external USB Stereo Sound Adapter for Windows, Mac, Linux Extra Audio Source with 3.5mm Audio Mic Jack C-Media Chipset

I purchased this device to use with a Raspberry Pi2 (900 MHz, Quad Core, Latest Release) and the Ham Radio APRS software Direwolf V 1.2. I had been using a SignaLink USB which worked exquisitely, but is pricey at over $120. This thing cost less than $10, but of course, does not contain anything to assert PTT (cause the radio to go in and out of transmit), The SignaLink did not have to worry about additional PTT because it is included inside the SignaLink box (it actually uses a high quality fast acting VOX....but you pay for the privilege and quality of the sound card) Suffice it to say the SignaLink is an EXCELLENT product and I'm still using it on another computer and radio with Ubuntu distro. The amazing thing about this Syba USB USB Audio Adapter is that it works with a high demand program like Direwolf (which is doing some incredibly complicated things to decode and encode data, not something simple like playing music). Inherent distortion in the sound card or a poor noise floor would cause this unit to be useless for Direwolf. The software actually measures how well the sound card is performing and the Syba is working every bit as well as the very expensive SignaLink. What is most impressive is that it is doing this at a cost of $8.50 or so! Pros: 1. Raspbian (Wheezy) on the Pi2 recognizes it upon install. Simply power down the RPi2 , insert into an open USB port and start it up. 2. It even works on a USB hub (which is not recommended by the Direwolf author, but it works with the Plugable 4 Port Powered USB Hub) 3. Performs every bit as well as the high-end SignaLink external USB sound card. 4. Works with either stereo or mono 3.5 mm input and output plugs. 5. Extremely small footprint. Cons: 1. You still have to wire up cable(s) to go to the radio for PTT and also get audio from and to the radio. 2. Not that something that is wrong with the Syba itself, but rather that it requires additional hardware of some sort to assert PTT in this application. The Syba is not supposed to do this, so it is not a "fault" or "deficiency", it does, however require one to look for one more thing to have a complete solution for using the Ham Radio program Direwolf to encode/decode data and send/receive said data to a radio for transmission and reception. Solving the PTT Issue: 1. The cheapest: Use one of the many available GPIO pins on the RPi2. This works well, but should not be used directly, a buffer circuit should be used. This further complicates the project. It is not expensive to do this, but it is "another" step. Not using a buffer circuit exposes the RPi's output to be destroyed, which can kill the RPi altogether. 2. Build up your own VOX (voice operated transmission) unit. Very inexpensive,but it is not as "fast" in terms of turnaround between transmit and receive as hardwired PTT (push to talk). 3. Use a USB to RS232 Pre-Built Interface by Easy Digi. Google search for Easy Digi USB and you will find it on eBay for $42.00. Many radio amateurs have purchased these interfaces and they come highly recommended. This is the solution I use, as the $42 bucks covers some very important issues a. The interface box includes input and output jacks (standard 3.5 mm mono) for audio to and from the computer sound card (Syba) b. The interface also includes either a mike or data cable to connect to the radio for PTT (mike) or both PTT and Audio To/From (data cable) radio. The radio you use will dictate whether you need a mike and audio cable or just a data cable that has both (like the Kenwood G707 and D700) c. Complete ISOLATION of the Computer Sound Card and PTT (DTR and RTS) from the Radio. This is done by using audio transformers on the audio output and input lines to/from the Sound card and using an Opto-Isolator between interface's DTR and RTS lines (used for PTT) and the Radio itself. Special Considerations Required by the Operating System: (and the Direwolf program) The Syba Sound Card being reviewed must be configured for Raspbian (RPi) or Ubuntu or whatever Operating System you elect to use. This requires telling the O/s to use the Syba USB Sound Card as the audio device and not the one internal to the computer. The Easy Digi USB interface also has to be "bound" to the O/S. It is recognized automatically, but must be "bound" to ttyUSB0 If you need help, join the Digiwolf user list on Yahoo, and certainly read the Direwolf 1.2 User Guide (*.pdf). Summary; This is a Superb solution for a sound card for Ham Radio software/projects either in Windows or Linux. The price is amazing and the quality is perfectly acceptable. It is supported without special drivers in Linux (and probably in Windows, but I haven't tested it yet). There is a support group on line that is familiar with the Syba and can help with your project. 73, N0AN

EDIT: I recently bought 2 more of these. CablesOnline is selling the old version but Aston K is selling the newer version. Buy from Aston K to get the updated version! I notice a lot of people here on Amazon seem to be completely clueless when it comes to examining a product thoroughly and giving a detailed, unemotional review so here's something I hope is useful. The following was done with 3 different Windows 7 SP1 machines and nothing more. Recently, I lost my Audio Advantage Micro which I've been using for many years so I decided to buy a replacement. I was looking at Amazon and while I was leaning towards the Creative USB Go key but I couldn't help notice the very cheap Syba dongle with such glowing reviews. I decided to buy it since the total price was barely anything and if it sucked I'd just get the pricier one. I just got this little guy in today and it's definitely not the most sturdy built thing, but it was fine enough for every day use without breaking it. You'd have to be a complete moron to break this thing, really. The build quality is exaggerated by some people here. It's really just fine, even beyond the price you are paying for it. If you really are that paranoid about breaking it and have a tendency to do such thing, you could always just give it a good wrap with some electrical tape and add more protection that way. The two things I noticed people were complaining about were about how much it sticks out and the "annoying" light. Coming from the Audio Advantage Micro, this light is a very dim green that blinks when audio is being fed. I don't know about most people but my attention span is higher than that of a kitten so I was able to not be annoyed by it because there's a big bright screen in front of me, you know? Seriously though, it's not distracting unless you have some major ADHD. As for the shape, this dongle sticks out less than all of my USB keys and my AA Micro so its really not a problem. The only issue I can see being a problem is that the width of the dongle might block other ports. However, if you have a brain, you should be able to look at your ports and see if this will be a problem beforehand. Another thing I need to mention is that the chipset seems to be updated in recent models. It uses the CM-119 chipset according to the plastic container, and also, there seems to be a 3 year warranty on these little guys according to people on Newegg so if you have a problem, just email Syba support and they might be able to replace this easily if yours does go out. One final note: on Windows 7, I'm noticing that 12% seems to be the best volume level for headphones. I thought it would be 4% like some people said, but nope, 12% seems fine. So yeah, overall, this dongle is great for the price and I am enjoying it. I could have sunk a lot more into something else but this works fine. And now for some important notes: 1) Follow the directions. You have to connect both the microphone and headphones to the dongle before you plug it into your machine to get Windows to recognize the drivers and add those 2 outputs. You only need to do this the first time. If you screw this up, you need to go to Device Manager and uninstall the drivers, reboot and try again. 2) The microphone level is 0 by default for some reason. You have to raise it to get it to work. Go to Control Panel, Sound, then right click the Recording tab to see the USB Mic input. Right click it to get the properties page and look at the "Levels" tab. Adjust to your liking. Using the "Listen" tab to listen to yourself talking to get the right volume. 3) Again, if this thing shorts out on you. Email Syba and they will probably replace it for you. 4) You can achieve higher sound quality if you go the properties for BOTH the mic and headphone output and select 48000khz. 5) If sound effects are enabled in those properties pages. Disable them. You don't need them. Your voice will sound clearer without them.

I bought this along with a USB extension cable and it works perfectly. Going straight to my speakers, the output sound is clear with no static (although I can't speak for those using receivers/amplifiers for their speakers). The noise floor for the mic seemed better than the mic port on my laptop. Though, the mic port on this is only mono, so that's a consideration. For you musicians out there who want low latency in your audio program, this works well with ASIO4ALL! I have gotten down to 3ms without any dropouts depending on CPU usage, but it seems to be stable all around at 6ms for me. Depending on your processor and CPU usage, you might be able to go lower or higher. For comparison, my laptop's onboard soundcard has to be set at least 20ms to be stable. HOWEVER! This is my experience under Windows XP. I have tried on Windows 7 (aka Vista) and found no difference between onboard and any other sound device such as this. So basically in Windows 7, it's the same thing as my laptop sound, other than different effects/options in the Windows audio options. But I should mention, *in Windows XP* any of my USB devices perform well between 3 and 6ms with ASIO4ALL, so this isn't a magical ASIO soundcard! You could get a different one and get the same results, so it's up to you which to get. What I mean is, as long as you're not using onboard audio in XP with ASIO4ALL, you'll get better performance, and this is one way to get that performance. I hope I'm making sense! For the negatives, it has seemed to freeze on me once in Windows 7 and I had to replug it in. But it actually hasn't happened since. The light blinks while audio is getting sent to it, though that doesn't mean you have to hear it to blink, so it can blink when you don't hear anything. If it's annoying you can buy a USB extension cable to hide or move it somewhere. I also noticed the speakers pop when you resume the computer from standby. Though I haven't noticed it pop when unplugging or plugging in or turning on the computer normally. Oh and it doesn't have a stereo mix/what u hear feature for recording your soundcard's sound. Though you can get it to output into a line-in of another soundcard (via 3.5mm male to male cable) as an alternate way to record it. I want to mention I tried this with an audio splitter to combine both this and my laptop's outputs into one, but I guess it doesn't work like that. I got really bad quality from one of the outputs, and the quality only returned once unplugging the other one. The reason I wanted to do this was, basically ASIO4ALL doesn't allow a soundcard to use it and play sound from other programs at the same time, so I was hoping to use a splitter so I could get one device in ASIO4ALL and the other for other stuff, all into the same speakers. Doesn't work! (But this isn't to confuse splitting one sound output into multiple speaker sets with a splitter, because that does work!). Read next paragraph for a different method to do this! I actually just found this out while writing the review: if you really want to use both soundcards on the same speakers, there's still hope! With a 3.5mm male to male cable, you can plug the output of this USB soundcard into the input of your old/other soundcard and it'll play through the old soundcard. Or the other way around if you like. If doing this, it might be a good idea make sure the volumes aren't blasting and start low and work your way up to a normal volume to avoid distortion etc. And don't forget to unmute the mic/line in on the Windows mixer or else you won't hear anything coming into the mic port! You can also do the reverse and plug the output of this into the line-in or mic of your old/other soundcard, and if it has a stereo mic/line in, you get stereo for everything, yay! This is the method I'm using starting today. :D So a quick summary of positives and negatives I've mentioned: + Inexpensive way to boost ASIO4ALL performance in Windows XP (and earlier OS' too?) + Better mic noise floor vs my laptop's onboard = less static + Clean sound output - Has frozen on me once but has since been fine so far - No StereoMix feature to record the soundcard, must do it another way - Speakers may pop when resuming from standby - Microphone port is mono, so for example iPod won't come in stereo sound.

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.

I have a small business in which I loan out laptops and headphones to deliver a listening program which helps children with learning difficulties. The 3.5 mm jack on my computers must be tight for the headphones to properly deliver the computer program - this 3.5 mm jack working properly is the weak link between the computer program and a child who can learn better. Over time the 3.5 mm jack on many of my laptops has gotten loose, or a client has ripped out the headphones, breaking the plastic ring around the 3.5 mm jack, which makes the plug wobbly. The sound isn't transmitted properly when this happens. To make matters worse, I'm not made of money, and these laptops have the 3.5 mm jack as an integral part of the motherboard, so you can see that the computer becomes an expensive doorstop if that jack gets messed up. I learned about a USB to 3.5 mm adapter that could keep my loaner computers in business. I bought several that transmitted no sound, made a loud, continuous popping sound, or modified the sound coming to the headphones so that the listening program didn't work right. These were not solutions. I needed a USB adapter that made the sound exactly like the sound coming out of the 3.5 mm jack. Enter the Syba external USB Stereo Sound Adapter. It is plug-and-play, so the laptop recognizes it right away. The sound coming from the new 3.5 mm jack on the USB adapter is exactly like the sound coming from the original 3.5 mm jack, and my program works exactly as it should. For a few bucks, I can save several $800 computers from oblivion! This is like having Christmas arrive early! Some of my Windows computers recognized and immediately re-routed the sound to the USB/3.5 mm adapter, some I had to right-click on the volume icon and choose Playback Devices, then select the Syba as default audio output device. That took about 15 seconds, so not a big bother. I am a passable techie, not an expert, so I can't explain why this happens, but if you buy the adapter and get no sound, remember this! You can get to the correct area by typing Device Manager in the Search bar, but right-clicking on the speaker icon on the task bar gets you to the right place in one jump. I am going to buy a bunch of these so I have them on hand for when my next loaner computer needs a new 3.5 mm jack!

I ran into problems with this and the Audio-Technica lavalier battery powered mono microphone. The microphone works great on my other laptop (with microphone input), and all of the desktop computers I plug it into, I believe the problem to be with the jacks design on the unit. You are responsible for your own self and your own property and modifying anything is always a risk. Skip to the bottom if you are in a hurry to try one of the fixes I tested at your own risk. I suppose just plugging in made in china junk is a risk too though. The microphone input is a stereo jack, unknown if it leads to mono input on the chip circuitry as I don't have a stereo microphone to test it. I have taken the unit apart so I have seen the stereo jack. (I have a degree in Electronic Engineering so I know a stereo jack when I see one) When I plugged in mylavalier microphone all the way it would not work. If I unplugged it a little bit (2mm or so) it worked (when it was making contact with the left and right positive input and no contact on the common input). When the plug was it all the was jack was making contact with the common and the positive input on the common part of the microphone plug. So the reason I had to open the unit up is to take the stereo positive input closest to the common out of the equation (bent it so it would no longer make contact) and now my mono microphone works fine in this unit because the common is making contact with the common and one input is making contact with the positive while the other input is rendered removed. At first I used a spacer made up of think cardboard or something to prevent the microphone from going all the way into the jack but seeing how the microphone works great on my other laptop (with microphone input), and all of the desktop computers I plug it into, I believe the problem to be with the jacks design inside the unit and I don't want to mess around with removing and storing a tiny spacer when I move my microphone from computer to computer. Gently unplug the microphone about 2mm. Does it work now? Try setting the level and selecting it as default input in your OS. (search Google for HOW TO SET UP A MICROPHONE WINDOWS and find a tutorial that matches your version or replace the word windows if you are using a different OS). If you have verified you mic to work when unplugged slightly but not to work when plugged in all the way then you may want to try the methods below at your own risk. I was able to solve the problem of the microphone not working if plugged in all the way by using one of the following methods: Method 1) Make a spacer to go onto your microphone plug and prevent the microphone from plugging in all the way. I use automotive rubber hose to make electrical insulating spacers on my projects. This would work well in the washer "fluid size" maybe smaller. You could also use a piece of cardboard or something of the correct thickness and make a hole in the middle to insert the plug into. Whatever you use it needs a hole of about 3.5mm in the middle and to be around 2mm thick so that you can insert the plug through the hole and then plug the microphone into the jack. Be careful because with this method a gentle tug of the cord can easily unplug the microphone. Method 2)This method makes a more secure fit and prevents accidental unplugging of the microphone due to gentle tugging of the cord. I took the USB sound card case apart without breaking it. Difficulty level here is extremely high if you do not own specialty tools for such tasks. Even with specialty tools it was difficult and I broke two of the retaining tabs. Please note that in addition to the tabs permanent hardening adhesive is also used to seal the case. I then looked at the pink microphone jack and noted three metal tabs that make connection to the microphone plug. Using a micro pry bar (think precision flat bladed screwdriver) I bent the tab in the middle upward. I then inserted the mic plug and confermed it no longer made electrical contact. I then sealed the case with 2 part hardening epoxy.

Purchased for the sole purpose of hacking it for use with IRLP (Internet Radio Linking Project). Works great for that application with a Raspberry Pi. Will likely use another for building up a URI for an AllStarLink node.

If you're looking for a way to convert a PC headset into a headset to use for the Playstation 3 to chat with, this is what you want. It works with my PC gaming headset (Razer Carcharias) and it receives the microphone just fine, heck I'd even say even better quality than some of the mics people use on the network! Just a bit of a heads up though for PS3 gamers; the only sound that can be outputted to the adapter's Headphone-In jack is the audio from other people chatting. Game audio (such as music, sound effects, etc) will NOT come out of the Headphone-In jack on the Playstation 3, and as of now (1/26/12) there is NO option to output device and game audio to the adapter. There ARE workarounds though. My setup for example, I have my PS3 hooked up to my Dell monitor (SR2320L) via HDMI. I have the audio out going out from the HDMI cable and through my monitor's "audio out" jack, which just happens to be a 3.5mm jack. When I use this adapter for gaming, I hook up my headset's microphone to the adapter and into the USB port, and the headphone jack into a 3.5mm jack extension that I bought separately and plug into my monitor's audio-out jack. After doing this, in the PS3's Accessory Settings for configuring the mic, I have the microphone source to the adapter (Which the system sees it as "Generic USB Device"), and the audio out to "System Default", which is my monitor's audio-out jack. This setup allows me to receive both game audio AND chat audio through my headset; thus making it work just like it does on my PC. Again; this device will only output CHAT audio via the adapter's Headphone-In jack. If you want both Game AND Chat audio; you'll have to find a workaround similar to mine; or be okay with using a different sound source for audio. (Also because this limitation is all because of Sony's firmware not allowing this option; this can always change with a future firmware update from Sony. As of PS3's 4.0 Firmware however you CANNOT output main audio to this device)