Price Paid:  $80.00

Summary:
It gives pretty good sound, but otherwise it sucks so much. Had troubles installing it and when managed to do that it makes my computer really unstable.

Summary:
Well I have found that quality coming out of my speakers is better. Of course I have an AMP in computer and it is hooked to my $500> surround sound system. I have had many sound cards the Aureal Vortexs are the best in my case. I Have a Soundblaster 32AWE, and does it suck on sound output. My friend has a SoundBlaster Live! and KLispch Speakers and it does not come close to my system on the quality.

Summary:
This without a doubt the best sound card for games. It beats the Live! in many areas, especially in Thief . For example, when Garrett is climbing a ladder in Thief 2 using a SoundBlaster Live X-Gamer , I did not hear teh sound coming off the ladder 9his footsteps) using the SQ2500 I heard it loud and clear!
In MP3 playback using the Real Jukebox Plus, this sound card rocks! Very clear and no crackling sounds on Athlon boards.

Summary:
I've always wanted to use this card to actually hear what I've been hearing. So I immediately bought this Vortex 2 2500. I was excited to put it in my computer and hook up my stereo speakers. I had to test the sound that they said that can produce 3D sound using 2 speakers. After all the installation of the card and drivers which was easy enough, my speakers did sound different but astounding. I didnt go straight to the games but I tried the Aureal demos first. The best is the helicopter demo because its supposed to go around you. And it does simulate 3D in a good but not excellent way. Its hard to recognize where the sound is coming if its supposed to be at the back. But is front, left and right is excellent.

I tried my surround Klipsch speakers and the sounds are jaw dropping. The surround sound is great and this is still the best way to set up a cool sound system for your computer.

Midi sounds are relatively ok, but its not like Yamaha XG boards. It can produce a lot of sounds than a regular Midi but it doesnt give a good punch as Yamaha did.

The bundled sofware includes Drakan, Heretic 2, Slave Zero: Limited Edition, Aureal Vortex Player, Flatland Rover, Future Beat 3D, MIDI Orchestrator 32 and AudioView 32.

The bundles are great and sounds great too. But on the gaming side, they should have not chosen Drakan and Slave Zero. Both of those games require a lot of hardware, of someone bought this and his computer cannot handle the requirements it would be a dissapointment, cuz he can only play Heretic 2.

I recommend this for people using stereo speakers and headphones. Surround Sound is also great.