Decent external soundcards?

[crowhorse]

I want to have some respectable quality sound emerging from my laptop. Due to sony only including an Expresscard/34 slot and not an expresscard/52 slot - I can't buy the XFi Xtreme audio notebook and my old audigy 2 ZS PCMCIA won't fit either!

The xmod looks pretty good - but it only has stereo output - I'm wanting to hook up my laptop as a Media Centre computer to my tv (has hdmi out)... but simultaneously hook up my 5.1 Z5500s

So ideally I want optical output - but 3x 3.5mm jacks would do too

External would be good too because then I could switch it between my desktop and laptop. Should anyone know of a smaller expresscard soundcard then that would be great.

Anyone know of any? I'm not having any luck finding one myself.

Cheers

 

[superplay]

I am using Vista MCE with a creative connect external card.

I connect this to my 5500s for film/tv and my Arcam Hi-Fi for audio. Using SPDIF to my 5500s and Analoge to my Arcam

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=10802773#post10802773

When puchasing cards that support multiple outputs ensure that they are capable of more than 5.1 prologic output via SPDIF!

I would have loved to continue to use my M-Audio Transit external card, but unfortunatly the Beta Vista drivers seem to cause a bluescreen when i come out of sleep.