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Is the Music Streamer Pro Worth the Premium Over the Music Streamer II+?

post #1 of 26
2/1/11 at 10:39am
Thread Starter 

I've given myself a headache trying to decide between these two. The price difference between the two units is 150.00, but when you factor in the cost of interconnects it's more like 250-300.00. I plan on making my own interconnects, but those mini xlr connectors aren't cheap. I also plan to use rca adapters to switch back and forth between my stax srm t1s and the single ended inputs of my fisher. Is there anyone who's listened to both? Is the pro really on par with 1000.00+ dacs?

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post #2 of 26
2/1/11 at 12:19pm

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/music-streamer-pro-v-streamer-II

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post #3 of 26
2/1/11 at 1:05pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for the link.

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post #4 of 26
2/1/11 at 3:49pm
Thread Starter 

I decided to go with the pro. From reading the reviews, it should blow me away, but if it doesn't, it will get returned.

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post #5 of 26
2/1/11 at 9:26pm

I guess it depends on what you are looking for - after reading the reviews (I assume the same reviews you have read), I came away convinced that the Pro would only highlight the deficiencies in the rest of my (admittedly very modest) kit. The base model does a great job of 'papering over the cracks' in some of my music, but if you want nth degree detail and transparency then clearly something like the Pro will be more to your liking.

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post #6 of 26
2/1/11 at 9:32pm
Thread Starter 

Yeah that's pretty much what I'm after. Both my HE-6 and stax 407 are so revealing, they let you hear every single component in the chain. So I need the signal coming from my source to be as clean as possible.

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post #7 of 26
2/1/11 at 9:38pm

Cool - please post your initial impressions when you take delivery. I seem to recall that some reviewers were not initially taken with the Pro, but then that applies to the Benchmark and similar high end DACs - I didnt like beer or champagne the first time I tasted them :)

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post #8 of 26
2/1/11 at 11:58pm
Thread Starter 

Will do. I have an uneasy feeling about it. I've read that it can have issues with different usb ports and usb cable being longer than two meters.

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post #9 of 26
2/2/11 at 11:49am

I can say that the II+ is not worth the premium over the II having heard both. Make that as you will regarding the jump from II+ to Pro. 

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post #10 of 26
2/2/11 at 1:00pm
Thread Starter 

well maybe going two models up may be worth it. If a 500.00 unit isn't a huge upgrade over a 150.00 unit something is wrong. Well the fact the II+ is more than twice the price of the II, so something is still wrong. Did they have the same sound sig? What were the differences if any?

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post #11 of 26
2/3/11 at 3:20am

Same sound signature (slightly to the thin and bright side) but the II+ is slightly more refined, has a wider lateral width to its soundstage and slightly smoother sounding than the II. I used to have the II+ with a 404LE and SRM1/MK2 and dislike the combination, a bit brittle and edgy in the treble. 

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post #12 of 26
2/3/11 at 8:24am
Thread Starter 

Thanks for the impressions. I use to own that amp as well with some lambda sigs. It's a great amp for what you can get it for now, but my sigs sounded just a little bright and cold. I sold it and bought a t1s and they went from sounding bright and cold to lush and smooth. They were still a little on the bright side, but the sigs are a bright sounding can. Sounds like with their upperline products, you are entering the law of diminishing returns area. Spending a lot more money for just incremintal performance gains. Is it possible that the II+ was so neutral and transparent, it let you hear the flaws in the rest of your system, or is the II+ itself a bright and cold sounding dac.

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post #13 of 26
2/3/11 at 11:41am

Yeah, that's what I suspect as well. Based on the conversations I had with fellow Stax maniacs here, the SRM1/MK2 is supposed to be bright-sounding. Not a good combination with that particular DAC and the 404LE which also has a tilted treble. A friend used to have another 404LE before he moved on to the 007MK2 and using the KGSS and Neko Audio D100 DAC, the combination was very lush-sounding. The tilted treble was still there but at least it wasn't accentuated unlike with the SRM-1/MK2 and II+. Curiously the same D100 doesn't work very well with the 007MK2 as the overall sound is too mellow and lacking impact. 

 

Therefore as an answer to your second statement, I would think that the Lambda is the one that's very unforgiving to its source. I compared the II+ with my own AMB γ2 using the 404LE and SRM-1/MK2 and sure enough, the differences were obvious. Although the γ2 has a shorter and less sustained decay compared to the II+, the overall sound is meatier especially in the midrange area which complements well with the Lambda's rather thin nature. The γ2 also has a blacker background and a clearer presentation of depth compared to the II+.

 

Still, there is a possibility that the Pro sounds very different with the II and II+ rendering this discussion moot (although unlikely in my opinion). tongue.gif

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post #14 of 26
2/3/11 at 3:02pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for all of your impressions. Even if the pro is different, I think it will still have a similar sound signature. So your impressions give me a basic idea of what to expect. Both my he-6 and 407s are running off tube amps so this just might be a good match. But, right now I'm thinking that this will end up going back. There are a lot of options in that price range including some very good vintage dacs. So I will have to be blown away in order to justify keeping this. The place I ordered it from does have a 30 return policy, so that gives me plenty of time to burn it in before making a final deceision.

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post #15 of 26
2/3/11 at 11:41pm

Or do what i did and get a used Pro from the FS forum. I've learnt never to buy new unless it is a really good bargain or it's a limited edition item. The depreciation will kill on all in-production used items, especially for items you might just be auditioning for a bit.

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