Comments in a Nutshell (Score 1, Flamebait)

> Why?

For the same reason some manufactures one-uped their competiors with volume controls from 0 to 11.

> Could this give me the high quality audio I'm looking for?

If you're looking for hi-fi (id est true to the source) sound reproduction, than no, it can't. High quality audio can not be reproduced in electrically noisy environments such as those found inside a PC case. If high quality audio were desired, one would remove all analog sound components from the computer. Obviously this would require using an external amp. (Have you ever considered why even plasitc cases have metal on the inside? Does the term "EMI shield" ring a bell?)

It could be that you are looking for the "warm" sound delivered by tube amps. In this case a circuit could be designed to reproduce this [...] soft clipping.

It can therefore be concluded that this is a "great gimmick to sell to idiots."