HRT Streamer+

I heard the Streamer + at CES and quite frankly this is an amazing USB solution. The sound was very good even in a system set up in a hotel room. I'm not a big fan of USB, but between this solution and the M2Tech Hiface things are looking up for affordable USB audio with these entry price points. That being said if I were to go with a Music Streamer product I would consider either the Pro version, or HRT's next product offering that will be released this Spring, which will still be under $1000. The Pro version offers better parts, and allows for 24/96. The chip is the Burr Brown PCM-1704, which is well regarded. You could do a lot worse with USB.

Now if you really want to hear what USB can do and still leverage your own DAC, then the Sonicweld Diverter is IMO an excellent solution. I was able to borrow one from the distributor at CES and take it home to hear in my system. Quite honestly, it did not make me miss my CEC transport. Add to this I did not do anything special but rip a few CDs to my MacBook and run the music through iTunes. A couple of people were listening with me and were equally amazed.

Thanks Clio. I appreciate your input. It does seem like price points are dropping and performance is increasing. We seem to be entering a new age for digital. There are so many new devices and innovations out there. It's hard to keep up.

Pretty much the reason I still haven't gotten in to computer audio. It's all still a moving target. Prices will continue to drop as more manufacturers realize the potential market for affordable USB audio. At CES, I listened to Mike Hobson present to a group of prospective European dealers and the entire talk focused on capturing a market of consumers that no one else seemed to be going after. I can't say I fault that marketing strategy. Given a choice between an iPod or iPod docking station and the Music Streamer, I'd take the Music Streamer anytime. It offers convenience, multiple price points, and is well designed.

I own the cheaper HRT Music Streamer. I coupled it with a 40.00 Kimber usb cable and a 50.00 MIT AVT interconnect. For 190.00 total cost, the sound is amazing. Granted, it isn't as good as my 2600.00 cd player, but using iTunes and files ripped in the Apple lossless format, the sound is surprisingly close (pace, rythem and timing) and I can access over 2000 songs from my HP Laptop in a matter of seconds.

When I just want to read and have some background music, this is my choice. Every time I hear it, I am blown away with the quality of sound for so little money.

I'd love to hear from Streamer+ owners. How is this device performing in your system? I've seen a couple in the classifieds, so I know they're out there.