Asus
Xonar Essence One MUSES Edition Audio Adapter

Xonar Essence One MUSES Edition

Flagship USB DAC and headphone amplifier uses premium MUSES 01 Op-Amps for high-fidelity audio reproduction

• Powered by six top-notch MUSES 01 Op-Amp for crystal clear and spacious sound
• MUSES 01 is the first ever oxygen-free copper interconnect and custom layout Op-Amp for truthful sound reproduction
• 8x symmetrical upsampling technology for ultra-low sound distortion
• Dedicated 600ohm headphone amplifier for clearest detail
• Ultra-high 120dB SNR for purest sound

Infinite Essence of Sound

The latest MUSES Edition improves on Xonar Essence One, winner of a 2012 CES Innovations Award in the audio component category. Xonar engineers and product managers continuously aim to improve sound quality, resulting in Xonar Essence One Plus Edition launching in June 2012 with an Op-Amp DIY kit, which allows customers to easily tune sound to their preference. The third Xonar Essence One offering, Xonar Essence One MUSES Edition maintains this pursuit of sound excellence, integrating some of the best audio components in the industry.

MUSES 01 Op-Amps help deliver premium audio

Xonar Essence One MUSES Edition includes six MUSES 01 Op-Amps, produced by the New Japan Radio Company. MUSES 01 are the top-of-the-line Op-Amps from the brand, which is considered a leader in quality audio components. Together with ASUS Xonar engineering, MUSES 01 Op-Amps take audio to new levels, with lifelike reproduction capturing every nuance.

Truthful audio

MUSES 01 components are notable as the first to use oxygen-free copper interconnects, allowing for better circuit conductivity and thus improved reproduction. They use exclusive fabrication techniques, including advanced symmetry die-bonding, a custom layout that lowers component crosstalk and generates better-balanced left/right channel symmetry.

Ultra spacious sound field

To achieve better stereo symmetry, the MUSES 01 employs exclusive technology, the Advanced Symmetry Die-bonding (ASD) Technology.The specialized layout techniques offer super low cross-talk and well-balanced symmetry between both left and right channels and create the most ever spacious sound field.

Proved performance with a test report

Excellent achievement granted by New Japan Radio. During the development, the prototype of Xonar Essence One MUSES edition was tested by the MUSES engineer team and received a testing report.

*MUSES is a TRADEMARK of New Japan Radio Co., Ltd.

Ultra-low sound distortion with symmetrical 8X upsampling technology

Symmetrical 8X upsampling technology restores lossless playback with higher audio resolution. Upsampling is commonly applied to increase audio finesse with enhanced signal sample rates. Standard asymmetrical upsampling transfers any source to 192KHz with no additional refinement, causing lost detail and distortion. However, 8X symmetrical upsampling turns 44.1KHz/88.2KHz/176.4KHz input into 352.8KHz, and 48KHz/96KHz/192KHz into 384KHz symmetrically, ensuring better sound.

Dedicated 600 ohm headphone amplifier for clearest detail

Audiophile-class headphone amplifiers are utilized to drive high quality personal audio and satisfy all impedance requirements. They improve tone and timbre detail and dynamic range extension even from low-power sources. The Xonar Essence One includes a dedicated 600 ohm-optimized audiophile-class headphone amplifier to drive your headphones, making sure you hear every detail.

Ultra-high 120dB SNR

The average SNR of other USB DACs is about 110dB. With its extremely high SNR (120dB), the Xonar Essence One MUSES Edition provides audiophiles clearer sounds with every detail retained while significantly reducing noise levels.

ASUS-exclusive Hyper Grounding technology

Hyper Grounding technology utilizes a multi-layer PCB for the purest sound possible. By applying this design, sensitive analog signals are neatly separated from digital signals to reduce cross-talk and other unwanted effects. Twin grounding layers also form a shield to block interference. Therefore, Xonar Essence One MUSES Edition outperforms market standards to provide truly pure sound thanks to top quality components and years of board layout expertise, a combination only ASUS delivers.

Dedicated internal linear power supply

Ripple can be minimized using a more elaborate power supply while the Xonar Essence One has an internal power supply supports all international voltages and has generous margins for over and under voltage conditions. It provides the cleanest power for the cleanest sound with excellent immunity to noise on the AC line.

A high precision clock through asynchronous data transfer

The Xonar Essence One MUSES Edition features innovative asynchronous data transfer (ADT) to minimize jitter beyond common synchronous data transfer (SDT). Standard internal clock compensation for different transfer rates between PCs and USB audio devices may still cause jitter, but with ADT, audio processors automatically tune buffer status to system output, enabling faster clock adjustments and better jitter reduction, delivering the highest fidelity with extensive detail and lively sound imaging.

Bit-perfect audio and ASIO support

The Essence One supports Audio Stream Input/Output 2.2 drivers, known as ASIO 2.2. One of the most renowned audio protocols for bit-perfection, it allows digital signals to bypass Windows audio layers to avoid redundant processing. ASIO 2.2 provides full 64-bit Windows compatibility, supporting variable bit depth, sample rate, multi-channel operation, and synchronization. With easy setup, it allows you to quickly enjoy high fidelity and stable bit-perfect audio.

*ASIO protocol developed by Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH
*ASIO playback requires media player ASIO support

Balanced XLR output

The Xonar Essence One MUSES Edition features balanced (XLR) outputs, which offer higher quality output and unwanted noise and interference elimination. 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. Balanced lines are therefore ideal for professional applications where longer cable length noise could be an issue. XLR connectors are typically wired in a Pin 1- Ground, Pin 2- Hot (in-phase), Pin 3- Cold (phase-inverted) configuration.

WIMA capacitor

The Xonar Essence One MUSES Edition uses a premium WIMA capacitor (made in Germany), one of the most highly-regarded parts among audio enthusiasts for its warmer, cleaner, and more balanced sound image.

The spirit of Essence

The Essence Series is dedicated to pursuing the purest music listening experiences and the highest fidelity. Thousands of years ago, our ancestors crystallized their precious knowledge of materials and music into the Chime of the Tiger, one of the first audio masterpieces in human history. The Chime of the Tiger totem has inspired the Xonar team’s passion for audio, in honor of the accomplishments of those who came before. The team has made its own mark on history, contributing new audio innovation, thus maintaining humanity’s endless pursuit of the essence of sound.