Jim,
Thank you for the detailed reply! There is much to learn...it never stops smile I guess, unless it is fine lab equipment, neutrality is always subjective. In most of our application use, I presume the main component is a quality (and neutral) DAC hardware.

It is my understanding that crappy DAC hardware would not reproduce sound accurately.

For some time I was considering some of higher end SB audio cards, but it seems, as you mentioned, it is targeted for gamers. I finally found a device at very fair price that I was looking at for a long time, which Apogee One. Supposedly it has very good DAC / hardware. Plus it can be used as an interface and it even has onboard mic. I think it could be a perfect companion for auditioning, mixing and even recording sketches / ideas. Not as a main interface, but something compact. Plus I love that it has a huge volume/level knob right in center smile