[JohnA1]

Hi Rob,

Doesn't mp3 320kbs compression (among others) get rid of the sounds 'hiding' behind louder ones?
If that is the case then MScaler aims to do the opposite.

By 'objective' I had in mind something like waveform before microphone superimposed upon waveform after DAC.
Would that ever be possible?

My untrained ears heard a clear improvement with the Dave though, so I'm thinking to go for one of those instead.

 

[Rob Watts]

Yes MP3 loses critical information. Also, the HF is lower data rate and noisier than low frequencies; this means transients are not encoded with great accuracy. I think that's why MP3 sounds soft compared to redbook.

As to mic waveform to DAC waveform - for sure you would see big changes, but if it's phase or frequency response errors it's not subjectively damaging. The tiny errors that upsets the brains processing of the music are much more important, and you won't see that with waveform overlays - just the gross changes.

One of the reasons I am working on ADC's is so that the change of 768kHz>decimating to 48k>reconstructing back to 768kHz can be evaluated, and I will be able to see how much of an audible loss occurs. Ideally, we will not be able to hear a difference from a bandwidth limited 768k file, or a decimated then WTA reconstructed file - that is my goal.

 

[GreenBow]

I wonder why DAVE and TT2 have dBNC outputs. Digital amp does not need a DAC. Owner of a good DAC does not need a digital amp.

LIke how M-Scaler turns of taps in the DAC. A digital amp would turn off or rather bypass, the back end (last stages) of the DAC. Or in other words the volume part.

(Roughly. I think. Maybe wise not to quote me. )

 

[GreenBow]

But having said this,I have to admit again that, AC/DC sounded like crap both with and without mscaler to me.

Are you still giving AC/DC a hard time? Ha.

I can understand that from a perspective. If you try an album, some of the what we call 'filler' tracks are sometimes plain. However if you get to listening to their best era and best tracks from then, it's a different story.

I can't remember how I got started with them, meaning wich tracks which albums. Once I got hooked though, and found some albums from their best period, I liked them.

E.g Blow up your Video, The Razor's Edge, and a compilation Who Made Who.

They have the air-drumming energy and fire that I sometimes in the mood for. For sure they made some excellent tracks. the track Money Talks is a good place to start.

 

[GreenBow]

Yes MP3 loses critical information. Also, the HF is lower data rate and noisier than low frequencies; this means transients are not encoded with great accuracy. I think that's why MP3 sounds soft compared to redbook.

Yeah MP3 sounds softer and I think starker/weaker, and emptier than Redbook. Redbook sounds richer-fuller overall with better detail and transients. (Like if I audition an album on Youtube and it sounds thin, I remember it will sound richer on Redbook.)

It might follow that high-res takes than one step further. Which surprised me when I saw one of the pro-magazines saying that high-res is not as good as Redbook. One of the complaints stated by this reviewer was that high-res, 'transients sounded hard'.

 

[RKClem]

I have not tried Dirac Live so I don't know other than frequency response, whether there are more adjustments (like aggressiveness of phase correction) are available. I guess if I were going to help someone use Dirac Live, I could tell them to try measuring at more locations or at different spots and to take photos of where they are measuring? Not sure. Or at the very minimum, I can create custom frequency responses for people.

As for convolution filter with Acourate or Audiolense, they are still fairly automated procedures except in addition to being able to set target frequency response, you can set how aggressively you want to correct for the phase and it's the phase correction that I spent a lot of time customizing. You can also choose whether to aggressively cut off the low bass if it's beyond what your subwoofer/speakers are capable of producing. Acourate/Audiolense is a deep dive so if you're happy with gentle parametric EQ, I would say yes, a convolution filter correctly calibrated would improve the sound quite a bit but you're looking at a $500 software investment and probably another 2 months of tweaking? That's a lot of time to just chill and enjoy music.

I have decided to get HAL to do some convolution filters for me as I don't have the skills. Given you have had success designing filters that don't cause excessive loss of transient accuracy, is there anything in particulate should ask for or avoid in these filters?

 

[alxw0w]

One thing I can't put my finger on is when I have the MScaler engaged, it almost sounds like the music has slowed down and relaxed a bit. Even my own music, I wonder if the tempo is different from what I recorded. It's just one of those things I can't measure, but I do feel it. I'm willing to accept that it's placebo, but I have more faith in Rob and his WTA doing it's magic than my brain playing tricks on me.

I have the same feeling. Some tracks do feel slower/calmer.

 

[zenlisten]

I have the same feeling. Some tracks do feel slower/calmer.

Yes, the M Scaler lets good recordings "breathe": the music is smooth and relaxed, and listening is unfatiguing.
(Of course this may also depend on the genre; I usually listen to classical, jazz and electronica where this is beneficial.)

 

[alxw0w]

Yes, the M Scaler lets good recordings "breathe": the music is smooth and relaxed, and listening is unfatiguing.
(Of course this may also depend on the genre; I usually listen to classical, jazz and electronica where this is beneficial.)

But I want to clarify something.
M Scaler adds smoothness to every music.
But on some tracks I can sense additional "slowness".
For example tracks on: David Duchovny - every third thought
I was struck how music was feeling "slower" it's hard to describe but yes it sounds like the tempo was lowered in some DSP or something (but of course we know that's not the case here)
And this CD is far from perfect, I like the music but it's heavily compressed. But still that's the album I've always return and compare M scaler vs no m scaler.

 

[JohnA1]

I felt enough is enough with the mscaler - if I can't hear any difference with it in the chain, what is the point of keeping it?
Let someone else enjoy it.
Moving the speakers a few mm I can tell the difference, but not the scaler effect at any level.
Oh well, could be some neurons inside my brain refusing to play ball.

Traded it in for a Dave - now that is a wider soundstage.
even with the TT2 I didn't hear much difference from the QuTest.
The Dave though is on another level.

 

[THGM]

Having said that, I think John might fancy getting a DAVE now.

Traded it in for a Dave - now that is a wider soundstage.
even with the TT2 I didn't hear much difference from the QuTest.
The Dave though is on another level.

Very prophetic!

 

[J.Sternegård AB]

Hi all!
Excuse me for not haven’t read every 899 pages… I’m curious about musical improvement by adding the MScaler to my Hugo TT (not TT2)

Thanks in advance!

 

[griff500]

Very prophetic!

Well I did have the advantage of seeing his reaction when I plugged my DAVE in.

 

[alxw0w]

Hi all!
Excuse me for not haven’t read every 899 pages… I’m curious about musical improvement by adding the MScaler to my Hugo TT (not TT2)

Thanks in advance!

Not worth the money for TT1. Better route it's to change TT1 to TT2.
I went similar route so I have compared these options.
You can try to find my post on various topics (m scaler, TT2, watts up) there are my thoughts regarding TT1/TT2 and the m scaler.
If I find them I'll try to edit this post and add links.

edit. ok I found it
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/page-117#post-15561250

 

[J.Sternegård AB]

Not worth the money for TT1. Better route it's to change TT1 to TT2.
I went similar route so I have compared these options.
You can try to find my post on various topics (m scaler, TT2, watts up) there are my thoughts regarding TT1/TT2 and the m scaler.
If I find them I'll try to edit this post and add links.

Thanks for fast reply!
I’m not surprised but it would be interesting reading about your experiences…