I have had the sound card for over a year. The sound is great. However, I only have 7.1 headphones on it and also a 2.1 sound system from Logitech. I am more than satisfied with the card. It is loud enough and also offers many features for FPS games.

I can't tell you whether it will do anything for amplifiers. Creative Sound BlasterX seems to me to be an excellent sound card with an amplifier.