CHORD ELECTRONICS DAVE

[musicday]

I'm seriously considering this transport to pair with DAVE. This here is pretty high praise, though I had never heard of this transport (+ power supply), and have not previously owned any Pro-ject gear. There is not very much information out there on it, I wish I could read more impressions. Ultimately, I'd like a Blu, but that will take a while.

I currently have a Cyrus transport, but not the newer one. It's the CDT SE+, but it suffers from readability issues, in that many discs won't properly load, etc. They had a software update some months after I purchased the unit, which I believe addressed this, but I waited too long to act, and now they will no longer perform this update, which is terrible really. The upside to this frustration, is that they offered me a special price (dealer price) on their newest transport, which would actually put it below the cost of this Pro-Ject unit (with external power supply). I wonder if anyone has any idea which of these would do a better job? Cyrus CDT signature, vs. Pro-Ject CD box RS.

Anyone have any idea on this?

The Cambridge Audio CXC would seem to be the 'best' transport out there for cheap, but hopefully another $1000 to $1,500 would offer a considerable step up...

Why not consider Oppo Blu-ray player, especially latest ones they are very reliable and will spinn anything, including SACD. Best of both worlds

 

[rgs9200m]

I have a Cambridge 752BD and really like it for DVDs and BluRays. It also does not get as warm as the Oppo. I A/B'd with the Oppo and I also liked the sound better for DVDs on the Cambridge.
The Cambridge is nicer to me aesthetically because it's a sealed black box with no vents on the top. the Oppo is more industrial-style.

 

[marcmccalmont]

I'm seriously considering this transport to pair with DAVE. This here is pretty high praise, though I had never heard of this transport (+ power supply), and have not previously owned any Pro-ject gear. There is not very much information out there on it, I wish I could read more impressions. Ultimately, I'd like a Blu, but that will take a while.

I currently have a Cyrus transport, but not the newer one. It's the CDT SE+, but it suffers from readability issues, in that many discs won't properly load, etc. They had a software update some months after I purchased the unit, which I believe addressed this, but I waited too long to act, and now they will no longer perform this update, which is terrible really. The upside to this frustration, is that they offered me a special price (dealer price) on their newest transport, which would actually put it below the cost of this Pro-Ject unit (with external power supply). I wonder if anyone has any idea which of these would do a better job? Cyrus CDT signature, vs. Pro-Ject CD box RS.

Anyone have any idea on this?

The Cambridge Audio CXC would seem to be the 'best' transport out there for cheap, but hopefully another $1000 to $1,500 would offer a considerable step up...

If you want the best sound quality go for the ProJect it beats my MSB CDIV which is quite a feat

 

[musicday]

I have a Cambridge 752BD and really like it for DVDs and BluRays. It also does not get as warm as the Oppo. I A/B'd with the Oppo and I also liked the sound better for DVDs on the Cambridge.
The Cambridge is nicer to me aesthetically because it's a sealed black box with no vents on the top. the Oppo is more industrial-style.

What Oppo model are you talking here? UDP205 is better vented and has the audio circuit completely separated, to minimise noise and I think the air flow is better due to the superior chassis construction.

 

[Natronious]

Thank you for the reply's. It makes sense to use a universal disc spinner, such as the Oppo 205 and the Cambridge. Aren't the 103/203's considered to offer the same quality as their 105/205 counterparts if using the digital out?

There is no doubt that most any quality transport will sound very good through DAVE, and I do actually plan on using it for watching films as well...

Ultimately, a Blu II may one day happen. Perhaps after several years, and like DAVE, occasional units will appear in the For Sale section. I could see using what I have (I do currently have an Oppo 103, and the aforementioned Cyrus) and waiting.

I do like the idea of a component optimized for a specific function. In this way, the Blu II is a disc transport optimized for operation as a disc (cd) transport. A Pro-Ject CD Box is similarly optimized, though not to the same extent (lofty standard/capability). But nonetheless intriguing. Marc is offering some pretty high praise here for it, I wish there was more said about it.

Marcmccalmont, please do report on this pairing when you eventually get your unit. When did you say you were getting your own?

 

[marcmccalmont]

Thank you for the reply's. It makes sense to use a universal disc spinner, such as the Oppo 205 and the Cambridge. Aren't the 103/105's considered to offer the same quality as their 203/205 counterparts if using the digital out?

There is no doubt that most any quality transport will sound very good through DAVE, and I do actually plan on using it for watching films as well...

Ultimately, a Blu II may one day happen. Perhaps after several years, and like DAVE, occasional units will appear in the For Sale section. I could see using what I have (I do currently have an Oppo 103, and the aforementioned Cyrus) and waiting.

I do like the idea of a component optimized for a specific function. In this way, the Blu II is a disc transport optimized for operation as a disc (cd) transport. A Pro-Ject CD Box is similarly optimized, though not to the same extent (lofty standard/capability). But nonetheless intriguing. Marc is offering some pretty high praise here for it, I wish there was more said about it.

Marcmccalmont, please do report on this pairing when you eventually get your unit. When did you say you were getting your own?

I work overseas and will return for Christmas. It will be January before it’s in my primary system I’ll report back then

 

[rgs9200m]

I have the Oppo 105D too. That's the one I was talking about where I said I like the Cambridge 752bd better. Both have been superseded by new models but are around used usually with a little searching.

I recently watched the Beatles Anthology and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame collection on DVD on my Cambridge 752bd and listened through my headphone amps on my Grado GS and PS1000e and it looked and sounded mighty good to me.

(These are awesome DVDs by the way, just IMHO, and I recommend them to anyone interested. There are lots of good extras too.)

So I'm guessing the Cambridge has a pretty good transport.

 

[Jozurr]

Im going to try and add ferrites to the USB cable and see if I notice any changes. What ferrites size would fit the USB cable that comes with the Dave? I'd prefer something off amazon but not closed to buying elsewhere if there's something definitely better

 

[Triode User]

Rob Watts posted this below. Also, the problem with the Amazon type is (as far as I have seen) they have no spec associated with them so you are really going into this rather blind if you choose to try them.

Yes my experiments with ferrites are only on Blu 2 to Dave. I have not had any success with ferrites on the USB - they made no difference with my laptop and Blu Dave; but I suspect that different sources, with more noise, would have an effect. Also, I suspect that 300MHz to 1GHz would be more appropriate for USB.

As to which ferrite is best, then for sure the warmer, smoother or softer sounding is the more transparent, as the mechanism for changing the sound is RF noise creating noise floor modulation - and more noise modulation always sounds brighter. Moreover, it's very easy to confuse a bright sound with more transparency.

An additional mechanism for changing the sound is signal correlated RF noise being demodulated and then very subtly changing small signal amplitudes; this will then degrade depth. So for source components, look for the richer smoother sound (even if it's too warm - then adjust your system in other ways to restore tonal balance) and also go for the better perception of depth. And you may mix and match too - I use HF ferrites at Dave end, and the lower frequency ferrites towards Blu 2.

 

[Jawed]

Im going to try and add ferrites to the USB cable and see if I notice any changes. What ferrites size would fit the USB cable that comes with the Dave? I'd prefer something off amazon but not closed to buying elsewhere if there's something definitely better

I recommend 20 of these [fixed link]:

https://www.amazon.co.uk//dp/B01N4U91RS

There are other brands of ferrites that are exactly the same. So whatever country you are in, I'm sure you'll find something that's similar.

No one has done a comparison of various ferrites when used on a USB cable, so there's no specific recommendation. It's simplest to buy some and see if you like the result. 20 is a good number. 10 is likely to make only a minor difference, while 20 is likely to make a major difference. 20 cost £14, which in hi-fi is silly cheap... If you hunt around on Amazon and are willing to wait for a month or so while they ship from China, you can buy 20 for about half that price.

Now playing: Oliver Nelson - Stolen Moments

 

[musicday]

The above link doesn't work, mind checking it? Thanks.

 

[Triode User]

The above link doesn't work, mind checking it? Thanks.

Try this. I have bought some but have not yet had time to play with them. There are options to select the internal dia.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01N4U91RS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Jozurr]

Try this. I have bought some but have not yet had time to play with them. There are options to select the internal dia.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01N4U91RS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These do not seem specced so no idea if they are the 1ghz ones being talked about. Been trying to find specced ones on amazon with no luck

 

[Triode User]

These do not seem specced so no idea if they are the 1ghz ones being talked about. Been trying to find specced ones on amazon with no luck

Yes, this is exactly what I have been saying about the Amazon ones. ie no spec so it is really a leap in the dark using them.

 

[474194]

Yes, this is exactly what I have been saying about the Amazon ones. ie no spec so it is really a leap in the dark using them.

On AMZN US, there's a reply by the seller on the Q&A:

What frequencies will these suppress?
Answer:
Hi friend, these could suppress a wide range of frequencies:1-1000MHZ(the effect of high frequency will be better).
Like EMI, RIF, Noise Interference.
Hope the answer could be helpful, thank you.
By Topnisus Direct SELLER on April 27, 2016

I believe it's the same company, same product...

https://www.amazon.com/Topnisus-Ant...&qid=1512535142&sr=8-10&keywords=ferrite&th=1