I wanted a card to replace my ageing Creative AWE64 ISA card, as it was reproducing DVD tracks very noisily. I looked for an inexpensive card (well under $100 Cdn) that would be "future-proof" and also have good technical specs. Signal-to-noise ratio was the most important, as that was where the AWE64 failed on DVD (it was still terrific for CD audio and CD-ROM audio). Although the Fortissimo doesn't quite reach Creative Audigy standards, it is just fine for the type of speakers most people connect to a PC. I use a LabTec LCS-2412 system (monitor mounted L+R plus desk subwoofer). I do not have a 5.1 setup yet, so I cannot comment on those aspects. Without access to test equipment, I would say it is a notch better than my old AWE64, and is much more versatile. The Fortissimo's real-life specs are: down 0.51db at 20kHz, A-weighted SNR -81.2, Harmonic distortion 0.0084%, IM distortion 0.039%, Dynamic Range 78.4db.