The DAC that I use under Linux kicked the bucket. It kept getting quieter and quieter till I couldn’t get any signal out of it. Since voice chat is important to me under Linux I have purchased a Shure X2u to go with my Shure SM58 microphone.
It’s studio quality, and I’ve read enough to know that it works under Linux (and that’s the important thing).
2013 seems to be the year where shit loves to break.