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Montego II Quadzilla

Voyetra Turtle Beach · 1999 · PCI 3D Sound Card
The best Vortex 2 deal, complete with quad speakers and S/PDIF, but held back by unfinished drivers.
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Not yet reviewed
About This Hardware

The Montego II Quadzilla is a PCI sound card from Voyetra Turtle Beach, built on the Aureal Vortex 2 chipset. Released in 1999, it brings A3D 2.0 positional audio and wavetracing to the PC, along with quad speaker output and S/PDIF digital out via a breakout bracket. At $99, it undercuts many competitors while offering a rich software bundle, including Voyetra's Audio Station 32, MIDI Orchestrator, and a demo of Star Wars X-Wing Alliance. The card targets gamers seeking immersive 3D sound in titles like Half-Life, Unreal, and Sin, but its dependence on A3D support limits its reach compared to Creative's EAX ecosystem. Installation is straightforward under Windows 95/98, with solid NT 4.0 support, though A3D is not available on NT. Known driver issues, including a squelching bug in Unreal, reflect growing pains of the Vortex 2 platform. The Quadzilla positions itself as the feature-rich choice for early adopters of wavetracing technology, while the breakout bracket addresses the shortcomings of earlier OEM-only Vortex 2 cards.

Specifications
InterfacePCI 2.1 Bus Master
ChipsetAureal Vortex 2 AU8830
Audio Converters18-bit ADC/DAC, 97dB SNR
Sampling RatesUp to 48kHz
API SupportA3D 2.0 · DirectSound3D
Output ChannelsQuad analog (4 speaker) · S/PDIF digital out
Wavetable Synthesis320-voice (64 hardware + 256 software), 5MB samples, DLS compatible
MIDI InterfaceMPU-401 UART via joystick port
System RequirementsPentium 75+, 16MB RAM, PCI slot, Win 95/98/NT 4.0
Hardware Info
ManufacturerVoyetra Turtle Beach
CategoryPCI 3D Sound Card
Released1999
MSRP$99
How to Get One Today
Price
MSRP: $99
Notes & Warnings
The retail package includes the breakout bracket (quad speaker and S/PDIF). The OEM/Dell version lacks this bracket, and the Aureal reference drivers do not work with the Quadzilla's design. A known Vortex 2 driver bug causes a loud squealing whine after extended play in some games; no fix available as of September 1999. A3D and wavetracing are not supported under Windows NT.