Startech 7.1 Ch Pci Digital Surrounding Sound Card

Title : Startech 7.1 Ch Pci Digital Surrounding Sound Card
ASIN : B002I9L3X4
Description : StarTechcom 71 CH PCI DIGITAL SURROUND SOUND ADAPTER CARD 24 BIT UK PCISOUND7 Components Sound Cards
Features :

• Connectivity technology: Wired
• Host interface: PCI
• Interface: Sound Card
• Compatible operating systems: Windows 2000/XP/Se
• Chipset: VIA Tremor VT1723

List Price : £30.54
Price : £13.36
Saved Price : £17.18

category: Products
brand: StarTech
Item Page Detail URL : link
Rating : 4.2
Review : Product good for price but somewhat lacking.
It works fine and as expected so there's not much to say on that front, my problem lies with the audio software this card uses.
Because it uses it's own software it disables the standard Windows audio manager, which would be okay if it's own software wasn't somewhat lacking.
It has no equaliser like the standard Windows software and offers pretty much none of the enhancements either. It also has the 'feature' of lowering the volume of music playing (through iTunes) if any other audio is playing such as Youtube or video ads on web pages. I find this quite annoying and have yet to figure out how to disable it - if I wanted my music to be quieter I would lower the volume myself.

The price of this card is its main selling point and of course for such a good price it is a fine buy - but I am still somewhat disappointed by the functionality of the software and I would suggest spending that wee bit more on a card from a more established manufacturer.
Build quality...