[tunes]

The HD-650 was what I used on my DAVE for 3 or so months before I had a chance to listen to and purchase the Utopia. DAVE made the HD-650's sound the best they'd sounded in their long life but are no match for Utopia and DAVE does deserve high-end headphones. However, if you've spent your life savings on a DAVE and can only afford an HD-650 then they will sound very good on DAVE. But save up to give DAVE what it was designed for and deserves.

Regards
GG

Has anyone had a chance to compare the STAX SR-L700 vs Abyss Phi Paired with DAVE??

 

[draytonklammer]

Has anyone had a chance to compare the STAX SR-L700 vs Abyss Phi Paired with DAVE??

Once more, sorry I couldn't help you!

Unfortunately one of the headphones I haven't heard yet.

 

[GryphonGuy]

Questions to everyone...

Anyone use HF filter?

Anyone use crossfeed?

PCM plus Phase Pos
HF Fil ON Crossfeed 3

 

[miketlse]

Has anyone had a chance to compare the STAX SR-L700 vs Abyss Phi Paired with DAVE??

I get the impression that Stax is a minority (ie belox 50% popular) solution reported on Chord threads. I suspect this is partly cost/experience based, but some chord owners, eg @Music Alchemist have experience with Stax equipment, so maybe it is best to target your questions in that direction.
There is always the possibility that your question is so cutting edge, that you are the cutting edge explorer.

 

[Natronious]

My general rul


My general rule is HF filter on unless using a Blu2, and crossfeed on for headphones (level depends on recording) and cross feed off for two channel

Caution: if you turn on CF for headphones, it stays on for two channel. Turn off CF before unplugging headphones.

Ray dude, can you provide any source for this information? Is that stated in the manual? I wonder how you figured that out, as the setting disappears when headphones are disconnected...

 

[rayl]

Ray dude, can you provide any source for this information? Is that stated in the manual? I wonder how you figured that out, as the setting disappears when headphones are disconnected...

This was stated by another user citing an exchange with Rob at:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-dave.766517/page-558#post-13457744

 

[ray-dude]

Ray dude, can you provide any source for this information? Is that stated in the manual? I wonder how you figured that out, as the setting disappears when headphones are disconnected...

You can easily confirm CF once you know that’s the behavior (it was quite embarrassing when I found out about this behavior....needless to say, two channel with cross feed muddies the waters quite a bit)

The HF filter suggestions were from Rob IIRC (sorry don’t have links handy) but give them a try and see what works best for you (this level of performance shines a wonderfully bright and direct light on what works and what doesn’t work in your system and content for you...you learn a lot by breaking it down!)

 

[Triode User]

Ray dude, can you provide any source for this information? Is that stated in the manual? I wonder how you figured that out, as the setting disappears when headphones are disconnected...

It was Rob Watts who confirmed that the Crossfeed is still active even when the headphones are taken out and "Crossfeed" disappears from the display.

So if you use crossfeed with headphones and then wish to use the Dave with an amplifier and speakers without crossfeed make sure you disable it before disconnecting the headphones.

Of course, it may be that you wish to use an external headphone amp and do want the crossfeed and in that case it makes sense for the crossfeed to continue after the headphones are taken out from the Dave.

 

[Hifi Boy]

I thought that crossfeed was a gimmick, but here I am listening my Hugo2 with max crossfeed on ever since I bought it. I don't see how I could go back to regular settings anymore.

Actually, I was never bothered by the in-your-head sound presentation that headphones give you. It actually helps with feeling the immediacy of the music you're listening to and makes you feel like you're actually inside the music itself rather than music being projected towards you. More immersive in my opinion.

But once I tried the crossfeed setting, I found it to be more life-like in so far as I could point to the performers infront of me. So now I have best of both worlds, the feeling of being inside the music that headphones give you plus the realistic presentation that speakers give you.

So, since we can pretty much all agree that crossfeed is a good idea, why was it removed from Qutest? I mean, maybe it wasn't, but I don't see the buttons for it.

 

[Triode User]

So, since we can pretty much all agree that crossfeed is a good idea, why was it removed from Qutest? I mean, maybe it wasn't, but I don't see the buttons for it.

Isn't it that Qutest is intended as a DAC to be used in a speaker system?

Granted that you can connect it to a headphone amp or even connect heaphones direct but I don't think that was it's intended function.

 

[draytonklammer]

I'm somewhat surprised how many people are using maximum crossfeed.

I've been fighting with it back and forth.

 

[AndrewOld]

Ray dude, can you provide any source for this information? Is that stated in the manual? I wonder how you figured that out, as the setting disappears when headphones are disconnected...

I have confirmed the behaviour using the pink noise test at wooferbasstest.com:

http://wooferbasstest.com/pink-noise-20-hz-to-20-khz-left-right-channel/subwoofer-test.html

Play the right hand only pink noise and you’ll get sound from the left hand channel with cross-feed on, and vice versa.

Any left / right channel only test signal will do. It’s bad design.

 

[tunes]

Maybe because a system with Blu2 and Dave connected to something such as Innuos Zenith SE sounds so darned good (possibly better than many or most analogue systems) and is also convenient.

Has anyone A-B compared the FAVE

A review of Dave and Abyss Phi will be much appreciated by the community.
A YouTube video will be even better

Anyone compared the DAVE to the MSB Technology Analog DAC D/A converter and Analog Power Supply
Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content...g-power-base-power-supply#kwI8uEiqIRfkTdAE.99

 

[Rob Watts]

Yes mia culpa; I had intended that crossfeed control would get disabled when not in headphone mode; but lots of people prefer the option to be there (I have once or twice found it useful myself with some speaker set-ups), so I decided to keep the mistake in place. But you need to remember to unset it though when going back to speakers.

 

[AndrewOld]

Yes mia culpa; I had intended that crossfeed control would get disabled when not in headphone mode; but lots of people prefer the option to be there (I have once or twice found it useful myself with some speaker set-ups), so I decided to keep the mistake in place. But you need to remember to unset it though when going back to speakers.

It would be fine having it for both modes, but if so it should be switchable in both modes and visible on the display. It’s not a big deal for me as I hardly listen to headphones but I did once mistakenly leave crossfeed set. The issue could be quite relevant in a shop or show setting where folk might frequently switch betweeen phones and speakers and not be aware how that last user left the system. If you don’t use headphones you might also buy one ex-dem from a dealer or second-hand and never realise that crossfeed is set.