After reading a bunch of m-audio revolution 7.1 reviews I noticed that all tests were conducted using a 4.1 or higher speaker setup. Every review agreed that the Audigy 2 ZS was MUCH better than the revo for this setup, but would it really matter if you only game using headphones? A few reviews mentioned that the Revo had better side positioning effect whereas the A2 had much better rear/forward positioning. Would having advanced EAX capabilities matter when using headphones as much as speakers?

kikkomaso,

Both Audigy2 and M-Audio Revo, are great cards for the money, but with different caracteristics.

Audigy2 is a the best card for games, it has EAX HD and now EAX4, it has hardware aceleration, which will help your procesor.

Revo, its a better card for music and movies, has better dacs, and its more tweakable, but it doesnt have hardware aceleration, so you will lose some FPS and it doesnt support EAX4 or HD.

IMHO, I think if your preference is games, the audigy has no match, for everything else go with the Revo.

Would having advanced EAX capabilities matter when using headphones as much as speakers?

In short, yes. Maybe even more than speakers, unless the Revo has an effective way to convey front vs. back when wearing headphones. It's not just about positioning though, as many games use EAX engine to simulate the accoustics of various environments and other special effects.

Nuts, I was hoping EAX wouldn't matter with headphones because it's outputting from two channels only. Oh well guess I can't have the best of both worlds. I only play counter-strike competitively and the sound engine uses the old EAX 1.0 engine which is fully supported by the Revo. When I play other games I usually have the sound effects on minimum and listen to music since I don't really have to pay attention. I guess I'll just stick with my A2 ZS since I can't find the Revo 7.1 for sale anywhere locally.