[romaz]

  There is no external word clock function on the DAVE as apparently it is source agnostic, which in my experience is accurate to an extent (even though both I and my partner heard a difference it was to be sure a subtle difference) and only an OCD person like me would bother spending the extra money.

I actually agree with your experience on the DAVE, Simon.  My group also heard subtle differences from one source to another and unblinded, I had reported that some of us felt USB sounded a bit better than optical and that the N10 layered a bit better than the other sources although when blinded, none of us could tell what we were listening to.  It's possible, however, that while blinded, because it took a bit more time to switch from one source to another, it was easier for the mind to forget what it had just heard.  Regardless, our consensus was that if one source was better than another, it was subtle at best and from the worst to the best, they all sounded very very good.  Since then, I have also tested my Roku box and my Sonos via optical (both bit-perfect) and they all seem to sound just as good.
 
With more time spent comparing, using my Sonicorbiter SE which has both USB and optical outputs, I remain convinced that USB is slightly better than optical (a bit more air) and so almost all of my critical listening is now on USB although at no time do I feel shortchanged when listening via optical.  Having sold my AES/EBU cables with my TotalDac months ago, I have not tried the AES/EBU input on the DAVE and perhaps someone can report how the AES/EBU or the Coax inputs compare.

 

[wdh777]

How is the amp in the Dave vs tt? Can the Dave. Drive the lcd4s with plenty of head room?

 

[romaz]

Over the weekend, while at CanJam in southern California, I purchased this product called "Out of Your Head", a virtual speaker software program for headphones designed to simulate various 2-channel speaker setups (from Magico, Sonus Faber, Focal, Martin Logan, etc.) and even 7.1 surround sound via DSP.  It came highly recommended by a source I will not name and since I have my Oppo Bluray player connected to my DAVE, I figured "why not?"  It might be nice to simulate surround sound through my HE1000 or HD800S while watching a movie.  Well, it was a bad move.  While this software sounded pretty good at the demo with another DAC, using the DAVE, all I heard was distortion. 
 
Yesterday, I tried something else that I had been meaning to try for a long time.  During my day spent with Tyll Hertsens last September, he convinced me that my HE-1000 would benefit from EQing even though his measurements showed that the stock HE1000 measures pretty well.  Using Tyll's EQ settings for the HE-1000 and JRiver's built-in EQ, I listened to tracks I know well and I'm not convinced I heard an improvement.  If there was an improvement by flattening the frequency response of the HE-1000, it may have been negated by breaking the bit-perfect stream that happens through EQing.  Maybe someone else can report their experience with EQing their headphones with the DAVE.

 

[romaz]

How is the amp in the Dave vs tt? Can the Dave. Drive the lcd4s with plenty of head room?

We recently tested the LCD-4 on the DAVE and there is plenty of drive there.  They are an easier load to drive compared to HE-1000.  For most music, we rarely got louder than -10dB.

 

[MacedonianHero]

  We recently tested the LCD-4 on the DAVE and there is plenty of drive there.  They are an easier load to drive compared to HE-1000.  For most music, we rarely got louder than -10dB.

 
I'm not surprised, I found the Hugo TT has plenty of drive for both the HE1000 and LCD-4.

 

[isquirrel]

I will have a permanent DAVE + the sexy stand in Black, (couldn't help myself its for my partner... 

) when it arrives I will have more time than last time I had a DAVE here to run all those tests for you. I should point out that IMHO they will be skewed however as whilst I will be using a Transparent USB cable its not of the same level as the AES cable, however the S/PDIF and the AES are the same standard. I must say that for my intended use, 8 weeks away in London the superb sounding Mapleshade Optical cable (that you put me onto to, thanks) plugged into my MacBook is what I will be using + Roon. 
 
I will make sure I run those tests on the un-suspecting family as the boys have now decided that this Hi-Fi thing is really quite "cool", they always ask for the Abyss out of the DAVE, I found it could drive them very well and I certainly wouldn't want it any louder and there was gain to spare.
 
I know its off topic - but how did you go with the Synergistic Research ground block?

 

[isquirrel]

How is the amp in the Dave vs tt? Can the Dave. Drive the lcd4s with plenty of head room?

Plenty of gain for the LCD-4 (100ohm version)

 

[MacedonianHero]

 
Plenty of gain for the LCD-4 (100ohm version)

 
The 200 ohm LCD-4 is a bit harder to drive, but no troubles, just turn up the volume some more. 

 

[isquirrel]

   
The 200 ohm LCD-4 is a bit harder to drive, but no troubles, just turn up the volume some more. 

I got them off a close friend, he contacted Audeze who advised that the 100ohm sounded better and if mine are working, hold onto them as there is a 3 year warranty.

 

[MacedonianHero]

 
I got them off a close friend, he contacted Audeze who advised that the 100ohm sounded better and if mine are working, hold onto them as there is a 3 year warranty.

 
I'm doing an update for Headphone.Guru and to my ears they're both fairly close, but I think I might prefer the 200 ohm LCD-4. 

 

[isquirrel]

   
I'm doing an update for Headphone.Guru and to my ears they're both fairly close, but I think I might prefer the 200 ohm LCD-4. 

Interesting, how so?

 

[MacedonianHero]

 
Interesting, how so?

 
I'll put more in the update, but they are even quicker sounding and tactile. More to come...

 

[JaZZ]

  Yesterday, I tried something else that I had been meaning to try for a long time.  During my day spent with Tyll Hertsens last September, he convinced me that my HE-1000 would benefit from EQing even though his measurements showed that the stock HE1000 measures pretty well.  Using Tyll's EQ settings for the HE-1000 and JRiver's built-in EQ, I listened to tracks I know well and I'm not convinced I heard an improvement.  If there was an improvement by flattening the frequency response of the HE-1000, it may have been negated by breaking the bit-perfect stream that happens through EQing.

 
While I have no idea what Tyll's EQ curve looks like, I suspect it will predominantly be based on his measuring curve. I took it as a basis as well, but was never really satisfied with the result. After numerous trials and errors I ended up with a curve that looks like this:
 


 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Left is with my Fiio X5 II's octave equalizer, right with xnor's ¹/₃-octave equalizer for foobar2000.
 
I'm very satisfied with the result and don't believe that I will change much if anything. Of course different ears may need some adjustments here and there, but I think it's a coherent setting.
 
And BTW, I wouldn't overrate the meaning of «bit perfection». Even DAVE's crossfeed will destroy it. Just as every equalizing in the studio during mixing will do. You can't have bit perfection with any sort of DSP. That doesn't tell anything about the quality of the resulting sound.

 

[romaz]

   
While I have no idea what Tyll's EQ curve looks like, I suspect it will predominantly be based on his measuring curve. I took it as a basis as well, but was never really satisfied with the result. After numerous trials and errors I ended up with a curve that looks like this:
 


 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Left is with my Fiio X5 II's octave equalizer, right with xnor's ¹/₃-octave equalizer for foobar2000.
 
I'm very satisfied with the result and don't believe that I will change much if anything. Of course different ears may need some adjustments here and there, but I guess it's a coherent setting.

Thanks, Jazz!  I will  give this a try.

 

[romaz]

  I will have a permanent DAVE + the sexy stand in Black, (couldn't help myself its for my partner... 

) when it arrives I will have more time than last time I had a DAVE here to run all those tests for you. I should point out that IMHO they will be skewed however as whilst I will be using a Transparent USB cable its not of the same level as the AES cable, however the S/PDIF and the AES are the same standard. I must say that for my intended use, 8 weeks away in London the superb sounding Mapleshade Optical cable (that you put me onto to, thanks) plugged into my MacBook is what I will be using + Roon. 
 
I will make sure I run those tests on the un-suspecting family as the boys have now decided that this Hi-Fi thing is really quite "cool", they always ask for the Abyss out of the DAVE, I found it could drive them very well and I certainly wouldn't want it any louder and there was gain to spare.
 
I know its off topic - but how did you go with the Synergistic Research ground block?

Glad to hear that.  I know what you mean about that stand.  I didn't think too much about it until I saw that photo that Paul posted.
 
I got the chance to hear the Abyss on the DAVE again this weekend and it reminded me of how good it sounded on the DAVE when I heard it last November.  Without question, for me, there is enough drive there.
 
I also got to hear the Abyss with the JPS SC headphone cable paired with the not yet released Wells Headtrip Reference amp ($14,000) at CanJam this weekend.  According to Jeff Wells, it's the same amp as the original Headtrip but with a more robust external linear PSU and with copper caps.  How this justifies doubling the price to $14,000, I'm not sure but it sounded very good.  Plenty of power there for sure but even with the darker JPS SC headphone cable, I developed listener fatigue fairly quickly although I am told it may have been due to the La Scala DAC that was feeding it which is supposedly a bright DAC.  
 
As for the SR ground block, it went back.  Not as good as Entreq but with the DAVE, even Entreq is no longer necessary.