This was one of the most entertaining unboxing I have ever watched. It was like a movie, with a turning point where the good guy prevails, the moment of suspense and everything. Nice job Linus !!!
The STX also has a 124 dB SNR, whereas this one only has 118. It's not hugely noticeable, but I believe the 124 dB SNR is a record for in-case sound cards.
@alex14469 it's just for audio.. it doesn't have enough space to put 4 connectors in the back so they replace them with a dvi port that carries the sound to an adapter where the 4 connectors appear.
@TheQhozt Yes, I did. They have worse sound quality than $25 Sennheiser HD 201's while costing $90. And don't start the "but headsets have mic!" - a good desktop mic is just $10.
LMAO! Had me rolling around when he put it on backwards and said if the mic comes down in the back of your head then it's probably not on the right way. Great review as always Linus. I want one and I'll make sure to put the headset on the right way by using your simple check system on how the mic comes down. lol!
@Bubaka54 Well the value of the sound card is around $200 and the headphones is another $200 so yes this thing is of really great value. The Xense can even power much more powerful headsets than the Sennheiser PC350 bundled with it so if your headphones ever break (god forbid) and you decide to buy an even more powerful one, you certainly can.
@TheTerminaForce If you really want "audiophile" you would go with 2.0/2.1. The STX is absolutely amazing, that and the xense are very similarly spec'd, if you look at card comparisons. The xense though is made mainly for headphones and 5.1/7.1. But for 2.0/2.1 mainly, id just go with the STX for the audio RCA outputs, although you can get a converter cable from the 3.5mm jacks from the xense...in terms of performance, even though their very similar, the STX is slightly better for 2.0/2.1.
Wow Linus, You have been reviewing some extreme equipment lately. Was so funny when you said toward the end "Then it's probably not on the right way I **think**" LOL!!!!
Higher requires better amplification ex. quality sound cards or amplifiers, the 360 and 350 are the same in sound quality, neither is better, just different. Sennheiser headphone owner here. :)
The spill-over thing he's talking about at 10:52 is inaccurate. I have a pair of HD650's and there is no spill-over whatsover. In fact, open headphones have a larger soudndstage and produce a much better sound due to the sound not being hindered by anything. Closed headphones' soundstage tends to be a lot smaller.
Just snagged this off Newegg for my boyfriend's kritzmas present. His Cal-I and CEVO days are over but I hope he's just as excited as Linus was when he opens it, haha.
I don't like the design of the DVI type lead.. as that'll put strain on the socket.. I've the Xonar D2X PCI-e card and the mic,headset speaker inputs are built into the card and they light up at the back so is better when wanting to see where you plug things into.. I doubt the adapter on card shown lights up the inputs.. I reccomend the ASUS Xonar D2X over this soundcard..
@diablo9987 If music is on the table: ST or STX + Sennheiser HD555 (I'd also recommend you to take a look at the Philips SHP8900, costs around as much as the 555 and is worth the money - audio is personal though, so you'll have to test it.)
acually there is not heatsink it's copper shield. what means that mic and headphone area is seperated from rest of the card what means better quality of sound :D.
Linus the impedance doen't make the headphones better... for example u could have a pair of $1000 grados that are only 32ohms campared to the sennhiesers 50ohms. Basically all it means is those headphones need a lot more power to be driven properly.
@VWPOLOMan69 I think you didn't get me... Because with the STX, you need another card (Xonar H6) to make it 7.1 surround compatible, which is kind of not ideal. 'Cause you would need 2 slots for these cards(that's what I thought), so I'm just asking whether or not it's worth sacrificing 1 more slot for a extreme clarity 7.1 or just a normal clarity 7.1 card, which only needs 1 slot(like Xonar Phoebus). C:
I just bought one of these i was going to get the Asus Xonar Essence STX but it was similar price but didn't come with any headset and from what i have seen they are very similar. i hope it is as good as the Essence STX
Hey Linus how long are are the wires/chords for the headset... I have a 72" wide 30" DEEP table and a corsair 800D chassis so would the chords be long enough? I have my rig on the side of my table propped up
Is it still preferable to have a sound card rather then the motherboard? I do some recordings now and then, and I have an M Audio Fast Track pro along with some M Audio AV40s, recently I just had some crackling when I was making some beats and whatnot. Would a sound card help with the crackling as well?
Ok could someone explain why the PC350 got 150Ω while the PC360 (the newer model obviously) got only 50Ω ? So why is the newer model that should be better, acutally worse in this area? (For reference the HD800 has 300Ω and based on the video, the higher the better..right?)
hey linus, I want to buy a decent 5.1 soundsystem with a decent soundcard. this is a 7.1 soundcard, but can I run 5.1 with it too( with the included adapters) ?
the STX is an audiopile-grade sound card, meaning they pulled out all the stops to minimize any kind of interference. Gaming audio is just a marketing gimmick.
I still prefer my Xonar Essence and Grado SR-80s, the headset that comes with thisis not one of Sennheiser's good headphones. The amp is great for higher end headphones though, a must have.
@CuberCalebHD I have a matte black PCB on my ASUS GTX 550Ti DirectCU as well... See a trend here - its not that rare on mid to high range cards these days.
I received my xonar xense pack yesterday and just a thing to mentionned: the unboxing is really ridiculous, i've never seen before that, if you have issues with your headphone or soundcard, seriously don't resent the box, it just already destroys by you before ^^
@MeDmAnQcA I said nothing about that, i said that i'd rather get the ST due to well, quite a few reasons. And then i'll choose a pair of good headphones on the side. And also, i'm not much for headsets. I'd rather get a pair of better headphones.
Hy i have a question. I have a z5500 speakers i use them with my motherboard standard audio they connected to the optical device. If i buy this sound card and i connect my speakers to it on optical will i feel any difference in music, movies, games, etc. Thx
6:42 Yay, Linus discovered a combo digital output port for the first time in his life! xD BTW, @LinusTechTips: You simply CAN'T put a DVI cable into that 7:35 ... notice pin 22!
Does anyone have experience in comparing the xense to the essence st/ stx? Apart from the price advantage of the bundle i wonder if and why to choose the xense over the essence for a music/ gaming sound card
@MeDmAnQcA Yes, which partly is an excuse to take part of the money for "gaming-mark" I game. Alot. And i mean, extremely much. With my ST. The Xense is a cheaper version of the essence, with a great headset. As far as i now, the Xense doesn't have any features that the ST doesn't have.
Das ist eine sehr gute hochqualitativ auch von der Optik her sehr schöne Soundkarte und technisch hat sich ja nicht so viel getan auf dem Markt denn die modernen Prozessoren Computerprozessoren sind heute in der Lage Musik in Echtzeit umzuwandeln was ihm in der Frühzeit nicht möglich war und deswegen gab es solche komplizierten Soundkarten die heute auch Sinn machen wenn jemand versucht am Computer halbwegs professionell Musik zu machen. Weil wenn jemand lediglich spielt am Computer gibt es heute schon hervorragende onboard Lösungen die auf der Hauptplatine verlötet sind vom Motherboard
@DProductions2011 not in the slightest. I am just trying to make things straight. He has a wedding coming up and I am just wondering who he will be getting married too. Couldn't care less if he was gay. If he is, great for him. If he isn't, fine. It is just confusing because him and esther live together and known each other since 2004. I am just wondering...
This was one of the most entertaining unboxing I have ever watched. It was like a movie, with a turning point where the good guy prevails, the moment of suspense and everything. Nice job Linus !!!
dharpat hajjjj
a very good unboxing video, especially when he puts the headphone backwards, it kind a looks cool at 11:26
The STX also has a 124 dB SNR, whereas this one only has 118. It's not hugely noticeable, but I believe the 124 dB SNR is a record for in-case sound cards.
the best part about this video is it can double as a walkthrough for opening this case
"I'm on to their tricks!"- Linus
@alex14469 it's just for audio.. it doesn't have enough space to put 4 connectors in the back so they replace them with a dvi port that carries the sound to an adapter where the 4 connectors appear.
@TheQhozt "sick bass" doesn't denotes THD and frequency range. Both of which are crap on every single Steelseries headset.
@TheQhozt Yes, I did. They have worse sound quality than $25 Sennheiser HD 201's while costing $90. And don't start the "but headsets have mic!" - a good desktop mic is just $10.
LMAO! Had me rolling around when he put it on backwards and said if the mic comes down in the back of your head then it's probably not on the right way.
Great review as always Linus. I want one and I'll make sure to put the headset on the right way by using your simple check system on how the mic comes down. lol!
Hanging?
It slots into an available PCI - E slot either (1x, 4x, or 16x) and you then screw it to the case.. as you would any card..
@Bubaka54 Well the value of the sound card is around $200 and the headphones is another $200 so yes this thing is of really great value. The Xense can even power much more powerful headsets than the Sennheiser PC350 bundled with it so if your headphones ever break (god forbid) and you decide to buy an even more powerful one, you certainly can.
@TheTerminaForce If you really want "audiophile" you would go with 2.0/2.1. The STX is absolutely amazing, that and the xense are very similarly spec'd, if you look at card comparisons. The xense though is made mainly for headphones and 5.1/7.1. But for 2.0/2.1 mainly, id just go with the STX for the audio RCA outputs, although you can get a converter cable from the 3.5mm jacks from the xense...in terms of performance, even though their very similar, the STX is slightly better for 2.0/2.1.
@xLeGii that is what 7.1 output and adapter for the 7.1 audio is for on the sound card
Wow Linus, You have been reviewing some extreme equipment lately. Was so funny when you said toward the end "Then it's probably not on the right way I **think**" LOL!!!!
@xLeGii Yes, that is what the 7.1 output is for on the sound card itself
Higher requires better amplification ex. quality sound cards or amplifiers, the 360 and 350 are the same in sound quality, neither is better, just different. Sennheiser headphone owner here. :)
So wait, you mean that Xonar H6 is just left hanging there, as in it doesn't require a PCIe slot?
The spill-over thing he's talking about at 10:52 is inaccurate. I have a pair of HD650's and there is no spill-over whatsover. In fact, open headphones have a larger soudndstage and produce a much better sound due to the sound not being hindered by anything. Closed headphones' soundstage tends to be a lot smaller.
Looks like a nice card. What is this like compared to, say, a Creative Xi-Fi Titanium HD? What about the headset compared to a Corsair HS1?
Just snagged this off Newegg for my boyfriend's kritzmas present. His Cal-I and CEVO days are over but I hope he's just as excited as Linus was when he opens it, haha.
Thank you for the bit about people who ware glasses. That part was quite helpful for myself.
This vid reminds me of kids @ Christmas, more time playing with the box than the stuff inside.
Hey Linus, I ordered this bundle from NCIX back in November, do you have any idea when you guys will have more in stock?
Please connect a monitor to it... I want to see the audio.
I don't like the design of the DVI type lead.. as that'll put strain on the socket.. I've the Xonar D2X PCI-e card and the mic,headset speaker inputs are built into the card and they light up at the back so is better when wanting to see where you plug things into.. I doubt the adapter on card shown lights up the inputs.. I reccomend the ASUS Xonar D2X over this soundcard..
Thank you asus for making this video 5 minutes longer than it needed to be with packing
It's what the manufacturer sees best for the driver and its application, the godlike fostex th900 has 19 ohms of impedance
Linus did you mention the length of the cable on the headphones?
I've a ASUS Xonar D2X soundcard.. the inputs on the card reviewed look very similar.. to the card I have.
This, or the ROG Phoebus?? which is better, in comparison from all aspects of both?
matte black pcb and chrome... does it get much better?
@diablo9987
If music is on the table: ST or STX + Sennheiser HD555 (I'd also recommend you to take a look at the Philips SHP8900, costs around as much as the 555 and is worth the money - audio is personal though, so you'll have to test it.)
acually there is not heatsink it's copper shield. what means that mic and headphone area is seperated from rest of the card what means better quality of sound :D.
I'd still get the ST or STX. Then a pair of better headphones and an external mic.
Got me an ST, and i'm thinking of getting a pair of Denon AH-D2000.
Linus the impedance doen't make the headphones better... for example u could have a pair of $1000 grados that are only 32ohms campared to the sennhiesers 50ohms. Basically all it means is those headphones need a lot more power to be driven properly.
where did the gtx 580 vid go man?
@VWPOLOMan69 I think you didn't get me... Because with the STX, you need another card (Xonar H6) to make it 7.1 surround compatible, which is kind of not ideal. 'Cause you would need 2 slots for these cards(that's what I thought), so I'm just asking whether or not it's worth sacrificing 1 more slot for a extreme clarity 7.1 or just a normal clarity 7.1 card, which only needs 1 slot(like Xonar Phoebus). C:
i wonder if you can use this as an audio interface?
I just bought one of these i was going to get the Asus Xonar Essence STX but it was similar price but didn't come with any headset and from what i have seen they are very similar. i hope it is as good as the Essence STX
So i'm wondering, is there any differences with the rebranded pc350 linus?
I may be some kinda late but are the headset's jacks 6.3 mm? Because the original PC 350 seems to have 3.5 mm ones.
Nope it only needs 1 PCI - E slot. so only one bracket on your case needs to be removed to fit the card.
linus what du you du with all the products you opened, du you keep theme for yourself ?
Where could I get the card by itself, I already have a PC-350 and just want the card.
@CodingSimplified But that would require 2 PCIe slots right? Cause it needs the H6 extension board...
Hey Linus how long are are the wires/chords for the headset... I have a 72" wide 30" DEEP table and a corsair 800D chassis so would the chords be long enough? I have my rig on the side of my table propped up
Is it still preferable to have a sound card rather then the motherboard? I do some recordings now and then, and I have an M Audio Fast Track pro along with some M Audio AV40s, recently I just had some crackling when I was making some beats and whatnot. Would a sound card help with the crackling as well?
Ok could someone explain why the PC350 got 150Ω while the PC360 (the newer model obviously) got only 50Ω ?
So why is the newer model that should be better, acutally worse in this area?
(For reference the HD800 has 300Ω and based on the video, the higher the better..right?)
I am planning to build a complete gaming pc in June and I just wanted to know if this would be worth getting in june?
Anyone any ideas when this will arrive in the UK, or has it already and everywhere is out of stock?
@PG Spectre But problem is st or stx are not 7.1, right? I mean they only have a right and left RCA jack...
@CDA441
No.
Only PCI-Express x1, x4, x8, x16
would the sound card be equivalent to the xonar dx? or the essence?
hmmm, sounds reasonable
thank you guys! got with the PC360 :) had a PC350 before that. broke unfortunatelly
if connect monitor to soundcard you see music play on screen with smoke effects
This or my current Essence STX? Are there any HUGE differences?
Gaming & music (listening).
is the sennheiser 350 a noise cancelling headphone?
hey linus, I want to buy a decent 5.1 soundsystem with a decent soundcard. this is a 7.1 soundcard, but can I run 5.1 with it too( with the included adapters) ?
So i got a Steel Series siberia v2, are theese senheiser better? because i am buying this card soon, and i want to know wich of them are better
the STX is an audiopile-grade sound card, meaning they pulled out all the stops to minimize any kind of interference. Gaming audio is just a marketing gimmick.
should i get this or a asus essence stx with sennhizer 555's? ill be doing mainly gaming and listening to music.
they still make these?
it has surround sound?
So the Soundcard supports 7.1 but the Headset only does stereo .... WTF?
I was looking for a sound card :D Thanks Linus
I still prefer my Xonar Essence and Grado SR-80s, the headset that comes with thisis not one of Sennheiser's good headphones. The amp is great for higher end headphones though, a must have.
@CuberCalebHD I have a matte black PCB on my ASUS GTX 550Ti DirectCU as well... See a trend here - its not that rare on mid to high range cards these days.
Hello , does this soundcard has Bass and Treble individual settings?
I received my xonar xense pack yesterday and just a thing to mentionned:
the unboxing is really ridiculous, i've never seen before that, if you have issues with your headphone or soundcard, seriously don't resent the box, it just already destroys by you before ^^
@MeDmAnQcA
I said nothing about that, i said that i'd rather get the ST due to well, quite a few reasons. And then i'll choose a pair of good headphones on the side.
And also, i'm not much for headsets. I'd rather get a pair of better headphones.
What happens if you plug a monitor to it? :P
Hy i have a question. I have a z5500 speakers i use them with my motherboard standard audio they connected to the optical device. If i buy this sound card and i connect my speakers to it on optical will i feel any difference in music, movies, games, etc.
Thx
will it work with a normal pci slot?
@ShadowwwLFS Have you ever tried tried the siberia v2? And i totally agree with you that most steelseries headsets are shit
"It designed to fit extreeeemly large ears", that means elfs could also use this, so nice, gonna buy one x)
6:42 Yay, Linus discovered a combo digital output port for the first time in his life! xD
BTW, @LinusTechTips: You simply CAN'T put a DVI cable into that 7:35 ... notice pin 22!
LOL I love your style. lol. Smart and entertaining, Keep up the great work. Thumbs up!!
is this really worth 300? just wondering?
@Wurzelzwerg1212 It uses a PCI-Express interface.
i already have the headset anyway i can get it on its own
Cable = no sheath? =(
Does anyone have experience in comparing the xense to the essence st/ stx? Apart from the price advantage of the bundle i wonder if and why to choose the xense over the essence for a music/ gaming sound card
@TheQhozt you obviously have no idea about sound quality.
@ShadowwwLFS Ofcourse they aren't the most awesome ones but you get some VERY good sound for what you paid for them...
I wish you could still buy this bundle, I really need it :/
@StenDragoti "Just put that right in like that" lol
That sound card looks Purty only if it came in blueee :D XD
@MeDmAnQcA
Yes, which partly is an excuse to take part of the money for "gaming-mark"
I game. Alot. And i mean, extremely much. With my ST.
The Xense is a cheaper version of the essence, with a great headset. As far as i now, the Xense doesn't have any features that the ST doesn't have.
3 People plugged in their monitor in the 7.1 audio port.
"I'm not onto their tricks, their trick are too tricky for me :C" - Linus
Das ist eine sehr gute hochqualitativ auch von der Optik her sehr schöne Soundkarte und technisch hat sich ja nicht so viel getan auf dem Markt denn die modernen Prozessoren Computerprozessoren sind heute in der Lage Musik in Echtzeit umzuwandeln was ihm in der Frühzeit nicht möglich war und deswegen gab es solche komplizierten Soundkarten die heute auch Sinn machen wenn jemand versucht am Computer halbwegs professionell Musik zu machen.
Weil wenn jemand lediglich spielt am Computer gibt es heute schon hervorragende onboard Lösungen die auf der Hauptplatine verlötet sind vom Motherboard
To bad they didn't packed it with the PC 360...
i just so want him to plug a monitor in to the dvi port, just to see what happens!
Hi, when are you going to do a review on the sound card and headset .. plz do one !
TUMBS UP IF YOU WANNA A review =)
@StenDragoti that was his 'sexy' voice
creative makes their boxes pretty easy
@StenDragoti plug it in like that!?!?!? mhhhhh
@DProductions2011 not in the slightest. I am just trying to make things straight. He has a wedding coming up and I am just wondering who he will be getting married too. Couldn't care less if he was gay. If he is, great for him. If he isn't, fine. It is just confusing because him and esther live together and known each other since 2004. I am just wondering...
@TheQhozt Thank you, I'm quite pleased. And why shouldn't I be able to? The Siberias were as awful then as they are now.
what happens if you plug a monitor into it xD