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...and I have not yet tinkered with op amps.
I will say that there is a qualitative difference in SQ between the two (and hence, price). Clearly, it's unfair to compare a $40 card to a $240 card, but will leave that up to you and your preferred search engine if you want to learn more about the deltas.
I can suggest however, that it is in your best interest to research the uni drivers that are available, instead of using the drivers that ship with the DGX (and also available online). The DGX will definitely give you better sound than the integrated / stock card that was shipped with your computer.
FWIW, part of the reason I purchased the Essence STX was because of a favorable review on Stereophile:
http://www.stereophile.com/computeraudio/asus_xonar_essence_ststx_soundcards
Am hopeful someone else can provide tidbits on op amps here.
You got me thinking about the op amps, so I came across this thread:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/421890/the-xonar-essence-stx-q-a-tweaking-impressions-thread