> and the audio enthusiasts moved on to external DACs and $2000 headphones While good studio-grade audio monitors are available for less than $200 (Beyerdynami

> and the audio enthusiasts moved on to external DACs and $2000 headphones While good studio-grade audio monitors are available for less than $200 (Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro for example) I don't see what a soundcard offers that an external DAC doesn't. If anything most soundcards I find are quite lacking some much needed features compared to most DACs, which probably is the answer to your question.