Since the very beginning of PC audio, Creative Labs has dominated the sound card market. Its original SoundBlaster and SoundBlaster Pro were excellent products. Then came the infamous SoundBlaster 16, arguably the best commercial sound card of all time. In fact, the first card to approach the level of dominance reached by the SB16 was Creative’s SoundBlaster Live!.

For the past three years, the SBLive! has been the staple of Creative’s fleet, and with good reason – it’s a great card. However, the fact remains that it’s an older design, and thus leaves the door open for competitive new cards. Creative realizes this, and has released its new Audigy line of cards.

Others have realized this as well. Philips, one such other, has stepped in to offer an affordable alternative to Creative’s lower-end Live! sound cards. The Acoustic Edge series has garnered a fair amount of attention recently as just that, an affordable, and very viable alternative to the popular Live! series. Today we’ll be taking a look at Philips’ flagship Acoustic Edge product, the PSC706 sound card. Backed by a solid set of features, and excellent sound quality, the Acoustic Edge is poised to go head to head with Creative’s lineup.