What's Good	What's Bad	5.0 out of 5.0
Aureal 3D (A3D) 2.0 sound processing. Four speaker (front/rear) stereo. S/PDIF output for digital output. Input/output jacks color coded for easy cable hookup.	While not actually requiring a second slot, uses a second 'slot opening'. Secondary bracket only fits one way due to screw on board.

However, most cards that use the Aureal set are manufactured by Aureal and then resold by the various vendors. Not so with Turtle Beach's Montego II Quadzilla card. They bought the chipset from Aureal, but then designed their own card(s) and had them manufactured. It is a truly a case of taking the best and making it better.

The card itself comes in two parts. The main PCI card as well as an additional speaker bracket which includes the rear speaker (stereo) output and the S/PDIF output for digital sound. This secondary bracket presents the only "problems" (if they can be called that) with the Quadzilla. The bracket takes up an opening in your PC. While it doesn't actually use a slot, per se, it does require a free slot opening. This can be PCI, AGP, or ISA, it doesn't matter. However with some PCs, finding even a free bracket opening may be a problem. The gain is that the PCI card itself is quite small, barely longer than the PCI slot it fits into. Additionally, unless you have a four speaker or digital setup, you won't be missing anything not using the bracket. Also, the bracket appears on the packaging and instructions to fit on the left of the PCI card (as you face the back of the PC). However, a screw on the Quadzilla we tested prohibited the card from fitting into the PC on this side. So we had to use it on the right. Again, not a big deal, but one that should be addressed.

Other than this problem with the secondary bracket, installation was a breeze. You should make sure that if you are installing the Quadzilla in replacement of an existing soundcard that you properly uninstall the old card (drivers included) before attempting to install the Quadzilla. Windows 98 got a little tempermental on me however I don't see that as being the fault of the Turtle Beach installation.

Another nice feature of the Quadzilla is they color coded the input/output jacks on the back of the card. It may seem minor to most, but when you plug and unplug cables quite a bit, it's nice to know that the speakers go into the "green jack" and not have to remember that it's the "first up from the joystick port".

As for the sound, the Quadzilla is incredible. It will handle up to 96 simultaneous streams of digital audio and supports the clarity of 48KHz sampling. Everything from CD-Audio to MP3s to WAV files play without any distortion or loss of sound. And of course in games, the Quadzilla rocks. While standard 2D fare is enhanced with the sharp and clear sound, for true 3D audio one must enter the 3D world.

If you've not experienced 3D Audio before, then you do not know what you're missing. It's hard to put into words, but 3D sounds puts a game into a whole new dimension -- pardon the pun. You are truly drawn into the gameworld where your eyes and ears are in synch with one another. If you hear a laser blast to your right, you can turn and sure enough, there is the source. If you're lost in the maze of tunnels many game maps provide, you can now follow your ears to the action. You can hear the footsteps of those sneaking up from behind...no longer are you vulnerable to the flat 2D sounds you've come to expect.

A3D 2.0 is rapidly being supported in game titles -- and if not, the Quadzilla will operate in DirectX mode or as a last resort the card can still emulate the venerable (and widely supported) Soundblaster -- as such you will not have trouble finding games that make the best use of this card.

Finally, the Quadzilla includes all the expected components that come with soundcards. You get a CD audio cable (for output from your internal CD-ROM), soundcard software (in this case AudioStation 32), a demo game (Star Wars X-Wing Alliance: Imperial Entanglements), and a detailed instruction/owners manual. For the suggested price of $99, the Quadzilla is a steal -- and you can probably find it even less at retail. If you're soon to be in the market for a new soundcard -- or are unhappy with the one you've got -- you should definitely pick this one up.