CHORD ELECTRONICS DAVE

[Beolab]

Power DAC, a DAC with an output stage powerful enough to drive speakers directly.

That sounds like a killer DAC called Super DAVE

 

[Mython]

 

Power DAC, a DAC with an output stage powerful enough to drive speakers directly.

That sounds like a killer DAC called Super DAVE

 
 
"He's a man with a mission to deliver the highest quality entertainment, at any cost!"
 

 

[mtoc]

Dave plus the digital 20W amp, now we really have a low distortion system to drive HE6.

 

[TheAttorney]

A while back I commented that I thought I could hear subtle differences between optical cables to DAVE, with a background that I previously could hear big differences between digital cables to Yggy.
So here's an update:
 
With Nagra CDC to DAVE, I tried 3 optical cables: AQ Diamond still on loan; the stock "freebie" that came with DAVE; and a newly received Mapleshade that others here have strongly recommended. Like I said, the differences were now rather subtle, but still there. Further complicated by the Mapleshade appearing to be directional, as the maker strongly claims.
In short I felt that Mapleshade and AQ were broadly on the same level, with the Mapleshade slightly more focused and precise, and the AQ more analogue-in-a-good-way.
However, as the AQ was over 4 times the price, it was a no brainer to return it, so I did.
 
Next tried the Mapleshade against the freebie cable.  The latter had a similar analoguey signature as the AQ, but was a step down in quality - i.e. a touch woollier, a touch more shut in, and a touch more grain in the upper mids. So the Mapleshade stays in place. Whether or not some of this is my imagination is rather a moot point for me now, because I'm done with cable changes and, with a microRendu on its way, I'm moving on to try computer/server sources. I repeat that these cable differences were more subtle than that I had experienced with the Yggy.
 
And also more subtle than what happended next when my washing machine pads arrived!!!. That deserves it's own post later this weekend    

 

[rkt31]

hi, can anybody elaborate about various filters used in upsampling? chord uses fir with longer tap length, Hq player uses poly sinc and many others, schiit uses closed form filter. I was particularly impressed by sinc ( not poly sinc) filter of Hq player. what is this sinc filter ?

 

[esimms86]

hi, can anybody elaborate about various filters used in upsampling? chord uses fir with longer tap length, Hq player uses poly sinc and many others, schiit uses closed form filter. I was particularly impressed by sinc ( not poly sinc) filter of Hq player. what is this sinc filter ?

See post#2 in this thread. I have it bookmarked.
 
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f8-general-forum/hqplayer-resampling-filter-setup-guide-ordinary-person-13298/

 

[rkt31]

thanks , I have read that post. good explanation by miss but still he does not elaborate much about sinc filter. he says that it is a special kind of filter which requires more computational power. nobody other too talks about this filter. everybody likes some variation of polysinc filters. I was mainly interested in pcm upsampling.

 

[rkt31]

read misk

 

[rkt31]

miska

 

[Mython]

 
 
                                                                               

 

[Beolab]

A while back I commented that I thought I could hear subtle differences between optical cables to DAVE, with a background that I previously could hear big differences between digital cables to Yggy.
So here's an update:

With Nagra CDC to DAVE, I tried 3 optical cables: AQ Diamond still on loan; the stock "freebie" that came with DAVE; and a newly received Mapleshade that others here have strongly recommended. Like I said, the differences were now rather subtle, but still there. Further complicated by the Mapleshade appearing to be directional, as the maker strongly claims.
In short I felt that Mapleshade and AQ were broadly on the same level, with the Mapleshade slightly more focused and precise, and the AQ more analogue-in-a-good-way.
However, as the AQ was over 4 times the price, it was a no brainer to return it, so I did.

Next tried the Mapleshade against the freebie cable.  The latter had a similar analoguey signature as the AQ, but was a step down in quality - i.e. a touch woollier, a touch more shut in, and a touch more grain in the upper mids. So the Mapleshade stays in place. Whether or not some of this is my imagination is rather a moot point for me now, because I'm done with cable changes and, with a microRendu on its way, I'm moving on to try computer/server sources. I repeat that these cable differences were more subtle than that I had experienced with the Yggy.

And also more subtle than what happended next when my washing machine pads arrived!!!. That deserves it's own post later this weekend    

I find my AQ Diamond more fluid / vivid / airy / wider with no grain in the upper mid/high against the Stock optical, BUT !!
There is extreme subtle, but it is hearable.

Then about the HQ Player filterning, i wounder whats happens with the siund when you choose Sinc filter and go direct to the DAVE ore through the MicroRendu then DAVE in combination with the Wats FIR Tap filter ??

Have anyone tried this? Is it a winner ?

 

[106099]

I find my AQ Diamond more fluid / vivid / airy / wider with no grain in the upper mid/high against the Stock optical.

Then about the HQ Player filterning, i wounder whats happens with the siund when you choose Sinc filter and go direct to the DAVE ore through the MicroRendu then DAVE in combination with the Wats FIR Tap filter ??

Have anyone tried this? Is it a winner ?

 
By HQ Player, are you talking about the software HQ Player usable with the microRendu?
If so, how does it sound with DAVE versus the Roon or another DLNA-player like JRiver Media Center?
 
Thanks
 
paul

 

[Christer]

  I believe the audiophile journey is made up of discoveries and even the brightest and most experienced among us are always still discovering and learning new things.  The day that Rob believes he has learned everything possible is the day that we should all start looking elsewhere for our next DAC.
 
 
This is unfortunate.  Hopefully, yours is still under warranty.
 
 
It sounds like you've already found a great DAC.  Congratulations.
 
If you can find a better solution, you should buy it.

Hello romaz,
I definitely agree with you regarding "the journey" in most ways, it is only the ever growing costs involved, that I have problems with.
I too suffer from "audiophilia nerviosa" to a sometimes embarrasing  degree.
And as I have clearly  stated, there is no doubt to me that DAVE is a superb DAC,maybe even  currently,THE best consumer DAC for PCM?
But  no 1: It is terribly expensive for me at least. No 2: It only does stereo and you cant´record with it.
And you are still expected to pay around 10k€
Looking at DAVE from that perspective, I am thinking of, and was already long before I auditioned DAVE, tempted to buy either a MERGING HORUS or HAPI, the two ADCs/DACs used by a growing number of  classical music labels where I have  actually been to sessions and heard things both live and played back raw.
I  know first-hand that mch/surround done right  sounds closer to the real thing than conventional stereo .
And  HORUS or at least,HAPI can be bought for roughly half the cost of one single stereo only and  playback  only DAVE.
And the problems with usb and jitter discussed here are moot. They don´t work with usb at all.
 
 
One thing real MCH can do clearly better and more realistically, than plain stereo, is soundstage and DEPTH.
But last week I downloaded the just released James  Matheson album from the label Yarlung in a newly developed format called SonoruS Holographic Imaging in its DXD form from nativeDSD.com.
And to my surprise and joy,played back via my two, only two, electrostatic speakers, it opened up the soundstage  and increased depth  and decreased masking effects in a way approaching what I have so far only heard from real mch.
I know Rob Watts is  really striving to bring better depth than the competition.
And if my memory serves me right DAVE excelled in that respect even via headphones.
I would of course like to hear if DAVE would unravel even more depth than my humble Benchmark DAC2 HGC does, but it was so good that I have played this album ten times in a week.
Unfortunately I can´t try it with HUGO. And equally unfortunately the warranty is out on it.
If instead of listening mainly to equipment tweaks, for a change you want both a great musical experience and a surprising HIFI experience provided your HIFI system is phase coherent through the whole chain,there are test tracks to try on Yarlung´s homesite and if they work as described for you download some great  contemporary, ACOUSTIC music from an enterprising label and download site.Sorry, but NO for headphones only  listeners, SonoruS does NOT work via headphones. But binaural does and  a  recent session I  missed was  actually recorded not only  in DSD 256/DXD stereo and mch , but also binaurallly,via MERGING HORUS, Mahler´s 7th.
Cheers Chris and enjoy the music via your DAVE.

 

[prot]

On

A while back I commented that I thought I could hear subtle differences between optical cables to DAVE, with a background that I previously could hear big differences between digital cables to Yggy.
So here's an update:

With Nagra CDC to DAVE, I tried 3 optical cables: AQ Diamond still on loan; the stock "freebie" that came with DAVE; and a newly received Mapleshade that others here have strongly recommended. Like I said, the differences were now rather subtle, but still there. Further complicated by the Mapleshade appearing to be directional, as the maker strongly claims.
In short I felt that Mapleshade and AQ were broadly on the same level, with the Mapleshade slightly more focused and precise, and the AQ more analogue-in-a-good-way.
However, as the AQ was over 4 times the price, it was a no brainer to return it, so I did.

Next tried the Mapleshade against the freebie cable.  The latter had a similar analoguey signature as the AQ, but was a step down in quality - i.e. a touch woollier, a touch more shut in, and a touch more grain in the upper mids. So the Mapleshade stays in place. Whether or not some of this is my imagination is rather a moot point for me now, because I'm done with cable changes and, with a microRendu on its way, I'm moving on to try computer/server sources. I repeat that these cable differences were more subtle than that I had experienced with the Yggy.

And also more subtle than what happended next when my washing machine pads arrived!!!. That deserves it's own post later this weekend    

One thing is for sure: you do have a lot of imagination

 

[rudi0504]

I have tried Chord Dave possibility pair with my portable source / Daps

Source :
Iphone 5 s
Sony ZX2
VentureCraft Valog SounDroid

dac Amp :
Chord Dave

Sound Quality :

the best SQ use Valog
Use: Optical
it can play 24 / 192KHz on Valog is the same on Chord Dave

the second Best Iphone 5 S
Use USB
wav 16 /44,1 KHz
surprisingly play in high rate 353,8 KHz

third Best Sony ZX2
Use USB
i play Native DSD
on Dave show only 176,8 KHz

Anyone can help me please

Why on iphone 5 s came out on Dave display
353,8 KHz ?
I use WAV 16bit /44,1KHz
I use Muisc Player Kaisertone
Via USB connection

On Sony ZX2
I play Native DSD
On Dave display only 176,8 KHz
Why Sony can not Play DSD via USB

I have tested use Iphone 6 s Rose Gold
The same music file WAV 16bit / 44,1 KHz
On Dave came out 44,1 KHz
I use Kaisertone

Thank you