14 DAY TRIAL // Audio adapters usually take the form of boards with chips and circuitry all over them, plus some ports to stick out of the PC's case, but IOGEAR went for a starkly different concept when it built the USB Theater Sound Xperience (GUADT51).
One in a while, one IT player or another will succeed in creating a product that stands apart all others of its kind in one or more ways.
It just so happens that IOGEAR is the one who, in this particular instance, managed to achieve something to this effect.
Normally, when thinking of an audio adapter, one envisions a board, usually green, with circuits and transistors and everything needed to produce sound, plus the obligatory outputs.
What IOGEAR made, however, is an USB-connected solution, one that is as small as it is versatile.
The press release names it the first USB audio adapter with DTS Surround Sensation Headphone technology, which gives the effect of sound occurring outside the boundaries of two channels.
In other words, a surround sound experience is simulated on stereo headphones or speakers.
"Consumers who use their computers for watching DVDs and listening to music can provide a significant boost to audio performance with the IOGEAR USB Theater Sound Xperience," said Bill Nguyen, senior marketing manager for IOGEAR.
"Sometimes having five speakers or $500 headphones is not practical, so we created a surround sound alternative."
The small product is named USB Theater Sound Xperience (GUADT51) and uses a tube-style design that looks like a transparent vacuum.
It should work in any USB 2.0 connector and features the advantages of the bass enhancement, soundstage expansion and voice clarification technologies. Orders can be set here, for $39.95.
"Simply put, sound matters to consumers who are enjoying content across many devices, especially their computers,” stated Brian Towne, executive vice president and chief operating officer, DTS.
“With the recent availability of IOGEAR's USB audio adapter, consumers will finally experience the immersive and spacious sound that they've always wanted from their PC devices."