Asus Xonar Essence One MKII MUSES Edition

Asus Xonar Essence One MKII Muses Edition DACs stay true to the source audio, with support for 2.8MHz DSD through DSD over pulse-code modulation (PCM), known as DoP. DSD 2.8MHz format delivers 64 times (64X) the sampling rate of traditional compact disc (CD) recordings for audio playback at a resolution that is orders of magnitude higher.

Six premium MUSES 01 op-amps
To create profound musicality ASUS engineered designed the Essence One MKII MUSES Edition with 6 MUSES 01 operational amplifiers (op-amps). These are the world’s first op-amps to be manufactured with high-purity oxygen-free copper interconnects and the result is true-to-life tonality, spacious sound and stunning vocals.

Optimized for up to 600ohm-impedance and in-ear monitor(IEM) headphones with a dedicated gain jumper
The amplifier built in to the Asus Xonar Essence One MKII Muses Edition DACs is engineered to drive both 600ohm-impedance headphones and 16ohm-impedance IEMs, thanks to the inclusion of a dedicated gain jumper for easy high/low gain settings. The result is an exquisite headphone amplifier that delivers remarkable listening experiences for all output preferences.

True balanced design
Asus Xonar Essence One MKII Muses Edition DACs ultra-high-fidelity audio output and 120dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is aided by a true balanced design that draws on dual Texas Instruments PCM1795 DACs.

Linear power supply with toroidal transformer
The DACs are also equipped with a linear power supply with a toroidal transformer to provide clean and consistent power that keeps noise contamination to a minimum. German-made WIMA® FKP 2 and FKS 2 film capacitors reduce ripples to deliver warm, rich sounds.

8X symmetrical upsampling technology
The Asus Xonar Essence One MKII Muses Edition DACs offer 8X upsampling to preserve the finest details of the original audio and improve the output quality still further. Essence One MKII DACs employ symmetrical upsampling to improve 44.1/88.2 /176.4kHz input sources to 352.8kHz@32Bit and 48/96/192kHz sources all the way up to 384kHz@32Bit, while eliminating the jitter associated with asymmetrical upsampling.

Asynchronous USB audio
Standard internal clock compensation for different transfer rates between PCs and USB audio devices may still cause jitter, but Essence MKII DACs automatically adjusts buffer status to system output. It enables faster clock tuning and better jitter reduction for the best fidelity.

Native ASIO 2.2 driver
Asus Xonar Essence One MKII Muses Edition DACs also support native Audio Stream Input/Output (ASIO) 2.2 drivers, which enables the digital signals to bypass Windows’ audio layers to avoid redundant processing — and that means bit-perfect audio output.

Balanced XLR outputs
Balanced XLR outputs offer higher quality output without unwanted noise and interference. Properly balanced lines integrate two signal-carrying conductors of equal magnitude but opposite polarity, causing noise along the cable to cancel out by the time it reaches the destination load.

Sample rate indicators
Sampling rates lighting will indicate according to the computers sample rate settings (44.1/ 48/ 88.2/ 96/ 176.4/ 192kHz).

Features

Native Direct-Stream Digital (DSD) support via DSD over PCM (DoP)

Profound musicality and spacious sound thanks to six MUSES 01 op-amps

Top-class headphone amplifier drives up to 600ohm-impedance headphones with a dedicated gain jumper

Ultra-fidelity 120dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) with true balanced design

Jitter-free precision clock via asynchronous USB audio

Linear power supply with toroidal transformer to ensure clean power to all circuits

8X symmetrical upsampling technology restores lossless audio