CHORD M-Scaler Review (Upsampler)

[Koeitje]

Yes or something like it. It is core to Rob Watts' marketing talk on these products. Just watch any of his videos.

I do hate it when I hear a meteor shower on Mars. Really takes me out of the music.

 

[Jimbob54]

Im sure I read somewhere that switching from bypass to M-scaler "on" introduced a level change in the signal. If so it DOES make a difference to the sound (think M scaler was a db or so quieter).

Either way, it doesnt nothing useful yet the Chord squad will say something was flawed in the testing here I am sure.

 

[amirm]

Im sure I read somewhere that switching from bypass to M-scaler "on" introduced a level change in the signal. If so it DOES make a difference to the sound (think M scaler was a db or so quieter).

I showed the levels and they are very close. The key is that bypass is not bit exact and still attenuated same as when filtering is on.

 

[xaviescacs]

Every person can answer it for themselves with a blind test.

I expected this forum to help saving time when choosing gear, not the other way around Besides, I don't rate my own assessment capabilities on this field very high so I prefer an objective measurement and read informed people's opinions.

 

[Sokel]

Im sure I read somewhere that switching from bypass to M-scaler "on" introduced a level change in the signal. If so it DOES make a difference to the sound (think M scaler was a db or so quieter).

Either way, it doesnt nothing useful yet the Chord squad will say something was flawed in the testing here I am sure.

I'm far-far away from any camp but I think that is something odd there,is very strange that Topping was not able to reject the jitter.

 

[Geert]

The difference is there. You can also see it in this review.
But the real question is whether it provides an audible improvement or not. And that's not something we can answer definitely. Every person can answer it for themselves with a blind test.

Archimago published an article regarding the use of bazillion number taps upsampling: Archimago's Musings: Mega-taps upsampling: Remastero's Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster (PGGB) software. (Broadly on audiophile software & the noise boogeyman.)

In the article he uses 'Remastero', a software to apply the filter offline because it takes so much CPU and time to calculate that applying it in real time isn't feasible. It goes further than what the Chord is attempting.

Guess what the outcome is .... "Alas, I see/hear no evidence of any "magic" here and whatever special processing is being done seems to be low-level and inaudible".

Also a DeltaWave analysis didn't show any meaningful.

 

[amirm]

I'm far-far away from any camp but I think that is something odd there,is very strange that Topping was not able to reject the jitter.

Jitter is not a problem. M scale is modifying the input signal by scaling it and possibly with different voltage swings. One or both of these is causing a problem. I could do more testing to figure it out but I don't think it is important.

 

[testp]

this product is for guy-chicks who have money and want to feel good about themselves..

 

[Sokel]

Jitter is not a problem. M scale is modifying the input signal by scaling it and possibly with different voltage swings. One or both of these is causing a problem. I could do more testing to figure it out but I don't think it is important.

My point is that regardless thingies like this,any decent dac must be immune to any problem cames before it.
I don't care if is a magic sauce like that,a noisy pc or a raspberry.
That test works both ways.
Thanks Amir!

 

[Vict0r]

I don't understand this product, its target audience and its inner workings, so I refrain from voting. Nice blinky box, though.

 

[poxymoron]

This performance would have been poor at 1/10th of the price.
Has upscaling ever been proven to be effective, either objectively or subjectively?
You'd have to imagine that considering Chord actually produce good DACs, albeit quirky and overpriced, that they have indeed got an Audio Precision analyzer. If so then how did the M Scaler not make it onto their test bench? Perhaps it did.
The M Scaler was officially announced 4 years ago, almost to the day, and 1 month or so after @amirm announced his new Audio Precision analyzer. I'd say they've been dreading this test for quite some time. Still, some people can't be told, and they'll continue to ship them around the world.

 

[KxDx]

Gross yuck blah!

I'm glad someone found a use for all those old floppy drive cables.

 

[KxDx]

I don't understand this product, its target audience and its inner workings, so I refrain from voting. Nice blinky box, though.

This product: a way to make insane profits from a device that does nothing.

Its target audience: people who will convince themselves their music "sounds $6000 better" after buying this device.

Its inner workings: the bare minimum to make it functional and show off fancy lights that make it appear it's doing something.

 

[sarumbear]

Bonus: the noise floor of air is about -24 dB SPL

To argue that is the same as entering a hornet's nest. I am scare of wasps, hence I will not argue

 

[JeremyFife]

Thanks for the review, and for the invaluable resource that this site offers.

It's a shame - I want to like Chord - now I don't (can't)

Waiting for the time when more companies, at least the engineering led ones, measure and publish performance metrics openly. Then we can move on to considering things that matter and not this sort of nonsense

 

[JSmith]

I reckon people would be better served by purchasing two of these empty McIntosh boxes than this Chord M-Scaler;

McIntosh - Page Not Found

We're sorry, you've reached a page that does not exist on our website.

www.mcintoshlabs.com

... at least it has a use.


JSmith

 

[Geert]

Waiting for the time when more companies, at least the engineering led ones, measure and publish performance metrics openly. Then we can move on

High end audio is about selling dreams. Lot's of people who want to believe.

 

[PeteL]

My point is that regardless thingies like this,any decent dac must be immune to any problem cames before it.
I don't care if is a magic sauce like that,a noisy pc or a raspberry.
That test works both ways.
Thanks Amir!

How can a dac can possibly know what the file that is fed to it was like? If you feed it something with bits in error, it will convert those erroneous bits.

 

[Sokel]

How can a dac can possibly know what the file that is fed to it was like? If you feed it something with bits in error, it will convert those erroneous bits.

To it's specs thought.
(please excuse me if bits can reduce a dac's sinad.etc.,I don't know that much)

When I say immune I mean in terms of noise,jitter,etc.
For example I don't remember the exact case but I remember that a single isolator between the circuit and the screen circuit of an expensive dac save it in it's current version (and it was the only thing added.)

 

[sarumbear]

Waiting for the time when more companies, at least the engineering led ones, measure and publish performance metrics openly. Then we can move on to considering things that matter and not this sort of nonsense

CHORD is an engineering company, what they do often is pretty top-end engineering but their business model is marketing to audiophools. I found that disingenuous but here I am from a country who is debating whether the Prime Minister should be sacked for lying or not