A sound card is usually an external expansion card that gives input and output of analog audio signals from and to a computer via computer software. The word sound card is also sometimes used for external sound interfaces also used for professional sound systems. It is a connector card that is used to connect external hardware devices like printers, speakers, and microphones to a computer and using it as a connection is made to the host computer through a USB or FireWire port. In the past, sound cards were connected to a CPU through PCI or AGP interface but since those cards have gone out of vogue, a new technology called USB type has been introduced. The advantage of this newer technology is that it provides a faster data transfer rate than the older PCI or AGP interface.

Let us see how sound card works in detail. USB sound card has two ports, one is dedicated to USB ports and the other is for the microphone or speakers. The USB port is used to connect external peripheral device such as a printer, scanner or camera. When a sound card gets connected to the USB port, a special code is entered within the drivers that will enable the device to function. The code given below will work only if the device operates on the operating system running on the computer. The device will then be able to communicate with the operating system.

Sound cards provide the user with three main advantages; they allow better quality of sound reproduction, they eliminate the need for external speakers and they provide an interface between the computer and external speakers. The output from the sound card can be converted into any format supported by the operating system. Some of the common formats are DSD (Digital Subscriber Recording), PCM (Pulse-code modulation) and HIP (High-resolution audio). Since most computers come equipped with hardware capable of DSD conversion, this format is usually the easiest to convert to other formats. Windows as well as Linux operating systems support PWM conversion which is a bit more complicated but well worth the extra effort. A USB sound card lets you easily connect your portable music player or your theater system to the computer.

External sound cards can also be used with an audio visual system such as a DVD player or Blu-ray player. If you use this combination you will need a video card as well. The main advantage of using an external sound card when connecting your multimedia system to your computer is that it eliminates the need for a bulky graphics card. Graphics cards are bulky, slow and often have to be replaced after a few years of use.

External sound cards are great for recording if you want to capture your music studio sessions or your meetings. However, if you use this feature in a noisy environment, external sound cards will result in distortion. The sound card will also pick up other noise from around the room such as the echo caused by people talking in the next room. If you live in an apartment building with many loud neighbors, you may also want to invest in a high quality microphone to eliminate echo problems.

Another important thing to consider when purchasing a sound card and surround sound speakers is what type of monitor you are going to use with your surround sound system. Monitors do not always work well with high end speakers. When working on a project using a television monitor, you will want to have separate speakers for each input source. Monitors will work with any speaker but the quality may be a little poorer when connected to a monitor that uses a different sound card. A monitor will also add distortion to any output signal that comes out of a speaker. So if you will be connecting your monitor to your home theater system make sure to get a monitor with a good range so you do not end up losing quality sound to the monitor.

Speakers can also be used with microphones. Some microphone cards have built in sound card slots and these can be useful for connecting microphones directly to your sound card. Other sound cards, however, support only microphones. In order to use a microphone with your sound card, you will need an external microphone or an FM transmitter/receiver. External microphones may be more expensive but they tend to produce better sound than a microphone that is installed internally, but they are more complex to set up.

The final major thing you will want to pay attention to is whether your sound card and surround sound speakers can be connected wirelessly with your computer or via a USB. If you are planning to do most of your gaming via the internet, then it would probably be easiest to simply use a USB. Wireless sound cards, on the other hand, are great for driving or doing other work that doesn’t require a constant connection to the internet. However, wireless connection tends to run onto your battery even if there is no internet connection. Therefore, it is usually best to stick to a USB connection when playing video games or using a laptop.