$5000 What's In The Box? DAC Edition ------------------------------------ Chord Hugo M Scaler Review

[@jakeduan9476]

This guy is one of the best reviewer I’ve ever seen ,I don’t see any reason why he won’t go viral

[@Love09081979]

Yes, great fun to watch!

[@yngvemikkelsen4086]

Great review! Just what I have been waiting for. The reviews are very informative and have informed my purchasing decisions. Great work, keep it up!

[@Chriskeon75]

Wow...Hugo M scaler ....I did not see that coming

[@Nephilim-81]

Best overview of the M-scaler for sound demoing in all of KZbin. :)

[@Nephilim-81]

Oh my lord. The M-Scaler now!!! I hope to god you get 1 million subscribers. You are covering amazing ground. :)

[@DirectorsGarage]

That’s nothing. Wait until you see what’s coming. Stay tuned!

[@Nephilim-81]

Michael. You’re pretty amazing my friend. Also the way you legitimately tested the M Scaler was really great. Your findings seem to resonate with my suspicions. My guess DAVE is next. :)

[@davidpilon9433]

At 19:15 the harmonic voice is magic when the M Scaler is ON

[@DirectorsGarage]

Thanks for watching, David! My next video (spoiler alert) will be on the same topic.

[@zergolicious666]

really enjoyed the comparisons, i honestly couldn't tell the difference as much either, man this definitely costs a pretty penny...

[@xeniavader]

So glad I found this video. I personally can't hear a difference with my Susvara/Benchmark combination. For me, once you hit a certain level with DACs they mostly sound the same. Maybe a nuanced difference in "flavor" but not necessarily better. Biggest bang for the buck is the headphone.

[@suryrus]

Do you mean you used mscaler with benchmark dac ? Can you help with how was the outcome ?

[@chrisbrook2267]

Hi Michael. Good work on this project - I'm absolutely enjoying going through all your videos. Really well presented, and great content. Just a shame about the adverts. Can you tell me the song and artist for the first piece of music on the M Scaler on/off comparisons.

[@DirectorsGarage]

Hi Chris, the songs in the test are unavailable commercially. They are a part of a royalty free music package from a company called Epidemic Sound. I like and subscribe to their service because they use real instruments with real vocalists and the music is of a high quality, in my opinion. You can check them out at www.epidemicsound.com/referral/dmw937/ The song name is "Too Dusty" and the artist is Red Blood Sun

[@arturomartinez3354]

I agree with Vico. No one produce better videos.

[@laurakim6297]

thank you for teaching me a new info & tech mr. michael. now for me while i heard it in my LG V20 phone plugged 1.5 bucks vido earbuds while sitting in my store with noisy environments i can tell the difference, with out the scaler they sound like all the musicians standing a straight line while playing their music ( they like watching our friends play live music or on a small club ) with scaler on they sound like proper positioning, more nuance, soundstage with & depth nail it. keep the great vids going mr. michael...!!!

[@tranetime1]

I forgot to say in my previous comment, keep up the good work!!! 😀

[@chrisnyc3641]

Fascinating. I agree with your initial statement that listening to KZbin through my own dac & headphones (HD800S) I shouldn't be able to hear any difference even if there is one irl. And I didn't think I would. But I totally hear it. I even circled back to re-listen with my eyes closed and was still able to pick out which one was the M-scaler. It's not a huge difference, but it's definitely there. To my ears the difference is similar to that of 16-44 and 24-44. Every sound has more space to breathe in its own distinct layer. Or I'm totally imagining things - who can say?

[@DirectorsGarage]

Chris, I hear the space and clarity, too. I think it will be extremely evident if I can get a Hugo TT 2 in here. I've heard this before in a demo and it blew me away. This one didn't, and I'm certain it's the DAC, not the M Scaler holding things back. I'm interested in this because of the streaming implications. If this can "next level" the sound of Tidal, it's a true game-changer. Right now, it's still an experiment. More to come! Thanks for watching.

[@shimofo1]

I heard the same thing. I doubt you and I are imagining the exact same thing.

[@86cha]

To my ears, while ON, I find the sound to have more body/richer but at the same time, slightly lower in volume. But it was not consistent throughout the demo playlist.

[@shimofo1]

I found the ON setting to be strikingly more holographic and yes, lower in volume.

[@thelastrhino2581]

Great video, great approach, honest decision to stop and go for TT2 with M Scaler pairing. My equally honest question is: I have a TT2 and M Scaler. There is an audible, positive difference with the M Scaler on. But I am confused, how are viewers supposed to hear that here? They are not listening through an M Scaler, they are listening to whatever limitation their own audio system has.

[@DirectorsGarage]

The playback I did was re-recorded audio after the signal passes through the M-Scaler/Hugo 2. I know it's not likely you would hear anything out of the KZbin video because it's re-captured at 48k (that's why I did say this shouldn't work, but let's try it), but I've actually heard this demo'd before in this way, and inexplicably, it actually did work. In the demo I heard, there was a difference over KZbin and it was a clear enhancement with the M Scaler in the chain. I'll try again in the future once I get a TT2 in.

[@DirectorsGarage]

I'll also add-- what came out in this video is a fair representation of what I heard on my end as it happened. I would have cut the demo segment entirely if I felt it held no value. I do hear a difference with and without the M Scaler in this demo in the video, but as I heard it here, the difference is a slight improvement, not an impressive leap.

[@keithbertschin1213]

I have the m scaler and tt2. Where you really notice the difference is with very complex passages. Pink Floyd, Time, where the clocks start chiming, a lot going on and sounds a touch muddy with tt2 whereas the m scaler clearly differentiates. I haven’t done a ton of a-b ing, I’d say at best 10-15% improvement down to negligible depending on the track. For those of us who have fallen down the rabbit hole I’d say it’s a good investment.

[@DirectorsGarage]

Keith I'm particularly interested in the improvements the M Scaler can bring to streaming. That's really the game-changer, in my mind. If this combo can bring an audiophile experience to streaming services-- it's really a force to be reckoned with.

[@annarobertson8320]

Agreed time with mscaler tt2 and detailed hphones as Lcd5 is astounding

[@annarobertson8320]

Agree, i had an issue with the bnc cables supplied, faulty connectivity, so used tt2 as single unit, just couldn't go back to no mscaler. The difference in DSOTM is huge in detail

[@johnhayes8476]

I like those music samples! This is fun on my u12t. Sounds awesome!

[@anthonyberryman3443]

You have a great IEM there, I have a custom A18t, enjoy your music and keep safe. What source do you use your U12t with?

[@darkeldarblade916]

I cant really hear the difference. I am using the HD800s and RME ADI-2 DAC. Not worth $5K in my option. But I rather look at just upgrading to the Hugo TT2.

[@hamandvaid]

The KZbin channel Pursuit Perfect System did a review of the M Scaler and TT2 in 4K, and switched it on and off at various points. If you have the ability, you may want to record in the same resolution, so us viewers can hear *something* of the sound difference. :)

[@robm321]

I enjoy the experiments regardless of how they turn out.

[@samuelezrag]

I really like the experiment, but I think it can be improved by eliminating the gap between the on/off of the M Scaler. Anyway, great video as usual, keep up the great work!

[@DirectorsGarage]

I considered that-- It would take away the live element, and I'd have a lot more video to fill. I'd have to record each set of songs with and without the M Scaler. Maybe I'll try that for the TT2 episode. I don't back down from a visual challenge! There's no eliminating that gap live, it takes the DAC a second to sync with the new frequency rate. Thanks for watching Samuel!

[@frankcastle13]

I couldn't hear much difference between the two. Yes it is there, but so little it's hard to describe.

[@666playball]

Honestly I think the Hugo 2 by its self has more punch and clarity with M Scaler too smooth no real definition of instruments..smushed together. Like a laxative was given to the sound.

[@somestudio6210]

Have you tried a Chord Dave? That's supposed to sound amazing. Great vid!

[@DirectorsGarage]

I have, briefly, with the Ether 2 at CanJam in Los Angeles. Loud room. Couldn't make a fair assessment of it. But it sure looks impressive! Thanks for watching.

[@petekelvin2736]

So hard to find nice content like this. I don't know who, but someone actually needs to hear this, you've got to stop saving all your money. Venture into investing some, if you really want financial stability

[@petekelvin2736]

Invest globally in bitcoin, gold, silver, forex market, commodities. Just don't be left out and save yourself

[@micheal9186]

Beautifully said, I tell my folks these words everyday. It's good to save money but most people don't understand the market moves and tend to be misled in facts like this and always depend on money in the bank.

[@petekelvin2736]

@Collins Markson Hey, this is a computer age. Peeps who aren't even traders make money from the crypto and forex markets ,how many millionaires do you know who have become wealthy by investing in savings accounts?

[@michealsmith2251]

@@petekelvin2736 Very helpful, this is what I needed to hear today. I just got an update saying Tesla bought a huge amount of bitcoin.

[@petekelvin2736]

@Collins Markson My personal portfolio/investment manager; Mrs Rebecca Leigh Jones , after a whole week of research,she runs an investment platform where you don't have to undergo any stress in the trades, she manages my trading account which i opened with a capital of $3000 and now i have grown my portfolio up to over $6500, a huge success.

[@terryRBNF]

Mscaler on sounds better but I wouldn't bet five bucks on being able to tell them apart in a blind test

[@DirectorsGarage]

Agree, Terry. What I'm interested in is the affect on streaming services. If I pair this M Scaler with the Hugo TT2, and it dramatically improves the quality of any signal sent at a lower data rate through, say, Tidal, it could be something of a game changer. But I'm with you, it's not there-- at least on the Hugo 2. This remains a work in progress. Thanks for watching!

[@endre8202]

@@DirectorsGarage I think the best improvement I have experienced was during KZbin watching and M-Scaler in Video mode - try it

[@lupoal4113]

scaler ON: a kind of loudness with some additional sensation of room because some slight reverberation added... 5000 for that kind of "magic"? ... imho pure shit!

[@tranetime1]

Hi Michael. I’ve been using an m-scaler with a Qutest, which is essentially a Hugo 2 without the headamp. I also could barely hear an improvement. This weekend I got a TT2. The sound quality is better over the Qutest but only marginally. I don’t think I would be able to tell the difference in a blind test either.

[@DirectorsGarage]

Thanks Jim! I've heard a few demos where the difference was remarkable with the M Scaler. I was hoping to find a similar result. I'll take the next step-- in the name of science, of course! Thanks for watching!

[@JeffSartain_atx]

You're giving away TIN EARS P2s... or TIN Audio P2s? 🤔

[@DirectorsGarage]

Contest is over! But it was these, for the record! www.linsoul.com/products/tinhifi-p2?_pos=1&_sid=5c493a54b&_ss=r More to come. Stay tuned!

[@JeffSartain_atx]

@@DirectorsGarageI realize this old news. I just thought it was funny that you said "tin ears" in the video. 🤓

[@DirectorsGarage]

@@JeffSartain_atx Yes I'm old, and I say a LOT of stupid stuff. There's an older shootout (somewhere around episode 21 or 22) between the HE-5xx, HD-650, and TH-X00 that had so many flubs I turned it into a drinking game. SMH

[@shimofo1]

Get tf out of here... I would have put money on not hearing any difference. Like a lot of money. Not only hearing a difference but can identify ON/OFF immediately. I can't believe the difference is so obvious. I'll never again preach that YT sound demos are useless and the dumbest thing ever.

[@q2forever778]

The most useless device ever