ASUS Essence III external sound card / DAC converter [90YB006B-M0UC10]

To meet these demands, the ASUS Xonar team presents the Essence III external sound card. The Essence One MK II combines several functions in one device. It is, on the one hand, a digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) with audiophilic sound quality, which can play digital music in the best quality from the PC via USB.

On the other hand, it also fulfills this task as a stand-alone version without a PC. Via the coaxial or Toslink connection, for example, CD / DVD / Blu-ray players can be connected to play music in the best quality. Last but not least, the Essence III acts as a high-end headphone amplifier especially for very high-quality headphones with an impedance of up to 600 Ohm. With its 8x symmetrical upsampling, an extremely high noise-to-noise ratio of 120dB and interchangeable operational amplifiers, the Essence One MK II is the best high-end USB digital-to-analog converter.
The features of the ASUS Essence III at a glance:

Digital-to-analog converter (DAC) with audiophilic sound quality
Stand-alone function without PC: coaxial and Toslink connection for CD / DVD / Blu-ray player
Headphone Amplifier for very high quality headphones with an impedance up to 600 Ohm
Extremely high signal-to-noise ratio of 117 dB

The Essence III external sound card supports balanced XLR outputs with which audio signals can be transmitted symmetrically. The symmetrical signal transmission is currently used almost without exception in professional sound engineering. It prevents unwanted interference and interference from the outside and thus offers a higher quality sound experience. The transmission of electrical audio signals can be interfered with by external influences such as, for example, the inductive influence of alternating current carrying cables (power cables).

In order to prevent this, a symmetrical signal transmission is used instead of a two signal transmission conductor. On the second line, the identical signal is transmitted as on the first, with the same impedance but opposite polarity. Since a disturbance has the same effect on both signal conductors, the difference between the two signals, as soon as they reach the target, is almost mutually exclusive. Thus, balanced lines are perfectly suited for professional applications where disturbances can affect the signal quality, especially with long cable connections.

By "upsampling" is meant the increase in the sampling rate, i. The conversion of a digital signal with a low sampling rate to a digital signal with a higher sampling rate, the signal information being preserved completely and unchanged. Despite the upsampling of a piece of music from the user's music collection, the Essence III receives every sound detail.

The average noise margin of conventional USB DACs is approximately 110dB. With its extremely high signal-to-noise ratio of 117dB, the Essence III allows much cleaner sound, maintains all the sound details and significantly reduces the noise level. The Essence III has a first-class headphone amplifier that amplifies any Hi-Fi headphone with a 100% sound power, even at high impedances of up to 600 ohms. The headphone amplifier offers high dynamics, fine sound details as well as low distortion

An OpAmp (operational amplifier) is the central component of a DAC. It amplifies the analog signal and influences the sound character (darker, lighter, sound image, etc.). The ability to share OpAmps and use almost any OpAmp instead, makes the Xonar Essence III absolutely unique among all high-end USB DACs and gives the user the possibility to customize his sound image.

The internal power supply supports all international voltages and has generous clearance for overvoltage and undervoltage conditions. It offers the purest current for the purest sound and an excellent shield against interference frequencies caused by the power cable.

The ASUS Essence III is equipped with two dedicated manual volume controls on the front: one for the headphones and one for the speakers. In contrast to conventional USB DACs, which only have a control for the output power of both headphones and loudspeakers or no volume control at all, the user can set the volume for headphones and loudspeakers separately for the Essence III.

The ASUS Essence III is equipped with a series of digital inputs, both coaxial and Toslink, which allow the connection of digital sources. The digital inputs also support data formats with sampling rates of up to 192 kHz.

Technical details:
Dimensions: 322 x 71 x 228 mm (W x H x D)
Soundchip: C-Media CM6632A High-Definiton
DAC converter: AD 1955
Signal-to-noise ratio: 117 dB
Connections:
1x Coaxial S / PDIF in
1x Toslink S / PDIF in
1x AES / EBU in
2x 3.5 mm Aux in
2x 3.5 mm RCA out
2x Balanced XLR out
2x Mini-Balanced XLR out
1x 6.3 mm output