I mean some things that people here actually use...
Again, stop saying such things. It has been established that people
actually use these cards. In fact, one of the users on this board, thorr, has already bought one and loves it. Get over it.
These are well and good if you're a musician and need lots of analog outs but I can't see many people being interested.
When's the last time you had to be a musician to enjoy better sound quality? Thanks to the wonderful concept of convergence, all you need is a good soundcard these days to get good sound in your computer. Allow me to introduce you (again) to Stereophile, one of the lesser known audio publications, and their reviews of higher end soundcards. But maybe you won't accept this either.
Digital Audio Labs CardDeluxe
RME Digi96/8 Pro
RME Digi96/8 PAD
The original question was what are some real alternatives for gaming...
What are you talking about? Can't you read? Let me reiterate what the original post says:
"who else is good for HTPC if games are NOT the driving force? I dont have anything against M-Audio"
How much does the word "not" have to be emphasized before you realize that the starter of this thread does not care about games that much? Perhaps I should put it in caps, bold, italics triple size, and in red.
NOT.
...and HTPC usage, and most of the ones posted before did not fall into that category.
All you need is an 8-output analog expansion board (for RME cards) to get that surround sound for DVDs. What more do you want for the HTPC?
In a forum where members spend thousands of dollars on audio and visual equipment, a few extra hundred dollars for one of the better soundcards available is not that unreasonable. If price is a concern, that's the way it goes. In this life, one has to pay more money to get better quality. Maybe in the next it won't, but that's the reality of this life.