SOUND
The first thing to hit me about the Headstreamer was the amazing power that comes out of this tiny box, not just the volume but the general quality of the audio. Although it did go louder than most other USB powered amplifiers too. There is a appreciable sense of air and authority that the Headstreamer brings to an already good set of headphones. Perhaps this is just my surprise based on the fact that it looks like a kids toy, but this is not really the time for design related criticisms so back to the sound...
I found the signature to be fairly neutral, quite punchy in the bass but accompanied by enjoyable levels of detail. The midrange was rather less than forward but the treble, although well articulated, didn't feel as restrained. This is not necessarily a bad thing, it is rather subtle and might suit some headphones better than others. Despite the fact that this didn't suit the Denon AH-D7000 headphones as well as other DAC sound signatures do it didn't exactly destroy the experience either. Maybe it would make a good pairing with some Grado headphones, for those who like them but find that they can be a bit too harsh on the upper midrange at times. The Headstreamer has some lushly rendered detail to make it feel like a significant upgrade over lower grade rivals (see more below), but didn't exactly blow my socks off in this area.
The midrange maybe less than forward but it is shaped and displayed with a good deal of finesse. Vocals feel smooth, with a healthy amount of texturing and instruments felt nicely layered. Possibly the greatest aspect of the Headstreamer's addition to the sound is its soundstage. It made most tracks feel vibrantly three dimensional, with a very spacious and deep sound that made a lot of music feel very real.
COMPARISONS
The general audio quality of the Fiio E17 was very close to the Headstreamer. The bass was similarly plump but detail is not as refined as it is with the Headstreamer. The recessed midrange was also similar, although more noticeable on the HRT, and thus potentially more of an issue (depending on personal preferences and headphones). The soundstage was one area where I found the Headstreamer to really come out ahead and started to make the Headstreamer worth the extra money. Which one of these two I would recommend here still largely comes down to what features you desire the most rather that the audio quality.
The Audinst offers quite a few more features than the Headstreamer (Gain control, RCA outputs, S/PDIF digital output and optional power which increases it's flexibility). It's a much bigger unit so is better suited sitting on a desk but can go portable at a push. It had slightly less kick to it's bass but that felt like a better balance and the textures were that bit sharper for it. As good as the soundstage was on the HRT I think the Audinst wins here too (albeit just). One of the more important factors for some is, that the Audinst is actually cheaper and unless the sonic characteristics of the HRT seem to suit what you're looking for, the HRT would be my recommendation for this price point.
FEATURES
The HRT Headstreamer uses the Texas Instruments PCM1793 DAC which supports up to 24bit 96khz HD audio. Perhaps this figure has been reduced from the 192khz potential of the DAC chip so that it doesn't require special drivers in Windows, but support for the more elusive 88.2khz specification is a nice bonus. Like most DACs this works as a plug-and-play device, not requiring a restart of the operating system to work. As long as you restart your software it works instantly so is nice and simple.
I did have a technical issue with the Headstreamer, it was with the volume being stuck at zero on Windows Vista. This meant it's one of the early versions of the Headstreamer and can be fixed with a simple firmware update. I found this out very quickly too, due to HRT's exemplary support. I also noticed that even with the volume at zero the amplifier still produces a small but noticeable noise. This also occurred on Windows Vista when it was stuck too. I can't see this being a huge problem but I didn't really have any other problems.
Both the DAC and amplifier sections are powered purely by the USB port. The volume is controlled by the slider in Windows, although sometimes the software player's volume control can also be used. This in turn affects an analogue control inside the unit, apparently it is not a digital control. I am not a big fan of this system because I prefer a physical volume dial to play with, but I can see some people preferring it this way.
BUILD
I find the design of HRT products to be bold but rather silly looking. I don't put a huge amount of importance on looks for this kind of device to be honest, so I can't see it putting many people off even if they do agree with me, so lets move on to more important things - construction. The curved white metal chassis has a nice texture which feels very strong and doesn't mark easily. This is capped off by two pieces of plastic, which fit the ports neatly. They feel a bit cheap and show scratches rather well but it seems strong enough to take a few knocks.
I would have liked to see the larger 6.35mm (1/4") headphone jack at this price point, but the smaller 3.5mm is certainly the more common choice. It could be argued that a larger headphone jack would have taken too much space but I keep thinking of the CEntrance DACport which seemed to manage it in an even smaller unit.
SUMMARY
When it comes to recommending the Headstreamer I struggle a little, because I personally prefer something that is a bit brighter sounding and with a little less emphasis on bass (unless it's a little more refined). For this kind of money I like having a physical volume control and analogue RCA outputs for connecting to speakers, so the HRT is not quite for me but... It may not be the presentation I would choose and given the lack of features I would say that the price is a little high, but the performance is solid, it's built like a tank, is reliable and elegantly simple.
If a DAC and amplifier combined is all you want, in a unit that's small, simple and sturdy for use only with a laptop then perhaps the Headstreamer could be for you. If you like a little more emphasis on the low frequencies but less on the higher ones, a good deal of detail but mostly you're hankering for a superbly three dimensional soundstage, then this HRT gem should go to the top of your list.
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