Review on Enhance Your Audio Experience with the Dell AC511 USB Wired SoundBar by Joseph Harkins

My recently purchased Dell Ultrasharp monitor does not have speakers so I figured this soundbar would be an easy fix. It works well, but with a significant downside: if you are connecting the soundbar to a Dell monitor, you MUST have a USB connection from the Dell monitor to your computer for the soundbar to work in ANY mode. The Ultrasharp Monitor Quick Start Guide shows the DisplayPort connection from the computer to the monitor and the USB connection from the computer to the monitor. However, since HDMI carries both video and audio, and the monitor has its own self-powered USB hub on the back, I was hoping that when connected via HDMI I would be able to connect the soundbar to both the USB hub and the monitor/soundbar hooking up combo would do the right thing. Not so. In this configuration, the power indicator on the soundbar is lit (which will no doubt confuse some), but no audio signal is transmitted. The line-in port on the soundbar doesn't work either. That means if you want to connect the player to the soundbar to use it as a speaker without the need for a computer, you *still* need to have a USB connection from the computer to the monitor for the soundbar to work. Appreciate the features of this device - the form factor is unobtrusive and integrates nicely with my Dell monitor, the volume slider interacts directly with the volume setting on my computer rather than tracking two settings (my Lenovo had no trouble detecting the hardware). ) and the headphone jack and line-in are an added value considering the monitor doesn't have either. However, this cross-functionality comes at a cost. I hope I've just saved some other buyers from a frustrating customization experience.