A Mixed Result - the HRT Headstreamer

ESP2009

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Once more the arrival of the What Hi-Fi magazine lured me into the straits of temptation with its siren calls. I managed to stave off the urge to explore the potential of sound-bars and, worse still, media streamers. However, in the quest to provide my ears with the best, I read with interest the news about the new-ish HRT Headstreamer. It looked interesting. But at £145 a pop I was wary. I don’t mind a bit of experimentation but that’s not cheap.

As luck would have it, a random browse through Fleabay brought up a possible opportunity: a Best Offer sale from the good ole US of A - an unwanted gift, apparently. I thought: “Why not?” I made an offer and it became mine for under £100 (inc P&P). Not bad.

The beastie arrived yesterday. It is, indeed, compact and bijou. It seems quite sturdy and tidily put together, coming with 0.5m USB cable and velvet-ish pouch as advertised. It is just less than half the size and weight of the NJC Audio Monitor I DAC/Amp I have been using for a few months to sit between laptop and Shure SE530 ‘phones. The Monitor I is mains driven and had to be modded by the manufacturer to drive my high impedence(?) Shures (off the shelf, it’s really aimed at standard ‘cans’). Mind you, the mod only cost me postage and was well worth the wait.

So, what do I think? For its size and cost (approx £40 less than the Monitor I) it sounds very good indeed. There is nothing to choose between the two. The Headstreamer arguably sounds just a little ‘brighter’ to my ears, but you have to listen very carefully (more than once) to detect any difference worthy of note. It doesn’t help that I cannot ‘hot swap’ between kit for an instant comparison, but I am willing to swear that I cannot distinguish between the two under normal listening conditions.

It is a real shame that you cannot use it with an iPod – I could ditch my other two DAC/amps (the iBasso D2 Boa and Fiio E7) if that were the case.

So, is it a ‘keeper’? I honestly do not know at this stage. For two reasons. Firstly, I like the fact that the Monitor I has a manual volume knob, which makes it largely independent of the sliders in the software – just set them to full bore and adjust the volume via the DAC/amp. Personal preference, I know. Secondly, my aged Dell Inspiron 6400 running XP seems to have a bit of problem with the new kid on the block – every now and then I am assaulted by sharp crackles and pops which definitely cannot be right and don’t occur with any other amplification I’ve been using. On the ‘net I have discovered there are various schools of thought, and it may be that the drivers on the laptop are too old to live in harmony with the new technology. I’m not spending hours trying to find out what the root cause might be!

Maybe I will hang on until I’ve upgraded the laptop before making a decision. The smaller size and the lack of mains requirements are a definite bonus…and without any difference in performance to speak of. That said, I might just be tempted to stay with the Monitor I - it is British rather than a product from across the pond! :)
 

ESP2009

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As mentioned in the response I made to 'Developed a Crackle' by The Limey, also on this forum section, my impetuous purchase of a new Windows 7 laptop would appear to have made a positive difference. So it may be that the crackling problem could only be something that plagues older models and/or software. I need an extended listening session to be sure, but suspect the pops and crackles are not such a problem with newer IT.

I will report further...

[EDIT] I have now confirmed to my own satisfaction that the problem lay with the older laptop model. No such gremlins to be heard on the new Acer, either with Spotify or iTunes. Sound is clear, spacious and generally as described in the WHF review.
 

ESP2009

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Hi Cno, I will pass on your kind wishes to the furry horde. :)

Yes, the sound from the Headstreamer is really good now that the extraneous sound effects have gone. Now I must decide whether I prefer it or the chunkier, mains-driven NJC Monitor I unit. I must admit that I still prefer the manual volume knob on the latter, but note that it is only a 16bit unit going up to 48kHz, whereas the HRT can double that. Mind you, I haven't had the opportunity to get anywhere near to that maximum thus far.
 

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