INSTANT AUDIO UPGRADE
    Turtle Beach's affordable USB adapter delivers big sound to: 
    Headphones and Speakers.

Any discussion of laptop audio almost invariably notes that the sound is much 
better when you plug in headphones or external speakers. True enough, but 
neither of these peripherals improves a laptop's weak audio circuitry. That's 
what the Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro is about. 

The Audio Advantage Micro's core component is a USB device that looks 
very much like a small memory drive. When plugged into the USB port, either
directly or using the supplied extension cord, it bypasses the laptop's audio
technology and uses its own to perform the digital-to-analog conversion. 
Moving that conversion away from the interference endemic inside a laptop 
case and using higher quality components results in a cleaner, less distorted 
signal and better sound. 

A standard mini-jack allows the Audio Advantage Micro to drive headphones 
or self-powered speakers, or to send its signal to the auxiliary input of
a conventional stereo system. Turtle Beach also provides a S/PDIF adapter 
that, when plugged into the same mini-jack, sends a digital audio signal to,
for example, a home theater receiver for decoding. The required Toslink
optical cable is not included, however.

In its raw form—which is to say, without using any of the software
enhancements that are part of the package—the Audio Advantage Micro's 
sound is considerably better than what you'll get out of a standard laptop.
We compared it using THX-certified Logitech Z-2300 speakers and Koss PortaPro 
headphones, and a selection of high-quality CDs. The Audio Advantage Micro 
invariably delivered better, cleaner sound, with less static between the
listener and the music. The bass, too, had more punch. 

Audio purists might be happy to use the Audio Advantage Micro as 
a hardware-only device, but they'd be missing out on the fun of the very 
cool 3D software Turtle Beach bundles. The capabilities of that software 
are revealed immediately upon the post-installation reboot, which launches
a demo routine. The demo shows the position of the sound source relative 
to a listener's head when viewed from above. 

The software package also includes a ten-band graphic equalizer with presets
and manual controls, and a selection of environmental effects intended to 
impart the sense of listening in a variety of spaces. Each of the parameters
that make up each environment can be altered, making for a near-infinite 
number of ef fects. Among the more amusing preset environments are Padded 
Cell, Quarry, Parking Lot, Drugged, and Psychotic, although you're more 
likely to use the Auditorium, Concert Hall, Arena, and Music Pub settings.

There are only a couple of minor draw-backs. The Micro lacks a line-in 
connection, which means if you want to record audio, you're better off going
with the Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook ($129) card, which also 
has more pristine sound quality. But for $29, Turtle Beach's Audio Advantage
Micro is one of the most valuable upgrades you can make to your notebook. 
It may be small, but this tiny device delivers crisp sound to those with more
discerning ears.

    Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro
    Rating: ****
    Price: $29.95
    www.turtlebeach.com

    PROS:
    -  Tiny
    -  Analog and S/PDIF optical outputs
    -  Terrific software selection
    -  Extremely affordable

    CONS:
    -  No recording capability

    QUICK SPECS:
    -  Interface USB
    -  Outputs Stereo headphone, analog, S/PDIF
    -  Standard support DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1
    -  Size 2.5 x .8 x .5 inches
    -  Weight .2 ounces


David Drucker
www.laptopmag.com 59 March 2005 LAPTOP TESTTRACK
_____________________________________________________________________________