Watts's own systems

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Answers on this topic

Can I take DAVE, Hugo 2, an M Scaler and a power bank on a plane, and how does Rob listen on flights?
Which headphones, speakers and sources does Rob use himself, and which pair well with Chord DACs?

Everything he said on this topic (173)

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

2014-04-17Watts says he has not tried many sources, uses a regular laptop on the go, and finds Hugo sounds like Hugo whatever the source, though not from AB tests. Head-Fi, Apr 2014
2014-04-29Watts says he uses one Hugo into small active speakers and another feeding his power amp, and advises avoiding pre-amps unless analog sources are needed. Head-Fi, Apr 2014
2014-06-19Watts says he is about to test USB isolators, aims for Hugo to work with any bit-perfect source, uses regular USB cables in his office and optical at home. Head-Fi, Jun 2014
2014-08-31Watts says with his Noble K10s Hugo's noise is just audible when muted, below background noise, while master tape hiss becomes audible on CDs. Head-Fi, Aug 2014
2014-10-01Watts says he also uses the Olimex with the short stock Chord USB cable and regrets no high data rate version exists. Head-Fi, Oct 2014
2014-10-12Watts says he has no specific source recommendations, uses his laptop when traveling, and is deciding between a new phone, tablet or smaller laptop. Head-Fi, Oct 2014
2014-10-12Watts describes making his own interconnect and speaker cables from twisted solid-core PTFE silver-plated copper annealed at 200 deg C, and advises spending no more than 10% on cables. Head-Fi, Oct 2014
2014-11-13Watts says his main system has Hugo driving power amps directly, since removing the pre-amp greatly boosts transparency, though he must get up to change volume. Head-Fi, Nov 2014
2016-01-25Watts says he left his Hugos on all the time and that at about 1.5W the power draw is nothing to worry about. Head-Fi, Jan 2016
2016-02-14Watts says Dave's price came from the bill of materials and Chord's multipliers, recounts a dealer calling Dave too cheap against $50k DACs, and calls hi-res results mixed. Head-Fi, Feb 2016
2016-02-18Watts says his reference loudspeakers are by Velour, a small German maker, his headphones are Noble K10, Audeze and NightHawks, and most of his listening tests were on loudspeakers. Head-Fi, Feb 2016
2016-03-04Watts says the intended price is nearer TT than Dave, and wishes Hugo were closer to Dave in sound so he need not carry Dave, now at 150,000 miles. needs context Head-Fi, Mar 2016
2016-03-29Watts says his favorite headphone is the AQ NightHawk, which many at Chord find too dark, and he is impressed by the Ether, with an Ether C coming. Head-Fi, Mar 2016
2016-04-22Watts says he listens to BBC Radio 3 at 320k AAC at home and a 4 TB drive away, and that Hugo first made poor recordings musically enjoyable. Head-Fi, Apr 2016
2016-05-14Watts reports DAVE via headphones sounded smoother and more natural with his laptop on battery than on mains, a small change he says is consistent with lower RF noise. Head-Fi, May 2016
2016-05-23Watts says he uses Mojo while traveling and sets up DAVE in hotels, where from cold its sound quality reaches full form within about 10 minutes. Head-Fi, May 2016
2016-07-20Watts says ground is still connected, a switched ground would add capacitance like the isolator's, and he unplugs the laptop charger for critical listening. needs context Head-Fi, Jul 2016
2016-07-24Watts says he uses just a Seagate Backup Plus 4 TB portable hard disk and hopes a 6 TB portable becomes available. Head-Fi, Jul 2016
2016-07-25Watts says his hard disk is bus-powered from the laptop, so it travels to planes and hotels and keeps ground isolated when the laptop charger is unplugged. Head-Fi, Jul 2016
2016-09-14Watts describes running three DAVE systems, including portable hotel speakers, and says DAVE usually works in demo systems but occasionally sounds flat and hard until setup is fixed. Head-Fi, Sep 2016
2016-09-15Watts says he uses a low-power HP Pavilion on battery and an MSI i7 laptop on the road, runs JRiver 21, and finds ASIO slightly better than WASAPI with Mojo. Head-Fi, Sep 2016
2016-09-19Watts says headphone depth is suppressed versus loudspeakers, names AudioQuest NightHawks and a defunct German speaker brand as his own, and says Chord tests prototypes with many transducers. Head-Fi, Sep 2016
2016-11-01Watts says his reward is enjoying music with Mojo and DAVE, and blames himself for Blu Mk2's delay: the August prototype worked, but an improvement cost two or three months. Head-Fi, Nov 2016
2016-11-01Watts says he uses JRiver on his laptops, and that Blu Mk2 is CD only, using the same mechanism as the original Blu. Head-Fi, Nov 2016
2017-01-08Watts says Blu got the M scaler first because Chord still sells Blu and Dave out-tapped Blu 1; the work feeds Davina, and he travels with Blu and Dave. 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
2017-01-09Watts says Blu's video mode cuts latency from 0.66 seconds to 100 mS, and a -0.56 second JRiver delay gives him lip sync with the full 1M taps. Head-Fi, Jan 2017
2017-02-06Watts says he uses ordinary active computer speakers, is looking for portable passive speakers to drive directly from DAVE, and uses AQ NightHawks for serious listening. Head-Fi, Feb 2017
2017-06-13Watts says he takes his DAVE on travels even without shows, the risk being scratches rather than failure, and that it has covered a quarter million miles. Head-Fi, Jun 2017
2017-06-18Watts says with one source he could not reliably tell optical from USB on Hugo 2, though this may vary, and he usually uses optical for convenience with his PC. Head-Fi, Jun 2017
2017-06-21Watts describes airport X-ray checks of his roughly 20 kg carry-on of DAVE, Blu 2 and two laptops, saying only London Heathrow stops and swabs him every time. Head-Fi, Jun 2017
2017-07-09Watts says he has a production pair of Aeons, finds them exceptionally good, and calls them a good match for Mojo, Hugo 2 and DAVE. Head-Fi, Jul 2017
2017-07-25Watts says he runs the green filter setting 99.9% of the time, but would use red if his headphones were far too bright. Head-Fi, Jul 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
2017-09-05Watts says he runs DAVE directly into 88 dB/1W small speakers in his office with plenty of volume and better soundstage depth than his main system. Head-Fi, Sep 2017
2017-10-13Watts says it runs at 16FS: about 0.7 s latency at 44.1 and 0.63 s at 48 kHz; he rips Blu-rays and sets a negative JRiver delay for sync. miceblue425 57:24
2017-11-01Watts says he sets crossfeed to the maximum, blue, because it sounds closer to speakers, but there is no right or wrong setting. Head-Fi, Nov 2017
2017-12-09Watts names MrSpeakers Aeon as his favorite for transparency and soundstage precision, then AudioQuest NightHawk as warmer but less transparent; he likes Noble IEMs but finds IEMs uncomfortable. article, Dec 2017
2017-12-31Watts reviews 2017: the M scaler (half-million taps Aug 2016, 1M Dec 2016, heard at CES 2017), Brilliant Classics and Oistrakh recordings, and his MrSpeakers Aeon closed. Head-Fi, Dec 2017
2018-01-09Watts says white to green is very small on 44.1 but a big change with HD recordings, so he leaves it on green for 96k and 192k. Head-Fi, Jan 2018
2018-01-11Watts says benefits likely depend on how noisy the source is, believing his newer, more efficient MSI laptop creates much less noise than his old Dell PC. Head-Fi, Jan 2018
2018-01-20Watts gives his laptop's specification: MSI 17.3-inch GT72S 6QF, UHD panel, Core i7 6820HK 2.7 GHz, 32GB RAM. Head-Fi, Jan 2018
2018-01-30Watts praises the Nighthawks' low bass distortion and rich dark sound, names the Aeon Closed his favorite flight headphone, and says poor headphones have rising bass distortion. Head-Fi, Jan 2018
2018-04-08Watts says his MSI laptop PSU is grounded with many ground loops; DAVE with a battery laptop sounds better, but only by careful AB listening. Head-Fi, Apr 2018
2018-04-28Watts says removing his Aeon's integrated 3.5mm-to-1/4" adaptor and plugging straight into Hugo 2 gave much better depth and detail, so any metal-to-metal interface may be audible. Head-Fi, Apr 2018
2018-04-29Watts says he used a 100W/h battery bank with 5v/2.1A USB output, more than Qutest needs. Head-Fi, Apr 2018
2018-04-29Watts says he uses stock mains cables, heard no difference adding 300 MHz ferrites on the mains input, and DAVE has extensive supply RF filtering and regulation. Head-Fi, Apr 2018
2018-05-01Watts says his battery bank is actually an 85W/h Poweradd Pilot Pro 2, the best he has had for reliability and build. Head-Fi, May 2018
2018-05-08Watts thinks DAVE treats 705/768 kHz input identically in DSD+ and PCM+ modes, and keeps his DAVEs in PCM+ with M scalers. Head-Fi, May 2018
2018-05-24Watts says volume-matched TT2 beats Hugo 2 in depth, detail and separation, he uses only SE outputs on his 88dB speakers, and 20 Hz distortion ignores load. Head-Fi, May 2018
2018-05-25Watts says TT2 addresses headphone power (external amps mostly add coloration) and DAVE driving efficient speakers directly; its 18 watts drives any headphones, and he drives speakers from headphone sockets. Darko Audio 50
2018-06-09Watts explains desktop mode keeps Hugo 2's battery near 80% for about 10 years of use, a charger fault means under 1A, and thermal shutdown when charging at red. Head-Fi, Jun 2018
2018-06-15Watts says his Poweradd Pilot Pro2 has noisy internal regulators, but what matters is no mains RF; it made no difference on Hugo 2 and prevents ground loops and leakage. Head-Fi, Jun 2018
2018-07-03Watts says he drives his B&W 803 D3 from TT2's single-ended output with more than enough volume in a moderate room. Head-Fi, Jul 2018
2018-07-04Watts says current ADCs have aliasing, NFM and small-signal nonlinearity, so Davina recordings may show big changes even on Mojo; he benchmarks Dave with headphones and TT2 on 803 D3s. Head-Fi, Jul 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
2018-07-29Watts uses a Poweradd Pilot Pro 2 at 12V, says batteries are not worth it for TT2, and hears no change with his mobile in airplane mode. Head-Fi, Jul 2018
2018-07-29Watts says his Aeon Closed headphones suppress noise well, and the M scaler is worth the hassle on flights of 12 hours or even 90 minutes. Head-Fi, Jul 2018
2018-07-31Watts says it is largely immune; RF corrupting other devices is the issue, so he plugs TT2 and the source in on opposite sides of the room. Head-Fi, Jul 2018
2018-08-06Watts says the M Scaler makes a huge difference to video sound, with stunning Blu-ray depth; he uses JRiver's negative video delay to cover the 'six, three seconds' latency. Pursuit Perfect System 6:37
2018-08-07Watts says he carries a TT2 and programming tool while Chord is still testing it, and will return to traveling with a Dave and Hugo M scaler. Head-Fi, Aug 2018
2018-08-13Watts says he keeps it in PCM+ mode with an M scaler attached. needs context Head-Fi, Aug 2018
2018-08-21Watts lists his sources: a Motorola Android phone with Onkyo HF Player, JRiver on Windows 10, a Kimilar OTG adaptor for the M scaler, and generic certified USB cables. Head-Fi, Aug 2018
2018-10-13Watts names the Poweradd Pilot Pro 2, which powers the M Scaler at 12 V and Qutest from USB; at 85 Wh it passes airports, giving 35 hours on Qutest. Head-Fi, Oct 2018
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
2018-11-01Watts says 320k MP3/AAC softness is more apparent via TT2 and M Scaler, single-driver speakers are transparent but flawed, and 7W SE suffices for his 803 D3. Head-Fi, Nov 2018
2018-11-01Watts says yes, he often uses it that way on very long flights, powering or charging Hugo 2 and the M scaler together. needs context Head-Fi, Nov 2018
2018-11-08Watts says whether TT2 drives the speakers depends on room and volume, noting his 803 D3 work with only the 7W SE outputs. Head-Fi, Nov 2018
2018-11-11Watts describes his homemade TT2 speaker adaptors and annealed 16-core PTFE silver-plated copper speaker cables, and says he mostly listens to classical, electronica and prog rock. Head-Fi, Nov 2018
2018-11-16Watts says he uses only the Hugo M Scaler and Hugo 2 on planes, and packs a TT2 to use with the M scaler in hotel rooms. Head-Fi, Nov 2018
2018-12-09Watts says he rarely has airport security problems with DAVE, the M scaler or Mojo, carried on or checked, recounting questions in Indonesia and over Hugo 2 in Hanoi. Head-Fi, Dec 2018
2018-12-13Watts says he carries his M Scaler on 10 to 13 hour flights and chose the 15 volt input so a standard laptop battery backup could power it. Pursuit Perfect System 15:04
2018-12-13Watts describes his flight rig: M Scaler, a Hugo, phone source and MrSpeakers headphones; in economy a battery runs it two hours, reaching about 45 degrees C. Pursuit Perfect System 18:35
2018-12-13Watts recounts lending his M Scaler for a show and then watching video on headphones without it, starting to describe his reaction. Pursuit Perfect System 19:29
2018-12-13Watts says listening without the M Scaler, for the first time in two years, sounded flat, and that the soundstage opening is what surprises people. Pursuit Perfect System 21:14
2019-01-21Watts drives B&W 803D3 from TT2 single-ended via XLR pins 1 and 2, explains the third-order filter to 2048FS, and uses green for his 96k recordings. Head-Fi, Jan 2019
2019-01-23Watts says the M scaler does not affect filter choice as it only replaces WTA1; he uses green and only listens with M scalers, even on flights. Head-Fi, Jan 2019
2019-02-26Watts says TT2 is built like mobile products, his has flown 250,000+ km in luggage, and he carries the M Scaler as carry-on without security issues. Head-Fi, Feb 2019
2019-03-28Watts says he is not unhappy with TT2, drives his B&W 802s from it, and was surprised DAVE's lead was so large, from factors other than noise shaping. Head-Fi, Mar 2019
2019-07-28Watts shares flight setups, saying the Hugo M Scaler fits in a man bag and gets warm after two hours. Head-Fi, Jul 2019
2019-08-05Watts says TT2's SE outputs dissipate fine driving his B&W 803 D3 at +6 dB or +12 dB, but balanced quadruples internal loss, risking thermal trips at 8 ohms or less. Head-Fi, Aug 2019
2019-10-16Watts says ground-plane currents cause noise floor modulation, battery Hugo 2 into headphones showed no optical-USB difference, and his M scaler's dual galvanic isolation makes source noise a non-issue. Head-Fi, Oct 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
2019-11-17Watts says his Poweradd, his third power bank, is the best, used over two years without capacity loss, though its output sometimes stays on until the plug is reseated. Head-Fi, Nov 2019
2019-11-27Watts says he uses solid-core ferrite cables at home but not when traveling with Hugo 2, TT2 or DAVE, and notes a battery-powered Hugo 2 avoids ground loops. Head-Fi, Nov 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
2019-11-30Watts prefers the max setting as most like a concert, then describes his AB listening tests on Aeon headphones and B&W 803 D3 speakers, Chord's own tests, and Head-Fi feedback. Head-Fi, Nov 2019
2019-12-24In a Christmas fun review, Watts says music sounds better on some aircraft, blaming cabin noise, pressure and humidity, ranks the A380, A350 and 787 best, and gives seating tips. Head-Fi, Dec 2019
2019-12-25Watts says his ex-demo Aeon 2s came without pads; his Aeon 1s needed felt pads as too bright, but the Aeon 2s are warmer out of the box. Head-Fi, Dec 2019
2019-12-30Watts uses the stock Aeon 2 cable, cannot discuss future products, and says TT2 sounds and measures the same on stock PSU, a power bank, or with PSU disconnected. Head-Fi, Dec 2019
2020-01-20Watts says source-related SQ changes are now small, that low-power laptops and especially his phone are the best sources, and that he will retest sources against optical. Head-Fi, Jan 2020
2020-04-20Watts says he bought an Nvidia Shield to delay video, with an HDMI switch extracting optical audio for the M scaler; Netflix and Amazon sync but BBC iPlayer does not. Head-Fi, Apr 2020
2020-05-26Watts says he does not need battery power at home because his Wave BNC cables give enough isolation that battery use brings negligible improvement. Head-Fi, May 2020
2020-06-19Watts recalls the IEMs sounding detailed but refined, but says he does not get on with IEMs because his jaw and ears ache after an hour. needs context Head-Fi, Jun 2020
2020-06-25Watts says he uses his M Scaler on planes powered by a battery backup, but portability is limited by 12 watts of FPGA power dissipation. Part-Time Audiophile 28:08
2020-10-10Watts sees no point in USB clocks since TT2's isolation follows the USB decoder, says added source devices raise RF noise, and lists laptops and a phone as his sources. Head-Fi, Oct 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
2020-12-03Watts shares his flight setups in business and economy class, with Hugo 2, M Scaler and a battery in his bag, good for 3 hours thermally. Head-Fi, Dec 2020
2021-04-05Watts says the DAC's single-ended output drives his B&W 803D3s with ample volume, and describes making speaker cable from twisted solid-core silver-plated wire annealed at 200 deg C. needs context Head-Fi, Apr 2021
2021-04-07Watts says USB can equal optical, as with his old MSI laptop, but on his new desktop PC optical sounded clearly better; with noisier sources optical wins. Head-Fi, Apr 2021
2021-04-07Watts says his earlier laptops sounded the same on optical and USB, and explains his PC's large PSU and CPU choice for Xilinx simulation tools. Head-Fi, Apr 2021
2021-04-16Watts sets crossfeed to maximum on headphones and to minimum on his office HMS and Dave speaker system, saying depth improves in both. Head-Fi, Apr 2021
2021-04-16Watts says his speakers are close to ideal spacing, so they need only a small amount of crossfeed for most recordings. Head-Fi, Apr 2021
2021-04-18Watts says he travels with small, light JBL speakers, not high end but warm sounding with great depth, and has not yet upgraded them. Head-Fi, Apr 2021
2021-04-24Watts says he does not get on with IEMs because custom units make his ears ache, though he liked Noble Kaiser IEMs. Head-Fi, Apr 2021
2021-04-26Watts says 2 ohms at 20k is fine but 0.5 ohms needs care; his travel headphones, closed Aeon 2, suit Dave, Hugo 2 or TT2 and beat Utopia. Head-Fi, Apr 2021
2021-07-18Watts says TT2 is warmer in tonal balance than Hugo 2, so he takes TT2 to hotels, but Hugo 2 remains his choice on aircraft. Head-Fi, Jul 2021
2021-07-22Watts says electronics are more reliable left on, standby keeps the clocks running for those worried about 12W draw, and he keeps TT2 and Dave on. Head-Fi, Jul 2021
2021-09-11Watts says TT2 at +0H gives about 2.25W into 8 ohms, +7H 7W; CDs clip above +7H, but sources with 6dB margin allow +12H, even +18H on his 803D3s. Head-Fi, Sep 2021
2021-11-18Watts describes his DIY speaker cable of 16 annealed PTFE-insulated 0.6mm silver-plated solid cores, recommends 0.4mm for interconnects, and says speakers need setting within one inch. Head-Fi, Nov 2021
2021-11-30Watts lists his flight and hotel kit, says measurements catch gross flaws, and that the brain compensates for transducer distortion but not digital errors like NFM and timing errors. Head-Fi, Nov 2021
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 he now mostly tests on headphones; speakers give better sensitivity and accuracy, but he can still hear it, and closed-back headphones shut out household noise. Darko.Audio 30:28
2022-01-31Watts says yes; he needs no EQ for his speakers but would use it on headphones, which sound brighter than speakers, and live unamplified music sounds a lot warmer than speakers. Darko.Audio 46:24
2022-02-07Watts says he mainly uses DCA Aeon 2 Closed, and Mojo 2 uses the original Mojo DSD filter because 98% of FPGA resources were used, though its HF filter helps. Head-Fi, Feb 2022
2022-03-03Watts says he bought a Stealth unheard with positive first impressions, now sees M Scalers feeding DACs for headphones and DX amps for speakers, and TT2 suffices for his speakers. Head-Fi, Mar 2022
2022-03-22Watts lists his systems: Hugo M Scaler, TT2 and B&W 803 D3 at home; M Scaler, DAVE and DCA Stealth in the office; M Scaler, TT2 and Stealths for flying. article, Mar 2022
2022-05-07Watts prefers optical over coax, uses regular optical cables plus a 2m Lifatec optical cable for 192k and Wave Stream BNC cables on the M scaler, and sees no benefit in I2S or balanced. Head-Fi, May 2022
2022-05-14Watts cannot discuss future products but designed the UHD DSP with future uses in mind; he needs no EQ on his DCA Stealth or B&W 803 D3. Head-Fi, May 2022
2022-06-21Watts says he preferred the Krisdonia's 9 V setting on his Chicago flight, distrusts Krisdonia reliability, found only PowerAdd reliable, and battery power removed the need for better BNC cables. Head-Fi, Jun 2022
2022-06-21Watts says recording a small orchestra with ribbon mics, Focusrite ADC, Hugo 2 and Stealth confirmed for him that headphones are more accurate than loudspeakers in frequency response; he cautions that 'neutral' is relative. Head-Fi, Jun 2022
2022-06-27Watts says he bought the 2m Lifatec optical cable for lab convenience and the 5m KableDirekt to test it, which may suit recording sessions. Head-Fi, Jun 2022
2022-08-06Watts says he owned several IEMs about six years ago but could not get on with them as his jaw ached, though the Noble Kaiser sounded very good. Head-Fi, Aug 2022
2022-09-16Watts says vinyl's clicks and lack of transparency rule it out, his M scaled Hugo 2 and DAVE are far more involving, and his recording played back warmer than live. Head-Fi, Sep 2022
2022-09-18Watts says an NVIDIA device's negative video delay lets him run the M Scaler at 1 million taps, a bigger M Scaler has one-second delay working, and he dislikes surround. The Source AV 4:38
2022-09-18Watts says that once you get used to the sound of the scaler you cannot live without it. The Source AV 6:47
2022-09-18Watts says he takes an M Scaler with him when flying, even in economy, packed in a bag. The Source AV 6:53
2022-09-18Watts says he runs everything from a power pack on flights, business class gives him a shelf for it, and flight attendants ask about the flashing lights. The Source AV 7:02
2022-09-18Watts says the closed-back Stealth shuts out noise on about 300 flying hours a year, and Stealth, Hugo 2 and M Scaler performance would have seemed unbelievable in the 1980s. The Source AV 31:18
2022-12-11Watts says a long concert recording day ran down his powerbank, prompting him to order the Bixpower, and describes enjoying the concert's soprano, choir, orchestra and bass saxophone. Head-Fi, Dec 2022
2023-01-12Watts says he uses positive phase and sets the M scaler's HF filter off with DAVE, and that absolute phase differences are small and depend on recording and transducer. Head-Fi, Jan 2023
2023-01-21Watts says he drives small efficient speakers directly from Hugo 2's headphone output when traveling, getting plenty of volume in hotel rooms at a low blue volume setting. Head-Fi, Jan 2023
2023-01-22Watts says his travel speakers are generic 8 ohm 5-inch cubes costing about £20 that sound good, with depth and lateral imaging, unlike any laptop speakers. Head-Fi, Jan 2023
2023-02-04Watts says on planes, about 300 hours a year, he uses his phone with 1 TB of music by USB into a battery DAC, giving perfect isolation. Dusty Audio 1:06:27
2023-02-04Watts says with his MSI laptop into the M Scaler and Dave, optical and USB sounded the same so he used USB, before his son built him a high-performance computer. Dusty Audio 1:07:10
2023-02-04Watts says his 800 W desktop's USB sounded significantly worse than optical into the M Scaler; optical is the reference because no current flows into the DAC. Dusty Audio 1:07:51
2023-02-05Watts says he did, with a new power bank lasting 10 hours where the previous one lasted four or five, useful on 13-hour flights to Asia or Los Angeles. Soundnews 48
2023-02-05Watts says he uses his mobile phone as the source, with one terabyte of storage. Soundnews 1:26
2023-02-05Watts says his phone feeds USB straight into the M Scaler, then into Hugo, driving Dan Clark Audio Stealths, which he calls really good sounding closed-back headphones. Soundnews 1:40
2023-02-05Watts says the Stealths are special and much better than the Aeons, which he only fully appreciated after using them to play back his own recording sessions of acoustic instruments. Soundnews 2:23
2023-02-05Watts says playback through M Scaler and Hugo 2 was surprisingly close to the original sound; the recording used a Blumlein pair of ribbon microphones. Soundnews 3:08
2023-02-05Watts says no headphone at any price beats the Stealth for soundstage depth, lateral precision and staying uncongested in busy passages; he calls it very linear sounding. Soundnews 5:09
2023-02-05Watts says that at home he uses B&W 803 D3 loudspeakers. Soundnews 6:16
2023-02-05Watts says his speakers are a little smaller than 'these' and that selecting speakers is difficult. Soundnews 6:25
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
2023-03-23Watts says he bought B&W 803 D3s after a Japan show demo with M scaled Dave, and that open-back panel speakers need big rooms for depth. Head-Fi, Mar 2023
2023-03-23Watts says the DCA Stealth is now his serious listening choice: tonally closer to live, more detail, equal depth discrimination to speakers, and less external noise. Head-Fi, Mar 2023
2023-03-26Watts says licensing the algorithm is possible but a business decision; software like PGGB cannot run in real time, which matters for streaming and video, where he uses scalers. Eric's Hi-Fi 10:28
2023-03-28Watts says he listens mostly to classical, lately modern composers such as Max Richter, and uses Dan Clark Stealth headphones, which sounded closer to live than expected during his recordings. The Headphone Show 56:30
2023-03-28Watts says his loudspeakers are B&W 803s, driven directly from his TT2's 7 W output. The Headphone Show 57:24
2023-05-30Watts says Mojo 2's bass EQ range covers IEMs rolling off at 125 Hz, he sets +3 or +4 dB shelf on his Stealth, and a shutdown pop is harmless. Head-Fi, May 2023
2023-06-19Watts says an unnamed project started in 2018 with a first PCB in Feb 2019, his longest; he flies with a Bixpower, Hugo 2, Hugo M Scaler and DCA Stealth. needs context Head-Fi, Jun 2023
2023-07-28Watts agrees Mojo 2 drives the Stealths perfectly and says he runs the 125 Hz shelf at +3 dB with other EQs at 0. Head-Fi, Jul 2023
2023-09-04Watts names the Bixpower BP90-12v as the best-sounding pack, used only on flights; supplied PSU and Wave cables sound the same with optical input. Head-Fi, Sep 2023
2023-09-23Watts describes using the Refresh rate app on his Nvidia Shield to match frame rates per streaming app, with sound via an HDMI splitter to optical. Head-Fi, Sep 2023
2023-10-01Watts says he once thought the Stealths too bright next to his warmer B&W speakers, but they are closer to live unamplified sound with no loss of depth. The Source AV 25:35
2023-10-01Watts says he could then hear thickness and heaviness in his speakers' bass, finding the headphone more accurate than his loudspeakers. needs context The Source AV 26:10
2023-10-01Watts says he uses B&W 803 D3s. The Source AV 39:44
2023-10-01Watts says he drives directly with TT2s and the Stealths, following his answer that he uses B&W 803 D3s. The Source AV 39:47
2023-12-22Watts says that traveling with TT2 and Hugo M Scaler, he stacked or separated them by hotel layout and never noticed a sound-quality difference. Head-Fi, Dec 2023
2024-06-24Watts says he does not recall calling the Hugo M Scaler a mess, says it remains essential on his flights, and calls Quartet a major advance on it. Head-Fi, Jun 2024
2024-07-25Watts says he uses the Hugo M Scaler when flying and that people think he is crazy for it. Hifi Pig TV 3:30
2024-07-25Watts says security in Vietnam took a unit away for five minutes, yet nobody minds the big Hugo M Scaler on flights; he cannot travel without it. Hifi Pig TV 4:13
2024-07-25Watts says he travels with the prototype Quartet because he still has coding to do at shows, and because he loves its sound, which makes good recordings sound more real. Hifi Pig TV 4:39
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
2024-10-05Watts says TT2's single-ended output drives his B&W 803 D3 speakers directly with its 7W output, which DAVE cannot do, with enough volume even for movies. Head-Fi, Oct 2024
2024-11-11Watts advises sending bit-perfect data in its mastered format, calls DSD technically flawed, and says he uses Hugo 2 with Stealth, so Mojo 2 will drive Stealth fine. Head-Fi, Nov 2024
2025-02-17Watts answers yes, network gear does affect sound, and says he always uses material stored on his SSD. needs context audio-2G 11:52
2025-02-17Watts says he uses Qobuz, and when it streams the same recording as his hard disk copy, in practical terms they sound the same. audio-2G 12:31
2025-09-14Watts says no, he always uses the M Scaler whenever he is listening. The Source AV 15:39
2025-09-14Watts says since having Quartet it has been disappointing to fly with just an M Scaler, because you get used to Quartet's sound quality. The Source AV 15:46
2026-03-17Watts says his Dan Clark Stealth headphones are more accurate to the original sound than loudspeakers, which add low-frequency muddle and bloom, and digital sounds warmer than the real thing. ecoustics 1:15:12
2026-03-24Watts says he always uses Mojo 2's lossless EQ, especially flying since things sound different at 8,000 feet, and unlike normal EQ it does not damage sound quality. Audio Force 36:34