20 Best External Sound Card For Laptop (2023 Updated)

I replaced my 2nd generation Scarlett 2i2 with the 3rd generation 4i4. I was a bit skeptical of the software application required to set the inputs to line/instrument, but it turned out to be fairly intuitive.

The unit comes with a pad and air feature. Pad is self explanatory (gain reduction for loud recordings), the air setting is supposed to model some classic microphone preamp or something to that effect.

I’m not totally sure what the difference is, but I’ve left the Air feature on anyways while recording and I’ve been pleased with the results, how much of that satisfaction is a result of the Air setting is hard to say since I haven’t actually done any objective testing but it certainly doesn’t seem to hurt anything by having it on.

Initially, when I got the hardware going on my iMac I experienced significant lag while using Logic at various times, particularly when I was trying to copy logic drum tracks or expand the timeline but also while trying to do basic functions as well.

I was concerned that I would have to get more RAM for my Mac which is problematic because the model I have makes it both difficult and expensive to increase RAM. However, after a few repeated uses the issue seems to have subsided, so I don’t really know what that was about or whether the change in hardware even had anything to do with it, however it definitely was not an issue while I used my 2i2 so it’s something to consider.

I mainly upgraded because I wanted to start using midi with my electronic drum kit and that was basically as easy as plug and play (aside from a couple added steps in Logic which didn’t have anything to do with the 4i4).

However, for some reason the midi tracks seem to cause Logic to experience errors during playback when I close and then reopen a project. Again, can’t say that this is a result of the 4i4 but I’ve been able to resolve the issue by simply quitting Logic entirely before reopening a project which isn’t much of an inconvenience at all.

A great high quality product! Design- I love the sleek and compact design. The red matte metal contrasts well with the glossy black front and back panels. It has more than enough Jack inputs and contains two ports that function as both XLR and Jack inputs- awesome! It has LED’s on the panels which indicate the selected inputs (INST, AIR, PAD) which can be changed via the focusrite interface.

Sound and preformance- Amazing sound quality covering a full range of frequencies! There is also pretty much zero latency so it sounds great and is very much a joy to record with. Handling- For the past couple weeks of use, this audio interface has been very intuitive to use, I’m a novice producer yet I’ve barely had to touch the manual! It also comes with its own interface which allows you to change the inputs and their volumes.

The box has a light around the volume knobs which advises you on the correct volume to have the instrument at (green, orange or red). This interface is also great for troubleshooting when you don’t know whether there’s an issue with the setup or the DAW.

The interface is great. As a first time user there was a bit of a learning curve so a few things I had to find out for myself. First off. If you previously used “ASIO4ALL” for everything, DON’T USE THAT.

use “focusriteASIO” Using ASIO4ALL my recordings were off beat and I had crazy latency. After hours of changing sample rates I found out to just change the setting. I found the direct monitor function to do me no good at all because you can’t adjust the volume of the mic to hear yourself properly when you record.

You can only adjust the gain which then will distort your recording if you turn it up too high. so. useless. Better to just use your DAW. Also I got running noise from my computer going through my monitors from the interface.

Using ground loop isolators degraded the quality of the playback audio. So I found the only options to be deal with it, or pay a crazy amount for a power conditioner. So. I deal. I also didn’t hear much difference in my vocals using the AiR filter.

I have a decent mic, so maybe it helps lower end ones idk. Outside of those things, it works great! No latency, once it’s set up it’s easy to use. It seems solid, and I hear it’s reliable. I hope I can save someone a headache or two.

Very easy to use right out of the box. I downloaded the wrong version of Focusrite Control at first, but when it didn’t work a few times, I downloaded the correct one, and it was fine after that. I also had trouble with muting the microphone inputs when using this with QLab, but figured it out quickly.

All you have to do is mute any mic input that you want to control with other software; that way, the channel that the mic is plugged into will be silent until you want to turn it on (in QLab, for example, with a Mic cue).

I bought this as a stand-in for the Claret+ that I ordered a month or so ago, and which won’t reach me until March. I couldn’t go without an interface that long! The specs on the Claret+ are better; however, this one sounds really good, and I’ll most likely hold onto the 18i8 after it arrives, so I have a more portable (and less expensive!) interface for live and remote work.

Having two headphones jacks, to which you can assign different mixes, is great!.

I have just gotten into recording music and didn’t want to invest too much into the equipment. I have been familiar with the Focusrite brand for a long time, and knew that a lot of my musician friends use their interfaces for their own professional recordings.

I checked a lot of reviews and validated those assumptions. I bought this and have loved using it. Just having it plugged in constantly is a huge source of inspiration. I can fire up my DAW and start playing immediately knowing that I am getting a very clean and crisp instrument signal with negligible latency.

I only use this with a guitar and a violin so I don’t have firsthand experience with using a mic. I also do not have studio monitors so I just monitor with a pair of Audio Technica m50x’. I could not be more pleased with the performance of this interface.

My only gripes with it are the lack of a direct / USB blend knob and a usable signal meter. For the former, there is a button that switches from the direct signal to the USB one, but having the ability to blend the two would help if you need to play along to a backing track.

For the latter, I get that the glowing ring is cool looking, but it’s not actionably useful if you’re trying to monitor your gain levels. By the time you see the red ring, you’re already clipping making it difficult to adjust in real-time.

Otherwise this is a GREAT interface and incredible value for money. I can’t recommend this enough for beginners in home recording or even for pros who don’t need more than two inputs.

Thankfully they have changed the rear power input to USBC, which is great news. My last one never got used because the input was broken, it ran a similar cable to a printer. Warranty runs out after one year and I never even got to use it.

It costs the same amount to post out and repair as to buy another new one. Definitely make sure you’re getting USBC. Don’t wrap the cable around when storing and transporting. Unplugging is absolute must.

Take care of your gear. Quality wise, it does the job. If recording directly you will need to have a DAW with VST3I, VST, VST3 files to augment the sound virtually. It basically turns your computer into an amp.

Only for those who wish to record at home and avoid studio costs. Don’t waste your time if you don’t have a computer. Check for Mac compatibility.

I’m using it to stream music through Tidal, connected via the recommended iPhone camera adapter to a set of powered Audioengine speakers. You can definitely tell the difference, it sounds fantastic, even to a non-audiophile.

I hear the difference most prominently in percussion and string basses, for example. I found the product description on the AE website to be rather incomplete, and it took way more time than it should have to figure out what playback devices would produce the best quality sound and in what configuration.

What I finally figured out is that, because I wanted to stream to my speakers that my desktop only connects to in another room via an Airport Express, it would be better to stream directly from an iPhone to the D1 DAC.

Otherwise you lose the benefit of Tidal’s 24-bit Master Quality tracks getting fully decoded by the D1. But to connect your iPhone to the D1, you have to have the more expensive iPhone camera adapter that has the male Lightning cable that plugs into the phone on one end, and BOTH the USB port and female Lightning port on the other.

(You’ll have to have plug power into the female Lightning port, otherwise the iPhone gives you a message that the D1 requires too much power. ) In all it’s a great little compact device, even if it’s a tad confusing at first.

The attached photos show a couple of different configurations, including one where an Airport Express is connected to the D1 with a fiber optic cable. (That one produces a little lower sound quality but is still excellent.

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This DAC does make a difference. The sound is more clear, clean, and present. I have this hooked up to the AudioEngine 2+ speakers, which have their volume control on the back. With this DAC, it’s great to have the volume knob on the front.

However, I lose onscreen feedback, and cannot use the keyboard. The volume knob has no marks on it, either. One reviewer said that he used a Sharpie to place a mark on it. For now, I don’t want to mark it at all, so I’m learning how essentially fly blind.

This is not ideal. When I first began using it, I could hardly hear it at all. One reviewer made a good suggestion that I have followed. Turn the volume knob of the speaker almost all the way up, and turn the DAC volume all the way down.

This way, just a little movement of the DAC knob gives you better control, and you don’t have to move it very far. Of course, it’s also nice to have the headphone jack on the front. So nice not having to hunt in the back of my iMac.

It’s also nice that the speakers automatically turn off when you plug in your headphones. The body of the DAC is very lightweight. You will probably find that it swims around if you have it on a smooth surface.

Quirks aside, it definitely works, and it has greatly enhanced my listening experience.

I’m heartbroken, because I’m sending it back. It sounds really good when it’s making music. Probably the best sound you can get for the money. But I found it unacceptably. hinky, in general operation at best.

I had the problem with disconnects, and also had pops and clicks in the background while playing music. I moved it to a USB-3 type A port on a thunderbolt 3 hub attached directly to the mac with nothing else connected to it.

That cleared up the pops and clicks mostly, tho I could still detect them sometimes in high sample rate tracks thru Tidal. Notably, that also seems to have cleared up the problem with disconnects, too.

But a new problem came up. About every 4th or 5th time I clicked on a track to play what came out of the speakers was very loud static. Didn’t seem to matter if a track was playing already. At first I thought it was a problem with Tidal, but then it happened in Roon in non-exclusive mode, and also happened once when my iPhone rang thru my computer too.

I looked at everything on the AudioEngineUSA site for info on this without finding anything. There is no human support option on their site either. So back it goes.

The audio and internal effects are top notch but there are some drawbacks with this interface. 1) This device does not support Windows audio. For example, you cannot use this device to play YouTube videos.

It is designed to play back from a DAW app only. 2) Antelope Solo modelling mic plugin does not work with Cubase Pro 12. Cubase locks up trying to load the plugin. All other aspects of the Zen Q work great with Cubase Pro 12.

3) Launcher app is coded to a specific screen resolution and cannot be resized. On a 4K monitor, the Launcher window is too small to read. You have the lower the resolution of the display to 2K (or lower) to work with the app.

4) Applications use non-standard Windows controls. Meaning, to minimize and maximize the Control Panel is a bit challenging. 5) Power though Thunderbolt means that the interface unit is always on. I cannot disable power of my thunderbolt port on my laptop so I have to unplug the interface from my laptop each time I turn off my laptop.

Option: You can put the interface to sleep through the Control Panel app but may not get it to wake up again without unplugging the cable. Considering the money invested, I will stick with this unit; but if I had it to do again, I would probably go with the Focusrite Clarett+ 4Pre, and save myself $300.

I am a local producer. I have gone through many audio interfaces from the low end that Behringer produces to the lower end MOTU M4. In the midrange, I have used UAD and others. I wanted something with lower latency (I use a LOT of Vst’s) and great audio quality.

I tried the Apollo Symphony Desktop, but had a great deal of issues with it. The sound was great when it worked, but those times were few. I came across the Antelope Audio line. I initially purchased the Antelope Audio Zen Go and loved it.

I wanted more inputs and even lower latency so I purchased the Antelope Audio Zen Q, a Thunderbolt, bus powered unit. This was exactly what I was looking for. The sound was pristine, it has onboard effect and the latency was incredible.

As an added bonus, I have had to reach out to support a couple of times and they were fast and knowledgeable. One of my issues actually had nothing to do with the Zen Q itself, but a piece of software I was using that twas causing issues.

The technician got back to me with information on how to modify the software I was using. In the end, the Zen Q was working flawlessly and so was the software. This was terrific! The bundle I purchased came with a Solo modeling mic (which sounds great) and also the BitWig studio full version.

I am a Steinberg Cubase user, but there are some very nice features in the Bitwig that I use. All in all, I am very happy with my purchase and would both recommend the uint as well as purchase it again if needed.

Overall: I recently purchased the Antelope Audio Zen tour Synergy Pro from zZounds and am extremely pleased with the sonic quality after using it for 3 days so far. The included plugins in addition to the promotional bundle provide me with all the tools I need to track and mix with a signal quality on par with top studios.

Adding the Zen Pro Synergy Core has resolved my audio io (quality) issues for the majority of my setups in my home studio – used for songwriting, production, sound design and video/cinematic editorial.

I have only done mic (dynamic and condenser) and instrument tests with electric guitar so far but am inspired. I’ve been using NI, Arturia, Izotope plug ins for years and feel a difference already just using Antelope’s Darkface Amplifier, Green 2×12 Cab simulator with only the cali 121 mic and some rear mic, BAE1073MP mic pre, VEQ-4K Orange eq, – it really is the studio/console workflow and I tend to visualize it like being in the studio with the gear.

I don’t get that same mental image routing in my DAW. The difference I’m feeling is that I have much more processing headroom, I don’t have to back off when my computer processors cannot handle anymore computational load (The NI, Arturia, and Izotope plug ins are fantastic – I’ll just be using them in tandem after the antelope chain – and probably less of their eq, comps etc.

) But that also opens the computer up for the software synths etc. The Antelope signal chain adds up sonically like the real world hardware. So you do have to take care and use common sense managing the signal.

The sonic grit is tangible if you want it to be. You can feel the personality of each effect and for most of the eq’s, mic pres and compressors, understand their parameters – gamut/ranges quickly and intuitively.

I feel like I’m going to like working with this toolset and will also be able to experiment a lot. The Zen Tour Synergy Core is packed with 2 fpga and 4 dsp chips and they in turn generate much heat.

The unit is well designed mechanically and vents well but you’ll want to provide room for air to flow so give it space. It is a small box, but using 1/4 inch TRS, xlr and db25 connectors will require additional clear space in front and behind the unit as well.

So draw some maps before you determine where you’ll be placing it. Also, the unit does not ship with a Thunderbolt 3 cable – A usb 3 cable is provided. Be aware that thunderbolt 3 cable length has the potential to reduce the effective bandwidth of the thunderbolt connection, but the reduction is from TB 3 – (40 Gbps) to TB 2 – (20 Gbps).

i’m using a 1 meter cable and all is well. I haven’t found any Antelope documentation on this factor yet, so it would be a good thing to ask on the forums. The Zen Tour Synergy Core is a portable unit, but I’ll not be dropping it into my backpack without proper padding.

I’m considering a pelican case for it if it is to go on the road. It would be cool if there were a Porta Brace case for it. In short, I’m inspired. Inspired to track, which makes me inspired to write, which makes me inspired to mix, but not on the same day.

I wanted a way to leave a few devices connected to an amp for “live” practice and also to a PC for recording. I’d looked at ways to do this with a mixer and an audio interface and then I found this Scarlett 8i6 – which for me has exactly the right options and hit the sweetspot costwise.

It’s a good, solid-feeling device and sound quality is amazing. It needs their routing software to set it up but works as a stand-alone “mixer” without the PC running once it’s been configured. That software is a little bit glitchy but in a way you quickly suss how to work around.

There’s also a huge amount of goodies to download – VSTs and DAWs – and they have regular download offerings and promos for subscribers. Not the cheapest interface but perfect for me and I’d say I got value for money.

I’m not a musician nor a producer, podcaster, YouTuber, nor anyone else who records much, so why did I lay out my own hard earned cash for this thing then? Well, I had a few different needs that this one piece of equipment handles very well.

First and foremost, I’m a music lover. I have a decent sized library of records and a couple of bulging hard drives with ripped cds. I need a way to losslessly rip my records to my computer. I had actually used a Focusrite Saffire but an update to my computer made that piece unusable.

This unit seems to be a step up rather than a near replacement as my rips are coming out clean. I also needed a high quality interface between my computer and hifi and the Scarlett once again handles the job with aplomb.

It sounds pretty fantastic honestly. Very clear and true to the source material. I also do a little online radio show as an excuse to hang out with long distance friends so I needed a good mic input on my computer.

Well that’s what the Scarlett is made for so of course it does that well. It also acts as a dac for playing cds with an old Blu-ray player as a transport. It just works at that too. So one product that’s a vinyl ripper, soundcard, mic input, and s/dif dac and sounds terrific too boot? That’s a home run in my book.

So you don’t have to be a recording engineer or pro musician to get this, I’m letting you know right here and now that it is perfectly at home in a hifi environment as well. You do need to fiddle with it a little and adjust some settings in your computer to get it to jive with your system but it’s not real hard to do.

Once that’s done though you have an incredibly versatile and well built solution to all kinds o audio problems. Well worth the asking price IMO.

I use the interface for my guitars into my computer for virtual amping, and also to record. It was working great until I connected the headphone out of a small lunchbox amp (a 6505 Piranha) to the line in on the Focusrite and the interface screeched at me, then lit up like a Christmas tree, and has stayed that way for 2 days.

Reinstalls, removing power, etc, it refuses to register in Device Manager in Win 10. I’m pretty sure its toast, and I don’t know why. The use case is something its already made for. Other than this incident Ive had Focusrite interfaces before and they were great, this is the first one out of three over the last 4 yrs that I’ve had a problem with.

The others were sold/traded to others so I could upgrade to whatever the next one was. Now im at a place where I need more inputs and outputs, so I got the 8I6-up until this incident it was exactly what I needed for the size footprint that I have.

The software routing is a little wonky, and Id like that it had more tactile button control rather than having to use Focusrite control for everything, but overall its a solid unit. I can’t find any situations like mine on the Web, Reddit, etc, so this particular incident sounds to be pretty limited.

ESS converters usually have the reputation of sounding thin and lifeless. But these new ES9026PRO’s that are used in 2023 M4 are breathtaking. I would have never imagined they sounded even more clear and crisp than my older interface with cirrus logic CS4398 converter.

I opened my M4 up to check the parts; indeed they use ESS for ADC as well, and it sounds extraordinary. They use very good quality opamps and a superb Burr Brown amplifier (OPA1688) for headphone output.

Though I would have preferred larger coupling capacitors (they only used 22uF), so that will result in a small roll-off in the low frequencies for the ADC, maybe a dB or two below 30Hz, which isn’t really noticeable.

The thing I love about it the most is the fact that its so Linux friendly. Runs on Ubuntu with no drivers needed. All the levels and monitoring and mixing controls are right there on the interface with no need for software headache.

Just fantastic. They really have a winner product here. Compared to the run-of-the-mill Scarletts and other mediocre interfaces on the market, it stands a head and shoulder above, with state-of-the-art digital conversion resulting in extremely low noise and distortion, and some meticulous analog engineering that in my opinion, pushes the limits of budget audio interfaces today.

Highly recommended.

I use the M4 with Cubase and WaveLab on a Win10 PC, (the MOTU ASIO driver was found quickly by my all various software, Steinberg, Izotope, Waves standalone VSTis, and Windows). The DAC and ADC is performed by the ESS Sabre32 Ultra DAC chip, the same chip used in interfaces costing much more, the same chip currently used by RME, the more expensive MOTU 8 channel units and more.

The clock jitter is quite good here, a benefit of the ESS chip, and the fidelity of the recordings are beautiful on an honest set of monitors; the playback is quite good (excellent with a well engineered and produced record!), and with good stage imaging.

I will add that there seems to be a slight midrange bump to adjust to here so take note. This took maybe a day and a half of listening to sort things, but I’ve adjusted easily enough. Worth hanging in there IMO.

The payoff (fidelity and detail) is definitely there. In fact, although it was not my reason for buying the M4, listening back to various tracks in a large music library has been a good experience. Almost as if I am hearing things for the first time.

It doesn’t come with a USBC to USBC cable so I had to pick one up (my PC has USBC), but in fairness the cable they do supply is USBC to USBB and the unit is rated at USBB transfer rates. Overall I think this is a great bargain on so many levels.

Before finally purchasing this particular Audio Interface, an item I have needed for some time to use with my DAW, I went to YouTube and viewed a ton of unboxing and reviews of the MOTU M2 & M4. Every single one of them said that this was the most amazing and feature-packed DAC in its price range on the market.

And every single one of them was correct. This little monster is mind-blowing in its build, its features, its complete lack of latency, and anything else you would want in a compact DAC. The monitoring features are killer, as is the powerful separate headphone volume.

And as every YouTube reviewer stated, the LCD meters are so accurate it’s unbelievable. I am so pleased that I purchased this DAC that I haven’t the words to express just how glad I am. It’s a complete game changer for my DAW recording, and something I wish I had purchased a long time ago, rather than using the generic ASIO driver that came with Cubase that just wasn’t up to par.

If you’re looking for a 4in/4out DAC with enough I/Os, including MIDI ones, to record and monitor a limited amount of hardware, look no further. This is the only one to buy!.

On paper this should have been perfect for me, as I’m starting out back into production. The unit I have seems to have an internal issue as there is lots of feedback. I have tried shielded RCA leads and different USB type A to B, even one from Digital Village, but still the interference still persists.

I know it’s not my KRK’s as they have been checked. If working well it would have suited my needs, sort of. A very basic interface with the ability to only have one instrument or microphone at a time.

It does have phantom power for mics and the inputs are all at the front, but there are only RCA outs which, even at this price range, is limiting. The build is fully plastic, but is still a solid feeling unit, but the Focusrite Scarlette Solo has a more rugged feel due to the metal enclosure.

It also means that you don’t have to worry if you’re carrying it about. It’s a good start for home use and the button and dial layout is perfect. The addition of LED channel monitors is a big plus.

I have an autistic child whom plays video games but hates the base sound. These speakers sound great without the heavy base echoing through out the house. The sound quality is good and these speakers look like high quality gaming speakers.

These speakers have a cool light display that matches the keyboard. The only downside is that they aren’t extremely powerful speakers. They do get the job done.

They’re pretty good… I expected them to be a bit bigger and louder, but that’s entirely my fault for not searching for reviews on the product. Despite all of that, they’re fine

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These have surprisingly good sound for their size and are a nice solution for video calls and background music in my wife’s home office. Just so nobody else makes the same mistake: these are only POWERED by the USB connection; they aren’t a USB audio device, so they have a secondary cable with 3.

5mm stereo plug to connect to the headphone/speaker jack of your computer too. That was a bit disappointing; I was misled by the product photo and USB 2. 0 description, thinking these were an elegant one-cable solution with both power and audio over USB.

But the sound quality is good enough that we’ll be keeping these. Other than the dual cabling, the only drawback that comes to mind are the exposed, upward-facing diaphragms on the front, which are bound to collect dust over time and could also be easily damaged by kids, cats, etc.

The Creative Labs Pebble 2 Computer Stereo Speakers require two ports on one’s laptop for connectivity: an audio-out headphone jack for the sound AND a spare USB port to enable the laptop to power the speakers because they do not have a separate power supply.

Since these speakers are not separately powered they have a limited volume level that may not be as loud in some circumstances as one would prefer. An On/Off / Volume knob controls the volume that, more often than not, is kept at the max level for sufficient sound.

For the low price and limited power these speakers are surprisingly accurate sounding and have a fuller-than-expected sound. It may be possible to obtain louder volumes if the USB connector is plugged into a separately powered USB router.

All said, these speakers are a great value.

I needed a new speaker for my computer. The old one had started humming all day long. Turns out some wires were broken. And I found a good deal at Amazon. Amazon gave me many choices, from $20 to over $50 and the best one was around $39 with Bluetooth and “HEAR EVERY WORD WITH CLEAR DIALOG AUDIO PROCESSING.

” WOW. What a great deal from Amazon. But how about Walmart? Could they be even less expensive? And I go to Walmart and since I need another grocery order soon I buy there. And the price is around $29.

But they do not have all the choices Amazon did. I think this has got to be the Amazon $39 speaker. And I ordered it. And it arrived. But the package said AMAZON! How can that be? It be. It came from “Creative Labs Creative Pebble Modern 2.

0 USB Speaker. ” It is the “$20 that was a choice on Amazon. I think. Not many markings on the speakers to let me know which version they are. Shopped Amazon, bought from Walmart and delivered saying “Amazon” on the package.

Like different fingers of the same hand.

These are the BEST usb cables I own. The snug fit often makes this the only cable that will work with older devices with loose connectors. The pigment is beautiful, the length is just right (if I could only pick a single length), the shipping is fast, and they make my nice expensive gear stay on aesthetic.

The added benefit is that they are fairly unique too, so you know if someone takes your cables. I was about to leave a gig recently and noticed the next DJ had GRABBED my usb cable from my cable stack as I was running gear to the car and used it with clear intent to steal it.

So I ripped it out, announced to the party what happened, and left with all my gear. Seriously just buy these.

Just received them and I didn’t have to wait forever for them. I used them at a double laptop setup gig. I bought a white wire so I can tell the difference between mine and hubbies. No data dropouts.

They worked like a charm. Now I need another one because hubby wants to leave that one with his setup. Thinking a white one and another color.

I am happy this product was created because I’ve seen djs using dongles for their new gen macbooks and it made me holdout on purchasing a new mac until it was absolutely necessary. That time finally came and for a few months I used a USB Hub which is way cleaner than a dongle but still not what I wanted to be using.

I’m happy I went back to DJ Tech Tools to see if maybe they created this product and sure enough they did. I used it at 3 gigs this weekend and there was absolutely no issues. It’s the quality I’ve come to expect.

Thanks ya’ll!.

Having recently purchased a brand new MacBook Pro M1 Pro with 1TB SSD, I wanted a really good external SSD for Time Machine Backups. I already own a much smaller Samsung SSD which has served me really well for the last few years.

So I knew in advance the Samsung T7 2TB would be the perfect choice for the task at hand. It’s simply amazing you can get portable SSD drives with so much real and usable storage, for the price of admission in this T7.

It came nicely packaged with every you need, including a little owners manual and a high quality USB C to USB C cable. This drive is incredibly fast and was able to download hundreds of gigabytes of data quickly.

It’s built to the best standards with durable thermal construction, which Samsung says defends against impact or overheating. Out of the box, it was recognized on my new MacBook and using Disc Utility, I formatted it appropriately for a Mac (using APFS) and while data is downloading, the little Blue LED blinks to let you know data is being accepted, then turns solid blue when the data transfer is complete.

You can password protect the drive and it includes 256-BIT AES hardware encryption, which scrambles data to make it nearly impossible to hack. It’s small, elegant, incredibly well made, protects your data and simply couldn’t be easier to use.

If you’ve ever lost data before, you know how awful the feeling. This T7 SSD from Samsung will ensure I can never lose data. For the money, I simply can’t recommend this enough.

This Samsung SSD T7 500GB SSD, works perfectly with my MacBook Air 2017. It works perfectly with Mac OS Monetary, and the last two versions of Mac OS Big Sur. I, had major problems with my Samsung T5 SSD with photo backups, on the earlier versions of Big Sur, but now it works fine with the latest versions.

The T7 however, is a different drive, and so far it is working perfectly. The speeds are noticeably faster than my old hard drive, and I am using this drive for my Time Machine backups. This drive works so, good I decided to purchase a second drive for the Windows 10 side of my Mac OS.

However, you must save the files on the drive if you want to password protect it. The reason for this is that you must format this SSD on Windows in order for it to work. I, am using this Samsung T7 SSD drive on Windows 10 for Windows System Backups.

This drive may not work for both System, and File backups if you do not format it correctly. There are two format file types; NFTS (Default), and exFAT on Windows 10. Depending on how you format the drive it will not work on another operating system.

Look on the internet for instructions on how to format this drive for Windows, but from what I can tell you the exFAT file format works best with SSD’s and USB flash drives. One more thing to note is that I did not see any type of speed increase with this SSD drive on Windows 10, over my regular Dell hard drive, but SSD’s do last longer than hard drives depending on how many backup write saves you will be using it for.

The SSD is fast and a large capacity. Even if according to specification, it is slower than the internal SSD on my laptop, I cannot really tell the difference. I use it for running Virtual Machine and software development.

Where I had trouble is with Samsung Portable SSD software and Samsung Magician. I installed the Portable SSD software and got some very weird issues: I was NOT using encryption and the SSD start losing some changes.

When I swap the SSD to another machine, folder or files created done on that machine were not appearing on the original machine. At one point, I reformatted the drive and it continues reporting the old folder, even though they were completely inaccessible.

After I finally removed the Samsung Portable software, the problem went away. That software is only require for using encryption. Another issue was with Samsung Magician software. It updated the firmware, which was good.

I had it for over a month and strangely, the laptop was no longer able to sleep, took me a while to figure out that the issue was with the external SSD. Uninstalling Samsung Magician fix the issue. None of Samsung software is required for basic use.

But it was time consuming to troubleshot and figure out that Samsung software cause more harm than good.

I have been listening to streamed music for about four years utilising Amazon streaming service. Equipment I used was a good quality bluetooth/DAC played through a NAIM pre-power amp combo. The sound quality was I must say very good.

Appreciating the benefits in sound quality of a dedicated network streamer I have been watching their development over a number of years. Unfortunately there seems in the past to have been issues with compatibility with numerous streaming services, some problems with the streaming apps, gapless music etc.

Also some of the streamers where eye wateringly expensive. However there are now a number of quality streamers available including the NODE. I bought it after reading numerous good press and customer reviews.

Some reviews also compared the sound to the NAIM CD5 player which I use. Following purchase the Node arrived promptly. I was really impressed by the look and quality of the streamer. Setting it up was very straight forward, downloaded the BLUOS app connected to my network and that was it, took about five minutes.

First music I played was David Crosby album “For Free” both my wife and I were astonished by the quality of the sound, definitely a wow factor. I have now been using the NODE regularly and I am extremely pleased with it.

The app has worked perfectly, simple to use and I have also set the line out volume in settings as fixed and also switched off the tone controls so these are now flat. I have played a wide selection of music including older favourites Al Stewart, Lloyd Cole, Supertramp.

I have also played more subtle recent music including The Weather Station, Faye Webster. Less subtle music would include the Darkness last album. The NODE sounds fantastic irrespective of the type of music played, the sound is extremely clear and detailed.

So in a nutshell yes I love this streamer and will enjoy many more hours of quality listening. Also it sounds much better than the previous Bluetooth/DAC I used.

The user who gave this a bad review must have a bad unit. He should have returned it. There is no on/off switch and this doesn’t bother anyone else who has ever tried the product. It is not distracting or inconvenient.

The idea that it is a waste of electricity is a joke. This is audio equipment. One more moving part is a terrible idea. I have the new Node and a 2i at my summer house. The Node is a great value, sounds super, and is very easy to set up.

It does a lot more than just a DAC or a Streamer. I’ve been a Node fan for three years. Their customer support is horrendous, so he is right about that. Thankfully, it is fairly simple and in a week or two you will know much more than their customer service technicians.

This is my summary. The Bluesound Node 2i has a pair of Burr Brown (Texas Instruments) 32 bit multibit PCM 5122 DAC chips and the Node 2021 uses 2 32 bit multibit PCM 5242s DAC chips. They both do the full MQA decode/renderer/unfold/deblurring (24 bit 192kHz Node 2i & 32 bit 384 kHz Node 2021) depending on source).

Since it does so much more (like streaming, multi room, headphone preamp, CD DAC conversion, Roon support, AppleTalk, Alexa integration, bidirectional Bluetooth aptX, digital library management, and internet radio,) and costs less than $500, I don’t think the DAC gets the respect it deserves.

It sounds great (many people prefer the “smooth” Burr Brown multibit sound signature). Plus BlueOS, it’s management/remote control software, is free, well regarded, and easy to use. (I prefer Roon, which I use for my library, but BluOS is free and will manage your USB digital library)! I run TIDAL HIFI/MQA, Qobuz DSD HR, input my Audiolab 6000CDT (CD transport) to the Node DAC (optical in), internet radio, wireless multi-room smart speakers (Pulse Flex 2i), multiple (open and closed back) wired headphones, wireless Bluetooth aptX HD headphones (Sony WF-1000XM4), and a 2 TB USB HD managed by a Roon Server (Headless dedicated Intel Core i7, Windows 10 and a new iPad Air as my Roon/BluOS remote control) to my Node as the Roon endpoint.

Hard wired into my NAD C-725BEE two channel integrated amplifier to ADS L-1530s, and a Paradigm Reference PS-1200 Subwoofer, the music sounds better than I’ve ever heard it before. Not bad for under $500.

I have two Nodes. A 2i is in my summer getaway and a new Node 2021 is at my main home with the hifi system described above. Since they are 2,000 miles apart and are connected to vastly different audio systems, I can’t offer an opinion on the new one versus the old one.

They both sound pretty fabulous. I was able to install and completely configure the new one in less than 15 minutes. I haven’t noticed any difference or used any enhancements yet. Node streamer transport – ANode DAC – B+Node BluOS software – A-Node – ease of use – ANode support – FNode flexibility – A-Node value – A.

Although I have only had the Node a week, I am more than happy with it and really pleased I bought it over the Denon streamer that I had been waiting (and waiting) for to come into stock. The unit is approximately the same size as my Virgin cable box, which it now sits beside unobtrusively.

Set up was easy, the app (I’m using Android) works well. I like very much that the four Radio Paradise stations are available as MQA streams (exclusive to to Bluesound I believe). If you haven’t discovered Radio Paradise yet, then do check it out whether you buy a Node or not.

The Node feeds into my Denon/ Q Acoustics system and sounds wonderful. I’ve subscribed to Amazon Unlimited, which is supported in the Bluesound app. , to check it out. Spotify works seamlessly through Spotify connect and Tidal is also supported, though I haven’t tested that.

The only downside so far is that when I connected to the Node through my Bluetooth earbuds (Galaxy Buds Live), it almost blew my brains out and I still have not found a way to control the volume. I was just testing – I wouldn’t normally use earbuds on the HiFi (but you know, new toy and all that) so it’s not really an issue for me.

I did search for a solution online, but only found that others had also had a similar issue. I haven’t found a solution yet (other than don’t use my earbuds!).

I’m just getting back into the speaker game. This model showed up in the recommended for desktop speakers. A bit bigger than expected so I am still waiting on clamped desk mounts. I’m glad I went with bamboo.

Laminated MDF doesn’t feel special. I’m confident I’d find the same satisfaction as countless of other reviews. Haven’t seen any surprise flaws yet.

i was originally looking for some small powered speakers for a small receiver I had in my bedroom. My main speakers downstairs are Paradigm Atoms, known for there open and spacious sound. I installed them and began listening to some CD’s and MP3’s from CD’s.

Before I knew it almost an hour and a half had gone by, I literally could not stop listening to these speakers. There direction is fairly critical in order to get the proper soundstage, but once you find the sweet spot, you’ll know.

I think what kept me listening so long was all the subtle little details that were revealed. Its not knock you over changes but more what I would call nuances. You’ll actually have to listen to the speakers to hear it, but that’s what is so great about these little speakers.

They are powerful as well, they will get quite loud If you want them to, but that’s another thing, they don’t have to be played loud to appreciate them. These speakers will literally make you listen to your music, and I think that’s a good thing.

Sound: While the Blue Yeti may not be THE best sounding USB mic right out of the box, it does have good sound quality. With a little tweaking through a free audio mixer software like Voice Meeter Banana will result in a very professional sounding mic without spending the big bucks.

Stock settings will give you more than sufficient sound quality though. With easy access to the knobs to control the gain and pic up pattern makes for easy adjusting on the fly. Due to the pic up patterns I would only recommend this mic for individual use and not for an interview setting.

Price: Being priced at $130 isn’t terrible, but should probably be closer to the $100. 00 mic segment given it doesn’t have XLR. Personally, I would opt to buy the Blue Yeticaster Broadcast Bundle which includes the mic (no desktop stand), boom arm, and shockmount for $180-$200 vs the stand alone Blue Yeti Mic for reasons below.

Purchasing all three items individually would be in the $280 range Keep in Mind/Cons: I would highly, highly, highly recommend a boom arm for this mic. The desk stand for the mic is not very useful. I found myself slouching over due to having no height adjustment.

Additionally, to get your mouth the appropriate distance from the mic for optimal sound quality (without cranking the gain) means the mic stand is sitting at an awkward spot in relation to your keyboard/mouse.

I also found that with the desk stand no matter how I positioned the mic, set the pickup, gain or gate I could not eliminate picking up desk noise such as keyboard clicks, mouse clicks, or even setting my phone down on the desk due no shock dampening.

Even setting the stand on a towel did not assist much. Mounting the mic to the Blue Boom Arm completely fixed the unwanted sound and positioning issues. If you are going to mount this mic to the Blue Boom Arm I would recommend installing it with the shock mount.

The shock mount isn’t much of an advantage sound quality wise, but definitely helps weight wise with the boom arm. While this mic is heavier than normal it’s not quite heavy enough on it’s on for the Blue Boom Arm.

I found the boom arm wanting to “snap open” on the loosest tension settings due to there not being enough weight at the end of it. Adding the yeti shock mount to the mic and boom arm allowed for the proper weight to adjust the mic to my desired position without any sagging or raising.

In conclusion, I would highly recommend this mic being purchased in the Yesticaster bundle due to the savings vs buying the individual components. While I still can recommend the mic being purchased individually, I believe you’re going to be wanting a boom arm sooner rather than later due to the desk stand offering no dampening or height adjustment.

This microphone has numerous settings to cope with any particular style recording format you might need. There are four patterns to choose from just be mindful of what each one does to maximize the quality of your recording.

Cordial is the one you want (looks like an upside-down heart) as this will record only from a single direction directly in from of the microphone. This really should have included a pop filter but those care quite cheap to get.

You do not need to buy Yeti branded accessories as the threads are universal to most brands. A cheaper alternative for boom arm etc. would be the Elgato line. The best way to use this microphone with cordial setting is the place it within 8 inches of your mouth around 45 degrees off-center from you while keeping the direction of the front of the device facing your mouth.

This will pick up the voice clearly without catching all your “P”s. As this is directional you will want to speak to the side of the microphone NOT on top like stand-up comedians do as it will not pick up your voice.

I’m a newbie to this sort of thing so I had to search through YouTube to find best practices. The instructions should have been a little clearer in the box but are a little cryptic at best. That’s the reason for the 1-star downgrade.

It’s great, don’t worry. A final note: don’t kid yourself, this is bigger than the picture shows; it’s also a little on the heavy side.

So far so good, sounds excellent as expected. I will likely need to put it on a box to elevate it, or get a boom mount. Installation was removing from packaging and plugging in the usb cable. Done. This review is taking longer to write than the installation.

What surprised me though is that it’s about twice the size I expected. I figured it was maybe an inch and a half wide, subconsciously extrapolating from smaller hand held mikes I’ve had previously. It’s 2-1/2 wide at the screen, 2-3/4 on the main body.

11-1/4 or so tall. I’ve seen complaints that the stand is flimsy, but it sure isn’t, it’s pretty weighty and metal, not plastic, which is good. You do need to tighten the side screws to firm positioning up, but that’s done with fingers.

There’s a threaded hole on the bottom that’s about 1/2 wide, apparently you can get a 1/4-20 adapter for it. I’m guessing it’ll screw into a mike stand, but I don’t have one to check. Nice rubber bottom, anti-skid and won’t mark your desk up.

I’m pretty happy with it, the build quality is good, no complaints there. Using with a Mac, just showed up in preferences as a selection for both input and output (has a headset amp built in, 1/8 jack).

Recorded a test video screen capture with voice over, no problem. The multiple patterns are nice, I haven’t tried them all yet, but I’ll probably just use the Cardoid/single person pattern mostly. Ideal speaking distance seems to be around a foot, but you can easily use it from a yard or more away.

Has gain control that I didn’t even need to turn up at all. All in all, it seems like a no-brainer. I see why the major reviews are pretty unanimous in recommending it.

I’ve been a fan of focusrite products for years now and just recently upgraded to the 3rd generation package. The mic is solid and very clear especially for someone just beginning to record music. The interface is powerful and small enough to move around too.

It’s a great setup especially if you’re mobile with your setup. It’s easy to set up, you just plug it in and go. I cant say much about the headphones since I haven’t acquired them yet but it’s a really solid setup.

The microphone and the interface are ideal for my songwriting and my composing. I have recorded a few demos with them, that I’m already so excited to master. These are the best headphones I’ve ever heard.

The quality of sound is ideal for the stereo output into other speakers and audio sources. This helps me clean and polish tracks! Also, very useful DAW bundle. I love that I can try out Ableton without having to buy the standard ver.

Very satisfied with my purchase :).

This is a great little starter kit. I’m doing some audiobook recording and my old mic and set up was not up to the task. While I don’t have a lot of money to spend on high-end equipment right now, the Focusrite Scarlett Solo Studio has everything I currently need.

It is a simple USB plug in unit with some wonderful features which help reduce sibilance (the Air button). I have noticed that I have to do very little post-production on the sound so I am very pleased with that.

There is also a second socket for a guitar or other instrument (which I don’t need), but I reckon it would work well for a travelling musician. The condenser mic is very good and, provided you use it correctly (just speak into the logo, I find), you get a minimum off room noise, which is amazing as my laptop fans can get quite noisy! Definitely recommend this as a great starter.

I have bought about 10 of these over the past couple years. They always work great, and I have never had a failure with any of them. I have used them to replace hard drives in older PC and Mac laptops.

The performance of these drives is not anywhere near as fast as a PCI m. 2 SSD, but they are a great replacement for SATA drives in old PCs. They are several times faster than spinning drives, so they make older PCs/laptops actually usable.

I also keep a couple of these drives on hand for testing computers, frequently reformatting them with various versions of MacOS, Linux, and Windows. I think the oldest one of these drives I have is 3 years old, and I have never had a failure.

They are a great buy at about $20!.

The last 1 of these I got was a 120GB for like $25 for a system with a core 2 quad and 6GB DDR2. An SSD adds value to old hardware allowing it to boot swiftly and providing similarly swift access to storage.

The Inland Professional price matches superbly to the age of the hardware. Also, they are sufficiently robust. I use Linux and I Distro hop, routinely. Beyond the aforementioned, I may set an 8-12GB swap partition and adjust swappiness because software-ram is easier then DDR2.

My SSDs’ are Inland Pro and, knock on wood, I’ve yet to have a drive failure.

I have to preface this that I have owned this headset since 2018. It was worth aroundabout 100 to 120. The thing at the time was a beast. I was moving from a steelseries and I really enjoyed the sound that came out of the drivers.

That goes without saying though that it is pretty much all that they got going for them. The build quality is good (granted I had dropped the headset a couple times while standing up, unbeknownst to me I was stepping on the cord) but it really started to bust up on the second fall.

The plastic brackets that are between the headband and the driver arms started to crack, and now i have broken pieces in my headset. I’ll get some popping in my sound as well. It started to do this to me around a year ago, but I did some tests to see how the popping starts and as it turns out the drivers are getting old and arent able to keep the output that they were able to bust out with no problem.

I decided to see if i could do some DIY repair on the plastic part that was cracked and found that there were 2 tiny little plastic pieces that hold onto the drivers and keeps them aligned. Both of those were cracked.

There were also 3 pins to maintain proper alignment and noticed one of the pins were either missing or melted off! I know though that this is an old headset and that it might have been chipped or clipped off during the fall but the ideaology behind the drivers being held on by that bracket with two tiny pieces just baffles my mind.

I had recently purchased a newer headset from a brand that is well known for their sound quality but is much more expensive. I personally hope and pray that it will be a better quality control than this headset.

Overall, if you want to get into a good heaset that sounds decent and you dont mind the quality of what ive highlighted from this headset, then this would be a decent fit. I am giving this 4 stars given from it’s longevity for the price.

It is rare for a headset to last this long for me, even though I dont abuse my stuff. (Also must mention that the cups that you get the faux leather and the other material, just stick with the leather.

The other material sucks moisture from your ears and will give you a rash after a while).

I’ve had this headset for about a month now – I use it at work where I wear it every day for a full workday, and it’s very comfortable, even with my glasses. I was a little wary of going with a wireless headset, but I’ve gone into another room about 150′ from my desk and still remained connected with no dropouts – I don’t anticipating ever needing more than that.

The audio is clear and loud, and the headset does a very good job of blocking out other noise in the office. The volume wheel is a scroll wheel that controls the computer’s master volume, so no fiddling with computer and headset volume controls separately.

I really like the red LED mute indicator on the end of the mic boom. It’s not distracting, but if I look for it, it is visible in my peripheral vision – and the mute button is raised, while the power button is flush, which helps distinguish them by feel while wearing the headset.

I’ve not yet pushed past two days, but this will happily go two full workdays on a single charge, and recharging is quick. The headset will sleep after a period of time with no connection – such as when I shut my computer down for lunch, so there’s no concern of forgetting to turn it off.

I plug my dongle into a dock on my desktop where I can see it, and there is a clear, but not overly bright red LED glow when it’s connected, and it flashes when the headset is not connected, which can help quickly confirm that it’s paired.

Several other people in my office had this same headset already, and now I know why.

HyperX Cloud II Gaming Headset is a great headset, it provides an excellent audio quality especially for gaming. It gives enough noise cancelling for me to not get distracted while playing or for other purposes.

The sound card and speakers are great. The headset is really comfortable and durable as well. When I use it, it doesn’t hurt my ear at all and it fits perfectly for most people because it is adjustable.

I really like how the mic is detachable. Also, I like how there is a baggy provided because I can store the other parts when I’m not using it. I can use it mostly anywhere there is a usb cord or a headphone jack.

It is also easy to carry around since it’s not heavy and not too bulky. According to my friends who I talk to while using the headset, the microphone quality is crystal clear. The one thing I did encounter is that there weren’t too many color choices to pick from.

Sometimes the wire gets in the way, however that is only because it is a wired headset rather than a bluetooth headset. When it comes to pricing, I think that it was decently priced, not too much, not too cheap.

Although there is a problem I noticed, which was the microphone’s structure. I noticed that as I bend the mic, it causes these wrinkles. One thing that stood out to me, is that there is free technical support with a two year warranty which is always helpful if there were to have a problem with the product.

Overall I think that this product is really good and definitely worth the price.

I have no regrets about this purchase after receiving my Jabra Speak 710 other than what took me so long to order it. If you are working at home, this is an absolute must have! The sound quality is excellent for meetings and playing music.

Connectivity was a breeze right out of the box. Although there are more affordable options, this one stood out because of the built-in kickstand feature and travel bag, which makes it easily transportable.

The Jabra SPEAK 710 is an amazing product. Linking two units together has completely transformed the way we present to hybrid (simultaneous live and virtual) audiences. The clarity of sound is excellent and the range of the speakers far exceeds what is described in the promotional literature.

This speaker is probably the only one commercially available including the predecessors in the Jabra range that can actually consistently pick up my voice, as a woman I have a quiet voice but not particularly high pitched but using other devices even when speaking louder than my male colleagues I had to get one of them to repeat what I was saying for people on the other end to hear it.

I have female colleagues with the same problem and they have now all transferred to the 710. The quality of voice is exception and the control of the specific UC units designed to provide it for Teams and Skype is 2nd to none.

The stand and daisy chaining facility are also really good when you have more than 5 or 6 people in the room. Like all similar devices there is some fall out of voice quality using it exclusively on wifi (not physically connected) but if you daisy chain devices to a physically connected one this is minimised too.

I would not be without this speaker for conf calls and the handy device cover is superb too making it quick and easy to use or put away in a hurry.