I need a soundcard, around the $200 range, best for music listening. I don't need anything for recording or line in, as the most I'd use it for is yahoo voice, just listening to music in foobar2000 through speakers.

I was thinking of the audigy, until I saw the strict criticism it recieved.

I'd be using it for speakers only. I have always used headphones(all I have is a clock radio and laptop speakers), and after listening to a cheap $15 pair of speakers, even that sounded better than using headphones constantly. It simply sounded better from speakers than headphones, different feeling. It'd probably be an expensive 2.1 speaker set, 4.2 or 5.1 MAYBE, if I could find out how to get that set up so the speakers weren't on the floor in the room with the new computer. Something minimum 200-500 watts to go above the volume of how loud the computer'll be with a 3 GHz HT 800 MHz bus P4

It's required, simply out of conviencence, that it's available on newegg.com

I would go for a Terratec
DMX 6FIRE 24/96 for a really good one, the way cheaper Aureons look fine too though. From what you write, the cheapest Aureon 5.1 for 40$ (with EAX1+2/A3D) should be just fine. It even has digital in/out.

Thanks

Do you know any brands that are good that are on newegg.com though, I'd like to order this all in one piece.

I'd get an M-Audio Revolution (but then again, I'm kind of biased because I have one B)). A friend of mine has an M-Audio Audiophile 2496 and that sounds great too - it has more input options, but you said you didn't need that stuff so the Revolution is a better choice for you.

Looks good to me.

Yep

200 watts minimum??? Are you joking?

??
Wasn't that Newegg special offer?

What, too low or too high?

All I've listened on is a portable with $20 sony headphones, laptop speakers(piano would stress them), and some freebies that came with a 6 year old computer with integrated sound. *Anything*, would be an upgrade. B)

Too high.I have 80 watt amp and 100 watt speakers and they play fucking loud (at 1/4)

The fact how loud your setup will be, and especially how good it will sound will depend on a lot more factors then just watt numbers. The resistace te speakers operate on, etc. also plays a role. Amongs many other factors.

Usually high Watt numbers are used by manufacturers to hide other deficiencies and fir marketing purposes. You can indeed get more then enough Volume out of 2 times 80 watts and probably even less. At least as long as your living room is not the size of a warehouse.

As far as PC speakers go you can probably get a set of logitech 540's for a decent price. They are loud enough with 40 watts and sound quite decent for beeing PC speakers. I think everything higher is a bit overdone when it comes to PC speakers. But then thats my opinion. If you really want to spend more money, I wuld rather go for a set of conventional speakers. But then, thats just my opinion.

Yey!

This room is about 2 3/4 by 2 3/4 yards for the computer, so size is no prob. Finally, having a house with small rooms pays off.

I just thought that'd be good, after trying some JVC in best buy that was 350w, so I thought 200'd have to be minimum if a cheap stereo was 350w.

So far it's either Klipsch or Logitech, I'm leaning towards logitech since they look pretty cool, I'll have to see which has better sound though. *browses through newegg again*

I listen to most of my music on my computer. I don't like switching CDs, and at home, I am usually on the computer when listening to music(I need to be doing something while listening to music), and all my music stays on my computer in APE+CUE while my CDs are somewhere in the attic, use it for games now, so it just sounded practical to use the computer for music. And.... I get most of my stuff from the computer to begin with

Thanks for the help all. B)

Differenciam: please stop talk talking about watt... believe me this doesn't make any cense!!! Numbers showed by most manufacturer are just crap and to say a system make more noise just because it has more “watt” is completely stupid actually.

Well Differentiam actually stopped talking about Watts exactly 8 days ago (date of last post before you) and thanked everyone for their help. Any reason why you uselessly have to bring this back up.