CHORD ELECTRONICS DAVE

[musicday]

Anyone tried Dave with LCD4?

 

[Whazzzup]

Good to know that the sweet spot for chord may be the tt. (Previous post) Just order it on Boxing Day sale. I would love to hear Dave but alas and not exclusively due to the low can dollar, I must bow out of the Dave thread. Sometimes you just got to be honest with oneself and say, just can't go there. Happy listening tho and seasons.

 

[Kakki]

I was thinking about the mechanism / construction of the digital power amplifier that will be paired with Dave which Rob mentioned to be released in 2016.
 
My guess is that it has Pulse Array Modulator, Pulse Array DACs, OP I/V Converters and Analogue Filters, and accepts already noise-shaped digital signals from Dave. (So this is a juiced-up version of the latter half of Dave / Hugo / Mojo and has only small-sized FPGA for Pulse Array Modulation.)
 
But if my guess is correct, right now, Dave is the only product in the world that can work together with this digital power amplifier. The market size would be too small for Chord to make such a product, in my opinion...
 
So my further guess is that Chord will soon release Hugo2 that also has a digital output that can work together with the digital power amplifier.
 
Any thoughts on this??

 

[Beolab]

I was thinking about the mechanism / construction of the digital power amplifier that will be paired with Dave which Rob mentioned to be released in 2016.

My guess is that it has Pulse Array Modulator, Pulse Array DACs, OP I/V Converters and Analogue Filters, and accepts already noise-shaped digital signals from Dave. (So this is a juiced-up version of the latter half of Dave / Hugo / Mojo and has only small-sized FPGA for Pulse Array Modulation.)

But if my guess is correct, right now, Dave is the only product in the world that can work together with this digital power amplifier. The market size would be too small for Chord to make such a product, in my opinion...

So my further guess is that Chord will soon release Hugo2 that also has a digital output that can work together with the digital power amplifier.

Any thoughts on this??

To my estimation and understanding that Hugo II are going to feature this smaller than the moon are about to collide with earth next year, its only for the Coral and Reference series.

You are not going to buy to Reference power amps combined with one Hugo II unfortenatly.

 

[Beolab]

@Rob Watts

How many DAVEś are out in the field for testing / reviewing, and when do we see the first one ?

 

[Rob Watts]

I don't know - I am seeing the guys at CES next week, so will find out then.
 
My worry is getting the measurements right - unless you have a APX555, you will be measuring the test equipment. Even with the APX555 it's tough, and needs to be done with extreme care.
 
Rob 

 

[Beolab]

Thx Rob !

Mybe Matthew at @Chord Electronocs can answer instead on how many DAVEś are out in the field for reviewing at the moment, and when we are about to read the first one?

 

[Hiyono]

Can I ask someone with a dave to take a picture and measure the original box it comes in?  Mine should be arriving next week at a friend's place and he is bringing it to Asia for me.  Was wondering it the box is small enough to carry on or I should buy a pelican case for it.

 

[Mavwong]

Size of the box is 44cm X 30cm x 20cm. It's double box packing.

 

[lovethatsound]

I don't know - I am seeing the guys at CES next week, so will find out then.

My worry is getting the measurements right - unless you have a APX555, you will be measuring the test equipment. Even with the APX555 it's tough, and needs to be done with extreme care.

Rob 

I wouldn't worry about it Rob,ive just been listening to blu transport and a Dave with some hd800 in ,absolutely stunning,you've got nothing to worry about at all.

 

[JaZZ]

A new black DAVE has found a new home:
 

 
The difference to Hugo is larger than I thought. Just two words so far: purity and space.
 
In case you wonder: Yes, the FiiO X5 II (2x 128 GB) acts as digital drive in this system.

 

[bmichels]

  A new black DAVE has found a new home:
 

 
The difference to Hugo is larger than I thought. Just two words so far: purity and space.

 
I am very happy for you. 
 
Is DAVE powerful enough to drive HE1000 with plenty authority ? 

 

[JaZZ]

 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Quote:

  A new black DAVE has found a new home:
 

 
The difference to Hugo is larger than I thought. Just two words so far: purity and space.

 
I am very happy for you. 
 
Is DAVE powerful enough to drive HE1000 with plenty authority ? 

 
Yes, by all means! A classical concert sounds as if you were there. So much air and weight at the same time.
 
It's a pity you don't have your HE1000 anymore. To my ears they make an excellent pairing (with a Silver Dragon cable and equalization).

 

[Rob Watts]

I wouldn't worry about it Rob,ive just been listening to blu transport and a Dave with some hd800 in ,absolutely stunning,you've got nothing to worry about at all.

No I am not worried about the SQ at all. The great thing about Dave is that it resets your expectations about reproduced sound and Dave does things - particularly in terms of sound stage space - that I have never heard before from audio. In my view it very easily establishes a new benchmark for sound quality.
 
But measurements are supposed to be objective, and any subjective listening test is simply one persons judgement. But in reality, measurements depend upon the quality of the test equipment, and the judgement of the reviewer as to whether a particular measurement has any validity or not. Dave very easily establishes a new benchmark for measurements too; it would be good to see that confirmed, rather than the usual problem of poor test equipment and or low expectations of what constitutes good performance. I get fed up with gross distortions being shown, and then a silly caveat of that gross distortion probably won't upset the sound quality. In my experience, if a distortion is measurable, removing that distortion (with everything else unchanged) will give sound quality benefits.     
 
But from the listeners perspective, measurements does not really matter I guess - its whether the music is more enjoyable or not that really counts.
 
Rob 

 

[Mython]

I'd be most interested to hear DAVE within the context of a dipole loudspeaker setup. That could prove very interesting, in terms of spatial perception.