What External Sound Card is the Best of 2023-2024?

Looking for an external sound card that’ll not only replace the USB ports of your computer, but can turn it into a full home theatre audio solution as well?

Well, then you’re in luck!

Today, we bring you our top 5 picks on some of the best external sound cards the market has to offer.

To be able to bring you this guide, we extensively tested over 20 products, out of which these 5 turned out to be our personal favorites.

So, sit back and enjoy our reviews!

Best External Sound Cards 2023-2024

  1. Sabrent USB External Sound Adapter – Best All-Around Product

What did we like?

What attracted us the most about the Sabrent was how amazingly flexible it was with its audio interface.

With the ‘plug and play’ feature, you will be able to stream your favorite playlists across all mainline operating systems seamlessly.

And best of all, it doesn’t need a pre-installed driver to function optimally.

How is the Performance?

When we put the Sabrent to the test, we were pleasantly surprised to find that it had backwards compatibility with USB 1.1. This is a somewhat rare feature to have for any modern-day USB device which only tends to support USB 2.0 and higher.

But the Sabrent disappoints when it comes to card compatibility. As it uses C Media HS 100B, which is crystal free, its sampling rate may not be compatible while syncing with other cards.

Our Thoughts.

The Sabrent is an amazingly small and compact device. But don’t be fooled by its diminutive size, even though small it packs a fantastic sound quality and comes with two thumbs up from our side.


Pros:

  • 3D stereo audio adapter.
  • Amazing plug and play feature.
  • USB 1.1 backwards compatibility.

Cons:

  • Sampling rate may not be compatible with other cards.
  1. UGREEN USB 3.0 Hub 3 Ports USB Sound Card 2 in 1| Best Value for Money

What did we like?

If you’re looking for a sound card that along with providing an audio interface, protects your computer’s USB ports from physical damage, you can’t possibly go wrong with the UGREEN.

As the device comes with 3 additional USB ports, the UGREEN is the more popular choice when it comes to protecting your laptop’s ports or replacing the damaged ones.

How is the Performance?

With a USB 3.0 HUB, the UGREEN allows for a faster data transfer speed than what the average port providing sound cards are capable of.

But what the UGREEN provides in file transfer speed it compromises on sound quality. When we tried out its audio capabilities, we saw that it was decent but not excellent.

Our Thoughts

The UGREEN is perhaps one of the best external sound card devices at that price range. With 3 USB ports and a durable build, it is quite a popular choice today.

Pros:

  • Provides 3 USB ports.
  • Great data transfer speed.
  • Affordable and cost-effective.

Cons:

  • Average sound quality, nothing noteworthy.
  1. Vantec NBA-200U USB External 7.1 Channel Audio Adapter| Best Sound Clarity

What did we like?

The Vantec NBA-200U audio adapter boasts an amazing sound quality and can be your pick for the day, if music is an essential aspect of your daily life.

With a 7.1 channel surround sound, the adapter additionally comes with separate left and right microphone inputs that allow great stereo recordings.

How is the performance?

Vantec’s 7.1 channel surround sound feature supports 48/44.11 KHz sampling rates for both audio playbacks and voice recordings. And along with SPDIF Optical Digital Input And Output capabilities, we found that it would fulfill the needs of a wide variety of customer demands.

But all these amazing features comes boxed in a delicate exterior. The Vantec has a fragile build and might not be durable against physical damage.

Our Thoughts

If looked past its durability issues, the Vantec is sure to capture the hearts of many a customer to whom sound clarity is of utmost importance.

Pros:

  • 1 channel surround sound.
  • SPDIF Optical Digital Input And Output capabilities
  • 48/44.11 KHz sampling rates.

Cons:

  • Fragile build.
  1. Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB Audio System with SBX SB1095| Best for Home-theater Setup

What did we like?

Creative’s Sound Blaster X-Fi was indeed one a kind when it came to giving us a fantastic user experience that was both seamless and convenient.

Additionally, it has a sleek and compact design making it the most stylish and attractive sound adapter in our list today.

How is the performance?

The X-Fi comes with a Dolby Digital Live that let us connect the adapter to any decoder or home theatre system with just the use of a single digital cable. It has a great sound quality, and with the user-friendly remote functions, it is indeed the ideal choice for homeowners planning to set up their very own home theatres.

Our Thoughts

The X-Fi is nothing short of amazing when it comes to giving your living area the right kind of audio experience. But all these amazing features come at an expensive price, and may not be affordable for the average customer.

Pros:

  • Seamless Dolby Digital Live connection.
  • Great surround sound quality.
  • Sleek and attractive design.

Cons:

  • Too expensive for the average customer.
  1. Creative Sound BlasterX G5 7.1 Headphone Surround HD Audio External Sound Card with Headphone Amplifier| Best for Gamers

What did we like?

The Sound BlasterX G5 is made with the video gamer in mind. If you’re into PC or console gaming, then the G5 is sure to fit your needs like a glove.

How is the performance?

When using the G5, we realized that the built-in SB-Axx1 Audio Processor made it one of the best in class audio devices for console and PC gaming.

It even comes with a headphone amplifier that creates an immersive 3D gaming audio experience, that is sure to excite the audiophile present within every gamer.

Our Thoughts

Barring a few issues with the audio software, where at times it was failing to recognize the device. The G5 can be a gamer’s best friend in both offline and online competitive stages.

Pros:

  • 3D gaming audio experience.
  • SB-Axx1 Audio Processor.
  • Headphone amplifier that heightens the gaming experience.

Cons:

  • The audio software has a lot of bugs and glitches.

Conclusion

Today’s audio device market offers a lot of external sound cards that cater to different customer needs. So, we hope that the list we presented to you today was good enough for yours and helped you under what you’ll need to buy.

Till next time!

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