Totaldac Server is a Linux Server, Linux Real time in fact, and it works fine on the DAVE....

Agree, but man, is that stand ever so nice!!!

I believe you got it arnaud!!

I think it can surely be done, but the preamp will have to accept the lower input voltage (approx. .5-.7V GUESSING), and make up for it with enough output gain overall. You are asking the preamp to deal with this compromise of which is not standard by any means with regards to line level, and I...

I will say this, the jump from the Monobloc to the Twelve was much greater than the jump from D1 Dual to Monobloc... The Twelve is just special, very special sounding. Not only more DAC's per channel, but also omitting the output stage, make this one very transparent sounding DAC.

JaZZ, I completely agree with you. No doubt the preamp can do nothing but get in the way of perfect transparency. The presentation sounds fine with the DAVE direct to amps, it really does, and most would love it this way, even in my system. I just really like what my preamp does to my system...

Nice post, and thanks for sharing your opinions.

Wow dude.

"I believe you both when you say DAVE is less transparent feeding directly into your power amp than via the pre-amp." All good, but here you mention that I think the DAC's are more transparent through the preamp. Not so. It is just a different presentation. Both DAC's can be viewed as more...

Totally romaz! No worries at all. Passion for my system and my experience is why I posted my findings, and defended my findings. Nobody has heard my system here, and nobody else has heard the Twelve and the DAVE head to head. In my review, I really tried to highlight the strengths of both, and...

Just helping you bury my post.

Yep, differing opinions but nobody with a Twelve. I have both a DAVE and a Twelve, am I not qualified to post differences? It is not about getting someone to agree with me. What I have a problem with has nothing to do with that.

That's true. But who? That is the question.... I post a difference, and everyone tells me my system is broken because the DAVE didn't win me over. So ya, I suppose that would cause a defense, but my butt feels fine.

Which is exactly the point I am trying to make  :)   However, since there is no way any DAC could be better than the DAVE, it must be my euphonic system that makes it sound worse, and the Totaldac sound better.

To heck with it... I can't avoid this thread it seems   :)   I have a second opinion from a friend that knows my system very well also, so I have to share this for the people that don't mind the competition.   I thought this was a High End Audio Head Fi Thread? I didn't realize it was a Chord...