The Music Streamer II, available through Audiofreaks, is its most affordable model, yet it’s good enough to make the average laptop sound like proper hi-fi. Simply plug your computer into the USB connection on one end, connect your hi-fi using the analogue outputs on the other, and the small but solid HRT handles the digital -to-analogue conversion. And it does so in serious style. Playing The Far Road from The Road soundtrack, the sound is precise and fluid. The leading edges of notes are terrifically well-defined, but they degrade with organic subtlety and realism. Detail and dynamics are exceptional, revealing every nuance in the haunting recording. It’s simply a perfectly balanced, bold and beautiful delivery, and for a DAC costing just £140, that’s an incredible feat.