My HRT Music Streamer HD DAC is a game changer

Art Dudley reviewed this DAC in the June Stereophile. He found that the top end was a little harsh but praised its openness clarity. I believe he used the DAC without any additions. In the end he preferred the Hadide DAC HD.

Dtc, I don't hear treble emphasis or harshness of any kind, but then again I'm an old guy and perhaps my ACI Sapphire XLs soft-dome tweeters need some help there too. Now that the DAC is fully broken-in, the sense of ambience, instrument body and depth layering is something to enjoy, even listening to Pandora. I am so happy that I'm now going to try some system isolation with Herbie's Fat Dots and maybe Redpoint Blakhole feet.

I posted about the Stereophile review in another DAC thread and my thoughts remain that, for the manufacturer, there is a lot riding on a review by one guy who listens to the gear in one system. If I didn't already know the quality of Kevin Halverson's work, and if I hadn't already seen the very positive reviews by Alan Sircom at HiFi+, Tom Gibbs at Positive Feedback, and Neil Gader at TAS, I may not have purchased the HRT HD after reading Art Dudley's negative portrayal of the high frequencies.

I just received the HRT HD and I will be trying it with the new ifi USB power unit based on Alan Sircom's helpful review comments. In his review, Tom Gibbs stated, "Music Streamer HD - through it, everything just sounds more like music," and I have always found that to be true of Kevin Halverson's digital offerings.

I have a Streamer II in my office system and like it, although the system is not for critical listening. I also have one in a system in Europe and again like it a lot.

I have not heard the HD. I just thought I would pass on the Stereophile review so people were aware of it. As I said, Dudley really praised it for its openness and clarity. And high frequencies issues can often be system (and ear) dependent.

I would say that if in fact the HD really needs the extra power supply, HRT should probably at least make one available as an option or recommend an option.

They also seem to imply that providing drivers for 24/192 on Windows is a rarity, whereas I think it has become pretty common. I understand that they do not have the driver ready yet, but just admitting it is coming without making it sound like a rarity would be nice. It is just a wording issue, but something I noticed.

Again, I have not heard the HD. I just wanted to pass on the information.

Dtc,no offense toward your post was intended. My issue is with this particular review. I have not yet heard the HRT HD, but I own one and I just received the ifi iUSB IsoPower system today. I am just getting my computer audio up and running and not quite ready to play music.

I do however have extensive experience with Kevin Halverson's digital players having owned the MUSE 9, 9 Sig, 10, and his last and best player, the Erato II, which in comparison made my Ayre C-5xeMP sound a touch sterile, and that's saying something because the Ayre is no slouch. Point being, the man knows digital and how to make products that make music. He has had like 4 chances to get his Streamers right and indications were that he was well on his way with the Streamer II+. I doubt he would all of a sudden come up with a "statement" design that would make ears bleed.

Art Dudley's Stereophile review pointed out the following on various tracks;
"sibilants were overcooked,"
"a bit too much bite,"
"vocal sibilants were a bit too much,"
"a bit too much wheeze,"
"a little too much scrape in the fiddle,"
"ride cymbal was just a shade more ringy than usual,"
"saxophone was slightly more piquent than real,"
"distracted by a bit of upper frequency hardness,"
"a little too much glare in the high notes,"
"too much bite in the violins," and
"still too much sibilance in the vocals - a disappointment."

Does the same issue really have to be repeated 11 times? Either the device totally sucks (something three other professional reviewers did not hear), or perhaps there was a gremlin in the system somewhere, a cable issue, a ground issue, or perhaps a cracked solder joint. I find it hard to believe that a second opinion was not obtained by a different Stereophile reviewer in a different system, and a second review sample was not requested of HRT and listened to, before the review was posted - a disappointment.