by Bob Wright
Turtle Beach Web site
I recently received a request for a high end sound card to be added
to a high-end gaming computer, I considered Creative Lab's Sound Blaster 256 card, since
it has high visibility on today's market. But, in the back of my mind I remembered
using Turtle Beach cards years ago and decided to investigate their options.
That led me to Turtle Beach's Montego II - Quadzilla card. I reviewed the
specifications on the card and ordered it. The card was about $100, but the features
were amazing for that price. This is not a card for the average user,
only the real audiophile can appreciate it and the advantages... that is what I
thought. I was wrong.
Okay, it does have some draw backs, that it not only takes up a PCI
slot, but it also requires a back plane opening for the additional sound connector
plugs... but that is where the draw backs end.
The major feature for my customer was the 3D audio accelerator on the
card. What does that really mean? It allows the graphics to display clearer
and faster. The change was very noticeable and I highly recommend this sound card
for the serious computer game player.
The Montego II includes some computer games, but it also includes
Voyetra’s Audio Station 32. I remembered this application from a long time back
when I used the Turtle Beach Monte Carlo cards. The graphical display for playing
all sorts of sound is fun, easy to use and adds a new dimension to listening to CDs.
But, where is the real differences? This is a true four speaker
realistic quadraphonic audio card. The Montego II provided what is the clearest
theatre quality sound I have ever experienced from a PC with 320 voice wavetable sound.
I will not begin to tell you I am a great audiophile, but even with my tin ear the
sound was fantastic. The features for this card go on and on... for the dollar
investment, this card is a clear winner.
One important issue if you decide to add this card to your computer, do
not scrimp on your speakers... there is so much to hear from this card, only the
best will do.
- PCI-3D Audio Accelerator
- True four speaker support for realistic quadraphonic audio
- A3D 2.0 positional audio with S/PDIF digital output
- High-resolution, 18-bit converters: Record and play digital audio with the exceptional
clarity at up to 48KHz sample rates.
- Greater than 97 dB signal to noise ratio: Super low noise technology provides the
ultimate in audio quality.
- 10 Band Hardware Equalizer for precision tone shaping.
- 320 voice PCI wavetable synthesis
- DirectSound™ acceleration with multistreaming
bus-mastered PCI audio
- Supports all of the latest PC audio standards as well as DOS games.
- Fully Plug-and-Play compatible
- Game port fully supports Force Feedback joysticks
Be sure to visit Turtle Beach's web site for more on this great sound card:
http://www.voyetra-turtle-beach.com/
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