[Jawed]

I have been listening to the new BNC cables for a few hours now. Drop-outs are almost completely gone, so far I have heard only very occasional ones on BNC 1+2 inputs, and none on BNC 3+4 inputs on the DAVE. The BNC cables are the same type as the previous ones, stock cables provided by Chord with the M-Scaler.

Per my previous post the drop-outs only occurred with USB input and not optical, and only in dual BNC mode. So it appears to be related to the sensitivity of the overall system to a poor dual BNC connection, but for some reason only manifested in USB mode.

Does a battery powered-USB source cause the same problem?

 

[Clive101]

Does a battery powered-USB source cause the same problem?

Yes done a check with a Onkyo DP X1 USB out to Mscaler, 3 single drops in one track. Powered by internal battery. Hope that helps....

 

[Mikey99]

Does a battery powered-USB source cause the same problem?

yes, same problem from iPhone or iPad

 

[Clive101]

Just changed USB cables same drop outs.

 

[jlbrach]

the problem may well be your source...i went 18 months without drop outs then changed my laptop to a new macbook pro with mojave which it seems causes noise and drop outs...my old mac with high sierra did not do this...i bought a roon nucleus server and thus far have not yet experienced a drop out...i have dave/blu2

 

[Clive101]

I have tried two Melco n1z and Onkyo with standalone mode both have drop outs. Will try a laptop tomorrow let's see what happens...?

 

[GreenLeo]

Will aftermarket BNC cables be necessary to get the best out of the MS?

To get the best, yes.

 

[Jawed]

Yes done a check with a Onkyo DP X1 USB out to Mscaler, 3 single drops in one track. Powered by internal battery. Hope that helps....

It raises a red flag as a DAVE owner who is considering HMS.

Something else to try: feeding the battery powered source into HMS, have HMS and DAVE both plugged into the same wall socket for power. Do not use a power conditioner or some kind of multi-way power bar.

Another test: set the source (can be mains-powered) to upsample the USB feed to HMS. Try 88.2 or 176.4KHz, to see if it makes a difference? This test is to see if this is like a problem that has been reported with other Chord DACs. In some reported cases (including my own) upsampling the USB output reduced or eliminated drop-outs/pops.

 

[GreenLeo]

And my

Priorities!
My shiny fuel economic,Toyota Corolla which I bought for roughly the same money I paid for my Qutest with only 12000k on the clock ,serves me very well indeed.

I took it to the annual compulsory inspection just before leaving for Asia a couple of weeks ago and was greeted with" lets take a look at this gem again"


It passed without a single fault noted for the third year since buying it.
And it is from 1999.

In the world of analogue audio there are actually lots of comparable bargains to be made for those who know what to look for and what really counts in HIFI.

Much more difficult to attain similar value for money in digital audio imho.

But yes I admit Mscaler is indeed,quite tempting.

And music matters A LOT to me too.

I'll be cramming in five live concerts in two different cities in a bit over a week now.
Just for my love of music.

Back on topic . On the other hand in a very vivid dream I had recently, there was a much cheaper,much smaller and more lightweight than the current Mscaler, basically Qutest size Mscaler,already there to be fondled and listened to, and it did everything right in my dream.
I sometimes have dreams that come true, and surprisingly often lucid dreams.
Talk about travelling!
Those can be really "groovy trips".

I am not sure if the cute little Mscaler in my dream actually came from Chord though?
It could have been a Chinese copy.

Cheers Controversial Christer

I doubt the dream may come out in 5 years' time and I wish it won't happen because of the IP issue. Nothing personal.

The HMS is a "cheap" device in its own category. Do not get me wrong, financialy it is a burden to me. However, when compared to other big names in the DAC industry that offer same SQ, HMS is very cheap.

 

[danish71]

I'm very surprised that some members did not find the differernce large enough. To me, no blind test is needed at all. In short, I'm there.

I didn’t see those posts. Could you point me to one of them? I have mostly seen high praise, and it could be interesting to know different opinions.
In my system and to my ears the differences are subtle. Still waiting to experience this transformational change that several members have reported. At first listen I attributed the great analogue sound in my system to the M Scaler, but by switching back and forth between pass through (red) and full upscale (white), I came to the conclusion that Dave is an absolutely amazing DAC, and the full upscaled HMS only made a subtle difference. This was of course disappointing , because 1)I had really high expectations, and 2) I bought two (for two setups).
My preliminary conclusion is that HMS may not be targeted people like me with less than perfect ears. Many years with a violin under my chin and years of playing in a symphony orchestra may not have done any good to my hearing either. However, what I believe to hear with the full upscaling HMS is a more open and free sound. It may be called a bigger soundstage in audiophile terms.
It is also possible that I need more time to appreciate the improvements that the HMS brings, so time will tell.
I must stress that I do believe what people report about their experiences with great improvements, so I have no desire to dispute any of those positive findings that have been expressed already! But people’s ability to hear small audible variations differ a lot, as expressed by Rob Watts already, and I may be one audiophile with less sensitive and untrained ears.
On a side note, one thing that I would like to find out is, if Dave sounds different without the HMS in the path vs HMS in pass through mode. I have a suspicion that there is a difference. Just need some time to test it..

 

[GreenLeo]

Maybe the Mscaler is not affordable to all... quality does cost money after all

Well said.

 

[GreenLeo]

I didn’t see those posts. Could you point me to one of them? I have mostly seen high praise, and it could be interesting to know different opinions.
In my system and to my ears the differences are subtle. Still waiting to experience this transformational change that several members have reported. At first listen I attributed the great analogue sound in my system to the M Scaler, but by switching back and forth between pass through (red) and full upscale (white), I came to the conclusion that Dave is an absolutely amazing DAC, and the full upscaled HMS only made a subtle difference. This was of course disappointing , because 1)I had really high expectations, and 2) I bought two (for two setups).
My preliminary conclusion is that HMS may not be targeted people like me with less than perfect ears. Many years with a violin under my chin and years of playing in a symphony orchestra may not have done any good to my hearing either. However, what I believe to hearHi Danish71,

ith the full upscaling HMS is a more open and free sound. It may be called a bigger soundstage in audiophile terms.
It is also possible that I need more time to appreciate the improvements that the HMS brings, so time will tell.
I must stress that I do believe what people report about their experiences with great improvements, so I have no desire to dispute any of those positive findings that have been expressed already! But people’s ability to hear small audible variations differ a lot, as expressed by Rob Watts already, and I may be one audiophile with less sensitive and untrained ears.
On a side note, one thing that I would like to find out is, if Dave sounds different without the HMS in the path vs HMS in pass through mode. I have a suspicion that there is a difference. Just need some time to test it..

Hi Danish71,

My wordings were "not large enough" and your wordings was "subtle" which fits in my category of "not large enough". Hence you're one of them. Fair?

I trust your impressions completely and I wonder something wrong in your setup (not the devices). I remember that Rob did mentioned that Blu2+DAVE provides no magic could happen and did happened in some setups that he encountered. In this case, the whole system should be inspected again to find the problem. Then the magic comes again.

I'm no expert in trouble shooting because I'm a headfi guy, not a speaker guy, and my system is very simple. Maybe other headfiers may chime in.

I suspect that there are something wrong in the physical setup, then the settings.
There are something very silly and simple that one may try.

1. From server: USB to HMS with HMS at full upsampling, from HMS: dual BNC to DAVE (no other connections to DAVE apart from the dual BNC). Then listen to your favorites for a week.
2. Disconnect the USB from HMS (HMS off power please) and then connect it to DAVE, disconnect the dual BNC from DAVE (again no other connection to DAVE apart from the USB now). Play your favorite.

After a week's time, the placebo effect should be gone and the difference should be apparent. If not, check the setup.

 

[danish71]

Hi Danish71,

My wordings were "not large enough" and your wordings was "subtle" which fits in my category of "not large enough". Hence you're one of them. Fair?

I trust your impressions completely and I wonder something wrong in your setup (not the devices). I remember that Rob did mentioned that Blu2+DAVE provides no magic could happen and did happened in some setups that he encountered. In this case, the whole system should be inspected again to find the problem. Then the magic comes again.

I'm no expert in trouble shooting because I'm a headfi guy, not a speaker guy, and my system is very simple. Maybe other headfiers may chime in.

I suspect that there are something wrong in the physical setup, then the settings.
There are something very silly and simple that one may try.

1. From server: USB to HMS with HMS at full upsampling, from HMS: dual BNC to DAVE (no other connections to DAVE apart from the dual BNC). Then listen to your favorites for a week.
2. Disconnect the USB from HMS (HMS off power please) and then connect it to DAVE, disconnect the dual BNC from DAVE (again no other connection to DAVE apart from the USB now). Play your favorite.

After a week's time, the placebo effect should be gone and the difference should be apparent. If not, check the setup.

Thanks for your advice, I appreciate it. My impressions are the same with Focal Utopia, either from Dave directly or through a Luxman P-750 headphone amp.
I will try to do what you suggested when I am back from my business trip.

 

[ZappaMan]

I didn’t see those posts. Could you point me to one of them? I have mostly seen high praise, and it could be interesting to know different opinions.
In my system and to my ears the differences are subtle. Still waiting to experience this transformational change that several members have reported. At first listen I attributed the great analogue sound in my system to the M Scaler, but by switching back and forth between pass through (red) and full upscale (white), I came to the conclusion that Dave is an absolutely amazing DAC, and the full upscaled HMS only made a subtle difference. This was of course disappointing , because 1)I had really high expectations, and 2) I bought two (for two setups).
My preliminary conclusion is that HMS may not be targeted people like me with less than perfect ears. Many years with a violin under my chin and years of playing in a symphony orchestra may not have done any good to my hearing either. However, what I believe to hear with the full upscaling HMS is a more open and free sound. It may be called a bigger soundstage in audiophile terms.
It is also possible that I need more time to appreciate the improvements that the HMS brings, so time will tell.
I must stress that I do believe what people report about their experiences with great improvements, so I have no desire to dispute any of those positive findings that have been expressed already! But people’s ability to hear small audible variations differ a lot, as expressed by Rob Watts already, and I may be one audiophile with less sensitive and untrained ears.
On a side note, one thing that I would like to find out is, if Dave sounds different without the HMS in the path vs HMS in pass through mode. I have a suspicion that there is a difference. Just need some time to test it..

I’ve been struggling with this a bit, now you hear it, now you don’t. And I have very limited time to actually listen too.
Last night I put on an album, as background, rather than to listen to what mscaler could do. As I focused on my other task, I really appreciated how vivid the music sounded. I thought, I bet this is how the person who recorded the music wanted it to be heard.
So, give it a few weeks, and try to ignore it

 

[GreenBow]

It's sometimes said that the best hifi gear takes time to appreciate. I guess it would also depend on partnering equipment.