[Christer]

After having this cable makes me wonder how lifatec would sound like. I still don’t think the cable can alter digital signals to result in certain sound signatures. I use headphone with relatively loud volume. When using hugo2 it clipping(bass heavy) during movies a lot, with tt2 it never do(with pvc optic ).

How can optical cables have anything to do with or induce clipping?

Clipping as I understand it and have heard it with for example DAVE/BLU2 without a powerful enough headphone amp in the chain, with powerhungry difficult to drive headphones,is what you hear when there is not enough power delivered and the sound breaks up and sounds badly distorted.

Especially notable in the bass as you say.
Clipping sounds rather horrible to me.

But I suspect that what you hear is a lack of power/current/voltage from the H2 and not the actual cable as such causing the clipping.
Correct me if I'm wrong and different optical cables can be responsible for clipping.
With the exception of TT2, one obvious Achilles Heel of ALL the other Chord DACs directly which I have auditioned is lack of power/current/voltage with full dynamic range recordings and difficult to drive but HIGH QUALITY headphones.


I suspect that you are basically just hearing the difference between your H2 and TT2's amping power.
There is a BIG difference!
H2 can break up and sound a bit congested at loud massive full force climaxes and bass heavy passages with demanding full dynamic range large scale symphonic ,non compressed music, with such headphones. But TT2 kept delivering enough power with the headphones I tested it with.
Cheers CC

 

[greyforest]

What’s with all this optical talk? I use USB, sounds utterly fantastic. No ferrets or anything.

Optic have its advantage, say i got a sound card and i want to use those dsp processors for movies or games. Usb can’t do that.

Besides that, I tried a usb reclocker(from ifi) combined with a pcie usb card(dedicate for digital transmission With clock from matrix) + wire world star lights 8 usb for both ends (usb to reclocker and reclocker to tt2)

The results compare to the usb cable came with tt2 is quite small. I hear or i should say i feel better resolution with music but can’t tell where. It could be all Psychological i would say. But it does make the connection more stable.(before there were dropout From time to time)

So I spent quite some money on those digital transmission mediums. I want it to work to hear the euphoric changes it made to my system, but it didn’t. Do I regret the money thrown into it? Probably yes, but again each piece of those things when I ordered it brings i little bit of hope, even though it didn’t really came true. It is still hope.

 

[greyforest]

How can optical cables have anything to do with or induce clipping?

Clipping as I understand it and have heard it with for example DAVE/BLU2 without a powerful enough headphone amp in the chain, with powerhungry difficult to drive headphones,is what you hear when there is not enough power delivered and the sound breaks up and sounds badly distorted.

Especially notable in the bass as you say.
Clipping sounds rather horrible to me.

But I suspect that what you hear is a lack of power/current/voltage from the H2 and not the actual cable as such causing the clipping.
Correct me if I'm wrong and different optical cables can be responsible for clipping.
With the exception of TT2, one obvious Achilles Heel of ALL the other Chord DACs directly which I have auditioned is lack of power/current/voltage with full dynamic range recordings and difficult to drive but HIGH QUALITY headphones.


I suspect that you are basically just hearing the difference between your H2 and TT2's amping power.
There is a BIG difference!
H2 can break up and sound a bit congested at loud massive full force climaxes and bass heavy passages with demanding full dynamic range large scale symphonic ,non compressed music, with such headphones. But TT2 kept delivering enough power with the headphones I tested it with.
Cheers CC

Thank you for your response to the little findings that i posted up there

What really happened there is, i use optic for only one reason——to use the dsp on my sound card (fake surroundings, enhance clarity etc) those digital processing are known for creating distortions,say it could synthesis a bass signals that no headphone could ever play. Why do i use it? To enhance the experience as i use tt2 for gaming and movies where the precision or sound reproduction is not Priority.

I use same movie and songs to test the glass cable and pvc cable. And clipping is obvious as days during the ab. Far as i know about toslink there is no error corrections but there is a sort of “randomizer” within the process it inject a prediction of value into the signal when error is occurred. Therefore maybe the clipping is what really it should sound like.

 

[Whazzzup]

Sound cards? that may explain why. Id never use a sound card then again don't use windows, don't care about games. I play them through desktop speakers and my iMac . I was thinking for desktop audiophile quality, usb is the way to go. One just needs a fantastic server and a great usb cable and use TT hd usb, and you are there. up to dsd 256 64 bit float, nirvana

 

[bluenight]

What’s with all this optical talk? I use USB, sounds utterly fantastic. No ferrets or anything.

Because if you want to get your sound of your TV to your chord dac optical is only available.

 

[bluenight]

How can optical cables have anything to do with or induce clipping?

I thought so too. I think i heard alot of distorsion when demoing an hugo 1 when using high volume with HD650 maybe it was a faulty unit. Also i heard that kind of distortion when using hugo2 dac line level fixed output to feed an Sennheiser HDV820 HP amp, but the HDV820 had a gain switch in 3 steps that i could turn down to lowest i think and there was no distortion anymore.

 

[musickid]

Just realised i've been listening on filter 4 (warm with hf roll off) since i've owned tt2 so about 2 months now. Quickly back on filter 1 absolute incisive this evening which was white on hugo 2 256fs. I wonder if this transition will extinguish the idea of upgrading to dave next year. The guitar plucking on Romeo Santos' album Golden is more distinct and the drum programming is sharp. Not placebo.

 

[GreenBow]

Am stuck over whether to buy an amplifier. I need an analogue pre-amp, to use two DACs side by side. Not having an amplifier means I will not be using my Qutest for desktop work, alongside my TT2.

I have been driving TT2 directly to speakers and it's way cool. Hard to actually describe the sound. Impossible to fault. I know that an M-Scaler will make a difference, but TT2 alone to me is flawless. Not using an amplifier makes it that much better.

To experiment I recently put my Rega Brio (2017) back in the system. It's totally listenable, but not the amplifier I meant to use long term. It's the amplifier that I upgraded around.

My situation is for example, I was playing a PC game for a few hours over the weekend. This is why I need an amplifier. I would rather use my Qutest for gaming. I initially thought I would be happy using TT2 for gaming and streaming from Amazon Prime. However I think I would prefer to use Qutest.

It means taking a sound quality hit, to use an amplifier. E.g. when putting the Rega Brio back in, the bass treble balance did not change. The sounds shrunk a little , and with overall less detail, sounded thicker and more coloured. The detail of TT2 alone puts in more changes in tonal colour. With amplifier, less detail, and hence thicker more one colour tonal colours. It's also atouch more difficult to pick out vocals etc.


I'd prefer to keep my TT2 for music duties. Like JRiver, and auditioning music on YouTube. Then use Qutest for all other stuff. Like I hate putting my TT2 on just to listen to a video on a website. Then forgetting and leaving it on all day.

I could live with an amplifier in the system, but now I think it would have to be a good quality amplifier. That's not me being arrogant, or dissing the Rega Brio. It's because the temptation to go back to driving speaker with TT2 would always be strong. (Even more - so with a lesser amplifier.) I will leave the drive speakers direct option open, by having adapters in the XLR sockets. Then move speaker cables over. Most of the time, I am thinking of leaving an amplifier in the chain though. Trouble is it get really hard looking for a top quality expensive amplifier with a low pawer rating.

 

[rkt31]

Am stuck over whether to buy an amplifier. I need an analogue pre-amp, to use two DACs side by side. Not having an amplifier means I will not be using my Qutest for desktop work, alongside my TT2.

I have been driving TT2 directly to speakers and it's way cool. Hard to actually describe the sound. Impossible to fault. I know that an M-Scaler will make a difference, but TT2 alone to me is flawless. Not using an amplifier makes it that much better.

To experiment I recently put my Rega Brio (2017) back in the system. It's totally listenable, but not the amplifier I meant to use long term. It's the amplifier that I upgraded around.

My situation is for example, I was playing a PC game for a few hours over the weekend. This is why I need an amplifier. I would rather use my Qutest for gaming. I initially thought I would be happy using TT2 for gaming and streaming from Amazon Prime. However I think I would prefer to use Qutest.

It means taking a sound quality hit, to use an amplifier. E.g. when putting the Rega Brio back in, the bass treble balance did not change. The sounds shrunk a little , and with overall less detail, sounded thicker and more coloured. The detail of TT2 alone puts in more changes in tonal colour. With amplifier, less detail, and hence thicker more one colour tonal colours. It's also atouch more difficult to pick out vocals etc.


I'd prefer to keep my TT2 for music duties. Like JRiver, and auditioning music on YouTube. Then use Qutest for all other stuff. Like I hate putting my TT2 on just to listen to a video on a website. Then forgetting and leaving it on all day.

I could live with an amplifier in the system, but now I think it would have to be a good quality amplifier. That's not me being arrogant, or dissing the Rega Brio. It's because the temptation to go back to driving speaker with TT2 would always be strong. (Even more - so with a lesser amplifier.) I will leave the drive speakers direct option open, by having adapters in the XLR sockets. Then move speaker cables over. Most of the time, I am thinking of leaving an amplifier in the chain though. Trouble is it get really hard looking for a top quality expensive amplifier with a low pawer rating.

i use benchmark ahb2 power amp directly fed by tt2. Ahb2 has three gain settings. Mid or low gain is enough for tt2's high output. In all three gain settings (low, medium and high ) ahb2 is the amp to beat. Nothing comes close to this for 100w rms , not even most expensive amp in this power range. Ahb2 is one of the biggest bargain of hi fi. Most people don't buy it because it doesn't "look like" a hi fi gear, it is small, it looks like cheap power regulator, it runs cool, it is light , it does not have big flashy blue vu meters, it does not color the sound, most important it does not cost $10k or above. Imho If you are not pairing it with tt2+HMS with your speakers system you are not doing justice to TT 2+HMS combo's transparency.

 

[GreenBow]

i use benchmark ahb2 power amp directly fed by tt2. Ahb2 has three gain settings. Mid or low gain is enough for tt2's high output. In all three gain settings (low, medium and high ) ahb2 is the amp to beat. Nothing comes close to this for 100w rms , not even most expensive amp in this power range. Ahb2 is one of the biggest bargain of hi fi. Most people don't buy it because it doesn't "look like" a hi fi gear, it is small, it looks like cheap power regulator, it runs cool, it is light , it does not have big flashy blue vu meters, it does not color the sound, most important it does not cost $10k or above. Imho If you are not pairing it with tt2+HMS with your speakers system you are not doing justice to TT 2+HMS combo's transparency.

It's not just low gain that I need. Although anything much more than 50W per channel is more than I need. … I need pre-amp, so I can use Qutest.

 

[miketlse]

Trouble is it get really hard looking for a top quality expensive amplifier with a low pawer rating.

Are you considering second hand?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cyrus-Au...452294?hash=item4b6de7c246:g:gbcAAOSwUJNdvFSI

 

[GreenBow]

I think I am probably fighting the inevitable though. The Hugo M-Scaler.

If I had an M-Scaler, I would feel less bothered about dropping audio quality going from driving speakers direct. To using an amplifier, TT2, and HMS. I know in the end that I would still drop quality going from driving speakers direct, to amp anyway, even with HMS. However the introduction of the amplifier is always going to mask those finer details. Hence probably only HMS is going to bring it back.

I know I am fighting the inevitable though. As much as my feelings are saying HMS to me. Or I think they are. I refuse. I did very recently actually inquire about a home audition for HMS, and was told my store does that. I never got to going over to collect the HMS yet though.

Of course DAVE is another option with an amplifier, but I am not looking for DAVE. I do still want that TT2 power, when driving speakers direct, as I will use that.


It's either I am fighting the HMS, or I should just accept buying a quality amplifier. Or be prepared to use TT2 for all desktop duty.

 

[GreenBow]

Are you considering second hand?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cyrus-Au...452294?hash=item4b6de7c246:g:gbcAAOSwUJNdvFSI

Thanks Mike. I would definitely use second hand. I have had a system before that was completely second hand. However used amplifiers are a bit risky. People sell gear if they it has faults. Like a blow buzz in the speakers when no music plays, etc.

I was looking really hard and long at the Naim Supernait 3. I was hoping it would have enough fine detail to leave most of the TT2 in tact after amplification. However only yesterday, Hifi Choice (Ed Selley from Chord) reviewed the Supernait 3. He spoke abut hardening up with volume on the headphone port. While I would not use the headphone port, it makes me nervous about the amplifier. Another reviewer said Naim do harden up too.

One more aspect about the Supernait 3, is there is no signal/noise ratio information. Making it tough to get an impression of its quiet level detail level. I know that's evident from audition though, but I'd have no reference point. Unless e.g. I took my TT2 and adapters to drive speakers direct along. Then the store would have to be convinced to let me use them. Meaning I have to make detail level evaluation from pro-reviews. … Therfore guess which part of the amplifier information got left out of all Supernait 3 reviews. Yes you guess it. No-one directly talked elaborately about the Supernait 3 detail level. (How is that even possible?)

 

[JaZZ]

GreenBow, have you realized that an integrated amp would mean two additional amplification stages compared to your now system? Actually you don't really need a preamp. Why not consider a mere input selector?

 

[Triode User]

I think I am probably fighting the inevitable though. The Hugo M-Scaler.

If I had an M-Scaler, I would feel less bothered about dropping audio quality going from driving speakers direct. To using an amplifier. I know in the end that I would still drop quality going from driving speakers direct, to amp anyway, even with HMS. However the introduction of the amplifier is always going to mask those finer details. Hence probably only HMS is going to bring it back.

I know I am fighting the inevitable though. As much as my feelings are saying HMS to me. Or I think they are. I refuse. I did very recently actually inquire about a home audition for HMS, and was told my store does that. I never got to going over to collect the HMS yet though.

Of course DAVE is another option with an amplifier, but I am not looking for DAVE. I do still want that TT2 power, when driving speakers direct, as I will use that.

It's either I am fighting the HMS, or I should just accept buying a quality amplifier. Or be prepared to use TT2 for all desktop duty.

Or think outside the box. Sell or trade TT2 and Qutest and get Dave plus an amplifier. The transparency of Dave plus a decent amp is much better than TT2 direct (IMO of course) and so you could use that for everything (and maybe add an Mscaler later).

That is my 2p.