best (gaming) soundcard - exists?

I bought X-Fi Xtreme Audio notebook but it's one big crap. I didn't know it's not real X-Fi - earlier I had A2 ZS PCMCIA - it was better, it has more (useful) options. In Battlefield 2/2142 it's impossible to use "X-Fi" mode, in Teamspeak 2 - sometimes I hear very loud echo or cracks. Default settings - and few days is good.
So - is possoble to find better soundcard than it? X-Fi 34mm or USB versions aren't X-Fi too. 54mm is of course better than integrated soundcard but I'm unsatisfied.
I have SS 3H headset - it worked better with 2ZS.
I'm looking for gaming soundcard - it can be soundcard+headset like G35 (nice voice morphing and possiblility to change trebles as opposed to X-crap) or Megalodon (but Razer's product is little too expensive so it must be really better than Logitech). I heard about Asus xonar U1 -maybe it's better, maybe not. Also I'm thinking about better headset + actual X-Fi, like Sennheiser PC 350 - maybe sound will be much better.
And what about cards by producers like E-MU? Is it good for gaming and voice communication or is it only for DJs or composers etc.?

 

Look at a DAC/amp:

http://www.headphone.com/headphone-amps/amplifiers.php

 

Does Auzentech make anything for notebooks?

 

Pro audio soundcards have no gaming merits, and if you're a casual listener then it's likely to have no audio merits either.

As for 'audiophile' amps / dacs especially those aimed at the head-fi browsing market - well, that path is mined with 'amp of the month' hype and just plain BS in many cases, and you are for the most part better off with a pro audio soundcard and no headphone amp if you consider yourself a bit of an audiophile. This advice comes from a guy with not one, not two, but three Headroom Max's just for starters.

Audio is one of the reasons I don't game on a notebook - although generally speaking of course notebook gaming is a crap experience compared to a desktop one. Given the software-processing limits of the current X-Fi's, you're probably better off with it being outboard - built in to headsets like those you mentioned.

I don't think they're significantly worse than a good CMSS implementation. It's still all 'in your head' of course, but at least even the relatively cheap G35 is capable of decoding 7.1 surround into clearly distinguishable directions if you're paying attention - although game compatibility may vary. EAX is still where it's at for positional audio IMO, but increasingly games don't bother to support it anymore, and with some games it's not clear whether a 'proper' surround signal is actually being fed to the headsets.

CS:S is for example one of the games I prefer handling in 2-channel mode as the 5.1 / 7.1 modes don't seem to handle cues properly in the light of what the surround headsets themselves are capable of.