Upsampling, Can there be too much?


I've owned the Chord Mscaler for a year and loved it, but recently added two new components that have built in upsampling: The Aurender W20SE, and the Jay's Audio CDT3-MK3. I find the Mscaler works well with the Aurender's built in upsampling, but not the Jay's.

 

Conclusion: not upsampling the Jay's, and standard redbook 16-bit 44Khz to the Mscaler gives incredible 24-bit 705Khz to the Hugo TT2 DAC for finest sound.

 

With multiple upsamplers in a chain has anyone gotten static, popping, smearing, or any kind of distortion from too much upsampling?

brandonhifi

Listen to an Audio Note DAC, and you'll know that there can be too much. 

I used to own the lowest model of Audio Note UK DAC,. I can't recall the model, but it used tiny tubes that were soldered in. It was a revelation at the time. I now have an Audio Note Kits 2.1 Signature, professionally built and upgraded by them a few months ago. I would not go back to a design that uses oversampling, unless it was a dcs or something of that caliber, which I could never afford.

After using oversampling players for years, the non-oversampling sounded much more natural and fluid. At the level that I can afford, it sounds more like the real event coming through the speakers rather than a cobbled together re-creation. I can't imagine how good the top-level Audio Note DAC's are. 

The issue with the Jay's was because a loose cable, completely solved, worked with Alvin from Beatechnik, Jay's Audio official dealer, and got it fixed, upsampling stacks perfectly now from CDT3-MK3 to Chord Mscaler to Chord Hugo TT2. 

 

One of the hardest things for me in HiFi especially using power conditioning and LIFEPO4 batteries for half your components it tight secure wiring. I even use the best Gotham quad shielded cables from Ghent Audio and still.... LOL what a journey HiFi is. Funnest hobby in the universe.

 

What differences do you hear when you rip a cd to the Aurender vs play on the Jays?