Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro Review (pics)

Many people do exhaustive research looking for the perfect laptop, and are in awe of the amazing new unit until they plug in their headphones. Laptop design is exceptional in most areas, but most of the time, audio is a design afterthought. Stuffed in a cramped box, audio delivered out of stock notebook soundcards often produce less-than-satisfactory sound.

The Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro is a small USB audio interface that replaces the integrated audio on a laptop or a desktop. You can then plug in headphones, powered stereo speakers, or a digital TOSLINK cable to your favorite digital speakers or A/V receiver with digital input.

Package Contents

For $30 or under, you get a very nice budget audio setup. Turtle Beach was kind and smart enough to provide a USB extension cord because they understand that USB ports aren't always easy to access, and the unit may not always fit when crammed next to other cables. An SPDIF digital adapter allows you to connect a TOSLINK cable to your favorite digital receiver or speakers, although a TOSLINK cable is not provided. A cap for the Audio Advantage Micro is also quite useful for protecting the unit when traveling. Other than that, you get a driver CD and manual. Nothing excessive, but again, more than expected for a budget product.

Software

Installing the drivers was extremely easy. All you had to do was find a free USB port, stick in the CD, and then insert the Audio Advantage Micro into the socket when prompted. The CD includes several demo applications which are mostly useless, but are kinda fun nonetheless.

There are multiple demos that let you experience the surround sound, like a helicopter game, a home theater simulation, and an Asteroids-like game. It's cool to be able to hear in-front and behind as well left and right. The CD also includes demo versions of music editing software. AudioSurgeon allows you to edit music, MusicWrite allows you to compose music, and Music Producer allows you to record music. Since these are all demo and not full versions and I did not have any real use for the software, I didn't bother installing them.

So how does it sound?

Now that I've successfully bored everyone by running through the product background, I can finally say how it sounds. The following tests were performed using several sets of headphones (Audio Technica A500, Koss KSC-75, Sony MDR-EX70), a set of computer speakers (Logitech z-2300), and high quality MP3 rips (LAME alt-preset extreme). I don't have a receiver or speakers with digital input, so I was unable to test digital output. I do know, however, that the Audio Advantage Micro resamples everything to 48 KHz; if you don't know what I'm talking about, you don't need to worry about it. (I'd like to note that everyone's ears are different, and that different equipment produces drastically different sound, but the following is what I heard, and I hope it helps some of you decide if the Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro is for you)

General Comments

The first thing I noticed is that it was dead silent when I plugged my headphones in. Most other laptop sound cards have noise or static present, even when no music is playing. Another very important and prominent fact is that the gain on this USB soundcard is huge! I have to put Windows volume close to the lowest setting in order not to blow my eardrums. If you have to crank the volume to max on your notebook in order to get sound out of your headphones, go out and buy this thing right now; this will give you the power you need. For others who are curious about how this thing sounds, keep on reading.

Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro (TBAAM) vs. Intel AC'97

Here, the difference is night and day. Plugging my headphones into an older Dell 8600, I was immediately greeted with a high-pitched static signal, which stayed no matter what volume I put the windows master volume control at. I played Louis Armstrong's "La Vie En Rose" and the entire song was smothered in static. The bass line on the AC'97 was loose and scratchy, whereas the TBAAM provided punchier and cleaner sound.
There was better extension of bass and highs, less noise, and cleaner representation of the music.

TBAAM vs. Intel HD Audio (Azalia)

The Azalia audio specification is surprisingly good, but there are still differences between the TBAAM and Azalia. The extremes of the TBAAM still extend further; there are lower bass notes and cleaner highs. Playing some more jazz and some progressive rock, I noticed that the Azalia sound chip muffles the music. Bass notes with the TBAAM resonate a little more, whereas the bass notes with Azalia sounds veiled. There's still no denying that the Azalia sound chip is quite good; it is a significant improvement over the older architecture (AC'97).

TBAAM on Movies and Games

I tested the TBAAM with several action movies and some games including UT 2004 and Fable. The TBAAM definitely reproduced 3D sound significantly better than the stock Azalia on my laptop, but the fact remains that I'm using a 2 channel setup. Playing games, I could tell in which general direction enemies were coming from, but it was by no means specific. In short, the TBAAM helped with sound placement, but headphones or 2 channel speakers just can't accurately recreate surround sound.

Conclusion

I actually prefer to use the Audio Advantage Micro without their drivers, as their surround sound simulation isn't all that spectacular. The demos are pretty cool, but anyone with headphones can experience 3D sound with the wonder known as binaural recording: http://media.putfile.com/Cereni---Holophonic. The actual usefulness of surround sound simulation isn't all that amazing in games and movies, but the signal is just so much clearer than that of most stock sound cards.

Pros

• Excellent sound considering its price of $30
• Provides cheap optical digital output (with Dolby Digital or DTS) for those without SPDIF built into their notebooks
• Very compact and easily transportable
• Easy to use and USB bus-powered
• Surprisingly powerful amplifier provides a loud signal (good for those whose laptops have very weak audio signals)
• Includes a USB extension cable and an SPDIF adapter

Cons

• Doesn't quite live up to the hype of recreating a surround-sound system
• Supplied drivers add some noise compared to native Windows USB Audio drivers
• The new generation of Intel HD Audio (Azalia) is quite good, and not everyone will notice a difference between the two
• Resamples all audio to 48 KHz (most CDs and thus MP3s are 44.1 KHz)

In short, those unhappy with the sound on their laptop and are looking for a cheap way to upgrade, the Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro is the way to go. At such a low price, it's hard to go wrong. If you're looking for high (audiophile) quality audio or a better gaming audio experience, you won't find it for $30. If you're looking to clean up a noisy or weak audio signal, eat Ramen for a few meals and pick up this gem.

 

Good review josh

 

You can't force it to use 44.1? I wonder if my minidisc will accept that. Does resampling degrade sound quality?

I would have liked a volume control on the unit itself. Fidling withing windows is the suxxor when you have headphones. Do you have a volume control for just the usb device and one separate for your normal out?

 

Thanks for the great review. Seems like a great product for $30, especially considering that it comes with digital out. I will keep this in mind in case the integrated out jack on my forthcoming laptop is garbage (which sadly seems more common than not).

 

Thanks for the Review. Can u compare it with M-Audio Transit. Its highly regarded by head-fi community.

 

thanks for the comments =]

@Spare Tire: Yeah, it's 48kHz only, but honestly, the majority of the population won't be able to tell the difference (to my knowledge, creative cards do the same thing).
The lack of volume control isn't troubling as not all external soundcards have a physical volume control (ie Creative Audigy Notebook doesn't, Echo Indigo does), but it certainly is frustrating. In fact, I got so annoyed at having to mess around with software volume control that I built myself a external switchbox with volume control. Now, I can happily listen on my headphones with the windows volume at max, and I can physically attenuate the signal on my switchbox. If you don't want to go that route and it bothers you that much, you can always get an inline attenuator.

@sreesub: I haven't heard the transit myself, so I can't comment on it. Others have said though that while the DAC in the Transit is better than that of the Turtle Beach, the amp on the Turtle Beach sounds better and is less fatiguing. One thread I found at head-fi.org talks about the two: http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=165352. Those guys like their audio, but to most, they're probably overly picky too. read with a grain of salt

 

I bought one of these when the passenger next to me kicked my 'phones plug of my Dell on a plane. As a reliable, easy-to-install, more than loud audio adapter capable of driving two pairs of headphones, it works great. Just remember to turn the volume down before plugging in the headset, or you'll blast your ears.

As far as audio quality, watching movies is very enjoyable, with good stereo sound. Additionally, it didn't make a significant impact on battery life.

I recommend it highly.

 

Good review, Joshua! I myself use the TBAAM with my Inspiron 8600, to power my Altec Lansing GT5051 5.1 surround sound speakers. The TBAAM actually delivers clean 5.1 channels and permits high-fidelity home theater sound. Movies and games are a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I also listen to music with a pair of Sennheiser CX300 in-ear monitors, and once again, the TBAAM does a good job.

Recently, I think Turtle Beach introduced a couple of new (and costlier) USB sound cards.

All in all, I am really satisfied with my TBAAM, and I'm sure it will provide you with faultless performance for a long time. I think its a great add-on for a laptop. Enjoy!

 

ooooo...
didn't even know they had USB sound cards!
maybe I should get one of these
thank you joshuang!

 

does anyone know if this card will work with a set of digital speakers that don't utilize the TOS Link cable (optical digital)?

i have a set of Boston Acoustics BA735 Digital 3.1 speakers that i have sitting around and would like to be able to use them with my laptop, but they don't use an optical cable. they just have a cable that runs from a 1/8" jack to an RCA-type(?) input on the back of the subwoofer, where it is labeled "digital input only". the sub then sends out a line to the right speaker which then sends a line to the left speaker (odd, i know; but they sound magnificent for a small set of speakers).

so yeah, any help? i'm just concerned that i'll buy the thing and find out that it only works with digital speakers that have an optical input.

 

Rock on Joshy! Great review. ^^;

 

I believe that the 1/8" would go into the back of a digital capable sound card. It's a coaxial digital connector. If so, you'd have to get a converter like this http://www.theboyz.biz/product_info.php?products_id=20888 to use the TBAA with the BA speakers.

Great review btw. I got a Dell E1705 a few days ago, and I thought the sound would be pretty good. The sound is pretty clear, but the bass lacks punch. The sound from my onboard Realtec, and from the headphone bypass on the speaker no less, sounds better than it. I was going to get one of those USB external cards from creative, when I saw this gem at newegg, and from all the reviews I read, seems to be a great boost esp as a mini amp. Getting mine tomorrow, let's see how it goes

 

Every consumer level audio device, be it AC97 or Creative Live/Audigy up to ZS, resamples everything to 48KHz anyway. Hardly a disadvantage.

 

Do you know how the m-audio sonica compares to this, and if it has the resampling problem? I know the transit is it's successor but i heard from those guys at head-fi that it was basically a sonica + an op-amp that they don't want in the way.
Those guys are crazy, hurts the wallet to go there, they incite you to get equipment that would ruin a student 10x over. I just want something with optical out, and enough to drive my grado sr-60 (which don't require much at all) and sound noticably better than say an ipod.
I was going to get the audigy 2 zs notebook but after reading all the bashing about it's resampling, i think i could save a couple of bucks going with one of these (i'm thinking sonica and the likes under 100).

 

Which is why I keep emphasizing that most people won't be able to tell the difference. I'm just trying to point all the details out for people reading the review, and there are those who care about sampling rates.
It is not true, however, that all consumer audio devices resample to 48KHz. Desktop users have a plethora of options that provide bit-perfect output through optical line-out (from the $25 Chaintech AV-710 to the higher-end EMU and X-Fi line), and when some change to using notebooks, they may be looking for a cheap PCI alternative that does the same. Other external audio devices also allow you to select the sampling rate for playback, like the m-audio transit and echo indigo series, just to name two. The Audio Advantage Micro will provide optical out for a good price, but for those that are looking for bit-perfect will have to shell out much more money.

I'm not familiar at all with the m-audio sonica, but if the transit is based on the transit, you should be able to select the sampling frequency you want. and yes, the guys at head-fi are definitely crazy. run as far away from there as you can

 

The EMU line by Creative is considered a professional line, not a consumer line. The Live/Audigy line's resampling is there deliberately - so that it doesn't compete with their EMU line. That's how Creative markets their products.

The X-Fi seems to be an attempt for a hybrid, and a crappy one at that.

 

so what are you trying to say? I already conceded the point that it's hardly a disadvantage to resample to 48KHz. But are my points invalid because the EMU series is a professional line? The EMU line may be marketed towards professionals, but the 0404 still costs $100 or less, which is cheaper than some Audigy cards.
but this is getting OT. None of this negates the fact that the TBAA performs wonderfully for the money

 

No, your points are not invalid. Perhaps I should have been more clear - when I said "consumer level" I did not mean "entry level in terms of price". I probably should have said "consumer-oriented".

 

I've got the same USB soundcard thing, and when paired up with a headphone amplifier and my Beyerdynamic DT770s, it is a very solid audio platform.

Just a note--the quality of the sound is automatically dramatically improved by removing the audio hardware outside the computer chassis and away from all the EM interference from all the other components. It could very well be that the chips are equivalent, but that the intel chip being inside the laptop kills any hope for its audio quality.

 

So are you saying that if I use the included usb cable, the hiss will go away? I'm listening through a low-impedance set of decent earbuds (Phillips HP-33, or something - I have to listen at minimum volume settings) with the AAM plugged straight in, and the hiss is even worse than on my laptop's ac97 audio card... a real letdown. Does anyone have some advice? I would probably review this thing if the hiss weren't driving me nuts.

 

I think my problem was similar to yours. It was only after trawling through the headfi forums that I was able to fix it. Basically there was a hissing/ scratching sound that was apparent on songs/music/games that was low in volume or when there was silence between the tracks. Maybe it's not apparent unless you use a decent set of headphones or something, not sure.

In short, the TBAAM drivers suck. Maybe it's not with all computers, but it was with mine and apparently a few others. What you have to do is uninstall the software/drivers and then use generic Microsoft USB drivers. Just plug the device in after uninstalling and after it prompts, do Automatic install, it should install it.(don't use the CD that came with it) In System Devices , I believe it recognizes it as a C-Media device. Alternatively, you could probably just Reinstall driver from Control Panel, but this was how I did it. You won't be able to use the EQ or software features, but they weren't of much use anyway.

Hope this helps

EDIT: What laptop are you using Neoterix? I found the sound quality on my laptop was much better than the TBAAM, just that it needed some amp'ing, which is why I got it. I've since returned it and gotten a dedicated amp.
Also noticed reviewer does mention as well the TB drivers add noise compared to stock USB drivers.

 

Those guys with Inspiron 8600's - did you try Intels own AC97 audio driver?

Those of us who had i8500 found a lot of problems were solved with their driver.

Hope that helps,
Tony.

 

"Supplied drivers add some noise compared to native Windows USB Audio drivers "

Thanks for the review -- it sounds like a good deal. However, could you please elaborate on the comment above? I don't recall reading anything about driver issues in the review.

-10bt

 

hi - first post here. registered just to say this:

this usb device DOES NOT RESAMPLE on playback. I have personally verified it. I have an spdif hardware device that shows, in 3 leds, if the SR is 32, 44 or 48 (from my old DAT recording days).

I have verified on win-xp, using default MS usb-audio (generic) drivers and NOT using any TB supplied drivers, that when you use something like MPC and play back some known 44.1 audio sources, my 44k LED does in fact light up. when I play DVD sources (48k either 'normal' spdif or 'raw' dts/dd) then my 48k light turns on instead.

if this device *always* resampled then my 48k light would be on for all sources - and it does not.

I have a bit of experience with c-media chipsets and they also don't resample. cmi8738 is one such.

it seems this chipset (for the usb) is no different. I've also used this on linux (briefly) and since 'usb audio is simple and driverless' it worked there with no problem, as well.

also, in terms of sound quality on its analog-out, I'm driving some DIY headphones amps (pimeta - google it) and some senn HD580 phones and even the analog-out when fed into an amp sounds QUITE good.

I have not tried dts/dd5.1 passthru yet although I hear that this is reported to work. what I've verified is that audio formats in 44 and 48k STAY in those sample rates.

and they do.

fyi.

/bryan

 

I disagree with the review(which actually sounds somewhat like a sales pitch).

I have one of these, and have rarely used it. The sound is not very good, and since laptop audio is better now than it used to be, I doubt most will notice improvement from this, unless its a placebo effect. (I.E., sounding better because you think it will.)

I got a lot of hissing from this micro, as some others mentioned.

I'm not familiar with the M-Audio Sonica card one writer mentions, but since that is a company that makes professional electronic music equipment, even if that is on the lower end of their cards, I would guess it is MUCH better than this T-Beach micro crap.

I agree with those who say, better to use the USB audio driver built into Windows, than the crappy driver that ships with this unit, that attempts to do fancy stuff, but isn't really helpful.

If one really wants better sound through USB, look at the web pages of electronic music companies like Edirol or M-Audio, and several others. On their low end, they have small USB sound cards (interfaces) that will be larger and cost more than this T-B Micro, but not by so much, and they will sound MUCH better.

Actually there is one tiny stick USB card out now, similar size to this TB Micro, that is supposed to be much better, I think called Mbox Micro. In fact, it is supposed to be suitable for professional audio work. The problem with it--MUCH more expensive, like $250, way too much for what it is--an output-only device, when you could get a full-featured external sound card for less.

Another option for very small portable sound card for laptops is PCMCIA. If the only kind of PC card slot you have is Express Card, the only choice at all affordable and portable right now is the Soundblaster Express card someone mentioned. I don't know how good it is. It's certainly not a professional card. But quite likely better than this T-Beach AA Micro.

If, however, you have the old kind of PC card slot, the Cardbus II, then you have a much better option---the Echo Indigo. I think recently discontinued (with the demise of cardbus slots in new notebooks), but still available. You probably could get one for $100 or so--search the net--including Ebay, etc. That would be the best portable affordable sound solution you could get, if you have a cardbus slot. They have Vista drivers for it as well, including WaveRT. (From www.echoaudio.com.) They have three versions of it, the plain one (one output--1/8" inch stereo mini-jack), the Indigo DJ (two such output jacks), and the Indigo I/O (two such jacks, but one is output, and one is input). (The input is not too useful, however, as it's not good for a microphone. It would only be useful for stereo line-in.) So--if you want much better, and very portable sound, and have a cardbus slot, look for an Indigo.

Many professionals these days use external firewire sound cards, which is supposed to be better than USB. They can be used with laptops, as most laptops have firewire (also called I-Link) ports. However, this solution is less portable than USB, as these boxes all require an AC adaptor with a laptop, whose 4 pin FW ports do not provide bus power. Also, I have not seen a FW card as small as some of the USB cards.

The internal sound on most newer laptops, however, is much better than on older ones. Not compared to professional external cards, but I'm not sure at all that you would get better sound with this TB Micro device.

Of course, to each his own. Whatever sounds good to you. And at $30, it isn't a big investment.

Interesting though--many years ago, Turtle Beach was considered a high end sound card company. Now they are making this very low end junk.

 

We just bought a new HP-HDX16 and have it hooked up to our living room flat-panel tv. In order to get surround sound using our JVC receiver we purchased this TurtleBeach device. We needed a way to use toslink to get digital audio out of the laptop and into the sound receiver. That's what this puppy's meant to do, right? So far...no joy. We discovered that the folks at Turtle Beach have lousy online support and NO telephone support. Below is what my husband wrote to them that details everything. I'm hoping someone here can help as I'm not holding much hope of hearing anything useful from TB! THANKS!

*****

I just purchased a HP HDX Notebook with 32bit Vista 6.0, Service Pack 1. I want to use it to be my media center. It is connected to my HP flat screen TV via HDMI. That works fine. I am trying to connect it to my sound system (JVC) so I will have full surround sound when I play Blue Rays.

I opted for the Audio Advantage Micro to solve the problem. I've connected it via TOSLINK cable to my JVC and it will not play sounds. I've read the manual. I have installed all the drivers, checked to see that they are on the HP, and have selected the Audio Advantage as the default sound system. I've booted and rebooted the system several times. I've gone through all the troubleshooting things I could find on your website.

I've checked the input port on the JVC. It is working properly. I also have a cable box connected to the JVC via TOSLINK. Switching the cables and checking the outputs confirms that I am able to get sound from the cable but not from the HP Notebook. I also physically switched the TOSLINK cables to make sure one of them wasn't defective.

We have spent hours with Crutchfield (who sold and services the JVC) and with HP. We have worked every conceivable angle with their products and we are pretty sure we haven't missed anything.

You are our last hope for getting high definition sound out of our laptop and into our speakers. What can you tell us?