USB Sound: Sound Blaster Live?

Sorry if it's the wrong forum but no one seems to go to the "upgrades" one and lots of people are talking about audio on this one.

I've had my A8Jm for a while and the sound just won't do. Mind you it's not bad for integrated audio, but I'm itching for my desktop system whenever it comes to sound. Things are just muddled; I can't hear the details that I used to and classical music just does not sound right. That's about par for laptop audio though. Also, to many peoples' chagrin, there are no Expresscard cards out yet.

Thus I want an external card. There really aren't many out there, from what I saw. I'm going to be hooking these up to my Logitech Z-560 4.1 THX set, which sounds quite nice, as well as Bose Triport headphones. The only two cards that I found that supported 4.1 analog output were the Audigy NX and the Live! 5.1 External. The NX doesn't seem to exist anymore, so that leaves the 5.1.

Anyone tried these who can comment on their quality or can suggest an alternative that is available in Canada and costs <$100? I just came back from making a piano recording in a studio so I've got a better idea of how high audio quality can go. My setup, while good, can't take advantage of that, but it comes reasonably close. What I'm looking for is clear, balanced sound. Obviously it does not have to be reference quality, but I want to be able to hear the details in my music. I want a guitar string to twang and reverbrate naturally and if a pianist takes a breath I expect to hear it. If you've heard Glen Gould play before, I should be able to hear his mumbling.

 

OH yes, absolutely, Glenn Gould. A genius. Good to see that someone else listens to him.

If you are looking for a good sound card, you are in a slump since there isnt anything for expresscard.

You can try out the AudioAdvantage series by Turtle Beach. They seem to be the only ones providing a fairly decent (so-so) USB solution.

Don't expect to hear Glenn Gould's voice while he plays Chopin's "Pastorale" piano transcription. This is truly meant to be heard on a home stereo system that has PSB (canadian) or Rega (british) speakers.

 

You can also check out the Philips Aurilium USB sound card, its not a bad external card, and is about $70~ when I bought it.

 

Coriolis - looks like a really good choice. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be that portable of a solution.

Definitely the kind of thing you can have when at home.

 

Whoa, I can't go that high-end yet. Maybe after 6 years when I've graduated and have had a job for a while . Decreasing marginal benefit; my current set is pretty darned good already for a non-enthusiast level listener.

Coriolis: any word on where I can find the card? Portability is not a big issue. The card is for my dorm/home and will have my Z-560s hooked up to them. As long as I can take it from home to university without too much hassle it's all good. They also have to be able to handle 4.1 sound without an external decoder.

Have any of you heard the Live! 5.1? As long as the sound card's good enough that my speakers are the limiting factor I'll be happy for the time being.

Lastly, gautam: I've heard Gould play Beethoven and Chopin and to be honest, I wasn't quite as impressed as I was with his Bach. I listened to a recording of a Beethoven sonata I played (can't remember which but it starts with an f-minor arpeggio from a C) and I didn't like it at all. Can you send me a link to the "Pastorale?" On a somewhat related note, the first time I hooked up Bose Triports to my iPod with a high-bitrate recording of the Well-Tempered Clavier, I flipped 'cause I thought someone was behind me. Apparently my piano teacher was pretty creeped out too when she listened to him alone in a big room.