Unboxing, Software & Specs
Unboxing, Specs, & Software
The premium components for “true-to-life” audio are highlighted on the back in multiple languages.
The Nu Audio card arrives well packed in what looks like a display box.
Here is the bundle outside of the box showing the card, the manuals, and the two included adapters.
Here is a closeup of the card and it proudly states “Engineered by Audio Note”. 
Here is the other side and we see that it is quite clean but we would have preferred a backplate to show it off better in our case.
The panel is very basic. Two line out RCA jacks, a full sized headphone input (use the adapter provided for mini-plug headphones). Line-in and Mic-in mini-plugs and a S/PDIF out optical connector are included for 5.1 home theater audio.
Here is another view. We would have liked to see a headphone lock for stability, but this solution is practical and adequate for our uses.
The EVGA Nu Audio PCIe sound card is fairly small but you will want to allow yourself nearly 9 inches because it requires external power using a SATA power connector which plugs into one end.
The Nu Audio card uses the PCIe x1 slot and it will fit neatly in-between other cards as it is a single-slot solution. Technically, it is a USB sound solution on a PCIe interface, but that is likely done to shield its internal components better.
It is solid and well built and it uses premium components as shown by EVGA’s image.
Let’s check out the EVGA Nu Audio sound card specifications.
Specifications, Features & Important Information
Specifications:
- Audio DSP:
- XMOS xCORE-200
- Native DSD Support (up to x256)
- Output Configuration:
- 2 Channel (Analog)
- 5.1 Channel (Digital via S/PDIF)
- Dynamic Range (DNR) / Signal-to-Noise (SNR):
- 123dB (Stereo Playback)
- 121dB (Line-In Recording)
- Playback Format:
- Up to 384kHz, 32bit (Stereo)
- Up to 192kHz, 24bit (Optical)
- Headphone Amp:
- 16-600ohm (Independent Analog Control)
- Maximum Voltage:
- 8Vrms
- Maximum Current:
- 250mA
- Recording Format:
- Up to 384kHz, 32bit (Line-In)
- Up to 192kHz, 24bit (Mic-In)
- RGB Lighting:
- 10 – Mode w/ Audio Reactive Lighting
- I/O:
- Stereo Out (RCA L/R)
- Headphone Out (6.3mm)
- Line-In (3.5mm)
- Mic-In (3.5mm)
- Optical Out (TOSLINK Passthrough)
- Front Panel Header
- Premium Components:
- DAC – AKM AK4493
- ADC – AKM AK5572
- OP-AMP (Headphone) – ADI OP275
- OP-AMP (Line Out) – ADI AD8056
- Capacitors – WIMA, Audio Note(UK), Nichicon
- Power Regulators – Texas Instruments TPS7A47/TPS7A33 ultra low-noise power solution
- Switchable OP-AMPs:
- Headphone, Line out
- Interface:
- PCIe x1 Gen2
- Power Connector:
- 1x SATA Power
- Supported OS:
- Windows 10, 8.1, 7
The takeaway from the specifications is that EVGA uses premium audio components and is not skimping anywhere. The Nu Audio sound card is set up to be a premium audio card that provides native DSP support and 5.1 audio through digital. However, its primary purpose is to serve as an audiophile card by using premium analog 2-channel audio with a low distortion and high signal to noise ratio plus a premium headphone output.
Everything looks good. Let’s plug it in, screw it down securely, and attach the SATA power cable. The next step was to install the driver package and check out EVGA’s included software before we listened to it.
Software
Installing Nu Audio card is almost as simple as plug and play but you must install the dedicated software from EVGA’s download center to use all of its features. After Windows recognizes it and you reboot, you will want to check out the NU Audio software by right clicking on it from your icons on the Windows 10 task bar at the extreme bottom right.
After you reboot your PC, you can set up the Nu Audio software by checking out the setup screen which looks like and is set up just like EVGA’s Precision X1 or Flow Control. 
Make sure that you have the highest quality sound available for your needs. Here is the Main screen to access speaker/headphone output and microphone/line in input for recording.
After you set up your speakers you can adjust the rather basic equalizer to compensate for your room or speaker acoustics. You can save up to 6 custom presets.
RGB lighting is available and there are many color and timing combinations you can make. 
We had the Nu Audio card lights cycle similarly to our EVGA CLC and video cards which made for a nice RGB lightshow inside of our EVGA DG-77 case.
The connector on the front of the card is for a connection to your case’s front panel headphone jack should you somehow wish it. We would have preferred that it be placed on the end for easier cable routing.
UPDATED 02/22/2019 08:00 AM PDT
EVGA just updated their audio driver with new functionality. We understand that EVGA is going to continue to update and improve their software.
EVGA NU Audio Driver – v0.1.2.3
Release Notes –
- Added functionality for independent mute options for Line-Out and Headphone Out*
- Optimized EQ functionality by adding a 30ms delay after changing values
- Fixed an issue where the PCM filters (located on the setup page) would not save after changing to a different filter
- Fixed various audio issues in specific situations
- Updates NU Audio Firmware to V28
*Note – The speaker icon in the Master Volume section mutes the Line-Out signal (RCA), while the speaker icon under the Headphone Volume section mutes the Headphone Out signal. At this time, there is no mute button directly for the System Volume. Also, the Line-Out mute is done at a hardware level, which will cause the Nu Audio Card to “click” every time the Line-Out mute is enabled or disabled. This is normal and expected behavior.
Now that we have our Nu Audio sound card set up, let’s subject it to critical listening tests to compare how it sounds in contrast to the motherboard’s integrated Realtek audio and also compared with the Diamond USB sound card.
