waveshare
Waveshare USB Sound Card
Bottom line: The Waveshare USB Sound Card is a specs-and-price decision rather than a crowd-consensus one in the sound cards category, priced around $14.99 on Amazon as of 2026-10-06. Check the specification table below against one or two close alternatives — on price and spec fit, not on star ratings.
As an Amazon Associate, SpecPicks earns from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure →
*Price sourced from Amazon.com. Last updated 2026-10-06. Price and availability subject to change.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓ Onboard Microphone, And Speaker Header, Easy Audio Input / Output
- ✓ Backed by waveshare's warranty and support channels
Cons
- ✗ Confirm socket / form-factor / power-rating compatibility against your build before ordering
- ✗ Price, stock, shipping and returns are set by the retailer and may have changed since this page was last updated
SpecPicks Verdict
SpecPicks scored Waveshare USB Sound Card using a rating × review-volume × price-fit model applied to published specs and reviews across the sound cards category. waveshare's sound cards lineup sits within the broader category mid-tier; price and specs are the deciding factors over brand loyalty here. Judge it on the specification table and the price rather than on sentiment: check the figures that decide your use case, then put it side-by-side with two or three close alternatives in the Compare tool before clicking through.
Common buyer scenarios for sound cards of this kind: matching it to an existing build, replacing a failing part, or upgrading from a previous-generation equivalent. Check the spec table below against your current setup — particularly socket / form-factor / power-rating fields — and confirm compatibility on the retailer's listing before purchase. Prices and stock are set by the retailer and may have moved since this page was last updated.
Key Features
- Onboard Microphone, And Speaker Header, Easy Audio Input / Output
- Supported Sampling Rates Including 8K, 11.025K, 12K, 16K, 22.05K, 24K, 32K, 44.1K, And Default 48K (Hz)
- Supported Systems Including Win7/8/8.1/10, Mac OS, Linux, Android, WinCE
- Standard USB 2.0 Port, Driver-Free, Portable Size
- Suitable For Raspberry Pi / Jetson Nano
Full Specifications
| Brand | waveshare |
|---|---|
| Platform | Mac |
| Model Name | Waveshare USB zu Audio Adapter |
| Connectivity | USB |
| Model Number | USB TO AUDIO |
| Compatibility | Android, Mac, Linux |
| Item Type Name | computer-motherboards |
| Mfr Part Number | USB TO AUDIO |
| Audio Output Mode | Stereo |
| Hardware Platform | Raspberry Pi / Jetson Nano |
| Compatible Devices | Microphone |
| Hardware Interface | USB |
| Maximum Sample Rate | 24 KHz |
| Hardware Connectivity | USB |
| Surround Sound Channel Configuration | 2.0 |
| Full listing title | Waveshare USB Sound Card for Raspberry Pi/Jetson Nano USB Audio Module External Audio Converter Recording and Playback Support Stereo Codec Onboard Microphone and Speaker Header No Driver Required |
Ready to buy?
Waveshare USB Sound Card for Raspberry Pi/Jetson Nano USB Audio Module External Audio Converter Recording and Playback Support Stereo Codec Onboard Microphone and Speaker Header No Driver Required is listed on Amazon. Price, availability, shipping and returns are set by Amazon and its sellers — check the listing for current terms. SpecPicks earns a small commission on qualifying purchases — thank you for supporting independent review work.
*Price sourced from Amazon.com. Last updated 2026-10-06. Price and availability subject to change.
Related Sound Cards
![DUKABEL USB Headphone Adapter, External Sound Card with TRRS 4 Pole Jack, Mic-Supported USB to 3.5mm Audio Apdater for PC PS4 PS5 and More [9.8 inch]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51RmZRPTzKL._AC_SL1500_.jpg)
More guides & deep dives from the SpecPicks archive
Browse all articles & guides →- The Complete Voodoo5 5500 AGP Driver Guide (2026 Edition)
- How to Build a Windows 98 Retro PC in 2026
- Best Budget Gaming PC Build 2026 — ~$1,000 ($800 on Sale)
- RTX 4070 Super vs RX 7800 XT — Which to Buy in 2026
- Emulation Hardware in 2026: FPGA, Software, and Cart-Reader Ecosystems
- Best 1440p Gaming GPUs in 2026
- Best Retro Handhelds in 2026 — From $35 to $500
More reviews from the SpecPicks archive
Browse all reviews →- AI Technologies We'll Realistically See in Our Lifetimes
- Best GPUs for 1440p Gaming in 2026
- Tencent Hunyuan-MT 440MB On-Device Translator: Which Phones and SBCs Can Actually Run It?
- Best Wired Headset for PlayStation Cross-Play Cross-Platform Voice Chat (2026)
- Running local LLMs on the Ryzen 5 5600G iGPU (no dedicated GPU) in 2026
- Best Budget SATA SSD for a Retro PC Build in 2026
- Best Game Controllers for PC and Console (2026)
- Ollama vs llama.cpp for Qwen 3.6 27B on a 12GB RTX 3060
- ChatGPT Full-Duplex Voice: What Real-Time Speech Needs on Your Desk
- Ryzen 5 5600G vs Ryzen 7 5700X for a Budget Gaming Build
- Best Single-Board Computers for Home Lab in 2026
- Rescue a Dying Retro PC: Image Your IDE Drive to CompactFlash First
- Samsung's 2026 Odyssey Lineup Adds 5K, 6K and a 360Hz 4K QD-OLED
- SATA SSD vs NVMe for a Ryzen 5 5600G Budget Build in 2026
- Count Anything Runs Locally on a 12GB GPU: Object-Counting AI on the RTX 3060
- Best DualSense and PC-Compatible Controller (2026)
- Best SATA/IDE-to-USB Adapters for Ripping Old Drives in 2026
- Silent, SD-Free Retro Storage: CompactFlash + IDE on Win98/XP
- AMD Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495 192GB: What the PassMark Leak Tells Us
- Microsoft's Copilot Goes Agentic — Run Your Own Agent Locally on an RTX 3060
- How to run Llama 3.1 8B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080
- Ryzen 5 2600 vs Ryzen 7 5800X: Is the AM4 Upgrade Worth It?
- Best Cooler for the Ryzen 7 5800X: Noctua NH-U12S vs ML240L
- Intel Arc Stable Diffusion Guide: Setup & Benchmarks 2025
Earliest SpecPicks reviews
Browse full archive →- Best GPU for Llama 3.1 8B (2026)
- Best GPU for Qwen 3 14B (2026)
- Best GPU for Qwen 3 32B (2026)
- Best GPU for Llama 3.1 70B (2026)
- Best GPU for DeepSeek-R1 32B (2026)
- Best GPU for Llama 3.1 405B (2026)
- How to run Llama 3.1 8B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- How to run Qwen 3 14B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- How to run Qwen 3 32B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- How to run Llama 3.1 70B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- How to run DeepSeek-R1 32B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- How to run Llama 3.1 8B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090