INTRODUCTION

   Largely thanks to the cooperation between EVGA and Audio Note UK the PC audio market has become a lot more exciting as of late. Sure, after many decades in the market Creative is still the number one manufacturer of audio cards (both internal and external models) for the PC (and is still leading in terms of sales) but competition is always good for consumers and that's exactly what EVGA brought to the table with their NU Audio Premium Sound Card model last year (review here). Over the years EVGA established themselves as one of NVIDIA's and Intel's most trusted and reliable partners not only because of their high-performance graphics cards and mainboards but also their excellent after sales support so when they entered the PC audio market last year many people thought it was a one-time deal. Today with us we have the latest addition in their line-up called the NU Audio Pro 7.1 and so it would seem that EVGA is really serious about also establishing themselves in the high-end/audiophile PC audio market.

   EVGA is the #1 NVIDIA authorized partner in channel sales throughout North America. Based on the philosophy of intelligent innovation, market knowledge, and the real time operation, EVGA continues to identify the need in the market place and providing the solution to that need. By offering product differentiation, a 90 day Step-Up program, and other customer focused programs, EVGA is a clear leader in all categories: etail, retail, distribution, and system builders. With headquarters in Brea, CA, EVGA's global coverage includes EVGA GmbH in Munich, EVGA LATAM in Miami, and EVGA Hong Kong. For further information online about EVGA, visit https://www.evga.com.

   EVGA announced their NU Audio Pro 7.1 cards (set and two separate cards) roughly 2 months ago and as clearly stated by its name this is their very first sound card to also support 7.1 surround sound, analog that is. As some of you are well aware the very first NU Audio Card was (still is) not only an audiophile targeted model (thanks to its XMOS xCORE-200 32-bit multicore microcontroller, the AK4493 and the AK5572 converters and the swappable OP-AMPs) but it did support 5.1 surround sound via its digital optical output (SPDIF) which allowed the end user to connect it with a compatible surround sound system (usually to an audio/video amplifier). Now even though the new NU Audio Pro card uses the same microcontroller by XMOS it does take things a step further compared to its predecessor, not only due to fine-tuning and its higher-performance hardware components (including Seiryu capacitors by Audio Note and the UKLT1469 op-amp) but also due to the addition of a small expansion card (connect together via mini DisplayPort) which ads a total of 3 analog outputs (3.5mm) to the mix for analog surround sound support. So, this time over the NU Audio Pro card is not only also Hi-Res Audio certified and features Nahimic 3D audio enhancements but supports playback formats up to 384kHz/32bit for stereo (2.0), 192KHz/24bit via the optical output (5.1) and 192kHz/32bit for Multi-Channel (4.0/5.1/7.1). Other features include customizable RBG lighting (6 modes / audio reactive), newly designed front metal shroud, EMS shielding backplate, copper shielding and gold plated outputs.