The HIGH RESOLUTION TECHNOLOGIES (HRT) Music Streamer and Music Streamer+ USB DACs have rocketed to stardom in the course of just a few short months, and the trajectory seems to be continuing into the stratosphere. With the release of Art Dudley’s review in the current (Nov 2009) Stereophile, these DACs have gained yet another boost. To date there have been over 20 reviews world-wide, including a 2009 Golden Ear Award from The Abso!ute Sound; I am including a few here and links to some more. The Music Streamer+ is also getting a Product of the Year Award from The Abso!ute Sound in the Dec 2009 issue, and we have yet more coverage planned. Here are some compelling quotes from Dudley’s review:

“Every now and then an affordable product comes along that’s so good, even wealthy shoppers want it.”
Art Dudley, Nov 2009 Stereophile

“The MS+ combined solid musical basics—very good timing, momentum, and drama—with a sound that softened rather than spotlit the flaws in weaker recordings… That said, the Music Streamer+ was consistently satisfying in its own right.”
Art Dudley, Nov 2009 Stereophile

“Now for an unabashedly subjective conclusion: Buy it.”
Art Dudley, Nov 2009 Stereophile

“The MS+ is a well-made product that’s also enduringly effective.”
Art Dudley, Nov 2009 Stereophile

“Would I spend $299 for access to exponentially more music than I have, played back with good if not great sound? You bet. If there’s another way in which so little money can bring so much music to
an existing system, I haven’t heard it.”
Art Dudley, Nov 2009 Stereophile

The Music Streamer II $149.95

New for 2010!! Improved version of the original HRT Music Streamer, now featuring full 24/96 Hi-Res capability and asynchronous data transfer protocol. Fully compatible with USB 1.1 and above for full bandwidth performance! The Music Streamer II is a high performance music interface that allows a computer and a home entertainment system to become perfect partners. With its unique topology, the Music Streamer provides a completely isolated path between the computer and audio system. No more audio contamination by the computer; your music will always sound its best. There are no external power supplies to worry about because the Music Streamer derives its power from the USB buss while completely regenerating power for all its internal circuitry using a sophisticated set of proprietary circuits. Operation is simple: just plug the Music Streamer into any USB port on your computer and the Music Streamer will install itself and be ready for use in a matter of moments. Connect the other end of the Music Streamer into any analog input and you are ready to stream high quality computer based music. The Music Streamer provides full support for applications such as iTunes™ and Windows Media Player™ direct to your home entertainment system, with a level of quality never before possible. You can also use the Music Streamer to listen to internet radio or other music subscription services such as Rhapsody ™ or Napster™in high quality through your Home Entertainment System, Television or Stereo system. High Resolution Technologies Music Streamer, the product for tomorrow, is available today.

Specifications

Electrical:

Full Scale output 2.25 Volts RMS
Frequency Response: (20 Hz/20 kHz) 0dB /-.5 dB
Noise Floor: (DC to 30 kHz) 26 uV RMS
S/N Ratio: (DC to 30 kHz) 98 dB
THD+N: (1 kHz FS) 0.010%
USB to Audio output isolation: > 20M Ohm

Interface

Data Rate: up to 96kS/s
Bit Depth: up to 24 bit
Transfer Protocol: asynchronous
USB type: 1.1 or above
Power Requirements (USB buss): 200 mA
Dimensions: (L x WxH) 4.1" x 2.1" x 1.2"

The Music Streamer II+ $349.95

New for 2010!! Improved version of the original HRT Music Streamer+, now featuring full 24/96 Hi-Res capability and asynchronous data transfer protocol. Fully compatible with USB 1.1 and above for full bandwidth performance! The Music Streamer II+ is a high performance music interface that allows a computer and a home entertainment system to become perfect partners. With its unique topology, the Music Streamer provides a completely isolated path between the computer and audio system. No more audio contamination by the computer; your music will always sound its best. There are no external power supplies to worry about because the Music Streamer derives its power from the USB buss while completely regenerating power for all its internal circuitry using a sophisticated set of proprietary circuits. Operation is simple: just plug the Music Streamer into any USB port on your computer and the Music Streamer will install itself and be ready for use in a matter of moments. Connect the other end of the Music Streamer into any analog input and you are ready to stream high quality computer based music. The Music Streamer provides full support for applications such as iTunes™ and Windows Media Player™ direct to your home entertainment system, with a level of quality never before possible. You can also use the Music Streamer to listen to internet radio or other music subscription services such as Rhapsody ™ or Napster™in high quality through your Home Entertainment System, Television or Stereo system. High Resolution Technologies Music Streamer, the product for tomorrow, is available today.

Specifications

Electrical

Full Scale output 2.25 Volts RMS
Frequency Response: (20 Hz/20 kHz) 0dB /-1.4 dB
Noise Floor: (DC to 30 kHz) 20 uV RMS
S/N Ratio: (DC to 30 kHz) 101 dB
THD+N: (1 kHz FS) 0.008%
USB to Audio output isolation: > 20M Ohm

Interface

Data Rate: up to 96kS/s
Bit Depth: up to 24 bit
Transfer Protocol: asynchronous
USB type: 1.1 or above
Power Requirements (USB buss): 350 mA
Dimensions: (L x WxH) 5.1" x 2.1" x 1.2"

The Music Streamer Pro $499.95

FULLY BALANCED DIFFERENTIAL USB DAC SOLD ALONE: SWITCHCRAFT ADAPTERS (SEE THIS SITE) &/OR CABLES SOLD SEPERATELY. The MusicStreamer Pro is an Ultra-High-Performance music interface (USB connected DAC) that allows a computer and a professional audio system to become perfect partners. With its unique topology the Music Streamer Pro provides a completely isolated path between the computer and the audio system. No more contamination of the analog signal by the computer environment; no matter the situation, the results will always be their best. There are no external power supplies to worry about because the Music Streamer Pro derives its power from the USB buss while completely regenerating power for all its internal needs using a sophisticated set of proprietary circuits.Operation is simple: just plug the Music Streamer Pro into any USB port on the host computer and the Music Streamer Pro will install itself and be ready for use in a matter of moments. Connect the other end into a balanced analog input and you are ready to transfer extremely high quality computer based audio. Full support for both adaptive and asynchronous transfer modes assures that jitter performance exceeds that of conventionally connected (bi-phase) converters. The Music Streamer Pro provides full support for any application via the native audio path on both Windows and Macintosh operating systems. The Music Streamer Pro is the perfect USB connected digital to analog converter offering portability, noise isolation and ultra high performance in a single mission product. If you produce, mix, master or listen to music in a professional environment, then the Music Streamer Pro is an essential component in your digital workplace.

Note that the MS Pro is ostensibly designed for a Pro/studio environment, and as such features a fully differential circuit with mini XLRs on the output. One needs to either purchase a set of adapters to go from mini-XLR (it is the Switchcraft Tin-Q connector)-to-standard XLR or have me (or the cable manufacturer of your choice…) make up a custom Furutech interconnect cable with the Tiny-Q female at the DAC end and either a standard XLR male or RCA plug at the other end. I have thus far made a 50 ft pair for a customer as the longest cable yet and the Pro drives his preamp perfectly at this long length.

Specifications

Electrical

Full Scale Output 4.5 Volts RMS (TiniQ XLR)
Output Impedance 200 + 200
Ohms(balanced)
Frequency Response (20 Hz / 20 kHz) * 0dB / -.6dB
Noise Floor (DC to 30 kHz) 9 uV RMS
Noise Floor (A-weighted) 8 uV RMS
S/N Ratio (DC to 30 kHz) 114 dB
S/N Ratio (A-weighted) 115 dB
THD+N (1 kHz FS) .004%
USB to Audio output isolation > 20MOhm

Interface

Data Rate up to 96 kS/s
Bit Depth up to 24 bit
USB type 1.1 or above
Power Requirements (USB Buss) 350 mA
Dimensions (LxWxH) 5.6" x 2.1" x 1.2"
* - .3 dB @ .48 FS for any sample rate up to 96k

The Music Streamer HD

Available April 2010. Ultra-Performance 24/192-capable USB streaming DAC for PC or Mac. The new HRT USB DAC will be called the Music Streamer HD, and will feature a differential circuit that is capable of 24/192 resolution with asynchronous clocking. It will need enough power that it will have to have a wall-wart PS, and it will have a bit of a larger chassis to hold all of the circuitry. This chassis will feature both standard XLR and RCA outputs. More information on this model will be forthcoming soon…

Specifications

Electrical

Interface