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Ben Z.

Ben Z.

Joined on 01/23/02

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 2
Most Favorable Review

Works for what I need it to do.

GWC AA1570 7.1 Channels 48KHz USB Interface External USB 7.1 Channel Sound Box
GWC AA1570 7.1 Channels 48KHz USB Interface External USB 7.1 Channel Sound Box

Pros: Hardware setup: -Mac Mini, running OS X 10.7.4 -Windows 7 Professional PC -Xbox 360 Slim -Logitech Z-5300 5.1 surround speakers I wanted to be able to hook up all three devices to the same speaker set, and control the volume for each device from one source. The AA1570 allowed me to do that. The USB audio card is connected to my Windows 7 PC directly, the Xbox is connected via an SPDIF input cable, and the Mac Mini is using 3.5mm plug. All three devices can play audio through the USB card, and to my 5.1 Logitech speakers. I didn't have to load any driver software to get the card to work with my Mac or Windows PC

Cons: Although the USB audio card will work with OS X, the pass-through audio options seem to be limited by the Mac platform. This might seem like a minor gripe, but I had originally planned on connecting the AA1570 to my Mac. I found the pass-through audio options so much easier to manage in Windows 7, I revised my plans. So I can't recommend this to anybody using a Mac as their primary PC, if they want to daisy-chain other devices into their speaker setup. The sound quality is good, but when playing Batman: Arkham City on my Xbox, I have noticed some audio buzzing at low frequencies. I haven't determined what the root cause of the problem is, and it is not happening often enough to warrant returning the card yet. But that may be a sticking point for me if I continue to notice it. I have not heard any distortion while listening to music yet, or while watching movies.

Overall Review: Overall it seems to be a good product for the price. The manual contains typographical errors, from being translated into English. I think the Mac support is lacking (poor pass-through audio options in the OS itself, and the stated lack of SPDIF output for the card). If your setup involves multiple sources of audio, you're better off using a PC as the host machine. Faced with the alternative of buying a higher-end speaker set with multiple audio inputs, or investing in an amplifier that supports PC inputs, this fits my needs quite well and was attractive from a cost point of view.

Most Critical Review

Revision to my 1st review

GWC AA1570 7.1 Channels 48KHz USB Interface External USB 7.1 Channel Sound Box
GWC AA1570 7.1 Channels 48KHz USB Interface External USB 7.1 Channel Sound Box

Pros: Inexpensive, easy to set up.

Cons: Poor quality of product

Overall Review: I felt it necessary to offer a followup to my 1st review. After a month, the SPDIF input stopped working. I tested with multiple cables, and tried connections to multiple computers, but the USB audio card ceased to recognize SPDIF signal from my xbox. This is actually the *2nd* unit I've bought so I have to assume this is a design flaw from the maker, and I can't recommend it to anybody if SPDIF audio is a requirement for you.