Asus Essence III - Manual (Page 5)

ASUS Essence 3
Philosophy
We at ASUS, recognizing that computers and digital devices are the major platforms for audio entertainment, started out
with consumer-sound cards in 2007 to build the ASUS brand in the audio industry. This gives our ASUS brand a more stable
foundation through gradual growth, making it possible to move into the Hi-Fi/audiophile market.
In 2009, we launched Essence ST/STX, one of our mid-range products that covered a wide variety of applications, from
high-end music applications to games. Essence ST/STX was very popular in forums and user communities, leading us to
conclude that the time was right for more upscale audiophile products.
We then started work on a prototype which eventually became the Essence One, with its greater flexibility, more spacious
PCB and higher power delivery – all attributed to Essence One being an external device rather than an internal card.
ASUS now has a large team dedicated to designing and engineering audio products. We have been able to expand our
audio product range into more diverse categories in recent years, and have met considerable success. In 2010 we partnered
with Sennheiser on a headset-soundcard set, which confirmed our level of expertise as partners of one of the world’s leading
audiophile brands.
Design Story
ASUS has an eclectic group of visionaries and acoustic engineers coming from the art, user experience, and the
entertainment industry with a shared passion for music. Knowing that digital media constantly changes and evolves
based on our personal experience, the ASUS team constantly evaluates the design segments with different outlook and
perspective, striving to provide new and better experience for music lovers and audiophiles.
Being Present
Instead of defining hard-stoned desired results, we believe that sound is about appreciating the present. Top-grade
component is just one tiny part of the puzzle that we mold and build to bring you the “essence of sound”. Through our
meticulous testing and product performance checks, we examine our design rules and layout with excruciating detail
because any misstep could lead to a misrepresentation of the originality of sound.
Made for You
Across all our products, you will find that the Essence of Sound is sublime rather than over-dominating, composed yet
powerful. The Essence series follow the Confucius thinking of “Respect” and “Harmony” – we respect that personal taste for
music may vary and hence we’ve included swappable op-amps for further customization. We recognize that beautiful sound
is about being in harmony with the surrounding and the environment. Hence having an independent volume control for
audiophiles’ smooth volume switching experience becomes crucial.
Aesthetically Pleasing
ASUS is well known for its quality control, but beyond the hard and cold facts of humidity storage and drop test, there’s the
soft appeal and the intrinsic properties that we look into when it comes to material selection. Whether it is sweat-proof and
finger print free surface finish, an elegant color palette or smooth curvatures, it is our commitment to bring a state-of-art
audio with innovative material application and usage.
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