[naynay]

SRC-DX benefits from a good front-end USB with built-in 5v power supply
, you can use innuos phoenix USB or other clean line power supply.
As for the source, there are too many choices. I currently use Lumin.

Or if you are using the MScaler do away with the SRC-DX and Phoenix USB and use a very good DDC with built in clean power and galvanic isolation and use the clean spdif output directly into MScaler. I was using the SRC-DX then I changed over to the upgraded DDC and what a difference.

 

[walterboss]

I believe it maybe too late to get into modded DAVE game.
...why not wait for the Choral DAVE then?
I had to drop the price on my DAVE a couple of times to sell it...

This.
The Dave I have was off eBay for £5300. Unheard to see one listed for that on the UK. Yet it was on for over a week with 10+ watching. I was waiting for some money to come in and was amazed I wasn't too late.

I'm so confused by so many people watching but unwilling to buy. It's like, it's not getting any cheaper than that, so if you want a Dave what are you waiting for??

Granted, I was watching without buying too, but I really doubt that everyone watching it was on the cusp of assembling money for it.

Anyway, I'm done with Daves personally. Can't be bothered spending 5k on power supplies, 2k on Storm cables, 2.5k on MScaler...etc. and the Quartet will surely be at least 5k when it comes.

Great piece of gear, but feels like time to move on personally. I'm trying a Holo May this week and will happily offload Dave even if May is marginally inferior. For 2.5k less than my Dave cost, I'll happily live with it. My chain is more than adequate.

I've come to reconcile with not being willing to get into the 20 -30k amp and dac game. It's great for those who are willing, but it's not for me.

 

[BassicScience]

I'm so confused by so many people watching but unwilling to buy. It's like, it's not getting any cheaper than that, so if you want a Dave what are you waiting for??

Granted, I was watching without buying too, but I really doubt that everyone watching it was on the cusp of assembling money for it.

A lot of watchers on eBay are owners who are considering selling, and simply want to track the market. There are also buyers looking for a steal and hoping the seller gets desperate if the item sits. Lastly, watching an item allows the seller to send you a private offer.

 

[chelseafc]

Anyway, I'm done with Daves personally. Can't be bothered spending 5k on power supplies, 2k on Storm cables, 2.5k on MScaler...etc. and the Quartet will surely be at least 5k when it comes.

These are precisely the reasons I sold DAVE/MS combo, the product was a game changer in its prime, but it is time to move on.
I still enjoy following discussions on this forum as I learn a whole lot.

 

[chelseafc]

The cap mod is pretty cheap actually. And the Farad PSUs aren't that bad cost wise either. I do agree that it might be a bit harder to sell though.

The only folks crazy enough to buy a modded DAVE with voided warranty are the same folks who can do the mods themselves.
It will be a hard sell, in my opinion, unless you give away the mods or get very little back.

 

[naynay]

Anyway, I'm done with Daves personally. Can't be bothered spending 5k on power supplies, 2k on Storm cables, 2.5k on MScaler...etc. and the Quartet will surely be at least 5k when it comes.

Simple way of saving plenty of money on the cable side is DIY. Why people pay up to nearly £1500 when you can make your own for under £500 it baffles me.

 

[number1sixerfan]

The only folks crazy enough to buy a modded DAVE with voided warranty are the same folks who can do the mods themselves.
It will be a hard sell, in my opinion, unless you give away the mods or get very little back.

I disagree on the first part wholeheartedly. If I *knew* I'd likely want to keep the Dave longer term (which again I've said over and over I could live with myself), I'd go for it. And the responses I got to my post are proof that others would as well.

Hard sell I'd expect, as so many hobbyists are purists, but I'm pretty convinced that as long as I could be patient it would sell at little to no loss. Most DACs don't sell quickly across the board, which is the main reason I haven't compared as many of them as I have amps or headphones. Definitely think it would sit for a while.

Also, the challenge with "moving on" from the Dave is that it seems that anything that actually challenges it is nearly $10k more than it. It's still highly relevant, if not for that reason alone. And I'm talking stock, without fancy cables and upgrades.

 

[Hiker816]

I disagree on the first part wholeheartedly. If I *knew* I'd likely want to keep the Dave longer term (which again I've said over and over I could live with myself), I'd go for it. And the responses I got to my post are proof that others would as well.

Hard sell I'd expect, as so many hobbyists are purists, but I'm pretty convinced that as long as I could be patient it would sell at little to no loss. Most DACs don't sell quickly across the board, which is the main reason I haven't compared as many of them as I have amps or headphones. Definitely think it would sit for a while.

Also, the challenge with "moving on" from the Dave is that it seems that anything that actually challenges it is nearly $10k more than it. It's still highly relevant, if not for that reason alone. And I'm talking stock, without fancy cables and upgrades.

I think you're right. And I think there's a good chance that resale value of the Dave, modded and not, will see a little bit of an uptick when the Quartet scaler is released. Presumably, you'll need a Dave to fully appreciate it's benefits.

 

[ecwl]

I thought @number1sixerfan was trying Toslink and USB a few years back but there were some dropout issues.
I was wondering if you have had a chance to go back to Toslink before contemplating the power supply mods.

I have tried many times to get my USB source to be as clean as possible and I failed every time unless I'm running off a relatively new battery-powered laptop or my iPad. Since I would like my streamer to be on 24/7, I ended up switching back to Toslink so no noise from my source can get into my M-Scaler/DAVE. Using Toslink was the only way how I can get my streamer to sound like a battery power iPad via USB to my M-Scaler or DAVE.

With @number1sixerfan current setup, it is possible that some noise is still coming in from the streamer or from the power supply of the Innuos Phoenix USB Reclocker.
So to me, it is probably best to try using a USB to Toslink converted with the Innuos to see if you get better sound that way first. The only caveat is that many Toslink cables don't work with M-Scaler but the stock one with DAVE/M-Scaler works and AudioQuest or KableDirekt (from Amazon) Toslink cables also seem to work and plugs right into the socket. And as long as streaming rate is less than 96kHz, it should be very reliable.

 

[shaylin3]

I thought @number1sixerfan was trying Toslink and USB a few years back but there were some dropout issues.
I was wondering if you have had a chance to go back to Toslink before contemplating the power supply mods.

I have tried many times to get my USB source to be as clean as possible and I failed every time unless I'm running off a relatively new battery-powered laptop or my iPad. Since I would like my streamer to be on 24/7, I ended up switching back to Toslink so no noise from my source can get into my M-Scaler/DAVE. Using Toslink was the only way how I can get my streamer to sound like a battery power iPad via USB to my M-Scaler or DAVE.

With @number1sixerfan current setup, it is possible that some noise is still coming in from the streamer or from the power supply of the Innuos Phoenix USB Reclocker.
So to me, it is probably best to try using a USB to Toslink converted with the Innuos to see if you get better sound that way first. The only caveat is that many Toslink cables don't work with M-Scaler but the stock one with DAVE/M-Scaler works and AudioQuest or KableDirekt (from Amazon) Toslink cables also seem to work and plugs right into the socket. And as long as streaming rate is less than 96kHz, it should be very reliable.

I also tried various source combinations like you, and in my test results
Innuos Phoenix USB Reclocker => SRC-DX (USB converted to BNC output) => M-Scaler is the best combination at present. In short, it is recommended to use BNC input to M-Scaler or DAVE

 

[Mr X]

The only folks crazy enough to buy a modded DAVE with voided warranty are the same folks who can do the mods themselves.
It will be a hard sell, in my opinion, unless you give away the mods or get very little back.

Don’t agree with that at all. I certainly wouldn’t call myself crazy!

Though my DAVE was used and was stock, I paid around 50% of its retail price and spent just a couple of hundred £s, if that, getting help from someone else to mod it (larger caps and resistors) to bring better performance to the headphone dac element IMO.

As previously mentioned there is no known successor to Dave from Chrord scheduled for anytime soon. Instead there is finally a scaler built for it, so we no longer have to use the scaler that was actually built for TT2, and one that will certainly breathe new life into the desire to have or even find, a used Dave. Thats my take on it anyway but guess we will know what impact it has by the end of the year.

 

[chelseafc]

BTW, I still stand by my assertion, but can add few more details.

Mojo2 seems to be sensitive to the noise from its output.
I discovered it by playing with AC filtering on the integrated amp.
With DAVE, my amp was plugged into the wall, and it did not matter whether I filter the AC or not.
Mojo2, on the other hand, benefits form adding AC filtering in front of the amp.

Another thing that took my Mojo2 to the next level is a use of a supercapacitor power supply on the receiving side of the OPTO-DX.

Subjectively, I was instantly drawn back to DAVE after listening exclusively to M Scaler/Mojo2 for two weeks.
DAVE brought back the warmth, texture and weight.
But nostalgia lasted only few hours.
As soon as I built my DYI supercapacitor for OPTO-DX, I hooked the Mojo2 back and wow…
Detail, imaging, 3D-like presentation are better than DAVE, it is kind of addicting.
The sound is a bit leaner, so it is not everybody’s cup of tea, I suppose.

I am waiting for a final piece of my new setup - a supercapacitor PS for Mojo2, but even on its battery it beats DAVE/MS combo decisively, in my opinion.
I ditched the MS in favor of PGGB playback, no looking back since.

@Triode User - how is your much anticipated comparison going?

 

[walterboss]

Simple way of saving plenty of money on the cable side is DIY. Why people pay up to nearly £1500 when you can make your own for under £500 it baffles me.

Because a lot of people don't have the time to learn how to make cables? I admire anyone who knows how, but I'm in this to listen to music optimally. I have enough hobbies already

 

[naynay]

Because a lot of people don't have the time to learn how to make cables? I admire anyone who knows how, but I'm in this to listen to music optimally. I have enough hobbies already

Yes I understand but there really is not much to it. Anyone looking to do this can always drop me a PM and I can help with anything they are not sure with. As you have said things can get very expensive so anywhere we can save is a bonus.

 

[number1sixerfan]

I thought @number1sixerfan was trying Toslink and USB a few years back but there were some dropout issues.
I was wondering if you have had a chance to go back to Toslink before contemplating the power supply mods.

I have tried many times to get my USB source to be as clean as possible and I failed every time unless I'm running off a relatively new battery-powered laptop or my iPad. Since I would like my streamer to be on 24/7, I ended up switching back to Toslink so no noise from my source can get into my M-Scaler/DAVE. Using Toslink was the only way how I can get my streamer to sound like a battery power iPad via USB to my M-Scaler or DAVE.

With @number1sixerfan current setup, it is possible that some noise is still coming in from the streamer or from the power supply of the Innuos Phoenix USB Reclocker.
So to me, it is probably best to try using a USB to Toslink converted with the Innuos to see if you get better sound that way first. The only caveat is that many Toslink cables don't work with M-Scaler but the stock one with DAVE/M-Scaler works and AudioQuest or KableDirekt (from Amazon) Toslink cables also seem to work and plugs right into the socket. And as long as streaming rate is less than 96kHz, it should be very reliable.

I don't detect any noise, but it's certainly possible that some is there. Tbh, the toslink even when there weren't dropouts wasn't noticeably better to me, although I didn't do very drastic A/B testing. I think I could have a slightly different opinion if I did a very long and thorough A/B. And the USB Phoenix only improved things marginally (blacker background by a small bit). For me, these types of changes don't make a world of a difference as long as you don't have an underlying issue, so I kind of just set and forget it.

The Dave mods to are to address the only issues I have with the Dave, which is at times timbre, tone and bass. Much less an issue with tone, as I do really enjoy the transparent sound of it, it can just be a bit clinical at time--particularly with stats. From what people have said, it seems like the cap/PSU mods really help in those areas.