[Soymilk]

bullet points up front, details / context to follow:
 
-budget: <$100
-no amp needed (already have one)
-50/50 split games / (music movies etc)
 
 
context:
i'm looking for a replacement for my desktop, i had an x-fi elite pro that bit the dust. seeing as last time i really looked into audio stuff was when the x-fi cards were the hot new thing, i wanted to check in to see if the landscape had changed. for a similar budget (<$100), is there any usb dac that would be better suited than simply getting a soundblaster z? i still have my headphone amp, and i know the soundblaster is supposed to have one built in; my thought was if i can spend the full budget on just a dac instead of a dac/amp combo of sorts, maybe i can get better value? i remember last time i looked (~10 years or so ago) the general consensus was that dacs were very poor at positional audio though. is that still the case? if gaming is fairly heavily considered, would i still be best off just getting a soundblaster z?
 
if anyone's curious or makes any difference, the rest of the setup is:
speakers: swan m10 (just ordered, my klipsch promedia 2.1's recently bit the dust too)
headphones: ppa v2 -> dt770pro80 / q701
 
thanks!

 

[DelsFan]

I haven't played a video game since I was young (mid-30's

 ) and had, in my basement, an actual steering wheel and pedal setup for "Need for Speed" on the original Playstation.  Watched on an RCA console TV if I recall correctly. 

  

 
Since no one else has replied, I'll make a couple of observations.
For music:
A dedicated DAC in the $100 range (like a Fiio, Micca, or SMSL - without an amp) to go with your (presumably not junky) headphone amp should kill any DAC in almost any soundcard.  (Think about it, the DAC in even an expensive sound card wouldn't cost/be worth more than $10 or so.) An outboard DAC would allow for great sound through your new (good) speakers, or through your existing amp and headphones.
A DAC/headphone amp combo (again Fiio as well as others make many versions of this) in the $50 to $100 range should still be better than using a good gaming soundcard with your existing headphone amp - with your new (powered) speakers the difference should be even more dramatic since you would be using the outboard DAC instead of the cheap one in your sound card.
So, if your DAC is lacking, it doesn't matter what amp or speakers or headphones you have, the signal reaching it is already degraded.  If it is great, cheap headphones or speakers can sound pretty acceptable.
 
However, there are two points which are still of concern (the first being your primary one):
1) I don't know how these gaming sound cards "create" positional audio, but I'd wager that if it is some trick of algebra and electronics that a stand alone USB DAC will not do this.  As I've said, the USB DAC would, by quite a bit, help to more faithfully reproduce the signal presented from the USB cable and your computer - but that is all it would do. 
2) It seems some of the high-end gaming sound cards offer a microphone - obviously the stand-alone DAC would not.
 
So, for gaming I have no idea how the positional sound from a stand alone USB DAC would compare with a SoundBlaster Z sound card.  I can only say that for music from your powered speakers: after listening through a "cheap" outboard DAC (cheap being $100 instead of $500 or $5000) you would not be able to go back to listening directly from your sound card.
 
I don't know where you live, but I do see a couple of cheap outboard DAC units in the $20 range (not USB, would require an optical out from your computer) - maybe you could try one of those and compare.  The two USB capable DACs I see on Amazon (by micca and SMSL Sanskrit) are in the $100 range - they "should" be great compared to a soundcard DAC, but the positioning aspect is still an unknown.

 

[DangerClose]

 
 if gaming is fairly heavily considered, would i still be best off just getting a soundblaster z?
 
 

 
Probably.  There's a lot of posts around here where people say if you game then get a sound card since they are better at processing game audio.  And the SBZ has a nice (though a bit bassy) DAC and amp too.  
 
Or get an ASUS card, with or without amp.  The DG/DGX amp isn't enough for AKG 701.  I don't remember what amp is in the newer cards.  You mentioned "value."  You might be happy with a DSX or something and using your amp.  Those X-Fi cards (other than the HD) aren't known for great audio compared to the SBZ or Xonars, so any of them should be an improvement.  
 
Otherwise, it's pretty much what standalone DAC you want.

 

[Soymilk]

thanks for the replies i went ahead and ordered a soundblaster zx, it was on sale for <$80. (yes i know i shouldnt use the acm, with the sale the zx was cheaper than the z)

 

[DelsFan]

Sounds a good price for something you know will work.
 
If you run across a friend with one of those inexpensive USB-DAC units - say the under $100 type - orchestrate a loan, compare it with your good sound card relating to both gaming and music, and report back here!