[jarnopp]

Thanks for the reply, but I do not know what you mean by what I quoted? I am asking about the TV sound coming out of my stereo speakers, why else would I just plug in optical and play?

Wherever the sound comes from when you watch TV now needs to get into the mScaler. So, if the cable goes directly into your TV, use the TV optical audio (or other audio) out to feed mScaler, which will then feed the rest of your chain. Is that what you are asking?

 

[edwardsean]

You can't use M-Scaler without a source computer or server or cd player or dap. The computer that runs Hqplayer can also be the source. The M-Scaler doesn't operate in the ether either. The pc required to run pcm from Hqplayer at 768kHz doesn't have to be that powerful or expensive. There is no comparison in cost between Hqplayer and M-Scaler. Please note that I am not commenting on the quality of the two products.

Okay, sure. Point taken.

But, I have to say, the Ford Fiesta sure does take a beating in these forum analogies.

All the best to you, sincerely.

 

[N Quarter]

Wherever the sound comes from when you watch TV now needs to get into the mScaler. So, if the cable goes directly into your TV, use the TV optical audio (or other audio) out to feed mScaler, which will then feed the rest of your chain. Is that what you are asking?

Yes pretty much, so anything plugged into my TV (media player, Xbox, blueray player) should now play through my Nagra when I select optical I hope. Before this, they all were plugged into my Cary processor, so I have not tried it this way yet. Right now I have these three sources plugged directly into my TV with HDMI cables. But I do have an optical cable that I can run from the TV to the Mscaler.

 

[bikutoru]

Just a quick clarification. I should be more careful. I don't ever want to be heard as belittling anyone.

If I ever come across that way, please know, I'm poking fun, without malice or contempt. I take no pleasure in causing offense. I would so much rather big up someone than be-little them.

I hope, hope, that there is at least enough grace and trust so that we don't have to be too careful with each other. Dialoguing here is so often such good fun.

I hope so too, I didn't mean you personally, just wanted to stop that train since the dialog went into comparing HQP to Windows and other not very good analogies. Both, Rob and Miska have 30 years + experience, their product trying to solve the same problem - our enjoyment.
Not everyone is capable to deal with HQP, personally I'd rather not, but TT2/MScaler who the hell can afford that? Only crazies like us.
Some can afford a Porsche and I'm sure enjoy it a lot. Others buy a civic, mode the hell out of it and probably enjoy it even more. Both are capable to get you from point A to point B, which one is better? If you think with you d*%$ and/or wallet, I know the answer

 

[edwardsean]

I hope so too, I didn't mean you personally, just wanted to stop that train since the dialog went into comparing HQP to Windows and other not very good analogies. Both, Rob and Miska have 30 years + experience, their product trying to solve the same problem - our enjoyment.
Not everyone is capable to deal with HQP, personally I'd rather not, but TT2/MScaler who the hell can afford that? Only crazies like us.
Some can afford a Porsche and I'm sure enjoy it a lot. Others buy a civic, mode the hell out of it and probably enjoy it even more. Both are capable to get you from point A to point B, which one is better? If you think with you d*%$ and/or wallet, I know the answer

Hey, I drive a Civic and I'm–offended–at the implication that it is cheap car, just dolled up by modders!

Just kidding. I don't have a Civic (grin).

Thank you for not putting the Porsche up against the Ford Fiesta. I'm going to make it my personal mission to champion the poor Fiesta here on Headfi.

Viva La Fiesta!

 

[bikutoru]

No MScaler can save your Fiesta. Lada that would be the car I should pin agains the Porsche. No, even Lada is too upscale, Zaporozhets is the one.

 

[musickid]

I'm surprised with all this. Through my mscaled TT2 and after carefully listening to tidal mqa vs original files mqa most definitely sounds muffled and hazy and timing is not great not as accurate. mqa sound good to start with but after a short while definition is obviously missing. Unbiased impressions here. Reverting to original files you get the sharp leading edges, notes start and stop distinctly. These were not recent evaluations but conclusions i reached many months ago. Something doesn't quite sound right with mqa but with original files it all falls back into place. mscaler is optimised for rbcd.

 

[Malcyg]

. mscaler is optimised for rbcd.

I agree with you regarding MQA and was happy when Roon integrated with Qobuz so that I could go back to using their service again. However, whilst I also agree about how good rbcd sounds through MScaler Dave (or BluDave in my case), your final comment is not correct. A couple of years ago when I was trying to get my file playback to meet or exceed CD, I was finding that Hires didn’t sound any better than 44.1 and, on occasions, it was worse. This was puzzling me so I asked Rob whether the Blu II algorithms were optimised for rbcd and he confirmed that this was not the case. After further investigation, I found that the issue was in my setup and, once resolved, HiRes files once again sounded better than 44.1 through BluDave.

 

[iamoneagain]

I agree with you regarding MQA and was happy when Roon integrated with Qobuz so that I could go back to using their service again. However, whilst I also agree about how good rbcd sounds through MScaler Dave (or BluDave in my case), your final comment is not correct. A couple of years ago when I was trying to get my file playback to meet or exceed CD, I was finding that Hires didn’t sound any better than 44.1 and, on occasions, it was worse. This was puzzling me so I asked Rob whether the Blu II algorithms were optimised for rbcd and he confirmed that this was not the case. After further investigation, I found that the issue was in my setup and, once resolved, HiRes files once again sounded better than 44.1 through BluDave.

I agree that hires files tend to sound better than cd quality thru the mscaler but that’s not always the case. Some hires sounds brighter and thinner than cd quality thru mscaler. But probably more about the mastering.

But when you compare the original files using passthru with the mscaler, the cd quality has bigger amount of improvement. Very easy to tell cd with or without passthru. Hires is harder to tell.

Thought I read will need at least 16 million taps to get a 24 bit file to it’s analog form so that’s why hires has less improvement. I could be totally off on this.

 

[Malcyg]

I agree that hires files tend to sound better than cd quality thru the mscaler but that’s not always the case. Some hires sounds brighter and thinner than cd quality thru mscaler. But probably more about the mastering.

But when you compare the original files using passthru with the mscaler, the cd quality has bigger amount of improvement. Very easy to tell cd with or without passthru. Hires is harder to tell.

Thought I read will need at least 16 million taps to get a 24 bit file to it’s analog form so that’s why hires has less improvement. I could be totally off on this.

Interesting. Anyway, the main point I was making was that Rob was adamant that the upscaler was not optimised to rbcd and that Hires should, all things else being equal, sound better.

 

[iamoneagain]

Interesting. Anyway, the main point I was making was that Rob was adamant that the upscaler was not optimised to rbcd and that Hires should, all things else being equal, sound better.

I think the idea is whatever goes into the mscaler comes out sounding better. So if the hires file already sounds better than the cd quality going in, it will still sound better coming out but the difference between the two will now be very close.

 

[HughF]

Snipped here.
After further investigation, I found that the issue was in my setup and, once resolved, HiRes files once again sounded better than 44.1 through BluDave.

Could you please share some more details of the setup change you made to make hi-res files worthwhile? I have never been very impressed with hi-res vs. CD rips even using HMS + TT 2 but also my earlier Chord DACs (DAC64,Hugo,TT).
Many thanks,
Hugh

 

[jlbrach]

I have a question that perhaps somebody in this forum might be able to help me with. I own the Blu2 with the dave and have kept it in sleep mode as long as I have owned it and controlled that function using the big remote that came with the dave originally...I was informed that if I press the hifi button on the remote it will control the blu2 and if I press the AV button it will control the dave....up until yesterday that worked properly but I pulled out the power chords by accident due to moving my bed and both the dave and blu 2 reset...they both work perfectly fine but for whatever reason I cannot put the blu 2 to sleep anymore...when I put the remote into blu2 mode by pressing the hifi button it only controls the dave...in fact the remote only controls the dave at all and the blu2 is simply on 24/7 with the display saying no disc....before yesterday it was in sleep mode all the time and I could control it with the remote....does anyone have any thoughts or recommendations?....I do appreciate any and all help because I have tried everything I can think of...new batteries etc

 

[Malcyg]

Could you please share some more details of the setup change you made to make hi-res files worthwhile? I have never been very impressed with hi-res vs. CD rips even using HMS + TT 2 but also my earlier Chord DACs (DAC64,Hugo,TT).
Many thanks,
Hugh

I actually can’t remember now - I think it was to do with the dual BNC connection. This was before the days of ferrites, but it will be in my posts dated around Autumn 2017. I’ll have a look back later when I get chance. I made the same assumption that Musickid did because that’s what I was initially hearing through BluDave. Prior to that, hires was clearly better and this has always been the case through BluDave since I sorted my system.

I started using hires file years ago. At the time, people were saying that MP3 was perfect sound and they laughed at those using WAV and FLAC files, believe it or not. Determined not to get ripped off, I bought a Hires album that I already owned on CD and compared the file vs a FLAC rip. I used the blind testing tool in Foobar and stopped when I got 24 out of 25 correct. The only reason I didn’t get 25 was because my wife interrupted me in the middle of a comparison to ask me something!

If you can’t hear a difference, then don’t worry, that’s great because it will save you money. If Hires sounds worse, there could be an issue with your setup like with me.

 

[Malcyg]

I think the idea is whatever goes into the mscaler comes out sounding better. So if the hires file already sounds better than the cd quality going in, it will still sound better coming out but the difference between the two will now be very close.

That might be true, I’ve never made the comparison. I generally buy cheap CD’s to rip and Hires when I buy files. I do recall questioning at the time whether BluDave had killed hires and I would have been delighted if that were the case given how cheap CD’s are these days. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.

Relating back to MusicKids comments, I find it hard to believe the comments people make about MQA because, to me, it is clearly inferior. It reminds me of the MP3 wars!