Doc, the Audigy 2 is 24 bit. It cost about $110 extra to get when i bought my computer (here are the specs). I agree that the 16-bit CL sound cards suck horribly , but i have surround sound with my audigy 2, and the sound is quite good. here's my comp stats.

3.06 GHZ w/ 800 MHZ Front Bus
512 DDRAM
120 GB Harddrive
Windows XP

etc. It's one of the best out there.

Now, I'm not really on a tight budget. I have $4000 in the bank, i'm willing to spend about $600 on a recording software program, and i'll probably just get a few good shure mics.

~Incidents