Angry Audio USB Audio Gizmo

Angry Audio USB Audio Gizmo P/N 991050

Anyone using computer audio has likely encountered the dreaded high-pitched whine rising up out of the noise floor. You might be thinking, “this is supposed to be perfect because it’s digital.” But your ears don’t lie. What is that annoying whine?

That unwanted whistle is a symptom of a ground loop between your computer and your audio equipment via the sound card. It can be especially pronounced with the unbalanced audio found on many computer sound cards and motherboards.. But even balanced audio interfaces can whine. And the usual ground loop suppression techniques such as ground lifting don’t help.

Of course, one way to eliminate the problem is to replace the sound cards (and motherboard audio) with a USB interface. This gets the audio circuits outside of the computer’s internal noisy environment. And if it’s balanced audio, even better. But surprisingly, that digital whine may still appear, even on external USB interfaces. Ground loop again. We’ve even heard the problem on the built-in USB interfaces on several expensive broadcast consoles. How do we stop the whining?

Enter the Angry Audio USB Analog Audio Gizmo. We engineered it so the power, ground, and data lines between the computer and audio circuitry are all galvanically isolated. A ground loop is simply not possible. It costs more to build a USB interface this way, so you won’t see this approach on cheap USB interfaces. We have talked to plenty of broadcasters who told us they’d gladly pay a bit more to get rid of the problem.

Speaking of solving problems, we also tackled some of the other limitations found in other audio interfaces. Our audio inputs and outputs are fully balanced and capable of signal levels all the way up to +24dBu. Yeah, you read that right, professional audio levels! The audio connections are on RJ45 connectors in the StudioHub+ format. So if your plant is using StudioHub, this will be right at home. And if you’re not using StudioHub (no judgement here), we include StudioHub XLR adapters in the box.

The entire device is powered from your computer’s USB port, no external wall warts. So deployment couldn’t be easier. Plug into a USB port and you’re in business. We even include the USB cable! Drop the USB Analog Audio Gizmo anywhere you need to get audio into or out of a computer. The device is class-compliant, meaning you won’t even need special drivers. When you plug it in, your computer (Windows, MacOS, Linux) will recognize it as a sound device and with a few clicks you’ll be rocking the casbah.

You may have noticed the no-frills product aesthetic. There are plenty of interfaces out there that with microphone preamps, guitar inputs, headphone outputs, etc. We eschewed all of that to create the simplest, most reliable, best sounding device available for getting analog +4dBu audio in and out of a computer.

The USB Analog Audio Gizmo is built for the rough realities of broadcast studios. The powder coated steel enclosure is virtually indestructible and convenient mounting tabs make it a snap to screw it to the underside of a table or the inside of a cabinet. We use premium components with a wide design margin to deliver years of flawless 24/7 operation. And like all Angry Audio products, the USB Analog Audio Gizmo comes with a 30 day “love it or return it for a full refund” guarantee. Buy it without risk.

Think of all the computers you’ll be able to get into the act!