HRT Music Streamer II (MKII) DAC
blakeh
Posts: 491
Like many of the folks on the Polk forum, I have a dedicated 2-channel system that I consider my "main rig". It has its own room in the house dedicated to it and contains most of the goodies that we all love to argue about: MIT cables, tubes, etc. Most of my audio dollars have gone to components in the main rig because, well, that's the system that I most care about in relation to reproducing accurate, pleasing sound.
But, I also have an "office rig" which is a bit smaller in scale. On this system, I use MediaMonkey to play all the music I've ripped into FLAC files. Oddly, I listen to 5 times more music on this setup than I do on my main rig because I'm always on my computer. Because of this, I really want good sound, but I don't want to spend a million bucks on a whole second rig.
Up until a week ago, I was using an internal soundcard on the PCI bus to feed this rig. The chain looked like this:
Modified Chaintech AVS-710 soundcard
Signal Cable digital Toslink cable
Aragon D2A MKII DAC (with external power supply)
Signal Cable Analog II interconnects
Acurus DIA 100 integrated amp
Homemade speaker cables (using Canare Starquad 4S11 wire)
Polk LSi9 speakers
Though the audio equipment in my computer rig has changed over the years, the one constant has been the Chaintech card. I've used this card to output audio from my system for the past four years. The firmware has been updated so that it is capable of passing bit-perfect audio (bypassing the Windows Kmixer) to any external DAC.
The first DAC I had hooked up in my office rig was an ADCOM GDA-700 (which Duell (LessisNevermore) now has). It's always been one of my favorite DACs. One of the nice features it has is the ability to decode HDCD streams. If you are playing an HDCD source, a light on the front of the unit lights up to let you know the stream is locked and it is able to decode the extra four "phantom bits" that HDCD streams provide. I knew I was getting bit-perfect streams from the Chaintech card because if anything in the computer touches the audio stream (Kmixer, volume control, etc.), the HDCD stream is lost and the DAC won't lock onto it. Every HDCD CD I ripped locked on solidly.
Because I'd spent so much time with the ADCOM DAC (at that time I had one in my main rig and in my office rig), I decided to sell it to LessisNevermore and picked up an Aragon D2A MKII DAC from ALL212 (Aaron). The Aragon is a beautiful piece of equipment both cosmetically and sonically. Aragon really did it right by decoupling the power supply from the main unit. I stuck it in my main rig and was dazzled by how great it sounded. Eventually I moved it to the office rig when a PS Audio DigitalLink III replaced it in my main rig.
When I put the Aragon in my computer rig, it didn't sound quite as stellar as it did when it was in my main rig (though it still sounded good). I chalked it up to the fact that this was a completely different system (speakers, cables, source, etc.) so it was like comparing apples and oranges. I never really thought much more about it after that.
Fast forward to last week. I got a bug up my butt about wanting to jump into the world of USB computer audio. My initial motivation was to simplify my computer rig. There were too many wires, too many components plugged into the power strips, and too many drivers that required loading to get a bit-perfect stream from my Chaintech card. To a lesser degree, I was also interested in how eliminating the jitter that is inherit in any internal soundcard fed music system. There is a lot of RF noise introduced to any card that resides on a motherboard. The cycling of the processor alone is enough to introduce substantial jitter. Couple that with the fans and spinning hard drives and the sound (even if it is bit-perfect) that gets passed from the soundcard to a DAC can suffer.
I did my research and poked around on all the usual audio forums to see what people recommended for a USB DAC. My budget was under $200, so that left out all the models people typically race about including offerings from the likes of Benchmark and PS Audio. I just wanted a simple device that sounded at least as good as the Aragon (no small feat).
Many USB DACs employ something called Adaptive-mode transfer. This method of audio streaming depends on the computer's clock to time the music stream. This, of course, is no real improvement over a soundcard solution because the computer's clock isn't accurate due the same exact same factors. So, to truly eliminate (or at least come close to eliminating) jitter is to use a USB DAC that uses completely asynchronous-mode transfer. This takes the timing out of the hands of the computer and puts it in the care of the USB DAC itself which does not suffer from any sort of bus or RF interference. Historically these devices have been expensive, but there are some affordable asynchronous models available.
The unit that I kept reading superlative reviews about was the HRT Music Streamer II. The $149 price point certainly interested my wallet, but more than that, the reviews I was reading all heaped praise on this little unit. And none of the reviewers ever said "this sounds great for a $149 piece of equipment." No, they said "it sounded great" period. I was intrigued.
I found an excellent article and review on the unit here:
HRT Music Streamer II Review (click to read the article)
I learned that HRT (which stands for High Resolution Technologies) is a company founded by Kevin Halverson (chief designer at US high-end audio brand Muse Electronics), and Mike Hobson of audiophile record label Classic Records.
If you're at all interested in this unit, I suggest reading the entire 3-page article on the unit. I'm not going to get into all the specs because the article already did that, but I will highlight some of the noteworthy points:
* The unit sports excellent isolation: HRT quotes a greater-than 20 megaohm isolation figure
* THD of %0.01
* Power is derived from the USB bus so no there is no AC cord to plug in. This eliminates a lot of problems that are common to cheap switching power supplies.
* No special drivers needed. PC & Mac users enjoy a truly plug-and-play experience. It took me 20 seconds to set the unit up! :eek:
Now, most of the reviews I've found on the web (including the one I linked to above) are of the HRT Music Streamer II Mark 1. As you'll see in the review pictures, it is very angular and has no LEDs to convey what bitrate it has locked on to. The Mark 2 features a completely smooth rounded shape and six LEDs that light up depending on the bitrate the DAC is being fed. Here are some photos of the Mark 2:
The unit is 5" long (5.5" if you include the RCA posts) and only stands 1" tall (with the rubber feet). This thing is small! It weighs 5.8 ounces. It's solidly built with no rattling. The RCA posts are sturdy and well anchored. Everything about this unit screams quality. I haven't popped the top myself yet, but I've read that they've even socketed the opamps so you can roll them yourself! That's pretty cool.
Again, please read the article I linked to above for more the technical specs. They give the unit a very thorough review and even pop the cover off so you can see the guts.
Last, but certainly not least... how does it sound?
In a word: fantastic. There is no way that a $149, 5-inch long unit should sound this good! :eek: I ordered this from Amazon because I'm an Amazon Prime member and I knew I could send it back if I didn't like it. I bought with a healthy dose of skepticism because I was moving from an Aragon DAC that cost $1,200 new (with a discrete power supply) to something that's only slight bigger than my cell phone. To be completely honest, I fully expected to send it back. But then I listened to it...
The first thing I noticed was the bass. My LSi9s haven't been given this kind of workout in years! I know I'm not imagining it when my girlfriend comes in from our bedroom (which is four doors down from my office) and asks me why there was so much bass all of a sudden! She is by no means an audiophile, but even she noticed the difference (from four rooms down).
But it wasn't just the bass (though that was the most drastic difference). The imaging was better, as was the detail. The music "sparkled" again. Dare I say it (and I never thought I would), but this little hunk of metal sounds better in nearly every aspect than the Aragon does.
I will qualify that statement by saying that it sounds better on my computer system. I put the Aragon back into my main rig just to see if I noticed the same deficiencies, and it came alive again. In fact, it sounded even better than the PS Audio DigitalLink III. The details of that Aragon DAC is breathtaking. But, it just doesn't have the same effect when hooked up to a computer soundcard.
I'm not sure if the engineering of the HRT is truly better or if it's just a matter of the jitter being reduced to nothing because of the asynchronous nature of the device, but I am blown away by the sound of the HRT. There's no way Amazon is getting this thing back!
HRT also makes an HRT Music Streamer II+ ($349) and a Music Streamer Pro ($499). Those were both above my budget for my computer rig, but I'd be interested in hearing how they sound. I'm not sure how much they could improve on what I'm currently hearing in my system.
But, I also have an "office rig" which is a bit smaller in scale. On this system, I use MediaMonkey to play all the music I've ripped into FLAC files. Oddly, I listen to 5 times more music on this setup than I do on my main rig because I'm always on my computer. Because of this, I really want good sound, but I don't want to spend a million bucks on a whole second rig.
Up until a week ago, I was using an internal soundcard on the PCI bus to feed this rig. The chain looked like this:
Modified Chaintech AVS-710 soundcard
Signal Cable digital Toslink cable
Aragon D2A MKII DAC (with external power supply)
Signal Cable Analog II interconnects
Acurus DIA 100 integrated amp
Homemade speaker cables (using Canare Starquad 4S11 wire)
Polk LSi9 speakers
Though the audio equipment in my computer rig has changed over the years, the one constant has been the Chaintech card. I've used this card to output audio from my system for the past four years. The firmware has been updated so that it is capable of passing bit-perfect audio (bypassing the Windows Kmixer) to any external DAC.
The first DAC I had hooked up in my office rig was an ADCOM GDA-700 (which Duell (LessisNevermore) now has). It's always been one of my favorite DACs. One of the nice features it has is the ability to decode HDCD streams. If you are playing an HDCD source, a light on the front of the unit lights up to let you know the stream is locked and it is able to decode the extra four "phantom bits" that HDCD streams provide. I knew I was getting bit-perfect streams from the Chaintech card because if anything in the computer touches the audio stream (Kmixer, volume control, etc.), the HDCD stream is lost and the DAC won't lock onto it. Every HDCD CD I ripped locked on solidly.
Because I'd spent so much time with the ADCOM DAC (at that time I had one in my main rig and in my office rig), I decided to sell it to LessisNevermore and picked up an Aragon D2A MKII DAC from ALL212 (Aaron). The Aragon is a beautiful piece of equipment both cosmetically and sonically. Aragon really did it right by decoupling the power supply from the main unit. I stuck it in my main rig and was dazzled by how great it sounded. Eventually I moved it to the office rig when a PS Audio DigitalLink III replaced it in my main rig.
When I put the Aragon in my computer rig, it didn't sound quite as stellar as it did when it was in my main rig (though it still sounded good). I chalked it up to the fact that this was a completely different system (speakers, cables, source, etc.) so it was like comparing apples and oranges. I never really thought much more about it after that.
Fast forward to last week. I got a bug up my butt about wanting to jump into the world of USB computer audio. My initial motivation was to simplify my computer rig. There were too many wires, too many components plugged into the power strips, and too many drivers that required loading to get a bit-perfect stream from my Chaintech card. To a lesser degree, I was also interested in how eliminating the jitter that is inherit in any internal soundcard fed music system. There is a lot of RF noise introduced to any card that resides on a motherboard. The cycling of the processor alone is enough to introduce substantial jitter. Couple that with the fans and spinning hard drives and the sound (even if it is bit-perfect) that gets passed from the soundcard to a DAC can suffer.
I did my research and poked around on all the usual audio forums to see what people recommended for a USB DAC. My budget was under $200, so that left out all the models people typically race about including offerings from the likes of Benchmark and PS Audio. I just wanted a simple device that sounded at least as good as the Aragon (no small feat).
Many USB DACs employ something called Adaptive-mode transfer. This method of audio streaming depends on the computer's clock to time the music stream. This, of course, is no real improvement over a soundcard solution because the computer's clock isn't accurate due the same exact same factors. So, to truly eliminate (or at least come close to eliminating) jitter is to use a USB DAC that uses completely asynchronous-mode transfer. This takes the timing out of the hands of the computer and puts it in the care of the USB DAC itself which does not suffer from any sort of bus or RF interference. Historically these devices have been expensive, but there are some affordable asynchronous models available.
The unit that I kept reading superlative reviews about was the HRT Music Streamer II. The $149 price point certainly interested my wallet, but more than that, the reviews I was reading all heaped praise on this little unit. And none of the reviewers ever said "this sounds great for a $149 piece of equipment." No, they said "it sounded great" period. I was intrigued.
I found an excellent article and review on the unit here:
HRT Music Streamer II Review (click to read the article)
I learned that HRT (which stands for High Resolution Technologies) is a company founded by Kevin Halverson (chief designer at US high-end audio brand Muse Electronics), and Mike Hobson of audiophile record label Classic Records.
If you're at all interested in this unit, I suggest reading the entire 3-page article on the unit. I'm not going to get into all the specs because the article already did that, but I will highlight some of the noteworthy points:
* The unit sports excellent isolation: HRT quotes a greater-than 20 megaohm isolation figure
* THD of %0.01
* Power is derived from the USB bus so no there is no AC cord to plug in. This eliminates a lot of problems that are common to cheap switching power supplies.
* No special drivers needed. PC & Mac users enjoy a truly plug-and-play experience. It took me 20 seconds to set the unit up! :eek:
Now, most of the reviews I've found on the web (including the one I linked to above) are of the HRT Music Streamer II Mark 1. As you'll see in the review pictures, it is very angular and has no LEDs to convey what bitrate it has locked on to. The Mark 2 features a completely smooth rounded shape and six LEDs that light up depending on the bitrate the DAC is being fed. Here are some photos of the Mark 2:
The unit is 5" long (5.5" if you include the RCA posts) and only stands 1" tall (with the rubber feet). This thing is small! It weighs 5.8 ounces. It's solidly built with no rattling. The RCA posts are sturdy and well anchored. Everything about this unit screams quality. I haven't popped the top myself yet, but I've read that they've even socketed the opamps so you can roll them yourself! That's pretty cool.
Again, please read the article I linked to above for more the technical specs. They give the unit a very thorough review and even pop the cover off so you can see the guts.
Last, but certainly not least... how does it sound?
In a word: fantastic. There is no way that a $149, 5-inch long unit should sound this good! :eek: I ordered this from Amazon because I'm an Amazon Prime member and I knew I could send it back if I didn't like it. I bought with a healthy dose of skepticism because I was moving from an Aragon DAC that cost $1,200 new (with a discrete power supply) to something that's only slight bigger than my cell phone. To be completely honest, I fully expected to send it back. But then I listened to it...
The first thing I noticed was the bass. My LSi9s haven't been given this kind of workout in years! I know I'm not imagining it when my girlfriend comes in from our bedroom (which is four doors down from my office) and asks me why there was so much bass all of a sudden! She is by no means an audiophile, but even she noticed the difference (from four rooms down).
But it wasn't just the bass (though that was the most drastic difference). The imaging was better, as was the detail. The music "sparkled" again. Dare I say it (and I never thought I would), but this little hunk of metal sounds better in nearly every aspect than the Aragon does.
I will qualify that statement by saying that it sounds better on my computer system. I put the Aragon back into my main rig just to see if I noticed the same deficiencies, and it came alive again. In fact, it sounded even better than the PS Audio DigitalLink III. The details of that Aragon DAC is breathtaking. But, it just doesn't have the same effect when hooked up to a computer soundcard.
I'm not sure if the engineering of the HRT is truly better or if it's just a matter of the jitter being reduced to nothing because of the asynchronous nature of the device, but I am blown away by the sound of the HRT. There's no way Amazon is getting this thing back!
HRT also makes an HRT Music Streamer II+ ($349) and a Music Streamer Pro ($499). Those were both above my budget for my computer rig, but I'd be interested in hearing how they sound. I'm not sure how much they could improve on what I'm currently hearing in my system.
/COLOR] [U][URL="http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=68366"][COLOR="Blue"]My Rigs[/U][/COLOR][/URL] [COLOR="Red" Balanced Audio Technology | Revel | Dodd | Monarchy | PS Audio | MIT | Polk | Etc.
Post edited by blakeh on
Comments
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Get your ears on one of these if you use your computer for any kind of critical listening. It's definitely worth an audition. I was skeptical and never go by reviews. But my own ears tell me that at $149, this is a worthy upgrade./COLOR] [U][URL="http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=68366"][COLOR="Blue"]My Rigs[/U][/COLOR][/URL] [COLOR="Red" Balanced Audio Technology | Revel | Dodd | Monarchy | PS Audio | MIT | Polk | Etc.
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Nice review,definately one of the best bang for the buck USB DAC's existant.
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I was looking at something like that a few months ago. After seeing images, I quickly passed it up. Funny, too, because I was actually thinking of waiting for an Aragon DAC in the used market to match my preamp. I might give one of these a try. Thanks for the review.
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High marks on the review Blake! After talking with you last night, I ordered an HRT Music Streamer II from Amazon for my office system.Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 *
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Nice review Blake!DKG999
HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED
Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC -
Coke- I am probably selling the Aragon if you're interested. Another polkie has dibs on it right now, but he's going to give me a 'yes' or 'no' in the next few days. I was planning on selling it a while back, but (as my review stated) decided to put it in my computer rig. Here is the original FS thread with pics and video:
FS: Aragon D2A MKII (click)
PM me if you're interested./COLOR] [U][URL="http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=68366"][COLOR="Blue"]My Rigs[/U][/COLOR][/URL] [COLOR="Red" Balanced Audio Technology | Revel | Dodd | Monarchy | PS Audio | MIT | Polk | Etc. -
Great review!
This is my first dedicated DAC but I am very happy with the changes the MSII brought to my computer music. I use Audioquest USB (Cinnamon) and interconnects (Sidewinder) direct to the smallest speaker Monitor Audio makes (AV-40). I have also noticed an increase in bass as it is breaking in. I am only using free Pandora or the PC DVD driver for a source and the increase in detail, smoothness and/or richness over my sound card is very noticeable to me.
I picked mine up from Audio Advisor as I generally use them for this stuff, their price was the same as everyone else and I got free shipping. Also I had one spare Sidewinder laying around and they sell them in singles.
My next steps are subscribe to Pandora for the higher bitrate music and move to better speakers or a sub to fill out the bottom end. Something along the lines of active Dynaudio or Focal speakers or maybe a sub from Audioengine/Nuforce. For me this will be a great 2 channel system as I don't have the space or a lot of money for a dedicated 2 channel room.AVR: Elite VSX-21TXH
Amplifier: B&K 7250 Series ii
Misc: Velodyne SMS-1
Mains: RTi-10
Center: CSi-5
Rear: Boston DSi460
Sub: SVS PC-Ultra
TV: Panasonic TC-P58V10
DVD: Panasonic DMP-BD60K -
Thanks for the review.
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There is a demo unit for sale at audioadvisor for a good price if anyone else wants to pick one up based on the review.
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There is a demo unit for sale at audioadvisor for a good price if anyone else wants to pick one up based on the review.
Damn, I was all excited... it looks like this is the previous version, not the mk II. That would have been a hell of a deal if it was the same version as the reviewed model! -
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Blaked, great review.
I might have miss it, what is the current setup for this system?Current HT setup
Mains: B&W 804s
Center: Polk CSi5
Surround: Polk FXi3
Sub: Velodyne DLS-3750R
Receiver: Pioneer SC-07
Amplifier: Sunfire TGA5200
TV: Sony KDS60A2020
DBP: Sony DBP-S350
CDP: Pioneer DV-48AV
Interconnect cables: SignalCable analog II
speaker cables: SignalCable Ultra Speaker Cables Bi-wire -
You should hear the II+, it is substantially better sounding than the II. HRT shows you what you can do when you make a product purpose-built to work in only one application. Their products are amazing. They're not just a step into the world of music servers. For many an HRT MS II or II+ will be all they ever need.
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SolidSqual wrote: »You should hear the II+, it is substantially better sounding than the II. HRT shows you what you can do when you make a product purpose-built to work in only one application. Their products are amazing. They're not just a step into the world of music servers. For many an HRT MS II or II+ will be all they ever need.
How would you characterize the differences? I'm just about to pull the trigger on an MS II for an office system... I'll mostly be using for low-volume / near field in that case. I figure the MS II will probably do me, but if the II+ is really head and shoulders above in some significant regard, I'd could see spending a couple benjamins extra. -
Nice review. Looks like you may cause a 'run' on these?
cnhCurrently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!
Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
[sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash] -
I pulled the trigger on one this week myself.. but i'd been looking at it for a while.Main 2ch -
BlueSound Node->Ethereal optical cable->Peachtree Audio Nova 150->GoldenEar Triton 2+
TT - Pro-ject Classic SB with Sumiko Bluepoint.
TV 3.1 system -
Denon 3500 -> Dynaudio Excite 32/22 -
On3s&Z3r0s wrote: »How would you characterize the differences? I'm just about to pull the trigger on an MS II for an office system... I'll mostly be using for low-volume / near field in that case. I figure the MS II will probably do me, but if the II+ is really head and shoulders above in some significant regard, I'd could see spending a couple benjamins extra.
Off the top of my head: MSII+ throws a wider sound stage, highs are more detailed, possesses a more natural midrange (I found the II to be lean by comparison, which is bad because the music is in the midrange IMO), bass is also a little deeper (more than slightly). Overall, if you got the gear backing it up, you will notice a substantial difference.
Now, as far as the II+ and the Pro go? I couldn't tell much of a difference. In fact, one salesman told me the two units use the same boards except for the parts necessary to make the unit balance. It should just be noted that balanced doesn't always mean better, especially when it comes to computer audio. HRT is powered by the USB bus itself. The PRO draws substantially more power than the II or II+. Consequently, if you have a longer USB cable or cheap cable, you may experience dropouts. It's not a matter of one cable sounding better, it's just a matter of physics at that point. -
Keep in mind that the 5vdc is the voltage supplied by the PC's switching power supply. I would prefer a model that used a separate PS for the analog section.Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
Thanks
Ben -
Idealy that would be the case but it would push the price upwards.But all indications are it performs very good despite sourcing it's power via the USB cable.I would prefer a model that used a separate PS for the analog section. -
Keep in mind that the 5vdc is the voltage supplied by the PC's switching power supply. I would prefer a model that used a separate PS for the analog section.
Getting a high end powered USB hub is also said to work well if you have dropout issues. -
I am just thinking of the comments about getting away from the dirty power of the sound card when usb uses the same PS. I like my sound card. It uses the 12-0-12 from the PC's power supply and is very quiet. Also I can swap the socketed OpAmps. I am certaily not putting down gear I have never heard I just question some of the manufactures claims. $150 can get you into a very nice sound card.Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
Thanks
Ben -
I am just thinking of the comments about getting away from the dirty power of the sound card when usb uses the same PS. I like my sound card. It uses the 12-0-12 from the PC's power supply and is very quiet. Also I can swap the socketed OpAmps. I am certaily not putting down gear I have never heard I just question some of the manufactures claims. $150 can get you into a very nice sound card.
I'm not sure what the technology is, but HRT is supposed to completely isolate the DAC from the USB bus. -
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.
This is from the website. Evidently there is some regeneration going on. -
I am just thinking of the comments about getting away from the dirty power of the sound card when usb uses the same PS. I like my sound card. It uses the 12-0-12 from the PC's power supply and is very quiet. Also I can swap the socketed OpAmps. I am certaily not putting down gear I have never heard I just question some of the manufactures claims. $150 can get you into a very nice sound card.
That sounds interesting... which soundcard lets you roll the OpAmps?
I actually don't mind the 2-channel sound I get from my system. I run a SPDIF optical cable from the MoBo's output into a Benchmark DAC. The only problem at all is that it's a 2-channel DAC, which when Media Center is playing music is fine, but for other stuff like watching YouTube videos the MoBo wants to output multichannel, which the DAC can't handle. I haven't found a way to make it always send 2-channel over the SPDIF.
Another question... do you need an external volume control (i.e. a preamp or integrated) or do you just control volume from the computer's mixer / master volume? -
My desktop Mission MS-50's never sounded better. Love the HRT II.
Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 * -
On3s&Z3r0s wrote: »I actually don't mind the 2-channel sound I get from my system. I run a SPDIF optical cable from the MoBo's output into a Benchmark DAC. The only problem at all is that it's a 2-channel DAC, which when Media Center is playing music is fine, but for other stuff like watching YouTube videos the MoBo wants to output multichannel, which the DAC can't handle. I haven't found a way to make it always send 2-channel over the SPDIF.
Another question... do you need an external volume control (i.e. a preamp or integrated) or do you just control volume from the computer's mixer / master volume?
Have you tried to go into the control panel to change the allowed audio formats for the soundcard's SPDIF? Perhaps you can uncheck everything except 2-ch PCM. I know this can be done for my soundcard's SPDIF.
Regarding volume control, depending on the program and drivers you use, you can control volume with the software. However, I believe it's best to keep a bit perfect stream going to the DAC and control volume in the analog domain.5.1 and 2.0 ch Basement Media Room: Outlaw 975/Emotiva DC-1/Rotel RB-1582 MKII/Rotel RB-1552/Audiosource Amp 3/Polk LS90, CS400i, FX500i/Outlaw X-12, LFM-1/JVD DLA-HD250/Da-Lite 100" HCCV/Sony ES BDP/Sonos Connect. DC-1/RB-1582 MKII/Sonos Connect also feed Polk 7C in garage or Dayton IO655 on patio.
2.1 ch Basement Gym: Denon AVR-2807/Klipsch Forte I or NHT SB2/JBL SUB 550P x 2/Chromecast Audio.
2.0 ch Living Room: Rotel RX-1052/Emotiva DC-1/Klipsch RF-7 III/Sony ES BDP/LG 65" LED.
2.0 ch Semi-portable: Klipsch Powergate/NHT SB3/Chromecast Audio.
Kitchen: Sonos Play5. -
Have you tried to go into the control panel to change the allowed audio formats for the soundcard's SPDIF? Perhaps you can uncheck everything except 2-ch PCM. I know this can be done for my soundcard's SPDIF.
I had to get some updated drivers for the mobo's audio chipset, but now I can control what it's sending out on SPDIF. Thanks!Regarding volume control, depending on the program and drivers you use, you can control volume with the software. However, I believe it's best to keep a bit perfect stream going to the DAC and control volume in the analog domain.
Do you know if that's true for the HRT USB DACs also? I was under the impression they pretty much came with their own drivers onboard, and it was pretty much a strict plug-and-play kinda thing. I was just curious since the Benchmark has its own volume control I don't use an additional pre-amp in my office rig, so was wondering if that was strictly necessary if I decide to check out the HRT just for sake of comparison. -
You can sort through these for the ones with swapable OpAmps.
http://www.auzentech.com/site/products/feature.php
I have this one.
http://www.auzentech.com/site/products/x-plosion.phpPlease. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
Thanks
Ben -
On3s&Z3r0s wrote: »Do you know if that's true for the HRT USB DACs also? I was under the impression they pretty much came with their own drivers onboard, and it was pretty much a strict plug-and-play kinda thing. I was just curious since the Benchmark has its own volume control I don't use an additional pre-amp in my office rig, so was wondering if that was strictly necessary if I decide to check out the HRT just for sake of comparison.
I would expect the HRT to be plug and play, but an owner can confirm that. USB DACs I've used in the past show up as audio devices in the control panel and sometimes in the output configurations of the playback software. The playback software or Windows should be able to control the volume.
What I was really referring to is that some folks run asio or kernel streaming drivers specifically to avoid audio manipulation (including volume control) and potential degradation by their playback software or Windows.
So the question becomes whether you want to use software volume control or would rather have an unmolested bit stream (ideally bit-perfect) sent to the DAC, followed by analog volume control.5.1 and 2.0 ch Basement Media Room: Outlaw 975/Emotiva DC-1/Rotel RB-1582 MKII/Rotel RB-1552/Audiosource Amp 3/Polk LS90, CS400i, FX500i/Outlaw X-12, LFM-1/JVD DLA-HD250/Da-Lite 100" HCCV/Sony ES BDP/Sonos Connect. DC-1/RB-1582 MKII/Sonos Connect also feed Polk 7C in garage or Dayton IO655 on patio.
2.1 ch Basement Gym: Denon AVR-2807/Klipsch Forte I or NHT SB2/JBL SUB 550P x 2/Chromecast Audio.
2.0 ch Living Room: Rotel RX-1052/Emotiva DC-1/Klipsch RF-7 III/Sony ES BDP/LG 65" LED.
2.0 ch Semi-portable: Klipsch Powergate/NHT SB3/Chromecast Audio.
Kitchen: Sonos Play5. -
The HRT II was plug and play just like Blake said. IIRC, ASIO works with up to XP, but not with Vista.Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 *
