When it comes to upgrading your PC's sound capabilities it's worth remembering not all soundcards are created equal.
Aside from the number of speakers they can support, it's pretty difficult to tell one from another.
They all seem to have a similar specification, allow CD and MP3 playback, enable the user to make sweet music and jazz up games.
Unfortunately for the inexperienced soundcard shopper, there can be a world of difference between them - as proved by Terratec's outstanding Aureon 7.1 Space.
The Aureon has a 24-bit digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) for what Terratec calls 4G (fourth generation) sound. What this means in real terms is exceptionally clear audio.
The card can support up to eight speakers for surround-sound output.
None of the popular PC speaker kits offer a 7.1 package (5.1 is the biggest you'll find) and users will only get the full effect of those extra speakers when watching DVDs.
The Aureon has an optical input and output and a Mic socket, plus several internal CD connectors.
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