We’ve seen a slew of sound cards using Via’s Envy24 audio chip, including M-Audio’s Revolution 7.1 and Sonica Theater 7.1, as well as Terratec’s Aureon 7.1 Space, all of which we recently reviewed. These cards have shown themselves to be capable of delivering very good signal quality, and surprisingly good CPU usage, considering the Envy24 lacks a DSP engine, and instead relies on the CPU to handle these chores.

Today we are to test Audiotrak MAYA44 MKII sound card made by the consumer products division of ESI (Ego Systems Inc), the well-known professional sound interface manufacturer. Our steady readers might remember that we have already tested a number of Audiotrak sound cards, including Prodigy7.1, Prodigy192, and MAYA44, which seemed like. Audiotrak, sound card, dac products from GYROCOM C&C. Search Keywords. All Products Selling Leads Buying. AUDIOTRAK MAYA 5.1 MK-II ZENI Sound Card. Get the best deals on AUDIOTRAK Internal Sound Cards and find everything you'll need to improve your home office setup at eBay.com. Fast & Free shipping on many items!

AudioTrak Maya 5.1 Channel Sound Card. Authorized dealers are requested by their suppliers to advertise their products at a minimum selling price.

With so many Envy24-based cards already in the market, is there room for another? A Korean company called AudioTrak certainly thinks so. Its new $99 Prodigy 7.1 sound card’s secret sauce isn’t in the hardware. Prodigy offers up a CPU-based real-time effects engine and a unique software-based signal routing system that could well entice audio geeks and aspiring musicians to give this card a serious look.

We took the Prodigy for a lengthy spin, and while we were encouraged by the capabilities and the potential, this ride wasn’t without its fair share of bumps. Unfortunately, it appears that the drivers are not up to the task, which is too bad. This could be a good card – if only it worked right.

The Secret Sauce
The Prodigy has two features that make it the unique offering that it aspires to be: Native Signal Processing (NSP) and DirectWIRE, AudioTrak’s proprietary software-based patch panel for reconfiguring signal routing. Both of these ideas have merit, but this card is currently marred by those pesky driver problems. If AudioTrak can work those out, these features will set the Prodigy apart in a once-again crowded sound card market. Let’s explore the Prodigy’s overall makeup, and then take a look at some of the cool features – and also where we ran into problems.

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Product: AudioTrak Prodigy 7.1 24bit/192kHz sound card

From: AudioTrak

The AudioTrak Prodigy 7.1 sound card

Some days, you come across hardware that is almost great. You read a review or two, you like the product and you think, maybe. Even more rarely you come across hardware that has something a little extra, something that you can tell makes it great.AudioTrak's Prodigy is in the rare category of great hardware.

AUDIOTRAK is the consumer products division of ESI (Ego Systems Inc), an industry leader in providing innovative digital audio interfaces to the professional and project studio markets.
Utilizing key aspects of ESI's proven pro-audio designs, AUDIOTRAK delivers a higher standard of performance to anyone wanting to improve their sound capabilities.

AudioTrak has been putting out high-quality consumer sound cards for quite some time now, from the Maya to the Prodigy-192. The Prodigy 7.1 is AudioTrak's first sound card based on VIA's Envy24HT, a high quality 24 bit/192kHz audio processor.

As a rule, we tend not to believe it when a manufacturer says, 'Ultimate.'

The Prodigy not only does high-quality 24bit/96kHz digital audio, it also does games, with the use of the Sensaura3D API. Now that Creative has bought the rights to Sensaura3D, there is a sudden tinge of sadness. The Prodigy may be the last great Sensaura3D card.

Prodigy 7.1 Features

• Experience High-Fidelity Surround Sound up to 7.1
• Transfer up to 24-bit 96 kHz Pure Audio with Coaxial Digital Input and Output
• Controllable Extended Input Connectors (Line, CD, Aux, and CD Digital) on Board
• 24-bit, 8 Channel 192 kHz Playback and 96 kHz Recording
• Experience Stereo Audio Sources with Expanded 7.1 Channel Surround Sound
• Emulate Multi-Channel Surround Sound with SRS TruSurround XT with Enhanced Bass and Dialog Clarity
• Expand Audio Versatility with Advanced NSP featuring E-WDM and DirectWIRE
• Plug In with Analog Inputs (2) and Outputs (8)
• Independent Surround Sound Channel Volume Control
• Enjoy High-Fidelity with Integrated Headphone Amp and Microphone
• Pass Pure Audio Signals to Dolby Digital and DTS Decoders
• Support Windows Media 9 with 24-bit, 96 kHz 6-Channel Audio
• Support Game Surround Sound APIs such as EAX 2.0 and A3D

Audiotrak Products Sound Cards & Media Devices Drivers

Let's take a closer look at this card, shall we?