Simple Plug n Play USB Audio Device for OS X

[Bansaku]

I'm pretty sure this will work also

https://www.asus.com/Sound_Cards_and_DigitaltoAnalog_Converters/Xonar_U3/

View attachment 55647

I own one of these bad boys and can confirm that this does indeed work OOB. I use it for my 2.1 setup and headphones. You are limited to 16-bit 48KHz, however the sound quality is fantastic! Absolutely zero distortion and hiss.

 

[a_dark_star_born]

I use one of these and it has awesome sound quality. It's better than the onboard sound in my gygabyte board

http://www.turtlebeach.com/product-detail/sound-cards-accessories/micro-ii/31

 

[balazs631]

Is there any USB sound card that is not supported?

 

[Boxer7]

Anyone knows an usb audio interface (OS X compatible), with 192 kHz. 24 Bits, and at least >105dB S/N ?

Only for playing quality sound, no recording needed, and .... not too expensive.


Could be the newest Asus Xonar U7, OS X compatible?

https://www.asus.com/Sound_Cards_and_DigitaltoAnalog_Converters/Xonar_U7

 

[Schmeknicolor]

I'm using this and it works and sounds great.

http://www.amazon.com/Topping-TP30-Digital-Amplifier-USB-DAC/dp/B005D7SKWK

 

[re2or]

I've tried three usb sound adapters, all work out of the box on OSX ML 10.8.3:

"Syba SD-CM-UAUD71" - For me this one is the one I use and would recommend, imho it's the best of the three, it's inexpensive, sound quality is great and it has the volume/mic/mute control buttons are on the device, I've got a 4 plug usb hub on my desktop that I plug it into for quick access to the volume/mute controls. When not in use there is no noise or static on the headphones.

"SteelSeries Siberia" - Sound quality is equal to the Syba however this one is more expensive, the nice thing about this is the led lights are inside the device so no annoying flashing led lights like on the Syba (and most other usb sound adapters). I wouldn't recommend this one as there is noticeable noise & static you can hear in between songs and on Skype calls.

"Sabrent USB Sound Adapter" - For me, on my machine sound quality of the Sabrent was poor compared to the Syba or Siberia devices, this device would be ok for basic Skype use but I wouldn't recommend it for listening to music, was cheap enough and just I ended up just tossing it out.

 

[Adrian B]

I have been using one of these for a couple of years now, its in Mark II guise now. It is small, connects up to my stereo when I want, has a 3.5mm stereo headphone socket when I need and its own volume control. I can recommend it for those that want to seriously upgrade the audio from any Mac or pc.

Nuforce is a company from the USA, they are available on amazon, if you do a search.

http://www.nuforce.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=4:udac-2&Itemid=186/

 

[balazs631]

No doubt, the Asus Xonar U7 will work, but the buttons and the volume adjustment on it is questionable.... On my Creative Sound Blaster 5.1 USB card these things doesn't work, so I have to adjust volume directly on the speaker's amplifier (5.1 set with optical connection). In OSX the volume adjusment is tricky in this case, for example the volume adjusment on Youtube or in VLC player doesn't work, but in iTunes it's working. A found an application called Soundflower which can adjust volume in any case, but unfortunately it's very unstable in most case.

 

[Boxer7]

Another one to add the collection.? 2012 Version 32bit 384KHz Musiland Monitor 01 US USB sound card ASIO

It´s a Chinese device that use Texas Instruments PCM5102 (112dB SN, Audio Stereo DAC with 32-bit, 384kHz, PCM Interface)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2012-Versio...d_External&hash=item337be57ea3#ht_2587wt_1180

.

 

[cs455]

""Syba SD-CM-UAUD71" - For me this one is the one I use and would recommend, imho it's the best of the three, it's inexpensive, sound quality is great and it has the volume/mic/mute control buttons are on the device, I've got a 4 plug usb hub on my desktop that I plug it into for quick access to the volume/mute controls. When not in use there is no noise or static on the headphones."

Kudos for the advice!

I can confirm the Syba works OOB, although I purchased the Syba SD-CM-UAUD USB Stereo Audio Adapter, C-Media Chipset, RoHS (related, but different from the one above)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001MSS6CS/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Many thanks for this thread - greatly improved the sound quality! Should be a must-read for anyone beginning their build.