[tofudog]

Im sure someone has experience with this--I have an iFi micro USB 3.0 signal cleaner / purifier between my laptop streaming qobuz through to mscaler / TT2 and have wondered if its redundant being in the signal path, and that Rob more than likely took USB noise into consideration when designing his wonderful products. Any thoughts here would be helpful...thanks in advance...

 

[ray-dude]

With Hugo mScaler + DAVE, I hear a clear difference with Uptone ISORegen on the USB input to HMS (even more so with good power, like an Uptone LPS 1.2). Surprisingly, I hear a smaller incremental lift when I have a second ISO Regen in series with the first.

As always, trust your ears, and make a judgement whether the added cost/hassle/wires/complexity is worthwhile for you. Every system (and person) has a point of diminishing returns.

 

[musickid]

Less components less colouration tofudog.

Also if i disable wifi on my imac which transmits optical to my hms i would then need a wired ethernet connection to the mac thus making it a computer that is no longer properly isolated. With RF hygiene you open one door and another one closes!!

 

[iDesign]

Less components less colouration tofudog.

Also if i disable wifi on my imac which transmits optical to my hms i would then need a wired ethernet connection to the mac thus making it a computer that is no longer properly isolated. With RF hygiene you open one door and another one closes!!

Specifically 5GHz band with the 2.4GHz band disabled. And achieving perfect isolation is a futile attempt if you live in a multi-dwelling unit with other networks within range.

 

[514077]

Less components less colouration tofudog.

With RF hygiene you open one door and another one closes!!

Well, at least with your setup, the hills are alive with the sound of musickid.

 

[muski]

Harpsichords! I've never heard them reproduced from a digital source like M Scaler + DAVE. The additional attack/decay information was a delightful surprise. There's a great 3 CD collection of the Complete Bach Harpsichord Concertos played by Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert. I found most DACs made these recordings so bright and crispy that I could only listen for a few minutes. Not so with the Chord combo...

The 3rd movement of BWV 1062 for two harpsichords is especially great https://tidal.com/browse/track/7450021

 

[kerisabe]

Less components less colouration tofudog.

Also if i disable wifi on my imac which transmits optical to my hms i would then need a wired ethernet connection to the mac thus making it a computer that is no longer properly isolated. With RF hygiene you open one door and another one closes!!

A solution that might work for you which i did in my system is, im using the small n airport express to transmit the data then lan to your hms to eliminate ground connection from the main airport extreme. Adding active grounding to the airport express transmitting the lan to your hms helps alot. Ive connected 2 active ground lines to the audio out (3.5mm jack) and usb input on the airport express. Im also planning to modify the internal switching power supply in the airport express to be able to be connected to an external lpsu.

The one thing i havent tried is having the fiber optic sonore in between my mac and the lan output from the airport express.

PS: anyone here have tried connecting the hms via optical toslink inputting 16/44.1 - 96/24 from mbp/tidal then qutest? The next thing i want in my chain is the hms between my mbp and qutest since my old mbp is limited to only outputting max 24/96 via toslink.

 

[Windseeker]

Harpsichords! I've never heard them reproduced from a digital source like M Scaler + DAVE. The additional attack/decay information was a delightful surprise. There's a great 3 CD collection of the Complete Bach Harpsichord Concertos played by Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert. I found most DACs made these recordings so bright and crispy that I could only listen for a few minutes. Not so with the Chord combo...

I get exactly the same thoughts with Bach's Sonatas for Violin & Harpsichord by Sigiswald Kuijken & Gustav Leonhardt. The recording can sound harsh on some setups, but HMS + DAVE combo has none of it, and gives amazingly intimate experience instead.

 

[birdlandbill]

With Hugo mScaler + DAVE, I hear a clear difference with Uptone ISORegen on the USB input to HMS (even more so with good power, like an Uptone LPS 1.2). Surprisingly, I hear a smaller incremental lift when I have a second ISO Regen in series with the first.

As always, trust your ears, and make a judgement whether the added cost/hassle/wires/complexity is worthwhile for you. Every system (and person) has a point of diminishing returns.

Have had the same experience with a single Uptone ISORegen + LPS 1.2 on Hugo MScaler + Dave using a ZenWave USB cable. Looking forward to trying Uptone's EtherRegen.

 

[birdlandbill]

Harpsichords! I've never heard them reproduced from a digital source like M Scaler + DAVE. The additional attack/decay information was a delightful surprise. There's a great 3 CD collection of the Complete Bach Harpsichord Concertos played by Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert. I found most DACs made these recordings so bright and crispy that I could only listen for a few minutes. Not so with the Chord combo...

The 3rd movement of BWV 1062 for two harpsichords is especially great https://tidal.com/browse/track/7450021

Thank you for recommendation. Very nice. I listened to Mahan Esfahani's recordings of the Goldberg Variations and The Passinge Mesures (both available via Qobuz) and was astonished at fidelity to harpsichord live sound (maybe even a bit better than live due to astute microphone placement) through HMS Scaler + Dave and Focal Utopias. Esfahani is an amazing harpsichordist.

 

[simorag]

Harpsichords! I've never heard them reproduced from a digital source like M Scaler + DAVE. The additional attack/decay information was a delightful surprise.

I get exactly the same thoughts with Bach's Sonatas for Violin & Harpsichord by Sigiswald Kuijken & Gustav Leonhardt. The recording can sound harsh on some setups, but HMS + DAVE combo has none of it, and gives amazingly intimate experience instead.

I listened to Mahan Esfahani's recordings of the Goldberg Variations and The Passinge Mesures (both available via Qobuz) and was astonished at fidelity to harpsichord live sound (maybe even a bit better than live due to astute microphone placement) through HMS Scaler + Dave and Focal Utopias.

Another harpsichord lover here. The one below is one of my favorites (listening to it right now ).



I always found the DAVE an excellent performer with plucked strings instruments, with very clean, luminous and detailed presentation.
With the HMS the tone is slightly thicker, richer, more palpable, while remaining extremely detailed and fast. Depth and ambience effects are improved as well. The additional sense of realism and naturalness is addictive.

Another great recording / performance of stringed instrumental pleasure is the one below, with the bonus of a tremendous transparency and immersive soundstage expanding well beyond what should be possible with a headphone system.


By the way, the AB-1266 is sometimes described as the 'muscle car' of headphones , however it provides really a spectacular, refined experience also with baroque music, especially the latest TC edition.

 

[birdlandbill]

Another harpsichord lover here. The one below is one of my favorites (listening to it right now ).



I always found the DAVE an excellent performer with plucked strings instruments, with very clean, luminous and detailed presentation.
With the HMS the tone is slightly thicker, richer, more palpable, while remaining extremely detailed and fast. Depth and ambience effects are improved as well. The additional sense of realism and naturalness is addictive.

Another great recording / performance of stringed instrumental pleasure is the one below, with the bonus of a tremendous transparency and immersive soundstage expanding well beyond what should be possible with a headphone system.


By the way, the AB-1266 is sometimes described as the 'muscle car' of headphones , however it provides really a spectacular, refined experience also with baroque music, especially the latest TC edition.

Nice recommendations. I have listened to the Julian Bream recording. Like you, I find stringed instruments including piano, guitar, violin and cello amaze with the HMS Scaler/Dave combination. I'll be getting the AB Phi's when Chord produces a digital amplifier that won't effect the sound. Listened to the Phi's (BluII/Dave) in San Francisco and loved them. Superb sounds stage. The Focal Utopias still make my heart soar like a hawk, though, particularly with violin.

 

[musickid]

After an exhausting 3 days at work i settled down with some traditional Chinese flute music by Li He and my much enjoyed reading here on headfi. I decided to have a listen to the harpsichord concertos by Bach album as recommended above. Through my hms and hugo2 into my planar magnetic 1 (PM1) headphones and all i can say is wow. It brought me back to life with the realism heard in every individual strike of the harpsichord keys. This will lead to more investigations into the genre by me and i lean towards the works composed in the minor key and have done ever since i picked up the violin as a child. If only i had seen it through. The above noted album with harpsichord by Trevor Pinnock is a beautiful recording. Here's to Archiv Produktion. The stage is conveyed brilliantly.

 

[andrewd01]

With Hugo mScaler + DAVE, I hear a clear difference with Uptone ISORegen on the USB input to HMS (even more so with good power, like an Uptone LPS 1.2). Surprisingly, I hear a smaller incremental lift when I have a second ISO Regen in series with the first.

As always, trust your ears, and make a judgement whether the added cost/hassle/wires/complexity is worthwhile for you. Every system (and person) has a point of diminishing returns.

Out of interest, what is your server? It would be interesting to know if these usb decrapifiers are equally beneficial if being fed signal from an audio server (eg Innuos) vs a regular computer.

 

[ray-dude]

I have a NUC (7i7) running Audio Linux (stripped down, highly optimized for real time, everything running in memory, etc) or Euphony (pre optimized).

I have not done anything special with femto clocks. I have also not tried putting my laptop or another computer in the chain too