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There's an old card by Diamond called the Monster MX400. It's an awesome card that I think is better than the audigy. That card was always rock solid and I think had better sound. It's not made anymore but you can get em on ebay for like $10. Can't beat that. Untill something far better comes out, I'm using the MX400 in all new systems.
Really... that's a 5.1? Only $10 and you say it's better than these $50+ cards? Odd, I'll check it out.
Audigy LS sounds like a decent card, it has most of the good stuff for $50, whereas the Audigy 2 gives you a few more features for twice the price and the Platinum for $200 has pretty much everything anyone could ever want but most people don't need.
I don't know much about other audio cards, but my audigy 2 is great. It has a fool-proof GUI and comes with good software. I haven't hooked up any 5.1 speakers yet though. :dunno: