Pairing a scaler with a DAC

Upscaling and the M Scalers

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Everything he said on this topic (88)

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2016-02-26Watts says a new upsampler PCB will bring Blu and Red Reference to Dave standard; until then Dave beats their old upsampler, so play 44.1. Dave cannot be upgraded. Head-Fi, Feb 2016
2017-01-08Watts says the M scaler outputs any multiple of the input rate, benefiting DAVE most through its 256FS and 2048FS filtering; other DACs improve by an amount he cannot say. Head-Fi, Jan 2017
2017-01-09Watts says listeners find the M scaler a bigger change than Dave, believes on another DAC it would be an ordinary tap-length gain, and wonders why sixfold taps transform sound. Head-Fi, Jan 2017
2017-06-11Watts says DAVE sounds better via the M scaler not from a WTA fault, citing Verilog simulation and -301 dB tests, and video mode's two-thirds million taps shrinks the soundstage. Head-Fi, Jun 2017
2018-01-16Watts says Dave would be about 99.988% accurate, yet connecting an M scaler to Dave is audible within 3 seconds, so these tiny errors are extremely important. Head-Fi, Jan 2018
2018-02-08Watts says DAVE is unbeatable for transparency and depth over Hugo 2, but Blu 2 plus Hugo 2 wins on timbre, rhythm, bass and instrument power. Head-Fi, Feb 2018
2018-02-21Watts says Hugo 2 is about 99.76% of an ideal sinc while conventional filters bear no similarity, yet adding an M scaler to Hugo 2 is a huge change. Head-Fi, Feb 2018
2018-03-13Watts says Dave's superior transparency comes from many factors beyond its noise shaper, which dominate given Hugo 2 and Qutest's noise shapers, and both benefit enormously from an M scaler. Head-Fi, Mar 2018
2018-07-21Watts says he uses mains in business class and carries the M Scaler because Hugo 2 and Dave are hard to hear without it; customs has not objected yet. c w 26:18
2018-07-21Watts says he uses the M Scaler with Hugo 2 on planes, Hugo 2 and Qutest work fine, and he regrets not giving Mojo 768 capability. c w 29:47
2018-07-21Watts says Dave owners have the Blu 2, or could use Davina, the AD converter, which will have an M scaler built in. c w 31:16
2018-07-22Watts gives typical 12W draw, manual and auto video modes (1M taps 0.63 S delay, 2/3M taps 0.1S), and says Hugo 2 gets full 1M taps at 768k. Head-Fi, Jul 2018
2018-07-22Watts says it is absolutely fine with Dave, its benefit over Blu2 being no need for ferrites on the BNC cables, which were only the top layer of icing. Head-Fi, Jul 2018
2018-07-24Watts says with Aeon headphones he would choose the M Scaler over TT2 as an upgrade from Hugo 2, calling it transformational, unless driving difficult headphones or speakers. Head-Fi, Jul 2018
2018-07-26Watts says Mojo can take the M Scaler's 384 kHz output but lacks dual coaxial inputs for the full 768 kHz. Head-Fi, Jul 2018
2018-07-26Watts says he has heard the change from 384 to 768 kHz on Hugo 2 and it is surprising. needs context Head-Fi, Jul 2018
2018-07-27Watts explains dual-data and DX modes, M scaler DSD-to-PCM conversion with Hugo 2's 220 dB filter, says algorithm beats tap length, and compares R2R and delta-sigma timing errors. Head-Fi, Jul 2018
2018-08-04Watts says Mojo's 768 kHz works on USB only; going from 0.5M to 1M taps is a big change, so audition the M scaler with Mojo against a Hugo 2. Head-Fi, Aug 2018
2018-08-05Watts says Mojo gains from 0.5M taps but upgrading Mojo may be better, and Mojo lacks an extra SPDIF decoder because power mattered and no M scaler existed then. Head-Fi, Aug 2018
2018-08-06Watts says it is more complicated: instrument separation, timbre variation and sense of flow come only with the scaled option, while DAVE gives transparency, detail, resolution and depth. Pursuit Perfect System 4:43
2018-08-13Watts advises 75 ohm BNC cables matching the M scaler's output; scaled DACs still differ: Dave beats Qutest, with a 20-element pulse array and 30 times lower distortion. Head-Fi, Aug 2018
2018-09-14Watts says linear PSUs lack RF filtering and sound brighter, Qutest benefits hugely from the M scaler but an M-scaled Dave easily beats an M-scaled Qutest. Head-Fi, Sep 2018
2018-11-18Watts says TT2 needs no balance control with digital volume, a 705/768 indication means the M Scaler works, and suggests a week of listening before comparing pass-through. Head-Fi, Nov 2018
2018-12-06Watts says toggling pass-through on a flight with Hugo 2 and Aeons was a huge difference, smaller only with non-transparent transducers, and stress kills AB test sensitivity. Head-Fi, Dec 2018
2018-12-06Watts says TT2 is more transparent and refined than Hugo 2, the refinement being more apparent, so pass-through differences may be more noticeable with TT2. Head-Fi, Dec 2018
2019-01-27Watts says the M scaler makes CD equivalent to a 705 kHz recording to 16 bits; with native 705 input both it and DAVE's 164,000-tap WTA1 pass through. Head-Fi, Jan 2019
2019-03-27Watts says M scaled DAVE beats M scaled TT2 in every regard, a larger gap than he expected; the earlier comment compared M scaler plus TT2 with DAVE alone. Head-Fi, Mar 2019
2019-04-03Watts says his 768k recording resembles M scaled 44.1k, doubling the rate cuts the error area fourfold, and R2R or 2.8 MHz noise-shaped DACs limit accuracy above 768k. Head-Fi, Apr 2019
2019-08-01Watts says better transients make tempo seem faster while less dominance effect makes it seem slower; an M Scaler on Qutest mostly reduces dominance, sounding more measured. Head-Fi, Aug 2019
2019-10-22Watts says, traveling with Hugo 2 and M scaler instead of TT2, he can live without TT2 but not without the M scaler, which he calls essential. Head-Fi, Oct 2019
2020-01-02Watts says if TT2 would only serve as a DAC into an integrated amplifier, you would be better off with the M Scaler, though transparency would be the same. Passion for Sound 23:23
2020-01-02Watts says TT2 is more transparent than Qutest (better noise shapers, components, supply, output stage), but the M Scaler uniquely brings timbre, pitch, separation and musicality. Passion for Sound 23:33
2020-01-02Watts says at similar prices he would choose TT2 plus M Scaler over a bare DAVE for musicality, though many will prefer DAVE for its extraordinary transparency. Passion for Sound 24:16
2020-01-27Watts says dual-BNC 768k on Mojo was dropped in 2015 to save power and the manual corrected; Mojo takes 768k on USB, and the algorithm matters more than tap length. Head-Fi, Jan 2020
2020-04-15Watts has not heard the M Scaler with the original Hugo TT, which would need one BNC as it is 384k max, and suggests trying TT2 with the M Scaler. Head-Fi, Apr 2020
2020-12-02Watts says he carries his M Scaler and uses it on flights with Hugo 2, finding it essential, though others may hear a smaller improvement. Head-Fi, Dec 2020
2020-12-27Watts says adding the M Scaler would be a bigger jump in separation, speed, warmth and flow, while TT2 is more refined than Hugo 2, and suggests trying both. Head-Fi, Dec 2020
2022-01-31Watts says the 768 kHz coax capability is so that it can be run with the M Scaler. needs context Darko.Audio 4:25
2022-01-31Watts says some users pair it with an M Scaler, he flies with Hugo 2, an M Scaler and a power bank, and better FPGAs might enable a Mojo-type scaler. Darko.Audio 4:29
2022-01-31Watts says a scaler that small is more like 10 years away, so 768 kHz support is sensible; he did his listening tests with the M Scaler as source. Darko.Audio 5:16
2022-04-26Watts says he does not expect people to pair Mojo with an M Scaler, though they might; cheaper or simpler scalers will come, in 2 years or 10, and the input cost little power. Audio Force 16:50
2022-07-14Watts says the M Scaler is essential, PGGB sounded like an apodizing filter, and the M Scaler reconstructs transient timing beyond 16 bits, passing -301 dB via dual BNC. Head-Fi, Jul 2022
2022-08-19Watts says the intent was Chord DACs; the 96 and 192 kHz outputs were mainly for recording, e.g. 44.1 run at 'one seven four kilohertz', though universality helps. AVstore 25:51
2022-08-19Watts says the focus was getting it to work with his own products, not other DACs. needs context AVstore 26:36
2022-08-19Watts says the M Scaler's big benefits need 768 kHz, he can't think of any DAC running 384 kHz over BNC, and some 192 kHz buyers later switched to Chord DACs. AVstore 26:46
2022-08-19Watts says Chord's pulse array DACs, Mojo to DAVE, run a 104 MHz clock and reproduce 52 MHz; R2R mishandles 768 kHz; delta-sigma caps at 3 or 6 MHz. AVstore 27:43
2022-08-19Watts says the DAC's resolving power limits transient reconstruction, and DAVE, Hugo 2 and TT2 add WTA2 filtering to 256FS and another filter from 256FS to 2048FS. AVstore 28:30
2022-08-19Watts says a DAC is limited not only by accepting 768 kHz but by its own ability to resolve transient timing, because of errors inside the DAC. AVstore 29:25
2022-08-19Watts says DAVE measures slightly better with the M Scaler, with slightly lower distortion and noise and no jitter difference, because DAVE's WTA filter does no work and 80 percent of the chip sits idle. AVstore 39:21
2022-10-12Watts says it creates harmonic and anharmonic distortion, calls the latter really nasty, and says only the WTA filter is designed to minimize these; the M Scaler adds computing power. Upscale Audio 3:50
2023-07-15Watts says all M scalers will work with all current DACs, including Mojo 2 and Hugo 2 via dual data, that scaler benefits need long-term listening, and urges forum civility. Head-Fi, Jul 2023
2023-09-14Watts explains why Mojo 2's EQ is loss-less rather than bit perfect, advises against source upsampling, and says an M scaler improves Mojo 2 though algorithm matters more than taps. Head-Fi, Sep 2023
2024-04-17Watts says pre-production Quartet into Dave beat an M scaled Dave, it works with all current DACs, and a dedicated bit clock would only add RF. Head-Fi, Apr 2024
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
2024-06-28Watts says Quartet supports the dual AES format like the Hugo M Scaler, so a third party could build a dual BNC to USB converter, though not trivially. Head-Fi, Jun 2024
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
2024-07-12Watts says years of small improvements made progress hard to judge; plugging Quartet into his friend's system with M Scaler and DAVE made a huge difference, like forgetting the hi-fi. HIFICLUB 52:22
2024-07-12Watts says Quartet elevates DAVE to a new level, citing an ex-DAVE owner who now has to buy DAVE again. HIFICLUB 53:56
2024-07-25Watts says he has worked on Quartet at least 6 years, since the Hugo M Scaler was finished, made discoveries over COVID; it matches DAVE, price undecided. Hifi Pig TV 34
2024-09-29Watts says that on the friend's system the instruments suddenly sounded like reality, a night-and-day change rather than a small one. The Source AV 15:09
2024-09-29Watts says that with another audiophile, not using DAVE, the difference was hardly audible, and the problem turned out to be his power amp. The Source AV 15:29
2024-09-29Watts says Quartet reconstructs transient timing more accurately, aiding timbre and instrument separation; digital mis-times transients, only the M Scaler approach recovers them, and it put DAVE in a new game. The Source AV 15:46
2024-09-29Watts says Quartet works well with DAVE, but warns about using DAVE with a Class D power amplifier. The Source AV 16:28
2024-10-02Watts says he uses a scaler with TT2 on his main loudspeaker system and travels with Quartet paired with Hugo 2 in hotels, and that all are elevated in performance. Head-Fi, Oct 2024
2025-01-28Watts reports final PCB revisions for a product in development, a filter-accuracy improvement, and crossfeed at 768kHz whose benefits will show less on other DACs. needs context Head-Fi, Jan 2025
2025-02-10Watts says to use TT2 filter 1 or 2 (he uses 2) with the Hugo M Scaler, not 3 or 4. Head-Fi, Feb 2025
2025-09-14Watts says no, he always uses the M Scaler whenever he is listening. The Source AV 15:39
2025-09-14Watts says he has demoed Quartet and the M Scaler where you could barely hear a difference because the system was not transparent. The Source AV 17:36
2025-09-14Watts says on other systems the difference is profound, night and day, so it depends on the system's transparency and on the listener's sensitivity. needs context The Source AV 17:48
2026-03-17Watts says it is an M Scaler for DAVE: the upsampler feeds DAVE. needs context ecoustics 22:11
2026-03-17Watts says the signal reaches analog via the noise shaper; a scaler replaces the DAC's front-end filter, and every DAC from a $600 Mojo to a $20,000 DAVE benefits. ecoustics 24:23
2026-03-17Watts says the Hugo M Scaler's 192 kHz outputs feed any DAC, but the real benefit comes only at 768 kHz, an important rate whose technical reasons he leaves aside. ecoustics 25:10
2026-03-17Watts says he listened to a Mojo through Quartet last week and it transforms a Mojo as much as it does DAVE. ecoustics 1:25:47
2026-03-17Watts says he is not recommending buying a Quartet and a Mojo 2. ecoustics 1:26:03
2026-03-24Watts says DAVE is currently the best DAC in the world for transparency, but Quartet puts DAVE in a completely new category, improving everything about the sound. Audio Force 5:09
2026-03-24Watts agrees absolutely, saying it rests on solid technical reasons and very advanced technology built into Quartet. needs context Audio Force 5:38
2026-03-24Watts says DAVE's transparency needs no Quartet to appreciate, and Chord has had no need to change it while competitors replace products every two or 3 years. Audio Force 18:55
2026-03-24Watts says DAVE is used in famous recording studios for its transparency, so there was no pressure to improve it, but Quartet takes DAVE to a profoundly new level. Audio Force 19:17
2026-03-24Watts says yes, Quartet just changes everything. needs context Audio Force 20:28
2026-03-24Watts says he wants people convinced by their own listening, and that every DAVE owner who has heard Quartet has been very excited, commenting they knew it would sound a lot better. Audio Force 20:38
2026-03-24Watts says Mojo 2 sounded remarkably good with Quartet as its source, showing the correct source fundamentally improves even something as humble as Mojo 2. Audio Force 28:54
2026-03-24Watts says Mojo 2 is inexpensive and limited by its source, then introduces Quartet's analog input, a pulse array A-to-D converter, prompted by recording engineers praising DAVE. Audio Force 29:11
2026-10-02Watts says M Scaler impressions vary with systems; Class D amps or poor speakers hide it, while DAVE, Hugo 2, TT or Mojo 2 with headphones give full control. HiFi Buys 2:24:19
2026-10-11Watts says he cannot discuss future development, but Quartet puts DAVE in a different league musically, as shown when a prototype was shown at Munich just over 2 years ago. Distorsiuni Interioare 1:17:34
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 Quartet with DAVE is the best DAC combination today for emotional engagement and hearing the recording as an original musical event. 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
2026-10-17Watts says his Mojo 2 4.4 mm connector listening tests used Quartet and it transformed Mojo 2; it works but would not be a sensible pairing. article, Oct 2026