Click here for more information This is the platonic form of a USB sound card. It works well in Windows XP and Mac OS X, has clearly labeled inputs, decent build quality, and has no unnecessary features, at a very affordable price. We bought it to use stereo jack headsets with Skype on Mac computers that don't have microphone jacks, and this adapter fits our needs exactly. This also resolves a problem we have when using Windows XP on our iMacs - Apple doesn't provide the correct sound drivers in Boot Camp, and the built-in iMac headphone jack doesn't work in Windows - the USB adapter works perfectly.
In Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.6 (tested in both) the device is identified as a "C-Media USB Audio Device". Installation was plug-and-play, the device was immediately recognized after plugging in, although I had to manually select it as the input/output device in the Sound preference pane. After selecting it and setting the input levels, OS X and Skype both automatically switched back and forth between Built-in Audio and C-Media USB when it was plugged/unplugged, and remembered the input levels last used on each (although not the systemwide output levels).
A sticker on the outside of the box identifies the chipset as the C-Media CM119, and it is a USB 2.0 device.
Physically, the construction seems plenty robust for a $10 device. The mic and headphone jacks are color coded in standard pink and green, and have large white icon labels that are easily identified. The case is darkly translucent black, and a green LED inside blinks when sound is being transmitted or received, and otherwise glows steady when plugged in but not in active use. It is too thick to plug into the USB ports on the edges of the 2007-2009 silver aluminum iMac keyboards. On our aluminum iMacs it has to be plugged into the back, where it doesn't block any other ports (as long as other connected USB devices are not also thick). However, it can easily be connected to the USB ports next to the cord on the rear of the older white Mac keyboards from 2003-2007.
Drawbacks?
The microphone input is mono, which is fine for voice headsets, but probably not great for pro audio recording, which probably wouldn't be done with a $10 device anyway. I could do without the blinking light, but as it will be out of sight when connected behind my iMac, it's not a big deal.
Comparison
We also bought the cousin to this product, the 7.1 Channel USB External Sound Card Audio Adapter with external volume control buttons. The 7.1 version uses the same CM119 chipset, but was inferior to this Syba model in all respects.
- The 7.1 model has a thicker body, making it more likely to block other USB ports.
- The buttons on the 7.1 feel very flimsy, and are mostly useless as they only change the computer's software volume settings.
- The 7.1 inputs are not correctly color coded (yellow and black) and the icon labels are tiny and hard to distinguish.
- The 7.1 is identified by OS X as "Unknown USB Audio device"
- The particular 7.1 unit we received was assembled with its USB port slightly angled off-center.
The only supposed improvements in the 7.1 version are the flaky exterior buttons and that it comes with a mini-CD of Xear "virtual surround sound" software for Windows only. Surely you could use some other "3D sound simulation software" with this Syba unit, and there are several reports of the buttons/housing breaking on the 7.1 version. I strongly recommend avoiding the 7.1 model at all costs, this one is simpler and sturdier. Syba SD-CM-UAUD USB Stereo Audio Adapter, C-Media Chipset, RoHS
If you need a basic stereo speaker output and a mic input, this will probably suit your needs well.
-Pros:
It's inexpensive, and it works as described.
Installation couldn't be easier - just plug it in, and a driver is set up automatically. It works equally well with Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Ubuntu Linux. I have used the 64-bit versions of each on my PC, and each recognized and set up this device when I plugged it in, without any extra effort on my part.
This device is also thin enough that it doesn't block USB ports that are above or below, unless they're using a thick USB plug. However, it could block USB ports to the sides.
-Cons:
The audio output has a little bit if distortion, at least in my experience with it in Windows Vista 64-bit. Fortunately, at least in Windows Vista, you can use a different audio device for audio output.
Also, the microphone input is mono. For musicians, this wouldn't be suitable for making stereo recordings.
-Other Thoughts:
I bought this to use primarily as a microphone input, since the microphone input on my new PC does not work well. The microphone input on this device works very well. The microphone signal is loud and clear with no noise.
I had initially thought that this USB card was an incredible bargain. After more use and a comparative test, I started to believe that it is just an OK product.
The biggest attractions of this are its compact size, solid build, reliability, simplicity, clear markings (with the right colors), absolutely no installation requirement (on Windows 7), and low price.
However, I discovered some shortcomings of this product which may or may not matter, depending on your use.
First, the noise level isn't the best. It is very usable, but not as good as a decent built-in sound card. At least a laptop (Lenovo X200 tablet) I recently tested has noticeably cleaner builtin sound than this USB card.
Second, the microphone input of this USB Sound card is not powered. Most USB sound cards are insufficiently powered, but I suspect this one is particularly bad. This means that the sound card may not work with many condenser microphones that require power. I just tested with several microphones including an Audio Technica AT9842 lapel microphone, which works perfectly with the built in PCI soundcard of my desktop computer, but absolutely not with this USB Sound card. For your information, this microphone does not even require a very high voltage for power (I think it requires less than 5V). So you can forget about it if you want use some of the professional microphones that may require a phantom power much higher than 5V.)
All in all, for very simple use, this is a very good choice thanks to the several advantages mentioned above. But if you are going to use it for more advanced functions, you may find this sound card lacking.
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