[EVOLVIST]

Cary DAC-200TS?

Antelope Zodiac Platinum? Not really, huh?

NuPrime DAC-9? A strange beast.

Of course massive upsampling doesn't tell the whole story by far. It's all in the implementation.

 

[jelt2359]

Note the m scaler has a 2.76 dB insertion loss, so you need to increase the volume by 3 dB to volume match. But sure, it does sound much warmer and more refined - particularly on older recordings.

The sound-stage opening out is massive; and it represents a puzzle for me. I thought initially it was down to topology improvements; but when you throw the video mode, (so its 2/3 M taps) or when I compared the initial 0.5 M taps to the 1 M taps (both with same topology) again you hear big changes in depth.

And I do not know why for sure; WTA filters have never done this before. Perhaps it is simply the action of truncation of the filter coefficients against the ideal which is now happening over time periods that are natural echo or reverb time periods and this is the reason; it's currently my only hypothesis. And it makes sense as this is the first time an interpolation filter is working well over a second of data and not the conventional milli-second time period.

Anyway, exciting times, as the magnitude of the improvement has been completely unexpected. And I love it when unexpected things happen.

Rob

Does this mean that with the blu2 attached, I need to put the volume at 3db higher to get the same volume?

 

[Rob Watts]

Yes.

 

[tunes]

In order to avoid any damage, LPs go under the arm, CDs go in a bag

Interested to hear how it goes.

Will there be an inexpensive external add on solution to permit MQA files to be played on the Hugo2 or DAVE? For many, streaming high res digital will allow more music to be sampled and avoid the waste of buying entire CDs or vinyl for one good track. How can MQA files to be played through DAVE using TIDAL ??

 

[Crgreen]

If my understanding is correct, they can through software but not by the appropriate hardware, see: JA's review of the DAVE in Stereophile.

 

[Triode User]

Will there be an inexpensive external add on solution to permit MQA files to be played on the Hugo2 or DAVE? For many, streaming high res digital will allow more music to be sampled and avoid the waste of buying entire CDs or vinyl for one good track. How can MQA files to be played through DAVE using TIDAL ??

Rob Watts has said that he would only pursue technologies such as MQA when he could perceive an advantage to the sound quality. He avoided saying it but the clear implication was that he could not hear any improvement to the sound at the moment and it was therefore not on his agenda.

MQA files can be streamed from Tidal and played direct into the Dave without any unfolding.

I am streaming Tidal via an Aries and am getting software unfolding to 96kHz in the Aries (with the Aries beta firmware upgrade) which is then fed direct into the Dave via the USB connection from the Aries. See the Dave display below when it is receiving this software unfolded MQA file from the Aries.

I personally think the quality of the DAC is much more important than MQA.

 

[tunes]

Rob Watts has said that he would only pursue technologies such as MQA when he could perceive an advantage to the sound quality. He avoided saying it but the clear implication was that he could not hear any improvement to the sound at the moment and it was therefore not on his agenda.

MQA files can be streamed from Tidal and played direct into the Dave without any unfolding.

I am streaming Tidal via an Aries and am getting software unfolding to 96kHz in the Aries (with the Aries beta firmware upgrade) which is then fed direct into the Dave via the USB connection from the Aries. See the Dave display below when it is receiving this software unfolded MQA file from the Aries.

I personally think the quality of the DAC is much more important than MQA.

MQA files can be streamed from Tidal and played direct into the Dave without any unfolding.

Can you tell me more about the Aries?

What does it do? Is it Wifi streamer? What does it cost? How is it similar or different from what I now use as a server Aurender N100H? Can I do the same with the Aurender and the DAVE?

 

[raypin]

Rob Watts has said that he would only pursue technologies such as MQA when he could perceive an advantage to the sound quality. He avoided saying it but the clear implication was that he could not hear any improvement to the sound at the moment and it was therefore not on his agenda.

MQA files can be streamed from Tidal and played direct into the Dave without any unfolding.

I am streaming Tidal via an Aries and am getting software unfolding to 96kHz in the Aries (with the Aries beta firmware upgrade) which is then fed direct into the Dave via the USB connection from the Aries. See the Dave display below when it is receiving this software unfolded MQA file from the Aries.

I personally think the quality of the DAC is much more important than MQA.

Mm..nice! Can you detect any improvements using partial unfolded MQA feeding the DAVE vs. Laptop feeding your DAVE?

 

[tunes]

Does this mean that with the blu2 attached, I need to put the volume at 3db higher to get the same volume?

Do regular FLAC files sent to m scaler blue2 via USB or optical sound as good as the same played via a CD? If there is no difference then why not offer an upscaler at a lower cost without the transport for those of us who are moving away from physical CDs??

 

[Clive101]

A few of us have asked for the mScaler as a standalone product. In the meantime I guess we all have to wait, I would like it now as I have no intreast in CD ( only to purchase and rip ).
As sales tail off of Blu Mk 2 I hope it will be released.
The up lift in cost from the standard CD player to the CD player with the mScaler is not much extra so I presume Chord will be using the mScaler to promote other platforms so it may be unlikely to be released as a separate product which would be a shame.
Chord may wish to have the mScaler only with other products...?
If it could be clipped into Dave Mk 2 it would save the cable issue and extra stand but unlikely.

 

[raypin]

Mm..let me add to the chorus: standalone M scaler next. Please.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

The dave is visiting the store for the next three weeks. Come by and experience it!

 

[Triode User]

A few of us have asked for the mScaler as a standalone product. In the meantime I guess we all have to wait, I would like it now as I have no intreast in CD ( only to purchase and rip ).
As sales tail off of Blu Mk 2 I hope it will be released.
The up lift in cost from the standard CD player to the CD player with the mScaler is not much extra so I presume Chord will be using the mScaler to promote other platforms so it may be unlikely to be released as a separate product which would be a shame.
Chord may wish to have the mScaler only with other products...?
If it could be clipped into Dave Mk 2 it would save the cable issue and extra stand but unlikely.

That's what I call forward thinking (hoping) with the Blu2 only having started shipping production units about two weeks ago!! I suspect you realise that the Blu2 MScaler has a product life of several years and that a stand alone MScaler is quite a few (many?) years away. Rob has already said that a combined Dave / MScaler might be 10 years away as it will rely on components that don't currently exist.

Personally I will certainly have a CD player for at least the next 5 years and maybe longer so having the Blu2 means I can dispense with another box for the CD function.

From what I have seen of pictures of peoples systems, many could afford a Blu2 MScaler now if they got rid of their super expensive power leads!!

 

[Rob Watts]

Rob Watts has said that he would only pursue technologies such as MQA when he could perceive an advantage to the sound quality. He avoided saying it but the clear implication was that he could not hear any improvement to the sound at the moment and it was therefore not on his agenda.

MQA files can be streamed from Tidal and played direct into the Dave without any unfolding.

I am streaming Tidal via an Aries and am getting software unfolding to 96kHz in the Aries (with the Aries beta firmware upgrade) which is then fed direct into the Dave via the USB connection from the Aries. See the Dave display below when it is receiving this software unfolded MQA file from the Aries.

I personally think the quality of the DAC is much more important than MQA.

I was actually being polite; the MQA interpolation filters against a standard WTA interpolation filter (I compared it using a Mojo) sounds dreadful. MQA is technically flawed, with huge and completely unacceptable levels of aliasing. And it's those two reasons why I refuse to implement it in my designs.

 

[Triode User]

Mm..nice! Can you detect any improvements using partial unfolded MQA feeding the DAVE vs. Laptop feeding your DAVE?

NO.