[Christer]

Brigitt Nilsson sings but it is ripped in the music server without more information.

No headphone can beat my 2 channel system in dynamics but I found hd800s very good at imaging and soundstage enough to enjoy opera.

Thanks for your response.
If you have a recording with Birgit Nilsson singing Aida it is most probably an early 60s Decca recording.
The only official recordings of her in Verdi and Puccini operas like Aida and Tosca and the classic Strauss roles Salome and Elektra were mainly conducted by Solti and recorded either in Rome or Vienna in most cases.
Nice old analogue DECCA recordings. But limited in dynamic range especially, compared to the recent Aida I mentioned.
Another very good classic Birgit Nilsson DECCA recording is Verdi's A Masked Ball from Rome.
Last but not least her Wagner roles in the classic DECCA Wagner Ring and Isolde still stand the test of time as models of their kind.
A truly unique voice.
Cheers CC

 

[GreenBow]

I

It was lucky I heard the loose screw and was able to remove it before powering up. Unfortunately I had to wait a few weeks for the three different security screwdrivers required to get past the rfi shield to replace it. I am disappointed in Chord’s quality control at this price point. The distributor did offer to exchange but at my cost.

An exchange at your cost would have been illegal. You were fully entitled to a refund or replacement.

 

[Progisus]

An exchange at your cost would have been illegal. You were fully entitled to a refund or replacement.

I am not sure if that applies here in Canada. I proposed a no cost replacement to my dealer who replied the distributor required it returned at my cost. He did offer to apply the cost to a future purchase as he agreed with me. Luckily I am not intimidated with attempting the repair. All is well now but I was disappointed in both the distributor and Chord's quality control, especially as you could hear it rolling around.

 

[GreenBow]

I am not sure if that applies here in Canada. I proposed a no cost replacement to my dealer who replied the distributor required it returned at my cost. He did offer to apply the cost to a future purchase as he agreed with me. Luckily I am not intimidated with attempting the repair. All is well now but I was disappointed in both the distributor and Chord's quality control, especially as you could hear it rolling around.

You should google consumer law for your country.

 

[mt-hifidelity]

I just posted this on the TT2 thread and thought maybe you good folks might also weigh in...
Forgive me in advance if others have asked this, I didn't catch earlier in the thread:

I recently got a new M Scaler through a trade with another Head-fier. I've paired it with my Hugo2 and used that combo to feed my solid-state HP amp which is the XI Audio Formula S. I'm using the Abyss TC gets better with lots of clean power. Although I appreciate the resolution of this setup, it can tilt towards thin and brittle with a lack of bass impact. My iFi iDSD Pro dac doesn't compare to the Chord stuff but it does have pleasant warm mids and good bass slam.

I'm considering swapping out the Hugo2 and getting either a used DAVE or a new TT2 to use with the M Scaler. If I get the TT2 then presumably I would no longer need my existing amp. The question is whether the DAVE + M Scaler + amp would have a huge edge over the TT2 + M Scaler. Any opinions on the sound quality of each pairing?

 

[Foxman50]

OK so I finally succumbed to Ferrite frenzy and popped off to Mouser to buy 10 Wurth 74271633S Ferrites. Duly got home and attached them to the dual coax leads, 5 on each, and thought What.

Soundstage collapsed dramatically and so much grain it was like listening through sand or an MP3 file, take your pick but sound was not good at all.

Not sure why this went so pear shaped, after reading all the posts about RFI and how we can't possibly be hearing what M Scaler can do without the little beasts attached to every piece of equipment, well I was at least expecting a small positive.

So off came said little beasts and restored was my music to its original and enjoyable form. To be fair I have not played around with placement or numbers, but as a first trial, well I have no idea what all the fuss is about and cannot for life of me work out how I could be doing this wrong, have cable, have ferrite, will clip, job done.

If anyone can shed any light or have any suggestions.

 

[Triode User]

OK so I finally succumbed to Ferrite frenzy and popped off to Mouser to buy 10 Wurth 74271633S Ferrites. Duly got home and attached them to the dual coax leads, 5 on each, and thought What.

Soundstage collapsed dramatically and so much grain it was like listening through sand or an MP3 file, take your pick but sound was not good at all.

Not sure why this went so pear shaped, after reading all the posts about RFI and how we can't possibly be hearing what M Scaler can do without the little beasts attached to every piece of equipment, well I was at least expecting a small positive.

So off came said little beasts and restored was my music to its original and enjoyable form. To be fair I have not played around with placement or numbers, but as a first trial, well I have no idea what all the fuss is about and cannot for life of me work out how I could be doing this wrong, have cable, have ferrite, will clip, job done.

If anyone can shed any light or have any suggestions.

Just a few observations in no particular order. Rob himself reported that he had experimented with clip on ferrites with Mscaler and he came to the conclusion that they made the sound worse. Others have reported that this can happen but if you persevere and put more on (say 20 per cable) then it can come good. Then again others say they get good results with just a few clip ons such as you tried. I personally found a big difference between very close fitting solid core ferrites compared to clip on. I have also found that the type/make of cable you use with the ferrites can have a big influence on the effect of adding the ferrites - the same type/number of ferrites on different cables sounds very different. RF engineers have said to me that at some RF frequencies the slot inherent with clip on ferrites can act as a lens to fire the RF back into the cable. Another idea is that Rob wondered if there was an issue with resonating going on with clip on ferrites. Also, the distance between multiple ferrites affects the target frequency range of the ferrite 'system' that is created.

My suggestion? As you are happy with your system then the easiest thing is just to sit back and enjoy it!

 

[audio_1]

OK so I finally succumbed to Ferrite frenzy and popped off to Mouser to buy 10 Wurth 74271633S Ferrites. Duly got home and attached them to the dual coax leads, 5 on each, and thought What.

Soundstage collapsed dramatically and so much grain it was like listening through sand or an MP3 file, take your pick but sound was not good at all.

Not sure why this went so pear shaped, after reading all the posts about RFI and how we can't possibly be hearing what M Scaler can do without the little beasts attached to every piece of equipment, well I was at least expecting a small positive.

So off came said little beasts and restored was my music to its original and enjoyable form. To be fair I have not played around with placement or numbers, but as a first trial, well I have no idea what all the fuss is about and cannot for life of me work out how I could be doing this wrong, have cable, have ferrite, will clip, job done.

If anyone can shed any light or have any suggestions.

If your system was well balanced and sounded great to start with, perhaps removing some RFI just made it too smooth. There has also been some mention that split ferrites can add resonances and not cleanly remove RFI, affecting the digital signal. I think Rob mentioned this when experimenting with them on the mScaler.

 

[adyc]

I second OptoDX. They are great in my system. Very happy with it.

 

[Foxman50]

Just a few observations in no particular order. Rob himself reported that he had experimented with clip on ferrites with Mscaler and he came to the conclusion that they made the sound worse. Others have reported that this can happen but if you persevere and put more on (say 20 per cable) then it can come good. Then again others say they get good results with just a few clip ons such as you tried. I personally found a big difference between very close fitting solid core ferrites compared to clip on. I have also found that the type/make of cable you use with the ferrites can have a big influence on the effect of adding the ferrites - the same type/number of ferrites on different cables sounds very different. RF engineers have said to me that at some RF frequencies the slot inherent with clip on ferrites can act as a lens to fire the RF back into the cable. Another idea is that Rob wondered if there was an issue with resonating going on with clip on ferrites. Also, the distance between multiple ferrites affects the target frequency range of the ferrite 'system' that is created.

My suggestion? As you are happy with your system then the easiest thing is just to sit back and enjoy it!

I was actually using this as a precursor to trialling your cables, but in all honesty not sure after this initial test.

i have a number of leads which i will test over the weekend with said ferrites and go from there.

as with all things, negative effects can occur but this is to such a degree.

anyway blasted hobby keeps us amused.

 

[Foxman50]

If your system was well balanced and sounded great to start with, perhaps removing some RFI just made it too smooth. There has also been some mention that split ferrites can add resonances and not cleanly remove RFI, affecting the digital signal. I think Rob mentioned this when experimenting with them on the mScaler.

Smooth is not a term I would associate with the effect.

i have a number of coax leads i have tried and never ceased to be amazed at the different qualities they have.

maybe ill just take the plunge on Triodes cables and see.

 

[dmance]

In my experience there is definitely a breakthrough level needed for RFI reduction. That is, cable and upstream tweaks all change the emitted and conducted RFI energy level. These change the sound enough to encourage the audiophile to keep at it ...but they only hint at what's possible when RFI is at absolute minimum. Don't tweak; don't apply partial fixes; solve the problem.

I'll be publishing updated measurements soon.

 

[audio_1]

Smooth is not a term I would associate with the effect.

i have a number of coax leads i have tried and never ceased to be amazed at the different qualities they have.

maybe ill just take the plunge on Triodes cables and see.

It is also worth trying the Opto-DX and also separating the mScaler or Blu2 from your DAC and digital source components. It was tremendous upgrade in my system.

 

[zenlisten]

But since you mention the violin,I wish I could say the same of some of Ann-Sofie Mutter's recordings for DGG.
I prefer her early recordings of Mozart's Violin Concertos on LP over her more recent rbcd set.
Her rbcd Korngold/Tchaikovsky Concertos for the same company sound better to me though.
But not even those come close enough to how warm and full her violin tone really is live.
And in an interview she admitted that when listening to recorded music at home, she often preferred to spin an LP over playing a cd.
I don't think she has got an HMS though?
Cheers CC

A couple of years ago I was not even hoping to have such a good system (M Scaler > TT2 > Sony MDR-Z1R). Most genres sound pretty amazing (my favorites being electronic, jazz, and classical music). Having such a system at home gives me a lot of joy. I am really grateful for the musicians and the gear makers. Very convenient that Reed Book CD quality is good enough if the recording/mastering itself is good.

However, when I listen to violin and fine human voice, the limits of this system are easily detecable. It's very easy to notice if the voice of the violin is off or unnatural. (One of my kids used to play the violin.) Another good indicator is human voice, especially highs. A good example is concert music composed by Arvo Pärt, recorded in churches. Although the timing is right even for this fine music and it almost feels live, as if someone would play/sing nearby, it sill feels like the musician/singer is behind a curtain or one of these Japanese screens.

Of course I can try tweaking the system, upgrade to a Dave, etc. I heard better systems and I am interested in other headphones. (Would like to try the Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC but I could not find a single shop here in Switzerland selling Abyss headphones. I have also tested the Susvara at my dealer but it was just a quick test through Dave, without M Scaler.) But all in all I am really happy already and most of my music sounds amazing. ツ

 

[naynay]

In my experience there is definitely a breakthrough level needed for RFI reduction. That is, cable and upstream tweaks all change the emitted and conducted RFI energy level. These change the sound enough to encourage the audiophile to keep at it ...but they only hint at what's possible when RFI is at absolute minimum. Don't tweak; don't apply partial fixes; solve the problem.

I'll be publishing updated measurements soon.

The Solution solves the problem.