ASUS Xonar Essence STX II sound card upgrade with Burson Discrete V5 opamp

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Sales Burson
August 8, 2016

Post Info

Feedbacks - V5 SS Opamp

The first thing I noticed about the change is cleanliness of the audio output and volume. Much cleaner and balanced volume. I tried a few more tracks, noticed a slightly wider sound stage on my R70x (almost non-existent before) and very detailed bass which I have never noticed before. Definitely noticed instruments I have never noticed before far in the background. Bass is less pronounce as compared to all setups above, less punchy but more detailed. Mid and high are well controlled as well, sounds a little warmer/mellower than before. Separation is a not a night and day difference than before but noticeably better. This setup is something you can listen to the whole day without feeling fatigued.

The System

Listening with

ASUS Xonar Essence STX II · Sound card: PCIe sound card with headphone amp · discontinued

Frequency response: 10 Hz – 90 kHz (-3 dB, 16-bit/44.1 kHz input)
Output impedance: not published
Output voltage: RCA 2 Vrms (line out, RCA/3.5)
Gain: not published
Inputs: 1x 6.3 mm line/mic in
Outputs: 1x 6.3 mm headphone (7 Vrms); 2x RCA; S/PDIF coax out
DAC / chipset: TI Burr-Brown PCM1792A; ASUS AV100 processor (192 kHz/24-bit)
Other: headphone output 7 Vrms; SNR (A) 124 dB front / 120 dB headphone; THD+N 0.0003% (front) / 0.001% (headphone); swappable opamps

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Burson

Burson V5 Opamp · Discrete opamp (single / dual) · discontinued

Supply voltage: ±3.5 V to ±15 V (absolute maximum)
Gain-bandwidth product: 50 MHz (at 100 kHz)
Dual or single: dual and single
Package: 14.5 mm wide × 12.4 mm deep × 29 mm high (V5-OPA-D)

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Specs from manufacturer data unless a source below says otherwise. “calc.” values are worked out from those figures (V = √(P × R); 110 dB SPL used as a loud reference level). Gear listed without specs is not in our spec library yet.