The lumin U1 mini spec says "Resamping to every supported format up to DSD128" which is a bit worrying because (if I understand it correctly) it does its own upsampling and that would potentially be in conflict with Qutest upsampling. Did you consider Auralic Aries Mini ? Curious to know how...

To add to what @Currawong says, I don't see a need to stick to any standard between MScaler and DAC - it is not like other manufacturers will want to support that link. There could even be a commercial advantage in having proprietary interface there and in fact, the dual BNC link may already be...

Hi Rob, Sorry for piling on the questions... The question I have is, why is optical spdif limited to 192/24 in most DACs and streamers out there ? Did a quick scan of the standard and what I understand is that the main challenge with TOSLINK when we try increase sample rate, is reducing jitter...

The question I have is, from a technical perspective, since differences in jitter has no affect on the Qutest, and we know optical cables do not transfer or induce or attract noise, then what other property determines whether one cable is better than the other? Purely on that basis, a £5 cable...

@Zzt231gr would be good to know your findings. The reason I think it is important to remove the coax completely when evaluating optical is because coax is not galvanically isolated as Rob has pointed out so that leaves a channel open for common mode noise to get in. Presumably, the input...

It occurred to me that the last time I tried to compare, I had done something fundamentally wrong. So last night I spent some time from a clean sheet, comparing coax vs optical performance in my system. Instruments do sound more palpable with optical. The soundstage is also different - I have...

That seem to suggest that if we are interested in maximum depth of perception and layering, for PCM up to 192/24, there is no advantage whatsoever in using Coax instead of Optical. If that is the case, I should go back to Optical and see. Would be good to know.

I agree it is a different market. And I intend to wait till a cheaper MScaler becomes available but meantime, would be good to know in what ways my Qutest's performance can improve - hopes and dreams really, nothing more. It makes waiting a little less painful.

I look forward to reviews of the MScaler connected to TT2 in the coming days - all good stuff. The first person to review MScaler connected to Qutest wins a medal :)

Well firstly. I don't expect a budget scaler immediately but if you think about it, there is the BluMK2 and Dave - both the same form factor and roughly same price bracket. Then Hugo TT2 DAC and now Hugo MScaler both in the 3 - 4k GBP price bracket and both the same form factor as well...

Hugo TT form factor M Scaler has been announced by Chord Electronics. First and foremost, congratulations to Rob and Chord electronics for pushing the boundaries. And looking forward to the budget version for Qutest. The future sounds very promising for digital audio.

Not quite what you asked for but I suggest you find someone who can lend a dedicated digital player and connect direct to qutest via coax or optical. I realise you are only interested in the performance difference between the DACs and in the past I have also tried to compare components this way...

It is a complicated drawing so I wouldn't use a broad paintbrush. Clearly the smartphone generation of today is where the money is so it is not right to blame the music industry alone or the portable mass market equipment designers for that matter.. I think it is also the collective failure of...

Nowadays, there is a whole new generation of digital front ends that are superior in performance and rich in features compared to computer playback or cd transports and some like the auralic aries mini offer good value for money not to mention poly/2go type players that are potentially even more...

When the prototype is ready, one possibility is to consider getting a few recordings done with a simple microphone setup - perhaps close mic'd solo instrumental recording done in a studio or even perhaps pick a grand venue for it. Recording can be done at 24/192 or 24/768 if a suitable recorder...

The issue with general purpose laptops is that even if we dedicate it for the sole purpose of playing music, there are different things going on in the OS at different times - other program activity, software update, etc etc so the disks get hammered randomly - how can we optimise something that...

Not suggesting it is the case with this particular question but in general, there is a problem with this hobby of ours in that we sometimes seek only our favoured answers when we ask questions or read reviews regarding items we want to purchase and we ignore the bits that we disagree with -...

I tried a few cables and some seem to affect the sound for long runs ( somewhat in line with cable reviews out there ) so I made the decision I don't want a cable adding its own signature. There was a particular QED cable which I thought did not add anything and indeed the right angle matches...

That is a good point actually. I vaguely remember there was a min turn radius specified for this particular Belden 1694a cable and clearly I have over stretched the limits. Originally I had had it protruding further out resulting in a larger radius so might go back to that and forget about...

Yes I did try ferrite on the power chord first but will not claim I heard a difference right away. It is when I did the whole lot including all cables to my source, that I noticed the improvement. Initially, I was listening to the background / quiet passages hoping they will somehow sound...

On the subject of reducing interference using ferrite rings, I have been experimenting with Qutest and discovered... lo and behold there is indeed an improvement to be derived. Now before this explodes into an unnecessary argument I have to clarify that the effects of Ferrites on cables...

Without knowing the depth of the room it would be unwise to dismiss it as useless. Anyway, I would recommend isotek's system setup cd to anyone looking to evaluate the effectiveness of their room treatment. http://www.isoteksystems.com/products/essentials/ultimate-system-set-up-disc/ Unless of...

They are AVI speakers. AVI have been doing actives since 2007 but the DM10s I have were introduced a couple of years back. It comes with analog inputs + an inbuilt preamp with remote controlled volume. Anyone visiting Edinburgh welcome to audition.

I totally agree when Andrew says with active you can reach levels not possible easily with passive. Easily is the key word there meaning alternative solutions possible but at a significant cost or with limitations e.g. crossover-less single driver solutions. He is also right to offer a pure...

I haven't heard of anyone doing an exhaustive/repeatable test to check although some have reported they heard improvements with another power supply while some others reported they did not hear a benefit. Best option might be to try it out in your system and maybe return it within trial period...