Evga nu audio pro 7.1, new sound cards with improved appearance

EVGA has a new sound card ready. In January, the vendor best known for its graphics cards launched its first audio card, the Nu Audio. And today, it has further expanded its product range with the announcement of its Nu Audio Pro 7.1 sound cards. Compared to non-professional sound cards, the new EVGA units provide two main areas for improvement: sound and appearance.

EVGA Nu Audio Pro 7.1, New improved looking sound cards

It is worth noting that EVGA has not designed these sound cards on its own. The product is the result of collaboration between EVGA and the British company Audio Note.

EVGA has added 7.1 surround sound support to Nu Audio Pro cards, although you will need to use the included second “Nu Pro Surround” card to use it. However, the two audio cards have to be internally connected to each other, which, curiously, happens with a Mini DisplayPort cable. Of course, if you don't need the additional surround sound channels, you can use the Nu Pro Audio primary card only.

The sturdy 6.5mm headphone jack sits behind a new headphone amp, where EVGA said it installed the LT1469 optical amplifier for richer, higher-quality sound. The sound card also comes with Seiryu Audio Note capacitors as well as AVX F95 tantalum capacitors to reduce distortion. In the high frequency area, the NP0 ceramic capacitors are enhanced by the Panasonic PPS.

Virtual surround sound is provided by Nahimic 3D technology.

The headphone amplifier can handle headphones with impedances ranging from 16-600 ohms, and stereo playback occurs with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 123dB. It can also be recorded with a 121dB SNR. In stereo, the card can handle up to 384 kHz 32-bit audio, and multichannel 192 kHz and 32-bit. The optical output is limited to 192 kHz and 24 bits, which is not bad at all.

Visit our guide on the best headphones on the market

The cards have very sharp RGB lighting effects and a full back plate. Better yet, the backplate is not just for looks, as EVGA claims it helps protect the card's electronics from interference. You will also need a SATA power connection as the PCIe 1x port does not provide enough power on its own.

EVGA cards are currently available for pre-sale for $ 249.99. The kit will start shipping from December 20.