[dallasstar]

Hi. I've recently been concentrating on upgrading my components for the sake of headphones, but now I want to get into the 5.1 computer speaker market (currently looking at Aoustic Energy Aego PC 5 speakers), but I want to make sure I have a decent source first. Does anyone have any recommendations for good 5.1 USB or Firewire soundcards? I want it able to have both analog and optical 5.1 support, with the optical supporting DTS/Dolby passthrough.

So far, the only non-creative solution I've found that looks decent is the Sonica Theater 7.1 by MAudio. Could someone possibly tell me how the sound of this card compares to the Transit (just so I have a standard by which to judge)?

Thanks for the help, guys.

edit: I just also discovered Terratec Aureon 5.1 USB and Aureon 7.1 FireWire. Anyone know about this card?

Also, I have one more question: If a soundcard is connected to an external receiver via optical cable, will the soundcard only send the Dolby/DTS signals via optical, or will it also be able to send 2 channel sound that isn't necessarily Dolby/DTS (sorry, I have very little experience with this stuff)? In other words, is it necessary to connect the sound card via analog and optical cables to the receiver or not? (If not, then I won't have to buy a new card since the Transit will suffice, right?)

 

[mikechai]

Put the Philips Aurilium into your consider list.
But then its not the best, and it might be too cheap for you.

 

[dallasstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikechai Put the Philips Aurilium into your consider list. But then its not the best, and it might be too cheap for you.

I already have the Aurilium and was hoping for something better

.