I got this device so I could connect the analog output of my turntable to to my laptop computer for vinyl record conversions. My turntable already had an analog to digital converter (ADC) that I'd previously bought from Amazon, which converts standard two-channel analog audio outputs on the turntable to a digital optical signal (SPDIF). My laptop, like most computers, has no connection for an SPDIF cable, so I needed a bridge between the ADC's optical output to my laptop's USB port. This device does exactly that. Optical SPDIF cables use a thin glass fiber housed in a protective sleeve, similar to a wire's insulated cover, to send light pulses containing audio information between stereo components. These cables use Toslink connectors at both ends that snap into compatible Toslink ports you'll find on some CD/DVD players, AV receivers, TVs and other components. So how can you connect a non-electrical optical cable to a computer's USB port? With this Cubilux adapter, which saved the day. The Cubilux does an excellent job of converting SPDIF optical audio signals into electrical data via a standard USB A port on your computer. All you need is an optical output on your source device such as a CD player or TV/video device (or, in my case, a turntable with an A to D converter), an SPDIF cable of the appropriate length for your setup, and this Cubilux adapter that plugs into your computer's USB port. Of course you'll need software in the computer that knows how to accept the USB port's digital audio signal -- I've been using a program called VinylStudio for this -- and you're off and running. This setup provides a bridge between the home entertainment world and the computer world, since SPDIF was only intended to provide clean digital connections between consumer electronics equipment without any electrical interference (it uses a light beam). It was never intended to be used with computers, so I'm very appreciative that this converter exists, and that Amazon sells it for a very reasonable price. I really don't know where such a device could be found anywhere else. Performance-wise, the adapter works like a charm. The sound quality is excellent, and appears to be transparent, meaning that it doesn't seem to be affecting or coloring the source signal in any way. It's powered by the computer's USB port, so there's no wall wart or other power connection required to use it. I'm very impressed by the adapter's performance. It's been rock solid during nearly 100 vinyl album conversions so far, and it does exactly what I needed it to do. Most importantly, t's allowing me to rediscover music, some of which is long out of print, that I've not heard for decades, which can now be stored on my phone and computer and listened to wherever I am. Many thanks to the company that developed this excellent product.
