Currently, I have enough problems with my Creative sound cards (both of them the fatal1ty pro and zxr...) I just need something that works every time to create a surround sound experience for gaming. I'm already sold that it works, Source engine games, Borderlands 2, Payday 2 etc I have experienced it's potential. I've already spent enough on my PC and audio system, couple of grand each. Being aware of my surroundings and having LFE is enough for me to keep going down this route. I have a few options here... 1) Sticking with my sound cards, using the surround analog outputs to my amplifier (Onkyo SR604). And hope for the best. As I have said before it does work, it just doesn't work every time. 2) HDMI via a graphic card. So which camp is better here Green or Red. Btw in this case it will be a 290x equivalent, so a 780 or Ti. If I do go for a graphic card I'll be returning to single GPU gaming but without too much of a performance hit compared to a 690. I'm still running on full HD monitors so that won't change until 2160p monitors get cheaper or I get the cash to buy one. 3) SPDIF (Optical) Both of my sound cards can never detect the amp but I do get Dolby Digital Live being outputted so it does work. But that's the same really with or without the graphic card. 4) Smyth Research Realiser A8 This is the joker in my hand. Surround sound gaming in my headphones. This is the alternate albeit the most expensive option. I've tried Razer Surround, the Creative HRTFs, Razer Tiamat 7.1 so far and none them had a satisfactory answer to my question. The Razer Surround flops terribly, Creative drivers and the audio quality and the comfort for Tiamat was a nightmare. Honestly haven't tried out a system based on an A8 but it seems to be a great way to experience surround... Cons would be the cost. The A8 alone is around 3k USD, additional Audeze LCD-2, Oppo BDP 105, a decent headphone amp and these would basically cost about the same as my home theater and gaming PC (excluding my more expensive monitors from CEED).
