EVGA Announces the NU Audio Pro 7.1 Sound Cards

[bug]

Some may. Most, I feel, are perfectly fine with integrated audio these days... in particular the flagship codecs (Realtek ALC1220 for example). To me, it takes an audiophile to want such an item in their PC, not just users with an HTPC. And with that, if you want the best sound, a tiny ITX mobo may not be the best solution in the first place. You can get 'receiver size' chassis that with mATX/ATX boards inside which fits this nicely and fits in with other components (receiver, amp(s), pre-amp, surround decoder, etc).

But yeah, that eliminates using it on ITX, but doesn't really seem intended for such.

That's just the thing: if you're an audiophile, you already have far better DACs that this. Hence my suggestion above: use a digital out from your on-board solution and use your existing DAC. Problem solved. For cheaper.

 

[EarthDog]

That's just the thing: if you're an audiophile, you already have far better DACs that this. Hence my suggestion above: use a digital out from your on-board solution and use your existing DAC. Problem solved. For cheaper.

...which are not ITX/HTPC users, typically. My only talking point was the HTPC thing. I mean, you are right, but this simply wasn't marketed towards that, obviously. But it can still happen if users want using an appropriately sized mobo and chassis.

 

[AnarchoPrimitiv]

miniITX no, but consider people with two (or more) GPUs and others with vertical GPUs... mounting one additional PCIe card in those cases is not always easy, let alone two...
Sound cards are a high end/enthusiast level products now days so those cases mentioned above will be more common... And also, companies like Creative, Asus and so on, long ago masterered the single card multichannel solutions...

If you want true 7.1 speaker inputs and don't want to have to use an external receiver, than an additional daughter board is necessary. Personally, the fact that it has the daughter board and has true 7.1 inputs has me honestly entertaining this card

 

[PanicLake]

Usually "PRO" (professional?) audio cards comes with ASIO drivers and usually don't use 3.5mm jacks... I don't see any ASIO support for this card...

 

[bug]

Usually "PRO" (professional?) audio cards comes with ASIO drivers and usually don't use 3.5mm jacks... I don't see any ASIO support for this card...

You're thinking music production. This is a consumer part.

 

[TechLurker]

I wish there was a modern soundcard that allowed for 7.1.2 or 7.1.4 setups. I could definitely use one to upgrade my Media Center PC and the modest pre-existing setup I have, rather than having to pay a few thousand for a dedicated receiver and speakers just to get Atmos.

 

[biffzinker]

I don't see any ASIO support for this card...

My card shows this in the NUA settings app.

Currently using the bundled with the card L/R RCA to mini 3.5mm

 

[bgunner]

One GPU, yes, but no, it's not the only card in my PC, as I also have 10Gbps card, taking up the x4 slot.
Also, as I was saying, m.2 slots seems to be favoured over x1 slots, as I only have a single x1 slot.

Because m.2 connections run over the PCI-e bus obviously there will be a drop in slots. Most higher end boards only come with 1 x1 slot but any x1 card will work in any of the following x1/x4/x8/x16 slots. So the need to have a dedicated x1 slot is a not as necessary as many seem to think it is. The limitation to these cards is the generation of the x1 slot, I can't remember off the top of my head but I believe it needs to be Gen2 or newer, only because without rereading it I can't be sure right now. only having 1 x1 slot has been the normal for year except in the low end sector where PCI-e is limited by the CPU the board was designed for. As an average the high end boards get 1 x1, mid and low end range can vary from 1-3 x1 slots. this has not changed in over 10 years. The invent of m.2 slots running on the PCI-e bus obviously takes away usable lanes for slots. I do agree with your statement but only considering the lower end boards being affected by this.

So having 4 out of 6 slots covered with GPU's is an issue with dual sound cars since one will limit the cooling of my lower card.

That is a good point, however, is fairly rare, these conditions. Multi GPU has been going the way of the dodo bird for a few years now. And if you mount your GPU vertically, you have to know there are limitations on PCIe cards, period. That said, in my case, I can run a 'full height' card along with my vertically mounted GPU... it will depend on the chassis if you have room or not.

While multi GPU systems have been becoming less common don't forget that DX12 allows for Multi-GPU cross brand usage. this allows both same brands and different brands to work as one like Crossfire/SLI. Once DX12 matures and developers get used to coding with the new tech Multi GPU's will once again come back and then the issues will arise.

My old Creative card still works and is in my kids system right now for her music which was purchased back in '08-'09 -ish so around 10 years ago. I'd put that card against most cards today for sound quality. Not everyone builds a new system every year or two so longevity is a concern for some. We can't know what will happen tomorrow or 10 years from now so saying a Cube case is a fits all situation is unreasonable plus what of those with the simple m-ATX format? The most common form factor at the moment. In these a 2 card set up will raise issues as well.

Point being a 2 card setup seems silly unless you have a need for everything to be inside the case.

 

[Antykain]

Maybe this is the card to replace my loved X-fi Fatl1ty pro...

I still have my old X-Fi Fatal1ty Pro.. aside from the long going driver issues when I first bought it years back, I loved that card.

 

[nomdeplume]

How does this compare with the Sound Blaster Audigy Rx 7.1 which is only 60$ and has a very high quality DSP?

Board architecture, layout, and construction techniques are more refined on the EVGA. Adding to that is the capacitors are far from the only component that impacts sound positively. I was unable to find a shot of the Nu Audio Pro boards. Looking at the older model and Sound Blaster Audigy Rx 7.1 shows some clear differences though.

Quite clearly you can see a lot more effort has been put into isolation and the inclusion of a heatsink. On the inside, the EVGA has a cover that passively cools and isolates from RF, vibration, etc that do impact a DAC. Basically they bear almost no resemblance to one another outside having similar connectors. One of these two sound cards looks like it was (over)designed by a guy who has 13' speakers and a few hundred grand worth of audio equipment in his office. Clearly they are aimed at different end users.


The Sound Blaster has design criteria more in line with using a 1500w PSU, dual GPU, a dozen fans, and OC'ing to the moon that all result in a very dirty ATX power delivery through the board. The EVGA will keep performing considerably better the more controlled an environment you create for it. The person using a 10Gbps card is likely to grasp how important isolation and regulation are and probably make better use of it. Both cards would work just fine, and we should be thankful quite safely nowadays, in either machine. Coming to appreciate the different purposes, looking outside gaming channels for reviews, and seeing what actual audio enthusiasts have to say could go a long ways towards understanding the best option for you.

I'm not familiar with the Sound Blaster software so won't make this any more lengthy attempting a superficial analysis.

In either case, playing a very well recorded flac/wav/DSD music file will be a rewarding experience compared to lossy mp3.

 

[EarthDog]

While multi GPU systems have been becoming less common don't forget that DX12 allows for Multi-GPU cross brand usage. this allows both same brands and different brands to work as one like Crossfire/SLI. Once DX12 matures and developers get used to coding with the new tech Multi GPU's will once again come back and then the issues will arise.

My old Creative card still works and is in my kids system right now for her music which was purchased back in '08-'09 -ish so around 10 years ago. I'd put that card against most cards today for sound quality. Not everyone builds a new system every year or two so longevity is a concern for some. We can't know what will happen tomorrow or 10 years from now so saying a Cube case is a fits all situation is unreasonable plus what of those with the simple m-ATX format? The most common form factor at the moment. In these a 2 card set up will raise issues as well.

Point being a 2 card setup seems silly unless you have a need for everything to be inside the case.

Interesting points.

DX12 isnt going to save mGPU. It has been around for several years now and with that mGPU is still out of favor and not gaining ground. Further maturation of something already mature wont really help. Nobody is pushing SLI or CFx.

I dont believe I mentioned cube cases, though any with a vertical mount (and the right mobo, could fit this..depends on room of course). My case isnt a cube, note.

 

[Who8MyRice123]

Dear EVGA, how many free PCIe slots do you think we have?
Also, seriously? Two cards to do the job of a single one??? Maybe an Audio SLI connector for "Better Audio Processing" is next?

Yea lemme just remove my graphics card EVGA... oh wait.

 

[CheapMeat]

I think it says more about the state of motherboards, which is why I still enjoy the Z77/X79 era, especially when PLX chips were a thing (before they got bought out). Even the vast majority of EATX/ATX boards don't bother at all anymore to include 7 actual slots, regardless of lanes; shame. I personally friggin HATE the M.2 trend in the PCIe area; you can do so much more with adapters. Dump the M.2 slots, like someone boards do, in the PCH, DIMM or back instead. PCIe slots are way more versatile. Even the highest end consumer boards right now, with CPUs that offer more lanes, don't bother to have boards made like the ASRock X79 Extreme 11 anymore (and look, even has the previous standard Core3D Creative chip). I've lost a lot of interest. But then again, I actually bother to use them all.

7 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots (PCIE1/PCIE2/PCIE3/PCIE4/PCIE5/PCIE6/PCIE7: x16/0/16/0/16/0/16 mode or x16/8/8/8/8/8/8 mode) (2 x PLX PEX8747 Bridges to support 4-Way SLI™ in Gen3 x16/16/16/16 mode)

 

[biffzinker]

I think it says more about the state of motherboards

It's more a continuation of consolidation of chips towards a single in the smartphone era.

 

[CheapMeat]

Less features for more money?

 

[Dru]

Dear EVGA, how many free PCIe slots do you think we have?
Also, seriously? Two cards to do the job of a single one??? Maybe an Audio SLI connector for "Better Audio Processing" is next?

It's like complaining that you need to buya higher wattage PSU to power a new powerful GPU. Go another route that suits your build and budget and let others enjoy stuff they can accommodate.

 

[bgunner]

It's like complaining that you need to buya higher wattage PSU to power a new powerful GPU. Go another route that suits your build and budget and let others enjoy stuff they can accommodate.

You sir, Are obviously not an enthusiast that wants it all going by this comment.

 

[INSTG8R]

The Slot thing is a bit of “false flag” as the card is USB 3.0 on a card as biffzinker showed us earlier and not a true PCI interface but some kind of bridge thing happening.. I was really quite interested in the 5.1 model until I saw this.

 

[bgunner]

The Slot thing is a bit of “false flag” as the card is USB 3.0 on a card as biffzinker showed us earlier and not a true PCI interface but some kind of bridge thing happening.. I was really quite interested in the 5.1 model until I saw this.

Ok you definitely have me scratching my head with this comment. Yes I did go back and read the post you refereed to SO I am educated enough to comment. It is a two (2) card set up that needs two (2) free PCI-e slots to hook into. Weather or not the card acts as a usb device has no bearing on how it hooks to the motherboard. Two (2) cards requiring Two (2) PCI-e slots will need Two (2) PCI-e slots regardless of what the card emulates on itself once hooked into the the two (2) PCI-e slots.

 

[INSTG8R]

Ok you definitely have me scratching my head with this comment. Yes I did go back and read the post you refereed to SO I am educated enough to comment. It is a two (2) card set up that needs two (2) free PCI-e slots to hook into. Weather or not the card acts as a usb device has no bearing on how it hooks to the motherboard. Two (2) cards requiring Two (2) PCI-e slots will need Two (2) PCI-e slots regardless of what the card emulates on itself once hooked into the the two (2) PCI-e slots.

But it appears as a USB device so it’s being bridged to PCI so basically it’s essentially a USB external DAC strapped to a board. All that great design being middlewared via USB to PCI that has to comprise bandwidth and possibly
latency and just being a poor design regardless.

 

[biffzinker]

But it appears as a USB device so it’s being bridged to PCI so basically it’s essentially a USB external DAC strapped to a board. All that great design being middlewared via USB to PCI that has to comprise bandwidth and possibly
latency and just being a poor design regardless.

It works as a high-end soundcard just fine for me.

 

[INSTG8R]

It works as a high-end soundcard just fine for me.

Yeah I just question the “interface” I really wanted the 5.1 card but this USB nonsense puts me of.

 

[biffzinker]

I really wanted the 5.1 card but this USB nonsense puts me of.

It's the I/O interface (USB connector or gigabit Ethernet PHY to the XCORE-200 DSP.

XMOS - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[OolongGoat]

@biffzinker How long is the mDP cable that comes with the card? It looks to be less than 1ft or 30cm.

I am considering getting this card and would need to separate the two cards around an EVGA 2080 Super.

I currently have a Sennheiser GSP 600 but am wanting to play with a Razer Tiamat 7.1 V2 that I got stupid cheap the other day.

My Soundblaster AE5 doesn't support the 7.1 analog connections. It is lacking the Side output.

 

[biffzinker]

@biffzinker How long is the mDP cable that comes with the card? It looks to be less than 1ft or 30cm.

My Nu Audio card is the silver colored single slot version.