[Amberlamps]

Just going optical out of an Asus Z97-PRO motherboard. Perhaps I should look into a sound card that does 196khz.

Asus Xonar sound cards do 192khz over it’s optical/3.5mm out port.

 

[tunes]

i don't like to leave anything on when i'm not using it. chord gear is not that dependent on 24/7 operation or constantly keeping things powered up. i have surge protection and always dac on after mscaler on and dac off before mscaler off. that's the general advice in the manuals. amp on last amp off first. could someone kindly double check that thanks to make sure i'm right.

I would think amp on first and amp off last since the more powerful amp and large capacitors could inject a voltage or current spike on turn on or turn off??? Please correct me if this logic false.

 

[Christer]

you should check Auralic Aries Mini - it's not a DAP but with an internal storage it could serve your needs. it is small to carry with you on your travels and plays all your required formats

Thanks for input. I'll look at that option.
Cheers Controversial Christer

 

[Christer]

Man walks into harrods.
Buys a state of the art machine that format recording thatcan turn a red Book cdto hi res

But goes back to harrods and wants another machine that that play hi res recordings into the same machine

Harrods staff are confused.
Offer the man their wonderful cup of coffee

He drinks it but goes off to Richer sounds to buy a hi res DAP.

Richer sounds ask him if he really wants to use this into the Mscaler

He says yes

They are confused but still sell the man something he doesn’t Really need.

Very funny.
I suppose this post is written with the intention of poking some fun at some of the questions discussed here currently.

FYI my personal reasons for wanting to use a DAP or similar gadget with my M Scaler is because I don't want to always have to start up ,my main workhorse, my big mbp just because I want to listen to music.
Besides there is a factual error involved in this week's episode at Harrods.

FYI there is NO such "machine" which can turn redbook into hi res.

Not even M Scaler can do that if that is the "machine" you actually have in mind?

M Scaler can certainly make rbcd much more listenable than possibly any other upscaling or upsampling CD player yes .But it can NOT turn rbcd into something it isn't.
Cheers Controversial Christer

 

[jarnopp]

Thanks for input. I'll look at that option.
Cheers Controversial Christer

Did anyone mention Shanling M0 yet? Very affordable, micro SD card storage up to 512gb, and digital out (supposedly) for $100. Never heard one, though.

 

[Christer]

My initial experiments a few years back between different DAPs connected via 2 inch coax cable to Hugo 1 and then TT1, were a slight perceptible difference. Since then I’ve collected more DAPs, connected via USB, Coax and Optical, and any differences were not clearly one better than the other. Connected to my Tag McClaren hifi however, coax sounded more precise than Optical, but that may be due to the Tag inputs.

Have you any native DSD512 music? I have unconverted via PC, for testing on my special edition iBasso DX200Ti DAP. The standard iBasso DX200 is one of a very few DAPs available capable of DSD512 playback, and there is a dedicated thread here on Head-Fi of DSD512 playback. Only 1 minute at a time with demo software! It sounds different, more holographic, but is it better? Possibly, as the DAP is working less on playback. But file sizes are enormous, and that is where Streamers score over DAPs, which usually have max 128 or 256GB internal memory and MicroSD cards that have only just reached 1TB.

Thanks,
your experiences sound interesting too and the iBassoDX200 sonds like a unit I will have to take a closer look at and try out among several others.
As far as DSD 512 is concerned, no I have nothing above DSD 256 and with both Qutest and M Scaler any DSD is converted into PCM anyway.
But if some of the classical labels like Reference Recordings for example who are currently recording in either DSD 256 or DXD with the Horus ADC would start recordng at DSD 512 it would be interesting to be able to play DSD 512 if that is how things were actually recorded.
Some of the problems with the lowly DSD 64 can become really problematic when DSD 64 has to go through editing and mastering.
DSD 64 raw files can actually sound very transparent and good and most of the DSD 256 /DXD recordings from Reference Recordings are very good recordings by any standard.
As I understand it what higher rate DSD like DSD 256 or DSD 512 can possibly achieve is a bit similar to what Rob Watts does ie it pushes the dreaded DSD noise out and away from aliasing into where we can hear it.
Cheers Controversial Christer PS where is the thread on DSD 512?

 

[Christer]

Did anyone mention Shanling M0 yet? Very affordable, micro SD card storage up to 512gb, and digital out (supposedly) for $100. Never heard one, though.

Thanks , another contender, and at a very reasonable price too.
Could be exactly what I am looking for.
Cheers Controversial Christer

 

[onlychild]

I just got a Hiby R3 for $200 from amazon and used it as a USB transport out to my Dave/Mscaler.

Sounded a lot better than my MacBook Pro usb out.

Less noise, less harshness, much more organic sounding, deeper and wider stage, etc

 

[AndrewH13]

Thanks , another contender, and at a very reasonable price too.
Could be exactly what I am looking for.
Cheers Controversial Christer

Bought my wife one for holidays. Shanling M0 is about an inch square

 

[AndrewH13]

Thanks,
your experiences sound interesting too and the iBassoDX200 sonds like a unit I will have to take a closer look at and try out among several others.

Cheers Controversial Christer PS where is the thread on DSD 512?

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dx200-and-dsd512-how-why.888682/

 

[x RELIC x]

I would think amp on first and amp off last since the more powerful amp and large capacitors could inject a voltage or current spike on turn on or turn off??? Please correct me if this logic false.

Amp on last, amp off first is the way to go. For example, the DAVE manual specifically cautions against the Current surge creating a loud pop which can damage the amp when turning on the DAVE if connected to an amp that is powered on. This is best practise for audio gear... Start with the source on first and power the final part of the chain last, reverse the order for shutdown.

 

[Deano1974]

Amp on last, amp off first is the way to go. For example, the DAVE manual specifically cautions against the Current surge creating a loud pop which can damage the amp when turning on the DAVE if connected to an amp that is powered on. This is best practise for audio gear... Start with the source on first and power the final part of the chain last, reverse the order for shutdown.

Relic is correct, LOFO easy to remember

Amplifier is Last On First Off

cheers

 

[naynay]

Hi,

Is there any one on here using the Antipodes EX streamer running through there M Scaler and can confirm that when the audio is stopped that the auto low power made on M Scaler activates?

Thanks.

 

[Torq]

Playing with the M-Scaler using it's optical-output, mostly out of morbid curiosity, I find that the Output Sample rate options do not follow those of the COAX and (single) BNC connections, nor the indications in the manual (or at least the latest version on the Chord site).

In "Passthrough" mode, the optical output correctly operates at the same bit-rate/depth as the source is feeding the M-Scaler. However, the "Green" setting, which the manual says should result in an optical output rate of 88.2 kHz or 96 kHz (depending on the source rate) jumps immediately to 176.4 kHz or 192 kHz.

In other words, it does not seem to be possible to get an output rate of anything other than 176.4 kHz or 192 kHz via optical from the M-Scaler unless it is in passthrough mode. This doesn't cause me any issues, I'm just curious if that's the intended behavior (and the manual is in error), or if there is some other factor affecting the output rate behavior on the optical link. BNC output steps up in the sequence listed in the manual.

 

[Christer]

I just got a Hiby R3 for $200 from amazon and used it as a USB transport out to my Dave/Mscaler.

Sounded a lot better than my MacBook Pro usb out.

Less noise, less harshness, much more organic sounding, deeper and wider stage, etc

I like both to hear and read Good News.
I don't closely follow mainstream media channels with their typical agenda of reporting almost only bad news, including all possible terrible accidents,conflicts and close up views from warzones they can dig up and feed people with on a daily basis for that very reason.

But this sounds like good news indeed.

When I will be back in KL and Singapore next month I will try out several of these interesting little DAPs suggested by you and others in past few days.
Thanks a lot for everybody's input.
A 200 USD unit that sounds better via M Scaler than my Macbook Pro is exactly what I am loooking for!
Cheers Controversial Christer