[nagi8404]

Found an album that really shows what the DAVE is capable of. Each percussive hit sounds crisper than any of my other DACs.

 

[jlbrach]

So, if you could only keep one of your amps to drive a range of headphones (excluding the untypical RAAL), which would it be and why?
Formula S+Powerman or Bakoon?

I love both but if I had to choose I would keep the Bakoon in part because of its form factor and small footprint and remote control....the bakoon is more powerful and I would say better with the susvara...for the formula s/powerman it is probably a wash

 

[mammal]

I love both but if I had to choose I would keep the Bakoon in part because of its form factor and small footprint and remote control....the bakoon is more powerful and I would say better with the susvara...for the formula s/powerman it is probably a wash

Can you actually drive Susvara and AB-1266 from Bakoon's front single ended output, or do you need speaker tap adapter to fully realise its power? Thanks!

 

[stemiki]

What a great machine is DAVE! It's been a few weeks since I got it.

Delicate and precise, with a disarming transparency.

The breathtaking level of detail without a hint of harshness on the higher frequencies and nuances never heard before, appear as if out of nowhere, bringing a sense of realism and a unique involvement with the music.

It maintains the ability to grasp every single instrument in an orchestra during the crescendo passages, without dissolving into a single set of sounds.

With piano, chimes and reverb tails, that's where you hear the differences and quality of DAVE the most.

I had never heard it reproduced with this precision before. The right amount of harmonic distortions avoids unnatural sound.

The guitar pinches, the drums, the trumpet attacks are amazing.

Tone and vocal timbre natural. Voices are warm and engaging with incredible resolution.

The lower frequencies are well controlled and never excessive.

An additional feature that I have found important is the Crossfeed.

Create a realistic Headstage and a more focused image, removing the excessively lateralized and unnatural perception of listening with headphones.

Being very sensitive it requires attention in tuning. This phase is very important to obtain a satisfactory result.

It must be placed away from routers, cell phones and electronics that have toroidal transformers.

In my setup it is connected via optical connection, to avoid the introduction of EMI / RFI interference, to the Lumin U1 mini, which guarantees a perfectly stable connection even with 24/192 files.

Then to HPA4 via Silver OCC RCA to XLR signal cable, as DAVE comes out cleaner than RCA.

The Abyss connected directly to DAVE fails to reach maximum performance, being satisfactory only at rather low volumes.

With about one Watt delivered to the headphone load, low frequency control is not optimal. Connected to HPA4, on the other hand, it hits hard and with precision even at very high volumes.

The SC cable optimizing the mid-range, leads to continuity for the entire extension of the audio spectrum.

Listening exclusively in streaming from Qobuz I find most of the files well played.

Now the difference with high resolution files is more evident, in the sense of a greater amount of micro information. The difference between a well recorded 16/44 file and a high resolution one is considerable.

 

[jlbrach]

Can you actually drive Susvara and AB-1266 from Bakoon's front single ended output, or do you need speaker tap adapter to fully realise its power? Thanks!

the bakoon has hi and low gain options out of the single ended output...the high gain setting gives you the same power out as if you used the speaker tap...the bakoon drives the susvara as well as anything I have yet heard and the abyss is a piece of cake

 

[Slim1970]

Does the DAVE need any burn-in or does it sound good right out the box?

 

[Triode User]

Does the DAVE need any burn-in or does it sound good right out the box?

for me the Dave is 100% good straight out of the box. I suspect any claimed burn in is just the brain acclimatising.

 

[Slim1970]

for me the Dave is 100% good straight out of the box. I suspect any claimed burn in is just the brain acclimatising.

Thanks, I’m anxiously awaiting mine. I was curious if anyone could hear a difference in performance as the Dave gets some time on it.

 

[edwardsean]

Well, after decades of headphone exclusivity, I'm finally dipping my toe into the world of speakers.

My first stop of course was Omegas, and I got 3is (RS5 drivers) just to experiment. They sound–ridiculously–good for the price, but are missing low end. I'd like to take another step up both in overall SQ and a fuller range (not a leap to Voxativs, by the by).

I'd rather keep it simple and not add a subwoofer. I'm thinking of moving to the Compact Alnico Monitors.

This seems logical, but I've also read that the highs on the CAM are not as good as the 3is and that the 3is are more articulate. Is this accurate or more perception based on the fuller representation of the CAMs?

Also, if anyone could give me a price range for used CAMs I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

 

[VladYR]

Does the DAVE need any burn-in or does it sound good right out the box?

I was told about 200 hours. It sounded quite good right out of the box but I thought somewhat different compared to the demo unit that I used for a few hours. I burned it in fully in a little more than a week though. I connected to an iPad running a Qobuz app, put an album on a loop and just turned down the volume down to -75 dB when I was sleeping or out and about. It gets warm but not hot. It sure beats burning it in naturally over the course of several months.

 

[Slim1970]

I was told about 200 hours. It sounded quite good right out of the box but I thought somewhat different compared to the demo unit that I used for a few hours. I burned it in fully in a little more than a week though. I connected to an iPad running a Qobuz app, put an album on a loop and just turned down the volume down to -75 dB when I was sleeping or out and about. It gets warm but not hot. It sure beats burning it in naturally over the course of several months.

Nice, I’ll probably do something similar. I could let play while I’m at work. I just can’t wait to get it.

 

[VladYR]

Nice, I’ll probably do something similar. I could let play while I’m at work. I just can’t wait to get it.

I’m waiting for an M Scaler. Hopefully the 3 weeks wait time is accurate. The Dave was estimated at 8 to 10 weeks but came in at 4. I’d rather start the burning in process sooner rather than later. New England summers are rather hot. I did something similar for my Meze Empyrean using a Sony headphone amp. That thing got rather hot after 8 hours of playing. Burning in this way works great during fall, winter and spring months but definitely not summer, unless you live in Iceland where it can be 60 degree through the summer

 

[NYanakiev]

My setup is nearly complete:

-Chord DAVE (arriving in the next 2 weeks)+Mscaler
-WAVE STRATOS BNC cables
-Fed by a Sonore opticalRendu
-Focal Utopia&Obravo Ra 21 C-Cu

Aliexpress monitor stand (don't laugh!)
I looked into the Chord Ensemble stand but couldn't justify buying one.

Now where is that Dave

 

[Progisus]

My setup is nearly complete:

Chord DAVE (arriving in the next 2 weeks)
Mscaler
WAVE STRATOS BNC cables
Focal Utopia&Obravo Ra 21 C-Cu
Aliexpress monitor stand (don't laugh!)

I looked into the Chord Ensemble stand but couldn't justify buying one.

Now where is that Dave

Try some PGGB files (Remastero) and your Dave will move to the Nirvana level. Think >250m taps. Actually any 705/768 32b dac.

 

[muski]

Try some PGGB files (Remastero) and your Dave will move to the Nirvana level. Think >250m taps. Actually any 705/768 32b dac.

Really interesting. Can't wait to try this. Do any particular Remastero-ed albums stand out?