Pros: Was a good idea

Cons: For some reason, I could never get it to work under Win7. It installed, driver seemed happy, but sound never came out. It was cheap enough I just scrapped.

Pros: It works great for those people whom do not have a dedicated sound card or an old one without 5 or 7.1 surround sound support.

The device is quite simple to set up and use. Just plug and play.

Cons: None yet.

Pros: Simple install, hilarious Chinese accented english in surround test

Cons: Sadly produced drastically inferior audio compared to an old Audigy SE I had lying around, to the point of being tinny. Swapping for a real sound card (Asus Xonar D1 PCI)

Other Thoughts: May work great for many, sadly I'm not one of those. Kudos to Newegg for all they do for the PC enthusiast.

Pros: 7.1 works (see cons), reduces cable clutter

Cons: 7.1 does NOT work on my vantec if it is connected to a USB hub. I have a USB 3 and USB 2 powered hub (i.e. with a power supply) and 7.1 wouldn't work on either. Stereo and even 5.1 worked, but not 7.1. So I'm connecting it via it's own 12 foot USB extension cable and 7.1 is working fine.

The blue LED is really bright and the geniuses at Vantec thought it would be good to have it BLINK whenever audio is playing... That might be useful in some sort of diagnostic mode, but not all the time, guys.

Other Thoughts: I haven't tested the mic inputs or the buttons on the device itself. If you're not doing 7.1 it will probably be fine. If you are doing 7.1, be aware that you may need a dedicated cable connecting this thing directly to your computer.

Pros: Works great via USB. I have not used the SPDIF. Connected to 5.1 channel system. Installed automatically on Win 7.

Cons: *** Setup File contains WORM. Detected by Kaspersky Labs Antivirus.
Worm.Win32.Luder.agzf Email

DO NOT use CD.

Pros: Tried to upgrade the drivers for the Sigmatel HD Audio chipset in my Dell Latitude D830, and finally gave it up as a lost cause. Nothing I tried (drivers, software equalization, etc., etc.) made any difference. The sound was just plain awful.

I took a gamble on the Vantec USB External 7.1 Channel Audio Adapter because of the good reviews here, and I seriously could *not* be happier with what I'm hearing. I'm using the 2.1 jack on the front of the box, and running it into a Dayton Audio DTA-1 with Dayton Audio B-652 bookshelf speakers and a Dayton Audio 8" subwoofer, and you'd (literally!) have to be deaf to not hear how much better things sound.

Listening right now to Chic Gamine's "Closer" album, and *man* does it sound great. A massively extended range, and an actual *presence* and soundstage that just weren't there with that worthless Sigmatel chipset.

VERY happy camper!

Cons: None so far. Then again, I'm just doing 2.1 stereo with it. But *man* does it *work* for that!

Other Thoughts: Have to buy a couple more of these. Or see if Vantec has a newer model!

Pros: -

Cons: -

Other Thoughts: It works, but not on a PS3.. For anyone else trying to use this to convert PS3 toslink out -> this -> 3.5mm computer speakers. It gets power just fine from the PS3 USB ports but doesn't convert.

Pros: Amazing sound quality for a sound card this cheap, volume control buttons control windows audio levels rather than having a pre-amp control of it's own (a personal preference for me).

Cons: Blue LEDs are bright, but the worst part is that the power LED actually blinks when sound is 'detected'. Had to cover up the LEDs with electrical tape, otherwise I would see a bright blinking LED just about every time my computer is running.

Other Thoughts: Will probably buy a few more for my media center and laptop.

Pros: Has both analog and digital outputs, optical SPDIF, stereo mic in, line in ... wow and it's in such a small box too. Value priced.

Cons: I'm not a fan of these super bright blue LED's, not worth docking an egg though. I just turn the unit over.

Other Thoughts: Wow this is a nice addition to any laptop where you need something more than those puny built-in speakers. I use a laptop on the coffee table to view on-line and downloaded videos. This unit helps me get high quality multi-channel audio to my house audio system. I'm very happy with this unit so far.

Pros: Compact
No lag or problems with sound quality
Supports outgoing audio devices
Blue LEDs

Cons: Lights are very bright (hurts eyes)
Mic jacks are not on the front with the headphone/speaker jacks

Other Thoughts: Not using anymore just another device to stockpile