[miketlse]

I'm going to give it about 200hrs burn in time, which I'm sure is overkill (maybe) before I give it a listen. 

 
If you don't listen until after 200hrs burn in, how will you be able to know if the burn in has any effect?
 
You need to listen at zero hours, for the baseline, and then again after 200 hours, then you can compare the two sounds.
Of course there is always the risk that if you detect no sound difference, you will always feel that you have wasted 200 hours, when you could have been listening to and enjoying your DAVE. 

 

[x RELIC x]

My DAVE will come in tomorrow.

I'm going to give it about 200hrs burn in time, which I'm sure is overkill (maybe) before I give it a listen. I was shocked, though, that the last amp I purchased I gave 400hrs burn in and it didn't change one bit. My iDSD micro sure changed after about 300hrs.

Anyway, when I get the DAVE in I'll order 4 BRs. If I don't find enough of a change I can always set them under my computer tower to be on the safe side, since the tower occupies the same desk (from Ikea) that my PS300 and current DAC resides.

I've been contemplating getting a BPT balanced isolation transformer to go between my wall jack and my PS300 Power Plant, but I'm really not sure if it will do any good, since the PS300 turns the juice into a nice and clean sine wave. Being that the DAVE is galvanically isolated, I'm not sure there's much I can do. I might use the bread on some upgraded power cables, instead.

I'm really vibing on the KISS method for this rig. After all, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

Why deprive yourself? Surely you'll miss out on 200hrs brain burn in.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/766517/chord-electronics-dave/3525#post_12709179

 

[EVOLVIST]

Hmmmm...maybe I will take a different approach this time and just play away. I don't know. But I always do give a piece of gear a listen before I start burn in.

If it had not been a federal holiday, today, I would have had my DAVE today! Bummer.

 

[EVOLVIST]

Why deprive yourself? Surely you'll miss out on 200hrs brain burn in.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/766517/chord-electronics-dave/3525#post_12709179

This is very convincing. Besides, how will I tell if there is really any change after I get the BRs if I'm not already listening? Additionally, my wife really needs to hear this to believe it.

 

[MacedonianHero]

I actually thought the Yggdrasil didn't sound great when I demod it for two days. I was very unimpressed, was very unrefined sounding and a bit closed in sounding when used for two channel speakers. I was planning on replacing a naim DAC in my office with the Yggdrasil but it went back after two days, I think my mojo even sounds more refined and has better separation with less grain sound than the Yggdrasil.

 
I haven't A-B'd my Mojo to the Yggy, but like you, I wasn't impressed with the Schiit DAC either.

 

[tunes]

I am in the process of assembling the best amp/DAC set up at home for my Hifiman HE 1000 and thinking about pairing the McIntosh MA 100 with a higher level DAC such as the Schiit Yggdrasil versus adding a Bricasti M1 versus going solo with the Chord Dave and no amp? Can anyone who has auditioned the HEK with one of these set ups give me an opinion. Once I spend this much on a system it must be my last upgrade! Thanks

 

[smodtactical]

   
I haven't A-B'd my Mojo to the Yggy, but like you, I wasn't impressed with the Schiit DAC either.

Wow, its pretty uncommon to see someone who doesn't like Yggy. I guess maybe its not the godlike dac for the money many claim it is.

 

[pkcpga]

I am in the process of assembling the best amp/DAC set up at home for my Hifiman HE 1000 and thinking about pairing the McIntosh MA 100 with a higher level DAC such as the Schiit Yggdrasil versus adding a Bricasti M1 versus going solo with the Chord Dave and no amp? Can anyone who has auditioned the HEK with one of these set ups give me an opinion. Once I spend this much on a system it must be my last upgrade! Thanks

I don't have hifiman he1000 but I've listened to two of the three listed and choose the Dave, the schiit Yggdrasil is not nearly in the same league as the Dave. I even preferred a similarly priced naim DAC that's older than the Yggdrasil. If you listen to classical music the Yggdrasil has a certain grainy sound and unrefined sound that turned me off to it very quickly. I'd definitely demo it before considering it. I use the Dave's internal amp for my headphones the utopia, hd800, lcd3 and grado gs1000. It powers them very well and sounds great. I'd personally go for the better DAC and if you decide to pick up a separate amp later, I didn't, you can demo the amp with your DAC to make sure the sound combo works for you. I wanted to try the bricasti m1 but surprisingly I live near where they're made but there is no dealers near me. Good luck, I'd demo the Yggdrasil before buying, same with the Dave, I love it but it is a transparent DAC so it doesn't make poor recording sound better, but good recordings really shine.

 

[MacedonianHero]

  Wow, its pretty uncommon to see someone who doesn't like Yggy. I guess maybe its not the godlike dac for the money many claim it is.

My friend wasn't a fan and he sold it after a few months...he was far more let down than me. 

 

[bigfatpaulie]

I am in the process of assembling the best amp/DAC set up at home for my Hifiman HE 1000 and thinking about pairing the McIntosh MA 100 with a higher level DAC such as the Schiit Yggdrasil versus adding a Bricasti M1 versus going solo with the Chord Dave and no amp? Can anyone who has auditioned the HEK with one of these set ups give me an opinion. Once I spend this much on a system it must be my last upgrade! Thanks

 
I don't care for the Yggy at all so a system with that as the root wouldn't be my choice.  The M1 is excellent and the Dave is much better.
 
That said, the cost of each DAC is more than the last: what kind of amp were you thinking of using with the M1?  
 
As much as I love the DAVE the M1, either right out of it, or through an amp, has a lot of merit especially when preference is taken into account. 

 

[isquirrel]

  Thanks, Simon.  You are the expert in mechanical isolation and so I will see what you have to say about the Vortex footers.  
 
The Black Raviolis have no magnetic properties.  I know since I inadvertently damaged one and so I cut it in half to see what was inside.  Just to be sure, I tested one with my Trifield Broadband meter this evening and the Black Raviolis exhibit no magnetic properties.  It's possible Scott was referring to overdampening which can happen if dampening is overdone.  

 
The Black Ravioli's I have are quite different to yours, I was looking through Scott's old emails and maybe I read into incorrectly but I am pretty sure in conversation he mentioned that there was some property of the ones I have that would interfere with the DAC's clock if placed underneath. Hmm, doesn't matter as I don't use them. However I am curious.
 

 

[onsionsi]

 I am in the process of assembling the best amp/DAC set up at home for my Hifiman HE 1000 and thinking about pairing the McIntosh MA 100 with a higher level DAC such as the Schiit Yggdrasil versus adding a Bricasti M1 versus going solo with the Chord Dave and no amp? Can anyone who has auditioned the HEK with one of these set ups give me an opinion. Once I spend this much on a system it must be my last upgrade! Thanks

I tried HEK with Mojo first and then i purchased the MHA100
In fact i was very impressed with MHA100 when it extract the beauty of HEK, then i saw many reviewers praised the Mojo DAC over MHA100 built in DAC so i don't hesitate to try out the Mojo with MHA100 and HEK, what i got was more clarity, details and smoothness.
So, i'm sure there will be an enhancement in high end DAC that you mentioned it.

 

[lovethatsound]

I am in the process of assembling the best amp/DAC set up at home for my Hifiman HE 1000 and thinking about pairing the McIntosh MA 100 with a higher level DAC such as the Schiit Yggdrasil versus adding a Bricasti M1 versus going solo with the Chord Dave and no amp? Can anyone who has auditioned the HEK with one of these set ups give me an opinion. Once I spend this much on a system it must be my last upgrade! Thanks

Romaz and Jazz both use the he1000 with their Dave,I'm sure if you pm them,they would help you out.☺

 

[Christer]

   
The Black Ravioli's I have are quite different to yours, I was looking through Scott's old emails and maybe I read into incorrectly but I am pretty sure in conversation he mentioned that there was some property of the ones I have that would interfere with the DAC's clock if placed underneath. Hmm, doesn't matter as I don't use them. However I am curious.
 

Neither  a bag of lentils, or  rice nor the  Scotch brites which I keep under my Hugo, will interfere with any clocks. But  will provide all isolation needed.
Sometimes I have to laugh out loud, at the expenses and super expensive  materials some people seem to need before their vanity and bragging rights are satisfied.
Do any of you guys ever listen to music for music ´s sake?

 

[Christer]

My DAVE will come in tomorrow.

I'm going to give it about 200hrs burn in time, which I'm sure is overkill (maybe) before I give it a listen. I was shocked, though, that the last amp I purchased I gave 400hrs burn in and it didn't change one bit. My iDSD micro sure changed after about 300hrs.

Anyway, when I get the DAVE in I'll order 4 BRs. If I don't find enough of a change I can always set them under my computer tower to be on the safe side, since the tower occupies the same desk (from Ikea) that my PS300 and current DAC resides.

I've been contemplating getting a BPT balanced isolation transformer to go between my wall jack and my PS300 Power Plant, but I'm really not sure if it will do any good, since the PS300 turns the juice into a nice and clean sine wave. Being that the DAVE is galvanically isolated, I'm not sure there's much I can do. I might use the bread on some upgraded power cables, instead.

I'm really vibing on the KISS method for this rig. After all, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

Absolutely right approach imo. Do give it at least 200 hours of burn in before listening to it. And equally important, don´t forget to walk anti-clockwise around it at a full moon 200 times too.
Otherwise you might end up very  very disappointed.