[MvRBE10]

Nice, you will enjoy.

 

[adrianm]

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.

I assume it's his DC4 PSU's that closed the gap.

 

[adrianm]

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

To that end, you have Hqplayer which, via SRC-DX provides the same upgrade functionality, with even better results IMO. As i understand it, that only replaces/disables the WTA upsampling algorithm, however you can not change/upgrade the WTA filter used for digital to analogue conversion (why even buy a Chord dac at that point though?). It's this part that is that is actually upgradeable with dCS, for instance.

 

[alxw0w]

To that end, you have Hqplayer which, via SRC-DX provides the same upgrade functionality, with even better results IMO. As i understand it, that only replaces/disables the WTA upsampling algorithm, however you can not change/upgrade the WTA filter used for digital to analogue conversion (why even buy a Chord dac at that point though?). It's this part that is that is actually upgradeable with dCS, for instance.

There is more to the chord dacs than just wta1.
Interpolation filter is just a part of whole.

 

[zen87192]

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

Nice one! I'm also awaiting my order to be confirmed shortly.

 

[Malcyg]

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!

I totally agree with your comments and especially that folk should not be swayed by reviewers, who generally have commercial motivations. The major point where I would differ though is that digital design is still in its relative infancy compared to analogue source components, amps and speakers which have decades of evolution behind them design wise. I have heard Master Tapes in recent times played on 40 year old reel to reel machines and the sound was superb. Designers of DAC’s, Streamers, Servers and ancillary supplemental devices are still learning how to tame the beast. Once digital technology has reached maturity, then your comments will equally apply. Until then, progress is progress.

Your comment about vintage instruments is not the best analogy though tbh - and I speak as an owner of 3 vintage instruments. I would compare a DAC more to a digital synthesiser than a Stradivarius.

Dave sounded good when it was launched and it still sounds good today. It will still sound good in 5 years time. But I am willing to bet that Rob’s next device will sound better again. He would not be working on the ‘Statement’ DAC if he was not certain that he could improve and move the game on again. Trouble is, with some folk having spent over £20,000 ’maximising’ their Dave, we have a reasonable estimate of where the pricing might start.

 

[adrianm]

He would not be working on the ‘Statement’ DAC if he was not certain that he could improve and move the game on again.

Is this confirmed?

 

[Malcyg]

Is this confirmed?

I read it on here, so it must be.

 

[MvRBE10]

I was at a show here and the marketing manager also confirmed his work on the new scaler thingy

 

[Malcyg]

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?

Well, I can say that the DAC 501 4CH is a very good design with tremendous flexibility, but it is not the main DAC in my system. I am also not too keen on it when folk get into stacking one product up against another as it only gets argumentative. It is all about taste and personal preferences and ultimately, nothing trumps that. What one likes is what what one likes and that is enough to make something ‘good’ for that person.

 

[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

And... Done

 

[dcp10]

First time I have spotted this page on Chords website.

Am I missing something, or is the DAVE shown in the "Tim Young | Metropolis Mastering" video not actually connected to anything?!

(See the 7:40 mark, where only a mains cable is visible).

 

[Sampajanna]

I assume it's his DC4 PSU's that closed the gap.

Yes, it was my whole rig for the Lampi. I was just ignoring the troll

 

[Triode User]

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

Will yours be the first ones in the UK or are there any here already? It would be great to hear them compared to a DC4/ARC6.

@MvRBE10 do you know if there are any yet in the UK?

 

[MvRBE10]

Thought hulk is from london? (Stephen) i would also be very curious how they compare.

@ hulk, hope you like my artisan cnc ac inlet my little contribution