Xonar ST/STX mods...

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This point gnd circled in red does not go well? and very close to the clock and it would be easier to weld.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

Well, one can use every kind of ground point at least. My recommendation it was for best results, or best compromise results - accessibility.
If we should go deeper into details (as Merce pointed), the best it may be to solder the coax shield right on the ground of the circuit which receive that clock signal. This ground is inside the processor chip. So this is not possible. What it may be the next best point to ground the return of clock signal? In my opinion it may be just the ground pins of the chip. Some of these pins are very accessible (as the pin 39 is). If this connection is not possible to be used, then one may chose the next one (better) GND point, which it may be just the ground plane of the board. So everywhere on this ground plane it may be OK.
But finally one may keep in mind that as far one may chose the connection to the GND point from the ground of the input pin/circuit of the processor, the clock signal it may be alternate as consequently.
The main goal here with this mod/board/approach is to keep the clock signal as pure as possible, without alterations, noises, and so on. That because this approach with the battery power, coax cable, damping system for the board, and so on...
 
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Hello Coris, As for the battery-charger what do you recommend to be simple charging the battery, I would like some connector to attach to the case so that you can insert the charger from the outside, that advise me to buy.
Thanks

First, there is not here about to find a battery charger to connect it to this clock board. This charger is integrated into the board itself. The only one may care is to provide 7v - 9v DC power to this board.
You can of course connect the power to the board as you wish, with switches, connectors, and so on.
The only problem is that all these things are not necessary, as the battery charger get connected and disconnected automatically when the computer is on or off. Even more, the disconnection of the charger is completely. Both power rail and ground are disconnected from any contact with the computer, when one turn the computer on.
To conclude, I would like to precise, that this clock board is meant to work as a part of a system. This system include a power supply and two small transformers, which either will be placed inside the computer, or outside. The power supply board is to be placed over the sound card together with the I/V board. I think there are published here some pictures of this PSU and the I/V module. The transformer (which are meant to completely separate the post DAC processing power system from the computer one, as the ground connections between these two systems) are meant to stay always connected to the wall (their primary coils), while the secondariness are managed automatically, by the simple Power ON/OFF of the computer.
But when one will use this clock board as stand alone, then one may provide the power to it, using a usual sort of PSU. Such it may be a very standard converter box one, stack it into the wall. One can even use a 5v PSU, but then it may bypass the 5v regulator planted on the board. This is very easy done, by soldering together (pads provided) the input with the output pin of the regulator. Actually the regulator on board is meant to extend the range of the input tensions for this board. The battery charger work at 5v. If one do not have exactly this tension on his available PSU, then can connect what one have (into 9v DC), and the regulator will care to deliver what the charger need.
 
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Some important details for those who want to implement this mod.
Please "read" the picture...
 

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Yes, but you may find first the footprint which fit for your chip, then use of course, that output. All the 4 chip footprints have the same configuration. You may only pay attention to place the pad 1 on your device to the pad 1 on board. At least is very clear where is to be the pad 3 of the oscillator: on the pad/trace which goes to output...
 
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I use LM6172 in my own designed I/V stage, as I had no trust in the Asus designed one...;)
Is a very good device, but one may configure the external components particular for this chip. I do not think one can improve something, or get the best out of the sound card by only changing/swapping the original opamp with this one.
But you can do your own experiments, and then tell us what you got...
 
I do not think one can improve something, or get the best out of the sound card by only changing/swapping the original opamp with this one.
But you can do your own experiments, and then tell us what you got...

Well, tonality can be changed from what I hear, I used so far in the stock IV the original - pretty good but has metallic sounding highs, the LM4562 which sounded balanced but lacking deep bass and LM6172 which is stable as far as I can guess from RMAA results, has rich deep bass and nice natural highs.
 
Power supply

As to power supply I agree, it's kinda poorly built for the analog part. I added a .1uf polyester cap rail to rail on the IV opamps (LM6172 now) and the result was very positive, you should try it... about 10mm distance between the rails so I guess MKP will fit the bill as well.
 
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Hi!
I am planning to buy ST + H6, so I would be able to connect 7.1 analog inputs to my home theatre setup.
What would you recommend in terms of sound quality: get ST + H6 for $200 or new STX II 7.1 for $300?
I do not have preference to PCI or PCI-E.

I suppose your intention is to connect the 7.1 analogue OUTPUTs of the sound card to your home theatre...
The H6 optional daughter board it deliver 6 channels + 2 form the main board to a 7.1 multichannel system.
When about STX III, this board get in 7.1 channels (internally from computer) and deliver 2 (stereo). STX III is sold by Asus as a high end sound card. Well, I`m very sceptical to this appreciation of Asus. There is a revised edition of now many years old STX board. They fixed up in one way the differential power system of the board. What is getting into the STX sound card of the 7.1 channels are also internally (decoded) from the computer, or from outside through SPDIF input of the board. The same input configuration is similar for ST+H6 board.

So, if you have a multichannel system you want to connect it to the computer, then you should buy an ST+H6 board. The ST III board it can decode 7.1 but it output only stereo (2 channels).
When about sound quality, is average for both models. It sounds satisfactory, but you may not expect something special, even though Asus advertisings...
 
Guys I wanted to thank Coris for all the support on this forum and in private. Person really serious and helpful.
I took a card clock battery designed by him, where he entered a clock ndk.

Installed all I have to say that the result is above all expectations, I made several modding the card they gave each of the benefits, this compared to before the change has improved the intelligibility of the tools that are now all in their position also significantly raising the volume, expanded soundstage in short, now the card sounds really fabulous.

A few quick photos.

I wanted to ask a question in Coris.
A user who has made several changes on the ST-STX says that by connecting the headphone jack adapter like this

http://www.cdiscount.com/high-tech/accessoires/adapt ... 578222838277.html

the card sounds much better that you get out of the RCA is this thing?

He wrote this "Use the headphone jack with a stereo / dual RCA adapter connects the power adapter supplied with the gold card because the result is far superior to what can be achieved through the 'RCA output (too!) and in the control panel of your sound card, choose normal gain if you go through a preamp and high gain if it directly attacks an amplifier. L 'Extra high Gain is only to be used if the input sensitivity of the block that is sorely lacking in "potato". Otherwise all you earn is to saturate its input (ditto if a pre-amp) and unbalanced audio to medium-high."
 
Guys I wanted to thank Coris for all the support on this forum and in private. Person really serious and helpful.
I took a card clock battery designed by him, where he entered a clock ndk.

Installed all I have to say that the result is above all expectations, I made several modding the card they gave each of the benefits, this compared to before the change has improved the intelligibility of the tools that are now all in their position also significantly raising the volume, expanded soundstage in short, now the card sounds really fabulous.

A few quick photos.

I wanted to ask a question in Coris.
A user who has made several changes on the ST-STX says that by connecting the headphone jack adapter like this

http://www.cdiscount.com/high-tech/accessoires/adapt ... 578222838277.html

the card sounds much better that you get out of the RCA is this thing?

He wrote this "Use the headphone jack with a stereo / dual RCA adapter connects the power adapter supplied with the gold card because the result is far superior to what can be achieved through the 'RCA output (too!) and in the control panel of your sound card, choose normal gain if you go through a preamp and high gain if it directly attacks an amplifier. L 'Extra high Gain is only to be used if the input sensitivity of the block that is sorely lacking in "potato". Otherwise all you earn is to saturate its input (ditto if a pre-amp) and unbalanced audio to medium-high."
Hi.
I can not open the link,either with FF,or with Chrome.
Could you fix it please?
 
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Guys I wanted to thank Coris for all the support on this forum and in private. Person really serious and helpful.
...............................................................................

Hi ciccio1112

Thanks for your kind words.
But your link is not working and your photos not to be seen...

I can also confirm that connecting the headphone out of the sound card as line output, it sounds much better than the RCA ones. This on a standard (unmodded) board. If the sound card is right modded, then sounds better on RCA outputs... As the second edition of STX/ST sound cards are in some ways improved, it may perform even better on headphone out.

If you want to try this, you may lower first the volume of your amplifier to zero, then carefully turn it up, while is played something. In some cases the volume one get from headphone out it may be quite high.
Best results in this case is to load the headphone out channels with 300 ohm resistors (1-3w), and then set up in the sound card Control Panel (software driver) for the same 300 ohm headphone out setting.
 
Hi Coris...
I noticed some new generation Burson opamps available in my area...
Can you help me out in this regard? I'm using the rca outs... Which opamps do I want to swap out? Do I need to add capacitors anywhere when switching to discrete opamps?
From the image below, "1" Are the current to voltage converters, and "2" is a "low pass filter"?
I think you experimented with the Burson awhile ago?

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
 
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