Hello & a question

[Travis Siegel]

As you say, the doubletalk is certainly the cheapest option for an
external synth.  Some people love it, and some don't.  I happen to be in
the some that don't, but don't let that stop you if you think it's a good
option.  It is cheap, so for an entry to the systems you'll be playing
with, and the world of speech synthesizers in general, it's not a bad
choice.  If you decide later you don't like it, then you can always buy
something else.
I myself use an Artic Technologies Transport and sqwert to use speakup
since they can be used interchangeably with speakup, and I still have all
my notes if I need them. *grin*
I always say use what's comfortable for you.  At this point you may not
know what that is, but if you check around on a few sites, you may be able
to locate reviews of different speech systems with voice samples you can
download and/or listen to.  Give some of these a try before making a
purchase if you wish, that way you can guarantee you like the speech
output.