Hi there,

I've recently been looking at a good and reasonably priced PC gaming surround sound headset.
I have na integrated soundcard on my motherboard.

Specs:
High Definition 8 channel audio
Supports SPDIF input/output
Audio CODEC: Realtek ALC888
http://www.realtek.com.tw/products [...] ProdID=135

The ALC888 series are high-performance 7.1+2 Channel High Definition Audio Codecs providing ten DAC channels that simultaneously support 7.1 sound playback,......

The software I have on my computer seems to have options for 7.1 surround sound.
Also at the back of my computer i have what seems to be 6 ports for audio.

Now I take it that my integrated sound card can support 7.1 surround sound, is this true ?
If it is, does that mean its also backwards compatible with 6.1, 5.1 etc?
Also are all of that also true for surround headsets, or are there differeces when dealing with speakers and headsets?
Do I have to watch out for USB headsets or doesnt it matter?

Sorry for all the dumb questions but I really have very little knowledge about sound and any help/advice would be
awesome .

Thanks upfront !

Yes, 7.1 fully backward compatible. And there is no physical difference for headphones in term of connectors. Settings for headphones only chance surround effect to make it sound better. If you use 2.0 stero on headphones, it'll still work fine.

Many thanks for the quick reply !

Now all I have to do is find a good headset

Sennheiser Cans are definetly ftw. In my experience they make the best 'phones at any price level, my HD595s are quite frankly outstanding. I was utterly suprised at the depth of the sound, the clearness of the highs and the unmuddled bass. The soundstaging was also very impressive and immersive.

Bearing in mind my usual stereo is a $20k Wilson Benesch/Audionet/Nordost rig, i was suprisingly impressed at the ability of the HD595s.