[mikemercer]

  Ending up getting the arcam r dac wireless version..it works with my iphone with free app and with the free wireless dongle works from my pc over wifi..i have it plugged into my xbox in the bedroom(pc's downstairs) with my sennheiser headset and it goes through my Cambridge audio amp and wharfedale speakers for watching youtube catch up tv..it's much better than the other two dongles(dacmagic xs and dragonfly) by a long margin..not harsh sounding and the sound stage is much bigger with separation of instruments and you can hear things that you couldn't here before..peoples voices when they are talking on youtube are much more natural sounding..it's just a much better sound altogether..glad I got it now..this one definitely won't be going back! P.S my lcd3's and adl esprit are in the loft plugged into my MacBook pro with pro tools for making music..i have a Cambridge audio 851 amp and cd player in the living room with grado ps1000's and performance six speakers that I listen back to my recorded tracks with!

SO glad you dug the microStreamer! I find its far more engaging than the other USB dongle-typpe USB DAC/headphone amps.
 
AND:
IMO people - the microStreamer beat out the Audioengine D3, for me, in musicality, period.
It's more engaging, more emotively charged, and has better detail retrieval than the D3.
 
Now, the D3 is a great piece of kit, and could be, again IMO, Audioengine's best-sounding DAC/headphone amp,
but the microStreamer still reigns! I was not surprised.
 
It was like the D3 sounded terrific, until I listened to the microStreamer again

 

[CharlesC]

 
IMO people - the microStreamer beat out the Audioengine D3, for me, in musicality, period.
It's more engaging, more emotively charged, and has better detail retrieval than the D3.
 

 
Thanks for adding this.  I ordered the microStreamer (not sure if there is a knowledgable, connected retailer around here) just hours before seeing your D3 recommendation. It was a bummer.

 

[mikemercer]

   
Thanks for adding this.  I ordered the microStreamer (not sure if there is a knowledgable, connected retailer around here) just hours before seeing your D3 recommendation. It was a bummer.

oh then I'm glad I posted this last night!
I was fading - but had to say it, as I didn't want anybody in this thread to think otherwise!!
 
Congrats on getting a microStreamer!!

 

[Nirvana1000]

SO glad you dug the microStreamer! I find its far more engaging than the other USB dongle-typpe USB DAC/headphone amps.

AND:
IMO people - the microStreamer beat out the Audioengine D3, for me, in musicality, period.
It's more engaging, more emotively charged, and has better detail retrieval than the D3.

Now, the D3 is a great piece of kit, and could be, again IMO, Audioengine's best-sounding DAC/headphone amp,
but the microStreamer still reigns! I was not surprised.

It was like the D3 sounded terrific, until I listened to the microStreamer again

Have you heard the Meridian Explorer?.If so,how would you compare to microstreamer?

 

[mikemercer]

Have you heard the Meridian Explorer?.If so,how would you compare to microstreamer?

I have spent time w/ the Meridian Explorer!
I was lucky enough to hear it at CES last year (ironically when my microStreamer review came out) and then live with it for awhile.
 
I found that it sounded TOO Hi-fi-y for my tastes. By that I mean it had a solid presentation: Controlled bass, coherent mids, and 
nice highs.  But it lacked soul, at least to my ears.  It was overly-analytical, and I don't mean resolution, I mean it didn't cause me to get lost in the music. It sounded like great Hi-fi, but not like music to me.
 
The microStreamer excites me when I listen to it.
I want to keep listening.

 

[Nirvana1000]

[quote name="mikemercer" url="/t/647693/sonic-satori-hrt-levels-the-field-with-the-microstreamer/690#post_10054155researchingspent time w/ the Meridian Explorer!
I was lucky enough to hear it at CES last year (ironically when my microStreamer review came out) and then live with it for awhile.

I found that it sounded TOO Hi-fi-y for my tastes. By that I mean it had a solid presentation: Controlled bass, coherent mids, and 
nice highs.  But it lacked soul, at least to my ears.  It was overly-analytical, and I don't mean resolution, I mean it didn't cause me to get lost in the music. It sounded like great Hi-fi, but not like music to me.

The microStreamer excites me when I listen to it.
I want to keep listening.
[/quote]
I think I know what you mean.I prefer to have a little warmth also.What headphones did you use?I'm taking my time researching the DAC I'm going to buy.I like specs of the ifi DAC.

 

[martin vegas]

I just picked the arcam rcam r dac up for gaming to go with my sennheiser headset over optical to rca..got it for £180 last one in the shop(new ir dac has just replaced the rdac) it was originally £400, we all like a bargain don't we ..impressed by the sound quality..nothing sounds harsh or cluttered..the sound stage is just the right size and the bass is perfect for my headset,nothing too loud in battlefield 4 the sounds just right..i can see why it won all them what hifi awards for a few years running!

 

[CharlesC]

I got my microStreamer yesterday.  I'm terrible at doing side-by-sides but I'm very happy with the sound.  I am curious, however, about the 64 step attenuation. Let's say that I am most comfortable listening at a given volume level of the amp, let's say the 24th out of 64 steps, then is it true that there could be many combinations of app volume (Xbox Music) and computer volume that could attain this 24th level.  For example I could have the app on 100% and the system on 30% or the app at 60% and the system at 45% and to the microStreamer it would be the same thing?
 
I hope the question is clear enough.  I've been thinking about this because I will soon have some Momentums which means I'll be running at a very low volume on the amp.  At first I thought I could bring down the app volume to make the system volume higher but I really don't know if it would make any difference at all.
 
Finally, I once read that if you listen to 16 bit music (I do) you should usually set the driver to 24 bit so that you can use the system volume without losing any music resolution.  However, what I have read about the microStreamer is that this rule doesn't apply so I could set the driver to 16bit without any corruption.  Is that how it works?
 
Sorry for the somewhat tedious questions.  Many thanks to anyone willing to explain.

 

[kayza]

  I got my microStreamer yesterday.  I'm terrible at doing side-by-sides but I'm very happy with the sound.  I am curious, however, about the 64 step attenuation. Let's say that I am most comfortable listening at a given volume level of the amp, let's say the 24th out of 64 steps, then is it true that there could be many combinations of app volume (Xbox Music) and computer volume that could attain this 24th level.  For example I could have the app on 100% and the system on 30% or the app at 60% and the system at 45% and to the microStreamer it would be the same thing?
 
I hope the question is clear enough.  I've been thinking about this because I will soon have some Momentums which means I'll be running at a very low volume on the amp.  At first I thought I could bring down the app volume to make the system volume higher but I really don't know if it would make any difference at all.
 
Finally, I once read that if you listen to 16 bit music (I do) you should usually set the driver to 24 bit so that you can use the system volume without losing any music resolution.  However, what I have read about the microStreamer is that this rule doesn't apply so I could set the driver to 16bit without any corruption.  Is that how it works?
 
Sorry for the somewhat tedious questions.  Many thanks to anyone willing to explain.

 
I set all of my applications at 100% volume, and adjust only my windows volume (down by the clock in the taskbar). What I further do is open the sound mixer from that volume icon, and turn down all my other applications, such as system sounds, so that if I get a popup dialog box (which usually comes with a binging noise) I don't have to hear that sound so loudly.
 

I also set mine to 24 bit, just because. I do have some 24 bit music, but i mostly use Google Play Music All Access via the internet, which is a 16bit mp3. I do believe that the microstreamer is not subject to that losing bits element of digital volume though, and that is because of the digitally controlled analog attenuator that we are discussing.

 

[CharlesC]

   
I set all of my applications at 100% volume, and adjust only my windows volume (down by the clock in the taskbar). What I further do is open the sound mixer from that volume icon, and turn down all my other applications, such as system sounds, so that if I get a popup dialog box (which usually comes with a binging noise) I don't have to hear that sound so loudly.
 

 
Nice tip on the application volumes. 
 
One of the nice things about the Surface 2 is that it has a volume rocker on the side.  Very easy to get to. Without that I might have leaned more toward a dac/amp with a volume knob.
 
Thanks!

 

[ericr]

Almost all of my music is 16/44 with a small balance of 24 bit. Via email HRT recommended setting my PC to 24/44.

 

[mikemercer]

   
I set all of my applications at 100% volume, and adjust only my windows volume (down by the clock in the taskbar). What I further do is open the sound mixer from that volume icon, and turn down all my other applications, such as system sounds, so that if I get a popup dialog box (which usually comes with a binging noise) I don't have to hear that sound so loudly.
 

I also set mine to 24 bit, just because. I do have some 24 bit music, but i mostly use Google Play Music All Access via the internet, which is a 16bit mp3. I do believe that the microstreamer is not subject to that losing bits element of digital volume though, and that is because of the digitally controlled analog attenuator that we are discussing.

GREAT input for sure.
I tell my wifey to do the same thing on her Hp ENVY laptop.
 
I do believe that the microstreamer is not subject to that losing bits element of digital volume though, and that is because of the digitally controlled analog attenuator that we are discussing.
 
This is true, and HRT were the first ones to do this I believe - with the previous Headstreamer (still one of my favorite units to use w/ my iPad via the CCK - but now that I can use the microStreamer
that way the Headstreamer hasn't come out for awhile.
 
I was just listening to my microStreamer and my new Audeze LCD-XC's - an AMAZING combo (since these are so much more efficient than my LCD-3s) -

but I'm still blown away at how well this
lil beast drives my LCD-3s!  Though w/ the XC's - I don't need to push the gain as much of course - leaving the noise-floor even lower! and the MS is dead quiet w/ my MacBook Pro.

 

[citraian]

How is it with the Alpha Dogs?

 

[mikemercer]

How is it with the Alpha Dogs?

GREAT question?!?!
 
I'm going to check that combo out this week and report back!
Not sure why I haven't tried that yet.
 
Probably because the Alpha's have been in my messenger bag for weeks!
They've become my goto closed cans for on-the-go listening - w/ my AK120
or CEntrance HiFi-M8 rig.
 
Before it was either the Mad Dogs or VMODA M-100s - and now w/ the XL memory cushion pads,
the M-100s are making their way back into my daily/weekly rotation.
 
I'm ALL over trying the microStreamer with the Alpha Dogs and Mad Dogs to see how that goes!!

 

[citraian]

So glad you're excited about this A short description on how they behave on the MS when compared with the M8 would be nice too