![]() ![]() Most will use them with their internal DAC over USB, but you can also connect them to an external DAC, like the one integrated in a motherboard or our Nu Audio Pro card. They might seem too small, but if you don’t want your desk filled up with larger studio monitors, these are one of the best choices, assuming you have about $220-$270 to spend. Testing Results: Audioengine A2+ Desktop SpeakersĪnyone who’s shopped for a pair of stereo desktop speakers has probably looked at the Audioengine A2+ system. There’s not much point in pairing a very revealing sound card with headphones that aren’t able to reproduce the detail. ![]() So, we’re off to a rocky start but aren’t very surprised. I also did a blind test with others, and got mixed results in terms of who could hear differences when using the sound card. I found myself enjoying the DT 1990 Pro more with onboard audio than I did the HD 598 with the Nu Audio Pro. The HD 598 headphones sell for $260 at the time of writing, while the DT 1990 Pros cost about $530. If you’re on any sort of budget, consider that for the $199 the Nu Audio Pro costs, you could just as easily step up to a better pair of headphones. The difference I noticed wasn’t huge, however. The voices sounded more intimate, and when playing classical pieces I felt closer to the recordings. Music sounded cleaner and appeared to reach further up the spectrum, with the Nu Audio Pro revealing slightly more detail than the onboard audio. Using the DT 1990 Pros, I noticed more differences, most notably in the high frequencies. Next, I grabbed a pair of Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pros and laid out cabling so that I could switch playback sources quickly for side-by-side comparison. I listened for the key things: clarity, tightness of the bass, soundstage, stereo separation, lushness of the voices, etc, but couldn’t find a difference. I switched to playing Imagine Dragons’ “Bad Liar,” and at first I again noticed no difference. The problem was that I also enjoyed the track just as much as when using the Aorus motherboard’s audio implementation, which also has a capable headphone amplifier, but relies on the ALC1220 DAC. That’s not to say that the result was bad in fact, clarity was wonderful, and Dido’s voice sounded extremely lush on the Nu Audio Pro sound. When I listened to Dido’s “Take You Home” on the Sennheiser HD 598 headphones, I was puzzled that there was no immediately noticeable improvement compared to the many times I’ve listened to this track without a sound card. Testing Results: Sennheiser HD 598 and Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro EVGA Nu Audio Pro-sound card at Amazon for $199.99. ![]()
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