Warning… waffle alert!
When I got the TT2 I wasn’t even thinking of using it to power my speakers direct… it was going to be my end point when combined with the SN2 etc. However, since hearing it with only the Aries G1 I’ve been amazed how good it sounds without the amp. I’m lucky in that it is in a small room and near field listening. I’ve found that I mainly have the volume set to -15db to -20db so have plenty of power spare.
So, given this I will end up selling the SN2, HiCap and HiLine which should cover the m scaler. If, in the future, I want to use it in a larger room and need more power, I’ll add something like a 250DR.
What I find remarkable about my experiences so far with Chord DACs is their ability to make something sound so real and place you amongst it. Detail on its own doesn’t do it, it’s how they present it.
If I was to take a landscape photograph with a high resolution camera at midday, it would have tons of detail but it would seem flat, uninteresting. If I take one early or late in the day, shadows would be long and they would bring out the shape and texture of the valleys giving shape and a sense of depth to the image. Use shallow focus and the subjects position with the landscape becomes clear and easy to see. Images become engaging and real… it’s like you’ve been taken there.
Somehow, Chord have done this with audio… how? not sure in all honesty but it’s very evident with the Qutest, the TT2 and I’d imagine the Hugo 2 & especially Dave. The effect just seems to get bigger as you work your way up but the character is very similar.
The detail (not midday detail) has lovely texture. The leading edges of notes have real clarity to them and the way they decay feels very natural and fleshed out… no abrupt ending. It feels real. The soundstage and imaging is so precise and makes it easy to place the musician in the scene, just like an image with shallow focus can help position the subject within the landscape.
For me, the combination of all this, the real sense of depth brings the music to life… in someway it helps connect you to the performance as you’re sat amongst it and not just facing a pair of speakers with sound coming out of them.
The Qutest started this journey for me, it was a real eye opener… packs a massive hit in such a small box that’s easy to add to any system. The TT2 just takes what it does so well and makes it bigger with extra detail etc… and lets you power speakers as well.