[lovethatsound]

 



I don’t know which one that has the greatest impact on sound. The wait time for DHC cables is usuallymany months. It will give you plenty of time to get and evaluate the mR first, if ordered at the same time. 

If you like the sound of sliver cables,then give Toxic cables,Sliver Widow ago it's alot cheaper than the Sliver Spore,and only about an 8 week wait,you might be in for a big surprise.

 

[ddanois]

   
Yes, the Spore4 is heavy and rigid.  I think the Silver Complement4 is a very good alternative.  As an owner of an HE-1000 and former owner of an LCD-4, you might find that you prefer how these headphones sound connected direct to DAVE rather than connected to your GSX-Mk2 or Moon 430HA.  This would not be a bad problem to have since it would mean more money back in your pocket and a much simpler setup but the point is, before you spend a lot of money on Spore4 interconnects, you might want to see how you like the DAVE's integrated headphone amp first.

Great point...can't wait to see wha the Dave offers directly.

 

[bigfatpaulie]

   
 
The mR seems to be doing wonders for the power supply industry and many are now offering custom PSUs for the mR.  It's hard to know what is the absolute best but the PSU that most people are waiting for before committing is the upcoming Uptone Audio LPS-1 that is supposed to start shipping in August.  It will sell for $395 USD and will be designed by John Swensen himself with the mR in mind.  As John designed the mR, I won't be surprised if this PSU ends up being the best or at least as good as the best.  It will be based on supercapacitor technology like the Chord TT.  For those interested, here is the thread on CA:
 
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f27-uptone-audio-sponsored/mystery-revealed-uptone-audio-ultracap%99-linear-power-supply-1-a-28609/

 
This is banana's - it uses FPGA's.  
 
I think this is worth the wait.  Thank you so much for pointing this out to me!!!

 

[onsionsi]

I have a curiosity if someone tried to compare the built in AMP in Dave vs MHA100 with HEK headphone.

 

[Torq]

  I have a curiosity if someone tried to compare the built in AMP in Dave vs MHA100 with HEK headphone.

 
I've listened to the MHA100 using the Mojo as a source ... which much more demanding headphones than the HEK ...
 
... and I'd take THAT over the MHA100 every time ... DAVE would be no contest at all.

 

[bigfatpaulie]

   
I've listened to the MHA100 using the Mojo as a source ... which much more demanding headphones than the HEK ...
 
... and I'd take THAT over the MHA100 every time ... DAVE would be no contest at all.

 
I firmly agree.  I had an MHA100 at home for 2 weeks on loan.  It's a very sexy looking unit from afar (a bit cheap up close) but the sound is very lackluster.  An Audio-GD Master 9 + 7 easily leaves the McIntosh behind in all regards (sonically) and the DAVE does the same to the Master stack. 
 
Maybe if you are thinking of not using the DAC and running it as a just an amp you might be a bit better off, but not likely.  The 'amp' stage in the DAVE sounds better than a GSX MKII, Pass Labs INT-30A or Moon 600i - at least to me - with HD800's, Abyss and HE6's - and I would be shocked if MHA100 could hold a candle to any of those amps.  With or without the HE1k's in the equation. 
 
I know some may disagree with me (re the 600i or other amps VS DAVE) but that's how I feel, in my experience, based on the qualities that I value.  Please, no pitchforks  It's all IMHO.  YMMV.  TTYL.  BRB.  LUVU.

 

[paulchiu]

  I have a curiosity if someone tried to compare the built in AMP in Dave vs MHA100 with HEK headphone.

 
DAVE sounds much better than the head-amp of the McIntosh MHA100.  Not close.
The Moon 430 HAD with a DAC cost less than the MHA100 and sounds better.
The Chord Hugo sounds better as well.
 
Paul

 

[romaz]

I have a curiosity if someone tried to compare the built in AMP in Dave vs MHA100 with HEK headphone.

I have good experience also with the MHA-100 and the HEK. It is like the DAVE in that it incorporates a DAC with a headphone amp but unlike the DAVE, it also incorporates a very good 50 wpc speaker amp (at 8ohms). I thought its built-in headphone amp was quite good, with rich tonality and with the use of an autoformer, you can bias it to drive any headphone load, from an 8ohm IEM to a 600ohm Beyerdynamic T1. At the lower impedance range, it will put out about 1 watt, similar to the DAVE, which will very capably drive the HEK (or Abyss).

This thing is a monstrosity, however, weighing almost 30 lbs. It also runs hot. The DAVE is a much more elegant solution. As has been suggested, the MHA100's built-in DAC is unsurpisingly not in the same league as the DAVE and its DAC sounds flat in comparison. The DAVE's headphone output, to my ears, is tonally richer, faster, more liquid and more nuanced. It's as if you're directly listening to the DAC signal (and of course, that is exactly what you're doing with the DAVE's headphone output). There is an effortless quality to the DAVE's headphone output that I have not heard matched by anything else. Of course, you could bypass the MH100's DAC and headphone amp and use the DAVE to drive its speaker amp, something to consider if you already own the MHA100 but if you're starting from scratch, at $4,500, this would not be my first choice.

 

[onsionsi]

Is it worth to consider MHA100 speaker amp over DAVE amp or still DAVE amp is better one.

 

[Torq]

  Is it worth to consider MHA100 speaker amp over DAVE amp or still DAVE amp is better one.

 
You can't drive speakers directly from DAVE.
 
I found the MHA100 to be an across-the-board poor-value product.  While opinions obviously differ, I didn't care for it driving headphones directly regardless of what was plugged into it or how the transformers were set.  Very easy to get better performance for a lot less money.
 
If you need to drive speakers, you'll definitely need an additional amp.

 

[romaz]

  Is it worth to consider MHA100 speaker amp over DAVE amp or still DAVE amp is better one.

I would agree that you can do better for your money than the MHA100 but I'm guessing you already own it.  Several MHA100 owners have similarly PM'd me who are in your situation.  If you like the way it sounds, that's what matters but if you end up getting the DAVE, I believe you will find that the DAVE outperforms it in every respect and it may become an expensive paperweight unless you find value in the speaker amp.  If you are referring to the upcoming digital amp that Rob is designing for the DAVE, no one has heard this yet except maybe for Rob.  Based on it's design and Rob's high standards, it is unlikely the MHA100 speaker amp will outperform it.

 

[miketlse]

   
You can't drive speakers directly from DAVE.
 
I found the MHA100 to be an across-the-board poor-value product.  While opinions obviously differ, I didn't care for it driving headphones directly regardless of what was plugged into it or how the transformers were set.  Very easy to get better performance for a lot less money.
 
If you need to drive speakers, you'll definitely need an additional amp.

 
Could you drive active speakers from DAVE?

 

[izzard1982]

   
Could you drive active speakers from DAVE?

Yes, I'm using it with Dynaudio X14A.

 

[paulchiu]

   
Could you drive active speakers from DAVE?

 
Sure.  There are many good sounding active speakers you can match with the DAVE, from <$1000 models by Audioengine to >$10,000 studio quality models from Genelec.
I have tried many, including the Genelec 8050B with the DAVE with terrific results.
 
You can bring your DAVE into many music chains and demo these active speakers.  The DAVE is very convenient for travel.
 
Paul

 

[miketlse]

   
You can bring your DAVE into many music chains and demo these active speakers.
 
Paul

 
I would be delighted, if I had bought a DAVE yet - mind you it would cost almost as much as the car that I travelled in.