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EVGA Nu Audio Card 712-P1-AN01-KR, Lifelike Audio, PCIe, RGB LED, Designed with Audio Note (UK) $313.45 Prime @ Amazon US via AU

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EVGA Nu Audio Card 712-P1-AN01-KR, Lifelike Audio, PCIe, RGB LED, Designed with Audio Note (UK) $313.45 Prime @ Amazon US via AUAffiliate
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LBlasters on 24/08/2019 - 09:56 amazon.com.au (263 clicks)
Last edited 24/08/2019 - 13:17 by 1 other user
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Are you are after a new soundcard? Amazon AU currently have the EVGA Nu Audio listed for $313.45. This is currently easily $100+ better than most of the AU retailers are selling it at. If you have a PRIME account international shipping is free. I bought this myself and it took about a week for it to be shipped from ONTARIO, CA - USA to regional WA.

  • Audio-grade components deliver lifelike Audio
  • Native DSD Audio support (up to x256)
  • Engineered by EVGA and audio Note (UK), Ltd.
  • Ambient RGB lighting, switchable op-amps

If you question why you need a dedicated souncard this product is likely not going to be for you.

For those looking at getting a high-end soundcard the two of the main choices are going to be Asus Essence STX-II and the EVGA Nu Audio. As I have both happy to give some feedback in replies if I can.

In short reasons for getting the EVGA Nu Audio:

  • If you have an AMD Ryzen series system you need to buy the EVGA Nu Audio. Whilst the STX-II does work fine if you don't switch sound outputs if you do frequently switch sound outputs it will trigger the system to hard reboot. This is a hardware issue and will never be fixed.
  • Whilst the Asus Essence STX-II can still be purchased driver and software support is all but officially dead. Don't expect any updates.
  • EVGA Nu Audio hardware, drivers and software are more up-to-date and software front end is way better and modern looking.
  • The card comes fitted with controllable LED bling!!!

Of the downsides to the EVGA Nu Audio over the Asus Essence STX-II:

  • It currently does not come with virtual 7.1 surround sound for the headphones. I actually thought this worked quite well on the Essence STX-II. I have read EVGA are working on adding this in a future driver update however, it is not currently available so don't buy it for this reason.
  • This is my personal listening preference only, I thought the standard shipped op-amps in the Essence STX-II sounded better than in the EVGA Nu Audio. You can swap out the op-amps to suite your listening taste on either soundcard.

This is my first post so please go easy on me.

If I have done something wrong, missed anything or typed too long let me know!

Price History at C CamelCamelCamel.
Computing Computer Component EVGA Nu Audio Sound Card

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closed Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 24/08/2019 - 10:01
    -4

    Reason for a sound card?

    • Raynes on 24/08/2019 - 10:03
      +4

      Better sound?

      • terrys on 24/08/2019 - 10:20
        +4

        Turning a digital representation of sound into an analogue electrical A.C. signal to drive a pump to push the air in a very similar way. This one does it closer to the keyboard than the speaker[s] and either nudges the analogue signal down the entropy slope, or grabs enough grunt from your system's bus to process and push it on to the amplifier/transducer.

        • nfr on 24/08/2019 - 11:24
          +4

          English please

          • terrys on 27/08/2019 - 13:56

            @nfr: It's the doo-hickey between the whats-it-name and the thingumagigs that make the racket. This ones more what's-its-name than thingumagic, so can only squeak, not roar.

  • Knoxis on 24/08/2019 - 10:08
    +6

    Buy a DAC instead imo.

  • alvian on 24/08/2019 - 10:08
    +1

    Wouldn't sending sound digitally to an external DAC give better results and value for money?

    • SuBw00FeR on 24/08/2019 - 10:46
      -1

      Of course but you don't always have the space for it. DAC/AMP also don't generally (none that I've seen anyways) take a microphone in from the same pole, so you needa split it off and often use an extension to reach your PC

    • [Deactivated] on 24/08/2019 - 10:49

      Yes it would, Creative the grand daddy of PC audio have stated it’s becoming less and less viable to compete with onboard solutions

      As far as even theoretical sound quality improvement on PC only a USB DAC will be required, $300 sound card not needed

    • Tacooo on 24/08/2019 - 11:38

      You do realise a sound card contains a DAC too right? Digital to Analogue Converter. If it receives 1s and 0s then outputs to a 3.5mm or 6.5mm jack then it has a DAC on board.

      My Xonar Essence for example contains a Burr-Brown PCM 1792A DAC.

      • imsimone on 24/08/2019 - 12:28
        -1

        The problem is that the inside of a computer is electrically very noisy and there are physical limitations to how much shielding they can put on a PCI card. That's part of the reason why onboard solutions suck so much - the traces are never going to be able to be properly protected from the rest of the system, especially considering how much high freq switching goes on in a modern motherboard. USB/SPDIF solutions are better in that regard - their analog components aren't as exposed.

        • tetsuma on 24/08/2019 - 19:42
          +3

          You will never hear noise from any card over $50 in the past 10 years. This is borderline meme fearmongering. Majority of people do not need DACs let alone amps.

          • norkle on 24/08/2019 - 20:18
            -1

            @tetsuma: Well, there's noise, and then there's noise. You may not be able to detect it, but depending on the ears and the audio equipment, others can.

            • Tacooo on 25/08/2019 - 01:01
              -1

              @norkle: No, there's bullshit, and then there's uninformed bullshit. RF shielding, double width traces, filtering. They all exist for a reason.

          • imsimone on 25/08/2019 - 10:12

            @tetsuma: I agree that most people don't need DACs. However, if you were to get one, it is from a design standpoint easier to make a good external one than an on board solution and so they're generally cheaper for the same quality. Like potplanty says, there's techniques to reduce noise but that all costs money. For instance, multilayer PCBs are great for signal integrity but cost anywhere from 10-50x more than a dual layer design. Therefore imo if you are going to need a DAC / AMP you're better off going with an external solution.

            Personally I found my onboard sound to be incredibly noisy and this was a ~$300 motherboard :/

      • norkle on 24/08/2019 - 13:29

        Deleted, already said.

      • Bacons on 24/08/2019 - 13:54

        He knows that already. His point is that external DACs provides more value for money over PCIe DACs.

  • Ryxxi on 24/08/2019 - 11:17
    -1

    Sound cards r gross, the drivers never get updated. I have switched from sound card to an Aune X1s and its been amazing. The Schiit ones are good too.

    • Tacooo on 24/08/2019 - 11:39
      -1

      Sound cards r gross

      All credibility lost when you failed to type the extra two letters.

  • hey aj on 24/08/2019 - 11:33
    +7

    Fantastic write-up of the product and very informative. For a first-time post OP, this is quality.

  • Tacooo on 24/08/2019 - 11:35
    +1

    I've get the Essence STX and it works fine on W10. Drivers work on it perfectly and it doesn't crash. Good thing I never upgraded to the STX II.

    • combatant on 24/08/2019 - 18:19

      me too.

    • Black Hole on 27/08/2019 - 01:05

      No issue with Intel. The stx ii sounds better than the stx i version.

  • Salmando on 24/08/2019 - 13:04

    Oh sweet, I can play wolf 3d now with now that PC speaker

  • Black Hole on 24/08/2019 - 13:24

    I love my stx2 but the driver is outdated. I will purchase AMD system soon. This is tempting.

  • groovypants on 24/08/2019 - 17:15
    +1

    For those whom are curious, these have AK4493 DAC chips, also found in other premium external DAC units.

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