Sound Cards

Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro

MSRP $29.95 Released July, 2004

Pros

small - easily used on the go
affordable
Powerful amplifier will be superior than a weak laptop headphone output

Cons

ridiculously loud amp might hurt your ears on first listen if your volume is up at all
volume settings are reset when you reconnect the device to a USB port
supplied drivers add some noise; use the built-in Windows audio drivers for superior sound

ProSCORE
4 reviews

69

Turtle Beach Audio Advantage SRM

MSRP $79.95 Released April, 2008

Pros

Surround sound support - 5.1 and 7.1
built-in stereo microphone and microphone input
plethora of output options
dual optical S/PDIF output
excellent sound quality

Cons

significantly more expensive than other models in the line

ProSCORE
2 reviews

89

Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Amigo

MSRP $39.95 Released March, 2008

Pros

excellent sound quality - significantly better than stock laptop or desktop sound cards
optical S/PDIF output
microphone input
inexpensive

Cons

mic and volume control don't add much more value over step-down Micro
included drivers aren't better than default Windows drivers

ProSCORE
1 review

71

Audiotrak ProDigy 7.1 HiFi

MSRP $129.00 Released June, 2007

Pros

Lot lower price than other cards with the same features
True 192KHz 7.1 Surround Sound
Digital Input & Output

Cons

Very hard to find in stock, anywhere.
Optical connectors are very close together (hard to plug in)

ProSCORE
1 review

60

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer

MSRP $100.00 Released October, 2006

Pros

Improves performance in games and audio intense applications
Really does sound better than motherboard integrated chips
Crystalizer makes audio "pop" more

Cons

No Linux drivers

ProSCORE
4 reviews

60

Bluegears b-Enspirer

MSRP $100.00 Released September, 2006

Pros

Excellent alternative to Creative's solutions.
Supports EAX 1/2 and a few others.

Cons

Does not support EAX3/4.

ProSCORE
1 review

67

Creative Xmod X-Fi

MSRP $79.99 Released October, 2006

The Xmod from Creative is designed to enhance the quality of your digital mp3 collection. A fully functioning audio interface that plugs into your PC or Mac via an available USB port, the Xmod X-Fi claims to deliver an enhanced audio experience to your speakers or headphones. There are two technologies at work: 1)...

ProSCORE
0 reviews

N/A