[wadec22]

So I finally ordered an Asus Xonar Essence to see what all the fuss is about.  I'm very excited to compare it to my current setup. One thing that will be a hickup if I like the Essence enough to keep it.... I did TONS of comparing between CMSS-3D and Dolby Headphone for gaming and teh X-Fi solution was MUCH better.
 
If I enjoy the Essence enough to keep it.... Is it possible to keep both cards, have the x-fi feed the essence CMSS-3D, then output to my headphones?  Worth a try anyway....

 

[KnightK]

I would tentatively say yes, if you connected the optical out of one to the optical in of the other. Not sure how well that works b/c... well .... I've never tried it before
 

 

[ROBSCIX]

Yes, I know people that use multiple soundcard in a single system. 
You can use digital but it may introduce some latency....
I would recommend a program we developed a few years back called "Velbac" it does the same thing except it links the cards internally using low latency ASIO drivers.
However, I have never tried both those cards in a Velbac configuration.