What speakers are good???

[grandchehaw]

Can a sound card that is rated for 5.1 go backwards with a 4.1 speaker setup?

[EndobioticChaos]

embj - you say you want it mainly for music and movies? There's just one sound card for you... the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz. I've got one myself, and it's just plain good. I also picked up a set of Z-540s last night, based on that deal posted in the Steals and Deals forum. Naturally, not a HUGE improvement over my Z-340s, but heck, I can sell my 340s for enough to cover the cost. It's worth it. Anyway, with my current setup I'm very well satisfied for the time being.

Can a sound card that is rated for 5.1 go backwards with a 4.1 speaker setup?

Of course. A sound card rated for 5.1 can do anything from headphones to 5.1 surround sound.

[embj]

Well, today I got the Altec-Lansing AVS500. They are 4.1's. I still have my old sound card seeing it still hooks up to it. The only reason I go these is because Office Max had an instant rebate which brought 'em down to $30. Then I had a coupon card that I got in the mail that gave me another $10 off. So I got them for $20.