Hugo M Scaler by Chord Electronics - The Official Thread

[AndrewOld]

I think the M Scaler was developed for the TT-2, the new M Scaler is being developed for the DAVE.

In fact the M Scaler was originally implemented inside the Blu2 CD transport which Is no longer in production. This led to pressure for a stand-alone implementation which to their credit Chord responded to with the current package in the far less expensive TT casework. Now talk is that they will use the more expensive Choral casework for the new M Scaler. Hard to see how this can be justified, except as a way of adding cost and not value. The DAVE was styled to match the CD player, which no longer exists. When you pair a DAVE with an MScaler vast chunks of the DAVE are redundant - the upscaling, most of the inputs, and the display. And the ergonomics of both are appalling; the DAVE has no markings on its controls, the M Scaler has coloured balls which mean nothing to almost everyone, you need two remote controls and neither of them let you directly select an input, the dual BNC interface is beset with problems and neither USB input can be controlled through software which should be a given in 2022. Time to look at the two products as a pair, and engineer them appropriately, and make them easily useable and accessible by everyone in your household. And time to have sensible options for streaming too.

 

[miketlse]

I think the M Scaler was developed for the TT-2, the new M Scaler is being developed for the DAVE.

No, the MScaler was developed for all the Chord dacs from H2 upwards, but the case was designed for the TT (Table Top) form factor, just like the TT2 and TToby.
The DAVE already had the original MScaler capability available in the Blu2, albeit for a higher price than TT MScaler.

The new xMScaler will be in a form factor that aligns with the DAVE, but will it also be usable by TT2 etc - I think many owners will be interested to discover the answer.

 

[jlbrach]

I think the M Scaler was developed for the TT-2, the new M Scaler is being developed for the DAVE.

nope, the dave was the target although the TT2 works with it as well

 

[jlbrach]

In fact the M Scaler was originally implemented inside the Blu2 CD transport which Is no longer in production. This led to pressure for a stand-alone implementation which to their credit Chord responded to with the current package in the far less expensive TT casework. Now talk is that they will use the more expensive Choral casework for the new M Scaler. Hard to see how this can be justified, except as a way of adding cost and not value. The DAVE was styled to match the CD player, which no longer exists. When you pair a DAVE with an MScaler vast chunks of the DAVE are redundant - the upscaling, most of the inputs, and the display. And the ergonomics of both are appalling; the DAVE has no markings on its controls, the M Scaler has coloured balls which mean nothing to almost everyone, you need two remote controls and neither of them let you directly select an input, the dual BNC interface is beset with problems and neither USB input can be controlled through software which should be a given in 2022. Time to look at the two products as a pair, and engineer them appropriately, and make them easily useable and accessible by everyone in your household. And time to have sensible options for streaming too.

I have the blu2 which does indeed physically match the dave and yes the m-scaler physically matches the TT2 but the underlying tech which was initially built for the dave is the same

 

[GuiltyRocker]

No, m scaler is for every current chord dac.

Correct, but if you look at the shape and all it is clear that the intention was for it to go with the TT-2 even though it is compatible with the other Chord DACs.

 

[Triode User]

Correct, but if you look at the shape and all it is clear that the intention was for it to go with the TT-2 even though it is compatible with the other Chord DACs.

At the time that the Mscaler was introduced there was the Blu Mk2 in the Choral (Dave range) with its built in Mscaler so I can see the logic of going with the Hugo TT format for the Mscaler. As it happened the Blu Mk2 was later discontinued leaving a gap in the Choral range and in any case the Mscaler was so successful that it has been widely taken up by all Chord dac owners no matter which one they own. It would have been easy just to rebox the Mscaler into a Dave type case and give it an internal power supply but I think Chord and Rob have been right to hold off until it was possible to develop a quantum leap forward in Mscaler thinking and to only bring that forward to join the Dave when it was at the right level of performance to justify what is inevitably going to be Dave price range product.

 

[rkt31]

Correct, but if you look at the shape and all it is clear that the intention was for it to go with the TT-2 even though it is compatible with the other Chord DACs.

Some shape had to be given anyway. Best option was to give a rectangular box shape so that it can be kept anywhere without a dedicated stand.

 

[rkt31]

New m scaler should have usb out for upsampled output instead of dual bnc. Casework should not be expensive and price should be same or near current m scaler. These days software upsampling has caught up so there is little point in making new m scaler very expensive.

 

[Reactcore]

It would have been easy just to rebox the Mscaler into a Dave type case and give it an internal power supply

Im just thinking to design and CNC or 3D print a Choral housing with internal shielding metal casework in wich i place the Mscaler PCB.. its small enough to fit since the scaler's housing is for 1/3 unused.

Then i could also fit my optic dual data link solution which im working on..
Im having the first results already



Oh.. and dont mind the mess.. its just a hobby workplace

 

[The Jester]

New m scaler should have usb out for upsampled output instead of dual bnc. Casework should not be expensive and price should be same or near current m scaler. These days software upsampling has caught up so there is little point in making new m scaler very expensive.

And then would start a whole new round of cable discussion like “which USB cable is best ?” … you think high end BNC cables are expensive, there’s USB cables out there that cost more than the Dave …
To take the MScaler to the next level a good high end fibre optic output, or outputs, along with a dedicated optical BNC or USB converter at the DAC end would be a good move, but then what powers the converter ? …. Deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole … Lol

 

[AndrewOld]

what is inevitably going to be Dave price range product.

Since you were completely wrong about the M scaler pricing you might consider making less unconditional prophecies. It is casework that is expensive and contributes substantially to the price. There is no need for a future M Scaler to be in an expensive box designed to match a CD player which is no longer available. There are many sensible things that could be done. And if enough people create enough pressure now, it is possible that Chord will respond. They did with the M Scaler.

 

[Reactcore]

My design of a Choral housed Mscaler is progressing.. in this i can also place my optic dual data link modification.

Still Missing the bolt holes and extra heatsink.
Dave can be placed on top giving access to the scaler buttons



Back side .. original backplate used


Internal ..original main and button PCB


Lets find a CNC company

Could also be made of 3D printed plastics..
But then i have to put in a metal shielding inside..

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

My design of a Choral housed Mscaler is progressing.. in this i can also place my optic dual data link modification.

Still Missing the bolt holes and extra heatsink.
Dave can be placed on top giving access to the scaler buttons



Back side .. original backplate used


Internal ..original main and button PCB


Lets find a CNC company

Could also be made of 3D printed plastics..
But then i have to put in a metal shielding inside..

Make a porthole display kinda like Dave has

 

[Reactcore]

Make a porthole display kinda like Dave has

I can't stack Dave on top then..
I could use a display controller and read out the led signals of the buttons.. but that would be to much.. now i can dismantle a HMS and place the parts into the new housing

 

[AndrewOld]

My design of a Choral housed Mscaler is progressing.. in this i can also place my optic dual data link modification.

Still Missing the bolt holes and extra heatsink.
Dave can be placed on top giving access to the scaler buttons



Back side .. original backplate used


Internal ..original main and button PCB


Lets find a CNC company

Could also be made of 3D printed plastics..
But then i have to put in a metal shielding inside..

Hideous! And close to unusable! You could get a job at Chord!

The coloured buttons are the worst design choice in any product I can think of. They don't indicate what they mean, which is indefensible. In 2022 going forward what controls on a product do you really need? Why can't you control the whole thing through an app and/or through dedicated software like Roon? And if the new M Scaler is to include equaliser features like the Mojo2 why would anyone in their right mind want to fiddle with coloured marbles instead of control it through an app? In which, for example, you might have dedicated headphone presets such as Roon provide for Audeze?

And why design a product that matches a CD player that cannot be bought?

Time too to have a less expensive variant of the DAVE for use with the current and future M Scaler. Wouldn't need any inputs, nor most of the controls, wouldn't need the upscaling circuitry, could get rid of the ghastly pixelated display, introduce decent switching between headphones and speakers, add a parallel output for a sub-woofer, and design an interface that worked rather than one that needed £1400 of wire to work optimally.