When building a Home Theatre PC it is very important to use a sound card that includes at least Dolby Digital Live (DDL). DDL allows you to hear sound over your Hi-Fi system when an application running on your Home Theatre PC does not support Dolby Digital. All Hi-Fi systems understand Dolby Digital. Without DDL you would hear no sound when you are outside of Windows Media Centre.
We were very disappointed with Auzentech's X-Fi Prelude Sound Card as DDL was not available on this card in hardware, which made it unsuitable for Home Theatre PC use.
ASUS have no forgotten the gamers out there as the ASUS Xonar DX includes EAX 5.0!
The ASUS Xonar DX is receiving rave reviews over the internet and it's no surprise considering it has an incredible SNR of 116 dbs and excellent build quality, easily making this card a high-end Sound Card and a must have if you are considering building a Home Theatre PC and want exceptional sound quality!
Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.