Shows, seminars and presentations

Watts, Chord, community and miscellany

Everything he said on this topic (127)

One-line summaries in our words, oldest first. Each link opens the original.

2014-09-19Watts gives his and John Franks's September 2014 Asia schedule: Tokyo International Audio Show talks, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Head-Fi, Sep 2014
2015-09-25Watts says John Franks is showing a Dave close to production standard for PCM, but without the new non-decimating DSD filters he only just got running. Head-Fi, Sep 2015
2015-10-03Watts reports a signing in Jakarta and introduces Jerry, a 13-year-old who is probably the youngest Hugo owner and possibly the first in Indonesia. Head-Fi, Oct 2015
2015-10-22Watts gives his upcoming Singapore schedule: a show around 27 November and a headphone show around 12 December; CanJam Singapore is uncertain. Head-Fi, Oct 2015
2015-11-03Watts says no trip is planned yet, perhaps sometime in 2016, and he will be happy to sign it. needs context Head-Fi, Nov 2015
2015-11-23Watts lists his tour with a production Dave: Singapore, Manila, San Francisco, Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore events from late November to mid-December. Head-Fi, Nov 2015
2015-11-23Watts mentions upcoming Singapore events, says he has not tried the HE1000, and that the ADC project should start soon with filter R&D done. Head-Fi, Nov 2015
2015-12-04Watts gives the Malaysian distributor's details, clarifies that Dave's crossfeed control defaults to 0 (off), agrees crossfeed makes no sense for binaural recordings, and lists show dates. Head-Fi, Dec 2015
2016-01-09Watts says Graham Nash was actually in the Chord room. What Hi-Fi? 58
2016-01-09Watts says they hope to wander around tomorrow and see what is going on. needs context What Hi-Fi? 8:38
2016-02-26Watts says he is presenting in Korea, then Tokyo, wants to visit Bristol, and is coding the Dave-standard upgrade for the Blu and Red Reference CD players. Head-Fi, Feb 2016
2016-03-04Watts reports a successful Tokyo event where Japanese reviewers were astonished by Dave, with six reviewers placing personal orders. Head-Fi, Mar 2016
2016-04-15Watts announces a Singapore event next Saturday with presentations on DAVE and Mojo and time for other topics. Head-Fi, Apr 2016
2016-04-15Watts announces an event in Singapore next Saturday with presentations on DAVE and Mojo and time to discuss other subjects. Head-Fi, Apr 2016
2017-01-08Watts reports CES demos where listeners reacted strongly within seconds of the M scaler being plugged in, saying everything improves. Head-Fi, Jan 2017
2017-01-09Watts says he uses Hugo 2 on planes and Dave with the M scaler in hotels; Hugo 2 should ship late February or early March and appear at CanJam Singapore. Head-Fi, Jan 2017
2017-01-13Watts describes a CES visit by Jake comparing a ukulele recording to the system, noting a Stereophile comparison flaw: the microphone and ADC are part of the chain. Head-Fi, Jan 2017
2017-02-20Watts says the best sound he heard outside his living room was this setup at last year's Tokyo audio fair, used by Japanese reviewers who own Dave. needs context Head-Fi, Feb 2017
2017-02-20Watts says Chord will show full production Hugo 2 units with final code at CanJam Singapore in March, where he will present the design and detailed measurements. Head-Fi, Feb 2017
2017-03-04Watts says he recorded measurements for his CanJam Singapore presentation and will publish it on the thread afterward. Head-Fi, Mar 2017
2017-03-15Watts posts his CanJam Singapore Hugo 2 slides: WTA2 to 256FS, filter options and advice, DSD filtering, noise shapers and depth, crossfeed, and APx555 measurements showing no noise floor modulation. Head-Fi, Mar 2017
2017-05-01Watts describes Jude recognizing the M scaler at the Tokyo show despite unfamiliar headphones, says its effect is audible even on unfamiliar recordings, and that it simply sounds real. Head-Fi, May 2017
2017-05-31Watts says forum rules stop him commenting on other DACs' sound or measurements, and reports Hugo 2 winning further Japanese awards, including at the 2017 Headphone Festival. Head-Fi, May 2017
2017-08-18Watts describes a Tokyo show system (DAVE, SPM1200, B&W 803 D3) as the best outside his home, then reports buying 803 D3s to replace his Velour speakers and recommends them. Head-Fi, Aug 2017
2017-10-08Watts says his show presentation was filmed, he will ask about video availability, and he will post both talks: one on timing, one on DAC topologies and pulse array. Head-Fi, Oct 2017
2017-10-09Watts posts the slides of his first show presentation and says the remaining slides follow because he hit the file limit. Head-Fi, Oct 2017
2017-10-09Watts posts the remaining slides of his first presentation. Head-Fi, Oct 2017
2017-10-13Watts opens the filters seminar, says tomorrow's last seminar covers DAC design, and notes his DAC-design presentation already ran to 25 slides for an hour. miceblue425 0
2017-10-16Watts posts his second seminar on DACs: noise shaper listening tests showing sub-threshold errors affect depth, a 350 dB accuracy need, chip DAC limits, DSD and pulse array analog benefits. Head-Fi, Oct 2017
2017-10-16Watts posts seminar measurement slides, saying simulation shows -301 dB signals reproduced, his designs have no measurable noise floor modulation, and jitter FFTs should replace marketing claims. Head-Fi, Oct 2017
2017-12-05Watts opens the talk saying DAC design is very complicated and that he will cover other approaches to DAC design and then pulse array. RMAF 7
2017-12-05Watts says skeptics bought Chord and upgraded Mojo to Hugo 2 to DAVE, every DAVE buyer buys a Blu 2, and this first show presentation aims to explain his technology. RMAF 55:28
2018-01-10Watts posts his Hugo 2 presentation updated to include Qutest, with the Qutest-only slides to follow. Head-Fi, Jan 2018
2018-02-17Watts shares Hugo 2 measurement slides from his CanJam NYC talk, explaining low output impedance, load-independent distortion, no measurable noise floor modulation or jitter, and APx555 methods. Head-Fi, Feb 2018
2018-02-23Watts says he needed others to confirm what he heard; the million taps worked by Christmas Eve, launched at CES, where Jude was the second person to hear it. MajorHiFi 22:30
2018-02-23Watts recounts playing a borrowed Wigmore Hall CD at the show, where he and Jude immediately heard the subway rumble, confirming the change was significant and easy to hear. MajorHiFi 23:15
2018-05-13Watts posts his Munich TT2 presentation: larger FPGA, a noise shaper 100 times better than Hugo 2's, supercap PSU, output stage from the power pulse array project, measurements. Head-Fi, May 2018
2018-06-04Watts says Chord will launch a new product of his design at London CanJam, which he will show and discuss in a seminar. Head-Fi, Jun 2018
2018-07-09Watts says he will give two seminars: Saturday launching something new and its technology, Sunday on Hugo TT2. Head-Fi, Jul 2018
2018-07-21Watts says the M Scaler recovers the original analog signal to better than 16-bit accuracy, then opens the floor to questions. c w 29:20
2018-10-27Watts says TT2 drives his 802 D3 from the SE output, lists upcoming events, and says Dave remains well ahead of TT2 in depth and detail resolution. Head-Fi, Oct 2018
2018-10-28Watts says November 24 is in his calendar and that he will be cooking the turkey on December 24. needs context Head-Fi, Oct 2018
2018-10-28Watts says he has done more dealer events in the USA than the UK, but will be heading to Tokyo on the requested date. Head-Fi, Oct 2018
2018-11-05Watts says red OP SR is volume-equalized pass-through, headphones won't need a DX amp, units may stay on (M Scaler auto-shutdown, TT2 standby), and announces a Hong Kong event. Head-Fi, Nov 2018
2018-12-12Watts thanks Nintronics, says he will explain the technology behind Chord products, and describes himself as an electronics design consultant who has designed silicon chips for large companies. Pursuit Perfect System 2:52
2018-12-12Watts says the next twenty minutes cover noise floor modulation and small-signal accuracy, with the TT2 as the example, topics he discusses in his blogs and on Head-Fi. Pursuit Perfect System 9:09
2019-05-31Watts says he is in Edinburgh that day (Friday 15 May) and the next, giving talks at Hi-Fi Corner's new showrooms. Head-Fi, May 2019
2019-06-15Watts names his depth test track, Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, Gnomus, and says he will be available at Chord's booth or after his seminars. Head-Fi, Jun 2019
2019-10-08Watts says he has not done a Canada show, and explains that 16 identical pulse array elements, unlike binary-weighted PCM bits, avoid distortion from element matching. Head-Fi, Oct 2019
2019-11-30Watts recounts November shows and reviews the Dan Clark Aeon 2 against the original Aeon, praising fuller bass, lower distortion and better depth, and recommends it to closed-headphone buyers. Head-Fi, Nov 2019
2019-12-04Watts describes a show where Blu 2 Dave outperformed a costlier vinyl setup in spaciousness, separation and engagement, and says he does not get vinyl. Head-Fi, Dec 2019
2020-01-02Watts says it looks like there will be another Melbourne show next year. Passion for Sound 26:35
2020-01-02Watts says he really enjoyed the Melbourne show. Passion for Sound 26:49
2020-01-06Watts says Chord can be demoed at Dubai Audio, where he holds events on the 20th and 21st, and that SINAD and distortion do not show how it sounds. Head-Fi, Jan 2020
2020-01-06Watts says the Dubai events are public; his DACs are innately single-ended so balanced adds circuitry, while chip DACs must be balanced to reject substrate noise. Head-Fi, Jan 2020
2020-02-11Watts says the remote uses standard RC5 code, mentions flying to CanJam NYC, and says proper DSP cannot create clicks while faulty USB data is a non-linear manipulation. Head-Fi, Feb 2020
2021-04-20Watts says he heard absolute polarity only on stacked Quad ESL57s, explains the ear's asymmetric nonlinearity, and offers to sign a unit at London CanJam. Head-Fi, Apr 2021
2021-08-09Watts says he is unsure Chord or he will be allowed to attend CanJam SoCal because current US restrictions bar UK citizens from visiting. Head-Fi, Aug 2021
2021-08-09Watts lists regions barred from US entry, expects more Covid restrictions as Delta spreads, and says Chord's US distributor will attend. Head-Fi, Aug 2021
2022-03-02Watts reports returning from CanJam NYC and says cleaning aliasing from existing recordings offers little; improving scalers, DACs, amps and transducers is the way forward. Head-Fi, Mar 2022
2022-03-19Watts says it is fantastic to be at CanJam again after two years stuck at home in the UK, and apologizes in advance for being out of practice. MFG Audio Reviews 27
2022-03-19Watts says the EQ can fix headphone bass or sibilance at 3 kHz, skips the menus, will post the slides on Head-Fi, and notes plus and minus together mutes. MFG Audio Reviews 43:15
2022-06-29Watts says he will order or borrow an unnamed device to try on Mojo 2, and that a Norway cruise clashes with CanJam London but he will attend CanJam SoCal. Head-Fi, Jun 2022
2022-09-18Watts names the Source booth at CanJam SoCal. The Source AV 28
2022-09-18Watts says he will be at the show next year. The Source AV 44:13
2023-02-04Watts says he has probably forgotten how to give these talks, though they used to do them often. Dusty Audio 13:49
2023-02-04Watts says the recording work has already shown suspected deficiencies and is ongoing, then invites questions, saying 'silly' questions are often the best. needs context Dusty Audio 47:01
2023-02-04Watts invites listeners to hear the system downstairs and asks for questions. Dusty Audio 47:45
2023-02-05Watts says he is pleased to be there and that dealer events the next day will involve talking to lots of people. Soundnews 22
2023-02-05Watts says it is about how speakers and room interrelate, then begins describing a Tokyo show where the distributor set up a system and reviewers came in. Soundnews 6:39
2023-02-05Watts says Japanese reviewers played their own music at a Tokyo show on 803s, a pre-Ultima Chord amplifier, DAVE and an M Scaler; show demos normally sound worse. Soundnews 7:06
2023-02-26Watts says a cold-start test found no significant change, so Hugo 2's 10-minute warm-up on planes is more about his ears and headphones adjusting to cabin pressure. Head-Fi, Feb 2023
2023-03-01Watts shares his NYC CanJam seminar on DAC types, with more detail on differing DAC topologies. Head-Fi, Mar 2023
2023-03-01Watts shares his interpolation seminar, with a few updates on previous presentations. Head-Fi, Mar 2023
2023-03-02Watts posts a final set of slides; the images were not preserved. Head-Fi, Mar 2023
2023-03-28Watts opens the seminar saying he was up at 1 a.m. on UK time cutting 50-odd slides down, and wants time for questions because DACs are hard to explain. The Headphone Show 6
2023-03-28Watts says the seminar will be technical because many manufacturers create myths about DAC topologies that make little technical sense, and he wants listeners to judge better. The Headphone Show 54
2023-05-18Watts says he will not attend the Munich High End show but will attend the London, SoCal and Dallas CanJams this year. Head-Fi, May 2023
2023-07-03Watts says powering the M Scaler after the source can break USB handshaking, so power the scaler or DAC first; he also reflects on reputation and CanJam Singapore. Head-Fi, Jul 2023
2023-08-18Watts says his weekend seminars will deliver on their titles, are tweaked each time, and allow questions on any subject. Head-Fi, Aug 2023
2023-09-29Watts reports from SoCal CanJam and a visit to Atlantic Studios West, which bought Dave and Mojo 2s, where recording engineers were interviewed about Chord gear. Head-Fi, Sep 2023
2023-10-01Watts says Tom interviewed Atlantic Studios' four recording engineers, who bought DAVEs and Mojo 2s about a year ago, and he joined after arriving early for jet lag. The Source AV 17:19
2023-10-01Watts says he expected the usual studio verdict of 'very transparent', but the engineers turned out to be real fans. The Source AV 17:51
2023-10-01Watts says the Atlantic interviews will be published online and he will post about them; the engineers had done a mobile off-site recording with Ed Sheeran. The Source AV 20:15
2023-12-22Watts posts updated seminar slides on transients and interpolation filters and explains instrument separation and focus as hearing a quiet instrument in the mix. Head-Fi, Dec 2023
2023-12-22Watts posts the remaining interpolation filter seminar slides and says the DAC seminar will follow. Head-Fi, Dec 2023
2023-12-22Watts posts DAC seminar slides that briefly cover existing DAC topologies, then his own DACs, starting with what he wants to achieve with audio. Head-Fi, Dec 2023
2024-03-20Watts introduces his new seminar 'Digital Isn't' and the myth that digital cables and sources cannot change sound because the data is bit perfect; he says they can. MFG Audio Reviews 0
2024-03-20Watts says the best listening tests are where changing an error yields no audible difference, showing the bottom is reached; he mentions tomorrow's talk on objective listening and opens questions. MFG Audio Reviews 54:35
2024-03-20Watts closes the seminar because the next one is starting, and offers to continue the conversation outside. MFG Audio Reviews 1:01:43
2024-04-15Watts shares CanJam slides: optical sounds warmer from less noise floor modulation, USB's etched sound is mistaken for transparency, and with isolated sources USB and BNC can match optical. Head-Fi, Apr 2024
2024-05-04Watts says the Quartet M Scaler will not launch at Munich, but a prototype can be heard on trade days, and the production version will differ slightly. Head-Fi, May 2024
2024-05-16Watts says the interviewer will be able to hear it in a few minutes. needs context The Speaker Shack 5:24
2024-05-28Watts reports strong press and user reactions to Quartet with DAVE in Munich, says rivals have not closed DAVE's technical lead, and that Quartet lifts DAVE further. Head-Fi, May 2024
2024-07-12Watts says it is a pleasure to be back in Korea, his first visit since 2018. HIFICLUB 34
2024-07-12Watts says he has not started a DAVE replacement; a DAVE owner who sold his unit heard Quartet with DAVE at Munich and decided to buy DAVE again. HIFICLUB 50:50
2024-09-25Watts says a holiday and Quartet work kept him away, and he is traveling from Singapore via London to CanJam SoCal for his seminars. Head-Fi, Sep 2024
2024-09-29Watts says reaction was very positive; one unnamed reviewer went completely silent for half a minute to a minute after listening. needs context The Source AV 21:25
2024-09-29Watts says he spent the morning talking, gave a seminar, and has another tomorrow on listening tests and how to objectively quantify sound. The Source AV 24:22
2024-09-29Watts says he and his wife were on a cruise for a week, and next is CanJam Dallas. The Source AV 31:05
2024-09-29Watts lists his next stops: Thailand, CanJam Hong Kong and CanJam New York. The Source AV 31:15
2024-09-29Watts says that when they launch Quartet there will be lots of trips. The Source AV 31:32
2024-12-17Watts posts his first 2024 seminar, 'Digital isn't', covering how bit-perfect data can affect sound, power supply and passive component effects, and audio myths. Head-Fi, Dec 2024
2024-12-17Watts introduces his seminar on objectively assessing sound quality, saying listeners often prefer superficially impressive changes that damage musicality, which he defines as emotional involvement with music. Head-Fi, Dec 2024
2024-12-17Watts posts the final slides from his critical listening seminar, completing the 2024 seminars. Head-Fi, Dec 2024
2025-03-13Watts says he will share them, but only after the seminars are finished in November. needs context Head-Fi, Mar 2025
2025-03-26Watts explains causal versus symmetric acausal filters, says interpolation pre-ringing at 22kHz is not an issue but EQ should be causal, and lists his CanJam schedule. Head-Fi, Mar 2025
2025-09-14Watts says CanJam is really busy, and that Sunday morning is not normally this busy. The Source AV 52
2025-09-14Watts says the seminar started at one o'clock yesterday, he was pulled into another, and they finished at 5.30, one reason he lost his voice. The Source AV 10:22
2025-09-14Watts says the seminars are set as two one-hour sessions. The Source AV 10:39
2025-09-14Watts says there was an hour gap between the sessions and he 'got merged' (as transcribed). The Source AV 10:44
2025-09-14Watts says people kept talking. The Source AV 10:49
2025-09-14Watts says the lovely thing about CanJam is that it is a community, and even competitors are nice to one another. The Source AV 11:30
2025-09-14Watts says he will show Quartet to a group of audiophiles in Asia following its progress, and will attend Singapore Formula One, where Elton John is playing. The Source AV 19:08
2025-09-14Watts says he goes to Formula One and then to Tokyo for the international audio show. The Source AV 21:46
2025-09-14Watts says they are showing Quartet at the Tokyo show. The Source AV 21:54
2026-03-24Watts says at New York CanJam, owners of DAVE and the M Scaler all said it was a much bigger change than they expected. needs context Audio Force 21:35
2026-05-03Watts says he is showing the Quartet M Scaler, developed over the last 8 years, with new interpolation filter technology that he says raises digital reproduction to a new level. Audio Force 1:05
2026-08-30Watts says it is his son's first time at the LA show (transcribed as 'LA Cam Channel'). The Source AV 1:15
2026-08-30Watts says SoCal is always the busiest. The Source AV 12:48
2026-08-30Watts says yesterday's talk covered Quartet, interpolation and the Blackbird WTA; this afternoon's is on the A to D converter, and he asks Daniel about the recording. The Source AV 17:49
2026-08-30Watts says he is off to Singapore for a couple of weeks, then Dubai, Shanghai and Singapore again, and an event in Romania. The Source AV 21:26
2026-08-30Watts says in November he goes to Indonesia, shows in Vietnam and Taiwan, and possibly events in Malaysia and Guangzhou, China. The Source AV 21:47
2026-08-30Watts says he is just going in, doing the event and coming back out. The Source AV 22:15
2026-10-11Watts says at Munich an ex-DAVE owner who had bought another DAC heard it and said he would have to buy a DAVE again. Distorsiuni Interioare 1:18:14
2026-10-17Watts says headphones reveal further improvements, and recalls a CanJam LA studio session in Burbank where a piano sounded real and brought tears to his eyes. article, Oct 2026
2026-10-17Watts recounts a customer who sold his DAVE hearing a Munich prototype and saying it made DAVE a new category, so he would buy another DAVE. article, Oct 2026