Conclusion
For something that's essentially free, the VT8235/ALC650 audio we tested was really quite good. The lack of dynamic range is apparent, but using this audio solution won't dramatically slow down your gaming. For low-bit rate MP3s and cheap speakers, VIA's VT8235 south bridge, coupled with Realtek's ALC650 codec, produces audio that should sound good enough for mainstream users and even gamers on budget LAN party rigs.

Hercules' Muse cards did surprisingly well in our listening tests, and should be great for budget PVR or media-centric PCs. Personally, I'd go with the Muse 5.1 DVD over the Muse LT for DVD or movie playback. An extra $10 isn't going to bust the bank, and you get a center channel, extra CD input, and a copy of PowerDVD out of the deal.

Despite the fact that Hercules' representation of the Gamesurround Fortissimo III and Digifire 7.1's maximum audio quality suffers from a case of marketing spin that borders on dishonesty, both cards are quite attractive, especially if you're you're looking for music playback that thumps. Just make sure your subwoofer isn't sitting right next to your PC. The Fortissimo III and Digifire both feature useful digital S/PDIF outputs, but I'm not convinced the 7.1 audio support is going to make much of a difference until the market starts getting 7.1 speaker systems—and until more games and DVDs take advantage of the extra surround channels that Dolby Digital EX provides.

Unless you specifically need Firewire, I'd probably go with the Fortissimo III over the Digifire. $80 is a little steep unless you're actually going to use the Digifire's Firewire ports, especially since the Fortissimo III is available for under $45. Currently, the Digifire 7.1 is only available from a handful of online retailers, so prices may drop as the card becomes more widely available.

Creative's Audigy also features Firewire support, but only costs $60. The card also turned in the most consistent performance across all four genres in our music playback test. However, I can't in good conscience recommend an Audigy to anyone. The massive hype engine touting the Audigy's ability to do 24-bit/96kHz audio is dishonest, and it's soured me on the product overall.

The DMX 6fire 24/96's $250 price tag puts it out of reach of many consumers, but that high price is wholly justified. In the end, the card's audio quality is really in a class all its own. Nothing we tested can hold a candle to the DMX 6fire 24/96's impeccable fidelity, and now that I've heard how good PC audio can be, it's going to be hard settling for anything less.

Of course, the DMX 6fire 24/96 is probably a little too hard-core for most PC enthusiasts, especially those who don't need all that fancy recording hardware. Terratec does make the DMX 6fire LT, which also uses ICEnsemble's Envy 24 chip. The DMX 6fire LT is a full 24-bit/96kHz audio card, but it only has a standard set of analog and digital input and output ports; no 5.25" drive bay insert here. Personally, I haven't heard the DMX 6fire LT, but if it sounds as good as its big brother, it's a tempting option at only $150.

Terratec DMX 6fire 24/96 Hercules Gamesurround Fortissimo III 7.1 January 2003

Unfortunately, concluding this article leaves me with a sense of emptiness. The audio card that I really want doesn't exist, yet. Ideally, I'd like a true 24-bit/96kHz audio card that sounds as good as the DMX 6fire 24/96, features at least 5.1 output channels and digital S/PDIF input and output ports, and sells for around $100 for a bare card and driver CD. Is that too much to ask? Hopefully not, because that's what I'll be looking for when more Envy24-based audio products hit the market.

In the meantime, I'm going to let Terratec's DMX 6fire 24/96 and Hercules Gamesurround Fortissimo III 7.1 share the limelight as my Editors Choices. The DMX 6fire 24/96 is unquestionably the best PC audio card I've ever heard, and it's around the same price as a GeForce4 Ti 4600. In my experience, audio cards survive more upgrade cycles, so it's probably a better deal over time. If the DMX 6fire 24/96's price is out of your league, then Hercules' Gamesurround Fortissimo III 7.1 is a hell of a deal at under $45. With future-proof support for 7.1 audio, a good performance in our listening tests, and an S/PDIF output, the Fortissimo III is my affordable pick of today's litter.