[Bonesy Jonesy]

well i don't think anyone should complain about chord taking their time to get dave absolutely right for the market.And on that note Rob i really think you and chord should really think about putting daul AES on dave and a balanced headphone output on dave,doing this would please alot more people than you could imagine,and most likely increase sales of dave as a 1 box solution for headphone users and blu transport users as well,don't just make dave great make it perfect . take your time rob (chord)get it right.

++A  Yes definitely Dual AES / EBU input for Blu (or any other hi-end CD Transporter) and XLR balanced out for dynamic headphones with the standard "1/4 Jack out.

 

[DaveRedRef-III]

Thanks for the reply Beolab

 

[JaZZ]

 

The delay from shipping Dave is down to me I am afraid. I have not sent Chord production code yet. I have more testing and a little more code to add, but it should be ready later this week. Then there will be a lot of final testing to do too.

We won't release product until its been extensively tested. This has been my most complex DAC design so an enormous effort has gone into testing and evaluation. As to hardware updates, Dave had 4 prototype batches (ten units per batch), so hardware changes are not expected. Also, on the hardware side, DAC technology for me has matured; over twenty five years of continuous DAC design means that I am now very happy about the hardware side.

well i don't think anyone should complain about chord taking their time to get dave absolutely right for the market.And on that note Rob i really think you and chord should really think about putting daul AES on dave and a balanced headphone output on dave,doing this would please alot more people than you could imagine,and most likely increase sales of dave as a 1 box solution for headphone users and blu transport users as well,don't just make dave great make it perfect . take your time rob (chord)get it right.

 
Too late! Moreover, a balanced headphone output would require additional electronics components in the signal path, which would destroy Chord's puristic concept without an extra amp between DAC and headphone output. Are you really willing to sacrifice that?
 
I know that Rob is skeptical towards balanced line drives, so I'm curious what he has to say about balanced headphone drive.

 

[Sonic77]

The delay from shipping Dave is down to me I am afraid. I have not sent Chord production code yet. I have more testing and a little more code to add, but it should be ready later this week. Then there will be a lot of final testing to do too.

We won't release product until its been extensively tested. This has been my most complex DAC design so an enormous effort has gone into testing and evaluation. As too hardware updates, Dave had 4 prototype batches (ten units per batch), so hardware changes are not expected. Also, on the hardware side, DAC technology for me has matured; over twenty five years of continuous DAC design means that I am now very happy about the hardware side.

Rob

Take your time and get it right, we'll wait.

 

[Skampmeister]

Rob, are you coming back to Canberra in Australia at any point in the near future?

I want you to sign my 2Qute

 

[Beolab]

Heard from a source today that the price on the DAVE will be:
€12.269 Euro incl 25% VAT
converted from my currency.

Hope this is not true!!??

@Rob Watts

 

[Beolab]

Would be nice to read some impressions from you few people who have heard the DAVE with headphones, if the sound have the neutral kind of harsh Hugo sound signature but better, or is it a totally different sound more like fluid velvet silk or whats is your thoughts?

Then i want to know if you felt that the power from the headphone jacket was more powerful than the Hugo / TT ?

It should be more powerful on the paper, but the question is if you felt it ?

 

[Rob Watts]

Rob, are you coming back to Canberra in Australia at any point in the near future?

I want you to sign my 2Qute

Yes but no trip planned at the moment. Some time in 2016 I guess. Will be very happy to sign it.
 
Rob

 

[Skampmeister]

Awesome, cya then.

 

[DaveRedRef-III]

I am going to be testing some AES, Coax and optical cables soon. I would be interest hear some of your own experiences and preferences for these different digital protocols and perhaps particular makes of cable you currently use. Sorry off topic.

 

[DaveRedRef-III]

Rob
I have noticed comments from early listeners of Dave that 'dynamics' and 'speed' of the DAC are pretty exceptional. I am interested in this aspect of the dac and just wanted to understand what is driving this improvement.
 
Firstly I would say that I am still fundamentally tied to CD rendition these days so any dynamic improvement here would of course be welcomed. I just wondered if the digital pre-amp is a primary contributor for improved dynamics or if there is some magic been worked elsewhere in the DAC?

 

[rkt31]

any more listening impressions of dave ? availability in india ?

 

[DaveRedRef-III]

I had a little chuckle when when I looked at the DCS website today. They have launched the new Rossini
 
Player/DAC in one £18k
DAC only £15k
Master Clock £8k? (Assuming this price as price not released yet)
 
Firstly, the Rossini player won't play SACD discs. This is the first time since DCS adopted DSD up-sampling that SACD discs have been dropped.
 
I wonder if they have finally perceived a weaknesses in the DSD protocol? Perhaps they have, because previously with the Vivaldi they were up-sampling everything to DSD as standard (with an option to up-sample to DXD if desired). Now they have adopted the DXD route as their standard for up-sampling (with the option to up-sample via DSD if so desired).
 
Being an old cynic, I wouldn't be surprised if the Audiophile press now hail Rossini as the most musical and emotional DCS dac/player yet released. They would probably be right imo at least.
 
Lastly their master clocks use simple crystal oscillators these days. No more sales blurb about femto/atomic accuracy and such like.
 
Is this an indicator that some big hitters in the industry may start returning to the PCM route? I hope so because anything that can improve the emotional experience of digital music has to be a good thing and to my ears PCM delivers a superior emotional experience.

 

[rkt31]

I am not a technical expert in dsd vs pcm but what about native dsd recordings which have not been subjected any kind of processing like directly recorded in studio or recorded from analog tapes ? don't these recordings are unique in a way ? some Audiophile labels like waterlily acoustics after years of following analog tape route have now started recording in stereo dsd with single stereo mics claiming to not to do any processing whatsoever. I have one CD from one such recording which is mahlar 5 by temiraknov. this CD though extremely dynamic but feels kind of grainy in extreme upper registers or kind of sub conscious level. is it something to do with the cd being made from native dsd recording ?

 

[rkt31]

I have tested same recording in 24 96 pcm and dsd64 with Hugo. the explanation given by somewhere by Rob is kind of true. dsd sounds having lesser insight or depth giving the impression of smoother presentation sometimes due to lesser low level details. while pcm gives better depth perception but slight impression of lesser sound stage width due to more depth IMHO. but these differences are of extremely low level and feeding dsd to Hugo via coaxial does not in anyway less enjoyable as compared to pcm, Hugo is so good. now waiting for Dave's impressions of pcm and dsd !