10. Hercules Muse Pocket: 5.1 In Its Simplest Expression

Is this a sound card or what? It's hard to figure what it might be before you look at in detail. A designer paperweight? A New Age joystick? A genetically engineered mouse? A kind of solid metal block with a big rotating knob and a translucent base which lights up green when you plug it into a USB port - the Muse Pocket is anything but self-effacing. Basically, it is a 5.1 sound card with a USB 1.1 interface. You hook it up via a set of 3.5mm jack sockets: one for mike input, one for line-in and three for the 5.1 outputs (front, surround and center/sub), plus an earphone output. Simple but effective. The big knob over the base controls sound output in a very nice way and, when the phone rings or whatever, you can press it for instant mute. The USB wire, covered in transparent plastic so you can see the braiding, is built in and cannot be removed, but many of you will appreciate its length of 1.4 meters.