I've had the SoundBlaster 5.1 since November, but haven't really done too much with it since we weren't home for six weeks shortly after I installed it. I don't have the Live Drive, although I probably will get one at some point. My problem is that my Dell computer has only two 5.25" bays on the front and they're both filled. I did a little recording with my old Turtle Beach card and I was pretty happy with what I was able to accomplish with a little effort. Certainly nothing audiophile, but pretty decent sound nonetheless. I did just a short little snippet yesterday just to test something or the other and was pleased with the sound of the SB. But I can't give you any definitive advice since I really haven't put the card through its paces yet myself.