[JaZZ]

 

  Till I heard the HEK with Dave. My passion for HP comes back again. I am not saying HEK is without fault. I hope that the mid could be thicker, bass more body, the rest I am more than happy. If you think you want characteristic of HD800, LCD2, and T1, I believe HEK could be the one. And Dave drive HEK without problem at all. HEK could extract full potential of Dave is all I can say. For me I do consider pairing it with violectric 281 driving HEK in balance mode.

 
If you're using the HE1000 with DAVE, then I really think you should get the most out of your investment, and run DAVE into one of these, with a headphone amp afterwards:
 

 
I'm confident Rob would approve

 
Good one! 

I also shook my head when I read this...
 

For me I do consider pairing it with violectric 281 driving HEK in balance mode.

 

[bmichels]

Any feedback from CHORD about the rumor of this "new version" of BLU ?

 

[AndrewOld]

  I was talking to Jude about the jitter test on the APX 555, and I wanted some plots of Jitter for Dave. So here is jitter test using the USB input:
 

 
 This is with 48 kHz sample rate, using the J-test which is a test for data related jitter.
 
Any data related jitter would be multiples of 250 Hz either side of the 12 kHz signal - as you can see there is none whatsoever.
 
The -170 dB noise floor represents jitter of 100 fS (0.1pS) RMS, so we can safely say that data related jitter is less than 0.1 pS.
 
You can just make out mains related jitter at 0.2 pS - this probably comes from the AP ADC as its always there.
 
The fringing on the 12 kHz below -150 dB is down to the APX555 FFT's Hann window, it is not LF jitter from Dave.
 
Rob

Incredible! Just out of interest .. would you have a similar measurement for a Hugo TT?(which has been giving me great pleasure since i bought one).

 

[Beolab]

Hi

So you almost think your HeadTrip amp is overkill when the sound from DAVE alone is almost identical, or is the higher Forte and better bass / visceral dynamics worth the extra $7000 for the Headtrip?

Why im asking you is because i have order the DAVE and will be using them with my Abyss headphones and guessing the sound are going to be a bit thin , and need som e extra grunt in form of a HeadTrip?

Should i order it, or what is your oppinion?

 

[Kamil21]

I was talking to Jude about the jitter test on the APX 555, and I wanted some plots of Jitter for Dave. So here is jitter test using the USB input:




 This is with 48 kHz sample rate, using the J-test which is a test for data related jitter.

Any data related jitter would be multiples of 250 Hz either side of the 12 kHz signal - as you can see there is none whatsoever.

The -170 dB noise floor represents jitter of 100 fS (0.1pS) RMS, so we can safely say that data related jitter is less than 0.1 pS.

You can just make out mains related jitter at 0.2 pS - this probably comes from the AP ADC as its always there.

The fringing on the 12 kHz below -150 dB is down to the APX555 FFT's Hann window, it is not LF jitter from Dave.

Rob

Any idea how well EMI noise (direct or induced) is rejected? I am hoping that with figures like these, I could save a lot of money in the choice of USB cables and exotic streamers.

 

[Rob Watts]

Dave is insensitive to the digital source, assuming the data is bit perfect.
 
That said, although Dave is insensitive to RF noise and jitter,that doesn't mean the rest of your system isn't! But the problem has been reduced by at least an order of magnitude, so I don't worry about the source with Dave.
 
Rob

 

[paul79]

Hey Rob,
 
That is a huge claim there... Not looking to start a fire, it is just so far out of the norm. All of the DAC's I have tried are all sensitive to jitter, and or the digital source quality.
 
Are you saying that so long as the data is bit perfect, the digital source does not matter when using the DAVE?? Is that for all inputs?   VERY INTERESTING if that is indeed what you are claiming.
 
Thanks very much
Paul

 

[smial1966]

Beolab,
 
I've had the Headtrip over a year now and it's an outstanding headphone amplifier capable of driving anything superbly well. Whether it's worth the coin is personal choice, but I know that Jeff (Wells Audio) also makes the Enigma which is basically a Headtrip without the Bybee `enhancements' for $4000 - the power output matches the Headtrips.
 
I have only briefly hooked DAVE up to my Headtrip but it definitely adds a bit of muscularity to the sound, with bass notes sounding deeper and more visceral. Also, vocals seem more holographic and powerful, so it's definitely worth adding an amplifier if you're seeking the nth degree of 'Forte' from your listening.
 
If I had an HE-6 or Abyss headphones I'd probably leave DAVE hooked up to the Headtrip (or other suitably powerful headphone amplifier) as they'd definitely benefit from the increased grunt, but I'm really enjoying DAVE's inbuilt amp with my HD800. To have a transportable DAC/amp that I can easily move from room to room with just a laptop, leads and headphones, and that sounds this good is truly amazing.
 
Quote:
 

Hi

So you almost think your HeadTrip amp is overkill when the sound from DAVE alone is almost identical, or is the higher Forte and better bass / visceral dynamics worth the extra $7000 for the Headtrip?

Why im asking you is because i have order the DAVE and will be using them with my Abyss headphones and guessing the sound are going to be a bit thin , and need som e extra grunt in form of a HeadTrip?

Should i order it, or what is your oppinion?

 

[Beolab]

Yes i considdered the Enigma at first, but i have not any possybillity to try them out before buying, so i hope the HeadTrip are worth the extra $$ .

Then i contacted Jeff, and he told me that the HeadTrip/Enigma are not Balanced any more, do you know if yours is balanced or not?

I also read an article that claims a Amp needs to be speced to handle up to 1 Mhz in Bandwidth to not cut/filter the high resolution of your DAC/Source.

 

[Beolab]

Dave is insensitive to the digital source, assuming the data is bit perfect.

That said, although Dave is insensitive to RF noise and jitter,that doesn't mean the rest of your system isn't! But the problem has been reduced by at least an order of magnitude, so I don't worry about the source with Dave.

Rob

This is fantastic, so no need for a expensive CAD / Aurender / Auralic / expensive USB cables / Regen any more then !!

Thats a world class and in the same time price worthy DAC / Amp you have constructed Rob !

I hope i can have mine for years without look for something else, the only thing would probably be a upgrade the DAVE to MQA when / if it hits the market .

 

[ubs28]

   
Coax is the only connection the X5 II offers.
 
Don't worry, the HD 800 (S) sounds equally phenomenal with DAVE. 

After noticing the high distortion level I had no interest in the Dharma anymore (which was purely platonic anyway, since I'm served in terms of headphones).

Does Dave drive the HD800 (S) very good? Do you need an additional amplifier? Maybe next year I might consider Dave since I did alot of christmas shopping already. 

 

[Pokemonn]

Does anyone try Dave + Stax SR-009 combo? how does it sounds?

 

[Jawed]

I also read an article that claims a Amp needs to be speced to handle up to 1 Mhz in Bandwidth to not cut/filter the high resolution of your DAC/Source.

It would seem that allowing those high frequencies to leave the DAC/source is the real problem:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/766517/chord-electronics-dave/1050#post_12172918

They muck up the following components.

Rob has posted so much information it's probably best to go read his post history if you want to be informed.

 

[Beolab]

Would be intresting to know if Wells Audio HeadTrip are speced to handle 1 Mhz bandwidth, most probably not.

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

  Hey Rob,
 
That is a huge claim there... Not looking to start a fire, it is just so far out of the norm. All of the DAC's I have tried are all sensitive to jitter, and or the digital source quality.
 
Are you saying that so long as the data is bit perfect, the digital source does not matter when using the DAVE?? Is that for all inputs?   VERY INTERESTING if that is indeed what you are claiming.
 
Thanks very much
Paul

 
Since the Hugo sounds less transparent when fed by the FiiO X5 instead of the X5 II, I tested Dave with both. Result: The sound is absolutely identical to my ears.
 
 

 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Quote:

   
Coax is the only connection the X5 II offers.
 
Don't worry, the HD 800 (S) sounds equally phenomenal with DAVE. 

After noticing the high distortion level I had no interest in the Dharma anymore (which was purely platonic anyway, since I'm served in terms of headphones).

Does Dave drive the HD800 (S) very good? Do you need an additional amplifier? Maybe next year I might consider Dave since I did alot of christmas shopping already. 

 
I got mine earlier than expected, thanks to apparently good connections of the Swiss distributor. So I feel quite privileged, also under the financial aspect. It is certainly the most expensive device of my audio career.
 
Yes, Dave drives the HD 800 to its full potential, as I see/hear it. Because I think it is the best or one of the best available sources, combined with an extremely powerful headphone output with a unique feature: there's no additional headphone-amp stage, the analogue signal from the DAC goes straight into the headphone drivers. This enables extremely low harmonic distortion and extraordinary purity and accuracy (I'll let Rob Watts explain, with reference to the Hugo). Line out and headphone out use the same path, hence there's no way to bypass any amplification stage, you'd have to use the very same signal you'd want to «improve» by means of an external amp. Logically it can't be improved, only altered – in the first place by adding harmonic distortion (again Rob Watts' explanations), which some may like, though.
 

  Does anyone try Dave + Stax SR-009 combo? how does it sounds?

 
I don't own the SR-009 (sadly haven't auditioned it yet), but it sounds phenomenally clear and transparent with my Stax- (Lambda Pro and Signature Pro)-based electrostats.
 
 
The headphone with the most use these days is the HE1000. You don't know how good it can sound – especially with Dave – before you have heard it properly equalized!

That applies to my other headphones as well (HD 800 included). So those who try to alter the sonic balance or whatever by the addition of a headphone amp 

to «optimize» the sound should try to look into this option instead. With Dave I have to reduce the bass quite a bit compared to the settings for the Hugo, particularly the low bass.
 
The most striking trait of Dave's sonic characteristic is its purity and clarity. It comes without any enhancement of detail or analyticalness, the music just flows effortlessly. At first I was a bit worried that the omnipresent cleanness could be too much for some «dirtier» genres. So I tried it with Jimi Hendrix' psychedelic blues. Well, yes, indeed it sounds cleaner than I'm used to and takes some getting used to it. But I can still feel the raw energy behind it. It's just that the raw edges are shifted further away, to where guitar and drum set seem to emanate, instead of the foreground.
 
Where Dave shines the most is with classical music, particularly large orchestras. The threedimensionality is exceptional. You can hear exactly how far away a specific instrument is placed. Despite the detail and the richness there's so much air between the notes, enabling to detect finest nuances within reverberation. And then there's the sound of strings! I haven't heard string carpets reproduced so delicate and realistic before!
 
This is certainly my end-game source. I'm curious how the competitors will react to it.