Pros: If you have high-quality headphones or speakers, this sound card offers a major improvement in sound quality over on-board audio and even over most add-in sound cards. I decided to try this card because the on-board audio on my new high-end motherboard sounded dull and lifeless. From a hardware standpoint, the NU Audio has not disappointed. Its sound quality is very clean and very detailed, with an analytical sound (as opposed to warm or tube-like), and the card has no problem at all driving my 300-Ohm headphones. This is a great way to get exceptional audio from your PC without the clutter of an external USB DAC and headphone amp.

Cons: The drivers and software are immature (unintuitive UI and unhelpful error messages) and missing some basic features that you'd find on most other sound cards. While the company continues to advertise 5.1-channel output via the card's optical digital output, as of writing this review (2 months after the card launched), the drivers still cannot pass-thru the required Dolby or DTS formats for surround sound. In other words, this currently is a stereo-only card -- no surround support at all. The drivers/software also lacks support for low-latency monitoring (sidetone), so this card will not work well in situations that require performance feedback (e.g. recording voiceover/singing, or even just hearing yourself while gaming/streaming with a headset/headphones). Also, most sound cards allow "stereo mix" or "what u hear" recording, but not the NU Audio. Some of these features may or may not be coming in future software updates, but there is no clear indication of which features and when they might show up.

Overall Review: To save yourself some troubleshooting, it's important to note that this card requires a true (5-wire) SATA power connection from your PC's power supply. You cannot use a 4-wire Molex-to-SATA adapter because it lacks a 3.3V wire -- the NU Audio card will not power up nor be detected. EVGA really should make this requirement clear, as it's not mentioned on the box, in any of the included documentation, nor in the system requirements.

Pros: Lots of outlets, with four nicely-spaced ones for wall-wart power adapters. Long cord.

Cons: The plug on this surge protector is very poorly designed, so you need to be extra careful when unplugging it from the wall socket. The plug is only a half-inch thick, so it is difficult to grab with your hand. Much worse, however, the plug is very slim with the cord angled in such a way that your finger and thumb are only 1/8-inch away from the hot and ground prongs. While you are struggling to pull out the slim, slippery plug, it would be easy to touch the partially-inserted prongs and get a nasty shock.

Order was shipped quickly and arrived within the expected timeframe. I encountered a concern about the order, and the seller responded to each email promptly and courteously. The seller resolved my issue without hassle, so I would be happy to order from SODIAL again.