[mastercheif]

The NAD products you refer to contain inferior versions of the Hypex digital amplifiers that are inside the Kii 3 speakers.

https://darko.audio/2014/09/nad-masters-series-m22-hypex-ncore-for-the-rest-of-us/


Is that damage worse than a pair of conventional speakers with all sorts of acoustic and electrical problems? I'm not pre-judging this, though it seems the odds are against Kii 3 based on two people's opinions in this thread.

If Rob's DX/power pulse array amps are happy driving 1 ohm speakers, then someone needs to start building modern Apogee Scintillas! No crossover, proper bass, etc...

But my planned dedicated listening room is too small...

Now playing: Iskra 1903 - Chapter One 1970-1972

You're looking at the wrong NAD stuff. The PCM -> PWM based stuff is called "DirectDigital". You can find a link to the white paper on the product page.

https://nadelectronics.com/product/m32-directdigital-amplifier/

 

[romaz]

Don't miss the live BBC Proms if you have time to calibrate against the only real reference point while in London.
London is probably the best place in the entire world for live classical music and the BBC Proms are great!

I have seen Mahler's 8th performed at the RAH before with Thomas Søndergård conducting. This one never gets old.

 

[EndGameSearch]

As a Blu2 owner, I can empathize with you. As an early adopter, I have had to pay this early adopter tax many times and it is never a good feeling. Fortunately, I have a 2nd listening room that is in desperate need of its own M-scaler and so at least my Blu2 will continue to have great purpose.

As for the obligations that a producer has to its consumers, you may wish to more closely examine Chord's unique situation. I am not trying to make excuses for them but trying to put myself in their shoes, here is how I see it:

1. As we know, Rob is on a path of his own making. There is no precedent for anything like M-scaler, DX amps, DAVINA, etc., anywhere in the market and while Rob has been talking about these products for some time now, out of 3 products, only 1 has made it to market thus far and it's not because Rob has been busy sunning in Saint-Tropez. On several occasions, I have asked Rob when this or that will finally be ready and his typical answer these days is "it will be ready when it's ready" because I don't think he knows. Rob has been very up front that he is in uncharted waters and so who really knows if his next release will be in 6 months or 6 years.

2. If you recall, when Blu2 was first announced by Chord at CES in Las Vegas in January of 2017, there was considerable hoopla and many of us eagerly fell in line expecting to receive our units "within 2 months" of the announcement. As you know, Chord encountered delays and many of us didn't receive our Blu2s for 6-8 months (it took 8 months for me to get mine). Not surprisingly, Chord took quite a bit of flack for this and so I'm sure they're leery of making premature announcements about the release timeline for any future products.

3. If Chord leaked info 3 months ago that a less expensive standalone M-scaler would be available at this time, I'm sure there will be customers who received their Blu2s 4 months ago that would cry foul just as you're doing. There will always be individuals who will find themselves having bought something at the wrong time. To be fair to Chord, what would you suggest is their obligation in this situation? If they deem they are ready to officially launch a product on a certain date and they invite the press to cover such an event, why would it make sense to prematurely leak this information? Now if your dealer promised you that a less expensive M-scaler would definitely not be released this year and this influenced your decision to purchase a Blu2, I believe that dealer should be obligated to purchase your Blu2 back.

All fair and logical points. A lot can change in 4 months. If I had received my Blu in February when it was ordered it would probably sting a little less with a few months of enjoyment under my belt. With timing as it was, the pain is more vivid since I'm still in the the midst of spending hundreds on ferrites and just breaking blu in. Oh well........

This does lead to the question regarding Chord's ability to fulfill demand for the HMS. It would be interesting to know if they have already started to stockpile parts for HMS or if they have formed new relationships to augment their build efforts. If it's still taking 4 months to fulfill orders for Blu2, I can only imagine the challenge of fulfilling what will likely be a very impressive backlog for HMS.

 

[rayl]

All fair and logical points. A lot can change in 4 months. If I had received my Blu in February when it was ordered it would probably sting a little less with a few months of enjoyment under my belt. With timing as it was, the pain is more vivid since I'm still in the the midst of spending hundreds on ferrites and just breaking blu in. Oh well........

This does lead to the question regarding Chord's ability to fulfill demand for the HMS. It would be interesting to know if they have already started to stockpile parts for HMS or if they have formed new relationships to augment their build efforts. If it's still taking 4 months to fulfill orders for Blu2, I can only imagine the challenge of fulfilling what will likely be a very impressive backlog for HMS.

One observation potentially relevant to lead times is that the case work is much simpler than the Choral case on the Blu2...

 

[romaz]

I don't blame you for being upset, I would be too if that happened to me, because they knew they were coming out with the new m scaler which was cheaper and fixed the RF problem, and still let people buy the more expensive "old" model. On a different note did Romz almost get banned at CA for mentioning Paul Hynes too much?

No, I have never been suspended or banned or almost banned from CA or any forum. I believe this is the post you are alluding to and have somehow misconstrued it:

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/...b-still-relevant/?tab=comments#comment-802114

If you read it carefully, Chris Connaker is not threatening to ban my account, he is threatening to ban this poster's account for incessantly complaining about his personal issues with Paul Hynes:

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/...b-still-relevant/?tab=comments#comment-802538

For the record, Amir and Paul have settled their differences and Amir has not been banned but the fact that you bring this up here obviously suggests you believe my posts are somehow financially motivated and so let me set the record straight.

I have never been financially incentivized by any individual or manufacturer to post anything. Period. While I consider Rob a friend, the only thing he has ever given me is a 2m pair of cheap generic BNC cables and a handful of ferrites. There is no hidden agenda between me, Rob, and Chord and I am not trying to sell anything to anyone. When I post, I post only my observations or opinions. If I claim a preference for a manufacturer's product, it is purely as an enthusiast and it is no different than you or anyone else claiming a preference for a product.

Did I know that TT2 and Hugo M-Scaler would be released this year? Yes, this was suggested to me when Rob showed up at my house with prototypes but as stated, I was sworn to secrecy for reasons that should be obvious to anyone. Having said that, since I was made aware of these prototypes nearly 6 months ago until now, I have not suggested to anyone, either publicly or privately, that they should buy a Blu Mk2. Once again, as a fellow Blu2 owner, I am in the same boat as the rest of you.

I'm heading back home to the U.S. and so I'm not sure when I'll post again. Best wishes to all.

 

[rgs9200m]

I wish there was a stand that would accommodate a DAVE and the HMS (vertically) to minimize the desktop footprint.

 

[analogmusic]

IMO original Hugo priced at 2K was pretty fair compared to all of the DACS out at the time hence people were calling it the "giant-killer!" But now I see Hugo2 price have gone up $500USD, the Hugo TT2 which I was planning to purchase this year have also gone up $1000USD from the first model. Why price increase when you are selling out? Atleast keep it around same price as the first version.
I agree when you say it's getting expensive with Chord gear. What happenned to giant killer? Gone from "Giant killer" to "expensive to have". This is bad branding and people start getting ideas for best brands!

So much bickering.... some people love to complain due to their ignorance no matter what. Nobody stops you to buy a Mojo and enjoy the music.

 

[analogmusic]

Well personally I am luckily only stuck with a by know very outdated and very difficult to sell second hand,original HUGO1 that has given me both joy and troubles, and a quite ok Qutest that can be connected to this new M-Scaler.
But I had hoped for something both much more portable and a lot cheaper than what has just materialized.
I wonder what is in that big box?
It is very costly to be at the Chord digital front line.
Cheers Christer

No it’s not. The Mojo is only 400 gbp and is enough of a Dac for 99.99 percent of people....

I got the Dave but I really enjoy music when out and about on the mojo.

The true star of the Chord range is the Mojo for me, and yes I’ve heard Blu2 and Dave but still say the real star is the Mojo due to size.

 

[TheAttorney]

I wish there was a stand that would accommodate a DAVE and the HMS (vertically) to minimize the desktop footprint.

Yes, the stand is called the HMS (used as a plinth below DAVE, as has been suggested before).
You cannot get more compact than that, or lower cost - even though it may not exactly meet your spec.

Ok, so the width and depth dimensions don't match, but I reckon the end result will look acceptable, with the plinth being deeper and less wide than DAVE..
I happen to have the Black Ravioli feet stuck to DAVE in between the original inner and outer feet. By lucky coincidence, these appear to be positioned exactly to match the width of the HMS.
The BRs also sound slightly better than the stock feet, and are about 3 or 4 mm higher, so gives a bit more space for ventilation, and you don't have to pull off the stock feet to make it work.

The only thing that remains to be confirmed is if such direct stacking has an impact on SQ, compared to direct placement on an audiophile shelf.

 

[Crgreen]

As a Blu2 owner, I can empathize with you. As an early adopter, I have had to pay this early adopter tax many times and it is never a good feeling. Fortunately, I have a 2nd listening room that is in desperate need of its own M-scaler and so at least my Blu2 will continue to have great purpose.

As for the obligations that a producer has to its consumers, you may wish to more closely examine Chord's unique situation. I am not trying to make excuses for them but trying to put myself in their shoes, here is how I see it:

1. As we know, Rob is on a path of his own making. There is no precedent for anything like M-scaler, DX amps, DAVINA, etc., anywhere in the market and while Rob has been talking about these products for some time now, out of 3 products, only 1 has made it to market thus far and it's not because Rob has been busy sunning in Saint-Tropez. On several occasions, I have asked Rob when this or that will finally be ready and his typical answer these days is "it will be ready when it's ready" because I don't think he knows. Rob has been very up front that he is in uncharted waters and so who really knows if his next release will be in 6 months or 6 years.

2. If you recall, when Blu2 was first announced by Chord at CES in Las Vegas in January of 2017, there was considerable hoopla and many of us eagerly fell in line expecting to receive our units "within 2 months" of the announcement. As you know, Chord encountered delays and many of us didn't receive our Blu2s for 6-8 months (it took 8 months for me to get mine). Not surprisingly, Chord took quite a bit of flack for this and so I'm sure they're leery of making premature announcements about the release timeline for any future products.

3. If Chord leaked info 3 months ago that a less expensive standalone M-scaler would be available at this time, I'm sure there will be customers who received their Blu2s 4 months ago that would cry foul just as you're doing. There will always be individuals who will find themselves having bought something at the wrong time. To be fair to Chord, what would you suggest is their obligation in this situation? If they deem they are ready to officially launch a product on a certain date and they invite the press to cover such an event, why would it make sense to prematurely leak this information? Now if your dealer promised you that a less expensive M-scaler would definitely not be released this year and this influenced your decision to purchase a Blu2, I believe that dealer should be obligated to purchase your Blu2 back.

I agree. I can understand that those who purchased a Blu2 recently must feel miffed, but what alternative did Chord have? The HMS has been known about by Chord for some time. If they had told dealers about this a month before the announcement so they could pass this on to prospective Blu2 purchasers, those who’d bought in the month preceding that would complain, and so on. You end up in a sort of infinite regress. Just how far back do you have to go before it would be okay for Chord not to be telling dealers of their intentions?

I also agree that if someone purchased on the basis of an assurance that an m-scaler would not be available this year, or something similar, they might have a claim against the dealer in misrepresentation. It would very much depend on what the dealer said, however.

 

[analogmusic]

I don’t see this as a dealer problem

Why did these folks buy the blu2 if they did not need the CD transport?

Very good hi end audiophile CD transports are not cheap and never were cheap.

 

[Triode User]

I agree. I can understand that those who purchased a Blu2 recently must feel miffed, but what alternative did Chord have? The HMS has been known about by Chord for some time. If they had told dealers about this a month before the announcement so they could pass this on to prospective Blu2 purchasers, those who’d bought in the month preceding that would complain, and so on. You end up in a sort of infinite regress. Just how far back do you have to go before it would be okay for Chord not to be telling dealers of their intentions?

I also agree that if someone purchased on the basis of an assurance that an m-scaler would not be available this year, or something similar, they might have a claim against the dealer in misrepresentation. It would very much depend on what the dealer said, however.

All agreed. Also, the world and his dog has been anticipating Chord releasing a new cheaper stand alone MScaler for quite a while. Indeed John Franks and Rob Watts discussed it in a widely circulated video interview a while ago. I don't think anyone can genuinely say that they were not anticipating the announcement of the new cheaper MScaler at some point and it was only a matter of when rather than if. AndrewOld on here publicly stated that he thought it would be within 2018 - I disagreed and I was proved wrong but the point is that plenty of people thought it would be some time in 2108.

 

[Crgreen]

I don’t see this as a dealer problem

Why did these folks buy the blu2 if they did not need the CD transport?

Very good hi end audiophile CD transports are not cheap and never were cheap.

I’m not saying the m-scaler must have been the only consideration, but that it was a material factor in deciding to buy the Blu2. For example: if the dealer was asked if a stand alone m-scaler was likely by the end of the year because if so, the customer would wait for that and stick with their current CD transport. It all depends on what was said and how much the buyer was influenced by what the dealer told him. Obviously, if someone purchased because they were only interested in the CD transport, they probably wouldn’t be compalinaing about HMS.

 

[analogmusic]

Early adopters have the pleasure of enjoying the best earlier. Life is also not forever

look at the early adopters of plasma and Oled TV.

Or the latest native 4K UHD Sony projectors...

We’re all Adults here out of school anyway?

I don’t like the mis match in looks between the new Mscaler and Dave.

Would I regret it if I bought the blu2? Not really as I would have enjoyed for a whole year and as I said life is not forever and can be quite short in case of illnesses ...and the blu2 Choral case is much more impressive...

How you value a year of life and enjoyment of Blu2 is the question and personally music is very important that me, why else would I be interested in the Mscaler anyway ???

Virtually any car depreciates 20 percent on the day of purchase so does anyone complain about that when it depreciates further 20 percent each year?

 

[SearchOfSub]

So much bickering.... some people love to complain due to their ignorance no matter what. Nobody stops you to buy a Mojo and enjoy the music.

It isn't much of bickering. It's comparing 1st version to 2nd version's pricing and there isn't much of explanation to the price increase.
Mojo isn't 99.9% percent of what people need either. I rather enjoyed Audioquest Dragonfly Red more than Mojo. It sounded just as good to me at fraction of the cost. I did like the original Hugo though!

Chord company release a product based very heavily on this "Million FPGA Taps" technology and charge $5000 for it, yet no one have much any idea how to really verify it. I guess in the end it come down to sound quality and hearing it for yourself if its worth the difference, but still if there weren't any average person to verify its "Million FPGA Taps", shouldn't be marketed so heavily based on it. Because anything past a "million" on anything sound good to any average person and its misleading when there isn't a way for anyone to verify it, again.

I have no idea why any person would take this as bickering. You must be retired living an extremly calm and passive life. I understand. LOL.