[burbster]

I have a strange issue at the moment with my mscaler. I suspect it's the bnc cables but it's odd nonetheless. On my first listening session everything was fine, i could run through the output of the mscaler and both see and hear the different sample rates. Yesterday however it started to sound a bit off, the stereo image had shifted slightly. I then started to cycle through the output rates only this time it displayed no data and no sound UNTIL I get to the full sample rate. At which point everything works. I have some borrowed AQ cables which I will try later. Any one else experienced something similar. I wouldn't mind but even in full upscale mode it still sounds a bit off. I will say though that when it was working it really was like having the band in front of me. Huge improvement over the Dave alone, and I thought that was awesome.

 

[ZappaMan]

With what headphones are you on blue?

With Hugo2 and Utopia I’m in the red range, same with ETHER Flow and LCDi4. No M scaler though.

HD800s. Have you ever had these headphones, could you compare them with ETHER Flow or LCD 4 ?
Rob says theres a 3db volume drop when routed through mscaler (sorry for paraphrasing), when controlling hugo2, to increase 3db, is that 3 clicks, or cycle through 3 colours?

 

[Mikey99]

I have a strange issue at the moment with my mscaler. I suspect it's the bnc cables but it's odd nonetheless. On my first listening session everything was fine, i could run through the output of the mscaler and both see and hear the different sample rates. Yesterday however it started to sound a bit off, the stereo image had shifted slightly. I then started to cycle through the output rates only this time it displayed no data and no sound UNTIL I get to the full sample rate. At which point everything works. I have some borrowed AQ cables which I will try later. Any one else experienced something similar. I wouldn't mind but even in full upscale mode it still sounds a bit off. I will say though that when it was working it really was like having the band in front of me. Huge improvement over the Dave alone, and I thought that was awesome.

I had the same thing after I switched BNC cables around. I found it is important to connect BNC 1 output on the M-Scaler to BNC 1 input on DAVE, and BNC2 output to BNC 2 input. The same applies if I use BNC 3/4 inputs. If I reverse this I get exactly what you describe. Check the labelling of the outputs and inputs, the layout is counterintuitive (at least to me).

 

[Mikey99]

Sorry, deleting repeated post

 

[Mikey99]

Sorry, deleting repeated post

 

[AndrewOld]

I have a strange issue at the moment with my mscaler. I suspect it's the bnc cables but it's odd nonetheless. On my first listening session everything was fine, i could run through the output of the mscaler and both see and hear the different sample rates. Yesterday however it started to sound a bit off, the stereo image had shifted slightly. I then started to cycle through the output rates only this time it displayed no data and no sound UNTIL I get to the full sample rate. At which point everything works. I have some borrowed AQ cables which I will try later. Any one else experienced something similar. I wouldn't mind but even in full upscale mode it still sounds a bit off. I will say though that when it was working it really was like having the band in front of me. Huge improvement over the Dave alone, and I thought that was awesome.

It is also important to cycle through the inputs on your DAVE in left to right order .. if you cycle backwards to BNc3/4 it goes wonky.

 

[x RELIC x]

HD800s. Have you ever had these headphones, could you compare them with ETHER Flow or LCD 4 ?
Rob says theres a 3db volume drop when routed through mscaler (sorry for paraphrasing), when controlling hugo2, to increase 3db, is that 3 clicks, or cycle through 3 colours?

I’ve heard the HD800 many times but they aren’t to my taste, and too bright (IMO). Compared to the ETHER Flow they are thin and harsh sounding (IMO). My thoughts align with Tyll’s (formerly) from Innerfidelity. I’ve only heard the LCD-4 through the Deckard amp (a warm amp) at a show so I really don’t have any meaningful comparison with the LCD-4 in good listening conditions or with my gear. My earlier reference was for the LCDi4, the TOTL IEM from Audeze.

Each click is a one dB change, so three clicks. Three zones would be much more than a 3dB change.

 

[ZappaMan]

I’ve heard the HD800 many times but they aren’t to my taste, and too bright (IMO). Compared to the ETHER Flow they are thin and harsh sounding (IMO). I’ve only heard the LCD-4 through the Deckard amp (a warm amp) at a show so I really don’t have any meaningful comparison with the LCD-4 in good listening conditions or with my gear. My earlier reference was for the LCDi4, the TOTL IEM from Audeze.

Each click is a one dB change, so three clicks. Three zones would be much more than a 3dB change.

thank you, i'm thinking about changing my hd800s, ether flow could be where i go to next, or ether c, i really dont know the ether products so not sure
i'm still on this mojo sounding great (in its own way) thing, so i'm reading it brings 'lush mids' to the sound, so i wouldn't mind a headphone that did that, i think i might be veering away from transparency as the main criteria in a headphone, so something that sounds darker, more textured, less bright.
I have se846, have you ever compared those to your LCDi4? the se846 are amazing, use them every day and they just keep giving.

 

[Jawed]

Did you resolve your drop out issues with the lower res files, if so how...? Thank You.

The problem I have is when I start music playing, or when I manually change to another track, there is one or more pops. The first one always seems to be at about the same time into the track, which makes me think it has something to do with the way DAVE locks on to the clock. But that's just a theory.

My USB cable fell down the back of my desk a few months back when I was doing a test for hum/noise while trying an amplifier into speakers from DAVE, so currently I'm just using optical as I can't be bothered to fish for the USB cable.

RCA interconnects pick up a lot of noise. And the placement of the USB cable did affect some aspects of that noise, which makes me sad.

Hum/noise was totally solved by driving the speakers directly from DAVE

Now playing: Ani DiFranco - Revelling/Reckoning

 

[AndrewOld]

There is no need or want for any DSP on my part. I feel I dont understand what bit perfect really means. I would expect a bit perfect stream to have a specific information about gain , volume etc. Unless of course volume adjustment can happen in the digital domain. Can it?

Yes volume adjustment can happen in the digital domain. So if you set Qobuz to any volume lower than 100% it would lower the "level" of the bits as it were, and would not send a bit-correct signal. Unfortunately (perhaps) the DAVE does not have the ability for it's volume to be controlled via USB - (some DACs do). But if Qobuz volume is at 100% there is no need for it to do any volume processing, it should send a bit perfect stream. One might feel a little more secure if there was an option in Qobuz to force it's volume to 100% - the venerable squeezebox Touch has such an option - that way you wouldn't run the risk of accidentally altering the volume at the Qobuz end. Something worth asking them for, because it can't be difficult to implement.

But if you "don't really understand what bit perfect means" it is maybe better to avoid posting suspicions that Qobuz isn't bit perfect!

 

[Triode User]

It is also important to cycle through the inputs on your DAVE in left to right order .. if you cycle backwards to BNc3/4 it goes wonky.

I know the manual says to cycle forwards through the inputs on the Dave but I often go backwards and it works fine. For instance I have just now cycled backwards from USB input on the Dave to BNC 3 and it behaved normally and locked onto the dual signal from the HMS after a few seconds in the normal way.

 

[x RELIC x]

thank you, i'm thinking about changing my hd800s, ether flow could be where i go to next, or ether c, i really dont know the ether products so not sure
i'm still on this mojo sounding great (in its own way) thing, so i'm reading it brings 'lush mids' to the sound, so i wouldn't mind a headphone that did that, i think i might be veering away from transparency as the main criteria in a headphone, so something that sounds darker, more textured, less bright.
I have se846, have you ever compared those to your LCDi4? the se846 are amazing, use them every day and they just keep giving.

PM sent to keep on topic.

 

[Nik74]

But if you "don't really understand what bit perfect means" it is maybe better to avoid posting suspicions that Qobuz isn't bit perfect!

Suspicion was perhaps an unlucky choice of wording. I hope my intentions behind that post aren’t being misunderstood as there was no harm intended. I have a subscription to both Qobuz and Tidal and enjoy both, even prefer Qobuz In terms of SQ. these forums are my source of information so I was just hoping for clarification from more knowledgable members. Which I got, so thank you

 

[burbster]

I had the same thing after I switched BNC cables around. I found it is important to connect BNC 1 output on the M-Scaler to BNC 1 input on DAVE, and BNC2 output to BNC 2 input. The same applies if I use BNC 3/4 inputs. If I reverse this I get exactly what you describe. Check the labelling of the outputs and inputs, the layout is counterintuitive (at least to me).

Thanks!! Yes that does seem to be the case, I don't think it mentions that anywhere!! thanks again.

 

[burbster]

I know the manual says to cycle forwards through the inputs on the Dave but I often go backwards and it works fine. For instance I have just now cycled backwards from USB input on the Dave to BNC 3 and it behaved normally and locked onto the dual signal from the HMS after a few seconds in the normal way.

It is also important to cycle through the inputs on your DAVE in left to right order .. if you cycle backwards to BNc3/4 it goes wonky.

I just tried this on my setup, it does not like it!! Really strange, but when I try to select inputs 'backwards' it locks on to the dual signal but plays it at 705 despite it being a HiRes track, when I cycle through the inputs the 'correct' way it goes to 768. Bizarre, but no big deal I guess now I know. Thanks guys.