[analogmusic]

   
why would i go listen to it and crave it afterwards when i know ill never will be able to afford it in my lifetime.  
 
and sorry chord.. i wasn't bashing SQ of dave and no problem if you pay your employees millions and ask 10000 for your products so that only the rich select few can have that innovative perfect sound. 
 
i'll wait for a hugo 2 or mojo 2 or buy a mojo used or go elsewhere. 

 
Just buy a mojo, 400 GBP isn't that much to pay for a DAC that can make you fall in love with music all over again.

 

[Beolab]

If anyone struggle to find a reseller who are selling DAVE in their country, just give me a PM, and i can get one for you.

Then it is not over priced at all, if you look at the developing and reaserch cost, it is not always the raw material you are paying for, then it would only look good, but sounded average from the Burr Brown DAC chip from the bottom shelf inside. Just chose what you want.

 

[raypin]

why would i go listen to it and crave it afterwards when i know ill never will be able to afford it in my lifetime.  

and sorry chord.. i wasn't bashing SQ of dave and no problem if you pay your employees millions and ask 10000 for your products so that only the rich select few can have that innovative perfect sound. 

i'll wait for a hugo 2 or mojo 2 or buy a mojo used or go elsewhere. 

Mmmm....then be content with what you can afford. What matters most is you enjoy your music, your way and damn what others think. My apologies for the coarse language and ill temper.

 

[Toolman]

Hmmm...how do you define value of anything, audio equipment or not?

Is it by the sticker price tag?
..or is it by what makes you smile?
..or by the amount of utility you get out of a purchase?

I choose to look at the latter two. Obviously audio being a hobby it must be judged by the satisfaction you derived out of it, as well as how much you'll end up utilising a piece of equipment.

How often have we bought stuff that we regretted as soon as we brought it home, only to put it for sale and waited for a couple of months before someone will take it off you for a price that suites them. To me that's expensive no matter how much you paid for it in the first place.

I'm quite sure that DAVE will stay with me for possibly the next 10 years, and I'll listen and enjoy my music as well as derived much satisfaction of it. Yes it might have a high entry price but I'm sure I'll squeeze every bit of enjoyment out of it over the years, without feeling the urge to sell my gear and upgrade.

Now, that in my definition is what I'll called..."cheap"

 

[jelt2359]

I've been thinking about this for a while. What makes a hair cut with a famous stylist worth so much more than one at the corner? Surely it isn't the cost of the pair of scissors? What makes a building designed by Zaha Hadid so much more desirable than the one designed by your uncle's friend? Surely it isn't the cost of the building materials. What makes a leather bag by Hermes cost so much more than a DIY one? Again, it definitely isn't the cost of leather- no leather is worth so much. Finally, what makes some random paint splashing by Jackson Pollock more expensive than some random paint splashed by those kids in school? I betcha it isn't the quality of the paint.
 
In all these cases you're paying for expertise. You're paying for the design. You're paying a premium for the guy who him and only him, could come up with all this by himself. It's easy to spot these guys. They're the ones who don't copy anyone else, who like to run at the forefront and at the cutting edge. They're the ones that never play it safe, and instead seek out things that nobody else is doing.  
 
If that's not what you like to pay for, that's okay. Go splash out on an expensive transformer. Invest in some brand-name caps. Buy something that is tangible, something that you can point to and say, that's what I paid for. Frankly, there's nothing wrong with that. BTW, not everyone who does things differently is worth paying for. There's a thin red line between genius (why didn't I think of that?) and stupidity (of course no one does it this way). I wouldn't pay for Jackson Pollock's art either- not because I don't agree with it's price, but because I can't appreciate that design. I honestly can't tell if he's genius or stupid. I also wouldn't lavish on a famous hair stylist- most hair cuts look the same to me. Ditto Hermes, and Zaha Hadid. Where it comes to these things, I'd rather pay for expensive leather, and for pricy fittings in the house. Don't know, don't care about expertise or design.
 
But where it comes to audio, I can tell the difference. And so I'm more willing to spend on something so intangible, something so unquantifiable, as design. The moment I heard the Dave, I just knew it was better. 
 
Just my two cents!

 

[Toolman]

So...you won't afford it (not saying you can't afford it), you have not experienced nor have you heard it...sounds like you have no horse in this race and by repeatedly moaning about it here and calling those who could afford it a "rich troll", it just makes you sounds bitter as well a sour grape.

So...if Chord were to sell DAVE at half its retail price right now, what's to say you won't come here and moan about the exact same thing as well? #troll

 

[Ampus]

Has any of the forum members tried the Wyred4Sound modified Sonos Connect with his or her DAVE? If so, would you share your impression please?

 

[rgs9200m]

Are any DAVE owners former Hugo (or TT) owners who liked to use a separate amp with the Hugo products?
I ask because I much prefer external amps on my Hugo TT and my original Hugo.
 
I find a direct connection to the headphone just not full enough or sometimes digital glare prone; there is some bloom missing for me. I also hear more bass resonance and a more pleasing decay of notes with the amps, and just more authority overall.
 
(My amps I use are both a Rudistor RP010B and a Headamp GSX2 w/Alpha pot. Both sound great to me. Headphones are mainly the LCD4 and the Grado PS1000e and sometimes the Hifiman HE1000.)
 
Would I be happy using the DAVE direct to my headphones if this is my feeling about the Hugo and the Hugo TT?
 
I *know* the subject about amping the Chord DACS is controversial, but given my preferences, what's your advice? Thanks.

 

[JaZZ]

I can only offer you my experience with external amps and an alternative approach for achieving a sonic characteristic that suits your sonic preference and creates the desired synergy: equalizing.
 
The amplifier route with added harmonic distortion for a warmer and fuller sound – notably with just one arbitrary preset for all of your headphones – is a poor substitute for the much more flexible and universal sound manipulation via equalizing, enabling to effectively linearize the frequency response of your headphones or, if need be, match them to your personal taste. I guess you already know Rob's take, no?
 
I think you should try it – seriously... and patiently (because there's no instant gratification).

 

 

[ecwl]

  Are any DAVE owners former Hugo (or TT) owners who liked to use a separate amp with the Hugo products?
I ask because I much prefer external amps on my Hugo TT and my original Hugo.

What are you using as a source? Is it USB or coaxial S/PDIF? Or are you using Toslink?
It's possible that the USB or coaxial source is injecting too much RF noise into the DAC, undermining the Hugo (TT) performance. Just double-checking. If that's not the problem, I agree with what JaZZ said.

 

[rgs9200m]

I guess my broader question was, are the DAVE fans basically Chord-all-the-way, or do they feel the Chord DAC technology is the main point of genius here and in the Hugo series?
 
I use USB (AQ Diamond after a lot of experiments with other USBs). I also fussed a lot with interconnects and the amp power cable to get the sound I like [Stealth and Shunyata]. Thanks for the kind advice. [The source is a Windows PC using JRiver + Tidal.]
I do play with Jriver EQ sometimes (I have lots of curves stored), always to deal with glare, so I dip the upper mids to highs sometimes, just subtly, and tailored to each headphone. No EQ with Tidal though.

 

[x RELIC x]

Back to what it's all about... Music. I've been listening to tracks from Yosi Horikawa after Warren of Cavalli Audio recommended it as a part of what he uses to demo Cavalli amps. I have to say, it's pretty cool! I've never heard ping pong balls so musically before, hahaha. He's a brilliant producer in my opinion and makes every day sounds in to some good tunes. You guys should check out his discography. The track that Warren specifically mentioned is Bubbles.

https://yosihorikawa.bandcamp.com/track/bubbles

 

[EVOLVIST]

 
Would I be happy using the DAVE direct to my headphones if this is my feeling about the Hugo and the Hugo TT?
 
I *know* the subject about amping the Chord DACS is controversial, but given my preferences, what's your advice? Thanks.

 
I don't have my DAVE yet, but I've auditioned one, twice, before purchasing. Have you auditioned one with your headphones plugged right into the DAVE?
 
I'm a solid state kind of guy, and I have my favorite headphone amp: the SPL Auditor. I've tried many, many HP amps, but I keep coming back to the Auditor. It is hands down the best solid state amp I have ever heard.
 
Then I auditioned the DAVE and plugged right into the headphone jack with my HD800s. I was amazed at how wide and deep the sound was, having my single-ended HD800s, sound as if I were running my cans with balanced 3-pin XLRs. The effect was simply stunning. I have read, somewhere in these 299 pgs, that the way the headphone section is implemented in the DAVE is very sophisticated, unlike any other headphone amp, which will actually optimize the DAVE to the fullest. No digital glare that I heard...in fact, quite the opposite.
 
Maybe somebody in here knows a bit more about what I was reading about DAVE's headphone output?
 
Anyway, when I wanted to see how the DAVE sounded with my Auditor, after listening to the DAVE alone, I found the sound coming through my Auditor to be very odd. Not quite "flat," but not near as lively and realistic as it was plugging right into the DAVE. Now, this is an HP amp that I have auditioned scores of DACs with, to great effect The Auditor usually brings out the best in a DAC, from a strict solid state standpoint. Not so with the DAVE, though. I wonder why that is? It's not a rhetorical question. No, I really wonder why that is.
 
I have not heard the headphone section on the Hugo TT, so I wouldn't know...but I thought the headphone section in the Hugo sounded a bit pinched, when it came to what I was used to with the Auditor.
 
Just my experience. Take it with a grain of salt. 

 

[x RELIC x]

I don't have my DAVE yet, but I've auditioned one, twice, before purchasing. Have you auditioned one with your headphones plugged right into the DAVE?

I'm a solid state kind of guy, and I have my favorite headphone amp: the SPL Auditor. I've tried many, many HP amps, but I keep coming back to the Auditor. It is hands down the best solid state amp I have ever heard.

Then I auditioned the DAVE and plugged right into the headphone jack with my HD800s. I was amazed at how wide and deep the sound was, having my single-ended HD800s, sound as if I were running my cans with balanced 3-pin XLRs. The effect was simply stunning. I have read, somewhere in these 299 pgs, that the way the headphone section is implemented in the DAVE is very sophisticated, unlike any other headphone amp, which will actually optimize the DAVE to the fullest. No digital glare that I heard...in fact, quite the opposite.

Maybe somebody in here knows a bit more about what I was reading about DAVE's headphone output?

Anyway, when I wanted to see how the DAVE sounded with my Auditor, after listening to the DAVE alone, I found the sound coming through my Auditor to be very odd. Not quite "flat," but not near as lively and realistic as it was plugging right into the DAVE. Now, this is an HP amp that I have auditioned scores of DACs with, to great effect The Auditor usually brings out the best in a DAC, from a strict solid state standpoint. Not so with the DAVE, though. I wonder why that is? It's not a rhetorical question. No, I really wonder why that is.

I have not heard the headphone section on the Hugo TT, so I wouldn't know...but I thought the headphone section in the Hugo sounded a bit pinched, when it came to what I was used to with the Auditor.

Just my experience. Take it with a grain of salt. 

More like extremely simple and transparent, rather than sophisticated. The genius is in the DAC section, being so clean there is no need for analogue filtering or unnecessary components in the analogue stage. You're basically hearing the line-out from the DAC rather than the 'amp' section, because there really isn't one. The DAVE (and other Chord DACs) are very transparent to the source with very low distortion in the signal path. Adding an external amp will only, by default, increase distortion thus not being as transparent.

Edit: Hugo is the most 'airy' of the Chord DACs in its tuning.

 

[EVOLVIST]

More like extremely simple and transparent, rather than sophisticated. The genius is in the DAC section, being so clean there is no need for analogue filtering or unnecessary components in the analogue stage. You're basically hearing the line-out from the DAC rather than the 'amp' section, because there really isn't one. The DAVE (and other Chord DACs) are very transparent to the source with very low distortion in the signal path. Adding an external amp will only, by default, increase distortion thus not being as transparent.

Edit: Hugo is the most 'airy' of the Chord DACs in its tuning.

 
Yeah, that's it! That's what I trying to get to. You're getting the straight juice through the DAVE's jack without anything to get in the way. That's pretty much what I remember reading, and pretty much my experience, as limited as it may be at this point.