[dmance]

Looks like I will have my DAVE within 2 weeks. I ordered black butsilver is shipping now so I made the switch. I liked them both about the same. Can't wait!

I would love to hear some more real world experience of running high efficiency speakers direct from the DAVE.
...
Any other experience or tips on running speakers directly from the DAVE would be appreciated. Thanks!

My Hugo2 can drive my 99dB Voxativ DIY speakers just fine. Full transparency ...although l tell you that after 15minutes you will notice a thinness in the lows and overall weakness. Im sure Dave alone will sound great ...but you will want a external amp to gain the benefit of more power and a PSU that can drive current. Or wait until CES when the Chord Boys may announce their digital amp.

 

[dguitarnut]

Looks like I will have my DAVE within 2 weeks. I ordered black but silver is shipping now so I made the switch. I liked them both about the same. Can't wait!

I would love to hear some more real world experience of running high efficiency speakers direct from the DAVE. My current listening is about 50:50 headphones (Focal Utopia) vs speakers. My current speaker rig is KEF LS50/Wyred 4 Sound mAMP monoblocks/REL T/7i sub. This is a desktop setup with the LS50's in a nearfield arrangement. I am quite happy with the LS50's but if they can be improved (and simplified) for similar money that I could net from selling my current speaker rig I am definitely interested. Would love to discuss the following questions:

1. What speaker brands and models have been successfully used direct from the DAVE that are suitable for a desktop setting?
2. How are they wired? It looks like a BNC adapter to speaker binding posts adapter is needed. i see cheap ones available on Amazon. Does anyone have a source for higher quality adapters?
3. I also have a Decware Taboo Mk. III that can deliver about 2 wpc into 8 ohms from its speaker taps. I could use that also to power high efficiency speakers but I imagine better results are achieved going direct from the DAVE. Keeping the Decware in my system would also provide the advantage of continuing to have access to a high quality tube headphone amp as a counterpoint to the DAVE headphone amp.

Any other experience or tips on running speakers directly from the DAVE would be appreciated. Thanks!

I prefer silver all the way! Matches my Pass Labs Int-60 amp and LUMIN U-1 streamer. Sounds superb thru my Magico S1MK2 speakers.
Larry

 

[Jawed]

If the power pulse array (digital amp) is likely to be released within a year and you want to drive high-efficiency speakers, then honestly you should seriously consider Blu 2 + digital amp instead of DAVE + digital amp. Both combinations will end up costing about the same as each other and the former will sound way better and will drive headphones.

Of course, you will likely get a good deal trading a DAVE for a Blu 2 when you buy the digital amp. So money lost on owning DAVE short-term shouldn't be hideous.

Operative word: If

Normal speakers might require two of the digital amp as it was originally described as about 20W per channel stereo (or 70W mono). It's been so long since Rob said much about it, that it's fair to assume plans are quite different now from the outline ideas given before.

Now playing: Sketch Show - Chronograph

 

[ray-dude]

If the power pulse array (digital amp) is likely to be released within a year and you want to drive high-efficiency speakers, then honestly you should seriously consider Blu 2 + digital amp instead of DAVE + digital amp. Both combinations will end up costing about the same as each other and the former will sound way better and will drive headphones.

Of course, you will likely get a good deal trading a DAVE for a Blu 2 when you buy the digital amp. So money lost on owning DAVE short-term shouldn't be hideous.

Operative word: If

Normal speakers might require two of the digital amp as it was originally described as about 20W per channel stereo (or 70W mono). It's been so long since Rob said much about it, that it's fair to assume plans are quite different now from the outline ideas given before.

Now playing: Sketch Show - Chronograph

I still am confused about the preferred topology with the digital amps. DAVE is effectively the pre amp in the stack. Doesn't make sense to push the preamp portion of the stack or the mScaler portion to the digital amp, since it would be replicated in any sort of multi-amp scenario. If you have the Blu2/Davina upstream for the mScaler and the digital amp downstream for the final D to A stage and amp stage, then DAVE is relegated to being a preamp/input selector and offering a taps boost to the pipeline (and support for all the inputs it already supports)

My best guess is that the full stack will be a combination of Blu2/Davina + DAVE + Digital Amp(s), at least until a Blu3/Davina2 comes along that collapses the DAVE into one box.

 

[Jozurr]

Does everyone keep their Dave on all the time? What output is better, se or balanced?

 

[dguitarnut]

I use balanced cause my balanced cables are better than my SE cables and actually sound better.
My Iggy i left on all the time but since I got the Dave I turn off my whole system because I can and want to lol

 

[Mediahound]

Does everyone keep their Dave on all the time? What output is better, se or balanced?

I use balanced cause my balanced cables are better than my SE cables and actually sound better.
My Iggy i left on all the time but since I got the Dave I turn off my whole system because I can and want to lol

The DAVE is a single-ended DAC so that should technically sound a bit better because you're closer to the DAC and the output stage is not having to go through additional circuitry converting to balanced output.

If however you're connecting to a balanced amp, you should probably used balanced since most balanced amps that also have single-ended sound better running balanced in mode.

 

[SuperDuke]

Does everyone keep their Dave on all the time? What output is better, se or balanced?

I don't keep DAVE on all the time just b/c of occasional PM thunderstorms. I used Balanced outputs with the Eddie Current BA - the 6V output was nice when driving hard to drive HPs -more headroom. I am using the SE output w/ the Ayon HA3 45 based amp and it sounds excellent.

 

[paulchiu]

Does everyone keep their Dave on all the time? What output is better, se or balanced?

On 24/7
Use Chord remote to turn on
Use SE

 

[jlbrach]

mine is on standby all the time as is my blu 2

 

[Mediahound]

FWIW- Rob Watts has stated the Chord DACs are impervious to jitter caused in other DACs by not being warmed up. I see no reason to leave it on all the time other than for convenience. I'll usually turn mine off unless I know I will use it again within 12 hours.

 

[Jawed]

I still am confused about the preferred topology with the digital amps. DAVE is effectively the pre amp in the stack. Doesn't make sense to push the preamp portion of the stack or the mScaler portion to the digital amp, since it would be replicated in any sort of multi-amp scenario. If you have the Blu2/Davina upstream for the mScaler and the digital amp downstream for the final D to A stage and amp stage, then DAVE is relegated to being a preamp/input selector and offering a taps boost to the pipeline (and support for all the inputs it already supports)

My best guess is that the full stack will be a combination of Blu2/Davina + DAVE + Digital Amp(s), at least until a Blu3/Davina2 comes along that collapses the DAVE into one box.

The original description of the power pulse array was that it would take 16FS inputs (705,600Hz or 768,000Hz) and have a headphone output.

With Blu2 (or Davina) you get 16FS outputs that are directly compatible with the power pulse array. DAVE can't "add taps".

Volume control is undoubtedly a question mark if there's a pair of power pulse arrays in mono mode. Before Blu2 came along, DAVE would have controlled volume. DAVE does have two pairs of BNC outpus that were originally planned to drive a pair of mono amps.

With Blu2 feeding DAVE and then feeding the amp, all DAVE can do is control the volume. With two amps, simultaneous control of volume should be a simple communication problem, e.g. one amp gets the dual-BNC input from Blu2, then outputs a dual-BNC signal to the other amp.

Now playing: Arne Domnérus and Gustaf Sjökvist - Almighty God

 

[ray-dude]

Forgive the short hand. I was alluding to the 2nd stage WTA filter:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-dave.766517/page-204#post-12596126

Agreed that there are very few DSP cores post 16FS stage, which could all end up in the digital amp.

In noodling some more, another scenario is that the the digital amp is packaged as the DAVE2, an all in one devices (multi inputs, volume control, display panel, etc) with 20/70W output, with a separate digital amp that is a slave device to the original DAVE (single device for stereo or 2 for bridged mode) or slave to DAVE2 for people running in bridge mode.

I am signed up for the Huge2 demo tour. I'm looking forward to doing some critical evaluation of the BluDave vs BluHugo2 vs LonelyDave vs LonelyHugo2. Based on that, I'll sort out what I should do with my DAVE: swap it out for an H2 now then retire the H2 to my work office (headphones only) when the digital amp ships, or hold onto the DAVE, and retire it to my work office when the time comes. Either way, seriously first world problems to be working through

 

[Triode User]

Forgive the short hand. I was alluding to the 2nd stage WTA filter:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-dave.766517/page-204#post-12596126

Agreed that there are very few DSP cores post 16FS stage, which could all end up in the digital amp.

In noodling some more, another scenario is that the the digital amp is packaged as the DAVE2, an all in one devices (multi inputs, volume control, display panel, etc) with 20/70W output, with a separate digital amp that is a slave device to the original DAVE (single device for stereo or 2 for bridged mode) or slave to DAVE2 for people running in bridge mode.

I am signed up for the Huge2 demo tour. I'm looking forward to doing some critical evaluation of the BluDave vs BluHugo2 vs LonelyDave vs LonelyHugo2. Based on that, I'll sort out what I should do with my DAVE: swap it out for an H2 now then retire the H2 to my work office (headphones only) when the digital amp ships, or hold onto the DAVE, and retire it to my work office when the time comes. Either way, seriously first world problems to be working through

In your wish list you forget that there are those of us who prefer monobloc amps so that we can get the amps as close as possible to the speakers.

It will be interesting to see what you think of bluhugo compared to bludave. I am guessing the difference will be similar to the difference between dave and hugo2, in other words quite a lot.

 

[ray-dude]

I have relatively demanding speakers (B&W 802d3's) so I'll definitely be running monoblocks, at least until the Goliath version of the digital amp is ready (I have no idea how Rob's amp topology scales with power, or how easy/hard/practical a 300W variant will be).

Thankfully, I know a guy that will have *really* early access to the digital amp, and he has B&W 803d3's (basically same load on the amps), so I'm eager to get his reports on how they do with the digital amp running in bridged 70W mode

My current hypothesis, based on nothing except the DAVE block diagram and Rob's explanation of the similarity of the output stage of the Hugo2 to the DAVE, is that BluDave and BluHugo2 will be very close. Damn excited to have all the kit in the same room with the same music with the same speakers and headphones with me sipping the same bourbon. For those around San Diego, drop a line and we'll arrange a listening party (date TBD...patiently waiting for the loaner Hugo2 and my Blu2)