6fire replacement?

[Matija]

Hi guys,

I'll be upgrading my old PC soon and since I'll finally be switching to something more modern than Windows XP, I need a new sound card. There are no new drivers for my Terratec 6fire.

I have some requirements, though...

* The card will be plugged into a Denon amp - I need quality analog output
* I have no need for 5.1, digital, or fancy sound effects and EQ
* For that matter, I don't want *any* internal resampling to xy kHz and qw bits going on
* RCA jacks would be very nice to have, and so would ASIO
* No stupid control panels and huge drivers that not only take ten seconds to load, but are required for the card to work

I don't know if such a card even exists in 2013.

Money is kind of an issue, but it's also not. Let's cap it at $150, since that'll probably translate to 150€ + VAT, and I don't want to spend any more than that.

Any ideas or recommendations?

 

[ballistic]

Have you though about looking into an external DAC with a USB input?

It's basically the same thing as a sound card but it will sit outside your case and have it's own power supply.

Ah I just looked up that terratec and notice it's an external USB soundcard.

 

[Matija]

Nope, it's an internal card, not the newer USB version. http://www.hwsw.hu/kepek/cikkek/733/DMX6fire2496_Board_and_Module_L.jpg

Honestly, I have no idea how USB "cards" behave. A decade ago they were pretty crappy and prone to sound dropouts. But I'd also like to have an internal card again because the power grid here sucks and has brownouts; I don't have any more room on the UPS.