My time with the ASUS Xonar Essence One is at an end, it is time to send this glorious device on to the next human who will love and appreciate it. It was difficult for me to truly get under the skin of this device as my knowledge base was not good enough to really put it to the test.
However, in spite of my limitations, the Xonar Essence One became something of a household pet. We all really loved it and the sound that emerged from it. My husband engaged in all sorts of audiotastic experiments while I appreciated the simplicity of great sound from my office.
There are, though, some features that stood out for each of us and I thought it was well worth mentioning them. While designed for the audiophile and their passion, the ASUS team did not forget the noob who may indulge in the quiet purchase of the Xonar Essence One.
The first thing is that it is easy to install. No mess, no fuss, no terrifying cables or labels. I will always give high marks to any technology that achieves that goal. Nobody has time for fiddly stuff anymore.
The next thing I really liked was the gold leaf embossed Audio Precision Test Report that comes with the Xonar Essence One. The front half of the book talks about the ethos behind the development of the device, this is then followed by a series of test reports and at the end is a glossary of terms. The entire layout is designed to deliver something to all tastes and I appreciated having a quick reference guide on hand when I needed it.
Cool fact: The gold cat on the device is the Chime of Tiger totem that represents the essence of sound
The Xonar Essence One also features balanced XLR output, an adjustable power supply, bit-perfect with ASIO 2.2 driver, dedicated volume controls and toslink and coaxial S/PDIF inputs.
It has been quite a learning curve and I must admit that I can see why people become so utterly immersed in high sound quality now. The difference to my usual speaker setup has been noticeable. I don’t want to relinquish the Xonar Essence One, I really don’t. It is far too snug beside my PC and does a great job making my ears happy.