[third_eye]

I compared the HRTII+ and Apogee Duet and sold the Duet after a few days. The HRT to my ears is more detailed and had better synergy in my setup which is D7000 with Meier Concerto. The Duet is slightly more euphonic with a little more bass presence. Ultimately, I also preferred the simplicity of the HRT which is basically just hidden behind my iMac.
 
Quote:

I've been looking at a bunch of dacs in this price range, and have been trying find comparisons between the Apogee Duet, the HRT Streamer II+, the Streamer Pro, and the CEntrance DacPort, among others. These all seem like excellent dacs, I'm just trying to get some impressions of the tonal signature for mating with my JH13s. 
 

The detailed observations and comparisons here are totally invaluable - thank you!  
 
Quick question to khollister - does the Apogee Duet export a balanced signal?  I know it has balanced outputs on the breakaway, but I wasn't sure if the unit itself had balanced output or if this was just splitting an unbalanced signal.
 
Also to Khollister and others: HeadphoneAddict did a pretty comprehensive review of the DacPort and concluded that it surpassed his Apogee Duet and even his Apogee Mini in SQ, so that might be worth looking into! 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/473473/review-more-to-come-centrance-dacport-24-96-usb-dac-amp
 
 

 I don't think he's ever tested the HRT line, so the HRT pro might put up a good fight, esp  within a fully balanced setup

 

 

[testikoff]

Quote:

Have a strange issue with 88.2 on Music Streamer II, fw 1.7 (not a +, I know ) and my Win XP Pro SP3 laptop running foobar2000+ASIO plug-in+ASIO4all. There is a clicking noise during 88.2 playback which doesn't occur on 44.1/48/96 sampling frequencies. Any clues maybe?

 
I have contacted HRT Support and here is the response I got from Kevin regarding my issue:
 
"There was a firmware change to work around a known problem with OSX and 88k2 (v 1.7) but no such behavioral problems have been found with non Mac platforms. 
 
I would recommend bypassing the ASIO plug in you are using and testing again.  My suspicion is that it may have too large of buffer and this is causing the feedback values to be ignored by the host for too long.  Keep in mind that 44k1 and its increments have a more complex feedback mechanism as the sample rate causes data packets of varying sizes as the rate is non integer to the data packets frame rate (1 kHz).  The small hardware buffer is more challenged as the sample rate increases and if the host is late in adjusting its data payload then over/under runs become possible (this is almost certainly what you are hearing).   For a simplex operation such as a playback only system, there is no need to have buffers of any size as latency isn't an issue.  ASIO and similar 'fixes' aren't well suited to an asynchronous interface as their approach ignores this mechanism."
 
Tried using a non-ASIO output in fooobar2000 (DS : Music Streamer II) with 88.2 kHz sampling frequency and was pleased to hear click-free playback. Oh, well
 
 

 

[jronan2]

 I just bought an open box Music Streamer II+ for $295 shipped to use with the Schiit Lyr until Schiit comes out with their dac lines. After researching this dac for a awfully long time, I hope I made a good choice, working well with both the Lyr and the fiio e9 out of my iMac and MacBook. I like how simple it is and one of the best options for the typical computer audiophile. Hopefully everything pairs well.

 

[jronan2]

Received the Music Streamer II+ today, running it with the e9 until my Lyr comes in. I don't want to make too many impressions as its too early for that. I only tried it with my D7000 so far. First thing i immediately noticed is this little block has some pop to it. I'm playing music at a very lower level volume wise as compared to my E7. The E7 seems like a warm dac compared to this. I'm noticed a little more treble response with the D7000, actually a little worried about it when I pop in the DT990's( this is where the Lyr comes in with some warm tubes) I noticed more bass thump. Its not crazy significant differences but the bass and difference in volume levels was pretty noticeable IMO. I only have been listening to trance and dubstep, nothing else yet.

 

[estreeter]

Interesting - my bedside rig will be Netbook->MSII->E9->AD900 as soon as the E9 arrives later this week.  I recall reading that the MSII+ is, indeed, a notch back from the smooth, warm sound of the base model, swapping that for better resolution.
 
I enjoy mine with portable amps and it will be interesting to see how it goes with the E9.

 

[EyeDoc]

Quick question about the HRT MSII: If I were to use a dual RCA male to 3.5mm female adapter to connect my headphones directly to the Music Streamer, would that work? If so, would the audio quality be significantly degraded?

 

[estreeter]

Given how little it would cost to experiment, why dont you give it a shot ? According to the tech whizzes here, the difference between a line-out signal and a headphone-out is attenuation, and some argue that there isnt much difference at all. I dont know what the sound quality would be like, but what do you have to lose - a $3 adapter ? I think I have one at home, so I may as well give this a try tonite. If HeadFiers are happy to connect balanced phones to the speaker posts on large integrated amps, I'm willing to step out on a ledge with my cheapest IEMs.

 

[EyeDoc]

Well, I sent an email to HRT asking them the same question, and they quickly responded:
 
 
Quote:

Thank you for your email and purchase of a Music Streamer.  In answer to your question, yes.  You can certainly use an adapter cable (RCA to 3.5mm stereo) and directly drive a pair of headphones.  I have been using Grado SR60s with a Streamer for just such a pairing for many months and find the results to be fantastic.   In fact, other than a slightly lower maximum level, the performance far exceeds that which I have obtained with any headphone amplifier I have tried.  As for connecting at an amplifier, that is certainly OK too.
 
Should you have any additional questions, please feel free to forward them as they arise.
 
Kevin Halverson
CTO
High Resolution Technologies, LLC

 
So I guess it is more than okay to use the RCA to 3.5mm adapter. Plus, I am already liking this company before I have even received their product. haha

 

[tme110]

granted sr60s are very easy to power

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

granted sr60s are very easy to power

And ? You were hoping to run a pair of HiFiMan orthos straight from the MSII, right ?

 

[EyeDoc]

Got my MSII a few days ago. One of the best investments I have ever made. Dramatically changed  my computer's output sound quality. Clarity, details, bass punch, and mids all significantly improved.  Plus, I've not had any problems driving my HD595s using just the MSII through a RCA to 3.5mm adapter. On the contrary, the phones sonic signature is more similar to the amped sound. Highly recommended.

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

Got my MSII a few days ago. One of the best investments I have ever made. Dramatically changed  my computer's output sound quality. Clarity, details, bass punch, and mids all significantly improved.  Plus, I've not had any problems driving my HD595s using just the MSII through a RCA to 3.5mm adapter. On the contrary, the phones sonic signature is more similar to the amped sound. Highly recommended.

I tried the same approach (minus amp), but I find it much cleaner with an amp. Still, in a pinch its good to know that its an option.
 

 

[edvardd]

I just bought MS2+ to pair with Head Direct EF5 and LCD2. I'm eagar to hear this combo...

 

[yossi126]

Don't want to ruin your excitement, but the streamer is pretty hot sounding and may not suit your rig.

For the money it is great, but the NFB-3 is probably better (wasn't out when I bought the hrt).

 

[edvardd]

no worries, thanks for poiting it out. MS2+ is sort of a short-term solution and I love that its so portable unlike desktop DAC. I move with my laptop alot. I was looking at NFB-2/3 and they surely seem good for the money. I'll invest in a good desktop DAC within a year.
 
.Perhaps this combo is too warm since EF5 has some warmness to it. I heard the MS2+ had relatively wide soundstage and clear treble that I thought would synergize with LCD2. I'll change the EF5 opamp into something more neutral and the same for the tubes since I have a few to choose from.
 
I see you are using LCD2 but I don't know how B22 sounds in relation to EF5
 
Quote:

Don't want to ruin your excitement, but the streamer is pretty hot sounding and may not suit your rig.

For the money it is great, but the NFB-3 is probably better (wasn't out when I bought the hrt).