Karma: DAC for Mac - HRT Music Streamer HD

Up for your karma consideration is a HRT Music Streamer HD DAC!

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music-10.jpg

I say "DAC for Mac", because I experienced some technical difficulties getting this USB powered DAC to work correctly with the various PCs I tried it with. It seems to be very temperamental about it's USB connection, and on the PCs I tried it with, I experienced dropouts that manifested as static clicks and pops over the music. I wasn't able to reliably get it working without those dropouts, but I tested it on a Mac Mini and it worked flawlessly.

So, if you have a Mac and are looking to try out a very nice DAC go ahead and enter the karma giveaway. If you have a PC I suppose you can enter as well, but just be warned that I wasn't able to get it functioning correctly on the 3 different PCs I tried (Windows 7, Windows 10, and Daphile Linux). So, I'd much rather it go to someone who uses/owns a Mac as their source, so that I know they would be able to get satisfaction from it's flawless operation.

It's a great sounding DAC with excellent musicality and timing, and a punchy engaging sound. Plus it has balanced outputs, so it would be perfect for a set of powered monitors.

Enter by picking a number 1-100 and the drawing will happen next weekend.
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Comments

  • joecoulson
    joecoulson Posts: 4,943
    Nice Karma! Not it but awesome for someone !
  • halo
    halo Posts: 5,616
    edited September 2018
    Fabulous Karma Drew! In with 77 please. :)
    Audio: Polk S15 * Polk S35 * Polk S10 * SVS SB-1000 Pro
    HT: Samsung QN90B * Marantz NR1510 * Panasonic DMP-BDT220 * Roku Ultra LT * APC H10
  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,288
    In with 48 please.
    Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 300, Audioquest Thunderbird Zero Speaker Cable, Tyler Highland H2, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
  • Not in but awesome Karma!
    Just a dude doing dude-ly things

    "Temptation is the manifestation of desire which equals necessity." - Mikey081057
    " I have always had a champange taste with a beer budget" - Rick88
    "Just because the thread is getting views don't mean much .. I like a good train wreck doesn't mean i want to be in one..." - pitdogg2
    "Those that don't know, don't know that they don't know." - heiney9
    "Audiophiles are the male equivalent of cat ladies." - Audiokarma Member
  • Dabutcher
    Dabutcher Posts: 2,588
    Any way this would work with an iPad? Great Karma.
    Love yours, D
    MIT Magnum MH-750, Monster HTS 5100MKII, Sony 77" Class - A80CJ Series - 4K UHD OLED,PS4, Def Tech 15” sub,LSIM 706c, Sunfire Signature Grand 425 x 4,Parasound hca 120, LSiM 702 x 4, Oppo 103D, SDA SRS 1.2, Pioneer Elite SC63 , Pioneer Elite BDP-05 “Why did you get married if you wanted big speakers?”
  • In with 66
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
  • mlistens03
    mlistens03 Posts: 2,767
    In with 25 please, nice Karma! I’ll find a way to make it work with my iPad.
  • vmaxer
    vmaxer Posts: 5,116
    Very nice, not in though.
    Pio Elete Pro 520
    Panamax 5400-EX
    Sunfire TGP 5
    Micro Seiki DD-40 - Lyra-Dorian and Denon DL-160
    PS Audio GCPH phono pre
    Sunfire CG 200 X 5
    Sunfire CG Sig 405 X 5
    OPPO BDP-83 SE
    SDA SRS 1.2TL Sonicaps and Mills
    Ctr CS1000p
    Sur - FX1000 x 4
    SUB - SVS PB2-Plus

    Workkout room:
    Sony Bravia XBR- 32-Inch 1080p
    Onkyo TX-DS898
    GFA 555
    Yamaha DVD-S1800BL/SACD
    Ft - SDA 1C

    Not being used:
    RTi 38's -4
    RT55i's - 2
    RT25i's -2, using other 2 in shop
    LSI 15's
    CSi40
    PSW 404
  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,722
    Great timing on this, need one to replace a Dragonfly that just bit the dust. In with my age, 41
  • verb
    verb Posts: 10,176
    Nice Karma Drew!
    Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
    Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
    Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
    Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
    Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
    Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD.
  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 7,952
    This is VERY nice karma. I really liked my HRT music streamer II+ and my HRT micro streamer. Really good sound for the money. I am good on DACs and I traded in my MacBook Air otherwise I would join in on the fun.

    Good luck everyone!
    Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es; Squeezebox Touch with Bolder Power Supply
    Game Room 5.1.4:
    Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra

    Bedroom 2.1
    Cambridge Azur 551r; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,560
    edited September 2018
    Dabutcher wrote: »
    Any way this would work with an iPad? Great Karma.
    Love yours, D

    No idea, but I think you need one of these in order to try it:

    mr923pz4borz.jpg
  • engtaz
    engtaz Posts: 7,650
    in with 77
    engtaz

    I love how music can brighten up a bad day.
  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 7,952
    edited September 2018
    Dabutcher wrote: »
    Any way this would work with an iPad? Great Karma.
    Love yours, D

    I am really unsure if it will. There are only a few that are designed to, the audioquest dragonfly and the ifi Nano iDSD are the only two that I know for sure. I was under the impression that ONLY these would work with iOS devices. But then I plugged my iPhone using the adapter @Clipdat listed to to my def tech incline powered speakers with built in USB DAC, and it worked! So it might be worth a try...but you will definitely need the $30 adapter...which you also need for the aforementioned DACs.
    Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es; Squeezebox Touch with Bolder Power Supply
    Game Room 5.1.4:
    Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra

    Bedroom 2.1
    Cambridge Azur 551r; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer
  • Not sure, mainly because it pulls the power from the device, so even if it does work, its gonna drain your battery faster (which is one thing they tweaked with the new Dragonfly versions).
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 7,952
    Not sure, mainly because it pulls the power from the device, so even if it does work, its gonna drain your battery faster (which is one thing they tweaked with the new Dragonfly versions).

    That is a good point Dan. Plugged into powered monitors, power obviously isn’t a problem. And I only tested it briefly...
    Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es; Squeezebox Touch with Bolder Power Supply
    Game Room 5.1.4:
    Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra

    Bedroom 2.1
    Cambridge Azur 551r; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,560
    engtaz wrote: »
    in with 77

    You'll have to pick another number, halo already entered with 77.
  • engtaz
    engtaz Posts: 7,650
    55
    engtaz

    I love how music can brighten up a bad day.
  • Jimbo18
    Jimbo18 Posts: 2,310
    Not in but nice karma.
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,560
    Attn: Mac users, last day to get your entries in.
  • mlistens03
    mlistens03 Posts: 2,767
    Do you think it would work with the iTunes program on Windows 10?
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,560
    edited September 2018
    mlistens03 wrote: »
    Do you think it would work with the iTunes program on Windows 10?

    Not without incredibly disrupting dropouts that manifest themselves as loud static clicks heard over the music. Like I said, I tried it with three different PCs and each one made these occasional static clicks/pops that really detract from the listening experience.
  • mlistens03
    mlistens03 Posts: 2,767
    Clipdat wrote: »
    mlistens03 wrote: »
    Do you think it would work with the iTunes program on Windows 10?

    Not without incredibly disrupting dropouts that manifest themselves as loud static clicks heard over the music. Like I said, I tried it with three different PCs and each one made these occasional static clicks/pops that really detract from the listening experience.

    Ok. Still in, worst case scenario I’ll give it to my Dad for his Mac.
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,560
    Alrighty then!

    By the way, I was music shopping yesterday at Amoeba and Rasputin's in Berkeley, and Rasputin's had a copy of Rubber Soul on vinyl being displayed and I thought of you. I believe the price tag said $30.
  • verb
    verb Posts: 10,176
    Is the drawing next weekend? Oops did I just bump this thread? :smile:
    Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
    Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
    Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
    Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
    Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
    Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD.
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,560
    Sorry for the late drawing, it'll happen right now!
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,560
    Looks like @halo is the lucky winner. Congrats Victor!
  • halo
    halo Posts: 5,616
    Whoa! Thanks Drew! I’m really looking forward to using this with my Mac :)
    Audio: Polk S15 * Polk S35 * Polk S10 * SVS SB-1000 Pro
    HT: Samsung QN90B * Marantz NR1510 * Panasonic DMP-BDT220 * Roku Ultra LT * APC H10