# WHAT IS THE DIFERENCE BETWEEN Asus Strix Raid DLX or Asus Essence STX II 7.1?? and Sound BlasterX AE-5



## mike3w3 (Jun 16, 2018)

#hi i want to buy one new soundcard and i am between Asus Strix Raid DLX and Asus Essence STX II 7.1 

i dont know which to buy?

what is the difference between Asus Strix Raid DLX and Asus Essence STX II 7.1 ? and which is the best?
i want the soundcard for games, music and movies

so which soundcard are you suggested me to buy?
Asus Strix Raid DLX or Asus Essence STX II 7.1? or 
Sound BlasterX AE-5??

i am playing games ,, music and movies/

in music i am hearing everything trance house all the kind of music ..
i am playing all the kind of games././

WHAT IS THE DIFERENCE BETWEEN Asus Strix Raid DLX or Asus Essence STX II 7.1?? and Sound BlasterX AE-5??
.if i buy Asus Strix Raid DLX will it be good for music and movies?? will i hear in songs very clear and beauty sound?

and i have one more question with Asus Strix Raid DLX can i put and one custom 5.1 speakers? 

Asus Strix Raid DLX supports only gaming headsets? or it suports all the kind of headsets?

so which soundcard to buy from these 3??
Strix Raid DLX or Essence STX II or Sound BlasterX AE-5??

some people say that Strix Raid DLX is good

another people say that is garbage

some another people say that asus stx 2.7.1 is very good

some people say that is not good

so from these 3 which one is the best??

do you believe that Soundblaster AE-5 is better than asus stx ii 7.1 and asus dlx??
can you tell me why is better from these 3?

i am asking because i dont know

the most people say that dlx is garbage product
another people say that asus stx 7.1 is old and has problems with drivers

some another people say that soynblaster AE-5 has problems with the souroynd and the bass and with the volume..

for this i dont which to buy?

can you tell me please which to buy please?? from these 3??


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## Ferrum Master (Jun 16, 2018)

Specify full audio route setup.

I would buy none of those. Especially the dreaded DLX abomination.


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## mike3w3 (Jun 16, 2018)

you  believe  that  soynblaster AE-5   and Strix Raid DLX  are  not  good soyndcards??

WHAT IS THE DIFERENCE BETWEEN Asus Strix Raid DLX and Essence STX II 7.1?? and Sound BlasterX AE-5??


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## Ferrum Master (Jun 16, 2018)

I asked for your full setup.

You need a engineering knowledge to understand the difference. I even will not start.

From user point I can bet you will not be able to tell the difference doing blind testing even with onboard audio.

What is your setup?? That is the most important question.


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## mike3w3 (Jun 16, 2018)

WHAT IS THE DIFERENCE BETWEEN Asus Strix Raid DLX or Asus Essence STX II 7.1?? and Sound BlasterX AE-5?? 

which is  the  best  for  games music and  m,ovies.?

i have  sentheizer game zero and  for  5.1 speakers  i have  
Denon AVR-X3400H
https://www.sevenoakssoundandvision....YaApWfEALw_wcB


SUBWOOFER:
SVS PB-2000
https://www.svsound.com/products/pb-2000


dali Zensor 3 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dali-570312.../dp/B00E0I7B14




SURROUND: Dali Zensor 1
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dali-Zensor.../dp/B0057X5KF0





: Dali Zensor Vokal
https://www.whathifi.com/dali/263123/overview
mike34 is offline Report Post


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## eidairaman1 (Jun 16, 2018)

Please stop posting multiple threads asking the same question, it is called spamming


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## mike3w3 (Jun 16, 2018)

i ask  my  apologizes

i forgot  that i had did the same thread  

and i ask  my  apologizes again


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## eidairaman1 (Jun 16, 2018)

mike3w3 said:


> i ask  my  apologizes
> 
> i forgot  that i had did the same thread
> 
> and i ask  my  apologizes again



If you want to keep track of them either bookmark them or set you profile to subscribe automatically anytime you make a new thread or post in anothers


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## mike3w3 (Jun 16, 2018)

can someone  help me please,   for which to  buy?>?Asus Strix Raid DLX or Asus Essence STX II 7.1?? and Sound BlasterX AE-5??  

from  these  3  which is  the  best??


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## Nuckles56 (Jun 16, 2018)

If I was you, I'd just run an optical cable from the PC to the receiver and let the receiver do all the work instead as that's a pretty good receiver and the sound card is going to change the overall result you get sound wise which is already going to be excellent thanks to the Denon


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## mike3w3 (Jun 16, 2018)

WHAT IS THE DIFERENCE BETWEEN Asus Strix Raid DLX or Asus Essence STX II 7.1?? and Sound BlasterX AE-5??


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## INSTG8R (Jun 16, 2018)

Nuckles56 said:


> If I was you, I'd just run an optical cable from the PC to the receiver and let the receiver do all the work instead as that's a pretty good receiver and the sound card is going to change the overall result you get sound wise which is already going to be excellent thanks to the Denon


This, it doesn’t matter what optical out you’re using when going to your amp. It’s all just pass through so having a card is counter productive. The optical in your motherboard is going to “sound” exactly the same.


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## mike3w3 (Jun 16, 2018)

my  question is  which soyndcard is  better?  

 Asus Strix Raid DLX or Asus Essence STX II 7.1?? or  Sound BlasterX AE-5? 

and what is the diference between  these 3??

someone told me  to  Hook up the Denon AVR-X3400H with optical(toslink) or HDMI, that will be better than any soundcard. 

is it true that   will be better than any soundcard??  if i   Hook up the Denon AVR-X3400H with optical(toslink) or HDMI,??


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## Nuckles56 (Jun 17, 2018)

mike3w3 said:


> someone told me  to  Hook up the Denon AVR-X3400H with optical(toslink) or HDMI, that will be better than any soundcard.
> 
> is it true that will be better than any soundcard??  if i   Hook up the Denon AVR-X3400H with optical(toslink) or HDMI,??


Yes, use the optical as it means that you don't have a sound card adding noise and distortion to the sound that's going to the receiver, so it should sound better than the sound card as a result. With sound, try to keep things as simple as possible as it is easy to make it sound worse with additional components and very hard to make it sound better. So save your money, don't buy a sound card unless you plan on using your headphones a hell of a lot and even then I think you should be considering a proper DAC instead of a sound card and drive the Denon off the motherboard optical out as that will provide just as good results as a sound card optical out.


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## mike3w3 (Jun 17, 2018)

but i want to  buy one new souncard

so can  yoy tell me  please??
which soyndcard is better? 

Asus Strix Raid DLX or Asus Essence STX II 7.1?? or Sound BlasterX AE-5? 

and what is the diference between these 3??

and  which is better  for  games  music and  movies??

can  you  tell me  please/?


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## Ferrum Master (Jun 18, 2018)

NONE.

You use AVR-X3400H via HDMI. The only way to deliver unimpressed digital multichannel audio. Those cards cannot deliver what you need, and either wise the result using compressed SPDIF would be 100% same and worse comparing with HDMI.

Don't do it. Tame down and take our advice.


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## commission3r (Jun 18, 2018)

mike3w3 said:


> but i want to  buy one new souncard
> 
> so can  yoy tell me  please??
> which soyndcard is better?
> ...



What the difference is? I don't know but i've been using the STX since its release and if it was'nt so expensive i'd buy the STX II
I'm running a stereo setup
Using Chord interconnect C-line analogue from the rca output of the soundcard to the input of the Alesis Elevate 5
The sound for me is amazing and it's supposed to be even better with the STX II


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## Assimilator (Jun 18, 2018)

Be careful people - this account smells like a troll who just reposts the same s**t to get people to waste their time one replies it never reads. It has already done this here and I have reported this thread to hopefully get it banned.


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## RCoon (Jun 18, 2018)

Please refrain from spamming the phrase WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE or our collective moderator patience is going to wear thin very quickly.

The purpose of this forum is to seek advice. Advice is being given, do not expect people to explicitly tell you what to buy. That's a decision you as an *assumed* adult has to make.


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## Frick (Jun 18, 2018)

Ferrum Master said:


> From user point I can bet you will not be able to tell the difference doing blind testing even with onboard audio.



How much better is the on board sound on avarage/budget motherboards (ie not crazy high end ones) compared to say the LGA775 era? Because back then basically any sound card blew any on board sound out of the water - even if you had crappy NoName 2.0 speakers. I know the Soundblaster Platinum is much better than the audio on my motherboard.


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## mike3w3 (Jun 18, 2018)

i am not a  troll i have some questions  for to  buy something that  will  be  good


WHAT IS THE DIFERENCE BETWEEN Asus Strix Raid DLX or Asus Essence STX II 7.1?? and Sound BlasterX AE-5??

do you  believe  that  Asus Essence STX II 7.1?  is  better  from all/?


does  anyone  has  one  from  these 3  cards??


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## AlienIsGOD (Jun 18, 2018)

your not a troll, yet you repeat the same question like 10 times in a row disregarding all replies.....  



Ferrum Master said:


> NONE.
> 
> You use AVR-X3400H via HDMI. The only way to deliver unimpressed digital multichannel audio. Those cards cannot deliver what you need, and either wise the result using compressed SPDIF would be 100% same and worse comparing with HDMI.
> 
> Don't do it. Tame down and take our advice.



This is all the advice you need.


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## mike3w3 (Jun 18, 2018)

i understand


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## HaZe303EliteSWE (Jun 18, 2018)

Well guys, actually he wasnt asking what is the best way to get audiophile approved superb sound!!? He asked, which of the cards are the best, not what is the best for what you guys use it for. In technology, which one is the best, now he got me wondering. Not which one does the best audiophile approved sound, but if compared to graphics cards... say a 1080Ti, a AMD Radeon VEGA64 and some third shit, i would say... buy the 1080ti, if not, the VEga, and lastly the shitt! I wouldnt say, well, it depends on what hdmi ccable you are using... wtf... are you guys fucking with this dude, is that youre bully the noob fix for the day? Cmon, its not hard to F;ing give the guy a very educated guess to what would fit his needs the best... be fucking professional if you want to seem that you  are!? And thats that... cya thx for the instaBAN

Lol you are so weak! Stand up for you shit, instead of silence the one that actually said what normal "non" computer nerds like the likes of you morons are, would say/ask! Fucking muppets!


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## mike3w3 (Jun 18, 2018)

one  my  friend told me this and tell  me  your  opinion
Xonar ST/STX family indeed had high quality components when they came out.


But as good sound card is easily one of the longer time usable components of gaming PC, that badly questionable driver support would be sensible reason to drop it from candidates.

I mean we enthusiast gamers have to already pay enough for CPUs and GPUs, which rarely hold their usage value even five years.

Then add inferior to Creative's algorithms for headphone gaming Dolby Headphone, and these other bugs...



And that Strix card family, replacing Xonar Phoebus which Asus ditched in five years, has really too much of hype.

The more something seems to have marketing hype, the less surely it's actually good.

I mean standard Realtek chips can drive these Beyers loud enough, but for some reason expensive gaming hype Asus motherboard can't:




Those 250 ohm Beyers and other high impedance headphones are only ones which are technically good for output impedance of Strix Soar/Raid Pro.

And for its expensive price Strix Raid DLX has actually worser output impedance than old STX with its TPA6120.



Also instead of native PCI-e sound chip (what Xonar Phoebus line had) Strix cards use USB sound chip through PCI-e bridge chip.

So who knows what bugs that implementation might have, when new motherboards/chipsets appear.





While Creative has built in their own house native PCI-express sound chip.

And while Creative's drivers/software had genuine issues 15 years ago, after X-Fi cards Creative completely changed software package.

Strix Soar and Strix Raid Pro shouldn't even be advertised for headphone use.

100 ohm output impedance simply doesn't belong to modern time.

And Strix Raid DLX is very expensive while failing to have headphone output fit for price level.

So lots of fancy marketing hype, and hardware failing to back it up.

(that big hype branding is why Nvidia wanted to extort gaming brand to be exclusive to their graphics cards)



While Creative has lot less marketing they now have overall better sound cards than Asus.


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## R-T-B (Jun 18, 2018)

HaZe303EliteSWE said:


> Well guys, actually he wasnt asking what is the best way to get audiophile approved superb sound!!? He asked, which of the cards are the best, not what is the best for what you guys use it for. In technology, which one is the best, now he got me wondering. Not which one does the best audiophile approved sound, but if compared to graphics cards... say a 1080Ti, a AMD Radeon VEGA64 and some third shit, i would say... buy the 1080ti, if not, the VEga, and lastly the shitt! I wouldnt say, well, it depends on what hdmi ccable you are using... wtf... are you guys fucking with this dude, is that youre bully the noob fix for the day? Cmon, its not hard to F;ing give the guy a very educated guess to what would fit his needs the best... be fucking professional if you want to seem that you  are!? And thats that... cya thx for the instaBAN
> 
> Lol you are so weak! Stand up for you shit, instead of silence the one that actually said what normal "non" computer nerds like the likes of you morons are, would say/ask! Fucking muppets!



His question is more akin to "Which is best? An apple, or an orange?"

It's a personal preference thing.  There are no reliable benchmarks to gauge anything like "audio quality."  It's perceptive.


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## mike3w3 (Jun 18, 2018)

i have some questions because  i can  get  more  opinions 
and to see  wich to buy 
i dont do something  bad


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## flmatter (Jun 18, 2018)

mike3w3 said:


> i have some questions because i can get more opinions


the only opinion at the end of the day that matters is yours. Only you and your pocket book can make that decision. You can get opinions all day long comparing anything with pros and cons to each. You are the one that has to live with it and listen to it. If you like the STX 2 over the Creative Z then buy what you think is best.  As for doing something bad that is also your end call, buyers remorse. Why did I spend $220 on the stx 2 when I could saved $100 and went with the Z? It is your call, we can only make suggestions and it is up to you to decide.  Best of Luck!

edit - I know the creative Z was not on the list it is there for reference only on my part.


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## Kursah (Jun 18, 2018)

mike3w3 said:


> i have some questions because  i can  get  more  opinions
> and to see  wich to buy
> i dont do something  bad



No but an issue that you need to realize you're creating is from your repeating questions and expecting quick & definitive answers where some may not exist, like "which is best between A or B?". Sometimes what is best for me or another member is not what's best for you. That and creating multiple threads on the same topic(s), and then asking 20 questions per post, repeatedly. These signal other members that you might be spamming or have some malicious intent, even when you don't. Lastly, if members answer and you keep asking questions in a pushy or demanding way, it can be viewed as a negative thing, especially if members already answered those questions for you, meaning you may find fewer members are willing to answer your questions because of how you're acting on the forums.

As a few of us have told you, we cannot tell you what to buy, but we can tell you our opinions of what we chose, like, dislike. There's a lot of time and effort you need to spend to make sure the investment you make works for *YOU*. That's something we cannot do. We can send you in the right direction, but it is your wallet and your choice. That's completely your responsibility, not anybody here. But we can at least give you some fuel to fire up your research, which has been done in all of your threads last I checked.  

I'd say just relax a little bit, keep your posts simpler (as you have with a couple of recent posts), take more time to read and appreciate what's been offered by those that are actually taking the time to help (sadly, some are failing at this... they do not speak for or reflect the whole of the TPU community), odds are some of the questions you continue to ask have been answered. If more folks aren't piping in it's because they think you may be a spammer, someone else answered how they would've or they don't know. I do know one thing for sure, everything will be okay!


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## mike3w3 (Jun 18, 2018)

thanks  *Kursah*
i will wait  for  to get  more  opinion

i am good person

i am not bad person

you are  the best  comunity

teckpower up is  the  best

if someone  had  one  from  these cards  it  wouild  be  easier  for me to take  one  choise.


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## Frick (Jun 19, 2018)

R-T-B said:


> His question is more akin to "Which is best? An apple, or an orange?"
> 
> It's a personal preference thing.  There are no reliable benchmarks to gauge anything like "audio quality."  It's perceptive.



Beyond a point anyway, but up to that point you can definitely get better sound for not "much" money. Whetheryou care or not is a different question.


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## alpacalord1998 (Oct 8, 2019)

mike3w3 said:


> thanks  *Kursah*
> i will wait  for  to get  more  opinion
> 
> i am good person
> ...


I do not understand why these folks do not want to help you, however, I do own both sound cards and many others and I can tell you only what I know from my experience with these cards.  The Asus Essence STX II has two options which are very different in setup.  The Asus Essence STX II is available as a single card 2.1 stereo configuration where there are two analog plugs for right and left, there are two large-format input ports for analog mic input and output however they are limited to mono only not stereo.  there is an Asus Essence STX II 7.1 version which has an expansion card that allows a 7.1 configuration, however, it requires a specialized set of adapters that are exclusive to Asus.  Performance between the Asus STXII and the Soundblaster cards is near identical however Asus has more expensive components and exclusive design to help eliminate sound distortion and interference which makes it sound great, the Asus STXII also features custom interchangeable chips for sound with a kit supposedly purchased separately from Asus.  I would suggest if you are software savvy to purchase the Asus Essence STXII VS. the Sound Blaster both sound great but the Asus is a professional type card requiring a bit of study and interest in technical tuning and sound. message me if you have any other questions or need suggestions for other devices I say you are right, experience best helps us choose different devices pros and cons.


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## freeagent (Oct 8, 2019)

I have an Essence ST, very good card though it’s old now. It even made it into Stereophile magazine.


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## mtssler (Dec 24, 2019)

Hello Mike 3w3............

First and foremost, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND the community giving you a hard time on this question !!!  

It is a very valid question and I completely get why you were FORCED to repost the same question many times..........YES, its because nobody answered you properly !!!!.....Because nobody new the answer !!!

I have logged in........ JUST in defense of you for this.

I too have the same question because in 2011 I bought and Asus Xonar Essence which I use and love to this moment.

I too am finally making a new very high-end build and looked at the specs of the 7.1 newer version Essence II and noticed that some specs were exceeded by the Strix Raid DLX.

I too am wondering OTHERS real world experience if they bought the STRIX RAID DLX vs their older Essence or the Essence II.  (and compared to Creatives Z card too)

Hey Mike3W3.......dont be too put off by the responses as it will be rare anyone reading has bought both to compare, and maybe this is why you got all these snarky remarks I am so upset with !!

Yes, one fella said that because his Xonar ESSence was fantastic, you should simply get the newer version 2 of the Essence card.  Hey both have the same Burr Brown DAC........just an addon card really to make the 5.1 card into a 7.1 card really.  I agree with this logic.

Yes My personal input would be the same !!!   I just LOVE my 2011 Xonar Essence sound quality for MUSIC !!!  Nothing I have heard to 2019 has topped it yet...........but I have not heard the version II yet, nor have I heard the Strix Raid, (or for that matter the Creative Z card as of late..........but know the latter is NOT a higher end card that of the Essence !!!!!!!!!!)  Online recommendations for the Z card are only because of price and gaming usage..........but NOT HI-FI !!

Maybe one year later........at the time of my post.....others finally have finally bought the version ii Essence and/or the Strix Raid DLX to compare to their old Xonars???

I would love to hear.

Likely one year later, today, you have already long made a decision.  I would love to hear what it was and how things are going.

Happy holidays...........and I hope the posters on this thread did not put you off too much as they did me with their disregard to a simple question.

Madmike Plungerhead
Audiophile




mike3w3 said:


> #hi i want to buy one new soundcard and i am between Asus Strix Raid DLX and Asus Essence STX II 7.1
> 
> i dont know which to buy?
> 
> ...


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## eidairaman1 (Dec 24, 2019)

mtssler said:


> Hello Mike 3w3............
> 
> First and foremost, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND the community giving you a hard time on this question !!!
> 
> ...


He hasnt been here in over a year so this comment is moot

Fyi it still depends on the type speakers you have too.

I still have a X230 set from logitech paired with a ZxR from 2014...


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## FreedomEclipse (Dec 24, 2019)

eidairaman1 said:


> He hasnt been here in over a year so this comment is moot
> 
> Fyi it still depends on the type speakers you have too.
> 
> I still have a X230 set from logitech paired with a ZxR from 2014...



Also the kind of audio setup. OP was going to plug into an audio receiver... You don't need no $300 soundcard just for that.


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