I was having problems getting the correct sound card driver for my laptop after upgrading to Win7. I was looking for an inexpensive external sound card came across this one among the many available on the net. Based on reviews, I decided to give it a try and I have to say, I am very happy with it. One of the features I like is this unit comes with an extension USB cable that makes accessing the volume and mute buttons a breeze. The sound quality is great and it is truly Plug-and-Play. Sabrent USB-SBCV USB 2.0 External Surround Sound Adapter - Add Sound to a Desktop or Notebook - Driverless!
I was pretty skeptical about this sound adapter actually working as advertised, but to my utter amazement, this is basically a fully functional sound card in a "memory stick" sized package.
Here is the backstory:
I recently upgraded my 3.5 year old Dell XPS from Windows Vista 32-bit to Windows 7 64-bit and found out that my Creative sound card completely refused to work with the upgrade. Installing and reinstalling different driver versions was not helping the situation and the best my system could manage was garbled, intermittent sound.
I decided to shop for a new sound card on amazon and while browsing, I stumbled upon this little sound adapter. Given the ridiculously low price and supposed simplicity, I figured to give it a shot. Once I received it, I plugged it in to my USB port, it was instantly recognized by Windows 7 and in literally a minute, I had full sound functionality.
I honestly cant think of a more cost efficient and simple solution for anyone having hardware or software issues with a sound card.
Works flawlessly with no driver needed in Windows Vista (32 bit). Put it on one of my desktop USB ports so I could make room for another type of card in the chassis. I couldn't tell the difference between this and the high-end sound card that I removed.
It worked fine but was of poor quality. The headphone/speaker jack was all wobbly, then broke completely off the circuit board. This was after about 2 days of careful use. I would have expected the same thing to happen to the usb plug shortly thereafter if I had been able to continue using it as it was already bent somehow. Complete waste of money and time, wish I had gone for a better one to start with.
After getting 2 defective units, I've returned them for a refund. On the one that did play sound properly, the volume buttons where very hard to press, and the light on the unit blinks constantly while it's in use, which I found very annoying.
I don't blame the seller, just blame myself for not looking at other similar reviews my this same manufacturer. The tip off was the low price.
So what happened? As soon as I plugged in the headphone jack into this adapter for the FIRST time, I noticed a lot of wiggling going on. The input jack was loose and I could at best get one half sound into only one side of my headphones. Jiggle some more and get no sound at all, or back to one half sound only on one side. I suppose that I could have taken it apart and try to solder it back together. But my soldering skills aren't that great, and maybe that wouldn't be the right answer to fix it. Some hot glue, to make it stay, is one answer. But I didn't have a good electrical connection. The end for me.
Just return the product, which was absolutely no problem at all via Amazons return policy. Get a printed out UPS bar code return address and drop it into a UPS drop box, and get a refund in what ever it is, 10 to 30 days.
A new computer I acquired has built-in stereo microphones, but no external mic jack which doesn't work for my needs.
This inexpensive gadget solved the problem easily and perfectly.
Plug it into a USB port directly or using the included USB extension cable, set your computer's audio system to use this as your input (and, if you want, output) and you are off and running. No drivers, no hassles: truly plug `n play.
Construction is average and I suspect I will have to replace the unit sooner, rather than later.
In my tests, I had no hum or noise of any kind. Speech came through crisp and undistorted.
This unit solved my problem of lacking a microphone jack and at the price, it can't be beat.
Jerry
The external microphone input on my laptop died and I dreaded a costly repair. Fortunately, I stumbled across one of these USB soundcards which provided a cheap and dirty fix.
This is not a top quality device with great connectors that will last forever. But it works. For what I need it to do (record audio for YouTube videos)- it will do just fine. It sounds clean, no hum and I suspect it will serve me well. If I get a few years use out it I will be very happy. If devices aren't constantly plugged in and out of those cheap ports, it will probably last forever. - Usb Sound - Usb Audio Interface - External Sound Card - Accessories'
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