[bigfatpaulie]

An update. I know it's been said that the Jitterbug works with DAVE, but that's plugged right into a laptop, right? Plugged between my Curious Cable and my mRendu, though, it sounded a little muffled. That sucked.

Now, way on the other end, between my NAS drive and the SonicTransport i5,the Jitterbug actually increased the overall SQ by maybe 1%. It was nice. Go figure.

I have an extra Jitterbug now. They say I can run two in a sequence. I'll try that next.

 
1%!!
 

 

 
I'm kidding of course.  At this level every iota of performance is important and I really do appreciate you sharing your findings.  I honestly mean no disrespect.  Your post made me chuckle because I so understand where you are coming from.

 

[Mojo ideas]

Hello,
Hiendplay speaking.
A friend told me about this conversation.
I am really sorry for that.
First of all no one says that we are distributors or dealers in Greece or in Cyprus. We are brokers. We are recieving products from all over the world, and our first priority is to keep our customers satisfied.
Thank you

Well perhaps you'd kindly like to broker some information about where you obtained your units out of region then, I'd happily pay you for that information.

 

[Sonic77]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73tGe3JE5IU​
 
He's online right now and waiting for his answer.
 
 
Quote:

Well perhaps you'd kindly like to broker some information about where you obtained your units out of region then, I'd happily pay you for that information.

​

 

[EVOLVIST]

   
1%!!
 

 

 
I'm kidding of course, at this level every iota of performance is important and I really do appreciate you sharing your findings.  I honestly mean no disrespect.  You post made me chuckle because so understand where you are coming from.

 
Haha! Yeah, I don't know. It's difficult to quantify these things. 0.5%? 0.75%? It made an audible difference for the positive.
 
What I really need to do is run shorter cable into my study, but I don't know if that's happening anytime soon.

 

[Sonic77]

Hey guys and gals, check this out. Dates and prices U.S. 

 
 
http://www.bluebirdmusic.com/news/chord-announces-poly-blu-mkii-and-hugo2.html

 

[Mavwong]

That's the Chord I know, I will be ordering too. Don't mind the extra options to spin CD occasionally but my main play will still be streaming.
 
 
 
Quote:

Well my dear chap Rob and I have had a few chats about this issue since The Ces Launch and together with Matt back at Chord we think we have a good solution we are scrapping the current boards still in manufacture and Rob has been designing a new main circuit board that will be going for express manufacture in the U.K. So we won't loose any time. The new board has the additional High Speed USB input circuitry you are all wanting. Yes we admit we got it wrong to omit the USB on the design as was. However we are pleased that we can announce that all production units will now come with USB input too.

 

[EVOLVIST]

Hey guys and gals, check this out. Dates and prices U.S. :bigsmile_face:


http://www.bluebirdmusic.com/news/chord-announces-poly-blu-mkii-and-hugo2.html

Very good. No mention of USB yet, but that's to be expected. Big yay!

 

[romaz]

Well perhaps you'd kindly like to broker some information about where you obtained your units out of region then, I'd happily pay you for that information.

John, here's an interesting ad by this broker on Audiogon here in the U.S. for Hugo2.  If you read through the ad, the potential buyer is made to believe Hugo2 is already shipping:
 
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/da-converters-chord-electronics-ltd-hugo-2-new-the-brand-new-dac-headphone-amp-from-chord-2017-01-29-digital-54351-marbache
 
What is interesting is they seem to have a good transaction rating with their customers but of the 12 positive feedback they have received in the past 12 months, 6 of them come from one customer who appears to be a friend of the merchant.  Red flags, for sure.

 

[romaz]

Looking to use my dave with some Omega desktop speakers , whats the best cable configuration and place to purchase ? Im looking at the 3's or 3i Im guessing the 3's would be best for desk use

 
Rodney, I would say bypass the 3 series and go for the Compact Alnico Monitor which can be custom made by Louis Chochos to fit your desk.  It is a considerable upgrade to the Super 3 or 3i.  It can be driven directly by DAVE and the pairing is a match made in heaven although you will want to find a good fast subwoofer to add to the mix.
 
As for cables, you will want to get some adapter to allow you to directly connect a pair of RCA interconnects to a pair of speaker cables.  There are many who can make you such an adapter.  There are a wealth of great cables to choose from that will sound good but it shouldn't come as any surprise if I suggest that you audition the High Fidelity Cables.  In this application, they really really shine (even their entry-level Reveal line) and HFC can also make you the adapters that you need.  Everything can be auditioned with a money back guarantee.

 

[Mavwong]

I still think galvanic iso from the very beginning will benefit most. In fact when I test the Dave, I was so impress with the sound quality I got from just using Iphone direct to DAVE, it tells us the USB input on the DAVE is really something very advance compare to other's brand DAC. And USB input quality is something I always test when I consider a DAC to purchase.
 
Please go back a year ago, understand why Dave success, other than the 160k+ tab, it is the USB input that set Dave apart from other DAC in the market.
 
As with my own experiment, pc source RF is really something need to avoid, thus galvanic iso on the USB input for the Blu2 would be as important as with be on the Dave.
 
Mav
 
 
Quote:

  Here's more information regarding Blu Mk2 that may be helpful for some to know.  
 
Blu Mk2 will have both a USB and BNC/SPDIF input.  I was afraid USB would be replacing BNC/SPDIF and this will not be the case.  While I'm not sure I would use the BNC/SPDIF input, I believe it's good to have options and the more digital inputs, the better.
 
Neither the USB nor the BNC/SPDIF input will be galvanically isolated.  Rob has stated that this is because the DX outputs will already be galvanically isolated and there's no need to have them at the inputs also.  What this means is that only when paired with DAVE will Blu Mk2 (or M-scaler) offer galvanic isolation since only DAVE has DX connections.  Perhaps, another reason to buy the DAVE instead of Hugo2 (or any other DAC) for those interested in an M-scaler.

 

[romaz]

 
I still think galvanic iso from the very beginning will benefit most. In fact when I test the Dave, I was so impress with the sound quality I got from just using Iphone direct to DAVE, it tells us the USB input on the DAVE is really something very advance compare to other's brand DAC. And USB input quality is something I always test when I consider a DAC to purchase.
 
As with my own experiment, pc source RF is really something need to avoid, thus galvanic iso on the USB input for the Blu2 would be as important as with be on the Dave.
 
Mav

 
I'm sure people who buy a Blu2 and who own a DAVE will test your theory out by applying their favorite isolation techniques and draw their conclusions.  I have thought about this also which is why I posed the question to Rob.
 
Rob's response was that as long as you have galvanic isolation before you hit the analog stage, you will be fine and as I look back at my own experiences, I would have to agree.
 
People on other forums talk about the significant impact of network isolation transformers, optical FMCs, leakage current produced by the PSUs that power the music server, Intona, etc., and I have to say that I have gone through all of these things and they have had a minimal impact at best, certainly nothing so great where I have felt them to be necessary or of high value and so I have removed all such devices from my setup.  I believe that is how good DAVE's galvanic isolation is on USB.
 
With Blu Mk2, galvanic isolation will still occur before the signal hits DAVE in the same way as DAVE's USB input.   The benefit of having galvanic isolation at the DX outputs is that it benefits all the inputs including CD playback.  It further strips away RF introduced by M-scaler's 10A switching PSU.  And so with Blu Mk2, as I have thought about it, the only benefit USB will probably have over the SPDIF input will be convenience and a more simplified chain for those of us who don't want to be bothered by a USB-to-SPDIF converter as well as bandwidth since Blu Mk2's USB input will be capable of DXD and DSD512 playback.  
 
Obviously, this galvanic isolation applies only when connected to DAVE.

 

[jelt2359]

   
I'm sure people who buy a Blu2 and who own a DAVE will test your theory out by applying their favorite isolation techniques and draw their conclusions.  I have thought about this also which is why I posed the question to Rob.
 
Rob's response was that as long as you have galvanic isolation before you hit the analog stage, you will be fine and as I look back at my own experiences, I would have to agree.
 
People on other forums talk about the significant impact of network isolation transformers, optical FMCs, leakage current produced by the PSUs that power the music server, Intona, etc., and I have to say that I have gone through all of these things and they have had a minimal impact at best, certainly nothing so great where I have felt them to be necessary or of high value and so I have removed all such devices from my setup.  I believe that is how good DAVE's galvanic isolation is on USB.
 
With Blu Mk2, galvanic isolation will still occur before the signal hits DAVE in the same way as DAVE's USB input.   The benefit of having galvanic isolation at the DX outputs is that it benefits all the inputs including CD playback.  It further strips away RF introduced by M-scaler's 10A switching PSU.  And so with Blu Mk2, as I have thought about it, the only benefit USB will probably have over the SPDIF input will be convenience and a more simplified chain for those of us who don't want to be bothered by a USB-to-SPDIF converter as well as bandwidth since Blu Mk2's USB input will be capable of DXD and DSD512 playback.  
 
Obviously, this galvanic isolation applies only when connected to DAVE.

 
BTW I'm a bit confused, does this mean the Dave must use DX inputs to make full use of the Blu2? Not a problem, but I was under the impression the Dave only had DX Outputs. Which of the inputs is this DX Input, if we cycle through the Dave's input menu?
 
Edit: Yes I just checked the manual (http://www.chordelectronics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Dave-User-Manual.pdf) page 2, and it definitely says 4x DX Digital Outputs. I don't see any DX Digital Inputs...

 

[romaz]

   
BTW I'm a bit confused, does this mean the Dave must use DX inputs to make full use of the Blu2? Not a problem, but I was under the impression the Dave only had DX Outputs. Which of the inputs is this DX Input, if we cycle through the Dave's input menu?

Yes, DAVE must use M-scaler's dual DX connectors to achieve 1M taps and only DAVE has such connectors which is why I find it curious that people are writing off the DAVE as a "has been" or as "obsolete" with the arrival of M-scaler when only DAVE can fully harness M-scaler's power.  DAVE's 4 DX connectors can be used as inputs or outputs.  One scenario would be two for M-scaler and two for monoblock digital amps.  I suppose you could use two for Blu2 and two for Davina.  At least, this has been my understanding.

 

[jelt2359]

 
I still think galvanic iso from the very beginning will benefit most. In fact when I test the Dave, I was so impress with the sound quality I got from just using Iphone direct to DAVE, it tells us the USB input on the DAVE is really something very advance compare to other's brand DAC. And USB input quality is something I always test when I consider a DAC to purchase.
 
As with my own experiment, pc source RF is really something need to avoid, thus galvanic iso on the USB input for the Blu2 would be as important as with be on the Dave.
 
Mav

I also echo this. Just need to replicate the USB port design from the Dave.

 

[romaz]

  I also echo this. Just need to replicate the USB port design from the Dave.

 
I believe you missed what I said about Rob's reasoning on why he didn't include galvanic isolation at this input on Blu2.  It's probably a bit premature to be thinking we know more than Rob about where galvanic isolation should be placed on Blu2.