would a USB key audio converter help with sound?

[xenochimera]

hey guys my headphone out on my laptop is absolutely terrible, the hiss is so loud its noticeble even at low medium volume levels. i am thinking of getting one of these

http://cgi.ebay.com/HQ-USB-5-1-CHANN...QQcmdZViewItem

just wondering if this would help me with the hiss.

 

[Amarok]

I added one to my PowerBook G4 and it really helped.
I didn't notice any hiss, but the Audio Advantage added quite a bit more drive (electrical) and so drove my SR80s much better. Also, the AA adds an optical output opening up the possibility for upgrading to a DAC [and amp].

 

[episiarch]

The Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro (TBAAM for short) was a huge improvement over my Dell 700M's internal soundcard, and for not much money. And as Amarok noted, it has nice driving power too -- not like a "real" amp, but enough so that efficient headphones that "don't need an amp" but that sound better with one (a category which IMO includes PX100, KSC35, HD201 and many others) really sound good, instead of just OK.

Big sound improvement, cheap. It's the most cost-effective sonic upgrade I've ever bought for computer-based audio, after the PX100 or KSC35.