[Reactcore]

The "Tweakos" will change something, create some distortion, and because they hear something different and like the result, will declare it "better". Then someone will create a product from it and charge huge amounts of money.

One fact is that all the talks and experiments of users here gave invaluable information to Rob and made him decide to design a new PSU. That extensively filters RF noise to both directions.

There might is some truth to what so many here were experiencing and posting.

 

[Rob Watts]

I've heard a bunch of the top end DACs that are in that price range and much more, and in no case were they anywhere near worth an upgrade from M-Dave.

And I suspect I'll feel the same even about Chord gear: even though I'm fortunate enough to be able to afford whatever, at that price it better represent a "night and day" improvement that even the deaf, broke cultists in ASR/Sound Science could hear.

However, If Rob pulls that off (and I seriously hope he does), he's unquestionably the very top of digital audio designers/engineers.

Thank-you for your kind comments.

I noticed that @Rob Watts used a plural: “the PSUs are my own design.” I assume this means the collection of PSU units manufactured for the Quartet? Not that there‘s a new PSU coming for DAVE as well? An alternative to the DC6 would be interesting…

Ah you spotted that! I occasionally add intentional little hints to my posts. Yes the base PSU design has some variants that will suit other future products - in particular the Ultima DAC.

 

[adyc]

I’m not sure that this is limited to the “tweakos”. In fact, I’d suspect it‘s more common amongst non-audiophiles to want to color the sound to make It more to their pleasing. I find that respectable as the aim should be our enjoyment. What I find it tough though to have much respect for are those who only hear what their chosen expert tells them they should hear.

They are a cult. Believe everything the master says.

 

[Whazzzup]

Never enjoyed TT so much in the last 9 years than slapping non chord gear before and after it. imo and ymmv. TT just keeps breathing new life into my hd800s. 1266 tc some day as well. thanks for the dac

 

[Currawong]

One fact is that all the talks and experiments of users here gave invaluable information to Rob and made him decide to design a new PSU. That extensively filters RF noise to both directions.

There might is some truth to what so many here were experiencing and posting.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm just as bad. I have tube amps and R2R DACs here to say the least. Since the Hugo came out, feedback from here has clearly influenced subsequent Chord DACs in quite a few ways.

 

[muski]

Ah you spotted that! I occasionally add intentional little hints to my posts. Yes the base PSU design has some variants that will suit other future products - in particular the Ultima DAC.

That’s very exciting news!

 

[thePhones]

feedback from here has clearly influenced subsequent Chord DACs in quite a few ways

I am very happy Rob integrates a Nvidia Shield (one second delay) option in the new scaler. To me Rob has just the perfect balance of bullheadedness (when he knows he‘s right) and humbleness (where there‘s genuine helpful feedback). I think that part is really difficult, because a lot of feedback is really not helpful… but some is. To stay humble and always questioning again and again if you could have overseen something even though most of the time you did not, I think that takes some willpower and clearly shows his genuine motivation is more enjoyment of music.
I can not say how many happy movie hours and music sessions I had with the current M Scaler and Dave. A never ending honeymoon phase with this amazing tech. After just a few days of not hearing chord sound and listing at a friends house or even cinema and then coming back to my setup I just melt away at first few notes coming out of it.

 

[GuiltyRocker]

I am very happy Rob integrates a Nvidia Shield (one second delay) option in the new scaler. To me Rob has just the perfect balance of bullheadedness (when he knows he‘s right) and humbleness (where there‘s genuine helpful feedback). I think that part is really difficult, because a lot of feedback is really not helpful… but some is. To stay humble and always questioning again and again if you could have overseen something even though most of the time you did not, I think that takes some willpower and clearly shows his genuine motivation is more enjoyment of music.
I can not say how many happy movie hours and music sessions I had with the current M Scaler and Dave. A never ending honeymoon phase with this amazing tech. After just a few days of not hearing chord sound and listing at a friends house or even cinema and then coming back to my setup I just melt away at first few notes coming out of it.

True, Rob is awesome. I listen to other DACs here and there and they sound so bloated to me, the Transients really aren't there and it all sounds so unengaging to me.

 

[Jawed]

Apparently lots of analogue talk by Rob at the recent New York CanJam:

Digital Isn’t
3:00p to 4:00p
Digital is digital, it's all ones and zeroes. Except that, no it isn't. Beyond the fundamentals of the digital-to-analogue conversion process, there are a host of additional factors that can dramatically affect the sound of your DAC — and consequently, what you will hear through your signal chain. Discover how power supplies, analogue devices and circuit design, galvanic isolation, digital cables and more can dictate your listening experience. But most importantly, learn how sometimes, digital isn’t.
SPEAKER: Rob Watts, Digital Design Consultant, Chord Electronics

 

[Kentajalli]

Apparently lots of analogue talk by Rob at the recent New York CanJam:

Digital Isn’t
3:00p to 4:00p
Digital is digital, it's all ones and zeroes. Except that, no it isn't. Beyond the fundamentals of the digital-to-analogue conversion process, there are a host of additional factors that can dramatically affect the sound of your DAC — and consequently, what you will hear through your signal chain. Discover how power supplies, analogue devices and circuit design, galvanic isolation, digital cables and more can dictate your listening experience. But most importantly, learn how sometimes, digital isn’t.
SPEAKER: Rob Watts, Digital Design Consultant, Chord Electronics

Perhaps if you could provide a link, we could listen in, and see what you are talking about.
Thanx

 

[miketlse]

Perhaps if you could provide a link, we could listen in, and see what you are talking about.
Thanx

I thought that I saw a link somewhere in the Canjam impressions thread.

 

[Jawed]

Advertised for CanJam, I have no idea whether there are slides or a video...

 

[Jawed]

@Rob Watts does Quarter Scaler have a TOSLINK output?

 

[Rob Watts]

Yes Quartet M scaler will have 176.4/192 kHz toslink OP, plus 176.4/192 kHz coax and of course dual BNC at 705.6/768 kHz.

On another note, I will be posting my new seminar slides here after Singapore CanJam.

 

[Jawed]

@Rob Watts With Hugo M Scaler, when fed 44.1KHz sample rate music, the output over TOSLINK is 176.4KHz and uses approximately 250,000 taps. When this output is being used, the dual-BNC output is still active, so dual-BNC gets 705.6KHz with ~1M taps.

So how does the TOSLINK output get generated? Is it a simple decimation, by a factor of 4, of the primary data being sent over the dual-BNC output?

My understanding is that the dual-BNC output is noise-shaped for the target sample rate (and 24-bit depth per sample).

Is there a separate computation path that generates the TOSLINK output with noise shaping optimised for 4FS?

I'm also wondering what happens when playing music whose sample rate is already at 176.4KHz, with output taken from TOSLINK. Does it get upsampled to 705.6KHz for dual-BNC output and then that is decimated for output over TOSLINK?