CHORD ELECTRONICS DAVE

[maxh22]

Chord DAVE newbie question...

How does one actually purchase a Chord DAVE in the US? Online (to Chord Electronics)? From “local” Chord distributor (nearest shon on Chord site is 200 miles away and only gives voice mail on answer during business hours).

What is the current price?

Thanks!

You can try Audiogon, they can sell you one for under $8,400 new. There is also a seller on here who is selling a used one for around $7,500 .

 

[spotforscott]

I have an issue with my DAVE. I have reached out top Chord but no reply as yet.

When streaming music, DAVE stops and starts every few seconds. So i hear music for a few seconds and then silence for a few seconds - this cycle keeps repeating. When it stops streaming music, the green lights at the top of the unit go red and then goes back to green when it starts playing again. I also hear a mild pop noise everytime it stops and starts. Has anyone ever experienced this with their DAVE?

 

[ruthieandjohn]

You can try Audiogon, they can sell you one for under $8,400 new. There is also a seller on here who is selling a used one for around $7,500 .

Thanks, @maxh22 ! I tried calling the closest authorized Chord Electronics dealer that was shown on the Chord website to have the Chord DAVE. It was Kyomi Electronics in Chicago, and... no one was there to answer during business hours, just an answering machine.

I did not leave a message, figuring I would ask here instead. I later got a call from a person who did not identify his organization, but the caller ID indicated the call came from Chicago, so I asked him if he were representing Kyomi. He assured that he was, and that they did stock the Chord DAVE, and had one there now.

However, he refused to give me a price, either retail or discounted, immediately accusing me of just wanting a price from him to price shop elsewhere.

Having NO desire to do further business with him, I told him that I preferred to deal with businesses that were actually in business during business hours and were more forthcoming with their information. I said that I would look elsewhere and terminated my call. I will try Audiogon if my local dealer (not a Chord dealer) cannot get the DAVE, and if Audio Advisors, a Chord dealer with whom I’ve already had great experiences, but not shown as having the DAVE, cannot get it.

Sheesh!

 

[rgs9200m]

Thanks minibox. Dream speakers. Heard Magicos at the NYC show years ago and can't forget the sound.

 

[Thenewguy007]

Thanks, @maxh22

However, he refused to give me a price, either retail or discounted, immediately accusing me of just wanting a price from him to price shop elsewhere.

I know he gets commission from the sale & only would give a price if he knew you would buy it, but he should have more manners for being a salesman of high end products. If they treat you like you are ordering a hamburger & fries, then you should look elsewhere.

 

[miketlse]

I know he gets commission from the sale & only would give a price if he knew you would buy it, but he should have more manners for being a salesman of high end products. If they treat you like you are ordering a hamburger & fries, then you should look elsewhere.

He does fit the salesman stereotype, of wanting to see if you drive an expensive car and dress expensively, before deciding whether to quote you an expensive price.

 

[rgs9200m]

http://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649414032-chord-dave-dac/
From February, but looks like it's still active. A black one.

 

[ruthieandjohn]

http://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649414032-chord-dave-dac/
From February, but looks like it's still active. A black one.

Thanks...but I am actually trying for a new one. At least I learned that MSRP is $13,000 from the usaudiomart listing.

 

[rayl]

Thanks...but I am actually trying for a new one. At least I learned that MSRP is $13,000 from the usaudiomart listing.

MSRP is USD $12488 in the U.S. as of the early Jan price adjustment.

This can be seen in the Stereophile 2018 recommended components list, which was pretty recent. (They update it with the current MSRPs with each edition of the list.)

 

[jscmd2000]

I have a question for someone with expertise on this thread...
I am able to play 24/192 flac files on my AK380 connected to Hugo 2 via toslink optical cables (AQ vodka and supernova 7) but the Dave will not.
I am wondering if there is a logical reason for this or if I am doing something wrong or faulty equipment. Thanks in advance!

 

[audio_1]

I have a question for someone with expertise on this thread...
I am able to play 24/192 flac files on my AK380 connected to Hugo 2 via toslink optical cables (AQ vodka and supernova 7) but the Dave will not.
I am wondering if there is a logical reason for this or if I am doing something wrong or faulty equipment. Thanks in advance!

Is the toslink optical cable plugged fully into the Dave? The Dave casework only allows small toslink connectors like the ones on the cable supplied with the Dave to fully engage. It the cable is easier to remove from the Dave compared to the Hugo 2 it has not fully inserted. The cable should click into place when fully inserted. It will work on 16/44.1 flac files but may not work on 24/192.

 

[SuperBurrito]

I have finally tried DAVE with my Focal Utopia at the nearest (about 4 hours away lol) audio store. I don't get to try out audio gear often, as I live far away from any audio stores that have audio geared toward headphone users. The experience was truly incredible. So much detail and everything just felt so organic and real and the dynamism of the Utopia really played well with the DAVE. I am definitely saving my pennies for this bad boy.

I've been using the Dave/Utopia setup for some time now and it is fantastic. At some point I would like to check out if there are other headphones (like Abyss Phi) that would be more suited to rock/pop music though.

Did you check out the Chord dealer in SF? I've had good luck with them...and it may be closer to your home than 4 hours?

 

[jscmd2000]

Is the toslink optical cable plugged fully into the Dave? The Dave casework only allows small toslink connectors like the ones on the cable supplied with the Dave to fully engage. It the cable is easier to remove from the Dave compared to the Hugo 2 it has not fully inserted. The cable should click into place when fully inserted. It will work on 16/44.1 flac files but may not work on 24/192.

Like you said, the supplied toslink optical cable does play 24/192 files but with lots of static... and the display also flickers erratically. Then I realized I was not inserting the other upgrade toslink cables fully into the Dave (thank you!). The AQ vodka and supernova 7 toslink cables do seems to play 24/192 files but with the same static and flickering of display. It seems like the static and flickering are coming from bad connection at the Dave optical input slot since manipulation at that connection can improve or worsen the static/flickering... just not reliably. I cannot play to the listenable level.

I remember reading in this thread that there is a known problem with the optical input design on the Dave... seems absurd that the Hugo 2 that costs only a fraction of the Dave doesn't have this problem but the Dave does. Is there any remedy for fixing this problem? Do you think this is something I should ask Chord for help on? I only purchased it 4-5 months ago.

 

[flyte3333]

Like you said, the supplied toslink optical cable does play 24/192 files but with lots of static... and the display also flickers erratically. Then I realized I was not inserting the other upgrade toslink cables fully into the Dave (thank you!). The AQ vodka and supernova 7 toslink cables do seems to play 24/192 files but with the same static and flickering of display. It seems like the static and flickering are coming from bad connection at the Dave optical input slot since manipulation at that connection can improve or worsen the static/flickering... just not reliably. I cannot play to the listenable level.

I remember reading in this thread that there is a known problem with the optical input design on the Dave... seems absurd that the Hugo 2 that costs only a fraction of the Dave doesn't have this problem but the Dave does. Is there any remedy for fixing this problem? Do you think this is something I should ask Chord for help on? I only purchased it 4-5 months ago.

I posted the exact same thing a couple weeks ago, on the Hugo2 thread, about my new Dave.

My entire TOSlink chain plays 24/192kHz perfectly with Hugo2 and I had the same screen flickering and static sound with a new Dave, using the same TOSlink chain (same source, same glass fiber cable).

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...official-thread.831345/page-784#post-14123254

 

[jscmd2000]

I posted the exact same thing a couple weeks ago, on the Hugo2 thread, about my new Dave.

My entire TOSlink chain plays 24/192kHz perfectly with Hugo2 and I had the same screen flickering and static sound with a new Dave, using the same TOSlink chain (same source, same glass fiber cable).

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...official-thread.831345/page-784#post-14123254

Wow, thanks for sharing! Have you gotten any response back from Chord?