Turn your computer into a personal digital entertainment system! The USB 5.1 Audio Adapter from Cables To Go enables you to generate Dolby¿ Digital or DTS¿ Surround Sound through your desktop or laptop. Now you can listen to your MP3 and WMA files that are on your PC through your stereo receiver. Get the clarity of an expensive 5.1 sound card with easy to use, cost-effective USB technology. This attractive audio adapter connects your computer to your mini disc recorder, receiver, amplifier, portable stereo, or PC multimedia speakers delivering full 5.1 sound. In digital playback mode, the USB 5.1 Audio Adapter receives an audio stream from your PC via the USB interface. The box then transmits the audio data according to the S/PDIF consumer interface standards, either 3.5mm analog audio or Toslink digital audio. It supports 48KHz in 2-channel digital/analog audio playback and AC97 Codec for analog playback. It's also ideal for connecting your computer to your home theater system for watching DVDs. Now you can get 5.1 Surround Sound while watching your favorite movies from your computer. To extend USB distance limitations use #29341, Cables To Go's Super Booster USB Extender, which extends USB signals up to 150ft.

User Reviews about Cables To Go 22327 USB 5.1 Audio Adapter

This is useful and cheap little gadget as an USB to Optical SPDIF Audio converter. Uses the generic Windows drivers, and will be installed as "USB Audio". The USB version is 1.1, so the USB connectionm can be extended with a cheap USB 1.1 Ethernet extender, so the PC can be connected to the Hifi with SPDIF with longer distance. It only supports 48 kHz sampling rate and 16 bit natively, which means that playing a 44.1 kHz will be resampled by this device. So be warned that no bitperfect playing for 44.1 kHz music!
As for 5.1 channel playback on SPDIF, it does work, but only for 48 kHz. With AC3Filter turn on the option "Output SPDIF as PCM", and "Restrict SPDIF sample rate" for "48 kHz", and set "Check output format support", set the volume to max, and in this case AC3 and DTS 5.1 streams will be pass-throughed in SPDIF. Note that 5.1 sound in 44.1 kHz is not supported.
-- Good little USB SPDIF interface, but no 44.1 kHz SPDIF passthrough

This product is useful if you wish to connect your laptop to your home audio system. The USB/optical interface eliminates the need of utilizing the 3.5mm mini stereo plug audio output common with inexpensive laptop computers. The adapter ships with a Toslink and USB cable, the combined length of which is approximately 3m. Any open USB port may be used. Included is DVD software. With Windows XP the product self-installed. -- USB audio adapter