Haha :) Be prepared for a best seller cookbook "Traveling around the HiFi world or how to hear the taste" by a Central European audiophile.

Thanks Ray. It's a pitty my dealer hasn't got an F1(J) or F2(J) I wish you could also audit one of the SIT series along the Fs.

Thanks for the invitation anyway never say never :wink: Did you have a chance to compare your XA30.8 to the XA25 or any of the First Watt amps?

Yesterday I visited the local Passlab/FW dealer (who happens to be the local Chord dealer, too) and managed to listen to some 95 dB speakers with FW F7, SIT-2, PL XA25 and with BluDave direct. In our 4 hours session BluDave direct delivered the most detailed presentation and separation of the...

Yes you are right. This is why I wrote that I "expect" that. I managed to organize a meeting by the local Pass Labs dealer and tomorrow I'm gonna audit my BluDAVE with the FW F7, SIT-2, XA25 and maybe even the 30.8. I'm excited :-)

No worries, thanks anyway. I'read some reviews about F7 vs X25 where the X25 won by a hair (no surprise at all) so I expect the 30.8 to be superior. Without hearing them I tend towards the SIT-2 as a better choice with BluDAVE.

Yesterday I built a 1m AudioQuest Dragon HC between the P10 and the wall socket and two AudioQuest Dragon Sources between the P10 the Blu2 and the Dave (see above the parts of my 1st system chain). I certainly expected some improvement in the SQ for the money these cables cost but I was simply...

Tomorrow I'm going to audit a First Watt SIT-2 and an F7 with the BluDAVE. Any thoughts how they compare to the Pass Labs 30.8? I mean the SQ not the technical specifications that I am aware of. Thanks.

It is definitely not a big-money competitor but I've got a Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ on which I spent big-money to improve. I bought the Mutec MC3+ reclockers, the Mytec balanced headphone extension cable etc. and I managed to bring the SQ close to DAVE's. Then Blu2 arrived and the gap became huge...

I fully agree with you. Streaming is on thing CD is an other. Exact comparisons will be 1. (CD Transport + M Scaler + DAVE) vs BluDAVE 2. (streamer + M Scaler + DAVE) vs (streamer + BluDAVE) In both cases with or without ferrites.

I've got the same chain and it works flawlessly. Make sure you provide power for the USB input of the DAC (set the red switch on the back of the tX-USBultra)

Actually I've tried this and yes the same music file does sound better on CD through the Blu2.

We all want the best possible SQ, don't we? Now I think it's quite funny that some (most) people with the Blu2 invest a LOT of $$$ into cables, high quality streaming services and network players etc. to improve the SQ instead of buying some CD-R for a fraction of this money or just getting the...

Just to make it more difficult for you: I LOVE my Blu2 as the CD playback combined with the mscaler function still produces the best SQ I have ever experienced.

I am in contact with Louis to order a custom Omega SAM 6 XRS. Do you thing the Omegas are first of all near-field or could deliver their excellent SQ also with a poweramp? I think a future 20W DX poweramp/DAC could even increase their performance (and make them sound louder, too) with DAVE.

Well I know it's all about speculation but at least the quote from RW seems to clearly position the Chord DACs according to different amp user segments: users of traditional power amps should take the Qutest in order to get a taste of the Chord magic users of the Hugo2 should (but need not) use...

I agree. As I mentioned in my original post it's all about how to reproduce the same magical SQ some of us experience near-field - in a poweramp environment with the future DX digital DAC/amp. With special focus on the role DAVE might play in this (future) environment.

I think you are right and it is a valid scenario that Blu2 sends "only" a regular 705/768 kHz signal without the necessary volume control info. Anyway, in this scenario DAVE would be the most expensive volume control button in the hifi history :ksc75smile: Based on all these assuptions I think...

Thanks @musickid. What is so special about the DX signal to keep DAVE just as a digital preamp? According to this statement it is actually an extended regular 705/768 kHz signal: If the volume control is no must have (e.g. it can be done with software) a direct connection between the blu2 and...

Trying to understand the relationship between the Mscaler, DAVE and the (future) DX digital amplifer. I have browsed through some forums and managed to find the following post from Rob Watts in the Qutest Official Thread (page 9): As I understand now: one should buy a Hugo2 or DAVE for a...

I tried to switch the USB power on/off on the back of the txUSBultra. Didn't make a difference. Do you make the Blu2 upscale?

I've experienced a strange issue with the SoTM tXUSBultra when using with BluDave: the sound interrupts randomy for a moment, the screen of Dave activates (is normally blank during playback as configured as Display 4) and then the playback goes on. I've tried to change the cables, removing...

Dear all, I've been looking for a near-field loudspeaker system (placed in a 44 m2 room) specifically for my BluDave - that's why I am posting here. If it isn't the right forum please feel free to tell me. Anyway, I managed to put the top five speaker candidates on the shortlist accoring to my...

Anybody with a BluDAVE with Odeon speakers setup? How is it compared to the Omega SAM? Thanks.

Just out of curiosity, does the BNC input in your setup provide better SQ than the USB one? I haven't found a way to beat the SQ on the USB input of the Blu Mk2 yet. Thanks.