[GreenBow]

Well, I`m not sure... But those shields are from non-magnetic material so it should be transparent for magnetic field of ferrite cores. Also, the noise might be traveling from MScaler to TT2 via shield surface, not on main conductor. I hope somebody more educated in physics will correct me if I`m wrong.

Oh. I now you said that, I think I had it wrong anyway.

I was thinking that RFI affecting cables was what we normally get. As in RFI causes noise on the cable, which passes into the analogue part of the DAC. Then causes brightening of the sound.


However in the TT2 M-Scaler case, it's apparently noise coming from the M-Scaler. Not sure about the source. It could be because the M-Scaler is near an RFI source or a toroidal transformer in an amplifier. Or as (I think) someone said, the M-Scaler chip produces noise. Anyway that noise travels from M-Scaler to DAC via coaxial. I was then thinking that shielding on the coaxial cable would block the ferrite cores from stopping RFI noise. (Noise from the coaxial cable metal parts.) However I think I have that wrong. In the same way RFI (electromagnetic waves) affect metal cables, and need to be blocked. I was incorrectly thinking that would block the action of the magnets. However magnets don't pass electromagnetic waves onto the cables, they pass a magnetic field. Or magnetism. That was the mistake in my thinking.

I am not sure if the magnets just block the noise travelling along the cable. Or they actually manage to lift the noise from the cable, via means of removing very small voltages. Voltages smaller than the signals of ones and zeros.


Anyway, sorry. You must be right.

(Even if RFi is an electromagnetic wave, I don't think it means cable shielding would block magnetic waves. However I will stop digging my hole that I am in now, because I don't know.)

 

[rkt31]

RFI travels from m scaler, m scaler generates rfi ,did anybody even measure the rfi generated by mscaler ? Does it have RFI more than any streamer or coaxial source ? Does anybody have any proof that stacking tt2 over mscaler adversely affect sound despite so much thick aluminium casing of HMS ? Frankly speaking I did not listen any negative affect of stacking through headphones during the first listen of the combo at Singapore. The sound was extremely relaxed and stress free . So imho these tweaks may be effective not only with this combo but also with any other sources to some extent. These are not due to m Scaler generating excessive RFI etc. Once the system is transparent it will reflect even the slightest change. My tt2+HMS+ahb2 responds to even simple tweaks like adding ifi ac purifier or dc purifier or ifi isilencer or adding copper shielding tape to usb and coaxial cables but that does not mean sound was bad in anyway earlier, only thing those changes were not much relevant/revealing with low transparency systems. These tweaks are a sort of audiophile itch to improve or squeeze maximum performance.

 

[Progisus]

I have a pi 4 arriving tomorrow. I am going to load it with Ropieee and provide usb into the mscaler. I’ll group the coax, optical and usb with Roon and check to see which provides the best feed. Already have the coax and optical with absolutely no sonic difference I can hear.

 

[kyle1010]

I'm looking to buy a cheap headphone tube amp for my hms+tt2 setup.

I'm looking at the little dot mk 2, does anyone else have any other suggestions for an entry level tube amp ?

I'm prepared to pay up to £4-500 if need be, but I would prefer it be lower than that, as this would be my first foray in to tube amps and no point in spending all that money if it's something I'm not going to like.

Any suggestions of good, new or second hand headphone tube amps ?

Here ya go, buy this and you won’t be disappointed. Killer deal.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/woo-wa6-2nd-gen-minty.916369/

Be advised though, entry level tube amps won’t really let ALL the detail through that your TT2/HMS stack is capable of. You’ll get the delicious tonality tho. You’re in for a treat dude. I run my TT2 through a Woo WA33 (now, after literally 5 years of amp upgrading) and it’s pure heaven. Just ordered HMS tonight to arrive on my birthday this Thursday soooo we’ll see how the new stack sounds with my 33. I might actually die from audio nirvana on my birthday..poetic right? Oh, I’m gonna get some spendy BNC cables (Stealth Audio Varadig 16T) in a couple months, but in the meantime I’m thinking Audio Art D1SE BNCs to hold me over? Any recommendations in the sub $400/pair range for BNC cables?

 

[ekfc63]

Here ya go, buy this and you won’t be disappointed. Killer deal.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/woo-wa6-2nd-gen-minty.916369/

Be advised though, entry level tube amps won’t really let ALL the detail through that your TT2/HMS stack is capable of. You’ll get the delicious tonality tho. You’re in for a treat dude. I run my TT2 through a Woo WA33 (now, after literally 5 years of amp upgrading) and it’s pure heaven. Just ordered HMS tonight to arrive on my birthday this Thursday soooo we’ll see how the new stack sounds with my 33. I might actually die from audio nirvana on my birthday..poetic right? Oh, I’m gonna get some spendy BNC cables (Stealth Audio Varadig 16T) in a couple months, but in the meantime I’m thinking Audio Art D1SE BNCs to hold me over? Any recommendations in the sub $400/pair range for BNC cables?

Did you compare the Woo 33 to the ALO Studio Six at all? I am running M Scaler Hugo 2 ALO CDM Utopia. I have an ALO Studio Six arriving Thursday to replace the CDM and may go pick up a TT2 (after audition) to replace the Hugo 2. Hopefully it‘ll sound good together. I’ll be in the same position as you wrt BNC cables. Not sure I want to go to the expense of the Wave cables everyone raves about.

 

[kyle1010]

Did you compare the Woo 33 to the ALO Studio Six at all? I am running M Scaler Hugo 2 ALO CDM Utopia. I have a ALO Studio Six arriving Thursday to replace the CDM and may go pick up a TT2 (after audition) to replace the Hugo 2. Hopefully it‘ll sound good together. I’ll be in the same position as you wrt BNC cables. Not sure I want to go to the expense of the Wave cables everyone raves about.

I’ve actually never made that comparison or heard the Studio Six at all but I would love to see how the Alo at half the price of WA33 stacks up. Alo/Campfire are some of my favorite brands in personal audio. I have their Alo Reference 8 cable on my LCD-Xs and I own Campfire Atlas IEMs. Demoed and loved the CDM too. I’m sure the Studio Six is as phenomenal as everything else Ken Ball puts out. Really nice guy in person too. I had Hugo 2 for about 18 months before getting TT2 and the difference is massive. You’re going to be blown away. In fact, I had a Dave for like two weeks and sold it off to get the TT2 because Dave’s tonality was too lean for my tastes in music. TT2 is delightfully rich and organic but still retains a ton of Dave’s effortless detail. I can’t even imagine what the HMS is going to do. Looks like we both have new stuffs showing up on Thursday..let’s definitely post some impressions here! As far as cables, I’ll get to the pricey ones in a few months as I’ve read numerous articles saying they’re worth it. Wave is definitely on my short list, but I like the idea of “tuning” the Stealths. Until then I need something somewhat better than the stock Chord BNCs though.

 

[GreenBow]

Did you compare the Woo 33 to the ALO Studio Six at all? I am running M Scaler Hugo 2 ALO CDM Utopia. I have a ALO Studio Six arriving Thursday to replace the CDM and may go pick up a TT2 (after audition) to replace the Hugo 2. Hopefully it‘ll sound good together. I’ll be in the same position as you wrt BNC cables. Not sure I want to go to the expense of the Wave cables everyone raves about.

Please can I ask? Do you use the Utopia with stock cable, and if so how do you find it on M-Scaled Hugo 2? (I mean I reference to some but absolutely not all, people saying the Utopia is a touch bright.)

 

[Amberlamps]

Here ya go, buy this and you won’t be disappointed. Killer deal.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/woo-wa6-2nd-gen-minty.916369/

Be advised though, entry level tube amps won’t really let ALL the detail through that your TT2/HMS stack is capable of. You’ll get the delicious tonality tho. You’re in for a treat dude. I run my TT2 through a Woo WA33 (now, after literally 5 years of amp upgrading) and it’s pure heaven. Just ordered HMS tonight to arrive on my birthday this Thursday soooo we’ll see how the new stack sounds with my 33. I might actually die from audio nirvana on my birthday..poetic right? Oh, I’m gonna get some spendy BNC cables (Stealth Audio Varadig 16T) in a couple months, but in the meantime I’m thinking Audio Art D1SE BNCs to hold me over? Any recommendations in the sub $400/pair range for BNC cables?

I would of loved to of bought that, but it's in the states, and I'm based in the UK and customs fee's and 20% tax on top of that and then a royal mail handling fee, it makes it an unviable purchase.

I've read a fair few reviews of woo audio tube amps, they seem to be highly regarded by the community.

When it comes to bnc cables, I honestly couldn't tell ya whose cables are good with the exception of wave cables. Wave Hifidelity cables come in 3 ranges, storm, stream and stone. The stone version should fit in with your budget, and nick who makes them gives you a money back guarantee if they don't perform to your expectations.

Many folk here use one version or another of wave cables with their Chord dac/mscaler, I personally use the stream version and I couldn't be happier with how they perform.

Cheers

 

[STR-1]

Cool, I have just been on ebay and there are a fair few tube amps to pick from. I'm going to get a cheap one just to see what it's like as, as far as I know, I've never heard music from a tube amp before and it's supposed to be all warm n fuzzy.

For £130, I don't suppose I could go wrong at that price, it's too cheap to worry about not getting value for money out of it, if it turned out to be meh.

Still on track to get a David mind you, but that will probably be nearer the end of the year, gives me time to get the cash together and have some left over to live on, instead of buying it now and not eating for a month.

But it's good to hear the little dots are decent, cheers.

Not wishing to keep this off topic much longer, just to say that the Little Dot Mk.3 is the only tube amp I’ve owned and so I have nothing to compare it to. That said, it does have a big following at the budget end of the market, I did enjoy the very different tonal flavour compared to the Hugo 2 I had at the time, and it was fun to try a little tube-rolling. There are some very helpful Little Dot threads on Head-fi, including these two

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/little-dot-tube-amps-vacuum-tube-rolling-guide.563884/
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/little-dot-mkiii-tube-rolling.276757/

 

[JSQT]

@JSQT as @Triode User has said the TT2 never bypasses the analogue stage, whether in DAC mode, Amp mode, or whatever. It’s a single analogue stage that is tied to the output of the DAC. Rob confirmed this for me in this post:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hug...official-thread.879425/page-385#post-15002886

As suggested the most likely difference is volume. With as little as 0.5dB difference people have reported different sound stages, detail, dynamics, etc.. You MUST volume match accurately when doing comparisons. Also, DAC mode defaults to low gain. Have you checked the gain in Amp mode? Each setting also has different crossfeed memory so make sure that is also off. I’d also take the external amp completely out of the equation. Unlike the DAVE’s XLR / RCA output the TT2 has copious amounts of current on all its outputs to drive headphones and relatively efficient speakers.

Reduce variables, and volume match, and trust your ears. Don’t listen to others subjective opinions.

So I did go through last night and experiment further. Now that I realize the DAC output gain is at -5L, I was able to match this in AMP mode and yes it is true, the differences virtually disappeared. When standing in front of the unit, switching between AMP and DAC was virtually indistinguishable.

I do believe there must be a bit of brain-games going on in my head though. When I sat back down to critically listen between the two, it did still seem there was a very tiny bit of noise (not audible "noise" in the system, the background was still black as night). As though there was just a touch less detail in the AMP.

For example, listening to Sarah McLachlan's "Angel," in DAC mode her voice just seems like it has slightly more definition, and there is a reverb "aura" around her voice that is like a shimmering atmosphere of venue reverb... in DAC mode this seems to be more physically present - it's there in AMP mode, but it seems slightly smaller sounding.

Now I do not think this is actually happening... I think this is what my brain has decided I'm going to hear and so I hear it. Given that there is likely no real difference and this effect is in my head, I'm just leaving the TT2 in DAC mode for critical listening now. However if someone put the TT2 behind a curtain and switched back and forth I have no doubt the difference would be indistinguishable.
.

 

[JM1979]

Is anyone still running a Chromecast Audio into their mScaler? If so, any feedback on performance or tips to optimize?

I bought one a couple months ago once i saw that Google somewhat fixed the issues with 96khz and I wanted to get one to hang on to before they disappeared.

However, I’ve been too lazy to set it up in my system. 1. Because I’m happy with usb and 2. Because i didn’t want to introduce the potential for any new noise coming on via WiFi.

but mostly because I’m lazy.

many feedback is appreciated. I’d be using optical from the Chromecast fwiw.

 

[gnomen]

Sorry, perhaps my British tongue in cheek should have been made a bit more obvious.

Seriously though, the British firm Living Voice just down the road from me have run their whole high end Vox Olympian systems off batteries for many years at the Munich show and also at their own showrooms. (Google Vox Olympian to feast your eyes. Those speakers would sound great with Dave).

Triode User: just wondering what XLR cables you run between your Chord and your ATC active speakers, and did you find that different cables gave noticeably different results? I am running TT2 into 50ASLs via SLIC XLRs which I quite liked originally. But now with the extra clarity of the TT2 I'm wondering if an upgrade would be sensible. Thanks

 

[kyle1010]

Is anyone still running a Chromecast Audio into their mScaler? If so, any feedback on performance or tips to optimize?

I bought one a couple months ago once i saw that Google somewhat fixed the issues with 96khz and I wanted to get one to hang on to before they disappeared.

However, I’ve been too lazy to set it up in my system. 1. Because I’m happy with usb and 2. Because i didn’t want to introduce the potential for any new noise coming on via WiFi.

but mostly because I’m lazy.

many feedback is appreciated. I’d be using optical from the Chromecast fwiw.

Shamefully, I run my TT2 optical from a Chromecast Audio, but honestly it’s dead silent with regards to any noise. I’ll be using it on the HMS for a while too once it arrives. I have no idea how or why there would be performance gains upgrading to something like an Innuos Zenmini MK3 streamer, but I’m going to try it soon to scratch that itch. Can anyone make it make sense why a wifi in, digital signal out via optical can sound better via a higher quality streamer? I seriously don’t understand that..

 

[jarnopp]

Shamefully, I run my TT2 optical from a Chromecast Audio, but honestly it’s dead silent with regards to any noise. I’ll be using it on the HMS for a while too once it arrives. I have no idea how or why there would be performance gains upgrading to something like an Innuos Zenmini MK3 streamer, but I’m going to try it soon to scratch that itch. Can anyone make it make sense why a wifi in, digital signal out via optical can sound better via a higher quality streamer? I seriously don’t understand that..

I just asked the same question on the Poly thread.

 

[Triode User]

Shamefully, I run my TT2 optical from a Chromecast Audio, but honestly it’s dead silent with regards to any noise. I’ll be using it on the HMS for a while too once it arrives. I have no idea how or why there would be performance gains upgrading to something like an Innuos Zenmini MK3 streamer, but I’m going to try it soon to scratch that itch. Can anyone make it make sense why a wifi in, digital signal out via optical can sound better via a higher quality streamer? I seriously don’t understand that..

Whilst using the optical connection from the streamer provides isolation as far as noise goes for that link there is still the ground plane of the power supply (or power supplies) which can act as a link to the dac or indeed other equipment for RF noise transfer.
That is why just inserting an optical cable or cables instead of a metal digital cable is not the end of the matter for preventing RF noise transfer.

And that is why upgrading to something like an Innuos Zenmini MK3 streamer might be worthwhile because of it having quieter power supplies which emit less noise. Innuos and many other streamer manufacturers now pay great attention to this detail but it does cost money.