Xonar DS vs the onboard MSI 970 Gaming AudioBoost 2?

Solution
Sound is so personal.

Some users like enhancements one card or another offer(Dolby/SBX/THX/CMSS/ECT).

Some cards even have a higher output voltage and this are louder. Louder does not mean better and all speakers are designed with an input voltage in mind, going higher will just increase distortion when the speakers are tuned up past the design output levels. At the same volume output distortion is now an issue.

The only time I have found this extra voltage to be useful would be if your source is too quiet(better remember to adjust before playing something else).
Well, you are just talking about playback. Usually the onboard audio is just fine for anything you would need. All EQ settings being equal, I doubt you could even tell the difference which audio controller was feeding your Z506 setup.
 
Sound is so personal.

Some users like enhancements one card or another offer(Dolby/SBX/THX/CMSS/ECT).

Some cards even have a higher output voltage and this are louder. Louder does not mean better and all speakers are designed with an input voltage in mind, going higher will just increase distortion when the speakers are tuned up past the design output levels. At the same volume output distortion is now an issue.

The only time I have found this extra voltage to be useful would be if your source is too quiet(better remember to adjust before playing something else).
 
Solution