I've been using Sound blaster cards for awhile now. Back in the late 90s, motherboard audio was nonexistent or atrocious. Since then I can say they have definitely improved sound. Using the Asus Z77V series as a reference, they have definitely come a long way from the earlier days. (Not counting the C64 or Amiga of course which were both ahead of their time,) Still, I would notice something missing from music or the occasional crackle in sound. If you work with MID..