Audigy Platinum eX, great for those seeking fantastic sound.

Background
I bought this card as an upgrade to a SB live! sound card, mainly because I wanted to step up to the next level of sound, and the price was right.

I do not know a whole lot about computers, and was kind of scared about putting something like this in, although I had done upgrades before. Suprisingly, intallation was a breeze. The directions were easy to follow and accurate as well. From start to finish, it probably took me about 30 minutes to intall both hardware and software. Software installation was also very easy, no problems whatsoever. Overall a medium sized project for the average computer user, but definately does not require any professional installation.

As far as sound quality, I immediately noticed an huge difference from my previous sound card. The sound was much fuller and crisper, and overall much clearer. This card has many features that you wont find on run of the mill cards, such as advanced EAX High Definition sound, many different FX modes, and true 24bit/192khz audio resolution. To go along with all this, there is a remote control which can be used to control everything on the sound card, as far as many different programs, including Internet Explorer and WinAmp. The menus are easy to navigate, and very simple, so there is no confusion when trying to change certain features.

I/O
The external bay has RCA in, optical in, optical out, headphones, mic 2 in, midi in/out, and firewire ports. Firewire, although use is not currently widespread, is the best new thing in transfer rates. At many times faster than USB ports, firewire is the cutting edge of digital transfer. Along with the external drive, the actual card itself has the traditional inputs found on a sound card such as headphones, microphone, and line out.
This sound card also has full 5.1 capabilities, allowing you to watch DVDs and listen to 5.1 CDs in full surround sound, making full use of the technology available today.
Overall, tons of inputs clearly marked and easy to use.

Software
This card comes bundled with a ton of software, great for those of us who are serious sound buffs, and even those who just enjoy fooling around with new software. Included in the software package is a video editing software, digital track editing software, several mixing studios, and a few other programs. I must say that I don't use most of them, but the ones I do use, such as mixing studio and video editing, are very easy to use, and also have a great deal of features. The card was a great deal without the software, but the software package honestly puts this card over the edge.

Other random details
I play a fair share of computer games, and the advanced EAX is great for getting a new depth of sound to your games, especially 3D games such as first person shooters.

I listen to a lot of different genres of music, and the different FX allow me to optimize my sound for a specific genre, with simply 2 mouse clicks.

The creative taskbar, which is completely customizable, allows you to have all of your favorite features just a click away, very convenient.

Overall, this is possibly the best sound card available for home use, and provides great sound for digital or analog speakers, stereo or 5.1, large or small. If you are looking to upgrade to an audiophile level card for you computer, look no further.