Qutest, Hugo TT2, Mscaler

nice office - far too many distractions for me :slight_smile:

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I have recently purchased a Chord Dave and Etude. I like their small footprint and although I initially had reservations about the Dave design I now like it. Especially when I view it alongside the large square slab of my Innuos Zen.
Chord ranges/models come in different sizes/shapes although I think further developments will address some of these issues.
And most importantly the sound is sublime.

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I don’t think they look cheap, it’s the same spirit as all chord products - unique

at the end of the day I don’t care how it looks, given their delightful performance.

the 282 and 252 might look the same, but we know they sound very different, and that is what counts. (I would much prefer to have a 252)

Of course how it sounds rather than how it looks is important. I don’t care what it looks like as long as it performs… within reason. I have a minimum aesthetic threshold , which is fairly low and merely a hygiene factor before I let something in the front door. Sadly to me, Chord just doesn’t meet that minimum aesthetic standard for me.

Have you heard a Chord digital source?

It’s of course your complete decision to let or not let one in the door, but it would be a mistake (one that I almost made myself) to come to a conclusion before hearing one

When I heard my first chord Hugo - I knew within a few minutes that it was a keeper - and was and still is a complete game changer for me in terms of enjoying music from a digital source.

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Fair enough Ali, in the end as said above, it’s what it sounds like that counts… aesthetics do help though :wink:

The TT is the least ‘Chord like”, being a essentially simple rectangular box, available in black or silver colour. It’s one idiosyncrasy is the curved cutaway in top middle of the front exposing an illuminated ball for volume control, the colour of which indicates the setting, which I think can be dimmed but not extinguished.

IB very small things in the scheme of things - it’s all about the performance…

yes maybe they could be designed to look more like a Naim product - but that’s hardly a reason not to audition one.

I was thrilled by Dave alone for three years, then a few weeks with the Mscaler meant I couldn’t live without it (figuratively speaking, natch).

Oh and it could come in Hello Kitty styling, and I couldn’t care less.

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Hello,
some questions about cables with Chord Hugo TT2:

  1. what RCA->Din cable do you use between Hugo TT2 and Naim amp?
  2. and what about digital cable suitable with Hugo TT2?
  3. does anybody change the removable cable of the power supply of Hugo TT2 with a better one with relevant effects?

thanks
David

Indeed, and I was just pointing out that for anyone for whome tge more extreme designs are for some reason a deal-breaker, some models are less, er, individualistic than others.

Hmm - after reading this thread and seeing your setup I’m wondering whether I should give the TT2 another listen but this time in combination with the M Scaler. I have a Roon Nucleus sat behind me in my home office with a USB output available…

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I was pleasantly surprised how good the Roon NUC sounded with the standard USB cable that comes with the MScaler etc. At some point, I may get round to trying a good USB cable to see how it compares to the optical from the G1. I still think optical helps isolate the Mscaler though. Maybe need to use an AudioQuest jitterbug with a USB cable.

If a top end USB cable did the optical then, the G1 wouldn’t be as critical and would leave a space for an Etude in the future.

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I would just get rid of the auralic.

It is if you think it’ll be a carbuncle in the room. Like I said, it’s an extreme case. I generally don’t care unless things are extremely problematic. For me, Chord designs push some buttons - the wrong ones. For me, things need to understated or classic. Luckily most high end hifi falls into one of those categories. Chord is the exact opposite of both… to me. They went for a very bold and attention grabbing design. That was always going to be divisive. There would always be exceptions. D’Agostino would be an example of another company that went all out with a risky steampunk aesthetic, but one that pulled it off in a way that I could live with.

It’s like how people go for wall to wall carpet and others tiles, and others floorboards and others laminate. Nothing wrong with any of them. But you can be sure, someone okay with any three will not be able to put up with one.

That may happen in time but only once I find a USB setup that matches the optical out… so far that hasn’t happened but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen!

One thing I love about the TT2 & Mscaler… I wanted some good quality music in my studio the other day as I knew I’d be in there for a while. Just disconnected the TT2 & Mscaler and packed them in a camera bag with a large power bank… picked up my Empy case and off I went. Surprisingly easy. Just used my laptop with a USB cable.

Indeed … not possible with naim hi fi to carry in the bag like that…

There was a way, many years ago courtesy of the bonkers people at The Cornflake Shop. I can’t find a picture of this setup in its carrying case but this was a rather nice ‘transportable’ setup at the time…

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  1. Dual Mogami 2964 BNC with Würth ferrites (from MScaler)
  2. Witchhat S3P Cable 2RCA to DIN
  3. Did not try
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  1. Not applicable to me - I use Entreq Primer Pro RCA to RCA to a non-Naim power-amp (when not running the TT2 direct to my passive ATC speakers)
  2. TelluriumQ Black Waveform 2 BNC-BNC (I also have a RCA-RCA spare)
  3. No. because the TT2 manages power quality/RFI with it’s own capacitor bank
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