[MatW]

Its the same. I had a silver loaner DAVE prior to the black DAVE arriving. the camera on my phone just sucks lol

 

[audio_1]

0

 

[adrianm]

Yes, I mean the DAC and headphone amplifier that cost way more than $100k, because the original claim was “at any price point”.

I'm going to take SM60's position and ask to see some proof that what MSB is doing is the state of the art, and not just "Hi-Fi tuning" with a side of "Distortion seasoning" tailored to different tastes, which is 90% of what people who already have the best gear enjoy chasing because frankly...when there's no better, you start looking for "different".

 

[iDesign]

However, it doesn’t mean that it beats everything at any price point.

Again, in my opinion and experience, the DAVE+Blu Mk II has.

 

[ecwl]

With all due respect to Rob Watts, and I mean no disrespect to him or Chord, the idea that the M-scaler or the Dave has fundamentally changed digital audio science is patently absurd. When you measure even inexpensive DACs like the Topping 90, it has every type of distortion below -120dB. The science of DACs has been well known for over 50 years. Shannon’s information theory that established digital audio was done in the late 1940s.

I’m not trolling. I can’t bear to listen to the m-scaler or the Dave for a few days after hearing a live concert by the San Francisco symphony. There’s simply no comparison between live vs. reproduced sound.

I just don’t understand your comments to be honest. Sure, live is better than reproduced sound. Sure, headphones, speakers, room acoustics and many other things affect sonic qualities. But to imply DAVE is not significantly better than Topping 90???

Let’s go to Audio Science Review and looking at the measurements of Topping D90 vs Chord Qutest:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ew-and-measurements-of-chord-qutest-dac.5981/
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...nd-measurements-of-topping-d90-4499dac.10281/
Now the measurements advantages Topping D90 because it was measured at 4V whereas Qutest was at 2V.

1. On 1kHz test tone, Qutest has only 2nd order harmonic and nothing above whereas Topping D90 has lots more higher order harmonic.
2. In terms of low-level linearity, Qutest between -120dB to -110dB has less than 0.3dB deviation whereas Topping D90 is at >1dB deviation by -1dB
3. In the jitter test, Chord Qutest has no side bands and a much narrower peak than Topping D90
4. In the 32-tone distortion test, Qutest has a lower noise floor of -130dB to -140dB instead of Topping D90’s -120dB to -130dB. Moreover, Toppping has a lot of extra peaks as you can see between 20-200Hz that we can easily see at low levels

Sure, reviewers all have their preferences and I do believe anyone should get whatever audio gear they like because they’re spending their own money. And yes, of course a $100 pair of headphones is going to measure significantly worse than a $2000 pair whereas the measurement differences between a well-designed $100 DAC and that of Chord Qutest are much smaller. But I think within the DAC category, Rob Watts’ digital products are pushing boundaries as you can see from the measurements.

Of course, it is true that there is no scientific/engineering research paper that shows Chord DAC design philosophies are superior to others. But this is true for many product categories, like scientific papers that demonstrate the engines used in a Porsche is much better than that in a Honda Civic or that a double-blinded driver would have a better experience driving a Porsche vs Honda Civic because of the better engine and suspension characteristics. But I don’t think the absence of scientific publication implies that all the new products we are getting in the 21st century are not necessarily better.

 

[DJJEZ]

My dealer just told me Chord is Increasing the price of the DAVE next week by £500

 

[burbster]

Just pulled the trigger on a DC4, went for the standard version. The ARC6 version is going to be around £1600 extra, but Sean has indicated that you can upgrade a standard DC4 for the exact same price, which I think is great and may well be an option I pursue in the future. With this rather specific purchase I guess I will be sticking with a DAVE for a while!

 

[DJJEZ]

 

[thePhones]

It's a tradeoff. The silver model is brighter with more high-end. (Grin).

That is why I have the silver MScaler with a black Dave. So I got the sparkly highs and also the deep rumbling bass, everything sitting on white wood for vocal clarity.

 

[LucyWu]

Just pulled the trigger on a DC4, went for the standard version. The ARC6 version is going to be around £1600 extra, but Sean has indicated that you can upgrade a standard DC4 for the exact same price...

Gosh, such generosity

 

[gancanjam]

Have listened to Dave and it is a great DAC paired with Simaudio Moon Neo 430 amplifier & Utopia HP . Liked the Natural sound, layering, resolution, neutral tone and mainly the dynamics of brining out different instruments to slap your face. But it is bit pricey can anyone provide alternate DAC recommendations to Dave with a better price point for EDM / Pop music ?

 

[iDesign]

Have listened to Dave and it is a great DAC paired with Simaudio Moon Neo 430 amplifier & Utopia HP . Liked the Natural sound, layering, resolution, neutral tone and mainly the dynamics of brining out different instruments to slap your face. But it is bit pricey can anyone provide alternate DAC recommendations to Dave with a better price point for EDM / Pop music ?

Hugo TT 2 and perhaps consider adding the Hugo M Scsler later if it is within your budget.

 

[edwardsean]

Have listened to Dave and it is a great DAC paired with Simaudio Moon Neo 430 amplifier & Utopia HP . Liked the Natural sound, layering, resolution, neutral tone and mainly the dynamics of brining out different instruments to slap your face. But it is bit pricey can anyone provide alternate DAC recommendations to Dave with a better price point for EDM / Pop music ?

The best cheaper alternative to a Dave may be a used Dave. They pop up regularly on the used market. You can check here and on USHifiMart, Audiogon. As long as you ascertain the seller has a good record it’s relatively low risk. Especially, if they have a good track record here.

It may be out of warranty, but as we know, they are supremely well built.

 

[tomwoo]

Hugo TT 2 and perhaps consider adding the Hugo M Scsler if it is within your budget.

That's already the same price as Dave alone.

 

[gancanjam]

Can Yggy A2 match Dave ? any comparisons folks ?