CHORD ELECTRONICS DAVE

[supabayes]

I think you will still need a phone to control the module by app (no screen and controls), but no cord!

Good point. I didn't think about it

 

[ecwl]

On a completely different topic, there has been some DAVE and non-DAVE owners wanting MQA support for DAVE. Not sure how necessary that would be. I just listened to some MQA files from Tidal through DAVE using the Tidal app for Windows. Works fine for me. Mostly 88kHz (Beyonce/2L/Bruno Mars) or 96kHz (The Doors/Buena Vista Social Club) files I presume. Not even sure how much better it really is. Even through the Mojo, the regular 44kHz files sound pretty good to start with.

 

[esimms86]

Since I don't play CDs anymore and the Blu Mk II has no USB input, just BNC, I'd take a pass for now. Can't wait for people to review it here. May change my mind later.

I was hoping for a USB input as well but I'm sure that inputting red book(at least 98% of my library) via BNC should still be satisfying enough to get people to open their wallets.

 

[romaz]

Since I don't play CDs anymore and the Blu Mk II has no USB input, just BNC, I'd take a pass for now. Can't wait for people to review it here. May change my mind later.

This is where this device can come in handy.  It was made with Chord DACs in mind:
 
http://www.audiophilleo.com/Audiophilleo1/SpecialEdition

 

[romaz]

1 million taps was almost an utopi for
6 month ago according to Rob , and with that spec we are near to be able to reconstruct the perfect wavelengths if this news is true.

Looking forward for the first impressions!

So next year we will see a Coral series streamer with 1 million taps instead of the Blu- CD MKII i can assume, or what is your prediction?

It seems Rob can make anything happen!

 

[romaz]

Do you get access to the 1 million taps without listening to CD's? Or is it only when using the CD player?

Yes!  The M-scaler works with the BNC input also.

 

[romaz]

  On a completely different topic, there has been some DAVE and non-DAVE owners wanting MQA support for DAVE. Not sure how necessary that would be. I just listened to some MQA files from Tidal through DAVE using the Tidal app for Windows. Works fine for me. Mostly 88kHz (Beyonce/2L/Bruno Mars) or 96kHz (The Doors/Buena Vista Social Club) files I presume. Not even sure how much better it really is. Even through the Mojo, the regular 44kHz files sound pretty good to start with.

This is a good question.  With previous presentations, I wasn't so impressed but at RMAF a few months ago, I heard a wonderful MQA presentation through the MSB Select II, good enough that I am wondering the same thing.  Rob should be able to evaluate MQA for himself at CES.  He had previously suggested he would be possible to implement.

 

[ecwl]

I don't know what impressed me more, how fast Rob Watts was able to put together a 1 million tap Blu Mk II, the first time Chord's CD transport actually has more taps than their top of the line DAC, or the fact that they slapped together Hugo 2 so quickly. I know some of the improvements were achievable due to Xilinx 7 technology. But the Hugo 2 not only has 49152 taps but also has 10 element pulse array DAC, instead of 4 elements. That said, it's hard to know what all of it really means. Mojo has double the taps as Hugo but runs at half the speed so there's marketing speak and then there's how the product sound. I think I would only be upset if I bought the Hugo TT recently and the Hugo 2 sounds better.

 

[Deftone]

I think I would only be upset if I bought the Hugo TT recently and the Hugo 2 sounds better.

I know I'd be upset if I'd recently bought a TT because chances are it will sound better

 

[maxh22]

I know I'd be upset if I'd recently bought a TT because chances are it will sound better

The legup that the TT has over the Hugo 2 is galvanic isolation and supercapacitors. The Hugo 2 has more processing power though.
 
You could fix the galvanic isolation problem with an Intona but the second one is more debatable .

 

[romaz]

  I don't know what impressed me more, how fast Rob Watts was able to put together a 1 million tap Blu Mk II, the first time Chord's CD transport actually has more taps than their top of the line DAC, or the fact that they slapped together Hugo 2 so quickly. I know some of the improvements were achievable due to Xilinx 7 technology. But the Hugo 2 not only has 49152 taps but also has 10 element pulse array DAC, instead of 4 elements. That said, it's hard to know what all of it really means. Mojo has double the taps as Hugo but runs at half the speed so there's marketing speak and then there's how the product sound. I think I would only be upset if I bought the Hugo TT recently and the Hugo 2 sounds better.

The Blu Mk II cannot do 1 million TAPS without the DAVE.  This is what makes the DAVE  and this pairing even more special.  This will be the first time the DAVE will be allowed to really flex its muscle.

 

[ecwl]

  The Blu Mk II cannot do 1 million TAPS without the DAVE.  This is what makes the DAVE  and this pairing even more special.  This will be the first time the DAVE will be allowed to really flex its muscle.

Hmmm... I actually don't think that's totally true. In fact, I think if you want, you can pair the Blu Mk II with an MSB Select or Berkeley Alpha Reference DAC with 354kHz 24-bit upsampled music, I think. That said, I don't think there's a way to get 704kHz 24-bit music from the Blu Mk II without DAVE. Now, I presume you'll only end up using say 750,000 taps to get upsampling to 354kHz 24-bit and the other 250,000 taps are used to get to 704kHz 24-bit? Not sure. I don't really understand how this math works. So I think Romaz is right but not exactly...

 

[romaz]

  Hmmm... I actually don't think that's totally true. In fact, I think if you want, you can pair the Blu Mk II with an MSB Select or Berkeley Alpha Reference DAC with 354kHz 24-bit upsampled music, I think. That said, I don't think there's a way to get 704kHz 24-bit music from the Blu Mk II without DAVE. Now, I presume you'll only end up using say 750,000 taps to get upsampling to 354kHz 24-bit and the other 250,000 taps are used to get to 704kHz 24-bit? Not sure. I don't really understand how this math works. So I think Romaz is right but not exactly...

You can pair the Blu Mk II with any DAC but only with the DAVE's DX inputs can you get 1 million TAPS.  
 
DAVE's DX connections will play an especially prominent role in 2017 as Blu Mk 2, Davina and the upcoming digital amp will require these connections to reach full potential.  Again, this will be the year where the DAVE will really be able to show what it can do.

 

[Sonic77]

Are there any prices out on these items?

 

[romaz]

  Hmmm... I actually don't think that's totally true. In fact, I think if you want, you can pair the Blu Mk II with an MSB Select or Berkeley Alpha Reference DAC with 354kHz 24-bit upsampled music, I think. That said, I don't think there's a way to get 704kHz 24-bit music from the Blu Mk II without DAVE. Now, I presume you'll only end up using say 750,000 taps to get upsampling to 354kHz 24-bit and the other 250,000 taps are used to get to 704kHz 24-bit? Not sure. I don't really understand how this math works. So I think Romaz is right but not exactly...

 
Upon re-reading your post, I understand it better.  Could the Blu Mk II do more than 164,000 TAPS with another DAC (like the MSB Select or even a Mojo)?  This would be interesting if it did as the combo would effectively be superior to DAVE by itself.  It would also give non-Chord DACs the potential to be better than the DAVE and so it would be very surprising to me if that's the case.  I will know more tomorrow as I will get to hear the Blu Mk II for myself at CES 

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