Tim
12-08-2012, 17:25
HRT Music Streamer II+ and Rega DAC
A short comparison of the above two DAC's, both of which I own.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/rega1-1.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/rega2.jpg
Well this is something John (Welder) asked me to do sometime ago and what with moving home and family illnesses, it has been sat on the back burner. But this afternoon I found myself with some spare time due to the athletics finishing, so I thought I would try the HRT DAC in my main system. Up to now it had only been used in my headphone system.
As some may remember, I had major problems setting up the HRT playing music from my desktop computer, but I got some help from HRT themselves by email (very promptly I might add) and the main issue was a conflict with foobar2000 due to the asynchronous operation of the HRT.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/rega3.jpg
Anyway, no such problems today with JRiver, the HRT was literally 'plug and play' with no issues whatsoever. My Windows 7 music server recognised it immediately and JRiver needed no configuration for it to recognise the unit and start playing music.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/rega4.jpg
The HRT has a single Asynchronous USB input and draws all the power it needs from this connection, there is no need to power it further in a simple setup. It will also natively play high-resolution files up to 24/96k. So how does it sound compared to a Rega DAC? Well its sound has been written about elsewhere on the forum in the form of an HRT Music Streamer II, so I won't labour it too much. The two HRT DAC's are very similar, with the II+ bringing a bit more to the party, mostly in bass and refinement. Hooked up to my music server and Brio-R playing 'Paper Airplane' by Alison Krauss and Union Station the DAC has a somewhat bright and slightly dry sound compared to the Rega. Alison's voice was not as liquid as it normally is and the acoustic guitar sounded more forward and clinical. If you like the Monitor Audio house sound, which I would describe as 'modern and lively' then the HRT won't disappoint. It certainly produces very fine music in a very coherent and detailed way, but the soundstage was not as open or natural as that produced by the Rega. But it does have a very satisfying delivery, especially if you favour a lively dynamic sound. Partnered with my Sennheiser HD650 headphones and M-Stage headamp the HRT is perfect as it compensates for the slightly laid back sound of the Sennheisers, providing plenty of punch and is a very engaging listen over headphones. But in my main system it lacks the weight and authority of the Rega, which has a more natural and analogue sound, plus a much wider and open soundstage.
What you do have to bear in mind though is that the HRT is £289 and the Rega £500. Having said that, both DAC's IMO punch well above their weight, but in my main system I prefer the more organic valve like Rega house sound. The HRT could become fatiguing for me after a few hours, whereas I can (and often do) listen to my main system all day long, the Rega is an easier listen if that makes sense? With my two Rega's together and Harbeth speakers the matching seems well suited to my musical tastes, but I do really enjoy the HRT in my headphone system. So as with anything in this field, matching components is essential and the Rega DAC may not work as well paired with other amplifiers as it does here, but it has clearly been designed with the Brio-R in mind, producing a wonderfully warm natural sound which places the music around you, as opposed to in front of you. This won't suit everyone, but it suits me. It would be interesting to hear what the HRT Music Streamer Pro sounds like, as I am still very impressed with HRT DAC's, mainly for their simplicity, very small footprint and ability to be powered from a single USB port. You could easily slip one in your pocket and take it round a mates to allow them to hear what's possible when it comes to playing music from a computer.
So to sum up, I still believe the HRT is excellent value for money and hooked up to a USB port on most computers, it's capable of producing great music for very little money and well beyond what a similarly priced CD player will give you, but the HRT II+ is no match for the Rega in my system - but then I would have been disappointed if it had been considering the price difference. It can at times be tricky to setup on some computers, especially with foobar2000 but with Windows 7 and JRiver it was a breeze and well worth the effort in foobar. These mismatches are however not the norm and it will depend on what machine you have and your USB port will need to be able to supply sufficient power, which on some laptops can be an issue, especially if you have other devices using the same bus.
Other reading (note this thread mainly concerns the £159.00 HRT Music Streamer II)
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14144&highlight=hrtmusic+streamer
In this comparison;
HRT Music Streamer II+
Rega DAC
_____________________
SSD Music Server - Windows 7 64bit - FLAC
JRiver Music Center 17
Rega Brio-R
Harbeth SHL5
Mark Grant cables.
A short comparison of the above two DAC's, both of which I own.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/rega1-1.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/rega2.jpg
Well this is something John (Welder) asked me to do sometime ago and what with moving home and family illnesses, it has been sat on the back burner. But this afternoon I found myself with some spare time due to the athletics finishing, so I thought I would try the HRT DAC in my main system. Up to now it had only been used in my headphone system.
As some may remember, I had major problems setting up the HRT playing music from my desktop computer, but I got some help from HRT themselves by email (very promptly I might add) and the main issue was a conflict with foobar2000 due to the asynchronous operation of the HRT.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/rega3.jpg
Anyway, no such problems today with JRiver, the HRT was literally 'plug and play' with no issues whatsoever. My Windows 7 music server recognised it immediately and JRiver needed no configuration for it to recognise the unit and start playing music.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/rega4.jpg
The HRT has a single Asynchronous USB input and draws all the power it needs from this connection, there is no need to power it further in a simple setup. It will also natively play high-resolution files up to 24/96k. So how does it sound compared to a Rega DAC? Well its sound has been written about elsewhere on the forum in the form of an HRT Music Streamer II, so I won't labour it too much. The two HRT DAC's are very similar, with the II+ bringing a bit more to the party, mostly in bass and refinement. Hooked up to my music server and Brio-R playing 'Paper Airplane' by Alison Krauss and Union Station the DAC has a somewhat bright and slightly dry sound compared to the Rega. Alison's voice was not as liquid as it normally is and the acoustic guitar sounded more forward and clinical. If you like the Monitor Audio house sound, which I would describe as 'modern and lively' then the HRT won't disappoint. It certainly produces very fine music in a very coherent and detailed way, but the soundstage was not as open or natural as that produced by the Rega. But it does have a very satisfying delivery, especially if you favour a lively dynamic sound. Partnered with my Sennheiser HD650 headphones and M-Stage headamp the HRT is perfect as it compensates for the slightly laid back sound of the Sennheisers, providing plenty of punch and is a very engaging listen over headphones. But in my main system it lacks the weight and authority of the Rega, which has a more natural and analogue sound, plus a much wider and open soundstage.
What you do have to bear in mind though is that the HRT is £289 and the Rega £500. Having said that, both DAC's IMO punch well above their weight, but in my main system I prefer the more organic valve like Rega house sound. The HRT could become fatiguing for me after a few hours, whereas I can (and often do) listen to my main system all day long, the Rega is an easier listen if that makes sense? With my two Rega's together and Harbeth speakers the matching seems well suited to my musical tastes, but I do really enjoy the HRT in my headphone system. So as with anything in this field, matching components is essential and the Rega DAC may not work as well paired with other amplifiers as it does here, but it has clearly been designed with the Brio-R in mind, producing a wonderfully warm natural sound which places the music around you, as opposed to in front of you. This won't suit everyone, but it suits me. It would be interesting to hear what the HRT Music Streamer Pro sounds like, as I am still very impressed with HRT DAC's, mainly for their simplicity, very small footprint and ability to be powered from a single USB port. You could easily slip one in your pocket and take it round a mates to allow them to hear what's possible when it comes to playing music from a computer.
So to sum up, I still believe the HRT is excellent value for money and hooked up to a USB port on most computers, it's capable of producing great music for very little money and well beyond what a similarly priced CD player will give you, but the HRT II+ is no match for the Rega in my system - but then I would have been disappointed if it had been considering the price difference. It can at times be tricky to setup on some computers, especially with foobar2000 but with Windows 7 and JRiver it was a breeze and well worth the effort in foobar. These mismatches are however not the norm and it will depend on what machine you have and your USB port will need to be able to supply sufficient power, which on some laptops can be an issue, especially if you have other devices using the same bus.
Other reading (note this thread mainly concerns the £159.00 HRT Music Streamer II)
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14144&highlight=hrtmusic+streamer
In this comparison;
HRT Music Streamer II+
Rega DAC
_____________________
SSD Music Server - Windows 7 64bit - FLAC
JRiver Music Center 17
Rega Brio-R
Harbeth SHL5
Mark Grant cables.