[Triode User]

I thought Dave sounded great. Now, post BluDave, I don’t and wouldn’t go back. The simple answer is do not listen to BluDave unless you really are willing and able to purchase it. I never listen to anything I am not able or willing to purchase, not even out of curiosity.

Dave is as good as it ever was, but you will always long for the BluDave once you hear it.

Listen to what Malc says.

Or, put another way, disregard his advice at your peril.

 

[Malcyg]

Unfortunately, I’m the exception. I prefer Dave alone to BluDave, which I appreciate is heresy.

The addition of Blu II increases detail, depth and soundstage. Unfortunately, in my case it also introduces an unacceptable glare - on both CDs and files via USB - which I’ve not been able to eredacte completely, even though I’ve tried everything I can think of. The most affective solution is to use ferrite clamps, since I suspect the BNC connections are the cause. Even with ten per cable, there is still a trace of glare which manifests itself on piano music where the upper registers take on an artificial, glassy quality. The problem might be with my Dave, which is more susceptible to these things than others, but since I’ve owned it for about 18 months, there’s little I can do about that. I will probably sell my Blu II as I prefer the warmer, more accurate rendition of timbre on the Dave alone, provided the Blu II is not connected.

Incidentally, has it not struck anyone else as odd that it’s recommended that users of the BluDave combo use ferrite clamps to eliminate RFI, which is generated by the signal itself. It strikes me that

That must be incredibly frustrating for you given that it is so opposite to other people's general reaction. Have you taken your units back to the dealer for appraisal? I certainly wouldn’t be prepared to settle for selling the Blu II, and at a likely financial loss, without getting both units thoroughly checked out first.

 

[Crgreen]

I doubt my dealer has a unit with which to com

That must be incredibly frustrating for you given that it is so opposite to other people's general reaction. Have you taken your units back to the dealer for appraisal? I certainly wouldn’t be prepared to settle for selling the Blu II, and at a likely financial loss, without getting both units thoroughly checked out first.

I doubt my dealer has a unit with which to compare it, and I’m sure Chord will say everything’s fine. They struggle to produce new units and I doubt they have the time to check existing ones.

 

[TheAttorney]

I doubt my dealer has a unit with which to compare it, and I’m sure Chord will say everything’s fine. They struggle to produce new units and I doubt they have the time to check existing ones.

Your "contract" is with the dealer - it doesn't matter if Chord are busy or not (and companies' support teams are usually separate to manufacturing anyway).
Have you actually informed your dealer about this? In my experience, with UK high end dealers at least, they will go to considerable lengths to sort out problems like this. One of the reasons why they usually have healthy margins.

Even if they don't have other units currently in stock, if you can demonstrate to them the problem (e.g. by taking over BluDAVE to them and comparing DAVE with/without Blu2), I'm sure they would help. And if the problem can't be reproduced at the dealers, well that will point to other lines of investigation.

 

[Sonic77]

I doubt my dealer has a unit with which to com


I doubt my dealer has a unit with which to compare it, and I’m sure Chord will say everything’s fine. They struggle to produce new units and I doubt they have the time to check existing ones.

If you do send it in, it probably be months before you get another one back, I and many others have been waiting months to get ours. Manufacturing is Chords Achilles heel, very slow. You would think they would adjust to demand, but I guess they like being slow.

 

[Crgreen]

Your "contract" is with the dealer - it doesn't matter if Chord are busy or not (and companies' support teams are usually separate to manufacturing anyway).
Have you actually informed your dealer about this? In my experience, with UK high end dealers at least, they will go to considerable lengths to sort out problems like this. One of the reasons why they usually have healthy margins.

Even if they don't have other units currently in stock, if you can demonstrate to them the problem (e.g. by taking over BluDAVE to them and comparing DAVE with/without Blu2), I'm sure they would help. And if the problem can't be reproduced at the dealers, well that will point to other lines of investigation.

My dealer’s just the middle man. I can’t see what he could do to sort things out, other than to send it back to Chord for “evaluation”. I should perhaps drop it off with him to send to Chord, so that when it’s returned I can sell it with a clean bill of health.

 

[Triode User]

I doubt my dealer has a unit with which to compare it, and I’m sure Chord will say everything’s fine. They struggle to produce new units and I doubt they have the time to check existing ones.

But your experience of Blu2 is so much at odds with all of the rest of us that something is not right. I have had Blu2 for some months now and the outright upgrade in sound due to the Blu2 is breathtaking. Why not pursue this to the point where you are getting the same magical sound out of your Blu2 that the rest of us are getting?

There really is something not right here and I am not sure it is the Blu2.

 

[Crgreen]

But your experience of Blu2 is so much at odds with all of the rest of us that something is not right. I have had Blu2 for some months now and the outright upgrade in sound due to the Blu2 is breathtaking. Why not pursue this to the point where you are getting the same magical sound out of your Blu2 that the rest of us are getting?

There really is something not right here and I am not sure it is the Blu2.

Obviously, I’m aware of your views on the Blu 2, and that of others. That should be apparent from my earlier post. Something is wrong, and I acknowledge that it might be my hearing, or that I’m unusually sensitive to glare.

I accept that you couldn’t even conceive of any issue with the Blu 2, but consider this: a number of users reported drop out issues, resulting from the Dave’s sensitivity to the incoming BNC signal.. I understand that these can be solved by ferrite clamps on the BNC cables.What does that tell you about what the Blu II is pumping into the Dave?

I’m not quite sure what you’re asking me to pursue, and how I should do it - how is this epiphany to be achieved?

For the avoidance of doubt, I didn’t post the message because I thought someone would have a solution, or to be told that others have no such problem - I already know that - but to just to provide some balance in views.

 

[esimms86]

My dealer’s just the middle man. I can’t see what he could do to sort things out, other than to send it back to Chord for “evaluation”. I should perhaps drop it off with him to send to Chord, so that when it’s returned I can sell it with a clean bill of health.

For the reasons you stated I would definitely have it checked out if I were you. Obviously, you’d want to negotiate resale in good faith, especially given the price of Blu2. Otherwise, you are holding on to what for you is a very expensive paper weight.

I also agree with The Attorney re: his recommendation to have it checked out by your dealer. I don’t know anything about your relationship with your dealer including what geographic distance there is between you. If possible, however, the best scenario would be for your dealer to visit you in your home and give it a listen in your system. I’m 100% certain that you would not be the first customer to welcome a dealer into his home. Further, if the issue turned out to be specific to your own personal listening/hearing sensitivities then you would be able to sell Blu2 with a clear conscience.

 

[romaz]

Unfortunately, I’m the exception. I prefer Dave alone to BluDave, which I appreciate is heresy.

The addition of Blu II increases detail, depth and soundstage. Unfortunately, in my case it also introduces an unacceptable glare - on both CDs and files via USB - which I’ve not been able to eredacte completely, even though I’ve tried everything I can think of. The most affective solution is to use ferrite clamps, since I suspect the BNC connections are the cause. Even with ten per cable, there is still a trace of glare which manifests itself on piano music where the upper registers take on an artificial, glassy quality. The problem might be with my Dave, which is more susceptible to these things than others, but since I’ve owned it for about 18 months, there’s little I can do about that. I will probably sell my Blu II as I prefer the warmer, more accurate rendition of timbre on the Dave alone, provided the Blu II is not connected.

Incidentally, has it not struck anyone else as odd that it’s recommended that users of the BluDave combo use ferrite clamps to eliminate RFI, which is generated by the signal itself. It strikes me that this may not be the optimum means of transferring the signal between the two units.

We all have different sensitivities and I suspect that is the issue here and not that your Blu2 is defective (just my guess). I, too, am sensitive to glare and with my initial post upon receiving my Blu2, I commented on the harshness I heard with the stock BNC cables. The fact that you have been able to ameliorate this harshness to some degree with ferrites would support that your cables are the problem. I don't consider these stock cables unlistenable but I don't consider them acceptable either and it is perhaps one reason why cables are a big deal for me. Before you decide to give up the many good things that you like about the Blu2, consider upgrading your BNC cables. Even with ferrites, the stock BNC cables that came with my Blu2 do not come close in performance to my better cables. As you look for better cables (either signal or power), I suggest you avoid silver-plated copper as they have an energetic presentation that some like although I perceive it as a brightness that is fatiguing. Perhaps, your dealer can loan you a few to try.

 

[ray-dude]

I doubt my dealer has a unit with which to com


I doubt my dealer has a unit with which to compare it, and I’m sure Chord will say everything’s fine. They struggle to produce new units and I doubt they have the time to check existing ones.

I'm happy to volunteer to test it with my DAVE

Alas, ordered and paid for my Blu in May, and still waiting with no delivery date...with Omega's in the house for audition, maddening to not see what the Blu can do with them!

 

[Crgreen]

We all have different sensitivities and I suspect that is the issue here and not that your Blu2 is defective (just my guess). I, too, am sensitive to glare and with my initial post upon receiving my Blu2, I commented on the harshness I heard with the stock BNC cables. The fact that you have been able to ameliorate this harshness to some degree with ferrites would support that your cables are the problem. I don't consider these stock cables unlistenable but I don't consider them acceptable either and it is perhaps one reason why cables are a big deal for me. Before you decide to give up the many good things that you like about the Blu2, consider upgrading your BNC cables. Even with ferrites, the stock BNC cables that came with my Blu2 do not come close in performance to my better cables. As you look for better cables (either signal or power), I suggest you avoid silver-plated copper as they have an energetic presentation that some like although I perceive it as a brightness that is fatiguing. Perhaps, your dealer can loan you a few to try.

Thanks Romz. I have tried other, more expensive, cables, and some perform better than others, though none eradicate the problem entirely. I looked into the BNC cables which you use as you’re the only other person I know who has mentioned the glare issue, but I’m afraid they are out of my price range, particularly after having paid for a Blu II! In addition, something doesn’t seem quite right with paying so much on top of such an already expensive unit, just to get it to work properly.

 

[TheAttorney]

My dealer’s just the middle man. I can’t see what he could do to sort things out, other than to send it back to Chord for “evaluation”. I should perhaps drop it off with him to send to Chord, so that when it’s returned I can sell it with a clean bill of health.

If you raise a problem to a group of men, then you're gonna get solutions whether you want them or not .

I'm surprised that you have such low expecations of your dealer, but maybe they do things differently in whatever country you're in.

 

[Sonic77]

Thanks Romz. I have tried other, more expensive, cables, and some perform better than others, though none eradicate the problem entirely. I looked into the BNC cables which you use as you’re the only other person I know who has mentioned the glare issue, but I’m afraid they are out of my price range, particularly after having paid for a Blu II! In addition, something doesn’t seem quite right with paying so much on top of such an already expensive unit, just to get it to work properly.

In the year 2525 when my Blu is scheduled to ship, I plan on using cheap bnc cables with ferrites and will report back, if man is still alive, that is.

 

[romaz]

Thanks Romz. I have tried other, more expensive, cables, and some perform better than others, though none eradicate the problem entirely. I looked into the BNC cables which you use as you’re the only other person I know who has mentioned the glare issue, but I’m afraid they are out of my price range, particularly after having paid for a Blu II! In addition, something doesn’t seem quite right with paying so much on top of such an already expensive unit, just to get it to work properly.

I'm waiting on more reasonably priced sets of BNC cables to arrive for testing (as little as $100 USD each). I'm of the opinion that it's not just about RF noise but also HF smearing which can present as harshness and so this is where the quality of the dielectric comes in. I am particularly interested in the following BNC cables as they utilize a proprietary "Airlok" dielectric with a dielectric coefficient of only 1.4 (as low as cotton).

https://www.vhaudio.com/pulsar-ag.html

They're more expensive at $250 for 0.5m but they also come with a 60-day money back guarantee. I'll let you know how they turn out. I should receive them shortly.