[SATLUG] USB 2.0 to Audio Adapter w/Microphone Jack

[Matthew Hunter]

On Fri, Dec 21, 2007 at 07:23:28AM -0600, Walt DuBose <dubose at texas.net> wrote:
>  What would be an advantage of using a USB 2.0 to Audio Adapter 
>  w/Microphone Jack instead of a computer's sound card?

Depends on what specific equipment you pick.  I've looked at USB 
audio devices for the simple reason that I'm building a computer 
that doesn't have onboard audio nor sufficient expansion slots to 
add a sound card.  That's one reason... USB devices also have 
the advantage of being located outside the computer's case and 
are thus in a much cleaner environment for generating sound.  The 
USB bus itself carries digital data, so the conversion is done by 
the USB device itself.  You can get "audiophile" devices that 
take advantage of this by putting high-end components into a 
converter box.  Finally, the USB audio protocols are pretty 
well standardized for basic functionality, so specific drivers 
are less of a concern.

So, for some people there may be advantages; for most the sound 
card is probably going to be more than sufficient.