Is this enough

[@TheWaxChainFanClub]

Always great to see Terry doing the business.

[@nickwavehighfidelity7651]

Terry, Well done for another interesting and informative video. In it you raise the BIG question of whether the combination of Mscaler and a Chord DAC is better than the next DAC up in the Chord range. I am lucky in that I have to buy a number of Chord digital products to test my WAVE dual BNC cables (yes I know, it is a tough life!) and I have recently been comparing Dave by itself to the TT2 + Mscaler to help a friend who was interested about whether he should get the Dave instead of the TT2 with an MScaler. When the TT2 was first launched there were many who rightly got excited about whether the TT2 was perhaps not far off Dave performance but for much less money. In my experience the TT2 is indeed a very fine DAC but time and time again I am taken with just how much more transparent the Dave is compared to the TT2. I will be very interested to see what you think but for me that peerless transparency of the Dave wins through even when solo Dave is up against the TT2 plus Mscaler. Obviously the Mscaler is quite sublime with the TT2 but the separation of the notes and the space around instruments that I hear with solo Dave is a hard act to follow and for me the lesser transparency of the TT2 isn't made up for by adding the Mscaler. I am fully aware that I might be in a minority of one on that but I have listened for about 12 hours per day to various combinations of Dave, TT2, Blu2 and the Hugo Mscaler as well as other Chord Dacs since they were all first released so I have clocked up probably thousands of hours listening to the various combinations. Nick

[@johnratcliffe6438]

So would you say DAVE with MScaler or Blu is best?

[@dangeorgecommunications]

DACs entertainment, Terry! Great (and very informative) video.

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

haha :) thanks Dan

[@bishonen2pm]

Thanks for the concisely insightful info Terry. Clear and the point. Sweet. I hit the Subscribe bottom half way through the video. It's very unlikely that I would come around the fortune that would grant me access to the caliber of rig, but it's good to be informed in the off chance I hit the lotto some day. ;)

[@darlew777]

Can i use mojo 2 with the m scaler ????

[@KXP70]

Yes

[@nespressoman]

I’ve ordered an M-Scaler. I hope it is good with my Qutest.

[@roberthart3452]

iFor me, it begs the question how well would it work with a $500- 1000 dac... compared to a top flight dac like Dave?

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

what you will notice with external dacs is that even though the m scaler improves them it never gets to the full improvement it can deliver when you have the dual bnc. The full upsampling is the big one and you need a chord dac for that :)

[@roberthart3452]

@@PursuitPerfectSystem Interesting about the dual BNCs

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

@@roberthart3452 it allows the highest sample rate through and is then left and right dedicated digital feeds

[@behemothinferno]

I heard a huge difference in her voice during the A/B listening test. Without the M scaler, her voice is grainy but with it, it because so much smoother and clearer!

[@JTB--]

They'll be playing Taps on the Trumpet for your Wallet after buying the Dave and M-Scaler. We can dream though!! Is the M-Scaler worth it strictly for Headphone only users... or is it meant to be best suited for a Stereo Speaker system? Get the Qutest and M-Scaler... or the Hugo TT 2 "All in One" for headphone listening? THAT IS the question?

[@klaymoon1]

M Scaler does sound a bit softer around the edges, but hard to pick up the difference on KZbin for me. Through KZbin, we can easily hear the 'relative' tonal difference and timing, etc., but it's a bit hard to hear on the amount of details through - at least the crappy headphone I'm using today. Probably I can hear more differences through my home rig.

[@duaplex1]

The real question. For the cost of a Hugo TT 2 you can buy a used Hugo TT and M Scaler off our favourite auction site.

[@bedrosdaoudian8927]

One interesting thing is that the M Scaler is removing the sibilance which is very prominent with the Dave alone. It seems to me that the M Scaler transformed the sound from an in-your-face, speaker located and somehow distorted sound to a realistic 3D live and natural sound where the speakers just disappear and the only thing left is the beautiful music. Thanks Terry for this Demo... to me the answer to question you asked is this... Nothing replaces the M Scaler! No... the Dave Alone is not enough and there is a big difference in the presentation... I think if someone is looking for the natural being there feeling along with tireless and live like listening, there is nothing in my experience that can replace the M Scaler...

[@sonicplayroompiano4302]

Hi mate, I'm tossing up weather or not to get the M scaler for my Qutest. Have you tested the 2 together?

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

yes lots, am using that combo now it improves the clarity and timing a lot

[@k-doggy1762]

You have to really squint your ears to hear an ever so slight improvement. At that point, is there really any difference or is it just placebo?

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

listen to the improved leading edge or transient clarity that is what you are focusing on - one sounds a lot clearer one sounds thicker - the first song clip is easier to hear this I think. Also put the video in 4k

[@slider2828]

@@PursuitPerfectSystem I am a qutest owner... I could totally hear the difference right off the bat. Now not sure if the timing is difference or something moved in the room, but the mscaler made a big difference. Using IEMs make everything noticeable

[@Cestmoi50]

Totally agree… I start to get annoyed by people saying it does not make a big difference. I heared it in my hifiman planars, on my Iem’s and on my full set the impact was huge! Together with the qutest and more so on the tt2

[@yadtahir9443]

Thank you for putting the demo. To my ears, the m scalar adds sharpness and precision. Is it worth the asking price? this is entirely subjective, but for me the answer is NO; the improvement is very marginal at best.

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

Each to their own - Once you hear the m scaler its very hard to listen to music without it, you realise other DACs are delivering a mushy sound to you. In this video its improving the clarity of sound from the DAC which is technically (arguably for some) the most advanced DAC for clarity in the World for £3.5k and your easily able to hear this over a KZbin video - in real life the difference is 10x as great. Worth every penny to me

[@audiofonia4429]

Hello. Maria Betania form Brazil

[@jasonlsimmons]

Great job Terry! I've got me a PS Audio Direct Stream Jr. Will the M Scaler work with it? I'm not sure where it would fit in, since I'm mainly using the built in bridge to stream Roon/Tidal. Thanks!

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

in that instance I am not sure how you would use it with the bridge as a source thanks for the kind comments :)

[@karltodd2518]

One of the best demonstrations I've had the pleasure to watch / listen too! thank you!! It's clear to me that even though I'm only listening on KZbin the difference was profound. The M scaler gave a greater sense of a " Real performance " voices were natural and full of expression with a strong three dimensional character. I would like your opinion on Chord amplifiers? I have been seduced by the Luxman 509x amplifier following your demos. Please consider reviewing Chord amplifiers to narrow down my options.

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

its not for me to tell you what to buy only tell what I love - I loved the Luxman I love the amp in this demo the Canor AI1.10 - review coming soon, really love this amp. I am very intrigued by the new chord amps with the new circuit design. The Etude is the more reasonably priced of the new ones I hope to review that in the near future for sure - or maybe the Ultimas who knows haha :)

[@karltodd2518]

@@PursuitPerfectSystem Thanks Terry. You are of course correct it's my ears that will be doing the listening. What may be worth including in your demos is manufacturers warranty periods. I was slightly disappointed to discover Luxman amps have a two year warranty. Typically many manufacturers offer a 5 year warranty, Which seems reasonable if your paying upwards of 5k for a amplifier. Hell I believe Bryston is 20yrs.

[@hadleys.4869]

The Chord Hugo TT2 has so much power. I believe it makes an amazing Headphone AMP. I originally had the Chord Hugo 2 and the extra power in the TT2 really made an enormous difference in bottom end grunt and low end bass. There was a sense of power when playing music on the TT2, that you just did not get from the Hugo 2. The Hugo TT2 has more AMP power than the Chord DAVE. Now take the Chord Hugo TT2 and attach the Hugo M Scaler and you have essentially an End Game combination for playing music over your headphones. Yes, hooking up a DAVE to the M Scaler would provide even better DAC power, but it doesn't provide as much AMP power. I assume Chord will make a DAVE 2 soon, given the TT2 has more power. I just bought a Chord Hugo M Scaler to attach to my Hugo TT2 and the improvement in my music's quality was pure soul tingling bliss. It takes a rough around the edges CD quality piece of music and really smooths out the roughness and then brings forward all the instruments. The M Scaler also gives the impression that you are right there in the middle of the performance. It truly is quite amazing, that something like this can even be achieved with a lower quality music file. thanks for reading.

[@johnsweda2999]

Is it as good as the audiolab m-dac dac £469? how come you don't review it, it is award-winning dac, why only chord? It will be interesting a playoff against the chord specially at its price point, and has 32-bit sampling. or those benchmark that's good for 2 grand. I don't know if it's better, more studio based. Something you could use in your video recording processing you don't use a DAC in recording do you doesn't sound like it

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

That is a different product you are comparing and I literally just reviewed an approx £200 SMSL DAC so its not all Chord but I can only make videos about what I have access to FWIW. This makes DAC's sound better its not a DAC itself

[@RomantiqueVoyage]

The chord DAC’s are far better dacs than m-DAC, not even comparable my friend.

[@lextr3110]

clearly would be nice to compare with a reclocker or something what i dont understand is why i hear the difference even listening to this thru my samsung note 3 cheap nano speaker.. maybe the bypass f.u the sound or something

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

course not the difference is that big I can easily record it. I used to use a rocker a really good one and while it improved the sound not at the fundamental level the m scaler does - it's an amazing thing :)

[@rktrkt-tw8nd]

M scaler, ferrited wave cable and chord dac itself suck out so much distortion that strings in the starting sound extremely clean and natural. But the side effect seems to be that the 'sh sh' sound in the vocals also become clear which otherwise was hidden behind distortion and loose transients with other dacs . So recording engineers now have to be more careful while recording vocals. Better they should use chord system for monitoring.

[@milkman100001]

whats best the ps audio direct stream dac or chord products? im still researching before purchasing..cheers

[@Taladin1234]

Chord

[@bricedoan6695]

I own the Hugo 2 and i'm wondering if it would be worth upgrading to TT2.

[@o.f.ftrack3444]

I didn't feel like getting up out of bed to get my headphones so i was listening on my phone. The difference was surprisingly easy to notice. I purposely looked away from the phone so that i didn't know when the switch happened. Like I said, it was pretty obvious.

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

I often check my videos using my phone speakers because I appreciate not everyone will be using headphones :)

[@pippypipettes3876]

I love your work, so thanks for that! I just wonder how do you test your sample equipment? or if at all. There are famous instants of review samples been defective, they only found out after they tested it or the manufacture tested themselves. This issue caused me alot of anxiety when buying audio equipment as I wouldn't have a clue if what I've brought is defective or if this is the actual house 'sound'. thanks again.

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

the m scaler I bought in December last year its been perfect since I have not had any issues with Chord gear. Not saying it doesnt happen. This is where a good dealer pays dividends because not only will they support you but they can offer you a demo of a perfect unit so you know what to expect

[@pippypipettes3876]

@@PursuitPerfectSystem Thanks for the prompt reply. It shows you really care for your work and the intended audience. Your work and another reviewer I enjoyed watching/reading is John Darko (spelling ?) Do you know him? I will try to support you on patron (spelling ?) when my own financial situation is sorted whenever that may be.

[@pippypipettes3876]

patreon

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

@@pippypipettes3876 thanks very much, I met John out in Munich this year hope to get to know him better

[@hermancunha6056]

Maria Betânia, Sussuarana good music!

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

totally it's got some lovely music on it all audiophiles should own this album :)

[@ferhatdagli887]

I try with lotoo paw gold touch with focal utopia headphone and I didn’t get any different.....

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

How are you streaming the video file to the paw gold? Maybe try something more simple like plugging the utopia into a decent smartphone as the source

[@ferhatdagli887]

@@PursuitPerfectSystem Connected By Bluetooth... maybe it’s work but I don’t believe to get all different listen on KZbin.... I don’t have any doubt about chord products, I’m sure it’s make different.. it’s one of my favorite brand... On the other hand, listen it at showroom show us on real what it can do...

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

@@ferhatdagli887 yes maybe simplify the setup and take the Bluetooth link out of the chain This video is just to try and give an example of how the product works not to replace the real thing - trying to go one better than purely spoken or written words alone :) Cheers man

[@craigenputtock]

I would like to see a blind A/B test between this and the Topping D10.

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

if your suggesting all dacs sound the same and this cheap D10 Topping dac will perform the same - check this video - DAC's dont all sound the same kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXrMp6Wnq5lnpas far from it

[@k-doggy1762]

Really dude?? I got the FiiO BTR3 and Chord Mojo. Have used both on line out mode for my powered speakers and there's just no comparison. The Mojo absolutely obliterates anything of the same or lower price.

[@jamiemcneil9462]

I could not hear any audible difference. Seems to me the designer spent too much time doing math and not enough time listening. How much does this box of nothing cost?

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

listen again, the difference is there. I have been told watching the video in 4k gives the best sound quality if that helps

[@rustygates3367]

Depends on your gear. If you listen to it through a couple of potatoes (DAC and HP), no. If you plug it to a Chord DAVE or TT2 and have a Focal Utopia, then a hell of a lot.

[@johnratcliffe6438]

I didn't look at the screen. Just listened. If there was a difference it was negligeable.

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

make sure to put the video in 4k mode and listen to the music transient clarity. It's there and it's very obvious - with the first vocal section being easier to hear I think - listen to the clarity and resolution of the voice

[@johnratcliffe6438]

@@PursuitPerfectSystem OK. Will do, thanks.

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

@@GA-pc2qd yes we think so

[@Coneman3]

Seems more resonant with the scaler.

[@bcisn]

This video is hilarious. There was literally NO difference and I’m listening to this through my Hugo tt2 and Focal Utopias. So glad these videos exist, save me $6K that I can put towards real incremental gains like room treatment.

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

What was you using as the source for the video? Plug your Utopia into your smartphone and use that as the source because a computer and especially a web browser is not always an ideal source - I find smart phones are much better for my videos with A/B sound demos in them regardless of the dac and headphone amp quality. If you think the M Scaler makes no difference have a real demo for yourself the TT2 sounds very soft and squidgy when you A/B with and without and that will change your perception very quickly

[@SergeySedlovsky]

I'm on LKS MH-DA004 DAC atm with Soundaware P1 amp and Focal Utopia headphones as well. I could definitely hear the differences with the M-Scaler it was fuller sound and more torwards me (I'm guessing soundstage is larger, microphones being in the back so sound is going further) a bit more smoothness, it's not all about the gear, you need a good ear as well :P Notice that any change in an audio setup is not always immediately apparent if you're not looking for the changes because in the end there's only so much that can be extracted from the sound or changed, the musicians are still using specific equipment at a certain distance and so on and so forth...

[@rajendrabiswas]

New mojo is coming in feb

[@robertgough508]

Lovely chord products but still playing limited complexity music. Try a test like beethovens 9th or any 70’s prog

[@mariocassar3117]

Oh, we audiophiles....gives us hope ( of better sound) and we take the bait!

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

I think fundamental improvements in DAC technology is offering a little more than just hope

[@ColocasiaCorm]

I never knew what 'hand waving' meant until I watched this video.

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

Please get used to that if you want to watch more of my videos. It happens without me thinking about it, If I concentrate on keeping my hands still then I am not concentrating on what I am saying. I am sorry if its annoying man

[@rashakikizer9889]

Wish Chord supported MQA.

[@wildcat1065]

I was surprised that the differences are so apparent even over KZbin. M Scaler sounds so much more open and airy, sounds quite dull and flat without.

[@johnratcliffe6438]

Which is crazy because those DACs should sound sublime on their own.

[@wildcat1065]

John Ratcliffe . Indeed.

[@deistdean486]

The AB comparison is obviously invalid. Data File -> Chord DAC -> M Scaler -> Amp -> Speakers -> Ears. That's great since the omission of the M Scaler can be listened to. However, Data File -> Chord DAC -> M Scaler -> Data File 2 (captured and uploaded to YT at a compromised bitrate) -> (For me) Mojo -> HD650. Data File 2 is a processed version of the original Flac/Wav recording. It's like photocopying an original masterpiece at the middle stage of duplication.

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

It doesn't matter - there is a difference here so I can record the difference between the M Scaler and no mscaler and the recording shows very clearly there is a difference - you dont need the original to hear it, but if you was listening via the m scaler chord dac combo the sound of the video would be much better and the difference easier to hear. The same as every recording - the better the playback system the more of that recording you hear :)

[@uranproject]

Its sounds like my phone, becase I watching video from my phone)

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

maybe try plugging some good headphones into your phone to get from what the high quality recordings in this video can ofer

[@nitraM321]

i don't understand why you think that a vidéo on youtube will allow us to compare two audio products, it doesn't make any sense at all, and frankly it's a waste of time

[@PursuitPerfectSystem]

I have made hundreds of these types of videos that have been watched in the millions of times. Clearly not everyone feels the same as you