Features and Specifications:

High-fidelity 24bit 192 kHz D/A converter; 106 dB Dynamic range
High-fidelity 24bit 96kHz A/D converter; 102dB Dynamic range
24bit 96 kHz Digital Coaxial Input and Output
Analog 2 In / 8 Out;
-10 dBV unbalanced 1/8" (3.5mm) mono and stereo input and
4 x stereo -10 dBV unbalanced 1/8" (3.5mm) output
2 channel recording and 8 channel playback at the same time
Supports multiple sampling rates : 44.1 kHz up to 192 kHz
Full Duplex - Simultaneous record/playback
Uses 32bit PCI slot: PCI bus-mastering support
Microphone preamp with +5V phantom power
Headphone amp
Supports the E-WDM driver:
WDM and ASIO 2.0
Direct KS support for SONAR
OS: Microsoft Windows XP/2000/ME/98SE

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
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

Utilize Advanced NSP technology for eight channels of individual real time processing with various enhancements including Bass Effect, Reverb, EQ, Dynamic Range, Compression, and Filtering
Utilize Advanced NSP for ripping audio from a DVD to any multi-track recording application using DirectWIRE
Record, Mix, and Master 24-bit 96 kHz audio with all major music software applications
Play 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1 true surround sound through multiple digital and analog audio outputs with the included software DVD player
Playback WMA 5.1 multi-channel audio for Windows Media 9
Send and receive digital audio via the coaxial input and output to external devices
Play games with Sensaura 3D sound and reverb engine, which supports all the major game sound formats including DirectSound 3D, A3D 1.0, EAX 1.0, EAX 2.0, Macro FX, Environment FX, Multi Drive, Zoom FX, and I3DL2
Listen to two-channel MP3 music or movies in a virtual surround sound environment with SRS TruSurround XT featuring Dialog Clarity and TruBass

Featuring Advanced NSP ( Native Sound Processing )

Advanced NSP is the driver technology that enables the latest pro-audio quality sound effects to be applied to audio stream outputs from games, DVDs, and MP3s. Current software driver technology limits audio cards to process only the audio streams delivered from WDM driver to the audio card hardware. However, Advanced NSP best utilizes E-WDM driver technology to break the boundaries of the WDM driver and extends the WDM kernel processing limitations.

Included WinDVD Player Provides 24-bit 96 kHz High Resolution Playback

Like the Terratec Aureon 7.1, the Prodigy 7.1 was built around VIA's ICEnsemble Envy24HT processor. In fact, the two cards share virtually the same layout except the Prodigy has Coaxial input/output compared to the optical connections on the Aureon 7.1 Space. The top of the card has the same 4 connectors, two for CD inputs, one auxiliary and one CD-ROM digital input.

The rear of the card had a similar appearance to the Aureon save the coaxial connections, totaling 8 ports. The card includes both a microphone and line-in analog input for recording purposes and the remaining four outputs gave access for front and rear speakers, center channel-LFE and Back Surround.

The Prodigy and Aureon cards are very similar in design except for the points we mentions earlier. Each card had a clean layout and its own flavor of connections to offer. The question remains, however, if both of these cards are so similar, are they both going to have similar performance? Before we can answer that question, we need to take a look at the Prodigy's drivers and then put these two cards through some tests.

Unlike the multiple screens of the Aureon Drivers, AudioTrak opted to keep everything at your fingers with a snazzy interface consisting of two main screens. The Mixer screen is the center of the control panel containing input and output level controls as well as allowing for the adjustment of the clock frequency. Selecting the Config menu option reveals several options for fine tuning driver performance to the user's liking. The first option to note is the Latency tab which offers options ranging from 48 Samples up to 2048 Samples. These adjustments are available to hone the cards performance based on its intended use. The latency can be set higher for recording of multiple tracks where as a lower latency can be set for recording software that uses a minimal amount of tracks.

The other option, which was lacking with the Aureon, was the Prodigy's ability to clone two speaker output to 4 speaker output independent of the software being used for playback. This comes in quite handy for those looking for music playback through more than the default 2 channels stereo offers. This is a major plus in our opinion. The last screen is the Advanced NSP menu which offers a set of unique features for routing various outputs to other ones through AudioTraks DirectWire Feature. Utilizing the Native Sound Processing capabilities of the Prodigy, DirectWire integrates with audio production software, allowing for routing of outputs to other outputs through software. This is an advanced feature designed to work with mixing software to give the maximum amount of flexibility to the audio editor.

There are several differences between the Aureon and Prodigy driver sets that tip the scales in favor of the Prodigy. For one, Sensaura can be enabled on the fly, not requiring a system reboot. Another strength is that there is no mention of Windows XP needing to be installed to take advantage of the card's 7.1 surround capabilities. These two options along with advanced NSP features not found with the Aureon truly sets the Prodigy higher overall, making it a more robust overall solution.

Before we can draw any conclusions, however, we need to assess the two card's performance. Next up we load several applications that should give us a good idea what to expect. First up, Right Mark Audio Analyzer 5.1...