The HRT HeadStreamer portable headphone DAC
High Resolution Technologies
Product specifications here.
Price: £145
UK distributor: Audiofreaks
Downloaded music, mostly lossy mp3s, is easily enjoyed on portable devices
and PCs, but these will be found wanting when it comes to high-resolution
audio files. The latter, typically 24bit/96kHz but sometimes 24/192, are beyond
the capability of off-the-shelf players and computers. However, if you listen
to music on your PC a suitable sound card - such as the ASUS Xonar Essence
ST or STX - is one option. I use the ST on a Windows 7 PC and I can vouch
for its audio credentials. Indeed, in their original review Stereophile
magazine described it as a true audiophile product. At around £140 from
Amazon it really is a steal, especially as it can handle 24/192 files.
But if you don’t want to go that route there are a number of portable
digital-to-analogue converters (DACs) that will do just as well. Perhaps the
best known is the Cambridge
Audio DacMagic Plus, which can be linked to your Mac/PC in a number of
ways. It also offers a headphone socket and volume control, so that should
broaden its appeal. And then there’s the much cheaper HRT HeadStreamer,
a USB-only device that’s small, light and capable of handling 24/96
files. As it’s an asynchronous USB design it bypasses the Mac or PC’s
sound card and requires no special drivers. It’s also bus powered, so
it dispenses with fiddly power cords; that makes it ideal for music on the
move.
The HeadStreamer may be small, but don’t be fooled by its size. It arrives
in a plain box with a drawstring pouch and a short standard USB to mini-USB
connector. The front plate has a series of LEDs that indicate the selected
resolution, from 32k to 96k, and whether the device has been muted. There’s
a 3.5mm headphone jack on the right and a mini-USB jack on the left. I would
have preferred the latter to be on the back, but it’s hardly a deal
breaker. And if you’re so minded you can upgrade to a better USB cable,
although not everyone would agree that’s a change worth making.
I plugged the HeadStreamer into my iMac and using the Audio MIDI Setup pane
set the default audio output to 24/96. Immediately the 96k LED lit up, indicating
the device was primed and ready to go. Now since iTunes doesn’t support
flacs - the chosen file format for most high-res downloads - you’ll
need to install a media player such as Songbird, which does. That said, Chandos
and Linn are two labels that offer files in other formats, so iTunes should
cope with them easily enough. I’m sure it’s just as straightforward
if you’re using a PC and Windows Media Player.
So how does it sound? Rather good is the short answer. It’s certainly
streets ahead of the iMac’s very basic audio card. That said, your choice
of headphones will be crucial. I experimented with my trusty Sennheiser HD600s
(impedance 600 ohms) and, not surprisingly, the HeadStreamer struggled to
drive them. That changed with a pair of ‘phones designed for portable
use - in this case the foldable Sennheiser PX 100s. Already a surprisingly
accomplished set of cans the little Senns really sing with the HeadStreamer;
bass is firm and reasonably extended, the mids are expressive and the treble
is free of hardness or glare.
As always, it all comes down to the quality of the incoming data. Lossy mp3s
sound okay, but feed this little gem with a 24/96 Studio Master from Linn/Universal
- I’ve reviewed several of them for Download Roundup - and the big,
broad soundstage is astonishing. I used this setup when I auditioned Wigglesworth’s
new Shostakovich recording - downloaded from eclassical.com - and was impressed
with the results (review).
That said, the HeadStreamer/PCX 100 combination is a little overstretched
by the huge dynamic swings of Fuga’s organ CDs, played via iTunes. But
as I write I’m listening to something more intimate - Fischer-Dieskau’s
Schöne Müllerin - and it’s effortlessly detailed and
fatigue-free. In fact, just about everything sounds good on this Goliath of
a gadget; Noseda’s new CD of Britten’s War Requiem (LSO
Live) has plenty of impact and, where appropriate, great subtlety.
The HeadStreamer’s quirky design won’t please everyone, but it’s
very well screwed together and it excels where it matters - with its sound.
Portable DACs are getting better all the time - and cheaper - but for now
the HRT HeadStreamer is a cracking performer, ideal for headphone listeners
who want high-res music from their home PCs or on the move.
Dan Morgan
http://twitter.com/mahlerei
Very well screwed together and it excels where it matters - with its sound.