A little bit ago I took a look at a soundcard from Bluegears, based on the C-Media Oxygen 8788 sound engine and I found it to be a very capable card. Today for review, HT Omega has sent me their HT Claro soundcard, it is based on the Oxygen 8787 chipset, which is more of a bigger brother to the 8788, and I have to say Ive found this to be one great soundcard. Normally Ive been pretty happy with the onboard sound of my motherboards, in the last couple years it has come very far and its fairly decent, especially if you have a good set of speakers to use with it, but once you know what it is to use a real high end soundcard, you can really never go back to the onboard sound. So read on to learn more about the HT Claro soundcard from HT Omega
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HT Omega Claro Soundcard
Reviewed by: Kristofer Brozio AkA Dracos
Sponsor: HT Omega / HD Audio Visual
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Tech Specs, Features or the Basic Info:
HT OMEGA releases HD sound card with onboard digital input and output supports hardware and also it supports Front Panel Audio Express: the CLARO package. CLARO supports Dolby Pro Logic IIx, Dolby Headphone and precision Base Management system. And also you want to enjoy audio, game with powerful Dolby Digital or DTS sound through your AV receiver, CLARO can make encode Dolby Digital (Dolby Digital Live) or DTS (DTS Connect) signal with real-time like STRIKER7.1. And CLARO supports Front Panel Audio Express for your PC case. It supports headphone and second microphone from your Front Panel Connector of PC case.
Features:
Onboard Digital optical and coaxial output simultaneously
Onboard Digital optical and coaxial input
Built-in Front Panel Audio supports
Enhanced Microphone volume level
Dolby Prologic IIx, Dolby Headphone, DDL, DTS:NeoPC
And you can enhance your PC to 24bit/192Khz resolution and better than 115dB signal to nosie ration with CLARO
CLARO is the premier digital HD audio solution featuring a set of clear 8 discrete outputs, digital outputs and inputs in a well arranged design. The S/PDIF optical and coaxial outputs are also an ideal way to transfer digital audio data to external recorders or amplifiers without the loss of audio quality up to 24bit/192kHz. And CLARO provide extreme surround-sound and ultra-resolution digital audio while playing games, listening music and watching movies via Dolby Digital Live or DTS:Interactive.
CLARO fully supports 7.1 surround sound when combined with normal stereo music and also DVD movie. Play a DVD movie and enjoy the hottest surround sound environment itself.
So user can enjoy Hollywood movies on your desktop computer, with the same audio reproduction that moviemakers intended to reproduce in the theater – 7.1 theatrical surround sound. Or listen to MP3s, other stereo music and even gaming in a virtual surround sound environment with up to 7.1 channels of surround sound.
And CLARO supports Dolby Headphone mode for conveying 5.1 surround and 3D gaming audio over your stereo headphones.
Front Panel Audio Express: User can expend Front Panel Audio connector on your PC case with CLARO Front Panel Audio Connector. For using Front Panel Audio, users can connect a second microphone without any reduction of input signal levels and headphone very conveniently.
Dolby Digital Live: A real-time encoding technology, Dolby Digital Live converts any audio signal into a Dolby Digital bit stream (48kHz at 640Kbps). Dolby Digital Live provides a single cable connection (via coaxial or optical) to your Dolby Digital enabled surround sound system. The real-time interactive capabilities of Dolby Digital Live technology are ideally suited to PCs because it reproduces audio cues and effects that follow the on-screen action, transforming game play into an exciting and realistic entertainment.
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Tech Specs, Features or the Basic Info Continued:
Pro Logic IIx is the first and only technology to process any native stereo or 5.1 signal into a 6.1- or 7.1- channel output, creating a seamless, natural surround soundfield that immerses you in the entertainment experience
Dolby Headphone technology allows users to listen to music, watch movies, or play video games with the dramatic surround effects of a 5.1-channel soundtrack through any set of headphones. Best of all, "listener fatigue," a phenomenon commonly associated with headphone playback, is replaced by a spacious, natural sound field that listeners can enjoy for hours.
DTS INTERACTIVE: A real-time encoder that takes any LPCM (2 channel or more) and encodes it into DTS bit stream (48kHz at 1.5 Mbps). DTS INTERACTIVE provides a single cable connection (via coaxial or optical) to your DTS enabled surround sound system. stereo or multi-channel (up to 5.1)audio sources are re-encoded into a DTS audio signal and sent out from the CLARO to any DTS enabled system such as, powered PC speakers, an A/V receiver or any other DTS compatible surround decoder sound system. The installation process is simple and eliminates the clutter, tangles, and cost of multiple analog cables
DTS NEO:PC: An up-mix matrix technology that turns any 2 channel audio into 7.1 surround sound. You can turn your stereo audio (WMA, MP3, CD, and more!) into a convincing multi channel audio experience. Borrowing from DTS NEO:6 technology that provides you with surround sound from stereo sources in high-end home theatre products, NEO:PC optimized for your personal computer and is the perfect companion to DTS INTERACTIVE.
Specifications:
– The C-Media Oxygen HD CMI8788 Audio Processor is main engine of CLARO
– 4 pcs 24-bit/192kHz AK4396VF (120dB-part spec.) DACs for 7.1channel output. (24-
bit/192kHz in 7.1channel playback) – 1 pc 24-bit/192kHz WM8785G (110dB-part spec.)
ADC input (24-bit/192kHz recording)
– 1 pc CMI9780 AC’97 2.3 CODEC for AUX input, CD input, MIC input (16bit/48kHz
playback/recording)
– Integrated up to 192k/24-bit S/PDIF high grade special Optical and Coaxial connectors
for 44.1kHz,48kHz, 96kHz, 192kHz SPDIF output. (work simultaneously)
– Integrated up to 192k/24-bit S/PDIF high grade special Optical receiver for
44.1kHz,48kHz, 96kHz, 192kHz SPDIF input.
– Supports onboard Coaxial or CD Digital input connector for up to 192kHz SPDIF input.
(Optional Cable need for Coaxial input)
– Standard 10PIN Front Panel Audio supports connectivity for stereo audio output and a
microphone input from PC case
– DTS Interactive – A real-time 5.1 channel encoder.
– DTS Neo:PC – An upmix matrix technology.
– Dolby Digital Live (DDL) – A real-time 5.1 channel encoding.
– Dolby ProLogic IIx surround processor spreading stereo audio into 7.1 channel surround sound.
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– Dolby Headphone technology, conveying 5.1 surround and 3D gaming audio over stereo
headphones.
– Dolby Virtual Speaker solution, bringing amazing virtual surround sound fields via
general two speakers.
– C-Media FlexBass – LFE channel crossover frequency setable from range 50 to 250Hz in
Small speaker mode and Small/Large speaker selectable.
– C-Media Magic Voice, popular feature for disguising your tone in online chatting.
– C-Media Xear 3D 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter technology.
– C-Media’s unique Karaoke functions: Microphone Echo, Key-shifting.
– Individual 10-band EQ for each channel,.27 global reverberation environments.
– Supports most industrial standards of 3D sound for PC gaming, including EAX 1.0 & 2.0,
A3D 1.0, and DirectSound.
– Supported operating systems: Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 3(SP3) / XP Service
Pack 1(SP1) / Server 2003 SP1/ XP Media Center Edition 2005 (MCE) / XP x64 Edition
Price: $139.99 at NewEgg at time of review
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Tech Specs, Features or the Basic Info Continued:
And to continue on with the specs, yeah I know its a lot to read, but here are the actual specs from C-Media regarding the Oxygen HD 8787 Processor:
Oxygen HD 8787 High Performance Audio Controller
Hardware Features:
* PCI 2.2 interface with bus mastering and burst modes
* 4 synchronous I2S output pairs
* 4 synchronous I2S input pairs
* Multi-channel AC-link can support 2 AC97 codecs
* All I2S I/O pairs support 32-bit high-definition PCM data transfer and adjustable
sample rate up
to 192KHz
* Integrated 192k/24-bit S/PDIF transmitter
* Integrated 192k/24-bit S/PDIF receiver
* S/PDIF IN supports digital loop back path for transforming between optical and RCA
connection
* Serial bus to communicate with micro control unit (MCU)
* MPU-401 MIDI UART port support
* EEPROM control interface
* 9 direct access GPIO pins
* 128-pin LQFP high-quality thin package
* Optional: Front panel design available with ac97 codec
Software Features:
* C-Media Magic Voice popular feature for disguising your tone in online chatting
* C-Media Xear 3D 7.1 Virtual Speaker shifter technology
* C-Media unique Karaoke functions: Microphone Echo, Key-Shifting
* 27 global reverberation environments
* Play3D demo program
* Supports most industrial standards of PC 3D sound for gaming, including EAX
1.0&2.0, A3D
1.0, and DirectSound
* Support 7.1 CH digital audio playback for WinXP 64, WinXP ,Win2000 (Microsoft
DirectX V.9.0 above is required)
* Linux driver available
Applications:
* Pro-sumer high-quality PCI sound card for retailer market
* Consumer sound card powered by Dolby and DTS technologies
* PC-based media center
* Wireless media adapter
* Professional PC musician application
* High-end motherboard requiring top audio quality
* Audio up-sell for PC systems
* Bundle selling with high-profile VGA cards
* General purpose multi-channel I/O
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A Better Look at Things
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As usual we look at the packaging first off, the box for the HT Claro is very well done, it is nice and bright with lots of information on the front, and a picture of the card as well.
The back of the box is very informative with lots of information about what the HT Claro can do.
Opening the box, we find another box and inside that box a bag with everything in it.
The HT Claro itself is in an anti-static bag with a silica-gel packet. Included with the HT Claro is the user manual, driver/software cd, toslink cable, and HT Omega even included the optional 2-pin RCA cable as well.
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A Better Look at Things
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The card itself is laid out very nicely, on a black PCB, with gold PCI slot cover and gold connectors.
In the top right corner we can see the HT Omega Claro name.
As I mentioned before the main sound processor is a C-Media Oxygen HD CMI 8788 Sound Processor, this is the heart of the Claro.
To the left of the sound processor is the connector for the optional 2-pin s/pdif rca cable.
On the top right, above the name, there are two more connections, cd-in and aux-in.
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A Better Look at Things
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On the top left side we find the connector for the front panel audio, or Front Panel Audio Express connector, this is the feature that I think I like the most about this card, this enables surround sound for a standard set of headphones.
On to the back of the card, not much to really look at except for all the special logos etc that tell you more about the card and its capabilities.
I mentioned before the PCI slot is gold colored, it adds a bit of style to it I guess
Of course on the PCI slot side we find all of the connectors needed to create your audio experience with the HT Omega Claro.
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Installation, Testing and Comparison
Installation is easy, you need a free PCI slot on your motherboard, stick the HT Claro in there, install the drivers, hook up your speakers and your set
I do have one slight complaint though about the layout of the connectors, and sorry I couldnt get a good picture of it, but when installed I found that the labels were very hard to read to know which connection to use for what, the PCI slot covers the lettering a bit. This was not case specific either, I tried it in another case just to see and it was the same thing, oh well, a small complaint, not too big of a deal really.
Once installed you can play with all the software that comes with the HT Claro, if you recall my review of the Bluegears b-enspirer soundcard, then youll notice that the software ware is very similar, essentially the same actually. The first screen youll see is the main interface, with various tabs across the top. Here you can configure your environment to your exact specifications.
The second tab is for the mixer, here you can change the various sound levels for output and recording.
The third tab is for sound effects, here is where you can select and configure your surround sound options, there are many choices in the drop down menu, with over 20 atmospheres to choose from. On this section you can also adjust the equalizer to fully customize your listening experience, or choose one of the pre-configured options.
The next tab is for Karaoke and Magic Voice, kind of obvious what this does
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Installation, Testing and Comparison Continued:
The FlexBass tab is where you can manage the low-frequency content of your sound for a more enjoyable listening experience.
The last tab is information, another obvious menu option
One very nice thing I found out about the HT Omega Claro is that the instruction manual is very well done, it fully explains everything and how to use every feature. Something that I didnt find with the Bluegears sound card at all
Here are a few shots of the various modes for the HT Claro, these screen shots are just of the configurations of the different sound options at the main screen.
This screenshot is when you enable your headphones, this opens up a new configuration screen so you can adjust the virtual surround of your headphones. One side note that I noticed is that when youre using the headphones the main speakers are still active, so youll have to manually turn them off.
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Installation, Testing and Comparison Continued:
Also included are a few cool programs, the first is a helicopter flying around to let you hear an example of the surround sound, you can change the options to make the helicopter fly around and you can manually control the view as well to hear the differences.
A fully functional Media Rack is also included as well to take full advantage of the HT Claro soundcard in your music and movies.
The last little program is on that allows you to test the various surround sound environments to experiment with them to see what you like the best.
Ok, thats enough of that, Ive had the HT Claro installed for about two weeks now in my main system and its never coming out, I love it that much. It has truly changed my mind about onboard sound on a motherboard. The Bluegears b-enspirer soundcard is nice, but not quite as good as the HT Claro, sound wise there wasnt that much of a noticeable difference at all really, at least not to my ears.
The main glaring difference between the cards is the addition of the Front Panel connector, or Front Panel Audio Express as HT Omega calls it, this really adds a new dimension to your headphones, even a cheap pair will sound better! I have a Bluetake and a Logitech BlueTooth set of headphones and a corded set of Labtec headphones that I use regularly. Obviously the Bluetooth sets would not be able to be enhanced by the HT Claro as they are running off the USB dongle, so I used my Labtec set for testing and I have to say that the HT Claro actually made a large difference in the sounds I heard, they seemed crisper and more alive, the surround sound through the headphones wasnt amazing but it was noticeable, I think a better pair of headphones would really benefit from the HT Claro.
I have various sets of speakers floating around and hooked them all up for this review, it was fun to have the 7.1 surround for a few days anyway Normally I use an Altec Lansing set of speakers with subwoofer for my everyday general use, they have made me very happy for quite some time. Si I hooked up my Protons, and my Boston Acoustics as well to get the full 7.1 surround setup going with my computer. I decided to pop in the same movies I used for the Bluegears review, Star Wars ep1 and ep2, just because those movies are full of great sound effects and music. I found the experience to be awe inspiring to say the least, the sound was amazing, it was clear and no distortions were heard. Of course I had to play with all the settings to get it just right but it sounded very good overall, a lot better than the standard onboard audio of my EVGA motherboard.
I played around with the various different sound effects, and some are goofy, but some really do add another dimension of sound to the overall experience. The 7.1 sound was excellent as is to be expected, but I unhooked everything I just used my Altec Lansing speakers to really see what the HT Claro could do with just two speakers, and I found the DTS NEO:PC to be very good at creating a virtual surround sound environment. As I mentioned I normally just use the two speaker setup so I really wanted to focus on that as that is what I will be using all the time, and I found it to be excellent, not true 7.1 surround but close, it does an excellent job or creating a virtual sound environment and I just love it.
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I even got to do a bit of gaming and found the HT Claro handles gaming just as well as any other sound, Ive been really get back into BF2142 which uses EAX, I could hear everything in the environment it was like I was right there on the battlefield, with sounds coming from all directions, a truly immersive experience. I also used the headphones while playing as well, and found it to be much more enjoyable than just standard stereo, it wasnt quite surround but after playing for a while it felt like it was surround, almost anyway, like I said I need to get a better pair of headphones to really enjoy it.
Well thats about it really, the HT Omega Claro is an excellent choice for a soundcard.
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Summary:
Overall the HT Omega Claro soundcard is something that can change your mind about onboard sound, if you are like me and have just been happy with the onboard sound, you need to give the HT Claro a try and your mind will be forever changed. Of course though a good set of speakers is need to fully enjoy the HT Claro, and they dont have to be a full 5.1 or 7.1 setup, you can use just two speakers and a subwoofer to create a sound experience that will add a new dimension to your gaming and multimedia experiences on your PC
DragonSteelMods gives the HT Omega Claro Soundcard a 5 out of 5score and our Recommended Award as well.
Pros:
-Tons of features
-Turn your two speaker setup into a virtual surround system
-Excellent quality, clear crisp sound
-Turns standard headphones into surround sound headphones
-Fully configurable
-Very easy to use
Cons:
-None really
I would like to thank HT Omega and HD Audio Visual for the chance to review the Claro Soundcard and for their support of DSM.
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