[InstantSilence]

juansan, I thought that I had crossed the Rubicon like Julius Caesar did in 49BCE when I bought my first Chord DAC, the diminutive and aptly named Qutest. But that little black box opened my ears to the possibilities of audio Nirvana that was available to me if I just listened more closely. After auditioning a TT2, I immediately drove back to my audio store, and giddily like a child, traded the Qutest for what I thought would be the endgame for all of my music loving needs. Long story longer, after only a few weeks I found myself buying an M Scaler at a great price. Could I have been happy without it? Definitely yes! Would I want to live without it now? Definitely not! In only a matter of a few months I went from a humble little hp system, notice the $3.99 banana hanger for a headphone stand, to a monstrous audio gear Kudzu thing that has taken on a life of its own. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudzu Be afraid. Be very afraid!

Sig Saur! Very resolving and punchy when shot, soundstage.. Massive!

 

[InstantSilence]

juansan, I thought that I had crossed the Rubicon like Julius Caesar did in 49BCE when I bought my first Chord DAC, the diminutive and aptly named Qutest. But that little black box opened my ears to the possibilities of audio Nirvana that was available to me if I just listened more closely. After auditioning a TT2, I immediately drove back to my audio store, and giddily like a child, traded the Qutest for what I thought would be the endgame for all of my music loving needs. Long story longer, after only a few weeks I found myself buying an M Scaler at a great price. Could I have been happy without it? Definitely yes! Would I want to live without it now? Definitely not! In only a matter of a few months I went from a humble little hp system, notice the $3.99 banana hanger for a headphone stand, to a monstrous audio gear Kudzu thing that has taken on a life of its own. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudzu Be afraid. Be very afraid!

I wouldda used the wig when I showed up again to buy the Mscaler, because, we can't let the audio store know they influenced so easily

 

[Gadget67]

juansan, I thought that I had crossed the Rubicon like Julius Caesar did in 49BCE when I bought my first Chord DAC, the diminutive and aptly named Qutest. But that little black box opened my ears to the possibilities of audio Nirvana that was available to me if I just listened more closely. After auditioning a TT2, I immediately drove back to my audio store, and giddily like a child, traded the Qutest for what I thought would be the endgame for all of my music loving needs. Long story longer, after only a few weeks I found myself buying an M Scaler at a great price. Could I have been happy without it? Definitely yes! Would I want to live without it now? Definitely not! In only a matter of a few months I went from a humble little hp system, notice the $3.99 banana hanger for a headphone stand, to a monstrous audio gear Kudzu thing that has taken on a life of its own. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudzu Be afraid. Be very afraid!

If I was more computer savvy I’d photoshop Kudzu into your pictures! Hey, it’s the thought that counts, right? Speaking of a life of its own, I’ve added the AudioQuest Jitterbug and you’ve got me researching tube amps. Thankfully for my wallet, I’m running out of room for more equipment....but, I am afraid!

 

[bpcans]

Sig Saur! Very resolving and punchy when shot, soundstage.. Massive!

InstantSilence, so do the toys from Wilson Combat.

 

[bpcans]

I wouldda used the wig when I showed up again to buy the Mscaler, because, we can't let the audio store know they influenced so easily

That’s hilarious InstantSilence. I assure you that I would’ve if it had come down to that. But luckily a nice man from Beverly Hills, yes that one, didn’t need his pristine M Scaler because he had to make room for a dCS Rossini DAC. It was like finding a brand new tee on the box at a really nice golf course. God I love rich people. They throw away the best crap.

 

[SaddleSC]

NNNOOO!!! My new M Scaler was dropped off at FedEx one hour before their deadline by the seller using overnight shipping and FedEx supposedly canceled the last pickup at that depot due to weather so now I have to wait until Monday!!! This is going to be the longest weekend EVER!

 

[bpcans]

If I was more computer savvy I’d photoshop Kudzu into your pictures! Hey, it’s the thought that counts, right? Speaking of a life of its own, I’ve added the AudioQuest Jitterbug and you’ve got me researching tube amps. Thankfully for my wallet, I’m running out of room for more equipment....but, I am afraid!

Gadget67, when I got the AQ Jitterbug I was going direct to my short lived Chord Qutest because laptops are notorious for sending a lot of jitter thru their USB ports. Now with the HMS/TT2 that problem is all but mute owing to Chords excellent engineering, but what could it hurt? And as far as a tube amps goes, if you’re not getting one of these, don’t even bother. https://wooaudio.com/amplifiers/wa33 J-K. Not really.

 

[Gadget67]

Gadget67, when I got the AQ Jitterbug I was going direct to my short lived Chord Qutest because laptops are notorious for sending a lot of jitter thru their USB ports. Now with the HMS/TT2 that problem is all but mute owing to Chords excellent engineering, but what could it hurt? And as far as a tube amps goes, if you’re not getting one of these, don’t even bother. https://wooaudio.com/amplifiers/wa33 J-K. Not really.

I hate to admit I was looking at the WA33 but tube amps are a whole new world to me so I’ve got lots of research to do before going down that twisty road...

 

[Icenine2]

I purchased an Audioquest NRG-Y2 cord to replace the PSU cord. It is non-polarized and (presumably) can go in either way. I think your dealer is blowing smoke but if you try it and hear a difference, let us know. Color me skeptical.

He ended up talking me out of the Nordost. I'm waiting to read more from others who bought a different cord.
How is the Audioquest? Did you notice a difference or does it just look cool?

 

[nwavesailor]

I hate to admit I was looking at the WA33 but tube amps are a whole new world to me so I’ve got lots of research to do before going down that twisty road...

It's not the $8K for the WA33, it's the tube Rabbit Hole you enter to find the best combinations that is fun, maddening and yes more than a few $$$!

 

[Icenine2]

I hate to admit I was looking at the WA33 but tube amps are a whole new world to me so I’ve got lots of research to do before going down that twisty road...

The tube buying is the killer with these. You can go all over the place with spending. And out of nowhere they can go bad. I have friends who have thousands in tubes in one amp. I had a WA22. Honestly there were quality issues with the amp. The TRS input would be loose with with certain plugs. Finally gave up and adopted 4 pin plug. Sold that and bought a Cavalli Liquid Fire which is a hybrid and that thing killed the WA22. I just use the TT2 headphone section. It is spectacular. It beats everything I've listened to and the beauty part is a one box solution. No IC's to have to spend even more $$$ on. You could buy this, a separate tube amp and IC's or this and an M-Scaler for the same price.
I had an EML 5U4G rectifier in the Woo. Three months and it crapped out. They were super cool and got me a new one but you have to have extra tubes around just-in-case. They either just stop or start making tiny noises while listening before they go bad. The Cavalli just used E88CC/6922 quad which were dirt cheap compared to the EML and Shuguang Treasures.
Forgive me if you know all this.

 

[Gadget67]

He ended up talking me out of the Nordost. I'm waiting to read more from others who bought a different cord.
How is the Audioquest? Did you notice a difference or does it just look cool?

Well, I THINK there was an “improvement” and it does look cool. I’ve attached a photo which shows the AudioQuest cable to my TT2 next to the stock cable for the M-Scaler. At this point improvements/changes are difficult to assess. The big improvement for me was using a 12 volt battery to power the M-Scaler presumably cutting down on RFI. Everything sounded cleaner (for lack of a better description) and the silence between songs was palpable. I just added an AudioQuest jitterbug but can’t say I realized an improvement so at this point I’m right up against the law of diminishing returns.

 

[thecrow]

It's not the $8K for the WA33, it's the tube Rabbit Hole you enter to find the best combinations that is fun, maddening and yes more than a few $$$!

Having the (more modest) woo wa2 i have found that the amp is the less expensive accessory to the tubes that i have bought along the way.

if i sold the amp i would be hoping to get more for all my tubes than the amp itself

 

[Gadget67]

The tube buying is the killer with these. You can go all over the place with spending. And out of nowhere they can go bad. I have friends who have thousands in tubes in one amp. I had a WA22. Honestly there were quality issues with the amp. The TRS input would be loose with with certain plugs. Finally gave up and adopted 4 pin plug. Sold that and bought a Cavalli Liquid Fire which is a hybrid and that thing killed the WA22. I just use the TT2 headphone section. It is spectacular. It beats everything I've listened to and the beauty part is a one box solution. No IC's to have to spend even more $$$ on. You could buy this, a separate tube amp and IC's or this and an M-Scaler for the same price.
I had an EML 5U4G rectifier in the Woo. Three months and it crapped out. They were super cool and got me a new one but you have to have extra tubes around just-in-case. They either just stop or start making tiny noises while listening before they go bad. The Cavalli just used E88CC/6922 quad which were dirt cheap compared to the EML and Shuguang Treasures.
Forgive me if you know all this.

Lends a whole new meaning to the expression “going down the tubes”.
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/dictionary/american/go-down-the-tubes-tube

 

[nwavesailor]

The tube buying is the killer with these. You can go all over the place with spending. And out of nowhere they can go bad. I have friends who have thousands in tubes in one amp.
The Cavalli just used E88CC/6922 quad which were dirt cheap compared to the EML and Shuguang Treasures.
Forgive me if you know all this.

Yup, I have 1950's and '60's vintage GEC KT88's, A2900 as well as a current production EML 5U4 or USAF 596 so there is a few $$$ in tubes. I am a good tube buyer............... just never seem to get around to selling my tubes sitting in boxes!