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Today we are looking at the latest ‘audiophile' grade Asus Xonar Essence One external soundcard and digital to analogue converter. The Essence series of products have targeted the enthusiast and audiophile user now for some time, using high grade components such as BurrBrown DAC chips. Today we analyse the latest Xonar Essence One from ASUS in a very challenging environment, paired up with a flagship, limited edition Valve/Tube CD player and award winning Audeze LCD2 headphones.
I will be honest, when I read audio reviews on many tech oriented publications I get slightly frustrated when the reviewer tests the equipment with only compressed MP3 files, or with a Lady GAGA CD crammed inside a £15 external DVD burner. Any weaknesses in the chain, including poor cabling will lead to audio degradation, which really has nothing to do with the product on test.
With this in mind, I will be testing the Essence One with my custom modified Little Dot Mk VI+ tube amplifier, Raysonic CD 228 player (with power amplifier) and Audeze LCD2 Planar headphones. I have been tube rolling now for many years and have amassed a huge collection costing more than I would probably like to admit.
Why?
I really haven't warmed to digital audio …it can be harsh and cold. My system has been configured from the ground up for analogue style warmth, while maintaining as much detail as possible. Can the Asus Xonar Essence One really slot into an audiophile grade headphone based system? Today I aim to find out.
Specifications
| Audio Performance | Output Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted) (Front-out) : 120 dB Output THD+N at 1kHz (Front-out) : 0.000316 %(-110 dB) Frequency Response (-3dB, 24bit/192KHz input) : 10 Hz to 48 KHz Output/Input Full-Scale Voltage : Balanced Output : 4 Vrms ( Vp-p) Unbalanced Output : 2 Vrms ( Vp-p) Headphone : 7 Vrms ( Vp-p) |
| Bus Compatibility | USB |
| Chipset | Audio Processor :C-Media CM6631 High-Definition Sound Processor |
| Sample Rate and Resolution | Analog Playback Sample Rate and Resolution : 44.1K/48K/88.2K/96K/176.4K/192KHz @ 16bit/24bit S/PDIF Digital Input : 44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @ 16bit/24bit ASIO 2.2 Driver Support : Hz @ with very low latency Upsampling capability : |
| I/O Ports | Analog Output Jack : 2 x 3.5mm RCA jack 1 x 6.3mm RCA jack 2 x Balanced Output (XLR) 2 x Digital S/PDIF Input : 1 x Coaxial, 1 x Toslink 1 x USB Input |
| Accessories | Driver CD x 1 6.3mm to 3.5mm stereo adapter x 1 Audio Precision (AP) test report x 1 User manual x 1 USB cable x 1 Power cord x 1 |
| Dimensions | 261.33 x 230 x 60.65 mm ( L x W x H ) |
The Asus Xonar Essence One arrives in a monolithic style box, predominately black with a gold logo in the center and plain text underneath. It is extremely heavy.
For those interested, the design of the box is based around the ‘Qing Tiger' a 4,000 year old Chinese symbol which represents the search of man for the ‘essence of sound'.
This journey sourced instruments that not only pay homage to the gods, but also represent the harmony between man and nature. The crystallisation of this knowledge became the Chime of the Tiger or “Qing”. So there you have it, the weird looking logo on the box actually means something.
The Asus Xonar Essence One is protected underneath a padded inner layer, and encased in a plastic protective cover. On either side of the main unit are two boxes which contain all the accessories.
The bundle contains software for Windows computers, USB cable, several power cables and a detailed user manual. Asus also include an audio precision test report which details how the specific unit has performed before shipping. It is very detailed and worth a scan, even if a lot of the information may seem overkill for many people. The report highlights reports on signal to noise ratio, Harmonic Distortion, Frequency response, Dynamic Range and Crosstalk. If the device doesn't pass the specifications required it goes back to the factory.
The unit itself is heavy, using premium aluminum for the outer shell. It is a quality design, as we would expect for this specific audience. Again, the housing has the image of the Qing Tiger, which is the same as the box.
On the front panel is a power button which is surrounded by a blue light when powered on. There is also an upsampling function via the ‘world's first 8x symmetrical upsampling'. There are also input, mute and volume controls on the front of the unit. There are two volume potentiometers, one for speakers and one for headphones and a series of LED lights which indicate the received bitrate by the DAC.
Sadly there is only an unbalanced headphone port on the front. I use balanced throughout my system as the soundstaging is greatly improved with the right source material.
The rear of the device can accept toslink, USB (asynchronous) and coaxial input with balanced (2×3 XLR) and unbalanced output connectors on the left. Be aware that ASUS only make a single universal unit, with a 115v/230v voltage switch, so be sure that it is set correctly before potentially destroying it!
I have to admit, I wasn't expecting such attention to detail inside the unit. There is a huge toroidal transformer which is a high grade unit. Asus are using quality capacitors throughout the design and we noticed that the op-amps are mounted on sockets meaning they can be removed and replaced. We are sure that ASUS won't support this directly, but it is nice to see them offering the hardcore enthusiast audiophile the option to fine tune this section for slightly different audio parameters.
The capacitors are not branded, so we would assume they are being custom made for ASUS, for this specific design. The Toroidal transformer is output: +5 V 0.9A, +12 V 0.7A,-12V 0.7A. There is a single PM06AVE3 -5.0P and a LM2940CT National SemiConductor Voltage Regulator. They are using another LM2990T – 12P and two JM13ABE3 National SemiConductor Voltage Regulators.
The Digital DSP is by Analog Devices, the ADSP-21 261 (150mhz SIMD SHARC Core, 900MLOPS). The USB controller is a C-Media CM6631, which is an asynchronous USB device supporting up to 24 bit/192khz.
I was pleased to see that ASUS haven't skimped on the S/PDIF, which is an AKM AK4113VF, one of the best AES/EBU implementations on the market. Asus are using 2x BurrBrown DAC's – the PCM1795, which is 32bit/192khz with a rating up to 123db SNR.
Analog Headphones are supported by two EM13ABE3 LME 49600 TS (National Semiconductor High Current Audio Buffer) and two JR06ABE3 LME 49720NA (National Semiconductor OPAMP)
If you are using speakers then they will be driven by three JR12ACe3 LM 4562NA (National SemiConductor OPAMP) and six 13AE08W 5532P (Texas Instruments OPAMP).
The Volume potentiometers are ALPS design, one of the best companies that ASUS could partner with. My friends Krell amplifier uses similar potentiometers.
When testing high grade audio equipment it is important to not have any weaknesses in the chain. Obviously this can cost a lot of money, but it really is the only way to thoroughly analyse the hardware.
We are using my long term Audeze LCD 2 headphones which I had imported from America last year. These have since been replaced by V3, and high end STAX withstanding, these are probably the best headphones on the market. The price is reasonable too, as I paid around £800 including customs duties.
These headphones use Planar Technology. The Planar Transducers are fundamentally different from conventional cone speakers or dynamic drivers. Planar Magnetic speakers use a flat, lightweight diaphragm suspended in a magnetic field as the driver rather than a cone attached to a voice coil. The diaphragm has a circuit pattern etched into it that, when energized, creates the forces that drive the diaphragm to move in the magnetic field to produce sound. Planar magnetic speakers, when implemented well, have inherent advantages over cone speakers.
First, the driver moves in a more piston-like manner due to the even application of force by the magnetic field surrounding the diaphragm, which reduces distortion effects.
Second, the diaphragm is mounted on all sides, reducing fatigue points; Planar Magnetic speakers employ a tough polymer as the base material, which makes it much more durable than cone diaphragms.
Third, because the diaphragm is very thin, it is also more responsive, leading to more faithful sound reproduction and the crispness of sound that is the hallmark of good quality speakers. And finally, because it is flat, planar magnetic drivers can dissipate heat more quickly using the large surface area of the diaphragm itself, which dramatically reduces the chance of burn-out.
Audeze employs a number of proprietary techniques to improve upon the basic planar magnetic design. Audez’e design uses a very thin, proprietary film for the diaphragm. Once etched, the diaphragm is mounted in tension between two layers of opposing magnets. This mounting process requires great precision, and Audez’e has designed proprietary methods and tools to effect a very consistent and even mount.
This diaphragm manufacturing process has been tuned to ensure a flat frequency response over a wide bandwidth while ensuring a robust diaphragm and maximum efficiency of the driver.
I had cables custom made from the guys at Double Helix which improve bass response, dynamic headroom and soundstaging. These cables alone are the same price as the headphones but it is worth the cost, as the biggest drop in quality with high end headphones will be from using the standard cabling. Sennheiser HD800 owners will understand what I am talking about. We use Nordost cabling elsewhere in the system.
My Little Dot MK VI+ headphone amplifier has been doctored from the reference specifications, with uprated internal power components and new silent fans for airflow. The reference fans used in this unit were quite loud so this was an immediate switch for me. I also tube rolled the MK VI+ swapping the bog standard power valves (‘tubes' to the American readers) for four Tung Sol 7236's (I also like the Tung Sol 5998's), which were ordered specially from a reputable American dealer.
These are classic tubes originating 70 years ago with zirconium coated plate … they cost a lot more than modern day equivalents. They really don't make them like they used to however.
I switch out driver tubes fairly regularly, but keep going back to the Mullard ECC35's for their fantastic presentation. This balanced amplifier … after all my tweaks and upgrades is worth around £1,500, with some of the parts very difficult to source. Getting a matched quad set of mint condition Tung Sol 7236 took me months to source and cost £100 per tube.
It does deliver what I would consider to be ‘perfect' audio reproduction, well to my ears anyway. The sound is warm, yet immensely detailed. As long as im listening to a well recorded CD, the sound is very ‘vinyl' like. Exactly what I want.
When it comes to the quality of a compact disc player, I have yet to hear anything that can quite match the Raysonic CD228 for the combination of warmth and detail. This is a huge, heavy flagship player which is split into two sections. It is crafted from 7mm aluminum panels with extruded corners which are bolted from the inside. I have one of the early prototypes which features the power button on the side of the amplifier section.
The CD player weighs 7kg, and the power supply weighs 10kg. You can see more information on this over here. If you want to see the insides, you can visit this page. The Raysonic CD228 costs around £4,000 but will need to be purchased from a specialist dealer in the United Kingdom, or imported from America and then the power transformer changed to 230v. Buying them second hand in a private sale is risky as the condition of the tubes/valves will be unknown.
The CD228 encloses two C core power transformers, an input cap/coil/cap filter and a supplementary filter choke for additional ripple suppression. Inside are twelve 2200uF/35V and five 10,000uF/16V storage capacitors. The high-voltage supply for the four 6922s of the main unit runs transistors, two 220uF/200V caps and two regulators.
The main unit runs a suspended Philips VAM 1202 transport and Philips SAA servo circuits underneath. The quartz oscillator clock runs at 16.9344MHz while D/A processing is by two dual-differential Burr Brown PCM1792 24-bit/192kHz chips. Op-amp I/V conversion is via BB OPA 2134. There are twelve 10,000uF/25V capacitors, two 220uF/160V units and six large MKP Solen 4.7uF/400V caps.
On this page we present some super high resolution images of the product taken with the 24.5MP Nikon D3X camera and 24-70mm ED lens. These will take much longer to open due to the dimensions, especially on slower connections. If you use these pictures on another site or publication, please credit Kitguru.net as the owner/source. You can right click and ‘save as’ to your computer to view later.
To test today we used a variety of compact discs, including (but not limited) to:
Peter Gabriel – UP
Norah Jones – Come Away With Me
Ryan Adam & The Cardinals – Jacksonville City Nights
Neil Young – Gold Rush
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Symphonies 29, 31 ‘Paris', 32, 35 ‘Haffner; and 36 ‘Linz'
Haftor Medbee Group – in perpetuity
Queen – A Night At The Opera (remastered)
Mike Oldfield – The Songs of Distant Earth
A Perfect Circle – Mer De Noms
Diana Krall – Love Scenes
Cara Dillon – After The Morning
Pavlo Beznosiuk – Johann Sebastian Bach – Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin
We immediately noticed that the Asus Xonar Essence One delivered extensive bass response, making it ideal for lovers of electronic and rock music. With Queen's A Night At The Opera, the Essence One was able to resolve lower frequencies with vigour, without dominating the sound balance. We did find that with Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin that the sound was a little too rich for our tastes, although the Audeze LCD2 headphones are well known to create a warm, bass rich sound environment.
Sound staging was impressive, both wide and dynamic, this was particularly noticeable with the Diana Krall CD, highlighting her position just left of center stage well. Krall's breathy vocals were delivered with clarity and impact, yet were warm enough to realistically capture her unique style of delivery. Some of the credit obviously has to fall to the Raysonic CD228, taking the harsh ‘edge' from many of the digital recordings.
The wonderful Mike Oldfield recording of ‘The Songs Of Distant Earth' was reproduced with passion and instruments were accurately positioned within the soundstage. Dynamic range was also exceptionally noteworthy and I enjoyed how the whalesounds were reproduced later in the recording. Ambient noises, such as low level background female vocals were easily able to be picked out from the wall of sound. This is one of the Essence One real strengths – being able to accurately hear every instrument within a complex, high grade recording.
There is no doubt in my mind that the detail of the Essence One is clearly a level well in excess of other soundcards I have tested in recent years. It still isn't perfect mind you, as I noticed that when compared with more expensive solutions that the sound could appear a little more compressed within the three dimensional soundstage.
Vocal reproduction deserves a special mention, Norah Jones, Ryan Adams and Neil Young all sounded very alive with only a hint of ‘digital' processing occurring on some of the tracks. This may sound negative, but I have been listening to so many sources over the last decade that I can generally tell when a recording is digital by nature.
The internal amplifier on the Xonar Essence One is certainly impressive, with a sound balance firmly on the dark/warm side. The range is focused, although on a few occasions with complex classical recordings it tended to reproduce a slightly imbalanced range of frequencies, focusing more on the lower, bass registers. This really is splitting hairs however.
I noticed when compared directly against the custom Little Dot MK VI+ amplifier that the Essence One wasn't quite as pleasant in the upper frequencies. Cymbals and subtle brushing against guitar strings wasn't reproduced as warmly, showcasing the negative side of solid state presentation. This might not be such a bad thing for ‘detail freaks', but I much preferred the slightly more subdued presentation of the tube/valve amplifier.
I was surprised how well the Essence One handled the Audeze LCD2 headphones, because they need a lot of power and control to sound their best. There were no problems under general listening conditions, however if the volume was forced to the last 20% then we could hear some minor clipping and distortion. This isn't realistic however as the level of volume would cause hearing damage on anything approaching close to long term conditions.
Using the USB port to a computer suffered a noticeable drop in quality, as I would expect considering the dramatic differences in source material. There are no real problems to mention, as ASUS recently updated their drivers to fix audio distortion and noise. I used an LG bluray burner to play back some uncompressed audio files from optical disc to the Essence One and the quality was fairly good, although after listening through the Raysonic CD228 player, I could easily pick up differences in dynamic reproduction, soundstaging and digital artifacting. That said, one costs £4,000, the other £180.
You don't need to spend a fortune to notice benefits by using the Essence One however. If you want to play MP3's via the Essence One through your computer into a decent pair of headphones, such as the Steelseries Siberia V2 or Corsair HS1A, then the sound will be very lively and enjoyable.
The Asus Xonar Essence One is a fantastic product and one that firmly targets an enthusiast audiophile in the market for a new high grade amplifier with the option of controlling their PC sound. It doesn't quite reach the heady heights of our dedicated tube amplifier when tasked with audiophile grade headphones, however to be fair we did place it directly in comparison with a custom made amplifier at more than five times the price.
The build quality is immense, being crafted from high grade aluminum. Every Essence One is tested before shipping, and the team include a detailed list of results from their audio laboratory.
When compared to other soundcards I have tested in recent years, this product is simply in a different league, capable of resolving immensely high levels of detail without sounding harsh. Obviously it needs paired up with quality equipment, but as it was able to drive our flagship Audeze LCD2 headphones there will be no problems with a lesser headset.
I particularly like the option to change the op-amps inside the unit, audiophile users will love the ability to fine tune their audio experience, even if it costs more and takes some time to source the parts. ASUS don't appear to offer additional kits for the Essence One directly, but if you are interested enough then different sounding variations of the op-amps can be bought online.
When factoring in the high grade internal components, such as the toroidal transformer and capacitors with the overall build quality, I was expecting the Xonar Essence One to cost in the region of £500 inc vat. I was surprised to find that it was available in the UK for less than £350 including VAT. It may sound like a lot of cash, but anyone interested in improving their system sound with high grade speakers or headphones will certainly be wise to shortlist the Xonar Essence One.
The Xonar Essence One can be purchased directly from ARIA for £342.84 inc vat.
Pros:
- Very competitive price point considering the versatility and audio quality.
- Built to the highest standards.
- Bass response is immense.
- op-amps can be upgraded.
- mid range is impressive.
- expansive soundstage.
Cons:
- USB sound quality isn't going to showcase this product to the full.
- High end frequencies need controlled by a quality source.
- We would love a luxury model with true balanced headphone output.
Kitguru says: The Essence One offers a lot for the modest asking price. If you take audio seriously then this should be at the top of your list.
