When i got my EVGA 680 i was quite happy with the sound of the onboard audio. As it was a HD chip and quite high spec i thought it would suffice until i had the funds for a seperate sound card.
After doing a bit of research and weighing up the cost vs quality area i decided to buy the Bluegears b-enspirer. This is essentially the same as the Razor Baracuda but without the inflated price. It has DTS Connect/Neo PC/Dolby Prologic IIx/Dolby Digital Live, supports 5.1/7.1 and has spdif in/out that i wanted for my Logi 5500's.
I have to admit i was supprised at the difference in quality. It was immediately noticable on mp3's and DVD's. When i play games the 2channel sound is upmixed by the card into a DTS signal and pushed out to my speakers as 5.1 (who needs EAX!).
So to anyone wondering if they should change to a seperate sound card.... do it!
After doing a bit of research and weighing up the cost vs quality area i decided to buy the Bluegears b-enspirer. This is essentially the same as the Razor Baracuda but without the inflated price. It has DTS Connect/Neo PC/Dolby Prologic IIx/Dolby Digital Live, supports 5.1/7.1 and has spdif in/out that i wanted for my Logi 5500's.
I have to admit i was supprised at the difference in quality. It was immediately noticable on mp3's and DVD's. When i play games the 2channel sound is upmixed by the card into a DTS signal and pushed out to my speakers as 5.1 (who needs EAX!).
So to anyone wondering if they should change to a seperate sound card.... do it!
but still works out way cheaper that the current alternatives 