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So, I bought a Chord Hugo TT2...now what?

Hello all!

Today, I ordered a Chord Hugo TT2 DAC from my local dealer...should be able to pick it up late next week.  It will be fed by a Bluesound Vault 2 that I'm using to stream Tidal and Qobuz, as well as play my ripped CD collection.  

As the TT2 is definitely several orders of magnitude better than the on-board DAC of the Vault, I now have a quandary regarding what my next upgrade step should be.  So, if you could only make one more upgrade, would you get the Chord M Scaler, which from everything I'm reading/hearing is the ideal pairing for the TT2 and takes it to near reference-class Dave levels?  Or, would you upgrade the streamer, since the TT2 is only as good as the files/data you're feeding it?

For reference, the rest of my system consists of Audio Research's LS7 line stage, PH3 phono stage and (2) D240MKII amps running as monoblocks.  Speakers are Kef Blade Twos (non-Meta versions) and my turntable is a Technics SL-1210GAE.

Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions!

Arvin 

128x128arvincastro
audphile1's avatar
audphile1
4,803 posts
 

@ghdprentice I’ll give you an example from literally few days ago…

I have and really like my Audience FrontRow speaker cables. They’re just phenomenal. So I decided to try the FrontRow XLRs in place of my Nordost Tyr 2. The results were not what I hoped for! So I’m keeping the Tyr 2 and sending the FrontRow XLRs back. Just not a good synergy. Did I enjoy disconnecting and connecting the cables? I did enjoy disconnecting the Audience XLRs and connecting my Tyr 2 back, yep.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with pursuing an improvement and miss

ing the mark is unfortunately sometimes part of the process. Buying with return policy or buying used when ready for next upgrade reduces the risk of taking a big loss.

Oh and just in the beginning of the year…I tried a Marantz SA10 SACD player as player and USB DAC for my Aurender N200 and man that thing is 100% the worst component I ever had in my system. Synergy or personal preference not sure but I yanked it out after giving it and myself several days of listening, sold it and had a celebration cigar. Was it a mistake? No. It was an experience, something that can’t be replaced by reading reviews and Audiogon posts.

 

Alright I’m done ranting now…LOL

 

ghdprentice
6,867 posts
 

Yes, it is critical to respond if something doesn't work as expected.

 

 

lmr27
21 posts
 

I own a TT2 and an M-scaler, connected to an Innuos Pulse streamer (and Innuos PhoenixUSB reclocker). Incredible sound in my system. I doubt I’ll ever upgrade again.

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