[spotforscott]

How can you connect a Speaker directly to Dave? What kind of cable would that be?
I think it is only a preamp.
What kind of speakers can be used that way?

I had Zenwave to a custom cable. They did it using the best IC cable and terminated one end for speakers

 

[elviscaprice]

Zenwave is good, but expensive. If your a cheap DIY'er like myself, you can make your own. My cost for materials was about $17 for a perfect length set from DAVE to my Omegas. Look professionally made with Canare speaker cable star quad and separate added shielding.
https://www.computeraudiophile.com/...r-cables/?page=24&tab=comments#comment-679186

 

[Cobold]

I'm currently using an RCA to female banana adapter to standard speaker cable. Early on, I hacked a cheap RCA cable and connected it to speaker wire, and used some prebuilt cables from Amazon:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MQ1URD8

DAVE can be very comfortably used as a 2W amplifier. Hugo2 as a 1W amp. If you have speakers that are sufficient sensitivity, that is plenty of juice. The high efficiency single driver speakers from folks like Voxativ and Omega Speakers certainly fit the bill. An amazing side effect is that since they don't have any cross overs, the level of transparency and holographic imaging you get going direct to DAVE/Hugo2 is insane. I wrote up my journey of discovery in my Chord DAC reviews (links in signature).

Well worth seeking out this experience to see if it works for you. For folks who respond very strongly to detail and phase information (and I think we're naturally attracted to Chord DACs) it a very special experience.

Thank you for the information.
I would love to listen to your direct setup.
Never thought this could work because of impendances. But I am no technican.
Sadly I don't have any speakers with that efficiency available.

 

[Paul Bjernklo]

I'm currently using an RCA to female banana adapter to standard speaker cable. Early on, I hacked a cheap RCA cable and connected it to speaker wire, and used some prebuilt cables from Amazon:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MQ1URD8

DAVE can be very comfortably used as a 2W amplifier. Hugo2 as a 1W amp. If you have speakers that are sufficient sensitivity, that is plenty of juice. The high efficiency single driver speakers from folks like Voxativ and Omega Speakers certainly fit the bill. An amazing side effect is that since they don't have any cross overs, the level of transparency and holographic imaging you get going direct to DAVE/Hugo2 is insane. I wrote up my journey of discovery in my Chord DAC reviews (links in signature).

Well worth seeking out this experience to see if it works for you. For folks who respond very strongly to detail and phase information (and I think we're naturally attracted to Chord DACs) it a very special experience.

Hi, can you please give the name of the rca to female banana adapter, as I have searched the web numerous times without finding one... Thank you in advance.

 

[ray-dude]

Hi, can you please give the name of the rca to female banana adapter, as I have searched the web numerous times without finding one... Thank you in advance.

Paul, that is a custom built adapter: take a trusted RCA cable, cut it, and solder in some female banana connectors. I'm currently auditioning a pile of speaker cables with this setup, so very convenient

 

[ray-dude]

Thank you for the information.
I would love to listen to your direct setup.
Never thought this could work because of impendances. But I am no technican.
Sadly I don't have any speakers with that efficiency available.

Drop a PM if you're in San Diego...we regularly get together for local folks to listen/critique audio kit and put a big hurt on my wine cellar

 

[Paul Bjernklo]

Paul, that is a custom built adapter: take a trusted RCA cable, cut it, and solder in some female banana connectors. I'm currently auditioning a pile of speaker cables with this setup, so very convenient

Aah, Not everyone has that expertise, will try to find one who does! Thank you.

 

[Thenewguy007]

Aah, Not everyone has that expertise, will try to find one who does! Thank you.

Ted from headphonelounge can make a custom cable for you in a day's time.

https://headphonelounge.com/

 

[flyte3333]

I spend two nights, say 4-5 hours each night, listening to my new USB-to-TOSLINK converter. And compared to my current USB with 15 ferrites (and tested with/without an Intona and Battery inserter on the +5V), its no comparison. The TOSLINK converter with the new XMOS U8 is just remarkable ...kills the USB.

My ears totally agree.

Block the leakage current loop into the DAC 100% (like optical or a battery powered USB source totally disconnected from mains power) and you don’t need a single ferrite.

The Intona and battery inserted for 5V bus power still has connection to mains power (high impedance leakage currents sail through the Intona’s ground, according to John Swenson).

A laptop disconnected from everything except Dave’s USB input won’t need an Intona or single ferrite, since there is zero leakage currents going through the USB cable.

From Rob:

1. battery mode operation should mean no ground loops, so no current flow into the ground planes, then no RF noise pick-up in the DAC and so no problem… This has been validated by listening tests.

2. As to external RF, it only matters if there is a ground loop, so battery operation should mean no currents flowing into the DAC ground plane…

3. We need current through the ground plane to set up voltages - and it is these voltages that the analogue electronics pick up. So no current, no voltage on the ground plane, no pick-up… The common mode noise, won’t affect the analogue electronics at all.

Toslink blocks this leakage current loop completely too.

 

[elviscaprice]

Hi, can you please give the name of the rca to female banana adapter, as I have searched the web numerous times without finding one... Thank you in advance.

These will work for a temporary and or testing. Can just use a set of interconnects with them.
https://www.amazon.com/Stereo-Speak...59&sr=8-3&keywords=rca+to+banana+plug+adapter

 

[HeeBroG]

I wish I could agree. I spend two nights, say 4-5 hours each night, listening to my new USB-to-TOSLINK converter. And compared to my current USB with 15 ferrites (and tested with/without an Intona and Battery inserter on the +5V), its no comparison. The TOSLINK converter with the new XMOS U8 is just remarkable ...kills the USB. I hear things, beautiful things like subtle nuances in instrumentation and background vocals. OK, this is to a PSAudio DirectStream while I wait for my Qutest to arrive ...but still. Given that these DACs are supposed to be immune to SPDIF jitter ...is this the miracle of zero RF noise impacting the DAC? I am a single sample, but now my Yoga laptop thru this $68 converter is the best I have heard. I can live with a max of 24/96 to get this quality of sound for so little cost.

For those with BLU2 this might be a good option seeing as it upsamples everything to 705/768kHz anyway!

Oops! Just realised BLU2 doesn't have an optical input

 

[HeeBroG]

I had Zenwave to a custom cable. They did it using the best IC cable and terminated one end for speakers

Interesting!
Any idea what the conductor type and gauge is?

 

[spotforscott]

Interesting!
Any idea what the conductor type and gauge is?

Best for you to talk to Dave at Zenware. He is a great guy and has many options for how the cable can be configured, addressing different price points

 

[spotforscott]

For those with BLU2 this might be a good option seeing as it upsamples everything to 705/768kHz anyway!

Oops! Just realised BLU2 doesn't have an optical input

Wait for the m-scaler to be launched because by all indications, it will have an optical input. Speculation is that it will be launched as early as next month's show in Germany...

 

[flyte3333]

Wait for the m-scaler to be launched because by all indications, it will have an optical input. Speculation is that it will be launched as early as next month's show in Germany...

Leakage current loops happen between PSU's (see all the links I posted a few pages age for explanations from John Swenson).

So an optical input on the next M-Scaler alone won't solve the issue (minor btw, in the big picture of things). It's the M-Scaler output that would need to block the leakage current loop, going into Dave's inputs.