[DaneNoodles]

That's pretty impressive. I wasn't aware of this.

 

[flyte3333]

That's pretty impressive. I wasn't aware of this.

From Rob:

"80,000 hours of operation - or about 10 years of being on permanently. But even with 50% capacity, Hugo 2 will still work perfectly well in standby mode, and will actually work with 0% battery capacity (or battery disconnected). Of course, this assumes the battery does not fail with an internal short!"

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...official-thread.831345/page-874#post-14292857

 

[Deftone]

If you are using the computer as a source, I could suggest trying HQPlayer on the PC instead of mscaler and the H2 as your dac. This will give close to mscaler filter for a fraction of the cost. Just a suggestion that is working for my budget.

Im not sure it will, Rob's WTA filter is not available on HQ player. Ive heard you could run crazy 10 million tap filters on that but i doubt it would sound better than the 1 million tap mscaler.

 

[Rob Watts]

Maybe a question for @Rob Watts

Hi Rob, is there any technical mechanism possible for a ground loop 'hum' with Hugo2 if there is only the PSU and headphones connected to Hugo2 and there is no source connected? i.e. there is no 'loop'?

All PSUs have a 50 or 60Hz (mains frequency) related leakage current - of the order of 10's of uA - so really small. But this leakage current wants to be earthed, and if it is via your body via your headphones then the current will take that path, and flow through the HP causing an audible hum. So its a ground loop via your own body - to stop the hum you simply need a single low impedance path to ground, so earthing Hugo 2 will stop the hum. It's this leakage current that can give you the tingling sensation when you touch the anodised metalwork. Note that a single low impedance ground connection won't create a ground loop - unless there are two paths.

I only ever noticed it in Indonesia once, and it turned out that the mains voltage was a whopping 310V - and even then I had to touch my HP connectors to get the audible buzz.

 

[flyte3333]

So its a ground loop via your own body

Cheers Rob. That's a path I'd never thought about. Makes sense when I think about the tingling you mentioned.

 

[Progisus]

Im not sure it will, Rob's WTA filter is not available on HQ player. Ive heard you could run crazy 10 million tap filters on that but i doubt it would sound better than the 1 million tap mscaler.

I agree. But if cost is an issue and you have the PC anyway you can get pretty close. I wonder if anyone with an mscaler and HQPlayer has been able to compare the effect. I know I would prefer an mscaler but I also would not go back from the quality change that HQP has provided in the meantime.

 

[dontfeedphils]

I agree. But if cost is an issue and you have the PC anyway you can get pretty close. I wonder if anyone with an mscaler and HQPlayer has been able to compare the effect. I know I would prefer an mscaler but I also would not go back from the quality change that HQP has provided in the meantime.

It's not about the number of taps, it's about the proprietary filter used in the Mscaler. Seems like an apples to oranges comparison.

 

[musickid]

HQ player does not implement a WTA algorithm so its performance will never come close to a hardware mscaler with 740 dsp core processors built on a massive fpga. A case of apples to oranges here. Transients the stopping and starting of notes and the exact precise corresponding timing.

 

[Progisus]

HQ player does not implement a WTA algorithm so its performance will never come close to a hardware mscaler with 740 dsp core processors built on a massive fpga. A case of apples to oranges here. Transients the stopping and starting of notes and the exact precise corresponding timing.

I'm sure everything you say is true but for 200$ CAD you can get a taste. That's all I'm saying. I never said it is equal as I do not have the opportunity to compare or even hear the mscaler in my neck of the woods. It would be nice if someone with an mscaler and a PC could try the HQPlayer trial and report. What Rob has done by bringing the importance of transient re-creation has made others try to raise the bar to his level. A good thing for the hobby I think. HQPlayer (with some other front end such as roon) has allowed others to hear what this affect could bring for a moderate cost. I am not a HQP fan boy but appreciate the new level of enjoyment it has brought for now. BTW - It also provides improvement to my TT. It has also made my H2 the preferred DAC for me over my TT now that the digital glare is gone. IMHO.

 

[musickid]

People might start to wrongly believe the mscaler can be accurately emulated. My intention is not to sound elitist but more a desire to share and make others aware of how beautiful music can sound when the original analogue recording is recaptured in its full entirety.

 

[flyte3333]

how beautiful music can sound when the original analogue recording is recaptured in its full entirety.

Re-captured?

 

[musickid]

Yes recaptured. A quality that once existed or exists somewhere else and is brought back into existence. The reconstruction of the original analogue signal in the ADC. Now i hear the artist's real voice whereas before it was a flat uniform response.

 

[ZappaMan]

Question, I'm getting into some really pricey stuff and honestly at the same time I'm hoping not to cross "overkill" territory. That's probably inevitable, but here is what i'm not/ or looking for.
Really really good sound, the obvious. PC>USB>DAC/AMP>Headphones. Compact would be great, but portable is not that important. Most likely the headphones would be plugged in by 1/4 stereo, 3.5, or balanced.
Not to big on XLR's. As far as quality goes does USB in/out make any difference or XLR's. Sorry for the stupid questions. You guys are super helpful, thank you!

I listed to some DSD/TIDAL/24bit FLACs

I’d recommend you get a mojo and then unsubscribe from these threads! Mojo has plenty to offer, no need to spend crazy thousands.

 

[21qz]

I’d recommend you get a mojo and then unsubscribe from these threads! Mojo has plenty to offer, no need to spend crazy thousands.

I do love this answer, or my wallet does, but can this be explained?

 

[ZappaMan]

I do love this answer, or my wallet does, but can this be explained?

probably not without taking a lot of abuse. I think hifi products are so over priced, its crazy, but they count on us being crazy to pay for them. Then there is the whole secondary market, of people just making up crazy prices for cables that could be manufactured for a tenth of the retail value. So, the end customer is really getting fooked over big time, no doubt about that.
but at the price point, mojo gets you as far as you need to go, its overpowered (but they kept that quiet), i listen to mojo every day at work, and you get as much out of it as you choose to concentrate and listen too. Adding better headphones to mojo is a great way to spend your money I'd suggest.
I have 8k mscaler\tt2 sitting on my desk, and they are great, really are, but i could have got by with mojo just fine.
I'm just saying this, to add some balance, for anyone thinking, they must have these products, you dont, you get used to them and you dont even hear then magic when that happens!
Ultimately, to spend thousands, you really need to be sure or have plenty of expendable cash. Do you just listen casually, is it background music etc etc.

I see 'confessions of an audiophile' on youtube, and the guy there is saying something similar, he says, he really only needs to listen to music at his pc, if he had a cool setup for that, that would do him. But he had spent tens of thousands on uber high end kit for his 'listening room', but on reflection, its not a wise way to behave unless you have the cash or the time.

What do i know anyway, and i'm a hypocrite as i get lots of enjoyment from my kit, but i might just do it, i might just solely use mojo for a month and see if my life \ enjoyment of music is any worse

ps, i'm not saying chord are gready, but once everyone in the chain gets their cut, its certainly expensive for the customers