Ya this audio set up will be from scratch, I haven't owned a sound card since....2002. Was just overwhelmed with the fact that I would have to get the Q701's and an Amp/DAC just for gaming. Looks like I may settle on the headset options then!

Past few days have been a trip trying to figure out what audio solution I want for my gaming rig in January. The headphones/headset I choose are pretty much exclusively for gaming as I could care less about my music.   Choices are pretty much get AKG Q701's and figure out what amp/dac or sound...

  No money wise it would either be getting a Zx or an E17, not both sadly as I didn't budget too much towards audio. I do almost exclusive gaming and could care less about my other audio.

  Hm do you think the ZxR is worth the purchase besides the wasted daughter card and ACM? I'm having trouble deciding between a FiiO E17 and a Z series card.

  Having never used a sound card or external amp/dac before, how will the E17 compare to an internal sound card like a soundblaster Zx? Is the E17 as simple as plugging it into a usb socket and plugging in my Q701's? Do I need to plug in anything else other than the usb to use both the amp/dac...

For those of you using the Sound Blaster ZxR, is it necessary to plug in the daughter board for the main card to function properly? Having trouble figuring out a spot where I can possibly fit the daughter card without ruining aesthetics or blocking air flow.

For you Q701 owners out there, anyone powering these with a FiiO E17? About to pick these up and trying to find a good amp/dac match that's affordable. Not really looking to be blown away into audio nirvana but I do want some quality sound for my gaming.

  Just to make sense out of this, why does the Audio-GD need an asus sound card? Doesn't the external DAC/Amp take the place of a sound card?

So before posting this I figured I'd search the forums and try and find an answer but all I found were posts with people who already had previous equipment or threads that derailed into headphone comfort and such so I'll lay out my situation and budget and hopefully get some solid suggestions...