[iDesign]

First time I have spotted this page on Chords website.
Presumably pro audio (including Davina) will be the next focus, rather than domestic Dacs.

The page was added to the site navigation header in March 2022. The video content is old and some of it dates back to 2016.

 

[SteveHulk]

Hmm, interestng yes, but it seems like one of the PRO tools is Hugo 2? And judging from the "pics", it is apparently used in huge mixing desk situations so common in the synthetic electronic POP and Rock genres.
I mostly do not not see such monstrous mixing desks like the one pictured on their new page at the Classical Music recording sessions or Classical mastering studios I have been to.
In the popular genres the more knobs to fiddle with the happier they seem be these days. Unfortunately it has also already long ago spilled over to other genres.

Today for the first time in months I actually played some LPs and in spite of its limitations mainly dynamic range related ones and the fact that distortion rises with amplitude, and really deep bass in the middle it was actually quite nice to hear some of my Sheffield Labs DIRECT TO DISC LPs without any limiting or post -processing involved whatsoever.
Just "honest" three mics in good positions in a real venue , to capture how the conductor balanced the orchestra without any edits, thus warts and all.

But quite realistic and in some ways especially balance-wise ,and both regarding soundstage depth and size and instrument positions on stage closer to how an orchestra generally sounds from a good seat in the hall, than many multimic´d modern digital recordings released today.
Rob´s own Blumlein test was a VERY welcome exception to recordings made to sound impressive on any boombox system through cheating.



But yes I do hope Rob will his Davina ready soon for situations where it will actually matter. IMO when recording unamplified acoustic music performed in a real acoustic venue.
And not the typical POP Studios where it is not unusual to see the "Band" playing each in their own little "acoustic bubble" while wearing headphones. and into at least one mic per instrument. Such recording situations have little resemblance to how acoustic music sounds live.
Robs´s first Blumlein recording was VERY promising indeed,from a tech point of view, as far as he is concerned. But I am far for convinced Chord Electronics are always on "the same page "as he is.
Cheers Controversial Christer

I don't even know where to start on this. It is completely a bane for me.

If a recording of an acoustic performance is made then the backbone of the recording should be from a simple stereo microphone array.

If the instruments are miked individually and engineers feel that adjustments to what was recorded by the stereo array must be made then they should pay proper RESPECT to the PHASE differences between the array and the individual mics.

In this digital age with hyper-accurate clocks etc this is not rocket science.

I know in studios that the pressure is on and time is very tight. What happens is that they stick microphones everywhere and tape everything just to get the session over and cut costs. Afterwards people on the mixing desk try to sort the mess out.

This will get them a cheap recording but it won't get them a great recording.

It is as if the audio reproduction companies and the studios need to get together to do research to establish best practice so raising the standard of the audio chain all the way from acoustic venue to living room.

 

[Malcyg]

I had to retrieve some information about my Dave when selling it recently and I was genuinely surprised to learn that Dave is already 7 years old. That is a long time in terms of digital development but it also surprised me because Dave is still pretty much up there after all that while. I thought my comments were complimentary, they were meant to be, but I guess I shouldn’t have had the audacity to suggest that certain others have more than caught up. For the relative scale of their business, Chord’s achievements generally are quite remarkable imo.

I like the idea of downloadable updates, but I don’t think that Rob’s designs lend themselves to that and also, he strikes me as much more a giant, groundbreaking leaps kind of designer than a tinker round the edges type. But it seems he is working on a new Ultimate/Statement DAC by all accounts and I for one will be very interested in hearing that, though my wallet is less enamoured with the idea.

I have run a Chord DAC in my main system for nearly 12 years now and, whilst I no longer own Dave, I still have 3 Chord DAC’s and a Blu II in the house. You can infer from that that I like them, but Dave can definitely be improved upon and I’m sure it has to be at some point as time and technological advances are marching on. Here’s what I’d like to see:

a) Improved power supply - surely no need for further comment given several on here have spent over £5k on an outboard supply. I considered that myself briefly, but I’m not keen on a 3 box DAC solution that will ultimately become superceded
b) A better interconnect between DAC and scaler - again, no comment necessary as there are hundreds of comments posted already. I know that all the chatter around cables and ferrites has its detractors and, combined with the talk around power supplies, has actually deterred some potential purchasers
c) Improved USB input - the Amanero USB chipset is a bit long in the tooth now and others have moved on to better, faster boards

From a personal point of view, I would also like to see an analogue volume control as time and experience with various gear has taught me that I far prefer a quality analogue control to digital. It won’t happen though because I know that Rob disagrees. I would also like an Ethernet input - not just for fw updates, but also because I occasionally favour the sound of an Ethernet presentation over USB at certain times and I like the flexibility of having both. (Roon are unequivocal about the separation of Core and Player, although I believe it depends on the system). I would also like to see an integrated scaler for a one box solution - not 3 - but, again, this is very unlikely to happen due to noise considerations.

Anyway, have fun and enjoy your music. I’ll be back when there is concrete news about Rob’s next big thing.

 

[Malcyg]

Today for the first time in months I actually played some LPs and in spite of its limitations mainly dynamic range related ones and the fact that distortion rises with amplitude, and really deep bass in the middle it was actually quite nice to hear

In my recent explorations and dalliances, I have been lucky enough to listen to some Reel to Reel Master tapes which was a most enjoyable experience.

 

[adrianm]

I had to retrieve some information about my Dave when selling it recently and I was genuinely surprised to learn that Dave is already 7 years old. That is a long time in terms of digital development but it also surprised me because Dave is still pretty much up there after all that while. I thought my comments were complimentary, they were meant to be, but I guess I shouldn’t have had the audacity to suggest that certain others have more than caught up. For the relative scale of their business, Chord’s achievements generally are quite remarkable imo.

I like the idea of downloadable updates, but I don’t think that Rob’s designs lend themselves to that and also, he strikes me as much more a giant, groundbreaking leaps kind of designer than a tinker round the edges type. But it seems he is working on a new Ultimate/Statement DAC by all accounts and I for one will be very interested in hearing that, though my wallet is less enamoured with the idea.

I have run a Chord DAC in my main system for nearly 12 years now and, whilst I no longer own Dave, I still have 3 Chord DAC’s and a Blu II in the house. You can infer from that that I like them, but Dave can definitely be improved upon and I’m sure it has to be at some point as time and technological advances are marching on. Here’s what I’d like to see:

a) Improved power supply - surely no need for further comment given several on here have spent over £5k on an outboard supply. I considered that myself briefly, but I’m not keen on a 3 box DAC solution that will ultimately become superceded
b) A better interconnect between DAC and scaler - again, no comment necessary as there are hundreds of comments posted already. I know that all the chatter around cables and ferrites has its detractors and, combined with the talk around power supplies, has actually deterred some potential purchasers
c) Improved USB input - the Amanero USB chipset is a bit long in the tooth now and others have moved on to better, faster boards

From a personal point of view, I would also like to see an analogue volume control as time and experience with various gear has taught me that I far prefer a quality analogue control to digital. It won’t happen though because I know that Rob disagrees. I would also like an Ethernet input - not just for fw updates, but also because I occasionally favour the sound of an Ethernet presentation over USB at certain times and I like the flexibility of having both. (Roon are unequivocal about the separation of Core and Player, although I believe it depends on the system). I would also like to see an integrated scaler for a one box solution - not 3 - but, again, this is very unlikely to happen due to noise considerations.

Anyway, have fun and enjoy your music. I’ll be back when there is concrete news about Rob’s next big thing.

God damn it just give us the Dave vs Weiss review, you know you want to Honest impressions are always welcome You mentioned the tonality is at least as good, if not better.
Is the soundstage and imaging as "3d" as Dave +Blu/Hqplayer?

 

[chesebert]

God damn it just give us the Dave vs Weiss review, you know you want to Honest impressions are always welcome You mentioned the tonality is at least as good, if not better.
Is the soundstage and imaging as "3d" as Dave +Blu/Hqplayer?

The pecking order never really changed in high-end digital brands:
Tier 1: dCS, Emm Labs, Linn, MSB, Playback, Nagra
Tier 2: Weiss, Meitner Audio, Berkeley, Bricasti, Naim, T+A, Ayre
Tier 3: Chord, PS Audio, Luxman, McIntosh, Audio Research

 

[sm60]

I had to retrieve some information about my Dave when selling it recently and I was genuinely surprised to learn that Dave is already 7 years old. That is a long time in terms of digital development but it also surprised me because Dave is still pretty much up there after all that while. I thought my comments were complimentary, they were meant to be, but I guess I shouldn’t have had the audacity to suggest that certain others have more than caught up. For the relative scale of their business, Chord’s achievements generally are quite remarkable imo.

I like the idea of downloadable updates, but I don’t think that Rob’s designs lend themselves to that and also, he strikes me as much more a giant, groundbreaking leaps kind of designer than a tinker round the edges type. But it seems he is working on a new Ultimate/Statement DAC by all accounts and I for one will be very interested in hearing that, though my wallet is less enamoured with the idea.

I have run a Chord DAC in my main system for nearly 12 years now and, whilst I no longer own Dave, I still have 3 Chord DAC’s and a Blu II in the house. You can infer from that that I like them, but Dave can definitely be improved upon and I’m sure it has to be at some point as time and technological advances are marching on. Here’s what I’d like to see:

a) Improved power supply - surely no need for further comment given several on here have spent over £5k on an outboard supply. I considered that myself briefly, but I’m not keen on a 3 box DAC solution that will ultimately become superceded
b) A better interconnect between DAC and scaler - again, no comment necessary as there are hundreds of comments posted already. I know that all the chatter around cables and ferrites has its detractors and, combined with the talk around power supplies, has actually deterred some potential purchasers
c) Improved USB input - the Amanero USB chipset is a bit long in the tooth now and others have moved on to better, faster boards

From a personal point of view, I would also like to see an analogue volume control as time and experience with various gear has taught me that I far prefer a quality analogue control to digital. It won’t happen though because I know that Rob disagrees. I would also like an Ethernet input - not just for fw updates, but also because I occasionally favour the sound of an Ethernet presentation over USB at certain times and I like the flexibility of having both. (Roon are unequivocal about the separation of Core and Player, although I believe it depends on the system). I would also like to see an integrated scaler for a one box solution - not 3 - but, again, this is very unlikely to happen due to noise considerations.

Anyway, have fun and enjoy your music. I’ll be back when there is concrete news about Rob’s next big thing.

One common fallacy among audiophiles is that progress is monotonic, meaning a product designed 5,10, or even 50 years ago is less good than the current darling of some reviewer. A well designed product can hold up its own for many decades. Take the Klipschorn loudspeaker designed by Paul Klipsch in the 1940s and the longest continuously produced loudspeaker in the world. In many respects, the Klipschorn has continued to hold up rather well, in some respects it remains an unparalleled masterpiece of speaker design. A 5 watt amplifier will produce a higher volume of low distortion sound from a KHorn than almost any current loudspeaker. Its efficiency is 105dB! It is brilliantly designed to maximize room coupling by being placed in a corner. Even though it’s large, it is unobtrusive and matches many living room decors. The vast majority of modern loudspeakers, my Quads included, look just ugly compared to a KHorn, and require far more room space and amplifier power than a KHorn. Can the KHorn be improved? Yes, by using DSP to time align the drivers, you might end up with a loudspeaker that’s hard to beat for accuracy. Such tuning was not possible in the 1950s.

In short, age has zilch to do with how good a hifi product is. The Western Electric 300B tube was produced 90 years ago and could easily last 40,000-50,000 hours of active service. Tubes made today are absolutely horrible in comparison. No wonder mint examples of WE 300Bs sell for many thousands of dollars on eBay.

Of course, the ultimate test of time in a musical product is the Stradivarius violin. Made roughly 300 years ago in Italy, it can fetch several million dollars today. We can build stealth bombers, nuclear powered aircraft carriers, and spacecraft. No one has yet improved on the sound of a Stradivarius!

 

[iDesign]

One common fallacy among audiophiles is that progress is monotonic, meaning a product designed 5,10, or even 50 years ago is less good than the current darling of some reviewer. A well designed product can hold up its own for many decades. Take the Klipschorn loudspeaker designed by Paul Klipsch in the 1940s and the longest continuously produced loudspeaker in the world. In many respects, the Klipschorn has continued to hold up rather well, in some respects it remains an unparalleled masterpiece of speaker design. A 5 watt amplifier will produce a higher volume of low distortion sound from a KHorn than almost any current loudspeaker. Its efficiency is 105dB! It is brilliantly designed to maximize room coupling by being placed in a corner. Even though it’s large, it is unobtrusive and matches many living room decors. The vast majority of modern loudspeakers, my Quads included, look just ugly compared to a KHorn, and require far more room space and amplifier power than a KHorn. Can the KHorn be improved? Yes, by using DSP to time align the drivers, you might end up with a loudspeaker that’s hard to beat for accuracy. Such tuning was not possible in the 1950s.

In short, age has zilch to do with how good a hifi product is. The Western Electric 300B tube was produced 90 years ago and could easily last 40,000-50,000 hours of active service. Tubes made today are absolutely horrible in comparison. No wonder mint examples of WE 300Bs sell for many thousands of dollars on eBay.

Of course, the ultimate test of time in a musical product is the Stradivarius violin. Made roughly 300 years ago in Italy, it can fetch several million dollars today. We can build stealth bombers, nuclear powered aircraft carriers, and spacecraft. No one has yet improved on the sound of a Stradivarius!

To some extent. Drivers are entirely different than digital audio.

 

[MvRBE10]

So true, recently listen to some old revox gear at my friends house and its truely musical if its newer it surely isnt better tommorow gonna demo a spectral 250 amp to replace my pass design amp. I had reactorcore come over yesterday and he had his denon poa s10 mono blocks with him 20yr old and blew my amp away. I hear spectral is amongst the best transistor amp there is and they change models at most 10 years. So lets hear what this old pupy can do i hope lots of musicality and let my old dave shine…

 

[jlbrach]

the m-scaler is the update to dave and as far as I understand a new one will be coming along

 

[chesebert]

One common fallacy among audiophiles is that progress is monotonic, meaning a product designed 5,10, or even 50 years ago is less good than the current darling of some reviewer. A well designed product can hold up its own for many decades. Take the Klipschorn loudspeaker designed by Paul Klipsch in the 1940s and the longest continuously produced loudspeaker in the world. In many respects, the Klipschorn has continued to hold up rather well, in some respects it remains an unparalleled masterpiece of speaker design. A 5 watt amplifier will produce a higher volume of low distortion sound from a KHorn than almost any current loudspeaker. Its efficiency is 105dB! It is brilliantly designed to maximize room coupling by being placed in a corner. Even though it’s large, it is unobtrusive and matches many living room decors. The vast majority of modern loudspeakers, my Quads included, look just ugly compared to a KHorn, and require far more room space and amplifier power than a KHorn. Can the KHorn be improved? Yes, by using DSP to time align the drivers, you might end up with a loudspeaker that’s hard to beat for accuracy. Such tuning was not possible in the 1950s.

In short, age has zilch to do with how good a hifi product is. The Western Electric 300B tube was produced 90 years ago and could easily last 40,000-50,000 hours of active service. Tubes made today are absolutely horrible in comparison. No wonder mint examples of WE 300Bs sell for many thousands of dollars on eBay.

Of course, the ultimate test of time in a musical product is the Stradivarius violin. Made roughly 300 years ago in Italy, it can fetch several million dollars today. We can build stealth bombers, nuclear powered aircraft carriers, and spacecraft. No one has yet improved on the sound of a Stradivarius!

To some extent. Drivers are entirely different than digital audio.

I would argue that vintage (mid 90s and early 2000s) digital audio can sound incredibly analog, dynamic and pleasing. There was an all out assault on R2R/multibit from some of the top brands and they produced some incredible sounding machines. You will be limited to 44.1/48 but that's like 99% of the digital music AFAIK. A lot of good stuff out there.

 

[Sampajanna]

After a week of back and forth, I am most likely going to turn my Dave rig in and keep the Lampi. The things it does better, it does really better. There may be some small advantage to the Dave when it comes to microdetails and instrument separation. But all other areas are bested by no small margin. The Lampi has a deeper and wider soundstage, more 3D holographic imaging, richer and meatier tone, more emotional engagement and a certain something—that liquid tube magic—that is very addictive. What’s more I am stoked to reduce 4 boxes to one. Lampi owners on other forums also tell me that if I switch to the 242 tubes I will get the microdetails and separation back. We shall see. For me this is a no brainer, especially since it was an even trade for me and cost me nothing other than a bit of shipping and fees. I am going to do one more back and forth for final good measure but this is how it is leaning now.

I agree with Malcyg on his upgrade suggestions. I think Chord should take note of what the community has done with their amazing dacs. Hire Sean Jacobs!! By the way, another factor in my decision is that I have an Mscaler + TT2 in my B system in the office. So I will still have that beautiful Chord sound in my life.

 

[chesebert]

After a week of back and forth, I am most likely going to turn my Dave rig in and keep the Lampi. The things it does better, it does really better. There may be some small advantage to the Dave when it comes to microdetails and instrument separation. But all other areas are bested by no small margin. The Lampi has a deeper and wider soundstage, more 3D holographic imaging, richer and meatier tone, more emotional engagement and a certain something—that liquid tube magic—that is very addictive. What’s more I am stoked to reduce 4 boxes to one. Lampi owners on other forums also tell me that if I switch to the 242 tubes I will get the microdetails and separation back. We shall see. For me this is a no brainer, especially since it was an even trade for me and cost me nothing other than a bit of shipping and fees. I am going to do one more back and forth for final good measure but this is how it is leaning now.

I agree with Malcyg on his upgrade suggestions. I think Chord should take note of what the community has done with their amazing dacs. Hire Sean Jacobs!! By the way, another factor in my decision is that I have an Mscaler + TT2 in my B system in the office. So I will still have that beautiful Chord sound in my life.

How did you get an even trade? Lampi Pacific is like $30k. Dave is at best $7k used these days. Unless your "fees" means $20k lol.

Lampi Pacific is a great sounding dac, congrats!

I predict you will get rid of your TT+Mscaler in due course.

 

[sm60]

After a week of back and forth, I am most likely going to turn my Dave rig in and keep the Lampi. The things it does better, it does really better. There may be some small advantage to the Dave when it comes to microdetails and instrument separation. But all other areas are bested by no small margin. The Lampi has a deeper and wider soundstage, more 3D holographic imaging, richer and meatier tone, more emotional engagement and a certain something—that liquid tube magic—that is very addictive. What’s more I am stoked to reduce 4 boxes to one. Lampi owners on other forums also tell me that if I switch to the 242 tubes I will get the microdetails and separation back. We shall see. For me this is a no brainer, especially since it was an even trade for me and cost me nothing other than a bit of shipping and fees. I am going to do one more back and forth for final good measure but this is how it is leaning now.

I agree with Malcyg on his upgrade suggestions. I think Chord should take note of what the community has done with their amazing dacs. Hire Sean Jacobs!! By the way, another factor in my decision is that I have an Mscaler + TT2 in my B system in the office. So I will still have that beautiful Chord sound in my life.

Yes, I’m not surprised by your decision since my reaction to the Lampi was similar. I thought hard about selling my Blu2/Dave and in the end decided to keep it for a second system that’s primarily for playing redbook CDs. My initial woes with Blu2 have gone since the upgrade/service at Chord. Now it plays every CD I throw at it flawlessly. I turn it on when I want to listen to it (usually in the morning) and turn it off around lunch. Evenings are usually Lampi time since the Pacific is a beast that wakes up slowly, but when it does roar like the dragons in Game of Thrones. My Pacific feeds directly into a 300B SET amp that also wakes up slowly. It takes between 30 minutes to an hour for the sound to gel and then it’s magical. With the Chord, it’s not that obvious. Warming up doesn’t change the sound much, so I turn it off when not using it.

 

[SteveHulk]

I will be pulling the trigger on the Farad supplies for my DAVE in the next day or so.

I'm totally looking forward to this