Asus Xonar DX vs. Auzentech Forte

[Arcnor]

I'm planning on including a sound card in my planned build -- I'll primarily be using the new PC for gaming, mostly with a good-quality headset (still researching that part), so that'll be the main demand on the audio system, but I'd also like decent music quality from any prospective sound card; a tertiary concern is okay quality from a 2.0 or 2.1 speaker set for TV and movies, so full 7.1 surround isn't really an issue.

Some of the features I'd like are a card that uses PCI-e x1 rather than PCI (I'm looking at a Gigabyte X58-UD5 motherboard, and it has a couple x1 slots nicely tucked away above all the graphics card slots, so that'll just prevent any problems if I decide to go Crossfire in future), and front header connectors (I've noticed a lot of high-end cards delete that feature for some strange reason). So basically I've boiled it down to either a Xonar DX or an Auzentech Forte. I think the Forte ought to be the better of the two, but from what I can tell it's not too well supported on the driver front, and people have run into trouble because of this. Does anyone have any experience/comments on either of these cards, or suggestions for alternatives?

Thanks, all.

[Snarl]

I can't comment on the Xonar Dx although I believe it's an excellent card. I do have the Auzentech Forte and love it, the headphone amp sounds amazing and it's been bug free in my system.

Good Luck

[lowfat]

The Forte is generally a better card but it is almost always quite a bit more money.

[BootlegUsher]

They actually just released new drivers for the forte, and NCIX has 40 dollar off sales almost every week.

Does anyone have any experience with the Bravura? I like how it is full form factor, I hate putting small form factor things in my full tower.

[technix]

Just curious, how long is the Forte? Looks pretty long for a sound card. I might need a sound card for a build... not sure yet. I'm pretty picky about my sound although the current build (will eventually be a 2nd) is just an Audigy 2ZS.

[JerryZ]

Forte all the way. Headphone amp with good headphones is amazing. The sound is also amazing if you have decent speakers.