Quote: I'm probably about 55% gamer, 45% music.  I was hoping to stay away from creative products due to personal bad experiences.. would I be better going with this card or getting a USB DAC for my E9?

Total audio newb here, would you guys consider this an upgrade from my current X-Fi Fatality Pro + fiio E9? Or would you recommend something else?  I'm using HD595's right now.  

No updates yet?  I'm starting to think this is some type of mystical creature like a leprachaun or a unicorn. I'm debating if I should just get an external amp for my X-Fi titanium until this card comes out.

Would you guys consider a new STX for $160.00 shipped a decent deal?

I was looking at the Audio-GD Sparrow you recommended.. but with shipping it came out to around $160.00 shipped. The exact same price as a xonar.  Wouldn't I benefit from a preamped soundcard instead?

I could.. but how am i gonna impress the ladies with just one video card?  :)    Besides.. I've had the vidcards for over a year and they still perform quite well compared to some of the newer cards out. (was able to OC the **** out of em)   I dunno.. im kinda turned off by creative products...

I've tried everything from troubleshooting the motherboard, drivers, bios firmware, different PCIe slots, etc.  The cracking and popping seems to get worse when plugged directly into the sound card vs. the front expansion bay.  The onboard sound doesn't give me problems what so ever.  The only...

Hello, im a total newb and need some advice.  Currently I'm running a Creative X-FI Fatal1ty "Champion series" (lol)  with a pair of Sennheiser HD595 headphones.  Would it be worth upgrading my current card to an Asus Xonar Essence STX or would I be better off getting an external amp?   I've...