I wanted an audio-only device so I could stream audio from a two way radio system through my
Blue Iris system and have that audio trigger recording so I can listen from anywhere (anywhere my phone can connect to the 4G network) and have the snippets of conversation "time compressed" so I don't have to wade through long periods of silence to review the actual conversations I've missed.
Every audio-only device I found was far more expensive than a full blown camera with audio. So I opened one of my Reolinks, disconnected its electret condenser mic, and installed an audio coupling transformer, coupling capacitor, and resistive "pad" to make that mic input into an isolated (balanced) line-level input.
I only wish I could defeat the audio compression built into the camera because my audio stream already passes through a better compressor. But this works fine, and I'm able to set BI to trigger on audio. And while it wastes HDD space recording video along with the audio, it gets the job done!
Short Version: Use a camera with an audio input as recommended by @catcsmstar. It will be cheaper than any audio-only device I could find!
I did set my camera and BI to a slow frame rate and the lowest resolution to reduce HDD space. The audio quality is fine. And yes, everyone using the system is aware they're being recorded. And the automated alarm voice annunciators have no expectation of privacy.