Hugo M Scaler by Chord Electronics - The Official Thread

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

Of all the planars from HIFI Man the Susvara is to me simply THE most transparent and resolving planar headphone. And also one of the best headphones I know of for acoustic music which is the one and only reference point I apply when comparing HIFI products.

I have absolutely no doubts in that respect. But I have not auditioned either of the 2 Solitaires or DC Stealth yet.

For acoustic/classical (and everything with real instruments with/without vocals) music you should definitely try DCA Stealth at some point.
I think you would like it.
Full spectrum of sound delivered in very clean distortion less way.

 

[bpcans]

For acoustic/classical (and everything with real instruments with/without vocals) music you should definitely try DCA Stealth at some point.
I think you would like it.
Full spectrum of sound delivered in very clean distortion less way.

@alxw0w, I’ve tried the DCA Stealth hp’s and I thought they were pretty good. But they can’t hold a candle for classical music from Decca recordings, for example, of opera like my Focal Utopia’s hp’s can IMHO.

 

[Christer]

@alxw0w, I’ve tried the DCA Stealth hp’s and I thought they were pretty good. But they can’t hold a candle for classical music from Decca recordings, for example, of opera like my Focal Utopia’s hp’s can IMHO.

Hmm, that is interesting to note.I have auditioned Utopia several times and liked its detail retrieval capacity and transparency . But I was a bit surprised to find it a bit upfront and with a relatively "smallish" soundstage compared to my Sennheiser HD800. But very nice with strings and other acoustic instruments tonally. Very revealing. It was a tempting headphone with my reference tracks btu came at a high price new. But I have been searching to get one as a complement to my HD800 and HEKV2. But so far I have not found one even second hand, at a price I have been willing to pay.
In what respects does it outperform the Stealth in your opinion? "they can ´t hold a candle..." are quite strong words right?

What makes me personally a bit wary,regarding the Stealth in spite of its excellent measured low distortion levels ,is the fact that it is a fully closed headphone. And personally I have yet to hear a really convincing closed headphone with acoustic and classical music which of all genres really need space to breathe.
Sennheiser HD820 imo only ok. And DC Aeon closed ,also ok ,but not good enough for me.
But the lower the distortion, the better too, so if Dan has managed to build an open sounding closed headphone with a bigger soundstage than the Aeon and VERY low distortion levels if I understand the figures correctly,some of the lowest distortion ever? Then,what is there not to like about it?
Its price ,definitely! But what else?
Cheers CC

 

[bpcans]

@Christer, what helped open up the soundstage on the Utopia’s for me was using a Danacable Lazuli Ultra 4-pin hp cable and plugging it into my Woo WA22 tube amplifier because the Utopia’s scale well with a system like mine that is dialed in. The better the back end is the better the music sounds coming into your ears. At least in my case that was my experience.

 

[ardbeg1975]

…And personally I have yet to hear a really convincing closed headphone with acoustic and classical music which of all genres really need space to breathe…

I can recommend a Kennerton Rögnir planar.

 

[Christer]

@Christer, what really helped open up the soundstage on the Utopia’s for me was using a Danacable Lazuli Ultra 4-pin hp cable and plugging it into my Woo WA22 tube amplifier because the Utopia’s really scale well with a system like mine that is dialed in. The better the back end is the better the music sounds coming into your ears. At least in my case that was my experience.

Another interesting angle on things again, both cables and amp and dac used of course matter.
One of several things I really did like about the Utopia was how well it delivered acoustic instrument timbres even better than my HEKV2 with stock cable which I was using for comparison.
Around the time when Utopia was released in Singapore, I had also recently heard Alisa Weilerstein play the Dvorak Cello Concerto live ,and I had the live woody timbre of her cello in very fresh memory from that concert.
And using her DECCA 24/96 hi res recording of the same work made in the Prague Rudolfinum Hall, with both my HEKV 2 with its stock cable and Utopia also with stock cable,Utopia sounded closer to how I had heard her cello live.
Notably so.
But not big enough to make say that my stock HEKV2" could not hold a candle against" Utopia.

I have since then upgraded my HEKV2 with a "better" cable , than that thin rubbery stock cable.
Though I have not been able to make any comparisons between the two for as long as Covid has stopped me from travelling.

Besides Utopia is still ridiculously expensive new here in Sweden.
And second hand ones are both few and far between, and always still more expensive than I could buy a new one for in SE-Asia.
Utopia is undoubtedly a very good headphone. But not the only good one!

In spite of all the recent headphones launched even since HD 800 from around 2007-2008? still has its strong points imho. Maybe not the smoothest or most refined headphone on the current market, but "honest" enough, and with a nice big soundstage.
I wonder how well it still holds its own as far as transients are concerned ?
At the time of release, it was lauded also for its accurate transients.
Whatever the case is ,I still use mine with some of my recordings.
And generally, the better the recording ,the better it still sounds to me.Tame that treble peak and it is still a good headphone imho.
If I get to travel again this coming winter my HD800 will be the one that travels with me.

But it also seems unlike your take,that Rob Watts clearly prefers his new DC Stealth over Utopia with his own dacs.


For me only one thing is absolutely clear, I need to compare them myself, with my own reference material.

I always welcome informed advice I can relate to,but take all advice with "a pinch of salt" even if it comes from people like Rob Watts.
Back on your earlier post and DC Stealth against the Utopia, when you say DECCA, are you referring to Classic analogue DECCAs or recent Hi Res digital DECCA recordings?
There is quite a difference between those too imo.
Cheers CC

 

[Widell]

Another interesting angle on things again, both cables and amp and dac used of course matter.
One of several things I really did like about the Utopia was how well it delivered acoustic instrument timbres even better than my HEKV2 with stock cable which I was using for comparison.
Around the time when Utopia was released in Singapore, I had also recently heard Alisa Weilerstein play the Dvorak Cello Concerto live ,and I had the live woody timbre of her cello in very fresh memory from that concert.
And using her DECCA 24/96 hi res recording of the same work made in the Prague Rudolfinum Hall, with both my HEKV 2 with its stock cable and Utopia also with stock cable,Utopia sounded closer to how I had heard her cello live.
Notably so.
But not big enough to make say that my stock HEKV2" could not hold a candle against" Utopia.

I have since then upgraded my HEKV2 with a "better" cable , than that thin rubbery stock cable.
Though I have not been able to make any comparisons between the two for as long as Covid has stopped me from travelling.

Besides Utopia is still ridiculously expensive new here in Sweden.
And second hand ones are both few and far between, and always still more expensive than I could buy a new one for in SE-Asia.
Utopia is undoubtedly a very good headphone. But not the only good one!

In spite of all the recent headphones launched even since HD 800 from around 2007-2008? still has its strong points imho. Maybe not the smoothest or most refined headphone on the current market, but "honest" enough, and with a nice big soundstage.
I wonder how well it still holds its own as far as transients are concerned ?
At the time of release, it was lauded also for its accurate transients.
Whatever the case is ,I still use mine with some of my recordings.
And generally, the better the recording ,the better it still sounds to me.Tame that treble peak and it is still a good headphone imho.
If I get to travel again this coming winter my HD800 will be the one that travels with me.

But it also seems unlike your take,that Rob Watts clearly prefers his new DC Stealth over Utopia with his own dacs.


For me only one thing is absolutely clear, I need to compare them myself, with my own reference material.

I always welcome informed advice i can relate to,but take all advice with "a pinch of salt" even if it comes from people like Rob Watts.
Back on your earlier post and DC Stealth against the Utopia, when you say DECCA, are you referring to Classic analogue DECCAs or recent Hi Res digital DECCA recordings?
There is quite a difference between those too imo.
Cheers CC

I would not consider Stealth a replacement or say that its is better than the Utopia, have not listened to it but Stealth is by nature a closed back and HD800 and Utopia open back, As having the Stealth and the HD800 and Susvara my point would be that if you need a closed back then Stealth should be amongst the the top of the list if not on the No 1. spot, for open back it is a fiers battle of the TOTL, I find the Stealth a perfect compliment to the Susvara's, Stealth is by no means "better" but it is the user case that wins it oever for me, working from home, wife vacuuming, kids running about then I go to Stealth and once silence hits the house on a friday or Saturday night and the rioja is well tempered and I sink down in my comfy chair the Susvara is for sure on my head.....the HD800 is still in my hart and I will never sell it but it does not get so much usage, it is though IMHO the one with the largest of all soundstages and deep insight into the music, but the Susvara wins on technicalities and also on the pure smoothness an perfect balance overall and I can sit for hours with it while after 3 hours with HD800 my ears feels a bit tired....just my 2 cents...

 

[Reactcore]

In spite of all the recent headphones launched even since HD 800 from around 2007-2008? still has its strong points imho. Maybe not the smoothest or most refined headphone on the current market, but "honest" enough, and with a nice big soundstage.

I'm also still holding on to my HD800.. it has countless hours on my head and got several times new cushions. If you havent tried.. try leather ones! It gives it a little more weight and fullness. And it grips better too.

Further i placed a heimholtz resonator
(super dupont mod) to tame its 6k peak.
No i won't part with it ever. Its near perfect for me.

I have heard it A-B with the Stealth.. and although i find similarities.. i found stealth a little bit 'light' sounding.. but really linear.. thats actually special for a closed design.
But i cant help liking that (what some call artificial) soundstage..

Then i heard HEKSE aside it on the same day..
And hmm it might become my next.. but the price.. nah ill wait. Maybe Senn will come with a successor soon

 

[Christer]

I'm also still holding on to my HD800.. it has countless hours on my head and got several times new cushions. If you havent tried.. try leather ones! It gives it a little more weight and fullness. And it grips better too.



Further i placed a heimholtz resonator
(super dupont mod) to tame its 6k peak.
No i won't part with it ever. Its near perfect for me.

I have heard it A-B with the Stealth.. and although i find similarities.. i found stealth a little bit 'light' sounding.. but really linear.. thats actually special for a closed design.
But i cant help liking that (what some call artificial) soundstage..

Then i heard HEKSE aside it on the same day..
And hmm it might become my next.. but the price.. nah ill wait. Maybe Senn will come with a successor soon

Agreed on the HD800, modded mine too, to tame that peak and added Dekoni pads and there is still life in that by now battered old beast. I bough mine 2009. I have been using it daily this past week and I am even tempted to say that my HEKV 2 even with cable upgrade sound maybe a bit "too smooth" in comparison to my HD800 with some recordings.
I know some " audiophiles" prefer everything to sound nice and smooth and with lots of bass.

But my one and only reference point in all of HIFI is to get as close as possible to how things sounded live in the hall without ruining myself. So if percussion sounded a bit"over the top" live I want it that way also via headphones or speakers,not smoothed out.
PS Your pads look like Sennheiser orginal ones or what brand are they?

I found Sennheiser orginal pads a bit thin and "leaky", after geting my fatter, arguably better quality , Dekoni pads at Canjam in Singapore a few ago.
Moreover, I have seen and heard the HD 800 as monitoring headphones at several classical recording sessions I have been present at.
And the very reason I bougth mine was after some recording sessions.
Now on the Stealth , what if the reason you found the Stealth a bit thin in comparison with your HD800 was its sounding even more accurate and closer to live than even the HD800?
Good as it is, one thing I remember from a session, was that compared to how the strings of a World Class Chamber Orchestra sounded live and close up on stage where I was with my camera ,compared to monitoring the DXD ie 24/358khz master later via HD 800 was that it dulled the string sound slightly.
Cheers CC

 

[Christer]

I'm also still holding on to my HD800.. it has countless hours on my head and got several times new cushions. If you havent tried.. try leather ones! It gives it a little more weight and fullness. And it grips better too.



Further i placed a heimholtz resonator
(super dupont mod) to tame its 6k peak.
No i won't part with it ever. Its near perfect for me.

I have heard it A-B with the Stealth.. and although i find similarities.. i found stealth a little bit 'light' sounding.. but really linear.. thats actually special for a closed design.
But i cant help liking that (what some call artificial) soundstage..

Then i heard HEKSE aside it on the same day..
And hmm it might become my next.. but the price.. nah ill wait. Maybe Senn will come with a successor soon

Hmm, I was under the impression that Sennheiser has recently basically abandoned the Highend headphone market, and although it is a few years ago I actually asked
Alex Grell that year in Singapore where they had launched the HD820, if they were also working on any successor to HD800 or 800S but his answer was no.
I suspect the 800S and 820 were their final words on the 800 series.
Cheers CC

 

[Somatic]

I would initially go for the DAVE solo and save up for the MScaler - by which point the MSx might be out!

Thanks. Any idea when MSx is coming out? I got the Dave now and can wait to add.

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

Thanks. Any idea when MSx is coming out? I got the Dave now and can wait to add.

Supposedly at the end of the year.

Ps. And it will be in choral line. So design kinda like Dave and price wise in similar bracket.

 

[Aquileolus]

Thank you guys for all the valuable suggestions, after some practice, I finally able to do blind test at around 75% accuracy, still using stock BNC cables but connect LCD-5 directly to TT2, the track I'm using is first 20 seconds of the first track of this live album, I found with the upscaling the shape of the live field is much more convincing, the direction of cheers and applauses are more accurate

 

[naynay]

@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.

Just use the ferrite cores I posted on here from my last post. Save you all that testing.
The cable and BNC's are Oyaide which you can purchase from most stores.

 

[bpcans]

Just use the ferrite cores I posted on here from my last post. Save you all that testing.
The cable and BNC's are Oyaide which you can purchase from most stores.

That’s okay @naynay. I’ve already got three WAVE Storm BNC cables in my setup and I love how they help the SQ of my system. Thnx for the tip though