[Crgreen]

Well, it was Rob's comment about RFI being transmitted into the DAVE and affecting the sound that prompted my initial post. Obviously, turning the CD transport off won't solve any such problems if I want to play a CD.

 

[lovethatsound]

Well, it was Rob's comment about RFI being transmitted into the DAVE and affecting the sound that prompted my initial post. Obviously, turning the CD transport off won't solve any such problems if I want to play a CD.

Hi Crgreen
Ive had a look at your transport and it has a optical out,so really that would be the best way of doing it.Also i have tried my blue transport with AES with the Dave,and when the transport was on standby with the AES still in the Dave,NO RFI was getting into the Dave.

 

[rkt31]

any impressions of Dave being fed by Android in airplane mode using uapp ? how does Android transport compares to much more expensive transports ?

 

[rkt31]

I found Android via uapp to be better than coaxial route for mojo. but it takes about an hour for Android to sound at its best.

 

[Crgreen]

Hi Crgreen
Ive had a look at your transport and it has a optical out,so really that would be the best way of doing it.Also i have tried my blue transport with AES with the Dave,and when the transport was on standby with the AES still in the Dave,NO RFI was getting into the Dave.

As a matter of interest, how does one know that? Is it just by listening? I'll give the optical.connection a try - though I've never found optical connections very satisfactory in the past - and try listening to USB with the balanced connection connected and disconnected. I think there is a standby mode on the Meridian 500 Transport. Thanks.

 

[lovethatsound]

As a matter of interest, how does one know that? Is it just by listening? I'll give the optical.connection a try - though I've never found optical connections very satisfactory in the past - and try listening to USB with the balanced connection connected and disconnected. I think there is a standby mode on the Meridian 500 Transport. Thanks.

Yes by listening,just with optical cable 1st,and then add the AES cable,if it don't sound the same then you know RFI getting in,I've tried the same thing with coaxial cable as well,and the same result.I really think you'll find using an optical cable from your transport to the Dave will give you the best sound,it's like not having a cable between your components.

 

[tkteo]

A photo from today's presentation on DAVE and Mojo at AV One, in Singapore:
https://www.facebook.com/av1group/photos/a.426682217423431.1073741827.112788868812769/1008550939236553/?type=3&theater

 

[Crgreen]

Yes by listening,just with optical cable 1st,and then add the AES cable,if it don't sound the same then you know RFI getting in,I've tried the same thing with coaxial cable as well,and the same result.I really think you'll find using an optical cable from your transport to the Dave will give you the best sound,it's like not having a cable between your components.

Any particular optical cable recommended?

 

[paul79]

Well, it was Rob's comment about RFI being transmitted into the DAVE and affecting the sound that prompted my initial post. Obviously, turning the CD transport off won't solve any such problems if I want to play a CD.

You asked if the AES connection would cause problems with other inputs being used, I thought...... I think it is time to let your ears decide

 

[lovethatsound]

Any particular optical cable recommended?

Just use the one you get with your Dave.

 

[Crgreen]

You asked if the AES connection would cause problems with other inputs being used, I thought...... I think it is time to let your ears decide

That's not quite right. What I was concerned about was the following, fairly unequivocal, statement by Rob:

“I have noticed some posters talking about AES EBU input - this is not the best input IMHO. It will inject RF noise into Dave from the source, and this will make it sound brighter, due to more noise floor modulation.”

I just assumed that the designer would know more about this issue than my ears. Having agreed to pay just short of £8,000.00 for a Dave, and having missed any mention of this point in Chord’s promotional literature, you can understand my concern.

As I'm still waiting for delivery, I'm not yet in a position to put Rob’s assertion to the test.

 

[ecwl]

I just assumed that the designer would know more about this issue than my ears. Having agreed to pay just short of £8,000.00 for a Dave, and having missed any mention of this point in Chord’s promotional literature, you can understand my concern.

As I'm still waiting for delivery, I'm not yet in a position to put Rob’s assertion to the test.

Since I basically started it all, I felt that I should explain myself further. I found DAVE to be the most source-insensitive DAC I have ever used, especially when using the Toslink or USB input. DAVE performs at such a high level that when I was listening to my video system through a miniDSP coaxial digital output into BNC powered by a cheap switch mode power supply, DAVE still sounds fantastic. That device is always on so it is constantly sending a signal through the BNC into DAVE. One day, I unplugged the BNC cable and listened to DAVE's USB input and realized it sounded a bit better. Not a lot better just a bit better but nonetheless, there was a slight performance difference. This was when I realized that DAVE was capable of even performing at a slightly higher level than I had expected. I went back and used a linear power supply for the miniDSP and improved the cable used to connect the miniDSP to the BNC input of DAVE and I got a slight improvement in performance from the DAVE when watching TV and movies. That's when I realized that if I'm not using USB or Toslink as a source, if the BNC sources are on, RF can be injected into DAVE and slightly decrease the performance of DAVE. However, even with that caveat, DAVE still performs superbly. Moreover, even with the added RF from BNC, DAVE is still much less source sensitive than all the DACs I've ever tried before. I thought I'd share my experience on this forum and I think that's what led to all the discussions that's happened since, including with the AES input and Rob's comments.

So if I were you, waiting for the delivery of Chord DAVE, I would be very reassured that no matter what input I use for the DAVE, you're going to get phenomenal sound. However, if you want to push DAVE to the limit, you may find that Toslink or USB input might sound slightly better than BNC/AES. But then again, you might not. After all, it depends on how high quality your source BNC/AES signal is and from the sounds of it, your source from Meridien is likely to be far superior to my cheap miniDSP device.

 

[Crgreen]

Thanks. That clarifies a great deal. I've found the Hugo quite superb, so I can't wait for my Dave to arrive. Currently, towards the end of May.

 

[isquirrel]

Any particular optical cable recommended?

Romaz put me onto one from Maplesahde. Its long at 14" however it comes packed with a note explaining why that is the optimum length. Its also a great price ($119) and has a 30 day money back guarantee, I bought both types of connections which has come in really handy and it sounds good without all the usual hassles of placement or interference. I remember Rob saying a long time ago about the Hugo that Optical was his preferred connection.
 
http://shop.mapleshadestore.com/Mapleshade-Clearlink-Optical-Cable-Standard-Toslink/productinfo/OPTICAL-ST/

 

[Crgreen]

Thanks, but I'm not sure Mapleshade products are available here in the UK