Sound Card Recommendation

[solso]

I have E4C earbuds and have never used a sound card other than what is onboard. I listen to music a couple of hours each day on my computer, as well as play video games. Am I missing out? Or is this money better spent on a headphone amp that I can use when I listen to music on my iPod? My budget is somewhere around $50, perhaps as high as $100 if I hear that my money will be well invested. Thanks for the advice .

 

[PurdueRy]

Question....what format is most of your music in?

 

[solso]

I have a lot of high bitrate MP3s, some WMAs, and some other.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: solso
I have a lot of high bitrate MP3s, some WMAs, and some other.

Personally I wouldn't think a headphone amp is necessary for something like the Shure's. They are designed for low power applications.

As for a sound card, something like the chaintech AV-710 can provide high quality stereo output(using the rear channels). That should do the trick.