[wdh777]

Can you tell a big difference between a Hi Res source vs HIFI when upscaling fully with M Scaler and TT2?

 

[Triode User]

I have a Dave with the HMS and I can tell a subtle but clear difference. If there is a genuine hi res download available I always buy it in preference to the 44.1 version.

 

[aldavey]

I have a Dave with the HMS and I can tell a subtle but clear difference. If there is a genuine hi res download available I always buy it in preference to the 44.1 version.

How do you determine ‘genuine’ IMHO it’s very difficult to determine the provenance of most so called ‘High res’ downloads available. There are exceptions, AIX records is one for example.

 

[ciukas]

I've only listened to my HMS/DAVE since last night, but here are some very quick impressions:

There is a very marked jump in sound quality for approx 95% of the redbook material I threw at it when using passthrough mode. In short, it works, and it is genre agnostic. I found hi rez to have a more subtle jump, but it's still a clear improvement.

Some tracks do indeed have a little less bass bloom but only because it's tighter and more defined, and even then, it is to the benefit of the track. Most music, however, had similar or slightly more bass with fuller and more defined notes. Tbh I hadn't noticed these changes until I made a point to specifically pay attention to that issue because I was more entranced by how much more expressive vocals are. When the 1m taps are working, everything is more full of life. It's such an easy and noticeable improvement that I'm a little perplexed by other reports.

But I struggled to hear any differences on some tracks. Some had no changes, some were only subtle... and it made me think I might have screwed up my HMS by playing around too much with the passthrough mode. Of course, this wasn't the case at all.

Personally, the most impressive and obvious benefit to the 1m taps is that music is a lot less bogged down, and everything becomes more holographic with even more presence. It is honestly hard to go back to the DAVE solo afterwards. Will report back with proper impressions when I get to audition the TT2 again, and receive the right HMS cables for the H2.

 

[SunWarrior]

Quick disappointment burst. I am supposed to get my HMS delivered today.

But I see from the tracking number that the box is headed back to the seller.

Darn it to forever. Shipment mistake? Or did the box get damaged already?

Dave, who says if the box got damaged then it's good to go back to seller but that's still very disappointing

 

[Boogie7910]

I've only listened to my HMS/DAVE since last night, but here are some very quick impressions:

There is a very marked jump in sound quality for approx 95% of the redbook material I threw at it when using passthrough mode. In short, it works, and it is genre agnostic. I found hi rez to have a more subtle jump, but it's still a clear improvement.

Some tracks do indeed have a little less bass bloom but only because it's tighter and more defined, and even then, it is to the benefit of the track. Most music, however, had similar or slightly more bass with fuller and more defined notes. Tbh I hadn't noticed these changes until I made a point to specifically pay attention to that issue because I was more entranced by how much more expressive vocals are. When the 1m taps are working, everything is more full of life. It's such an easy and noticeable improvement that I'm a little perplexed by other reports.

But I struggled to hear any differences on some tracks. Some had no changes, some were only subtle... and it made me think I might have screwed up my HMS by playing around too much with the passthrough mode. Of course, this wasn't the case at all.

Personally, the most impressive and obvious benefit to the 1m taps is that music is a lot less bogged down, and everything becomes more holographic with even more presence. It is honestly hard to go back to the DAVE solo afterwards. Will report back with proper impressions when I get to audition the TT2 again, and receive the right HMS cables for the H2.

Interesting. More reports that pass-through improves the sound and doesn't necessarily = to HMS being out of the chain.

Important question. Did pass through sound the same as other modes and did you here the SQ get progressively better as you cycled up the sample rates?

 

[ciukas]

Interesting. More reports that pass-through improves the sound and doesn't necessarily = to HMS being out of the chain.

Important question. Did pass through sound the same as other modes and did you here the SQ get progressively better as you cycled up the sample rates?

To my ears, each incremental jumps till 500k taps were clear but subtle.. I know I wouldn't buy a 500k MScaler even at £1000. It's truly at 1m taps where the magic happens.

 

[JaZZ]

Interesting. More reports that pass-through improves the sound and doesn't necessarily = to HMS being out of the chain.

I think he was comparing pass-through with 1 million taps, not with removed M Scaler. The text is indeed a bit misleading.

 

[Jan Tage Holmber]

To my ears, each incremental jumps till 500k taps were clear but subtle.. I know I wouldn't buy a 500k MScaler even at £1000. It's truly at 1m taps where the magic really happens.

I agree completely, on the spot!

 

[burbster]

I decided to test pass through mode after all the discussion. Its perhaps worth mentioining that all my tests were done with loud speakers and not headphones. I certainly beleived that I could tell the difference between pass throuigh and full upscale mode. For me the vocals juist seem to come forward and the whole sound stage gains depth, iin full mode, where as in pass through mode it still sounds almost as wide, but just flat, really flat.

Also at the risk of repeating myself, has anyone else found the HMS optical input to be superior to USB? I never found this with the Dave, but I am noticing significant differences on HMS. I accept it could be my Aries, but if so I thought I would have had same result when using just DAVE??

 

[ciukas]

I decided to test pass through mode after all the discussion. Its perhaps worth mentioining that all my tests were done with loud speakers and not headphones. I certainly beleived that I could tell the difference between pass throuigh and full upscale mode. For me the vocals juist seem to come forward and the whole sound stage gains depth, iin full mode, where as in pass through mode it still sounds almost as wide, but just flat, really flat.
...

Interesting. We really all do hear differently. With the 1mil taps on, I felt singers were slightly pushed back in the stage, but that vocals were slightly more present at the same time, a little fuller if you will... and certainly more emotive.. Hope I'm making sense.

 

[Amberlamps]

Quick disappointment burst. I am supposed to get my HMS delivered today.

But I see from the tracking number that the box is headed back to the seller.

Darn it to forever. Shipment mistake? Or did the box get damaged already?

Dave, who says if the box got damaged then it's good to go back to seller but that's still very disappointing

The mscaler comes in two boxes, outer and inner, and it is packaged in such a way that it would be very hard for the mscaler inside to get damaged.

Why your one is heading back is a mystery, but if the mscaler inside is damaged, it took a look of force to do so.

 

[Amberlamps]

I decided to test pass through mode after all the discussion. Its perhaps worth mentioining that all my tests were done with loud speakers and not headphones. I certainly beleived that I could tell the difference between pass throuigh and full upscale mode. For me the vocals juist seem to come forward and the whole sound stage gains depth, iin full mode, where as in pass through mode it still sounds almost as wide, but just flat, really flat.

Also at the risk of repeating myself, has anyone else found the HMS optical input to be superior to USB? I never found this with the Dave, but I am noticing significant differences on HMS. I accept it could be my Aries, but if so I thought I would have had same result when using just DAVE??

I never noticed a difference between opt input and usb input. Both sounded the same to me.

 

[supervisor]

. . . . . but my plaintive voice at the back again saying I much prefer the Live in Berlin 2 CD set (I cannot find a Hi Res download version)

this album is not available in the US for some reason.

 

[burbster]

Interesting. We really all do hear differently. With the 1mil taps on, I felt singers were slightly pushed back in the stage, but that vocals were slightly more present at the same time, a little fuller if you will... and certainly more emotive.. Hope I'm making sense.

Yes you are making total sense to me, i agree with everything other that with me they seem to come forward guess that could be down to differences in our set up.