GUIDE TO EXTERNAL SOUND CARDS

Zalman ZM-RSSC External USB 5.1 Sound Card

Manufacturer : Zalman
In Stock : 10

List Price:	$65.99
Price:	$39.99
You Save:	$26.00 (39%)

Features

Device Type - Sound card
Interface Type - USB
Sound Output Mode - Sonix 5.1 Sound
Max Speakers Qty - 5.1 channel

Product Description

1. Small and Compact. 2. Easy-to-Connect Plug-n-Play USB Interface. 3. Digital Analog Output This product supports both optical and coaxial types of digital outputs along with analog 5.1 channel outputs.4. 3 Volume Controls 3 Volume controls provide independent level adjustments for the Front, Rear, and Center/Subwoofer output channels. (For digital output, the volume can be controlled by a volume control on a speaker.). 5. Amplifier included A built-in amplifier provides full sound and ease of use.

Amazon.com Product Description

The Zalman ZM-RSSC External USB 5.1 Sound Card is small and compact, and connects to your computer via a USB interface. Installation is plug-and-play, making it a cinch to use. It supports both optical and coaxial digital outputs along with analog 5.1 channel outputs. Front, rear, and center/subwoofer output channels all have independent level adjustments. (For digital output, volume can be controlled by a volume control on the speaker.) A built-in amplifier provides full sound and ease of use, outputting at 0.6W per channel. The card features the Sonix 5.1 Sound chipset and offers a 16-bit sampling rate at up to 48kHz.

What's in the Box
Sound Card Main Board, USB cable, utility installation, user's manual (including a Warranty).

Customer Reviews

Average Rating of 3.50 out of 5 reviews

Rating :
Poor Support - Cary W. Holmes, Nov 04, 2009

I bought this to work with a Windows 98SE machine because the sound card is advertised as working with Windows 98 up through VISTA. The sound card will not install; no drives for Windows 98 on the installation disk. Contacted Zalman for support; they never replied!

Rating :
Good device, but be aware - DerekLee1, Oct 23, 2009

I bought this card to use in my home theater. I use a laptop as my primary media device so I can play discs, media files, Netflix, YouTube, etc., all from the same piece of equipment. However, this laptop is older and doesn't have anything more than a basic stereo sound card. I needed something that would process in true 5.1 surround.

Two things to note: the optical/coaxial port on this device is 3.5mm, which is NOT a standard size for audio outputs. You'll need an adapter or specialty cable to interface this card with an audio processor. It's not expensive (I found one on amazon for about $3), but it was frustrating having to wait an extra few days to be able to use the card. The mini-size is just not normally found at everyday retail outlets like Best Buy. The other thing is that if you want pure 5.1 sound from a DVD or 5.1 sound source, you'll need to tell the software to output to S/PDIF. Otherwise, it will process a 2-channel sound into "fake" 5.1 rather than the separation that is intended on the disc. I am having trouble with using this card with VLC, but it works fine with WinDVD.

Otherwise, good card. Clean sound with solid separation.

Rating :
Good product! - SC Tom, May 17, 2009

I received this card Friday afternoon, and after uninstalling my old SoundMax software (easier said than done) and disabling my lousy on-board audio, I plugged in the USB cable and the device. Imagine my surprise when all my USB devices no longer functioned! Not even my self-powered hub! No mouse, no keyboard, nothing worked. I unplugged the sound card, and all was well again. Thinking I had a bad card, I was all ready to contact Amazon and get an RMA and send it back. Then I thought to plug in just the cable without the card, and same results. Obviously there was a short in the cable that was dragging down my USB ports. After using one of my own cables, I found that the card works well. The software has some nice settings, and by tweaking it a little, was able to get some very good sound through my older Cambridge speaker system. It sounds as well as, or maybe a little better than, my old SB Live! external sound card.
Other than the defective cable, I am very satisfied with the sound card itself. If it hadn't been for the cable, I would have given it 5 stars.

Rating :
Get's the job done - Nicholas Holzworth, Sep 26, 2007

If you're looking for a cheap sound card that works and that you don't have to install then this is the one. There is a slight lag when the sound card initially receives data which only lasts for half a second or so due to the USB connection. It works great for movies, songs, and games. It is a good buy.

Rating :
Nice product. Easy to use - M. Vasquez, Sep 08, 2007

Really nice product. The only annoying thing is the red light. Though is to let you know the card is working, it shouldnt be too flashy. Besides that, the software and the controls are easy to use. Recommended for any notebook user that wish to have good quality 5.1 sound with their system without expending money on a expensive pcmcia(pc card) or express card sound card(that actually requires another adapter for the card to be able to use 5.1 speakers, so yeah, too expensive). This will work on any desktop computer as well, but you can get a better internal sound card at the same price or less. Anyways, newer desktop computers already come with integrated 5.1 sound card, so is not really necessary to add one.

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