External Sound Card
When it comes to buying an external sound card or USB sound cards, there are loads of things to consider. We are experts and will help you find the correct external sound card that fits your needs.
Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB Audio System with THX SB1095
An external sound card ensures that audio signals are processed and converted. All the main line in and line out ports for the speakers and microphones are located on the sound card. Sound cards for PCs can either be permanently integrated on the motherboard or plugged in to it as a PCI card. The latter is clearly of higher quality and the more expensive option.
A USB sound card, however, is an external device that connects to your notebook or computer through a USB port.
See different Types of External Sound Cards
Why would one want to buy an external sound card?
- Equip your laptop with a higher quality sound card
- Use an external sound card for multiple devices
- Connect your microphones, headphones and instruments directly into your external sound card and forget about the inconvenient ports at the back of your computer
Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Go! Pro USB Audio System with THX SB1290
The designation USB (Universal Serial Bus) indicates that the external sound card has such a connection and can be connected to any computer that has a USB port. The advantage of a USB – connection lies in the fact that most PCs will automatically detect it and the computer will not shut it down. Many peripheral devices have therefore a USB connection. These include external hard drives, printers, MP3, digital cameras and of course external sound cards.
Meanwhile, several manufacturers have different external sound cards available. These include:
- ASUS
- Avid
- Plantronics
- Pioneer
- Terra Tec
- De Lock
- Hercules
- Vivanco
- Mückra Electronics
- Creative Technology
- Belkin
You may come up with the question of wether you want to buy an internal or an external sound card. In order to make the right decision you would have to look at the features of both types. The standard elements of external sound cards include RCS, digital outputs, settings for recording quality of 192 Hz and 24 bits, MIDI keyboard ports and surround sound enhancements for games and movies. Compare the different features before buying and think of what you really need to have.
External Sound Card Design
There are generally two different external sound card designs. Very popular is certainly the so-called USB sound stick. The looks of such a device is very similar to a normal USB memory stick, but it has a fully functional sound card inside. These sound sticks are usually very cheap and start selling at about $10. They are often used for notebook computers. The biggest advantage is the small size of the stick. But due to its small size there is simply no room for additional connections or speaker amplifiers.
The second type corresponds to an external hard drive. This means that the sound card is surrounded by a sturdy case. The advantage of this design is that it has several connections for speakers and amplifiers. Therefore, external sound cards often have multiple line in and line out ports. It is even possible to connect a Dolby 5.1. system to the external sound card. Such USB sound cards are of course a little more expensive than the sound sticks and start selling at about $30.
The price for an external sound card is primarily dependent on the performance, the available channels and the respective sound system. Of course, all three factors in choosing the right external sound card play an extremely important role. Therefore, one should compare the different models with each other before purchasing any item. We put together information that will help you to make the right purchasing decision. We show you what is important when considering a purchase and which external sound card models are currently on the market.
There are loads of different designs and models available and each come with differend features and specifications. Don’t hesitate to look at different external sound card models at our USB Sound Card Store and make sure to compare them.
