We and our partners use cookies to give you the best online experience, including to personalise advertising and content. Data about your interaction with this site and the ads shown to you may be shared with companies involved in the delivery and/or personalisation of ads on this site and elsewhere online.

Asus Xonar Essence ST vs Creative Sound Blaster Zx

4.2 in
6.62 in
Asus Xonar Essence ST Sound Card
Asus Xonar Essence ST
Creative Sound Blaster Zx Card
Creative Sound Blaster Zx
Editiorial reviews
6
6 editorial reviews
ASUS marked their entry into the high-end sound card market with the Xonar Essence ST some years ago. Today, we will take a good look at the new STX II. The STX II brings new op-amps and a more precise clock generator to the table; the latter should lower jitter. The STX II also bolsters 7.1 outputs through a small break-out card.Read more
With all the current fuss about getting audio data from a computer to a standalone D/A processor via S/PDIF, USB, FireWire, WiFi, or Ethernet (footnote 1), it has been overlooked that the oldest way to get audio from a PC is to use a high-performance soundcard plugged into the host machine's motherboard. I remember how excited I was when I installed a Sound Blaster Pro 16 board in the 486-based Dell running Windows 3.1 that I was using in the early Clinton era, plugged its analog output into my high-end rig, and played back 16-bit/44.1kHz files.Read more
We test and review the Xonar Essence ST Deluxe 7.1 soundcard. Yes, you read it right, the full deluxe model! ASUS has been relentless with its R&D and soundcard releases, putting out one high end card after another. The Essence models are considered the current undisputed kings of the Xonar series of soundcards. We are quite excited to see what the Essence ST offers over the STX and in general. So, let’s pull out the Xonar Essence ST Deluxe 7.1 and have a look and a listen. IntroductionRead more
Read editorial reviews
9
4.1 out of 5
4 user ratings
5 stars
25 %
4 stars
50 %
3 stars
25 %
2 stars
0 %
1 stars
0 %
Read editorial reviews
User rating
35
4.1 out of 5
35 user ratings
5 stars
34 %
4 stars
45 %
3 stars
20 %
2 stars
0 %
1 stars
0 %
38
4.0 out of 5
38 user ratings
5 stars
31 %
4 stars
36 %
3 stars
31 %
2 stars
0 %
1 stars
0 %

Full Comparison

General

Asus Xonar Essence STAsus Xonar Essence ST
Creative Sound Blaster ZxCreative Sound Blaster Zx
Sound TypeSurroundSurround
Interface TypePCIPCI Express
Number of channels7.15.1

Connectivity

Asus Xonar Essence STAsus Xonar Essence ST
Creative Sound Blaster ZxCreative Sound Blaster Zx
Analog 3.5mm output14
Analogue RCA outputs10
Headphone outputyesyes
Headphone output (3.5 mm)02
Headphone output (6.3 mm / 1/4)11
Headphone outputs14
Jack Plug input00
Jack Plug output (6,3 mm / 1/4)11
Microphone inputyesyes
Microphone Jack Plug (3.5mm)02
Line-inyesyes
Other connectors
  • Digital coaxial output
  • Digital optical output
  • Analogue 3.5mm input/Line-in
  • Digital optical input
  • Digital optical output
USByesyes

Design

Asus Xonar Essence STAsus Xonar Essence ST
Creative Sound Blaster ZxCreative Sound Blaster Zx
Placement TypeInternalInternal

Features

Asus Xonar Essence STAsus Xonar Essence ST
Creative Sound Blaster ZxCreative Sound Blaster Zx
3D sound supportyesyes
DirectSound supportyesyes
EAX supportyesyes
Support for ASIOyesyes

Audio properties

Asus Xonar Essence STAsus Xonar Essence ST
Creative Sound Blaster ZxCreative Sound Blaster Zx
Noise level (SNR)118.0 dB116.0 dB
Line-out Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR)124.0 dB116.0 dB
D/A audio24 bit / 192 kHz24 bit / 192 kHz
Audio quality24.0 bit24.0 bit

Pros & Cons

Pros
      Cons