[delirium]

You are right but Dave+Susvara sounds really good anyway. I finally bought iFi Pro iCan for Susvara but the Dave+Susvara combo was pretty great as well! So it is worth to try HE1000 v2 and Susvara to get an idea and choose the best for your ears.

Yes it sounds good with dave...but you are going to buy that extra amp in the end..but yes sounds good but.........

 

[Jawed]

Hugo TT 2 has the power. Pity the pulse array and all the rest are not like DAVE. So with power-hungry headphones you have the choice:

• DAVE + headphone amp that spoils the transparency and musicality but provides power and control (which will recover musicality that DAVE loses when feeding the headphones directly due to lack of power)
  
• Hugo TT 2 alone, which doesn't have the transparency and musicality of DAVE

So when Chord makes a power pulse array amplifier with a quality that matches or exceed's DAVE's 20 element 350dB pulse array, and you feed this amp with DAVE, you'll finally have full DAVE quality for your power hungry headphones.

Now playing: Allman Brown - Sweetest Thing

 

[JaZZ]

A couple of weeks with my new Dave and I'd like to comment on the pairing with the Focal Clear.
Spectacular transparency and overall very realistic but somehow, sometimes it makes feel I'm missing a bit of bass presence.
I'd like to try the Utopia and Abyss 1266.

I still feel that the utopias (with DAVE) lack in the bass presence. They are very clear and articulate, but the 1266 just has more of the low end.

There's an easy solution: Add some bass. I never rely on a headphone's factory setting.

Dave does not have the power for susvara!!!!

1266s benefit, like susvara, from a bigger amp... hence headtrip

Personally I prefer the Susvara driven by the DAVE instead of the HiFiMan EF6 – by a clear margin. Much better definition and transparency. I haven't heard it with any other amp, but doubt any of them could change my mind. Reamplifying sacrifices so much accuracy and musicality in my experience (well: to my ears).

The HE1000 (with V2 pads in my case) and DAVE are an excellent pairing. The HD 800 (with damping mod and equalized) comes close.

 

[delirium]

There's an easy solution: Add some bass. I never rely on a headphone's factory setting.



Personally I prefer the Susvara driven by the DAVE instead of the HiFiMan EF6 – by a clear margin. Much better definition and transparency. I haven't heard it with any other amp, but doubt any of them could change my mind. Reamplifying sacrifices so much accuracy and musicality in my experience (well: to my ears).

The HE1000 (with V2 pads in my case) and DAVE are an excellent pairing. The HD 800 (with damping mod and equalized) comes close.

Dave+v2 are ok..but utopia are better.but you loose maybe soundstage...or are that soundstage incorperated in the heaphone itselves????,

 

[dmance]

On a related side note, the people at Voxativ - who make great high efficiency loudspeakers - have always espoused how only 2-watts of amplifier can light them up. Well, at Munich, they announced that they have now realized that more amplifier power helps the sound. So even the driver design engineers can't deny the evidence of their ears and (grudgingly, being German...) admit that more accurate modulation of the cone is obtained when your have more oomph in the signal. From Voxativ: "After much discovery and some disbelief – we have found that even more power can bring more emotion from our highly-sensitive full-range drivers"

 

[JaZZ]

dmance...

That doesn't change the preference of Voxativ and Omega owners for the direct drive with DAVE, apparently. I'm a direct-drive proponent myself (although related to headphones in my case) – call it a sonic preference.

 

[doraymon]

There's an easy solution: Add some bass.

Do you mean EQ?

 

[JaZZ]

Do you mean EQ?

Yes, exactly. – But you could also try to install some bass-reflex tunnels.

 

[dmance]

dmance...

That doesn't change the preference of Voxativ and Omega owners for the direct drive with DAVE, apparently. I'm a direct-drive proponent myself (although related to headphones in my case) – call it a sonic preference.

I direct drove my Voxativ's with Hugo2's 2watts and, yes, they were spectacular ...but just lacking some of that fullness and low end energy. And there was some scary nakedness from all the recording venue ambiance. Maybe this is what transparency is all about ...but I much preferred the sound thru my 35watt ZOTL amp. is this distortion? Non-linearity? Rounded-off transients? I want the recreation of a live event in my living space but maybe i'm not ready to handle the truth...

 

[JaZZ]

I direct drove my Voxativ's with Hugo2's 2watts and, yes, they were spectacular ...but just lacking some of that fullness and low end energy. And there was some scary nakedness from all the recording venue ambiance. Maybe this is what transparency is all about ...but I much preferred the sound thru my 35watt ZOTL amp. is this distortion? Non-linearity? Rounded-off transients? I want the recreation of a live event in my living space but maybe i'm not ready to handle the truth...

Don't worry, you're not alone! I think I know what you mean, and maybe it would irritate me as well. I don't blame the lack of power in the first place (if at all), but the effective low-frequency roll-off (apart from other tonal imperfections!) with said fullrange speakers which gets ruthlessly revealed by the direct-drive mode, whereas amplifier electronics add some forgiving warmth and roundness. This hypothesis is based on my own experience with signal paths as direct as possible.

 

[delirium]

I guess jawed is still playing? Becuose it went from bad..to real...???

 

[seaice]

Personally I prefer the Susvara driven by the DAVE instead of the HiFiMan EF6 – by a clear margin. Much better definition and transparency. I haven't heard it with any other amp, but doubt any of them could change my mind. Reamplifying sacrifices so much accuracy and musicality in my experience (well: to my ears).

The HE1000 (with V2 pads in my case) and DAVE are an excellent pairing. The HD 800 (with damping mod and equalized) comes close.

I have never heard HiFiMan EF6 with Susvara but I am now testing Dave>Susvara vs Dave>iFi Pro iCan>Susvara. The iFi Pro is very good and I am not sure what I prefer at the moment.... too soon for conclusions.

 

[delirium]

I have never heard HiFiMan EF6 with Susvara but I am now testing Dave>Susvara vs Dave>iFi Pro iCan>Susvara. The iFi Pro is very good and I am not sure what I prefer at the moment.... too soon for conclusions.

I have read that it needs 15 watts to make the best of it.......2×15

 

[delirium]

But that can be hifiman propaganda..to sell thier own stuff????

 

[Jawed]

So I think you're saying that you think the sound quality of optical is horrible, compared with ISO Regen and LPS-1.

When you listened to optical, did you make sure to unplug the USB cable from DAVE?

I will say this clearly...i dont no what jawed is about???? I tried the optical on my computer to dave...and scrathed my head...is this right..payed good money for this????then i hooked up iso regen and lps-1 and i go what the fu...???? Now i did understand why i payed so much for dave exelent sound!!!!! So i guess my computer is very noisy?????sorry my english

Well it seems you are puzzled by Rob too:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...official-thread.831345/page-838#post-14219525

But what this tells us is that the optical is the best sounding input, and should be used as the benchmark for your sources - the source that gets closer to the sound of optical is the best one. You perhaps may not actually prefer that source - as it will sound warmer than others - but this is the best way forward.