Selecting a Sound Card

[terraphile]

Ok, I need to get a sound card that I will use for Gaming and Music on my 5.1 speakers.
It has to have directional sound for games
!I value the sound quality of music more than the the sound quality of games, and EAX is'nt nessesary
I'd supposed that many of you would just reccomend audigy, but music is more important than gaming for me. I'm not exacly an audiophile, but I want it to sound good.

Assistance is appreciated

 

[Gurck]

Your best bet is probably the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz (TBSC) or that Chaintech one.. both can be found for as little as $30 US. Keep in mind that while their musical advantage over the audigy 2 zs is there, but minimal - the gaming advantage of the a2zs is significant - especially if you're not an audiophile and don't have speakers and/or headphones which will allow the card to realize its potential.

 

[ts3433]

The Chaintech AV710 would be a good bet, though if your speakers aren't really high-end just stick with onboard; I doubt there will be much of a noticeable difference.

 

[stevty2889]

You would probably like the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz, I loved mine. The Chaintech would also be a good choice too as the others have said.

 

[terraphile]

Hmm, well my speakers are logitech z-5300's that I got from compusa for $100 even though they MSRP for $200. I guess I now should choose between the turtle beach santa cruz and chaintech 7.1, although they both are about the same price and people say that they are both about as good.