[nomad777]

I'm confused (again) - does this mean not using the power supply provided?

no with batteries use 9v or 12v don't see why your confused with the mains you don't have a choice

 

[Uncle Monty]

You'll need to explain this in simple terms - sorry - why do Chord provide a 15v supply when 9v or 12v sounds better?
It's the 'designer's recommendation' bit that's confusing - I understand if you can't get a 15v battery (fair enough) but the designer's recommendation is 15v surely?

 

[miketlse]

You'll need to explain this in simple terms - sorry - why do Chord provide a 15v supply when 9v or 12v sounds better?

The supplied power supply will work fine.
Chord supply a power supply that meets rigorous criteria for rejecting electrical noise - to be honest, it surprised me that more power supplies are not so rigorous.
That supply can provide 15V, even though 12V should be enough in theory.
We are all individuals, so to be honest, if you are happy with 12V that is fine, and if you prefer 15V that is fine, but the issues appear if you prefer alternative power supplies that provide 16V, and stop your MScaler from working.

 

[Triode User]

You'll need to explain this in simple terms - sorry - why do Chord provide a 15v supply when 9v or 12v sounds better?

I think the thing is that Chord are happy that their supplies 15v supply is stable enough voltage wise that it will not exceed the max voltage that the Mscaler can take without sustaining damage. Who is to say if some other manufacturers supply or battery rated at 15 v will actually be stable enough not to cause an issue. And hence why people are perhaps wary of suggesting setting the battery to 15v. In other words I do not think it is a matter of the Mscaler sounding better with 9v or 12v compared to 15v.

ps. Just seen you have received a similar reply.

 

[Uncle Monty]

Will 9v or 12v affect sound quality?

 

[ZappaMan]

Will 9v or 12v affect sound quality?

Some say it does hard to know if it’s placebo or not, as it’s such a powerful force

 

[Uncle Monty]

Some say it does hard to know if it’s placebo or not, as it’s such a powerful force

better or worse..?

 

[Triode User]

Will 9v or 12v affect sound quality?

it is hard to see how it can. The digital signal and processing is still the same no matter what the voltage. I doubt that Rob would use a battery at 12v on his travels if 15v was better.

 

[miketlse]

better or worse..?

I don't have a mscaler yet, so cannot provide evidence.
Ultimately if you try 12V and 15V, and decide that you prefer one or the other, that is the key decision.
Everyone can only provide their preferred solution, which may not align with your preferred solution.

 

[nomad777]

Will 9v or 12v affect sound quality?

yes it will... the mains is not the best but it will do the job. Best SQ is with an external battery back set at 9V or 12V

but I should add that Chord does not want you to use another mains power supply no matter how good they claim it is... it will void your warranty... so for main use what is supplied... personally I think there are better psu out there but stay within the warranty...

external 9V, or 12V

I should add though I'm not sure about the warranty with external power packs I do know that a lot of people use them

 

[GreenBow]

“Placebo = Placebo”. That’s just a tautology and doesn’t answer my question or explain what you mean.

Of course I can’t measure RFI - I wouldn’t know where to begin - but even Rob acknowledges that the chip produces RFI. He was the one who started the whole ferrite business!

And just because I can’t measure something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I’m not in a position to measure many things, but that doesn’t mean they’re not there. And since you appear to have suggested solutions in the past (if I read your post correctly) you seem to accept that there’s an RFI issue, but I assume are one of the people who think it has little significance. That’s fine.

I’m at a bit of a loss to understand why some get so upset when the matter is raised. If it’s not a problem for you, why worry? Or is it like teenagers and sports fans - don’t say anything negative about something I really, really like?

Yes, I seem to recall that, but it's so long ago now, I can't remember what was said. However I do recall Rob saying to me, that he tried ferrites on the coaxial output of the M-Scaler. He said he found it corrupted the signal/music data, so it was a no-go. It's why I am not even bothering arguing with anyone who claims I am wrong.

The use of the WAVE cables being to extract that noise with ferrites, or in the case of the Opto-DX to negate it. If folk have come up with solutions, then fair play to them. Even home made cables and ferrites works to a degree, as folk say. It means that no slew of mains cables, coaxial cables, galvanic isolation, etc is going to cure it. It needs to be removed, not blocked from getting in. Although of course RFI can still get in, and that needs treating with shielded cables etc.

However the fact that some users claim no RFI, then it seems to be horses for courses, or YMMV. Only way to be sure is home demo for me. Although I can see issue with that. We only get a limited time for home demo. As we know it can take time to adjust to the mass of new information that Chord upgrades make.

In the end though, I am not using an amplifier with my TT2 at the moment. In all reality it sounds so good, I can't hear a need for an upgrade. Detail and depth is way off the charts. Adding my amplifier (which admittedly needs upgrading now for my new kit) clearly affects sound. It still sounds astonishing, and nothing can take that away. The downgrade when adding my (under-levelled) amplifier is quite significant, only compared to TT2 direct speaker driving. It would mean that if I go back to using any amplifier anytime. I might then hanker for the M-Scaler. Although if I bought an amplifier which was on par with TT2 and my speakers, I could be happy. However I don't know as I never heard that. Then I might not really pine for an M-Scaler.

I honestly wish Rob could have implemented USB for transfer from M-Scaler to DAC. Then we could have cleaned out any noise with total ease. Or even Rob's USB input cleaning would most likely be good enough. It means I still might hold on for an M-Scaler 2, with USB implementation. As of right now, I don't need an M-Scaler anyway. Although I don't underestimate the effect of using one.

 

[Uncle Monty]

yes it will... the mains is not the best but it will do the job. Best SQ is with an external battery back set at 9V or 12V

There was a bit of discussion on here the other day about improvements made by using external power supplies - like the Paul Hynes Design SR4 - which can supply varying voltages. I don't have one myself, though I'm interested in any benefits it might bring, but would the idea be to set it at 9v or 12v rather than 15v?

 

[nomad777]

There was a bit of discussion on here the other day about improvements made by using external power supplies - like the Paul Hynes Design SR4 - which can supply varying voltages. I don't have one myself, though I'm interested in any benefits it might bring, but would the idea be to set it at 9v or 12v rather than 15v?

read above

 

[Uncle Monty]

So the benefits using battery pack or PSU outweigh lower voltage?

 

[Triode User]

So the benefits using battery pack or PSU outweigh lower voltage?

I’m not sure there is any disadvantage due to the lower voltage. The designer of the HMS (Rob) is best placed to confirm or otherwise.

I personally am just not prepared to put up with the faff of using batteries at home so I look to other solutions. With the PowerAdd battery my HMS used about 10% of charge per hour. My system is often on for 12 hours per day so that means two batteries needed and one always on charge. Too much faff I’m afraid.