This is very interesting, as I have gone in the opposite direction of where you are heading. I had a Chord M Scaler and Hugo TT2 that I was running into a Luxman tube separates setup. I bought an Atom for my office system and was so enthralled I ended up selling off all the Chord gear and going with the Nova in my main system.
I did hold onto the Chord gear long enough to enjoy the Nova as an all-in-one for a couple weeks, then throw the Chord stack back into the mix (into the analog inputs of the Nova) and I found that I was not that enthralled with the Chord as I was with the musicality and detail of the Nova. I don’t think the Nova’s upsampling with the SHARC DSP is quite as sophisticated as what Rob Watts has done with the M Scaler, but in my opinion I felt that the Chord stack kind of overshot the mark, drawing attention to space and individual instruments, etc but missing the forest for the trees when it came to presenting the SONG as a whole, if that makes sense.
The other thing I was grateful to move beyond with the Chord and Luxman separates was the constant nagging feeling that some part of my system was due for an upgrade. I was constantly thinking about how things would sound with the DAVE vs the TT2, or how much better a preamp upgrade would sound, etc. I realize Naim is one of the biggest culprits in baked-in upgraditis for their products, but now with the Nova I literally feel like there is nowhere else to go without starting from scratch again. Adding a NAP or external amp etc seems kind of futile at this point as I know the end game there (from a Naim standpoint) is at least another $25,000 investment to get to the “next level.”
The gist of this post I guess it to add some perspective to “where you are” versus “where you are going.” It sounds like you’ve got the bug so there probably isn’t much you can do about that, but hopefully my experience adds some perspective.
JSQT Since your speakers are 100 DB efficient, did you try driving them directly of your Mscaler/TT2 ? I drive Dynaudio excite 12’s directly off my TT2 and they sound excellent, and are nowhere near as efficient as your speakers (86 DB/4 ohms). I am picking up my Mscaler tomorrow, and I am expecting a huge uplift in the sound.
@NO-QUARTER I never did try to do that, mainly because it would have required some custom cables, and also because I really loved the sound of my valve preamp. I did connect the TT2 directly to my valve power amp a few times to see how that sounded, as the Luxman has a variable input and I did prefer the sound of the valve preamp in the signal chain. I think you will be very happy with the M Scaler, congrats!!
Thanks JSQT, I am pretty excited about picking it up tomorrow. I made my own cables to connect my TT2 to my speakers, I just cut the end off a pair of XLR cables I had, and soldered the appropriate wires to some old speaker cable I had in a closet. The amount of detail and real live sounding music is astonishing. All the emotion and PRAT is still there too, this is quite different than using another preamp and amp in the chain.
The trouble with this is your essentially using two DACs and not bypassing the Novas one at all. As the Novas analogue inputs goes into an ADC which samples at 48/24 and then back out of the Novas DAC to speakers.
Yes, I was aware of that, which makes it all the more curious. Perhaps the source element of the Nova is the weak link. Unfortunately the Project is USB only so I can’t try that in the Nova.
@JSQT I see you have the Volti Rivals… I’ve been curious about that speaker. Can you tell me your impressions of it… how big is your room, placement from rear wall, strengths and weaknesses of the speaker, what kind of music do you primarily listem to, etc…Thanks.
The Rivals are incredible speakers. I love them. My room is about 16 wide (with the Rivals just about 10’ apart) and about 29’ long, though listening position is about 9’ from the speakers, with toe-in just so the drivers are pointing at the opposite arm rests in my chair. The speakers absolutely disappear in this room and the system has the size and scale of a live concert. I honestly can’t think of anything bad about these speakers, assuming this is the kind of sound you are looking for. They replaced a pair of Klipsch La Scala IIs which may have a hair more dynamics in the bottom end due to the folded horn woofer, but other than that the Rivals best them in every way with smooth mid range and non-fatiguing highs.
Thanks for the information. I’d assume most people are probably using tube gear with Volti speakers…good to know they can sound great with Naim. When you had your Luxman tube gear did you have the Voltis ?
Yes I did have the MQ-88uSE with the Volti Rivals. The amp sounded great with 8 ohm high efficiency speakers like the La Scala IIs and the Heresy IIIs. However I found it was a very hard amp to match with speakers due to what I think are impedance mis-matches and I found that I was struggling with the sound with the Rivals and Luxman in the upper mid range with some soft distortion. When I would turn the Luxman up too much then I’d start hearing some tube compression as well. The Nova and the Rivals was like a revelation though. It was really just dumb luck that I stumbled upon such great synergy between that amp and the Rivals. I do think the Rivals pair well with certain other tube amps. I know they are frequently paired with the Border Patrol amps at the shows here in the US. I imagine a higher watt tube integrated like a Rogue Cronos Magnum etc would probably also be a good match.
But it is hard to imagine better sound and synergy than what I am currently hearing with the Rivals and the Nova.
As a side note, I have my Atom in my office, and recently had to move my Heresy IIIs out of that system and substitute them with 4ohm 86dB Monitor Audio Studios. Those speakers have their strengths but they are flawed overall and they have much of the same issues with the Luxman (distortion due to impedance dip around 3kHz). I have a pair of Harbeth C7-ES3s coming in a week or so to replace the Studios. It’s funny because the Harbeth are about the same sensitivity as the Studios (though 6 ohms) but I have heard/read that they are frequently paired with Luxman and Naim gear, so it will be interesting to see what happens. I have high hopes for the Harbeth/Atom/Luxman combination.
Yes, most likely the Luxman and Rival combination had an impedance mismatch.
Art Dudley liked that Luxman model a lot when he reviewed it in Stereophile but I noticed it didn’t have different taps for 4,6 or 8 ohm speakers like some tube amps.
I see Volti has a new speaker called the Razz for $5k…slightly smaller dimensions than the Rival.
Looks like it could be a bargain.
I did hear Volti’s once at the NY audio show in Westchester, NY in 2015 I think.
I think I heard the big flagship model and it was spectacular…an effortless, solid, weighty sound.
They were running it with a Vinnie Rossi LIO integrated amp.
I once owned the little sealed box Harbeths and I liked them a lot.
For you office system you might also consider Totem Sky monitors. They are 8 ohms and easier to drive than some other Totem models which are 4 ohms. I have the Sky’s in a second system and I think they’re great.
I thought I would update on my upgrade journey. It isn’t quite going in the way I had planned but the extra time we all have has allowed me to research, listen, tweak & repeat. As a reminder, I was sold on the TT2 and was looking for an amplifier, power or integrated, and then picking up an Mscaler later in the year.
Maximising opportunities as they arise, I now have a TT2 and Mscaler directly driving the Marten Duke2’s, with the amp saga continuing. Initially I didn’t think directly driving the speakers was long-term, but the past few weeks of tweaking, especially speaker position, has resulted in a quite extraordinary sound. All of the audio traits I have been trying to cure have significantly improved, to the point where a new amp is beginning to feel like an optional luxury (which of course I will still entertain). The Chord approach is undoubtedly different from Naim, but for me, it is one that allows me to immerse myself and enjoy how natural everything sounds. One of the problems I’ve previously encountered is I have just felt I was listening to hifi, now I’m listening to music and the occasions when I’m reminded that it is actually Hi-Fi, when the bass wobbles, or the highs go shrill, or mids congest etc. etc., are fewer and farer between. I would never have thought this was possible without another amplifier, but there you go.
A word on the Mscaler; This is one of the components where at first it is hard to describe the impact it has on the overall sound. It’s easy to install it and say, mmm… not sure it’s doing much. But leave it in for a couple of weeks and then take it away, well, there really is no going back. If you hone in on any particular area, then the improvement is subtle. But it makes this subtle improvement to all areas and the sum of all those subtle improvements is significant. You have to listen to the Mscaler effect as a whole, not just whether it’s bass is better, or soundstage is wider, or imaging is more precise etc. It is all of those things and more and in totality it simply blows me away.
I have a TT2 which I have used to drive my ATC SCM11 speakers directly, however I find that I prefer the sound (less digital/more relaxed ?) when processing the TT2’s output via my matched pre-amp and power-amp. I like the smaller ‘form factor’ of the Chord Table Top series and I have considered, but not audtioned, the TToby.
Was there a reason why you didn’t progress with the TToby in your system ?
Glad to see another member driving speakers directly off their Mscaler/TT2. To me, that is where the real magic is, eliminating preamps and amps, the sound is so pure. Many people try Chord DAC’s in their system, but the system takes away from what the Chord DAC is really capable of, and I am sure whoever actually heard yours or my system would agree. The other day I boxed up my NDS/XPSDR to trade them in on new speakers, which are 91 DB’s efficient, so I hope I can drive them with the TT2. They are the ones in the middle of my photo…Peak Consult Incognito X11 Signatures
When I listened to the Ttoby I was surprised at how full it sounded for a 50W amp and I still think it would serve me well in my small room. However, I did prefer the SN3 and had planned to go that way until I started wondering about using the TT2 as the pre into a power amp, as that is all I need. For this I fancied a NAP 250DR.
Lockdown has given me too much time to research and think about the options and now I have a power amp shortlist of NAP 250DR, Ttoby and Benchmark AHB2 and an integrated shortlist of SN3 and Norma IPA 140.
The TT2 directly driving the Marten’s works really well but there is always a desire for a bit more power. I wouldn’t complain though if I had to stick to this as a solution.
As soon as there is a bit more normality, I want to try the 250DR and the Norma as I have already auditioned Ttoby and SN3.
Oh, I also have to sell my Nova as well before the next move…
Yes, TT2 directly driving speakers is a revelation but I don’t think the Martens are sensitive enough to really do it justice. For me I am looking at adding an amplifier, but absolutely need something that works with the TT2 and Martens.
I know what you mean about needing a little more power. I tried my dealers Blu2 with my TT2 direct driving Neat Ultimatum MF5’s, and it was obvious more power was needed. We inserted a Belles 150A V2 Reference amp and things changed dramatically for the better. The amp is now set aside for me until I can pick it up. I want to pick up the new speakers first, to try directly off the TT2, but this lockdown of non essential businesses has everything on hold.
Thank you for that update regarding the TT2 and Ttoby
I really like the flexibility of the TT2 as not just a DAC but also a pre-amp with two sets of analogue outputs (which I run concurrently) as well as the headphone connection (which I rarely use).
I took my pre-amp out of the chain earlier today as it was having technical issues switching inputs, so I am now with the TT2 as pre-amp feeding directly into my 250wpc legacy TAGMcLaren 250Rx2 power amp to drive the ATC SCM11s.
This seems to be a better approach than driving the speakers direct from the TT2 - I hear a fuller and more relaxed sound with greater dynamic range.
The TMA has an improved power supply and a recap from Audiocellar which certainly helps.
The second analogue outputs I route through to a small TMA system in the kitchen with a 100p amplifier (serviced/recapped) and this is consistently compatible with the TT2.
