[betula]

I agree hugo 2 is complete and world leading unto itself. I also agree that because higher level dacs are warmer and more "fuller" and complete in their presentation when comparing to hugo 2 this does not in any way diminish the beauty and totality of hugo 2. But the truth is after adding the mscaler i am hearing things i never heard with hugo 2 solo. Especially things like finer micro/macro detail, reverb in human vocals, ridiculously enhanced sound stage. As Rob said qutest and hugo 2 benefit enormously from the mscaler. I'm now listening to a 1000,000 tap dac. So my conclusion therefore is that even though a solitary hugo 2 is complete this does not mean the experience can't be seriously enhanced.

Sure, but the HMS is a serious investment at £3.5K. Some say the Hugo2 actually limits the awesomeness of the HMS vs paired with TT2 or Dave. I wonder how HMS+Hugo2 stands up against a solo TT2. That said apparently Rob would take your combo to a desert island if he had to choose only one setup as i read somewhere.

Edit: I am not quite sure, but I think the choice was between TT2 or Hugo2+HMS.

 

[musickid]

That's exactly what Rob told me. Between you and me there are far more h2/hms users than you think.They are just enjoying their music and don't bother posting. (I just happen to enjoy to'ing and fro'ing). It's the cheapest current option by which the hms can be experienced. There's even a photo with h2/hms on a plane somewhere. How could two devices possibly compromise each other negatively if they were designed by the same engineer to compliment each other positively? You tell someone something on headfi and as it gets passed down the chain it gets more and more twisted. Classic.

 

[Chester Rockwell]

That's exactly what Rob told me. Between you and me there are far more h2/hms users than you think.They are just enjoying their music and don't bother posting. (I just happen to enjoy to'ing and fro'ing). It's the cheapest current option by which the hms can be experienced. There's even a photo with h2/hms on a plane somewhere. How could two devices possibly compromise each other negatively if they were designed by the same engineer to compliment each other positively? You tell someone something on headfi and as it gets passed down the chain it gets more and more twisted. Classic.

Nitpicking I know, but technically the Qutest is the cheapest route to full M Scaler goodness.

......I’ll get my coat

 

[betula]

Nitpicking I know, but technically the Qutest is the cheapest route to full M Scaler goodness.

......I’ll get my coat

Possibly. But with Qutest you need a third party amp which we all know completely and utterly destroys the sounds.

 

[musickid]

I stand corrected. Qutest would be but we are still allowing for an amp. And now for the debate concerning transparency vs 3rd party amps. All seated ding a ding round 4.

 

[JM1979]

Darn, now I’m intrigued by the Hugo 2 + Mscaler combo. I was thinking my next unnessecary expense would be the TT2, but it sounds like I’d get more value from a MScaler investment.

 

[betula]

Darn, now I’m intrigued by the Hugo 2 + Mscaler combo. I was thinking my next unnessecary expense would be the TT2, but it sounds like I’d get more value from a MScaler investment.

My longer term aim was also a TT2. But this Hugo2/HMS combo is indeed something that makes you think twice. I am not sure however that taps and transparency is my ultimate goal. I might prefer TT2 sound even vs Hugo2 and HMS. I like a thicker and more satisfying bass and I don't mind to loose a bit on resolution. I wish I could audition all Chord products at once and make up my mind for now and ever. Chord for sure, but what Chord combo...?

 

[Amberlamps]

That's exactly what Rob told me. Between you and me there are far more h2/hms users than you think.They are just enjoying their music and don't bother posting. (I just happen to enjoy to'ing and fro'ing). It's the cheapest current option by which the hms can be experienced. There's even a photo with h2/hms on a plane somewhere. How could two devices possibly compromise each other negatively if they were designed by the same engineer to compliment each other positively? You tell someone something on headfi and as it gets passed down the chain it gets more and more twisted. Classic.

The text in bold.

Easy, H2 hasn’t got the capabilities to show off the mscaler at it’s best. Rob and Chord are shrewd business men, do you really think they would make their best sounding setup a H2 + HMS ? nobody would buy anything else if it was true.

It’s like buying a schiit computer and then upgrading it with a top of the range gpu, no matter how good the gpu is, if the cpu hasn’t got the power to run the game, you’re not going to get the full capabilities out of the gpu.

The game will be cpu limited and, the only way around that is to upgrade to a better cpu. Then and only then will the gpu come to life. The cpu is H2 and the gpu is HMS in the above example. Thats the “two devices that go together but which compromise each other”. A cpu and a gpu.

Rob choosing a h2 on a desert island was because the island has no electricity, thats why he said he would choose a H2 with a full charge

Edit.

Don’t read this as ”the mscaler is schiit on Hugo 2” as thats not the case, it good on hugo 2.

All I’m saying is that it scales well, the better the dac, the better the mscaler will be able to show off it’s capabilities to the fullest.

 

[musickid]

HMS is excellent with a TT2. And the HMS does perform far better with a TT2 than with a hugo2. But the HMS was also designed to work with a hugo2 and quite a few people prefer the h2/HMS combo to a dave.

 

[514077]

Possibly. But with Qutest you need a third party amp which we all know completely and utterly destroys the sounds.

Oh my god! The 3rd-party amp doesn't destroy: It merely films over the transparency of the Qutest/H2 a bit. And the H2 doesn't scale down the HMS: The HMS uptakes the SQ of the H2/TT2/Qutest/DAVE. Let's just get our hyperboly straight before going over the top.

 

[514077]

The text in bold.

Easy, H2 hasn’t got the capabilities to show off the mscaler at it’s best. Rob and Chord are shrewd business men, do you really think they would make their best sounding setup a H2 + HMS ? nobody would buy anything else if it was true.

It’s like buying a schiit computer and then upgrading it with a top of the range gpu, no matter how good the gpu is, if the cpu hasn’t got the power to run the game, you’re not going to get the full capabilities out of the gpu.

The game will be cpu limited and, the only way around that is to upgrade to a better cpu. Then and only then will the gpu come to life. The cpu is H2 and the gpu is HMS in the above example. Thats the “two devices that go together but which compromise each other”. A cpu and a gpu.

Rob choosing a h2 on a desert island was because the island has no electricity, thats why he said he would choose a H2 with a full charge

Edit.

Don’t read this as ”the mscaler is schiit on Hugo 2” as thats not the case, it good on hugo 2.

All I’m saying is that it scales well, the better the dac, the better the mscaler will be able to show off it’s capabilities to the fullest.

Thank you! with a sigh. You said it better than I. Whatever Chord DAC one uses, the MScaler will improve on it. My dream, of course, would be a DAVE/MScaler.
But that ain't gonna happen. I'd even be happy with my H2/Scaler. But, I can only wish at this time.

 

[betula]

Oh my god! The 3rd-party amp doesn't destroy: It merely films over the transparency of the Qutest/H2 a bit. And the H2 doesn't scale down the HMS: The HMS uptakes the SQ of the H2/TT2/Qutest/DAVE. Let's just get our hyperboly straight before going over the top.

I was being a bit sarcastic here responding to all the comments that said anything apart from pure Chord DAC sound is a coloured mess and muddy, degraded sound.

 

[514077]

I was being a bit sarcastic here responding to all the comments that said anything apart from pure Chord DAC sound is a coloured mess and muddy, degraded sound.

My appologies. I missed the sarcasm. And next to puns, it's my favourite form of humour.

 

[Amberlamps]

Thank you! with a sigh. You said it better than I. Whatever Chord DAC one uses, the MScaler will improve on it. My dream, of course, would be a DAVE/MScaler.
But that ain't gonna happen. I'd even be happy with my H2/Scaler. But, I can only wish at this time.

If only I had a spare one UE.

 

[Scrum92]

Does anybody have any experience using the AudioQuest B to Micro adaptor? https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Hi-Fi-Audio-Cables/AudioQuest-USB-B-Micro-Adaptor/B00M0H4J6C/

It looks to work pretty well from what I can find online, but curious to know if anybody has direct experience? The thing I'm concerned about is straining the port by way of the weight of the adaptor and cable attached to being held up by the micro USB port alone, but I intend to use a cable desk clip (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07C7RTDFD/) to help elevate.