Need help picking the right sound card for my needs!

[Mavvens]

Hi folks!

I'm a little outdated in sound card, I remember the old time with the sound blaster 16...
Woooo
^^

I got a pair of HD 570 (sennheiser) and I currently use the on board sound.
I would like to switch for a sound card but I don't know witch one should I choose...

I got a budget of 100$ can for this. I don't plan to get 7,1 or even 3,1 audio speaker for the moment. I play game and I play music mostly. The card must be pcie (space available), and must be as small as possible (water cooling is taking a lot of space in this setup...)

As all enthusiast should do, I made my little research! And there are the result:

The asus xonar DX 7.1
or
The auzentech forte (at the 150$, does it really worth it for my needs?)

Waiting for your reply, comment, whatever!
;)

[E}{ile BFG OC 4GHZ]

I would choose the auzentech

It is probably one of the best sound cards out there

[jcmaz]

You should get the Xonar DX coz it is in your budget and it is a good soundcard.

[Mavvens]

And I will be able to ear a difference?

[jcmaz]

You'll hear the improvements from a soundcard coming from onboard (ie: crispness, more 3d, i heard more and clearer footsteps in CS) but i'm not sure whether you can hear the difference between 2 highend sound cards tho...

[Raserei408]

At that price point, if you can find one and have an available PCI slot, I think the HT Omega Striker is your best bet. Had I $100 for a sound card, it's what I'd go for.

[SugarJ]

+1 for the Xonar DX. I love mine. Keep in mind it needs a floppy power plug to it though.

[Mavvens]

Let's do some synthesis:

I like the auzentech forte because it is small and doesn't take much space, it's fully packed with a lot of feature. and It's pcie! The amplified audio jack headphone is a must.
I don't like the price point, but fully understand it for all the feature it have.
I won't use it for 7,1 audio.

I like the Xonar Dx, I fit in my budget, but doesn't seem to have the exact feature that I really want...

Maybe I'm gonna sleep, and will know it tomorrow morning...
^^

[Mavvens]

Auzentech forte 7.1