This small dongle is a repair tool. People buy the Sabrent AU-MMSA when a headphone jack has died, when a desktop has no sound, or when a Mac has one combined jack and they own a microphone with its own plug. Judged as a repair, it does well. Judged as a sound upgrade, it is the wrong thing to buy.
I found no lab measurements of this model, and the buyer reviews on eBay’s AU-MMSA page are short and mostly date from 2016 to 2018, so please treat all of it as anecdote.
Product image from the Amazon listing.
What It Actually Is
Retailer listings describe a small adapter that plugs into a USB-A port and gives you two 3.5mm sockets, green for headphones and pink for a microphone, with no drivers to install.
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Inside, it is a basic USB sound card. Your computer sees a new audio device, and you pick it in the sound settings. That is the whole setup, and it explains why so many owners sound relieved. One eBay reviewer said it “worked flawlessly from the first time I connected it.” Another called it “Small, and very easy to just plug in and use.” A third, under the title “No sound? No problem,” said it “brought instant sound to both.”
It is also far from a professional audio interface, and the two should not be confused. An interface gives you proper preamps, XLR or instrument inputs, level controls and clean monitoring. This gives you two small sockets and whatever the operating system offers. If you plan to record a podcast with a good microphone, keep looking.
The Two-Socket Problem
Here is the mistake I would expect most new buyers to make. Modern phone-style headsets use one plug with four contacts, carrying both sound and microphone. This adapter has two separate sockets, each expecting its own plug.
In a Q&A on B&H’s page, the answer was that you would need a splitter to use a combined headset with this model. Some reviewers say a headset plugged into one socket worked for them, but I would not count on it. If you put a four-contact plug into the green socket, the likely outcome is sound with no microphone.
So check your plug before you order. Three black rings on the metal tip mean a four-contact headset, and you should buy a cheap splitter too. If your gaming headset already came with a Y cable ending in two plugs, you are ready. This also works in reverse. A Mac with a single combined jack cannot take a separate pink-plug microphone directly, and this adapter gives that microphone a home.
Do not try to run a line-level signal into the pink socket either. One buyer found a microphone was too quiet when plugged into the wrong jack, and another reviewer warned that feeding it a headphone or line output can cause trouble. It is a microphone input, and that is all it is. If you want to digitize a record player or a mixer, this is not the right tool.
Product image from the Amazon listing.
Does It Sound Good?
Owners suggest it sounds fine for calls and casual listening, and they are honest about the limit. On eBay, one reviewer called it “decent sound for such an inexpensive device” while also finding the volume low and the bass weak with headphones. Elsewhere, a buyer complained about the same thing in stronger words, saying the adapter weakened the volume and bass and dulled the treble. Budget buyers on the whole seem satisfied, which fits the price.
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I would not expect it to beat a working headphone jack on a modern Mac. Apple’s built-in audio is good. If your jack still works, this adapter gives you little, unless you need that separate microphone socket. Serious headphones that need more power will sound thin through something this small.
The Microphone Reports Go Both Ways
Microphone noise is where the comments split. One buyer said the adapter raised their mic level a lot and that background noise stayed low even at high gain. A Windows 10 user said the noise while recording was so high that it spoiled the result. A Linux user had a buzz and reduced it by lowering the microphone gain.
A Mac owner said macOS picked it up at once and gave decent input from a clip-on style microphone, which is the outcome you want. Another buyer said the gain had to be pushed up.
I cannot tell you which of these is typical. Noise from cheap USB audio often depends on the computer’s USB power, the port you use and the microphone itself, so two honest owners can both be right. If you hear a buzz, I would try these things in order: a different USB port, a lower gain setting, then a powered hub. That is general advice, since no owner I read proved one single fix.
Product image from the Amazon listing.
Where It Falls Short
Some buyers report that the sound drops in and out, in comments that describe it working for a second and then stopping. A reviewer summary also mentions occasional USB connection problems. A dongle sticking out of a laptop takes knocks, so a worn USB port or a bumped plug could explain some of this. I cannot say how common it is. Since the adapter is so cheap, I would buy it from somewhere that makes returns easy.
Consoles are a gamble. One eBay reviewer said plainly: “Will not work on the Xbox one however.” Sabrent’s newer adapter listings talk about other devices, but I found no owner report that confirms this exact model on a PlayStation, so I would not buy it for that job.
Newer Macs have only USB-C, so you will need a USB-C adapter or hub on top. That is one more link in the chain, and one more place for a loose fit. A last small warning from eBay: one reviewer wrote “don’t plug your jack in to far,” and said that doing so had damaged a jack. Gentle hands help with anything this cheap.
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Phones are not a natural match either. On paper you could run it through a USB-C or Lightning adapter, but I found no owner who reported doing that with this model, so I cannot recommend it.
A Good Repair for a Dead Jack, Nothing More
I like this adapter for exactly three situations. Your computer’s headphone jack has failed. You own a headset or microphone with two separate plugs and your computer has one combined jack. Or you want a cheap spare in a bag for a machine that refuses to give you sound.
In those cases it does its job with very little fuss, and the owners who needed exactly that seem happy. Skip it if you want better sound than your computer already has. Skip it too for streaming or recording work, where a real USB microphone or interface will serve you far better. If you own a four-contact headset, remember the splitter.
If you have a dead jack and just want your sound back, the Sabrent USB Audio Adapter (AU-MMSA) is a low-risk fix, and I would keep the receipt. This is an affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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