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

Unit works fine easy set up well pleased

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.

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.

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.

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.

This is a piece of junk that doesn't do what it's promised: 5.1/7.1. I got a new PC and didn't want to install an internal audio card to drive a surround set of analog speakers. This item was supposed to offer a 5.1 solution for that. - way to quiet even at max settings (sound attenuation) - only front left and right speakers working (no centre, no sub, no surround/rear) - very cheap, plastic, construction (the jacks don't have a secure fitting) - very cheap software with basic/gimmick options - the software has a different name showing in Apps and in the installed programs Don't waste your money.

Good overall, but unfortunately, I couldn’t get it to work with the digital output connected to PC. Although using the USB output to PC worked with no problems

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.

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)

似たような他社製品で価格の安いものを使っていたが、ドライバーが古いWindows用の物しかなかったり怪しい中国語だったり、動作も不安定だった。 最近ノイズが入るようになったり認識もされないことも多々発生するようになって、こちらの製品に買い替え。 少し値は張りますが、安定動作、ドライバーの提供も問題なく安心して使用できる。 専門家ではないので感覚でしかないのですが、音もよくなった気がします。

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

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.