CHORD ELECTRONICS DAVE

[Reactcore]

My dacs sound better the more taps they run

True!

IF the music file material and hardware chain has kept its PCM bits integrity, with this i mean not being EQ'ed, DSP'ed like DAC'ed > mixed > ADC'ed again in the recording studio or any other digital signal changes done by the player and (USB) Spdif conversion like eg. faulty software driver to chip interaction.

When all links in the above chain are right, then more taps calculate closer to the analog original as outcome which works fantastic.

But sadly many sources are altered (badly digitally recorded/ mastered) damaging the signal. The WTA algorytm then cant calculate the right outcome. And to my reasoning and ears this deviation grows with more taps.

I believe i have setup my hard- and software chain right. But depending on the recording or stream, i switch the Scaler in or out my chain.

 

[thePhones]

My dacs sound better the more taps they run

At this point (owning Hugo 1, Hugo 2, Dave and M Scaler) I dare to say: obviously!!!

 

[Vyyy]

Having went through all theses combos Mojo, MojoHMS, Mojo2, Qutest, Hugo2, Hugo2HMS, TT2, TT2HMS, Dave, DaveHMS. It'really the more taps the better it is. The only Dave offers unmatched realism of intruments and voices even as solo unit.

 

[Ike1985]

True…running my DAVE in DAC mode with AIRTIGHT atm300b.

You know Rob probably hates us right? He worked his tookis off making these distortion free properly timed highly technical DACs then we take his nice clean signal and throw a ton of distortion on top. Its like taking a rembrandt then putting the canvas flat on the ground and flying over in a crane mounted harness and slinging paint on it and calling it art. But we love it

 

[Whazzzup]

You know Rob probably hates us right? He worked his tookis off making these distortion free properly timed highly technical DACs then we take his nice clean signal and throw a ton of distortion on top. Its like taking a rembrandt then putting the canvas flat on the ground and flying over in a crane mounted harness and slinging paint on it and calling it art. But we love it

he gets paid, he will be fine. concerning our dirty amp habit, were cool with it

 

[JamesonM]

It's not known at this stage what the price will be for Quartet, but I can tell you categorically that it will be sold with the PSU. Quartet has unique demands on the PSU, and only the supplied unit will give the required performance. I had to go to extreme lengths in RF filtering to achieve the performance I have with Quartet, and came up with a unique solution.

Sounds like the Quartet is still a ways off. Is the product finished with development? Do you think Chord will choose to release it this year?

 

[chelseafc]

Sounds like the Quartet is still a ways off. Is the product finished with development? Do you think Chord will choose to release it this year?

Sounds to me like a questionable business strategy to hype up a product years ahead of release.
Especially if it is meant to be paired with a 10-years old DAC.

 

[Ike1985]

Sounds to me like a questionable business strategy to hype up a product years ahead of release.
Especially if it is meant to be paired with a 10-years old DAC.

I like that Chord releases things rarely and spends more time building good stuff. Shows these products take time to make and R&D. Imagine if you just bought the TOTL and next year they released somethign better, first off i'd question if they really know what they're doing since IMO innovation takes a lot of time.

 

[icnaiwhimor1975]

why Chord don't make the output cascade in DAVE (like DAVE2) the same as in TT2, making it powerful and cool?

 

[GuiltyRocker]

What was surprisingly interesting to me recently was comparing two DACs which use completely different architectures, yet sounded almost exactly the same -- rather listening to music through both and switching inputs on a high-quality amp, I couldn't tell them apart without a lot of effort. However, when I added a Qutest in there, the shift in soundstage between the Qutest and either of them was rather shocking. I had to double-check I hadn't done something like reverse the channels!

It's very hard to review AKM-based DACs now. They all sound flat, and all instruments have the same dullness. Maybe it's because most makers just aim for low THD numbers to look good on ASR.

Funny, that is exactly what I hear, flat as pancakes and they sound sterile and dull to me, hey, if others love them that's fine by me. I wouldn't be able to live with these DACs. Not for me.

 

[559938]

You know Rob probably hates us right? He worked his tookis off making these distortion free properly timed highly technical DACs then we take his nice clean signal and throw a ton of distortion on top. Its like taking a rembrandt then putting the canvas flat on the ground and flying over in a crane mounted harness and slinging paint on it and calling it art. But we love it

Nah, valves are tremendously transparent and extremely linear. It’s often the transformers that we’re hearing as the added warmth. Plenty of valve amps are as clean and clear as solid state, but have the advantage of magnificent holography and stage depth, (I think) complementing what Rob’s DACs are capable of. I’m not a fan of thicker, warmer valve amps though.

 

[GuiltyRocker]

I like that Chord releases things rarely and spends more time building good stuff. Shows these products take time to make and R&D. Imagine if you just bought the TOTL and next year they released somethign better, first off i'd question if they really know what they're doing since IMO innovation takes a lot of time.

Yup, as opposed to the flavor of the month DAC chi-Fi companies, it seems like every other month there is a new product

 

[GuiltyRocker]

You know Rob probably hates us right? He worked his tookis off making these distortion free properly timed highly technical DACs then we take his nice clean signal and throw a ton of distortion on top. Its like taking a rembrandt then putting the canvas flat on the ground and flying over in a crane mounted harness and slinging paint on it and calling it art. But we love it

Na Rob is cool, he knows people will do what people will do to satisfy their preferences, I like his interpretation of sound, so I mostly stick to his recommendations. I use a class AB clean amp that pairs amazingly well with his DACs.

 

[Reactcore]

why Chord don't make the output cascade in DAVE (like DAVE2) the same as in TT2, making it powerful and cool?

The last PCB revision (2020) of Dave has got ZXTN(P)19 4A rated type of transistors installed vs the previous ZT2222A/2907A 0,5A ones on the older revisions. So in therory these Dave's amp sections can deliver 8 times more power.

But the stock SMPS only does 0,5A on its negative output. And unless loading Dave <8ohm and max volume its no need anyway.
Better to make its voltage rock solid with very low ESR buffercaps

 

[chelseafc]

I like that Chord releases things rarely and spends more time building good stuff. Shows these products take time to make and R&D. Imagine if you just bought the TOTL and next year they released somethign better, first off i'd question if they really know what they're doing since IMO innovation takes a lot of time.

I am not against taking time to release a right product.
But I am not cool about my local Chord dealer telling me that a new DAVE coming out in the next couple of months, based on the info from the company.
That was two years ago.