It depends on what it’s replacing, but DAVE was a big jump up from a Hugo (which was miles better than a brave NDX). The M Scaler wasn’t as big a jump as DAVE for me, though after a couple of weeks demoing it, going back to just DAVE was a shock, and the M Scaler stayed.
Oh, and I’ve found no lack of Prat in the Chord DACs and they play all types of music equally well. DAVE (on its own) equalled the Prat of my CD555 (and beat it in all other ways).
The CD555 now belongs to someone else.
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During our auditions of various streamers, we found DAVE + MScaler to be at least the equal the ND555 + 555PS for prat and to better it for retaining the dynamic range of transients such as drums and cymbals.
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and without the Mscaler ?
Hi FR, whatever I put in the relevant thread at the time.
Best regards, BF
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I am afraid DAVE was returned today… we just didn’t see eye to eye in the end… Hugo has been invited back, and he is making himself at home.
Thanks for my wonderful dealer for managing the situation for me… really first class, cheers chaps.
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Interesting. I would appreciate if you could expand a bit more on the above. In your earlier posts you made on 4th August you mentioned the DAVE and 552 is a match made in heaven. Surprisingly you have now switched from the DAVE to the Hugo. Is the Hugo connected to the 552, and what is it that made you switch from the DAVE to the Hugo.
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Waiting for the repeat visit now. It’s not called DAVE for nothing.
G
I thought it was a match in Heaven… but for me it turned out to be a false prophet … for me over an extended listening with my DAVE I started to feel I had lost that softer natural analogue sound I really loved with my Hugo… and once you notice this it becomes hard to ignore, and it becomes even more apparent on recordings you know so well.
Yes there were some recordings that really sounded wonderful and breath taking, but in the end I felt for my tastes the DAVE was too forward more often than not… especially on compressed recordings. I need to have a system which works for all my recordings… so in the end I have sacrificed ultimate detail and resolution for musical compatibility with a softer natural ebb and flow… I suspect for others it would/could be very different.
The Hugo2 suffered the same fate with me Simon.
G
I suspect there is something about the original Hugo that is unique that I am picking up on in my system. I also believe my Hugo sample is a particularly good one… as not all Hugo’s sound this good in my experience.
Yes I did not get on with the Hugo2… but falls a long way short in my opinion. The TT2 was impressive, but still did not have that softer analogue feel the original Hugo has… I do wonder if the exceptionally simple Hugo output stage is something to do with it.
I now understand how to self service my Hugo which is required every three to four years… quite straightforward… I don’t think I will be changing it for the foreseeable future…
@Simon-in-Suffolk I’m sure you addressed this somewhere back in this thread or other thread, but can you remind me whether or not you auditioned the ND555/552 without any Chord DAC in your system at home?
No I have only compared ND555 with my dealer setup system, and they can replicate pretty closely my home system which they do for me. (Amps, speakers, size of room etc).
I have spent quite a time listening to the ND555 with different speakers and amps.
Simon, did you mean every 3 or 4 years, as in replacing the battery? Otherwise, can you explain what you mean by this.
Yes thanks… corrected
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Did you get around to trying the MScaler with the Dave, before returning it? I find that the Mscaler really takes the Dave to another level, making the Dave much more natural, analog sounding, like you seem to prefer.
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No, not directly… a long story I don’t want to share here… but no the MScaler doesn’t address the property with DAVE that doesn’t work for me…
I will try M Scaler on my Hugo later.
When you mentioned self servicing the Hugo, do you mean replacing the battery? Can the Hugo run on the mains power supply instead of a (dead) battery?
I have a Chord QBD76 connected to the NAC282 and it’s a match made in heaven to me. I’m not looking at replacing anything in my end-game system but I’m seriously thinking of getting the Hugo now.
Has anyone compared the Hugo to the QBD76?