EVGA Nu Audio Sound Card Review

Final Thoughts

How Much Does it Cost?

Funny enough, this sound card has not one, but two prices! If you go out and buy one from EVGA right now, it’ll cost you $249.99, which for the hardware you get, is pretty reasonable. It’s not all that different than an AMP/DAC combo. In fact, that’s what this is, albeit in a PCIe format. However, if you are an EVGA Elite Member, you can grab one for just $199.99. That’s a pretty epic saving for the EVGA loyalists I think you’ll agree.

Overview

For the audio enthusiast, the EVGA Nu Audio is a real treat and a heck of an upgrade for any desktop audio setup. Home cinema technology it is not, and for my movies, I’d still be running my Onkyo amplifier for its surround capabilities. However, there’s a big market for this tech regardless. Am I happy with my 24-bit onboard audio? Absolutely, for the speakers and headphones I’m running it sounds great. However, does the Nu Audio sound better than my onboard audio? Without a doubt, it absolutely does. I’ll be happy to use this full time from now on, and with that, it’ll likely be the go-to platform for my future audio and headphone reviews here at eTeknix.

When and Where?

If you’re running a set of quality speakers and/or headphones for desktop music, movies, and gaming, the Nu Audio is well suited to the job. If you’re running cheap headsets and a set of budget speakers, your money would be better spent upgrading your core audio hardware than it would be invested in a new sound card. Of course, if you feel flush with money, you could splash out on a set of powered monitor speakers, a set of high-end headphones and this sound card too. Of course, that’s not something everyone wants to or needs to do.

Enthusiast audio is like enthusiast anything, you can drop many thousands on your audio and still only be a beginner at it. Andrew Han, the EVGA CEO knows this all too well, and it’s likely why he’s spent 20 years perfecting his home setup. I bet if I asked him, he’d have all kinds of ideas on how he could keep spending to improve it too.

Should I Buy One?

Do you think your audio sounds pretty great? Then it likely is pretty great. It’s fine going over technical details like I do and seeking out those improvements. However, there’s a subjective quality too and the need to upgrade your sound isn’t like needing water in a desert. If you take your audio very seriously though, you already know from the specifications of this sound card, that’s it’s likely the right hardware for you. It’s not “cheap” but given the performance, features, build quality, and carefully selected hardware it features, it’s a bit of a bargain in the audio world.