SABRENT Aluminum USB Sound Adapter

Updated 5/11/15: Audio quality may actually be worse than your current setup, something I've noticed for a while but finally got around to writing here. Strong highs and clamped lows can make your music, videos, or games sound sharper and weaker, depending on what you're playing and your headphones. This isn't immediately noticeable and is clearly not severe enough to turn me or others off, but this should be taken into consideration. All other impressions still stand about 2 months later. --- + Build quality feels solid and compact with nice presentation + Virtually no setup required to use + Customer service is excellent (details below) - (Update 5/11/15) Sound quality can be worse than current motherboards/sound cards with weak bass and sharper treble - No custom Sabrent drivers to customize sound input/output processing This has a nicer metallic presentation and build quality than what is expected from the plastic, black one Sabrent also offers. It is fairly large, certainly larger than I could picture from the images (which are not, by any means, inaccurate), whereas the plastic version looks more combat. Otherwise, make sure you have a USB port that won't conflict with anything used exclusively by wireless receivers or external hard drives, though a USB extension cable is conveniently provided if needed. The sound quality going in and out initially sounds exactly as it should be: it doesn't sound any better or worse than it should for 48 KHz stereo output and 44.1 KHz mono input. Depending on what you're listening to and your previous setup for sound, you may find that this outputs noticeably worse. For a cheap and reliable device of this nature, this shouldn't be an issue to most though (since audiophiles should seek repair or sound card replacement). However, there are alternative sound adapters that may have better audio quality if this is something that is unacceptable to you. I do wish that there were a driver provided that extends the software-side functionality of this adapter since Windows' only option is Automatic Gain Control, but I appreciate that it can be easily initialized and plug-and-played. To say the least, this is absolutely phenomenal given the price, compared to several other general-purpose USB audio adapters that I also considered. Do note that faulty units with swapped L/R stereo channels still seem to be out there. I received the order quickly from Store4PC, and was disappointed to find that the issue echoed in many reviews appeared in the one I was shipped and that posts about the problem already being fixed didn't apply. However, I sent one email about the issue to [email protected], who posts on virtually every negative review about product defects. I didn't see any signs of follow-up from other customers, but the experience was actually very painless and helpful. I received a reply almost exactly 24 hours later notifying that a replacement would be shipped immediately. I received the replacement unit as quickly as the original one from the same seller, barring the weekend wait. The replacement fixes the swapped channels and looks and functions exactly the same otherwise! Very surprising and pleasant experience with this product and company. Will continue to update if there are any abnormal issues with longevity or build quality, but it appears to be a very solid product that is very easy to recommend.

***4.5 Stars*** I have a 13" Mid 2009 Macbook Pro running 10.9.5 Mavericks and this little thing works great on it. The aluminum casing for this is what got me to buy it since I wanted something that felt sturdy. After replacing my battery and cleaning the dust off inside my laptop, the sound was very low for earphones, even at max volume. That probably happened to a tiny mistake I made while cleaning. Instead of taking it to Apple to fix my sound issue, I opted for this instead. They would charge crazy amounts just to fix a tiny little thing for sure. I'm listening to music with my earphones as I type this out. 2 very minor things that could be annoying, one of which happens sometimes. I'll include that in the cons list here at the bottom. Honestly, those 2 things don't bother me at all. Pros: + Comes with an small white extension. Great so that it doesn't block your other USB port(s). I completely missed this and bought an extra cable. + Sound is great, if not better + Aluminum casing + Clearly labeled ports + Matches the aluminum finish of Macbooks + Better than taking my laptop to Apple's "Genius Bar" and having them fix it Cons: - [*1] Sometimes I have to select "USB Audio Device" as the output after powering on my Macbook. Easily done from desktop screen. - [*2] Left/Right audio channels are switched. Easily fixed on OSX Macbooks (and likely desktops as well). Not sure about Windows though. - Unless you're using the included small USB extension cable, it will block your other USB port(s) --------Notes-------- [*1] 1) Hold the "ALT/Option Key" and then click on the speaker icon on the top bar of your desktop screen 2) Under "Output Device," select "USB Audio Adapter" to output the sound to your earphones [*2] 1) Plug in this USB Sound Adapter 2) Click on Spotlight (top-right magnifying glass icon) and search "Audio MIDI Setup" 3) In the window that appears, make sure "USB Audio Device" is selected. If not, click it to select it. 4) Click "Configure Speakers..." on the bottom right corner of the window. Another window will appear that shows "Left Front" and "Right Front" buttons. Underneath each should be drop downs selections that include #1 and #2. You can click Left/Right Front to test the sound, which should be reversed at the moment. 5) Set "Left Front" with #2 and "Right Front" with #1. Click the buttons to confirm that the sound is now outputting to the correct earphone speakers. 6) Click "Apply" and then click "Done" 7) If you use the USB ports interchangeably, repeat steps 1-6 for the other USB port(s) on your computer. It saves the setting for the port you originally configured, but it won't recognize it on the other port(s) if you haven't configured that as well.

I just recently have become interested in recording my bass guitar for personal projects and for fun, but I was unable to plug the headphone output from my amp straight into my 2018 MacBook Pro because it would only recognize this as an output, not an input. I knew a microphone or external audio interface would come with plug that would hopefully be recognized correctly, so I began looking online for suitable setups. Since I am only recording for fun, I did not want to spend $100+ on a true audio interface when I only need the basic recording and can then edit in GarageBand/Audacity. I decided to try out this sound adapter because it uses a USB input, which I hoped meant the computer itself would recognize it as both an output and input device. It did! I was able to plug my amp headphone output into the sabrent device and then into my computer via an adapter (seen in photo), which then allowed me to select it as an input device. As for the sound quality of the input, it sounds fine. I had to play with both the settings on my amp and in Garageband and audacity for it to sound right, but it was pretty simple. There is a bit of static that can be lessened by slightly moving cords and plug ins, but I usually hear that out of my amp anyway. You could probably edit out most of the static or at least reduce it a lot using any audio program on a computer. Overall, I was very excited that the sabrent worked for this purpose, as I know it is more intended for other sound purposed. I can't vouch for its longevity because I have only had it for a day, but I think it is well worth it for the price and I'm glad I tried it out!

Bought this for my Arctis 3 headset for my PC, because the microphone was buzzing very loudly at higher levels. Plugged this in, set the levels, and NO MORE BUZZING! For this I have to give it a 5/5

La verdad es que por el precio que tiene funciona perfectamente, me compré unos auriculares para el ordenador y el microfono no había forma de hacerlo funcionar con el jack único e incluso con el adaptador para separarlo en micro y auriculares que trae. Fue ponerlo con este adaptador a USB y todo solucionado y sin complicaiones, es conectar y lo reconoce perfectamente. Los acabados son buenos y no tengo ninguna queja sobre su calidad, aunque es cierto que los auriculares solo lo utilizo para conversaciones por lo que no necesitaría gran calidad.

Hoewel in de beschrijving van Amazon voor dit product staat dat ook luidsprekers er op werken, is dat niet het geval. Deze adapter is alleen geschikt voor een koptelefoon.

i haven't used or tested to some certain extend, but so far it seems quite good. I have no idea about its durability, time will tell, but now, i am pretty sure the sound is quite good...

I brought this for my Chromebook because I've installed Linux on it and the sound doesn’t work. It’s small, well designed and simply works. The silver colour matches the silver of my Chromebook and the compact size means it hardly pokes out. The sound is pretty good and will only disappoint if you’re expecting Bose quality sound from a little USB sound card. The included extension cable is a nice addition and will allow you to plug this in if your laptop has other ports you need to get to on either side. This is a bargain price if you have a broken mic or headphone jack or need a second sound card, highly recommended.