Looking for a USB soundcard or device with stereo microphone TRS line-in support

Hello audio community, I do own the stereo-capable M-Audio Uber Mic and would like to buy a soundcard for use with my computer. My Surface Pro does have TRRS headset slot but it does not cut it; TRRS headsets are mono-mic only. So I need the perfect USB device to get the best recording quality I can, also using an affordable budget.

I have already tried the Creative Sound Blaster Play!3 - USB-DAC-Verstärker und: Amazon.de: Computer & Zubehör but to my surprise, even though Sound Blaster is a well established brand, it did not come with stereo line-in.

There also is a problem regarding humming noises during recording, especially with the USB soundcard above. If anyone could tell me why this humming noise happens regarding the M-Audio Uber Mic then I would very much appreciate a technical and accurate elaboration so that I could take that into account for device purchase evaluation.

Does anyone have any recommendations for USB-powered stereo recording devices?

 

After trying a few more no-name USB soundcards (not worth mentioning because all were failures) I have stumbled upon the Delock Soundkarte 24-Bit 96 kHz 7.1 USB 2.0 CM6533 63926 (future-x.de) . It is S/PDIF compatible stereo-passthrough using the headphone port capable audio device. It is based upon the C-Media CM6533 chipset. After taking the good advice from a friendly review on German Amazon I have flashed a custom firmware onto it from a different vendor: USB Sound Card Audio Adapter w/ SPDIF - USB Audio Adapters (startech.com) The vendor even tells you how to flash it onto competitor products in their PDF file, really handy.

Anyway, the attachment includes a sample MP3 stereo recording using a known test sentence. You can hear a clear accustic difference between the L and R channels. The M-Audio Uber Mic has been set to the stereo directional feature.



A huge thank you to StarTech for actually offering a good firmware for that chipset. In stark contrast, DeLock seems to be known as good hardware but terrible software distributor (hearsay). Here is a quick look at their device.



That ugly tape is not part of the sold product. But I recommend you to put a tape onto that annoying red light!

If you like professional audio equipment as much as I do, then you should buy this DeLock soundcard, even if you do not have the M-Audio Uber Mic!

About the issue with the humming noise, I have tracked it down to this USB charger from my Nokia smartphone. I cannot understand the technical details and I do not want to. On the USB port of my Surface Pro the humming noise does not occur so I am looking for chargers that perform better.