[Kentajalli]

Not too hot. Warm. Issue is that I'm in TX now. We have had a hot summer and my office heats up using it after a while. I leave it on standby.

aha, I see.
Buy a tube amp, then.
and you can cool off sitting next to Dave!

 

[SteveHulk]

Now you've taken the smps out of the DAVE it should run quite a bit cooler. However, the heat that is no longer coming from the DAVE itself is probably made up for by the heat coming from the three Farad supplies.

Internally, the DAVE has a substantial heatsink sitting on top of the main chip. That continues to dissipate heat as before so the DAVE still gets warm, simply less so.

 

[The Jester]

Not to forget the MScaler taking some processing load off the connected DAC ?

 

[Somatic]

Now you've taken the smps out of the DAVE it should run quite a bit cooler. However, the heat that is no longer coming from the DAVE itself is probably made up for by the heat coming from the three Farad supplies.

Internally, the DAVE has a substantial heatsink sitting on top of the main chip. That continues to dissipate heat as before so the DAVE still gets warm, simply less so.

Yes. Gets less hot. Thanks.

 

[audio_1]

Yes. Gets less hot. Thanks.

It's worth mounting the Dave on 30 mm high feet imho. This allows more air flow around it. I use Ceraballs. The top cover on mine is at 28°C (SJ power supply) with a room temperature of 22°C. Plenty of room should also be left around it.

 

[zen87192]

It's worth mounting the Dave on 30 mm high feet imho. This allows more air flow around it. I use Ceraballs. The top cover on mine is at 28°C (SJ power supply) with a room temperature of 22°C. Plenty of room should also be left around it.

Too true... I've got mine located on Vibrapods which as well as making a difference to the sound allow for more movement of air under the unit.

 

[Triode User]

Now you've taken the smps out of the DAVE it should run quite a bit cooler. However, the heat that is no longer coming from the DAVE itself is probably made up for by the heat coming from the three Farad supplies.

LPS are a lot less efficient than SMPS so I would amend your comment to, "However, the heat that is no longer coming from the DAVE itself is probably far exceeded by the heat coming from the three Farad supplies."

 

[zen87192]

LPS are a lot less efficient than SMPS so I would amend your comment to, "However, the heat that is no longer coming from the DAVE itself is probably far exceeded by the heat coming from the three Farad supplies."

My three Farad's are not as hot in temperature when in use that the DAVE used to get originally.

 

[Triode User]

My three Farad's are not as hot in temperature when in use that the DAVE used to get originally.

The Farad have a cooling fin on the rear so they will dissipate heat and so stay cool but the heat is still generated. My Sean Jacobs ARC6 / DC4 power supply for the Dave also runs cool but that is down to it having a huge surface area to dissipate heat rather than it being more efficient than SMPS. The SMPS is more efficient than LPS so the SMPS will generate less heat. This is a simple fact due to how a LPS works and regulates the voltage compared to how a SMPS works.

In practice though I find it to be a non issue. The hottest my (black) Dave has ever got was when I accidentally left it in full sunlight and it became too hot to even touch.

 

[zen87192]

The Farad have a cooling fin on the rear so they will dissipate heat and so stay cool but the heat is still generated. My Sean Jacobs ARC6 / DC4 power supply for the Dave also runs cool but that is down to it having a huge surface area to dissipate heat rather than it being more efficient than SMPS. The SMPS is more efficient than LPS so the SMPS will generate less heat. This is a simple fact due to how a LPS works and regulates the voltage compared to how a SMPS works.

In practice though I find it to be a non issue. The hottest my (black) Dave has ever got was when I accidentally left it in full sunlight and it became too hot to even touch.

Yup... Farads are only warm to the touch. DAVE is only warm when in use. I guess the heat is now 'shared' between the two as the Supply has been separated.

 

[Kentajalli]

LPS are a lot less efficient than SMPS so I would amend your comment to, "However, the heat that is no longer coming from the DAVE itself is probably far exceeded by the heat coming from the three Farad supplies."

Depends on how the LPS is designed.
In essence, a typical voltage regulator (the heart of an LPS) requires just a couple of volts differential to work.
This means, if it is supposed to output 5V, it needs 7V or more to function, so if the previous section can provide say 8V, the power wastage is roughly, 3V X current supplied at any time. so the voltage differential dictates how much power wastage is going to be.
SMPS are efficient, no doubt - but it doesn't mean they do not waste power. The switching, the inductors and the entire thing generates heat! an SMPS uses pulses of high voltage (350V dc on a 240V AC mains) to charge a capacitor to a desired voltage, and then the capacitor provides the current output, the switch mode keeps topping up the capacitor in fast pulses.
The fact that the Farads don't seem that warm, is because they are so large! they dissipate the heat constantly, so they don't feel hot to the touch.
If one could squeeze Dave to a matchbox size container, it probably be scolding hot! so would the Farads, but it is just a human perspective.

 

[JamieMcC]

"The Dave gets very very close in sound to the Lina but the Dave leans a bit leaner and sharper where the DCS Lina is fuller, thicker, smoother with more density yet it never moves anywhere near dull or soft territory. The DCS has that density and drive and fullness that no other DAC I have auditioned has."

That's what id aim for when upgrading the dac, lookout for "fuller, thicker, smoother with more density" because that's what high end analogue sounds like to me and its never fat or mushy is still fast and effortless, there's so much you miss in Digital playback. I don't know if its ringing from filters and or brick wall filters but I doesn't sound natural in comparison when im listening to CDs.

I've owned my Dave for a couple of years now and still think it's marvelous. But that doesn't mean I'm not open and happy to spend time enjoying and experiencing other options.

Variety after all is said to be the spice of life.

 

[pichler]

Yesterday in the late afternoon and throughout the evening the listening quality in my usual configuration was as exceptional as ever. I wonder if it's all about the clean current due to holidays and public holidays, or a physiological fact of mine ....... I don't use any kind of substances

 

[pichler]

I guess with a SJ or Farad power supply for the Dave, the "noisy and dirty 220v" variables are less audible. Is that so?

 

[adrianm]

I guess with a SJ or Farad power supply for the Dave, the "noisy and dirty 220v" variables are less audible. Is that so?

It's not you, before i got my Isotek regenerator Dave was borderline unlistenable with the washing machine and dryer runnning. Not to mention sounded better in the evenings. I imagine the power supplies have the same effect.