Hugo M Scaler by Chord Electronics - The Official Thread

[jarnopp]

Very early (one hour, headphones only so far) initial impressions with the mTT2: everything seems more in focus and well-placed in soundstage. Haven’t listened enough to talk about timing, but I will say I am getting the impression that each track sounds like “that very best memory I’ve had” of each. More later.

 

[HeeBroG]

Now listening to Mahler symphony no.6..
Increddible.. in the past i found myself turning up the volume during low level parts of the piece to discern what happends..

Now i can easily make out the play and enjoy the varying dynamics leaving the volume at one setting as it should be.

Guess its time to build further my classical collection

Which recording are you listening to?

 

[Reactcore]

Which recording are you listening to?

Its a Benjamin Zander performance 88/24

 

[NYanakiev]

The Mscaler has definitely piqued my interest- can't wait to get one in on demo with my Hugo 2...
Unfortunately, it is not the sort of product that that I would buy before trying first.

 

[Reactcore]

Ok.. did some playing around with Ms and my AK120.. it doesn't like the scaled signal via optical. I get only crackling noise on any upsampled rate and any source.

Passthrough (red) works all ok.. even if the source is 192/24.. so its not the cable. (0,5m Audioquest Forest)

Then i tried my Questyle dac via coax and optical.. it takes max 192/24 on its Spdif inputs.. this works
Though when i start a music in 192 upsampled.. it gives the 1st second the same crackling.. then plays normal further.

Qutest has no issues.
Any suggestions on this @Rob Watts ?

Anyone else tried non chord dac's with Ms?

 

[miketlse]

Though when i start a music in 192 upsampled.. it gives the 1st second the same crackling.. then plays normal further.

By this do you mean you are playing a sequence of tracks with different sampling rates?
If yes, it probably means the dac needs to spend a second to detect/identify the new sample rate, and then populate the data processing buffer.
The result is the second of crackling, until the dac has prepared the data.

Search for posts about 'gapless playback'.

 

[jarnopp]

Ok.. did some playing around with Ms and my AK120.. it doesn't like the scaled signal via optical. I get only crackling noise on any upsampled rate and any source.

Passthrough (red) works all ok.. even if the source is 192/24.. so its not the cable. (0,5m Audioquest Forest)

Then i tried my Questyle dac via coax and optical.. it takes max 192/24 on its Spdif inputs.. this works
Though when i start a music in 192 upsampled.. it gives the 1st second the same crackling.. then plays normal further.

Qutest has no issues.
Any suggestions on this @Rob Watts ?

Anyone else tried non chord dac's with Ms?

Not a non Chord dac, but with Mojo and optical input, so only the first upscaling to 176kHz, but it’s the same impression I have with full upscaling into TT2: subtle, nothing I can point to and grab onto (at this point) like when can when you have a different headphone, but everything is just better, more focused. Again, like the best time you ever remember hearing it. Only day 2 with the mTT2, so hoping to evolve this over time.

 

[Reactcore]

Not a non Chord dac, but with Mojo and optical input, so only the first upscaling to 176kHz, but it’s the same impression I have with full upscaling into TT2: subtle, nothing I can point to and grab onto (at this point) like when can when you have a different headphone, but everything is just better, more focused. Again, like the best time you ever remember hearing it. Only day 2 with the mTT2, so hoping to evolve this over time.

I see you run from a R-pie.. i use a Wyse fanless thinclient PC with minimalistic Win7.

I sold my mojo.. i would've tried this too.
If you use the coax in u can go up to 384khz from 48khz source🖒

My CMA400i does 384 only via usb.. but the (also coax) Spdif in is limited to 192. probably cause of the combination with optical. I might modify seeing if i can bypass the USB driver chip.. just for fun sake lol.

Serious listening will always be with Qutest offcourse

 

[Reactcore]

By this do you mean you are playing a sequence of tracks with different sampling rates?
If yes, it probably means the dac needs to spend a second to detect/identify the new sample rate, and then populate the data processing buffer.
The result is the second of crackling, until the dac has prepared the data.

Search for posts about 'gapless playback'.

It happends the same if i pause and play too.
What could be different to the Ms scaled output compared to a 'standard' signal of the same freq/bitdepth?

 

[Christer]

Its a Benjamin Zander performance 88/24

If it is the TeIarc one I have it on SACD and it has the best most spine-chilling opening of the last movement of ANY recording I have ever heard and is good all over.
On disc it also has two versions of that last movement, with and without the last hammerblow!
Where did you find a download?
As DSD download I have the Fischer on channel classics also good but he doesn´t nail the last movement opening as well as Zander.
Very sweet ppp string playing though.
Cheers CC

 

[miketlse]

It happends the same if i pause and play too.
What could be different to the Ms scaled output compared to a 'standard' signal of the same freq/bitdepth?

This is one of the posts that @Rob Watts made in the Mojo thread, but the issue is generic to the other dacs as well.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-mojo-dac-amp-☆★►faq-in-3rd-post-◄★☆.784602/post-12277215

Both the dacs plus MScaler use data buffers.
What are you using as your input source for the MScaler?

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

Can anyone confirm from autopsy that powering M Scaler with battery solves the "RFI problem" and ferrite cables are no longer necessary ?

 

[Reactcore]

If it is the TeIarc one I have it on SACD and it has the best most spine-chilling opening of the last movement of ANY recording I have ever heard and is good all over.
On disc it also has two versions of that last movement, with and without the last hammerblow!
Where did you find a download?
As DSD download I have the Fischer on channel classics also good but he doesn´t nail the last movement opening as well as Zander.
Very sweet ppp string playing though.
Cheers CC

Yeap its the 2002 Telarc one.
Now listening to Great jazz trio live at Birdland NYC

You also know the Marantz demo CD collections? Really good mixing on those by Fritz de With

 

[Reactcore]

What are you using as your input source for the MScaler?

All comes from my Wyse thinclient and F2K or Jriver

Just weird on my AK120 i hear the music through the crackling noise even at 1M setting which shouldn't be supported anyway. When i cycle to red all is ok.
Its optical input just don't tolerate upsampled material.

Well i can always use it as a source player with optical out.

As for my Questyle.. its equipped with a Wolfson WM8805 Spdif mux chip suporting max 192khz.. USB is routed around it. wonder if i can replace the chip with a newer generation supporting 384.. or just leave it lol

 

[miketlse]

All comes from my Wyse thinclient and F2K or Jriver

Just weird on my AK120 i hear the music through the crackling noise even at 1M setting which shouldn't be supported anyway. When i cycle to red all is ok.
Its optical input just don't tolerate upsampled material.

Well i can always use it as a source player with optical out.

As for my Questyle.. its equipped with a Wolfson WM8805 Spdif mux chip suporting max 192khz.. USB is routed around it. wonder if i can replace the chip with a newer generation supporting 384.. or just leave it lol

The SPDIF standard protocol applies to both optical and coaxial transmission, with max 192khz.
Anything higher is non-compliant with the standard.

Good luck trying to find a SPDIF chip that operates at a higher sampling rate.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-qutest-dac-official-thread.869417/post-15830091