

Industry-leading 124dB SNR

Essence STX II delivers industry-leading 124dB SNR audio clarity, a much-envied quality inherited from the revolutionary and widely-acclaimed Essence STX sound card — and up to 64 times (64X) better than typical onboard audio hardware. Headphone output reaches a fantastic 120dB SNR.

Ultra-low jitter

Clean and consistent power supply

Essence STX II uses a dedicated four-pin Molex power connection rather than drawing power from the expansion slot like other cards, and that means a cleaner supply of electricity. Optimized power delivery is further assured with high-fidelity low-dropout (LDO) regulators — unprecedented in the audio-card industry. As well, audiophile-appreciated WIMA® capacitors deliver balanced sound.

Celebrated MUSES op-amps

The profound musicality that Essence listeners expect is encapsulated by celebrated MUSES 8920 and MUSES 8820 op-amps, which deliver true-to-life tonality and spacious sound imaging

Impeccable headphone amplification

Top-notch headphone amplifier supports

The built-in headphone amplifier supports up to 600ohm impedance — so audiophiles can plug in the finest high-impedance headphones to enjoy the pure quality delivered by Essence STX II.

Exquisite headphone gain control

ASUS engineers have furnished Essence STX II with an additional gain control designed especially for high-sensitivity IEM headphones, allowing musicians and audio purists to use earpieces that channel audio output straight to the ear canal — isolating ambient noise for listening that requires undisturbed concentration.

Easily adjust the sound for your ears

Three swappable op-amp sockets

Essence STX II benefits from swappable op-amp sockets that allow users to create different timbres and tonal combinations.

Additional op-amp swap kit

Essence STX II even comes with a swap kit that includes three additional op-amps — two Texas Instruments LME49720s and one MUSES 8820 — and a clamp tool that makes it easy to remove the op-amp microchips.