[DaveRedRef-III]

Best to write in sound bites........

What is going on here that is special in hifi terms is that normally with hifi it is the clarity that will have us listening intently but this isn't about our ears as much as it is about our body. Detail, melody are all about the mind but timing, dynamics and rhythms are more about the body and it is Not a desire to listen to definition or imaging that compels me to stop what I am doing and go to the performance, it is far more basic than that. I am aware that my body craves it. Just as it does when I am standing outside a venue and I can hear an exciting performance already underway. This is music. Real music being perfectly reproduced. I would say "be aware of what your body is telling you when you listen to Dave because that is where the real magic lies".

 

[Mython]

I've got Elvis performing in the next room for goodness sake! Am I going to ignore that experience? Of course not....

 
 
If you have it, try Buddy Holly's 'True Love Ways'...

 

[DaveRedRef-III]

Yes Mython what special recording that is. One of my favourites

 

[gnomen]

  mmm.....whew! Thanks, man......for saving me some big bucks, meaning I'm keeing my Chord TT and nix the DAVE "upgrade."

LOL -- you should be so lucky.  Maybe after you listen to DAVE your view will change

 
How are you enjoying the TT?

 

[gnomen]

One thing to remember is that compared to DAVE, the TT has a battery power supply that probably isolates it from the mains.

DAVE has a switched mode power supply which might make it more sensitive to the power cord used, or the way the other devices are connected. IMO this can degrade the sound significantly for some listeners.

Horses for courses!

Agree this might be a factor.   A comparison might be the Bel Canto 3.5 with VBS ('Virtual Battery Supply') power supply, which was noticeable better than the same DAC without VBS.  All of these electrical devices are taking a straight signal and modulating it with information.  The 'straigher' and purer the original signal, the more successful the modulated signal will be, I presume.

 

[gnomen]

Very interesting report. I'm not likely to seriously consider buying DAVE soon (only had TT for a few weeks) but I can't help wondering whether the DAVE you listened to had burnt in...
Does that mean the playback software was doing sample rate conversion?

No.  I had Pure Music set to NOS -- no upsampling -- so the native bit rate is supplied to the DAC.

 

[gnomen]

I think it most have bin something in the chain that flatened all sources out to sound allmost the same, i would guess the HiFi store used a separate pre-amp to switch btw the diffrent DAC's and that don't give the DAVE sophisticated and sensitive micro details / dept and more full justice, because you need it to be direct coupled with the power amps for a Direct untouched sound .

Quite possibly.  I did wonder about that.  Just not sure what it could have been.  The chain consisted of: MacbookAir>iTunes(ALAC)>PureMusic>USBcable>DAC>HD800s.
The HD800s have the original single-ended Sennheiser cable.  There was no pre-amp or power amp involved.
 
Maybe lack of burn-in.  Maybe the differences don't show up well via headphones -- any headphones -- as Mython says a few posts after yours.
 
Important to say, the DAVE still sounded very, very good!
 
I would still like to hear from others who have actually listened.  DaveRedRef gives some very compelling descriptions.  And I agree the whole Rob Watts approach gives that visceral, in-body experience.  It's not really about resolution or sound stage, but about a lot more.  Would love to walk into that room and listen to Elvis with him!

 

[ThatPhil]

Finally some pictures of the black version.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.749301988535322.1073742124.189093477889512&type=3

 

[Sonic77]

  Finally some pictures of the black version.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.749301988535322.1073742124.189093477889512&type=3

Thanks, that's the color I ordered.

 

[Beolab]

Thanks, that's the color I ordered.

Me too !

 

[Beolab]

DAVE

Operation instructions

http://www.chordelectronics.co.uk/files/Dave%20Manual.pdf

 

[Sonic77]

Me too !

Cool!

 

[Sonic77]

DAVE

Operation instructions

http://www.chordelectronics.co.uk/files/Dave%20Manual.pdf

Short and sweet, very simple.

 

[audiobill]

After reading the manual the only thing that bothers me about DAVE's operation is having to manually select either the PCM+ or DSD+ filter to optimize PCM or DSD playback respectively. It would have been nice if there was an automatic mode option where it would switch based upon the type of digital file being played, but maybe that wasn't possible since it has to reload the software which apparently takes about 20 seconds to complete. I also didn't see any mention of whether DSD has to be input as DoP or if it accepts the DSD bitstream directly.

 

[Beolab]

Heard that DAVE 2 will have a estimated
one million taps if you look at Moors law in four years time, then it most be almost a lifelike sound i can pretend

@DaveRedRef-III

Have you spend some time with headphones and switch btw the cross-feed filters, and did you like any of them ?

Then the HF filter setting , does it affect the sound negative or positive? I can only assume that if you have a power regenerator you set it to OFF otherwise always to On.

i hope the small Hugo TT remote will work with DAVE ?

Most likely its the same IR code for volume up and down, but i just need it confirmed.