Introduction

The nature of trade shows such as CES is that manufacturers want to be noticed by the many media personnel covering the event, and have product announcements and launches to show off. Often, these are products that get released the day they are announced, if not slightly after, and review samples usually get shipped out prior under an NDA. In some situations, however, as with EVGA this time round, the whole announcement itself is a secret and so, it just happens that the TechPowerUp review sample of the EVGA NU audio card is still on its way to our very own Inle. We still wanted to have something up for today, however, when the card is made available for purchase, and thus, here we are with a detailed overview to tide you over in a new format we are trying out for such extenuating circumstances.


Thanks to EVGA for providing not one, but effectively two samples to TechPowerUp. We appreciate their understanding of the situation, and it has in turn lead to two separate articles on the NU Audio card. The scope of this preview is to go over the unboxing and overview sections of the review, as well as a closer look at the product disassembled. The full review will cover the driver, audio performance, and comparisons to similar products, as well as editor feedback on the product's pros and cons and a conclusion.

Specifications

Unboxing and Accessories

EVGA had no qualms in letting us know that the NU (new, get it?) audio card is not a half-baked measure as it is intended to be of good value for enthusiasts and audiophiles alike. They have one chance to get it right, and if first impressions are the strongest, then the packaging here go a long way. The entire box looks and feels great, and also way larger than you would expect for just the sound card inside. EVGA says they cut no corners on the actual product, but there does appear to be a physically cut corner on the box to have the "Lifelike Gaming" tag line on the side that is undoubtedly just for marketing and will no doubt get divisive feedback from the community. Read past the break for more on the EVGA NU audio card.


We notice that the packaging employs a two-piece design with an outer wrap that contains the large render upfront and specifications galore on the back, and a seal to help keep the inner cardboard box that is bare of content sans the EVGA logo and opens up to reveal the audio card front and center. It comes snugly packed in a shaped, thick piece of foam akin to their own GPUs, which ensures the relatively delicate componentry are not affected during transit to the customer. There is also a plastic shell cover on top to keep it free of dust for a good unboxing experience.


There are notches throughout to assist with the easy removal of the various packaging parts for access not only to the audio card, but also the accessories included underneath. This includes a decent set of documentation well worth going through if only to read about the user-replaceable OP-AMPs and how to ensure they are in the correct socket too, as well as a reminder and quick tutorial on the software driver to make the most of the audio card.


There is a second set of accessories in a smaller compartment in the foam piece, which includes two individually wrapped adapters—an RCA to 3.5 mm jack adapter and a 6.3 mm to 3.5 mm jack adapter for when the 1/4" input standard is not amenable to your audio output devices. These already hint at the product class EVGA is aiming the NU audio card at. We also see gold plating on the adapter connectors to minimize metal oxidation and related issues.