Hi,
Does anyone know why Think Penguin are charging $47 for https://www.thinkpenguin.com/gnu-linux/ ... e-usbsound.
These kind of devices usually go for around $5 on Amazon but I've seen them as low as $1.20 on AliExpress. I have a couple of these and none of them require proprietary drivers.
So what has Think Penguin done to make this device special? Have they created custom hardware...? According to this https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page= ... 9-Hardware the USB Sound Card uses a [entry level] C-Media CM119 chipset - https://www.cmedia.com.tw/products/USB20_FULL_SPEED. Since this is a "single chip" solution from C-Media I don't see how it's possible for Think Penguin to have done anything to it that makes it different.
One of the $5 devices I own (Aukey brand) shows up as a Unitek Y-247A device on my OS. Interestingly a device search - https://devicehunt.com/view/type/usb/ve ... evice/0014 - shows that it also uses a C-Media chipset...
This Vietnamese site appears to be selling exactly the same hardware (chipset and case) for about $4.
https://www.skytech.com.vn/products/card-sound-usb-4-1
I like to support free software/hardware companies but this really seems like Think Penguin is way over charging for an "entry level" usb 2 sound card.
New USB Soundcard from Think Penguin - overpriced???
Moderators: MattKingUSA, khz
- d.healey
- Established Member
- Posts: 609
- Joined: Fri Sep 22, 2017 8:33 pm
- Has thanked: 273 times
- Been thanked: 100 times
New USB Soundcard from Think Penguin - overpriced???
David Healey
YouTube - Free HISE scripting and sample library dev tutorials
Libre Wave - Freedom respecting instruments and effects.
YouTube - Free HISE scripting and sample library dev tutorials
Libre Wave - Freedom respecting instruments and effects.
- Michael Willis
- Established Member
- Posts: 1450
- Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2016 3:27 pm
- Location: Rocky Mountains, North America
- Has thanked: 68 times
- Been thanked: 162 times
- Contact:
Re: New USB Soundcard from Think Penguin - overpriced???
That's bonkers, on reverb.com you can buy one of the smaller class-compliant interfaces for around the same price, or just a little bit more.
-
- Established Member
- Posts: 1392
- Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2018 4:13 pm
- Has thanked: 168 times
- Been thanked: 247 times
Re: New USB Soundcard from Think Penguin - overpriced???
It might be a typo. $4.70 would seem more realistic.
Or the Free Software Foundation may charge a hefty fee for certification. Someone could actually have tried it on all those systems. I doubt it, though.
Or the Free Software Foundation may charge a hefty fee for certification. Someone could actually have tried it on all those systems. I doubt it, though.
- d.healey
- Established Member
- Posts: 609
- Joined: Fri Sep 22, 2017 8:33 pm
- Has thanked: 273 times
- Been thanked: 100 times
Re: New USB Soundcard from Think Penguin - overpriced???
Well my FSF membership fee has been wasted then :pmerlyn wrote:Someone could actually have tried it on all those systems. I doubt it, though.
David Healey
YouTube - Free HISE scripting and sample library dev tutorials
Libre Wave - Freedom respecting instruments and effects.
YouTube - Free HISE scripting and sample library dev tutorials
Libre Wave - Freedom respecting instruments and effects.
- d.healey
- Established Member
- Posts: 609
- Joined: Fri Sep 22, 2017 8:33 pm
- Has thanked: 273 times
- Been thanked: 100 times
Re: New USB Soundcard from Think Penguin - overpriced???
Just found pretty much the same device at Viking for 10EUR
https://store.vikings.net/libre-friendl ... -certified
https://store.vikings.net/libre-friendl ... -certified
David Healey
YouTube - Free HISE scripting and sample library dev tutorials
Libre Wave - Freedom respecting instruments and effects.
YouTube - Free HISE scripting and sample library dev tutorials
Libre Wave - Freedom respecting instruments and effects.