dac/amp or usb soundcard for laptop ?

[oopeteroo]

the on board sound on my laptop is quite crappy, right now iam using SteelSeries Siberia USB 2.0 Soundcard, so i want an upgrade...going to buy shure 840 soon when i got the money, but right now i will enjoy it with my 2.0 speaker
 
dont know a **** about dac/amp is it like a soundcard ?
 
whats the better choice ?
 
Fiio e10
Creative SoundBlaster X-fi GO! Pro
Creative Sound Blaster Recon3D USB
Creative X-Fi Surround 5.1
Asus Xonar U1 Audio Station
ASUS XONAR U3 AUDIO USB
 
or should i buy anything else ?

 

[oopeteroo]

..

 

[phrosty]

I'd go with FiiO's E10 or E17. If you can spend a bit more cash and don't need it to be portable, perhaps wait for NwAvGuy's ODA/ODAC combo to be finished.

 

[bowei006]

the only problem is that most..DON'T HAVE ALL THOSE to compare with. most audiophiles prefer a more desktop unit than an in computer unit past a certain price range. your stuff isn't at that price point yet so it's fine. the E10 and E17 is portable i can tell you that though. the E17 is full portable while teh e10 is only travel portable.