Hugo M Scaler by Chord Electronics - The Official Thread

[Somatic]

@Somatic, these BNC cables from Nick Bacon at WAVE High Fidelity are quite a bit less expensive than the Storm’s, but they still give you a lot of what you’re looking for when it comes to sound quality improvement. https://www.wavehighfidelity.com/storm-1/wave-storm-bnc-cable-cane3. How much are looking to spend on a pair of good BNC cables? I ask because there are a few really excellent cable companies to choose from if you don‘t want to break the bank. One of the best tweaks that I did with my system was to get my HMS as far away from my TT2 as possible, about three feet away or 1m. You could buy a good pair of 2m BNC cables and really separate the TT2 and the HMS, and that alone could really help to keep the HMS’s RFI from mucking up the sound.

Thanks. I’ll check out the STREAMS as well. If one is running off battery can one use a normal BNC cable? If running off battery does one need to separate the two devices.

If you know of cheaper alternatives with ferrites, I’m all ears as well. Just curious what’s out there.

 

[bpcans]

@Somatic, adding ferrites by themselves to just any cable won’t get you the same benefits because Nick Bacon, aka @Triode User, put a great deal of time and effort into calculating which components and how they’re assembled would give the best results. I’m not sure about a system with batteries.

 

[Somatic]

Thanks. I’ll check these out.

Anyone recommend a retail battery for the HMS/TT2?

 

[genefruit]

Thanks. I’ll check these out.

Anyone recommend a retail battery for the HMS/TT2?

several, including myself, use this one - https://www.ravpower.com/products/copy-of-portable-power-station-252-7wh-power-house

 

[Somatic]

several, including myself, use this one - https://www.ravpower.com/products/copy-of-portable-power-station-252-7wh-power-house

Thanks @genefruit ... can you explain how you connect up your chain before it hits the Dave? Are all iFi Zen Stream, M-Scaler, Opto-DX connected to the Rav?

 

[Reactcore]

Thanks @genefruit ... can you explain how you connect up your chain before it hits the Dave? Are all iFi Zen Stream, M-Scaler, Opto-DX connected to the Rav?

If you use batteries.. you must seperate HMS and DAC supplies. Otherwise HMS RF can still flow to the DAC through the shared device.

 

[Aquileolus]

Folks, please help, can anyone please recommend the track which you feel the HMS can make the biggest improvement when use with TT2? I just got a HMS in house and my wife just did a blind test for me, I completely failed it... not able to pick the difference between passthrough mode (red light) vs max up sampling mode (white light), if I fail it again I might have to return it or my wife will get really mad...
My chain is Roon on PC with Matrix Element H USB card -> HMS -> stock BNC cables -> TT2 -> Auris Nirvana -> LCD-5 / VC
When I'm not doing blind test, I think I can feel some difference, but come to blind test it just get too hard, sometime I was very confident but the result was completely wrong...
Don't know if it is because of the stock BNC cables, but I guess even with the stock cables there should be significant improvement, right?

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

Folks, please help, can anyone please recommend the track which you feel the HMS can make the biggest improvement when use with TT2? I just got a HMS in house and my wife just did a blind test for me, I completely failed it... not able to pick the difference between passthrough mode (red light) vs max up sampling mode (white light), if I fail it again I might have to return it or my wife will get really mad...
My chain is Roon on PC with Matrix Element H USB card -> HMS -> stock BNC cables -> TT2 -> Auris Nirvana -> LCD-5 / VC
When I'm not doing blind test, I think I can feel some difference, but come to blind test it just get too hard, sometime I was very confident but the result was completely wrong...
Don't know if it is because of the stock BNC cables, but I guess even with the stock cables there should be significant improvement, right?

I can recommend you this two albums which lately I Iisten a lot:
This:


And this one:

I like to listen first album with crossfeed3, the depth that is created is very good. Sound decay goes from your head to front of you. (Gnomus my favourite)
In the second album pay attention to transients, leading edges of sounds. Sharper more explosive it changes timbre. (for example song Fighter)
On LCD5 the change should be very obvious.

 

[Lgn3]

Edit

 

[Lgn3]

Anyone building ferrited BNC cables similar to Wave Storm for a better price?

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hug...nics-the-official-thread.885042/post-16931873

Laird HFB159079-100

For those wanting to go the Ferrite core cable route for their M Scaler but do not have the funds or just do not want to pay the high prices for the ones spoken about on this forum I have been testing a number of Ferrite cores over a period of time. You may have seen some of the cables I made for myself that I posted on here and have now settled on Ferrite Cores named Laird HFB159079-100.
These ones are High Frequency in the 2GHz and are sized the same as the high priced ones, they may even be the same.
You can fit 20 per meter cable with the correct number of O-rings if that is the way you want to go. I have put this on here to help the people willing to go the Diy route. Look for HFB159079-100

 

[Triode User]

If one has the Mscaler/TT2 combo connected through BNCs and the TT2 is connected to source with Optical is this ideal or is USB better for upscaling? Thanks.

I personally prefer the bnc inout to the Mscaler but there is always a certain amount of YMMV in these things which might vary depending on the source you are using. Best is to try for yourself and decide what you prefer. Better in this instance is generally assessed by being smoother, less 'in your face', least fatiguing, less 'life' etc etc.

Anyone building ferrited BNC cables similar to Wave Storm for a better price?

I hope not because the Intellectual Property in the design is protected (even for private DIY use).

 

[jarnopp]

Folks, please help, can anyone please recommend the track which you feel the HMS can make the biggest improvement when use with TT2? I just got a HMS in house and my wife just did a blind test for me, I completely failed it... not able to pick the difference between passthrough mode (red light) vs max up sampling mode (white light), if I fail it again I might have to return it or my wife will get really mad...
My chain is Roon on PC with Matrix Element H USB card -> HMS -> stock BNC cables -> TT2 -> Auris Nirvana -> LCD-5 / VC
When I'm not doing blind test, I think I can feel some difference, but come to blind test it just get too hard, sometime I was very confident but the result was completely wrong...
Don't know if it is because of the stock BNC cables, but I guess even with the stock cables there should be significant improvement, right?

In addition to TriodeUser’s input recommendation, I would try without the extra amplifier. TT2 has plenty of power to drive the LCD5 and VC.

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

In addition to TriodeUser’s input recommendation, I would try without the extra amplifier. TT2 has plenty of power to drive the LCD5 and VC.

Yes definitely @Aquileolus should try direct driving LCD5.
Additional amplifier is probably taking away some of the small nuances.

 

[Lgn3]

Edit

 

[Somatic]

All this RF noise ... placement, bnc cables, ferrites, batteries, etc ... makes me want to just get a solo Dave vs my current TT2 or get a Bartok/DCS Lina etc ...

Mscaler seems to be more useful for the Dave? Many post which go back and forth on if people perceive and differences at all. Some people say minor differences others say its a bigger difference.

Not sure but the Mscaler turns me off a bit.