CHORD ELECTRONICS DAVE

[Jiffi32]

The Audio Barn in the UK has taken delivery of DAVE
 
 
https://twitter.com/theaudiobarn/status/673886301918273536

 

[smial1966]

How very odd that they didn't take a photo of DAVE but just uploaded a box picture with a Chord amplifier (?) stacked below it.

The Audio Barn in the UK has taken delivery of DAVE


https://twitter.com/theaudiobarn/status/673886301918273536

 

[ecwl]

Probably because the unit is spoken for as preorders are going crazy. So they probably don't want to open up a customer's unit...

 

[smial1966]

I guess so, wonder why they've been prioritised to receive preordered stock, as to my knowledge no other UK Chord dealer has DAVE yet.

Probably because the unit is spoken for as preorders are going crazy. So they probably don't want to open up a customer's unit...

 

[highendhifi]

I guess so, wonder why they've been prioritised to receive preordered stock, as to my knowledge no other UK Chord dealer has DAVE yet.

I understand from my dealer that they are reviewing stock now. My dealer ordered two way back at Munich. Apparently a dealer from Singapore (not a distributor!) ordered 40..,,

 

[smial1966]

Paul from hifilounge sent me this yesterday -

"Chord are definitely building them now and they are pretty confident they will get all UK orders completed before Christmas so it is looking good".

- so fingers crossed that everything goes according to plan.

I understand from my dealer that they are reviewing stock now. My dealer ordered two way back at Munich. Apparently a dealer from Singapore (not a distributor!) ordered 40..,,

 

[highendhifi]

Awesome! I will have to wait until the new year to buffer the MB2SE's arriving this week but hope everyone who has ordered receives theirs before Christmas that would be a great present!
Anyone have a view on cable terminations, OT? Atlas Mavros on their way, had their Z plugs before but dealer says spades are the way to go?

 

[Mython]

Awesome! I will have to wait until the new year to buffer the MB2SE's arriving this week

 

Spoiler: Off-Topic

 
Are PMC trying to take credit for the so-called 'Radical' bass drivers? As most people are aware, Volt have been producing bass drivers with a front exoskeleton for many years, now, so PMC were hardly the first, AFAIK...

 

[Beolab]

One hour seminar of the MQA Format in short. You are going to be able to play it with an ordinary DAC , but to get max out of the format you need the silicon and the software to be able to handle MQA, and i hope this don't gonna be like one grand for this upgrade in cost for the DAVE .

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cxyvVXPmJ0o&feature=youtu.be

 

[Kamil21]

Just now I had an opportunity to listen to Dave in Kuala Lumpur at an event with Rob Watts hosted by Centre Circle Audio. After the event, they had a live acoustic band playing.

I used a pair of Sennheiser ie800, and was listening to the music while the band played in the background. Despite the difference in room acoustic of the live band, it was plainly obvious to me that the Dave was giving me the closest approximation to live music ( separation and timing wise) of any other Dac that I can recall.

 

[DaveRedRef-III]

Thanks for the link Beolab.
 
It seems to me that regardless of whether the protocol is taken up in a meaningful way by the big vendors, the lasting legacy of Bobs Stuarts work will potentially be in the recording studio itself, affecting future recordings. I am sure there will be remasters of all material that can commercially warrant the cost if the protocol runs but it will be in the studio that he will more likely find strong and swift adoption if the quality claims are true. It doesn't need to be a hardware based solution either, from what I have read. A software multi-track VST plug-in for DAWs would seem an obvious route to market. It would allow studio mixing and mastering engineers the opportunity to try it out via download and twiddle with the timing correction to their hearts content. If Meridian were a new player I would be skeptical about their claims but Meridian has been in the top 10% of the high-end sector for decades and I do not think they have ever made wild claims.
 
As for adoption of the protocol by Chord and other manufacturers of high end playback equipment its a bit of a chicken and the egg as usual because nobody wants to adopt something that will ultimately fail. However if it significantly enhances digital performance then holding back on adoption would hurt the manufacturer and their customers. It may be a little early yet but I can see this having at least a chance of succeeding as an audiophile protocol if only because of the download and hard disk limitations we currently have at the high-end. If MQA sounds better and saves you time and money, whats not to like? Commercial politics would appear to be the only obstacle.................but then again that should never be underestimated.

 

[Christer]

Who needs compression and data reduction?
There is already MP3 if you prefer your music compromised .

 

[Kamil21]

Quick review follow up.

One other consideration is that Dave does not have the analytical clarity of say, the DcS Scarlatti which many may prefer. What it does have is the feel of analog master tape (most of the recording samples were originally from tape anyway), or in my view real life sound.Through the Sennheisers listening to Roger Waters' , Amused to Death, I certainly had a feel that I was listening through a live feed of a 'dummy head' recording.
 
The DcS will give you a perspective of a recording from 'where the microphone is', but Dave will give you more of a 'listener' seating perspective. Almost like the difference between listening to a multitrack as opposed to a simply miked on location recording. Which one is the more accurate can only be validated in the studio. Also, the Dave has a very NOS kind of sound... which is surprising considering how the two technologies differ.
 
I did not have the opportunity to listen to the Dave through speakers, but the use of my own ie800 allowed me to do a more controlled comparison. As a Hugo owner, I was still feeling somewhat lacking compared to many top of the line DACs which I own and have owned. The Dave has bridged that gap for sure.

 

[Sonic77]

  Quick review follow up.

One other consideration is that Dave does not have the analytical clarity of say, the DcS Scarlatti which many may prefer. What it does have is the feel of analog master tape (most of the recording samples were originally from tape anyway), or in my view real life sound.Through the Sennheisers listening to Roger Waters' , Amused to Death, I certainly had a feel that I was listening through a live feed of a 'dummy head' recording.
 
The DcS will give you a perspective of a recording from 'where the microphone is', but Dave will give you more of a 'listener' seating perspective. Almost like the difference between listening to a multitrack as opposed to a simply miked on location recording. Which one is the more accurate can only be validated in the studio. Also, the Dave has a very NOS kind of sound... which is surprising considering how the two technologies differ.
 
I did not have the opportunity to listen to the Dave through speakers, but the use of my own ie800 allowed me to do a more controlled comparison. As a Hugo owner, I was still feeling somewhat lacking compared to many top of the line DACs which I own and have owned. The Dave has bridged that gap for sure.

Thank you for sharing Kamil21.

 

[bmichels]

  Quick review follow up.

One other consideration is that Dave does not have the analytical clarity of say, the DcS Scarlatti which many may prefer. What it does have is the feel of analog master tape (most of the recording samples were originally from tape anyway), or in my view real life sound.Through the Sennheisers listening to Roger Waters' , Amused to Death, I certainly had a feel that I was listening through a live feed of a 'dummy head' recording.
 
The DcS will give you a perspective of a recording from 'where the microphone is', but Dave will give you more of a 'listener' seating perspective. Almost like the difference between listening to a multitrack as opposed to a simply miked on location recording. Which one is the more accurate can only be validated in the studio. Also, the Dave has a very NOS kind of sound... which is surprising considering how the two technologies differ.
 
I did not have the opportunity to listen to the Dave through speakers, but the use of my own ie800 allowed me to do a more controlled comparison. As a Hugo owner, I was still feeling somewhat lacking compared to many top of the line DACs which I own and have owned. The Dave has bridged that gap for sure.

Thanks Kamil21 for this feed-back.
 
I also owe a HUGO, so how much of a GAP will you say DAVE offer compared to the HUGO ?   Is DAVE just a " much better HUGO" or a totally different Sound signature ?