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Chord DAVE
- Thread starter Mike
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CPP
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Mike so have you done a comparison between a PCM file on the Berkeley Ref and a PCM file on the DAVE just wondering which you prefer.
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- #3
Berkeley, Lumin, Lampi, Aurender and Chord are all excellent. Best of the best without spending $100k. All of these digital products are very system, budget and user dependent. At this level, you just can't go wrong. You know I love all my children [emoji6]. When I go to shows, I'm listening very carefully for products that really impress me. If I didn't think a product was world class, I wouldn't spend my own money on it.
With the DAVE, I'm hearing what I've heard before. Great separation. Amazing cymbals. Toe tapping and an even quieter noise floor when used direct to the amps.
Every digital product has its own unique strengths. Like I said, you just can't go wrong. Come and listen to them all and you decide.
Ever since I told Jerry in Tampa that I got the Chord DAVE, he's been chomping at the bit to come down and borrow it. Maybe if I let him borrow it (insert evil laugh here), he can chime in with his thoughts in the future.
This I can agree with. Excellent summation.
They all have their strengths and personal preference will be the decider. Mike, BTW Audiophile Bill in the UK, just upgraded his GG with the new firmware etc for the R2R module and is ecstatic, claims its a 25% improvement upgrade and says that the PCM is a virtual dead heat with the DSD! I hate this as now I am curious and I don't like being on the upgrade platform. LoL
The Dave was very very good on PCM...and coming from me who hated the Hugo, it means something.
I don't know the QBD, but the DAVE wipes the floor with the Hugo...a bloodbath. LoL
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- #7
Thanks Norman. I'm definitely looking forward to the new firmware upgrade for my Lampi.
P.S. The Big7 Lite has to be the sleeper DAC of all Lampi DAC's.
Nah, I hear that title belongs the the Germanic area only Der Siebner. German source internals...for a German specific Lite 7.
I will get one to demo in about 3 weeks!
Mike... Looks great especially next to the Studer A810 on the Quadraspire Sunoko racks! Like it's Chord stand also.
How do you find the modes of operations when switching between DSD and PCM?
(BTW, Getting the new Quadraspire Sunoko isolation spike upgrade to evaluate shortly.)
How do you find the modes of operations when switching between DSD and PCM?
(BTW, Getting the new Quadraspire Sunoko isolation spike upgrade to evaluate shortly.)
Met Rob Watts, the designer, recently. Very passionate about his work and he probably could have gone on the whole day sharing his knowledge about digital design. Of course, each designer would have their own priorities and secret sauce.
Mike, I would be keen to know whether the DAVE presents a greater depth of soundstage than what you have experienced previously.
Apparently, the DAVE claims to achieve a more realistic depth perception due to the noise shapers (still trying to figure this out) being accurate to -350 dB.
Mike, I would be keen to know whether the DAVE presents a greater depth of soundstage than what you have experienced previously.
Apparently, the DAVE claims to achieve a more realistic depth perception due to the noise shapers (still trying to figure this out) being accurate to -350 dB.
Cycleman
New member
Audio porn this early in the morning ?!?
Arousing my audio desires !?!
Is that wife-friendly?
Really!
Dave, who wants a DAVE for little to do with the parallel in names and will compare it to the Berkeley Ref that he bought not long ago here from Sisyphus (aka Odyssey)
Arousing my audio desires !?!
Is that wife-friendly?
Really!
Dave, who wants a DAVE for little to do with the parallel in names and will compare it to the Berkeley Ref that he bought not long ago here from Sisyphus (aka Odyssey)
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- #13
It worked fine. Lots of volume to play with. It wasn't jumpy at all. Very smooth.
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- #14
Nice Steve! I just ordered some more Quadrasphire racks for one of my other systems.
The Studer, well, it's a labor of love. I've done all I can with it...time to ship it off to Nick Doshi to have a look.
Switching between DSD and PCM is a snap on the Chord. Basically, the Chord has two settings:
PCM+ = this is the side of the DAC which is completely optimized for PCM (but will play DSD).
DSD+ = this is the side of the DAC which is completely optimized for DSD (but will play PCM).
You can switch back and forth as you go through your play list, but you won't suffer if you happen to put the odd PCM file among your DSD playlist (or visa-versa).
Each side is definitely optimized for the particular format - that is clear.
I first heard the Chord DAVE at CES 2016. I was sitting in this back room where they had all these headphone amps (the headphone crowd are usually relegated to basements or backrooms). I was interested in hearing the Audeze LCD-4 headphones (great headphones by the way). I merrily went along with my LCD-4 headphones on checking out different headphone amps. There must have been 8 or 10 there. The last one I plugged into was this oddly shaped box, which just happened to be the Chord DAVE. I immediately stopped at asked, "wow, what's this one?" The chap replied "the new Chord DAVE". I remember hearing about this DAC. I inspected the back, listened for 20 minutes or so and asked a few more questions and left. The DAVE definitely left an impression on me. It was head and shoulders above the others I had heard in that session.
I then went to Axpona in April and heard the DAVE again in a Jadis system (oh my, Jadis...yummy!). The entire system sounded terrific, so to be fair, it wasn't easy to tell what was doing what. But I didn't forget my listening session at CES and decided to give the DAVE a shot in my system.
I'm feeding the DAVE with the Curious USB cable. I've tried with and without the Regen and frankly, prefer the Regen. My WW Platinum 7 is now doing duties from the Lumin U1 to the Regen. Curious USB runs from the Regen to the DAVE.
I debated on the stand. I mean, it's not inexpensive. But, I'm glad I went for it. The stand is a solid block of aluminum and it really does tilt the DAC in a nice direction so you can view the readout even from 15 or more feet away.
We are certainly in a good spot. We have products like the DAVE, Berkeley, Lumin and Lampizator which all give us world class performance. Based on what I've heard from the aforementioned four DAC's/Streamers....I'm not sure I could personally justify spending $90,000 or $100,000. I believe someone told me the DAVE actually received a higher score than the $100K DCS Stack?
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- #15
There is NO DOUBT they have achieved their goal of a greater depth of soundstage. I noticed that almost immediately. I used my test track, track #1 from Oscar Peterson's We Get Requests (DSD). It has a wonderful sense of space this recording. I could tell from the first note there was a greater depth of soundstage. Not freakishly, MBL 101 Xtreme so, but definitely noticeable.
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- #16
DAVE, you need a DAVE.
If you can swing it, I highly recommend the Curious USB cable. It's very liquid sounding.
I've heard similarly great things about THE CHORD DAVE. The other thing I like about it is that it has a friendly footprint! Certainly now on my radar as next choice DAC.
(As for the Studer, it's important to open it right up from time to time to take a close look at the ageing capacitors for any leakage, residue, bulge or shrinkage. Be sure to check the soldered on battery on the controller card also. Once you lose charge on that, you lose your calibration configuration! There is a process to record the config onto tape, also to flash it out on the LED display. I need to save that config also. That battery nags at me. If it's not right, send it to the specialist for a re-cap. It's worth it.)
(As for the Studer, it's important to open it right up from time to time to take a close look at the ageing capacitors for any leakage, residue, bulge or shrinkage. Be sure to check the soldered on battery on the controller card also. Once you lose charge on that, you lose your calibration configuration! There is a process to record the config onto tape, also to flash it out on the LED display. I need to save that config also. That battery nags at me. If it's not right, send it to the specialist for a re-cap. It's worth it.)
Yes, very nice guy. He even gave me some heads upon the design philosophies a year or so ago, on condition that I could not share publicly.
The DAVE is the delivery on the promises that Hugo made.
I didnt get a chance to check out DAVE DSD specifically (Rob is a DSD hater or at best agnostic) and I remain curious as the DAVE only uses half the tap length for DSD as there was not enough space on the FPGA to implement the full 164K tap length for BOTH PCM and DSD.
DAVE, you need a DAVE.
If you can swing it, I highly recommend the Curious USB cable. It's very liquid sounding.
Yes, it would be cool to have a great component bearing one's name.
Dave, in my best Brick impression, the voice in your head says: you need to get a demo fast....
Cycleman
New member
DAVE, you need a DAVE.
If you can swing it, I highly recommend the Curious USB cable. It's very liquid sounding.
I already have a Curious USB cable, two actually. The 0.8 meter one and the short Regen Link, which I use at this point with the W4S Reclocker, which replaced the Regen in my system since I found greater musical clarity with the W4S device.
But more so, Mike, it seems that you make an intriguing point.
Are you saying that with a source such as an Aurender N10, my source, the Chord DAVE might sound better with its USB input directly from the N10's USB output?
That's in contrast to the DAVE's AES/EBU input being fed directly by the same AES/EBU output on the N10?
I'll play around and listen to both, of course.
But with my Berkeley Ref, I found the SQ significantly better being directly fed AES/EBU from the N10 vs. going from the N10, to Curious cables and W4S Reclocker, to Berkeley USB Converter, and only then to the Berkeley Ref's AES/EBU input. But even as good as the Curious cables are, and as excellent as the Berkeley USB Converter is, the fewer gizmos can often be better, n'est pas?
Dave, who finds the name of those Australian USB cables appropriate for his audio quests since it's often curiosity that drives him