So I'm in the market for a new sound card as I've quite literally been forced to put my Audigy 2 to rest, but before I even get into what I'm considering I have to say that onboard audio has come a long way since the last time I've used it. Wow. And I mean that.
Having said that I would like to have the advantages that only a dedicated card can deliver and that pair that up with my old but surprisingly better than I remember them being X-520 5.1 speakers. So these are the cards I'm considering: Recon3D Fatal1ty Pro - As shallow as that may sound, I prefer this one over the base Recon3D almost exclusively because of the shroud's looks and the interference protection it provides
Xonar Phoebus - Seems the Recon3D is the better purchase, but it's something I've been looking at regardless
X-Fi Titanium HD - May not be an audiophile, but I still appreciate great sound
Now of course Creative outnumbers the competition 2-to-1 here, and to be perfectly honest I'm leaning more toward one of the two anyway because let's be honest here: what are you really paying for when purchasing the Phoebus? The ROG name. That's to take nothing away from Asus, but, yeah...