Let's face it; most of us aren't going to record vinyls. Most of us are in it only for the listening experience. So if you have a laptop and want to enjoy 5.1 then this is the sound card for you. They have a little bang for everyone:
1. EAX Effects for gaming enthusiasts
2. Virtual Surround (the CMSS button you can see) re-creates any audio coming into your sound card into 5.1. Uncannily effective. Music enthusiasts: get ready to be blown away.
3. Optical out for those who want to connect high-def audio systems.
4. Line in: if you're a guitarist and want to use your card as an electronic amp, there's a line in for you.
5. SPDIF and DIN ports.
Use them with a good audio system like the Logitech X-540 and you've got yourself a very good bargain.
The X-540:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-X-540-Multimedia-Speaker-System/dp/B000LBHFMO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1203950090&sr=1-1
And for those of you who may have heard that using audio splitters like these ones:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000CI3480
from Belkin can enable you to cheaply connect all 3 audio jacks to one of your laptops output ports, don't even think about it. I tried it, and I thought the speakers sounded good, but when I got the sound card, I was literally transported to another realm. The speakers sound miles better using the sound card.
Needless to say, they play any 5.1 format (DTS, Dolby, DTS-EX, DTS-ES, AAC) effortlessly with discrete and loud sound coming from all channels.
Of course, with DTS-EX and DTS-ES, you don't get the rear centre channel because this is not a 6.1 sound card but a 5.1. Investing in a 6.1 card is infinitely more expensive and then you need a 6.1 audio system as well, and they're not cheap either. Plus, if all you've ever been using is a 2.1 system, you won't notice the difference. There are also very few 6.1 movies and games. The only such movie I know of is Lord of the Rings. Oh yes, try Lord of the Rings on your new 5.1 system. You'll find out why one of the Oscars it got was for sound mixing.