Cheapest possible 6ch USB sound card that works with Win 10 ?

[Jose Hidalgo]

Hi everybody, title says all

I currently have one of these cheap AliExpress soundcards , bought many years ago (well, it looks the same but it may not be the same inside - mine is a CM106 apparently, but nevermind).

It worked perfectly until today when it stopped working (checked on two different PCs, it looks like a hardware issue). So I need to replace it.

Please note that this is not for a Hi-Fi application, so I don't care about performance or measurements. I just need what the title says.

The card needs to have a USB port (duh) and at least 3 stereo 3.5mm ports (for the 6 channels). Other ports (Coax, SPDIF) are optional.
Ideally the card would be automatically recognized by Win 10 (the current one isn't apparently). Drivers are also acceptable as long as they are specifically for Win 10.

Could you guys please help ? Thank you.

 

[Jose Hidalgo]

... yes ? no ? maybe ?...
(I need to replace it as soon as possible, so I'm in quite a hurry here - thanks)

 

[Jimbob54]

So whats wrong with the one you linked? Says W10 on the notes.

 

[Jose Hidalgo]

The one I linked has a Win 10 logo in some pictures, but the specs say "Compatible avec Windows XP, Vista, Win7 ".
Another seller confirms this : https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001564025606.html
"Compatible with Win98SE/ME/2000/XP/7/Mac OS 9.1 (Mac version has 2 channel playback only)"

 

[Matias]

Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 3rd gen maybe?

https://www.thomann.de/fr/focusrite_scarlett_8i6_3rd_gen.htm

 

[Jimbob54]

The one I linked has a Win 10 logo in some pictures, but the specs say "Compatible avec Windows XP, Vista, Win7 ".

Yes, I guess they are indicating full backwards compatibility. Comments /questions suggest w10 use. It's 2021, cant believe anyone would be mass manufacturing $10 usb sound cards that top out at w7.

 

[Matias]

Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 3rd gen maybe?

https://www.thomann.de/fr/focusrite_scarlett_8i6_3rd_gen.htm

Oh sorry you meant 6 channels of output. Then the 18i20 it is, a lot bigger and more expensive.
https://www.thomann.de/fr/focusrite_scarlett_18i20_3rd_gen.htm

 

[Jose Hidalgo]

Yes, I guess they are indicating full backwards compatibility. Comments /questions suggest w10 use. It's 2021, cant believe anyone would be mass manufacturing $10 usb sound cards that top out at w7.

Agreed. I could buy one since my previous one worked very well for years. But I need to be able to download a Win 10 driver first to be sure. These cards are shipped with a mini-CD, and I'm pretty sure the mini-CD doesn't include Win 10 drivers, so you have to download them yourself which can be quite a hassle. I have asked the seller but he hasn't answered yet.

 

[jacobacci]

@Jose Hidalgo I see you are located in Europe. The Terratec Aureon 7.1 should fit the bill.
Terratec
Win 10 drivers on Terratec Website

 

[bigjacko]

Why not use the sound card comes with mother board? I don't think cheap multi channel sound card will be much better than on board sound card. In the end what did you use?

 

[Jose Hidalgo]

Because the source PC is a laptop.
I haven't ordered yet, because AliExpress sellers are dramatically failing at telling me if yes or no their cards are Win 10 compatible

 

[somebodyelse]

From what CMedia's driver page says, given that the CM6206 is part of the USB Audio series, it ought to work with the driver that's built into Win 10:

For CMI878x, CM88xx, or USB Audio series, please contact your product vendor to get customized Win10 driver. However, if your product didn't apply customized driver when you purchased, you can then just use Win10 in box standard driver.

 

[hege]

Multiple user reviews in the first post clearly says it works automatically in Win10.

 

[Jose Hidalgo]

OK, so I've finally ordered the exact same blue sound card via AliExpress, for 8,17 € incl. shipping.
Two sellers have told me by PM that it's not supposed to work in Win10. Duly noted. And yet my old one which was identical WORKED in Win10.
So it all comes to this :

• Best case scenario : it works automatically in Win10, which I doubt, but I'll try.
• Normal case scenario : it needs Win10 drivers, which I have theoretically found judging by their name : CM6206-1.09_WIN10(QR).
• Worst case scenario : it doesn't work (I would be very surprised since the old one worked) and then I've only lost 8 €. No big deal.

It's a shot in the dark. I'll report in 3-4 weeks, when it arrives.

PS : @somebodyelse , I have been many times to the CMedia site and driver page. I've never found a Win10 mention for the CM6206-LX which is the chip inside the sound card. It clearly states "Windows 8".

 

[Jose Hidalgo]

Reporting as promised :

I have received the blue AliExpress sound card, the one that's not supposed to work in Win10 according to many resellers.
Well, it works.
Out of the box, once plugged it's detected as a multi-channel sound card, but it only works in stereo.
You have to install a Win10 driver and configure it.
Where to find a Win10 driver ?
Here. It's just a simple .exe. Launch it and follow the instructions.
Once installed, you'll see a blue icon in the taskbar. Click on it to bring up the control panel.
It looks a bit like this (not exactly but you get the idea) :

You just need to configure it to make sure that the input and the output are set to 6 channels.
And voilà, it works with Win10.

 

[gingerbeer]

@Jose Hidalgo any measurements or feedback regarding the quality of the AliExpress box? Can you hear hiss from your speakers when you turn the amp up without a signal?

 

[Jose Hidalgo]

Oh, I'm very happy. I had the exact same one for 8 years or so before it finally died. And if this one dies, I'll replace it with the exact same one. Unless there are no drivers for future versions of Windows, but that's unlikely.

I use it in my Home Theater setup, connected to a Logitech Z-680 (500W 5.1 kit with integrated amp). No hissing, no issues at all, and the sound in movies can be pretty loud.

I also use it for casual music listening, but not for hi-fi purposes. I mean, it's a 8 € card. Don't expect anything hi-fi from it, but it's certainly a perfect purchase for that price, and even for much more. Other suggested cards may cost around 40 € and they're basically the same thing. To get something really better you'd have to buy, for example, a ESI Gigaport HD+, but that's 160 € and it still has issues from a hi-fi point of view. Or an Okto dac8, but that's 1000 €.

So for me it's easy : there's no need to spend more on a multichannel DAC for a Home Theater setup. Period.

 

[deprogrammed]

Oh, I'm very happy. I had the exact same one for 8 years or so before it finally died. And if this one dies, I'll replace it with the exact same one. Unless there are no drivers for future versions of Windows, but that's unlikely.

I use it in my Home Theater setup, connected to a Logitech Z-680 (500W 5.1 kit with integrated amp). No hissing, no issues at all, and the sound in movies can be pretty loud.

I also use it for casual music listening, but not for hi-fi purposes. I mean, it's a 8 € card. Don't expect anything hi-fi from it, but it's certainly a perfect purchase for that price, and even for much more. Other suggested cards may cost around 40 € and they're basically the same thing. To get something really better you'd have to buy, for example, a ESI Gigaport HD+, but that's 160 € and it still has issues from a hi-fi point of view. Or an Okto dac8, but that's 1000 €.

So for me it's easy : there's no need to spend more on a multichannel DAC for a Home Theater setup. Period.

Question. I see a lot of these sound cards with 3.5mm out. And it is always center/sub. So I assume you can use a 3.5mm to rca cable to connect to amps. So is the red or white the sub? Is there a standard? Is it documented? Or trial and error?

 

[Jose Hidalgo]

My Z-680 has 3.5mm inputs so I just use three 3.5mm cables (I could also use a single Toslink cable if I wanted to).
And about your question :

• AFAIK in stereo the norm is : Red = Right.
• In multichannel audio, the channel order is : left, right, center, sub, back left, back right.
• So I would guess that the sub is the equivalent of the right, hence red.