Should I avoid using USB 2.0 sound devices through a hub?

[CZroe]

I finally got around to unpacking my Philips AmBX Premium kit that I bought at a woot.com woot-off last Summer and began setting it up. After navigating the tangeled mess of wires including two indepentant power supplies, audio cables, L&R fan cables, L&R lighted speaker cables, subwoofer cable, wrist rumbler, wall washer, and so on, I realized that there was no way to get the USB cable near my PC and no way to get my PC near the wall-washer box it comes from (directly due to it being SURROUNDED by AmBX accessories). The USB cable will, however, reacdh my gen1 G15 keyboard which, unlike the gen2, has a USB 2.0 hub (2nd gen is inexplicably USB 1.1). I assume that it only needs an unpowered port because it has its own power supply, so my only remaining concern is latency.

Before I connect it, I kinda need to know: Will my audio suffer because it will be running through a hub? Will there be latency or dropped "audio frames" (made that up)?

Thanks!

 

[mfenn]

I finally got around to unpacking my Philips AmBX Premium kit that I bought at a woot.com woot-off last Summer and began setting it up. After navigating the tangeled mess of wires including two indepentant power supplies, audio cables, L&R fan cables, L&R lighted speaker cables, subwoofer cable, wrist rumbler, wall washer, and so on, I realized that there was no way to get the USB cable near my PC and no way to get my PC near the wall-washer box it comes from (directly due to it being SURROUNDED by AmBX accessories). The USB cable will, however, reacdh my gen1 G15 keyboard which, unlike the gen2, has a USB 2.0 hub (2nd gen is inexplicably USB 1.1). I assume that it only needs an unpowered port because it has its own power supply, so my only remaining concern is latency.

Before I connect it, I kinda need to know: Will my audio suffer because it will be running through a hub? Will there be latency or dropped "audio frames" (made that up)?

Thanks!

Technically there will be increased latency. However, I doubt there will be a human-perceptible difference. As long as the AmBX is the only device attached to the hub, you should be getting the full usb 2.0 bandwidth as well.

 

[Fayd]

the only ill effect i've seen from using a hub thus far is reduced bandwidth from sharing, and being unable to charge over USB.

the second one is fixable by going with a powered USB hub.

 

[Ichinisan]

Well, I assume the G15 display and the keyboard itself is connected to some kind of internal hub (multifunction device), but I doubt it takes any significant bandwidth. Thanks!

 

[tweakboy]

Your saying sound through hub, what hub ? 🙄

 

[RebateMonger]

Another potential issue is that many (all?) keyboard USB ports have limited power delivery capability. If your sound system has high USB power draw, that could be an issue.

 

[corkyg]

the second one is fixable by going with a powered USB hub.

Don't bother or consider a hub that is not powered. Individual port power draw is USB's greatest weakness. Hopefully, it will be better in USB 3.

 

[mfenn]

Don't bother or consider a hub that is not powered. Individual port power draw is USB's greatest weakness. Hopefully, it will be better in USB 3.

Considering that these are speakers, they are almost certainly NOT bus powered devices. For self-powered devices, USB is only for data, not for power. OP will be fine other than the issues I mentioned above.

 

[CZroe]

Yup. It has it's own powersupply TWO of them...

"two indepentant power supplies"

"I assume that it only needs an unpowered port because it has its own power supply"

Both in the OP. 😉

Thanks though, guys.

Your saying sound through hub, what hub ? 🙄

The keyboard hub, of course. I even discussed that the first gen G15 has a USB 2.0 hub while the 2nd gen has a USB 1.1 hub.