I purchased this USB audio adaptor for a friend to use on their old Dell laptop computer whose headphone jack was broken and could not be easily fixed. This small, very reasonably priced device plugs into a standard USB port, giving any computer another audio output jack. You can use the jack to listen to headphones, or connect it to external speakers or a stereo system.
Before trying the adaptor on the Dell laptop, I tested it first on an Apple computer. As they typically do, the Apple immediately recognized what the device was and eagerly offered it up as an additional audio output device. When I selected it instead of the Apple's built-in audio, the improvement in sound output was very impressive, both in volume and overall quality.
My friend's Dell laptop runs Windows, so using the adaptor required installing additional driver software and, as always, more drama than Apple's OS X operating system. However, it installed without much trouble and the laptop then made it available as another audio device as expected. Again, the audio output was superb and my friend was delighted to be able to listen to music once again on his computer!
For listening with headphones or non-amplified speakers, this adaptor can produce much louder sound output than the computer's original headphone jack. Consequently, the adaptor must be plugged directly into the computer's USB port or connected via a "powered" USB hub.
Before deciding to purchase this model, I checked the manufacturer's website. Besides this low-priced model, Turtle Beach makes a number of more sophisticated audio adaptors, with additional input and output ports and other features for people who wish to make recordings or have other, more complicated needs.
I'm not always the biggest fan of Wal-Mart and I don't usually order things delivered through the mail, but I must admit, this purchase was totally hassle-free. It was delivered to my home in just a few days for only a 97-cent shipping fee. It would have cost me more in gas to drive somewhere to buy it.
If you're looking for a simple solution to fix an ailing audio port on a computer, or would just like to improve it's sound quality, there's nothing else on the market that comes close to what this device does, simply, and for such a low price. I very reluctantly gave the unit to my friend, only because I wanted to keep it for myself. Now, I think I'll order another just for me!
Elmer
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