If you’re on the road with your laptop and missing your theater setup at home, here’s a way to capture a bit of that big surround sound feel on the cheap.
The Virtual 7.1 Channel Adapter plugs into your USB port and adds virtual surround to your current PC audio system. Special driver software, called Xear 3D simulates 7.1 channel sound through just two speakers or headphones.
While I’m sure it’s not as good as a real 7.1 speaker setup, the device and software bundle is just $15, so it’s not a big investment if it really does what it says.