StarTech.com 7.1 USB Sound Card - External Sound Card for Laptop with SPDIF Digital Audio - Sound Card for PC - Silver (ICUSBAUDIO7D)

Having purchased an internal sound card recently from somewhere else, I was a little concerned that this would work properly. I wanted to connect my Desktop PC to a 7.1 HT System using the TOSLINK and the sound card only supported 2 channels via this connector. However, this USB Sound Card works a dream. I initially plugged it into a Windows 7 based Laptop and it installed everything first time. A reboot was required and I was quickly able to play some music & films using the full 7.1 surround sound. The next task was to check out this sound card with my desktop PC which has Windows XP. This initially installed the Windows drivers for a USB Sound Card which didn't support 7.1 channels on the TOSLINK. Once I realised that this was the issue I ran the installation program on the supplied CD ROM and the correct drivers are now installed and it works just fine. Page 4 of the manual identifies the chipset used (C-Media CM6206) in case you have a problem finding the driver. Again I can play music & films and all the channels are used. I have briefly tested the other output sockets (headphone & surround outputs) and these all appear to be working. I have yet to use the two microphone sockets to see how good they are at capturing stereo sound. The LED on the device is useful. It flashes slowly when sound is being received, which is a good indicator if you are having configuration problems. The volume & mute controls work too. As for the quality, I've had no problem with this on the TOSLINK output. I no longer have a surround sound that would use the 3.5mm sockets, but may use it if at a friend's home, so I can't comment on their performance at this stage. Overall I am very happy with this product. It has done just what I wanted and works well. It definitely works with both Windows XP & 7.

Boosting your laptop or desktop audio to 7.1 channels without cracking open the case? That’s exactly what this external USB sound card delivers. It supports up to 7.1 analog outputs via 3.5 mm jacks, plus a headphone port, line-in, and two mic inputs. You even get SPDIF digital output (though limited to stereo at 48 kHz) for cleaner audio when you need it Installation is the kind of plug-and-play we actually appreciate: Windows detects it, and the included software—or CD if you’re living in 2012—lets you toggle outputs, adjust volume, and mute as needed. Sampling rates are basic but sufficient—44.1 kHz and 48 kHz analog, and 48 kHz for SPDIF It’s a compact, portable solution so you can ditch onboard audio and still sound decent. Useful for home theaters, gaming, presentations—you pick. Reviews hover around 4 out of 5 stars, with over 1,800 ratings, so it’s not a flash-in-the-pan gadget Amazon. Pros • Up to 7.1 analog output without internal installation • SPDIF digital output option (2-channel) • Plenty of I/O: headphone, line-in, dual mics • Plug-and-play on Windows; basic external controls • Compact and portable Cons • SPDIF output only delivers stereo (not full surround) • Older install method includes a CD—may be annoying if your laptop lacks a drive • No top-tier audio fidelity, but good enough for non-pro audio tasks Verdict If you want a no-hassle way to get multi-channel audio or an external sound upgrade, this does exactly that—nothing fancy, but dependable. Four stars: delivers what it promises, with a few minor caveats.

Fantastic works brilliantly just what i needed for music production

worked amazingly before i tried plugging in headphones. then it switched to low output signal and volume dropped but about 90% to my speakers. full volume never came back no matter what i tried.

For the price, thought it's bound to be an awkward product to use or will have mess around to get it working. I was so wrong, it installed within minutes, found drivers and correct software and worked immediately. Only issue was that optical isn't enabled from standard and seemed like it didn't work however to enable you need to right click the source then enable and that's it. Well worth the money and has tons of connectivity, spec for the price was even better than the Creative external soundcards with optical out... Defo buy it, great product... One other thing though is that the usb cable is only about a metre long so if desktop on the floor you'll likely need a USB extention cable so not the end of the world.

This seemed like a practical solution as my PC won't take a full size sound card and I suspect the onboard sounds are not the best. My sound system is based on an optical/SPDIF from the pc to the amp. I did read in reviews, but not in the makers description, that the SPDIF in and out is "through" only and assumed I was misunderstanding what was written but no, the optical in/out is connected to itself with no function on the sound card. What is the point of including this HiRes connector is it's just a dummy? This is mentioned in the small leaflet that comes in the box however. I also note from the instructions that the software was written for Win7 at the latest when the booklet was printed. Perhaps an update as it's still for sale? I'm not going to return this and I doubt I shall attempt to connect it either based on the customer experience of the software issues. My fault, read everything. An update, and I'm re rating it down to 1 star because there isn't a no stars score. I connected this to my pc and downloaded the drivers for win 10. The software installation couldn't find the hardware even though the computer recognised it and showed that a signal was being sent to the unit. Multiple attempts later, the entire music directory of mp3 and FLAC files on my pc can't be opened. On to utube so to check there. I have my headphones connected to the headphone socket (usb to computer) and, nothing. Just to have a go, I put the headphone socket into the 2.1 surround socket and hey presto, sound. Appalling sound and super loud with all the attenuation using the onboard vol controls, between 1 and 3, after that full volume all the way. This is irrelevant anyway because the 3.5mm jack sockets are so cheap that the plug wouldn't stay in. I uninstalled and repeated the process several times, always with the same results until the last time when I couldn't access any audio from the pc at all using the existing outboard amp (actually, the files couldn't be opened). It's fixed now after an hour of reinstalling audio and other drivers. What a complete and utter piece of sh......

I needed this as the onboard sound chip on my motherboard stopped working. It's a little annoying to have to use an external device, but once it's sat on top of the PC case, I soon forgot that it exists. As usual with soundcards, the software for controlling it is not particularly great. You do need to install this though, as you can significantly alter how bassy/tinny etc (bass/treble) it sounds. I suspect some reviews complaining about sound quality have not chosen the right speaker profile and messed with the equalizer. I haven't noticed any lag in the audio, or any weird artifacting in the sound output, so it's doing its job fine and has been for 2 months. It works fine in Linux as well as in Windows, too.

I brought these to replace my on board audio built into my pcs motherboard, when I brought these I wasn't expecting much for the price they are but when I plugged in the external soundcard and tested them out on my m-audio BX4 they sounded pretty good. compared to how they used to sound on my motherboards built in audio the bass isn't as pronounced but its still present. Overall for its price there a decent choice for a soundcard on a tight budget

It just works! Before buying this I extracted the 7.1 channel audio from HDMI signal. I needed to use a dummy screen and it caused numerous headaches under Win11 as you can imagine. I was considering buying the Sound Blaster X4, but all the reported problems were giving me pause. I decided to give this thing a chance due to the price and that was a great decision. It just works. No hassle, no problems. Just remember to use the old audio settings console in windows (mmsys.cpl)

Köpte två stycken för ett halvår (jan 26) sen och båda har rullat på helt felfritt, så de jag har räcker gott och väl. Sjukt stabil kvalitet. Synd bara att den är slut i lager just nu. Hoppas säljaren tar in den igen, för det är verkligen bara att slå till om man funderar. Jag kommer definitivt hålla koll på det här märket framöver.

Mi serviva una scheda audio, stabile, per pilotare almeno 3/4 canali audio separati di output, per un impianto da 6/8 bass shaker; Lo fa, ed anche bene; - i segnali sono puliti, molto più potenti della scheda audio Realtek; - altre schede audio esterne hanno ceduto dopo 1-2 giorni di utilizzo, ed è stato un tribulare tra resi e rimborsi per via del tempo perso; - Invece questa scheda audio, leggermente più costosa, è stabile, sta facendo il suo dovere, precisa e potente; -Ottima come sostituta di una scheda audio interna; è plug & play 7.1; io l'ho connessa ad una Usb 3cavi tutti inclusi nella confezione, insieme al cd di installazione; -Importante: ricordatevi di disabilitare l'audio Realtek di Windows 10; altrimenti questa scheda, non può prendere il controllo totale dell'audio del vostro Pc, ed è quello che vi serve per poter accedere a tutti i canali; - Forse esteticamente non è il massimo e sembra plasticosa; anzi a dire il vero è bruttina, (mi ricorda Blender di futurama) ma se funziona e anche bene, non mi importa dell' estetica; anzi mi sono affezionato; - Vale tutti i soldi che costa; meno di 60 euro; Dopo un mese di utilizzo, funziona, sembra instancabile; Non scalda in nessun modo; in pieno esercizio lavora a temperatura ambiente; Vedremo quanto dura; Per ora un prodotto serio, e funzionale; Dopo 1 anno continua a pilotare i bass shaker della mia postazione con efficienza, Consiglio vivamente Saluti Rio

PS4で使ってます。 音は確かにデカくなりますが、高音よりな上がり方します。 中低音が上がってほしいとは思いました。 仕様なのかどうかは分かりませんが、 ヘッドホンのとこに刺しても音は出ませんでした。 2.1のとこに刺したら出ます。 PCで使うと充分使えるんだろうと思います。

I have Linux Mint operating system (OS), just plugged the sound card in, no drivers, it works flawlessly. It is compatible with Ubuntu OS I heard. I was thinking no way the sound quality would be great for a cheap sound card, however the sound is fantastic. Value for money, this is where I got much, much more quality than I expected. I only used the regular desktop speakers, no more, I don't need 7.1 for web browsing. The box is the size of a deck of cards. I didn't use the software disc since my desktop doesn't have a CD/DVD drive. My integrated desktop computer sound card was partially damaged during a lighting storm , I only had sound coming from the right speaker, that is why I got this USB sound card. Now both speakers have sound.