Is analog going to be faded out?
 

I'm a bit curious as to where analog 5.1 is going. With the new creative HD card being digital 5.1 and most if not all other cards being dolby digital, I wonder if that is the way it's all going to be. Anyone here with some thoughts on this? Thanks.[Maybe ROBSCIX will be here]

All computer-based sound has always been digital converted to analog out for your speakers, so I'm not really sure what you're asking? The only thing I can see is if you're asking if sound card companies will offload the DAC to the sound system (ala digital receivers) via a digital out?

Quite possibly. I guess not many people use computer speakers, especially analog 5.1 kits. And well less and less people buy sound cards these days too.

Geez I thought the trend was going the other way... at least from what I'm seeing on the audio forums I'm on and that's where I'm going. With sound cards (like the Xonar series for example) you get a HQ DAC and a very low noise floor, which eliminates an external DAC and a preamp in some cases and a HQ CD player since you'll be using the computer for music and that will save a ton of $$$ for just as good performance. Maybe not ultra high end - but it gets you most of the way there.

I think that high end sound analog soundcards will always be cheaper than a high end receiver. So I am sure there will be a analog soundcard market for sometime yet.

Considering Vinyl is making a HUGE comeback.. I'll say no.

+1! I hope analog will never be phased out.
keepin' it OG!

Though I very much agree with lowfat "that high end sound analog soundcards will always be cheaper than a high end receiver", I'm interested to see what happens in the industry. With HTPCs becoming more popular, sound card manufacturers seem to be taking a page from the AV industries line of thinking.

1. Most consumers don't like cables.
2. DACs cost money, even cheap DACs.

In the AV market digital is taking over, for better or worse, to keep cost down and because there is more demand. Telling a consumer that he/she can hook up 7.1 surround sound with one cable makes them jump for joy. Most people don't even know what a DAC is, so why bother including it if they aren't going to use it? This is the way the AV market is moving, which anything with HD on it is obviously trying to get into. Entry level blu-ray players have all but done away with analog out, and the receivers have followed suit by removing their multichannel analog ins. It seems odd to me that the soundcard industry seems to be going the opposite and removing analog from their higher end cards.

No, actually it seems digital is taking the back seat in many systems these days.
With new high end audio cards their DAC's are of higher quality then many receivers people are connecting them to...this means digital is actually a downgrade for many.
There has been a few high end cards released but they are more of the exception not the rule.
I don't think analog surround cards are going anywhere, anytime soon.
Many modern soduncards are using some of the best DAC's to be found anywhere.

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic, but...

The two are unrelated. Analog audio loses its theoretical value once it's been converted to digital; all audio processed by your PC is digital. The fewer number of digital to analog transitions the better.