Spec me a soundcard X-Fi?

[1mm3]

Hi, i currently have a 5.1 surround speaker system connected to my onboard realtek souncard.

I have one very important thing that i need from the new soundcard- it must have an optical (toslink/spdif) INPUT (to enable me to output 5.1 surround sound from my xbox 360 through my pc to my speakers- unfortunately my speakers dont have optical IN)

I'm very fond of upgrading to the X-fi range of soundcards- judging from the comments and reviews i've read. I use my pc for music (mp3s)/ gaming (bf2142, CnC3, CoH etc..)/ movies and tv episodes (xvid/divx). I think a sensible budget of around £50 would do the job?

I've tried googling around but specifications given for the x-fi range of cards are mostly vague and marketing talk takes up most of the literature.

Thanks

 

[1mm3]

X-fi Xtreme Music

Inputs: Digital in, line in, mic via 3.5mm mini-jack Outputs: 3 x 3.5mm mini-jack analogue surround out Audio technologies: CMSS-3D, 24-bit Crystalizer, EAX 1-5, DirectSound3D, OpenAL, ASIO 2, THX-certified, Dolby Digital ES, DTS-ES Extras: Port for X-Fi breakout box

does the digital in refer to the optical in?

also can someone elaborate on what a breakout box is?

Shiwarrior can you please confirm you are using the optical lead from the back of your xbox 360 cable to the optical in on your soundcard?

Thanks

 

[1mm3]

Ah, so this would work out quite expensive. Thanks for the info guys