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usb audio adapters

Pghpooh

Pghpooh

Senior member
HI
Does anyone have any experience with usb audio adapters? Here is a link to one I am thinking about buying. http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHUCA202
For years my desktop pc was in my living room. I would listen to music I had stored on the pc or listen to music from online radio stations, etc. I had the line level output of the audio card patched to the input of my home theater and the sound was fairly good. I moved my pc to another floor in the house and lost this capability. I have my laptop that I use around the house and have tried to use the headphone output patched into my home theater and it works but the sound is a little muffled and low. (probably using regulay audio out to line leve or pre amp in)
Would an usb audio adapter give me a better quality sound?
Thanks
pghpooh
 
It would really depend on the model you get. Cheapo stuff from C-media isn't going to get you anything better than integrated audio. This does look a little better, but could just be a standard Realtek chip with all the extra ports.

My experience has just been with C-Media, on USB soundcards packaged with headphones. My experience has not been pleasant , as during periods of high CPU-utilization, there were issues with USB throughput resulting in static. I would say for you to do your research.

--Edit--
I just saw the site's rating on it. It didn't look good. My experience is that less than pristine ratings mean less than pristine products.
 
Yes a USB audio device would be just what you need. But you'll want one with the proper outputs and inputs to suit your needs. As mentioned above your quality will be based largly on the brand you choose. I would suggest this one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16829102020

I have used an older model of this for several years now. Its has served as a great replacment for onboard audio on many occasions.
 
Your choice would depend heavily on what kind of sound quality you expect and what your source is. Your post mentions only music, so here is my $0.02

The C-media might work ok, I have no experience with their drivers or support. SNR will probably be at the least as good as an internal sound card; most likely better. However, MUCH better sound quality/drivers/support can be had from products from M-Audio (they're a pro/prosumer company) such as the MobilePre here: http://www.zzounds.com/item--MDOMOBILEPRE ; the MobilePre comes with a higher price of course, but lots of bang for the buck. You might also look at products along this line from Edirol; as they have pro-audio roots as well.

BTW, Stay away from Creative Sound Blaster products due to the heavy software and drivers they require which are only suited for specific surround audio in games. If you're not a serious gamer, the weight and complication will probably not be appreciated.
 
HI
Thanks for the suggestions.
I did a little more looking around and found different ?sampling rates? and other features that could help me make a decision. For now I just need something that will give me a better sound when using the laptop and the price range of $50.00 or so. Size and portability is a factor too as the wife told me no more computer stuff lying around! She put up with me and my pc stuff laying around the living room for 15 years so I better be nice to her now!!!
Thanks
Pghpooh
 
The most important metric you can find is user opinions. Newegg is a nice supplier, as they provide the percentage of users who gave specific ratings (like x% gave 5 eggs). And judging by this, I would say that the Creative product that Mpilchfamily mentioned is much better than the one you originally suggested.

As an alternative, for about $50 you could avoid the issues with a USB adapter, and go for a miniature amplifier. While I cannot vouch for this particular model, I will say that audio does sound better when output at lower levels, and amped with dedicated equipment. Further, this would be usable with any device, not just your computers.

here's a link: http://www.provantage.com/zalm...ch-zm-rsa~7ZALM001.htm
 
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