Hello all!
First I just wanted to say that i think this is an awesome forum and i'm glad i found it!

Secondly(and this is my question/problem), I need advice on setting up my sound. I currently have Crown XLS 202 power amp which supplies my Vandersteen 2Ci speakers ( yes i know its overkill to be running this amp but hey, its all i got -=P ) My source of audio is obviously going to be my computer. So my question is this, do i really need to by the E-MU 0404's to suppy good sound? Also, this would mean that i need a 1/4" to XLR cable to goto my amp. So which brand of cables should i be looking at? will any of them do? I'm not much of a sound guy so i need some good advice. And no, i don't use headphones. My setup will follow this path.

computer(what sound card?) -> (what brand 1/4" to XLR cable) -> Crown XLS202 Amp -> Canare Bi Wire Star Quad 4s11 cables -> Vandersteen 2Ci speakers.

Please fill in the blanks, and don't be afraid to add things in, such as a power conditioner?

-Dave

The Emu 0404 has a decent reputation around here, it's probably worth the $100 or a bit less second hand. IMHO with cables if you pay twice as much you might get 2% better performance, so pick your price and buy what you can afford.

Most of your queries can be answered by the cables, power,... sub-forum.

http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=32

You can talk about power conditioning all day there.

I noticed that the 0404 has unbalanced 1/4" outputs and the 1212M has balanced 1/4" outputs. How much does this matter? and what should i use as interconnects if i have the 0404's?

I don't really know to much about balanced inputs and outputs. However for my interconnects from the 0404 to PPA i just use Cardas Cables With 1/4" -> RCA.