I've always been pretty savvy at building my own computers and setting up a/v equipment but I'm a little stuck at the moment....I just built a new computer and am starting to revamp my home audio. Most of the files I am listening to are FLAC or some other lossless audio. I have a very moderate budget but am still trying to get the best sound possible. Currently I have my pc hooked to a Deneon avr-1610 through spdif. Ultimately I will get the Marantz 1403 with a separate amp for my mains (Aperion verus grand bookshelf). Right now I have an older X-Fi sound card that Im looking to upgrade. My dilemma is what is the best way to go about getting the best audio quality out of my pc as a source. I was looking into the Xonars (Essence stx or xonar dsx). Im not sure if the essence will give me better sound for what Im using it for....or also the M-Audio's Audiophile 2496 or 192....And on any of those would I get better sound through the spdif or just the analog plug into the rca jacks on the receiver? And also does software make a big difference? Im using Foobar at the moment but heard J River is good as well. Im really just looking for the best, cleanest sound, 2 channel audio out of my pc as I have a PS3 for blu-rays and surround sound and such. I do use the pc for gaming quite a bit so I would like something that supports dts connect or dd live if possible but if it means losing those for a much better sound quality option i would be ok with that...Any thoughts would be much appreciated, sorry for the lengthy post. Thanks, Keith
