Seeking Sound Blaster recommendations for a notebook

Question

I'm looking for a solution for a notebook which provides OpenAL and EAX 5.0 support for my games which use those. Ease of portability is not an overwhelming factor, though it would be appreciated. Most (≈ 95%) of my gaming as well as general notebook use is done with headphones, but I occasionally use external speakers; lack of 7.1-channel support isn't a deal breaker, but it, or even just 5.1-channel support, would be nice to have. With regard to this notebook, audio immersiveness in games is a greater priority than audio immersiveness in, say, movies, but I'm seeking a solution that is performant across-the-board. From what I can gather, and unfortunately I don't have info on the Sound Blaster X7 or any other near-future products, my options are:
1) Sound Blaster E5
2) Sound Blaster X-Fi HD
3) Sound Blaster X-Fi MB3 software (for Realtek ALC892, if supported)
4) Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro
5) Sound Blaster Recon3D
6) Sound Blaster X-Fi Go! Pro
7) Sound Blaster Play! 2
I've ranked these highest to lowest by what I expect the quality to be (and my guesstimate may be completely wonky), but I would appreciate any feedback. It's unclear to me if any of the aforementioned X-Fi branded products actually offer hardware-accelerated EAX, although the X-Fi HD, which has a CA0189 chip, is advertised as offering it (http://www.soundblaster.com/products...r-X-Fi-HD.aspx), as is the Sound Blaster X-Fi Go! Pro (http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound.../dp/B0044DEDC0). I know the Sound Core3D/SB-Axx1 products use Host OpenAL. I also don't know if any of the seven above would conflict with Sound Blaster Cinema 2 software.

Answer 1

Hi James,
Thanks for your question. If you want a device that would work well with LabVIEW, why not use NI hardware! All of our hardware work seamlessly with LabVIEW and they are all supported by National Instruments as well. 
We have a range of modules that would be suitable for your application. If you prefer one of our engineers could even come onsite (free of charge) and talk to you about your application and how you plan to use your NI card. We have branches all over the world so you would be supported no matter where you are. As you know we also have local support in the UK.
For more information please call 01635 523 545 and ask to speak with one of our Sales Engineers.
I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions. 
Mahdieh G
Applications Engineer
National Instruments UK&Ireland