HT | OMEGA eClaro 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card

Pros: Leaves a small footprint in my case
Sounds are very crisp and clear now
Small yet Powerful
Feels solid and well made, definitely does not appear to be cheap
The software allows me to adjust the volume of each speaker independently.
Has a single D-Sub connector which then splits off to multiple I/O which is a nice touch.

Cons: None I am not an audiophile I don't have a lot of music industry experience so to speak so I can't identify any cons though I do have two good working ears and I can honestly say that the sound coming from this card is clear and is powerful.
Like the other reviewers have stated the software seems like it was from the 80's or 90's but honestly I would much rather have rock solid, consistent software than new buggy software that always requires updates so in that sense this card and its manufacturers are great and the software is very functional which is all that matters to me.

Other Thoughts: I've had the Creative X-Fi circa 2006 and then I got the HT Omega Stryker 7.1 and the creative had some good sound it was good for gaming but the software was a bit buggy at times and it was almost to crisp sometimes. The HT Omega Stryker I had owned had great mid range sound and it was good but not for gaming but this card sounds really crisp and clear and feels powerful. I love how I plug in a D-Sub I/O and then I plug in all of my side rear and subs into the cables that then come out of the D-Sub connector.
Overall I happy with this sound card I had an Asus Xonar DX 7.1 and that was great but it didn't have that rich, powerful, crystal clear quality to it that this card has and I am so glad I gave it a chance. I wish I had a PCI slot so I could add the HT Omega Claro Halo card so I could have a dedicated headphone card but this card should do the trick as far as the headphone department is concerned.

Again thanks to Newegg for all of the products you guys carry I swear most of my paychecks go to you guys cause I will never be content with good enough, I must upgrade and get a bigger and badder system!!!!!!!!

My Current Baby!!!

- Intel Core i7 3930k @ 3.2GHz

- 32GB of G. Skill DDR3 Ram running @ 1600MHz

- Gigabyte GTX 780 with 3GB's of GDDR5 Ram

- HT Omega eClaro Audio Card

- Logitech G500 Laser Gaming Mouse

- Microsoft 4000 Ergonomic Keyboard (w/ the front handrest tilted all the way up for extra comfort)

- Rosewill USB 3.0 Multi-Card Reader Front Panel

- Dual G. Skill Phoenix III Solid State Disks running together in a Raid 0 Configuration

- Asus 24x DVD Burner

- MSI X79A-GD45 Motherboard with the LGA 2011 Socket

- AOC e2752Vh 27" LED Monitor w/ 2ms Response time and Full High Definition @ 1920x1080

- Rosewill 600 watt Gold Rated Power Supply

- All wrapped inside a Corsair Graphite Series 600T "Steel Silver" Computer Case

Pros: this card has terrific sound. I have had it for a couple years now and it's been a joy to have. I generally don't like onboard sound and I jumped ship on soundblaster years ago when they started to slip. took a chance on the claro+ 5 years ago and I still have that too and love it. HTOmega is a gem, and I have not had any problem with them in any way. I play games all the time and I have never had any compatibility issues. this plays everything I throw at it (I only say this cause I was concerned a few years ago before I got my first htomega sound card that I would have problems with game sound). the sound is superb.

Cons: Not even the price- totally worth it.

Other Thoughts: OK, here is the deal and brutal honesty. don't insult this card by using pc speakers. even the $300 pc speakers don't show half of what this card can do. I use about $2k worth of audio gear on this and I can hear a huge difference in sound between this and onboard sound. Do yourself a favor if you get this (and it's worth it)- get atleast a decent receiver (not the $199.00 special) and decent speakers (again, not the $199.00 special). this will push that receiver's THD to the max and then some. your ears will thank you.

Pros: Best sounding audio card ever. Beats the $600 or $700 cards hands down. Period. I've been an audio professional since 1978. This baby is incredible. Just buy one, and try it. You will be amazed. My ears can hear distortion all it takes is about 3 to 5 minutes, and it's turn that crud off! With a quality sound system this baby is clean! The capacitors are big (a good thing) but it fits on my mother board, a little tight, but no problems. I had no trouble with the drivers and the card and software work well. I would never recommend something highly that I did not believe in. Try it this is great.

Cons: None, Wish I had stock in the company :)

Pros: Emits sound. Doesn't sound bad. I'm not an audiophile, so that's the extent of my assessment for quality.

Cons: I used this card under Win 7 x64 and OpenSUSE 12.3. Win 7 drivers and supporting software seemed not-well-integrated into the OS, but worked well enough. However, this card has absolutely no manufacturer support in linux,--by "support", I mean driver source code or any sort of wiki or open-source repository.

Pros: Easy setup - installation on my ASUS M5A99FX/Win7 system couldn't have been more hassle-free. Downloaded the latest drivers from the website, disabled the onboard ALC892 in Windows, shut down and installed the card. Booted up and ran the driver setup (which only took a few seconds). After a reboot it simply works perfect. No 20 minute B-S driver install like a Creative card. The entire process literally took all of 5 minutes.

Truthfully, the analog out on the ASUS board really isn't half bad - IMHO onboard always blew until the short-lived Soundstorm 2. However, I was instantly floored by the incredible difference of the eClaro. I listen to jazz, and I can't believe how natural the instruments sound. This is before tweaking anything...

*Most* of the capacitors look high quality, Elna, Sanyo, Panasonic, etc. Overall it looks very well made. No problems with the bracket fitment or breakout cable. Looks cool through a side window.

Cons: None yet.

Other Thoughts: Someone below mentioned that the card only works in a x1 slot. Mine is blocked by my graphics card, so I popped it in one of the motherboard's 2 x4 limited slots, and it works fine.

Pros: - Great sound experience in all senses!

Cons: None - Software looks kinda old

Pros: High quality product. Outstanding customer service. I had a tech issue and emailed their help desk. Within minutes someone responded with screenshots of the product's manual. They also reviewed my other audio component manuals to help me set it up.

Cons: Optical cables only support 5.1 discrete channels. You have to rely on your receiver to upmix the last two channles. Settings become very tricky in that you are essentially upmixing an upmix, which impacts the sound quality. I would absolutely reccomend this card to someone who wants a minimalist headphone amp. However, I don't see any advantages over a motherboard if you're using this for a multi-channel digital setup.

Other Thoughts: Really sad to take it back. Good company and a well made product. Just doesnt do what I need.

Pros: fits nice, sound comes out of it.

Cons: It took some time to adjust it for good sound, CD would not work, had to down load the drivers from there web sight. not much better then my old card. no telphone support.

Other Thoughts: If I new it would sound like this I would not have got it, not much of a upgrade.

Pros: Everything.

Have had this card for a while, would buy again. My 2nd sound card from HT Omega. They have not disappointed yet.

Cons: None.

Other Thoughts: Buy it.

Pros: I am using these with a pair of Sennheiser HD650's.
Since the card is a DAC, my FiiO E17 is only in amp mode.
One solid recommendation.
Tears. Goose bumps. Everything I could ever imagine.

Cons: You not buying it.

Other Thoughts: Get it. Make sure you go through the software configurations and get everything peachy and tuned to your specific needs.