CHORD ELECTRONICS DAVE

[isquirrel]

  As some of you are aware, while at AXPONA in Chicago a few weeks ago, with DAVE in tow, I made a few discoveries that were surprising but none more surprising than what I heard in the Devialet room.  It was in this room that I had my first opportunity to hear a music source (Aurender N10) connected to my DAVE via AES/EBU.  Using a Nordost Valhalla AES/EBU cable and compared against my Curious USB cable, USB sounded more compressed or "closed in."  It led me to wonder whether the USB output of that Aurender was somehow faulty or whether AES/EBU is just potentially better on the DAVE with the right source and the right cable.  I was unable to test this theory in a different room the following day with an Aurender W20 because that dealer didn't have an AES/EBU cable on hand but that significant difference has continued to haunt me.
 

 
 
I requested an N10 for evaluation in my home once again and it arrived last week.  In the photo above, you will notice my tiny Sonicorbiter SE sitting on top of the Aurender.  I have thought about ECWL's comments that perhaps having both AES/EBU and USB cables plugged into the DAVE at the same time might have allowed RF to creep into the DAVE via the AES/EBU cable and pollute the USB output and so in my evaluation, I made sure only one cable was connected at a time.  I also ordered a trial of what may be one of the finest AES/EBU cables in existence, the new High Fidelity Ultimate Reference ($10,000 list price) which is based on High Fidelity's magnetic conduction technology, a technology I have come to regard very highly.  Because I had found the Clarity "Natural" USB cable that I heard at AXPONA to be superior to my Curious USB cable, I requested this USB cable also for evaluation.  Unfortunately, the "Natural" (MSRP $1,200) wasn't available but the dealer went ahead and sent me the "Natural's" baby brother, the "Organic" USB cable (MSRP $500).
 
The verdict?  Happily, I can tell you that as I go from one connection to the other, I am hearing no compression with the USB output.  In fact, even with the High Fidelity AES/EBU cable, I am hearing no difference between either input.  They both sound excellent.  Is this because at AXPONA, I had both USB and AES/EBU cable plugged in simultaneously?  I'm not sure so I decided to plug both cables in at the same time and it didn't seem to make a difference although this may be due to the excellent characteristics of the High Fidelity AES/EBU cable.  Could this be due to something the Devialets were doing?  Again, I'm not sure but in my system, AES/EBU carries no advantage.  Because of its disadvantages (max throughput of 24/192 PCM), it would appear to me that USB is the way to go.
 
Now how about Aurender N10 vs Sonicorbiter?  At AXPONA, it was clear to me and two other people that its more expensive brother, the W20 edged my Windows laptop by about 10-15% in terms of clarity and more open soundstage while the Clarity "Natural" USB cable added another 5-7% improvement over my Curious USB cable.  Against the Sonicorbiter, the Aurender N10 once again represented an improvement by about 10%.  There is a bit better clarity and the layering of detail is subtlety but clearly better.  The Clarity "Organic" cable bested my Curious USB cable by about 5-7%.  Small improvements for sure but consistent and readily identifiable.  Is the improvement that comes with the Aurender N10 worth its $8,000 asking price.  I will leave that for others to decide but for me, it is not.  I am impressed enough, however, with the improvement I am seeing with the $500 Clarity Organic USB cable to pursue this issue further.  I have requested the Organic's bigger brother, the Natural ($1200), to be sent to me once it is available next week.  I also have on order a Transparent Premium USB cable ($600) and Audience AU24SE USB cable ($850) coming in for comparison.  As I am now fully committed to USB and the microRendu, I am motivated to get the best USB cable I can find.  On an even more exciting note, I will have available for testing a USB prototype device from High Fidelity in the coming month.  This will be an "in-series" device that I can plug my USB cable into (similar to a USB Regen) that will incorporate High Fidelity's magnetic conduction therapy.  If this brings about any of the benefits I have heard from Rick Schultz's other High Fidelity cables, it will be exciting times for USB for sure.

Try the Transparent AES and USB cables Roy, you won't regret it. The Premium USB is $600 USD and its easily the best USB cable I have heard. They have a loaner program so you should be covered.

 

[isquirrel]

Good evening guys, listening to the soundtrack from Sicario, its intense, dark and brooding. Perfect material for a late night listening session.
 
​Its on Qobuz and Tidal http://listen.tidal.com/album/50958085

 

[romaz]

 
Try the Transparent AES and USB cables Roy, you won't regret it. The Premium USB is $600 USD and its easily the best USB cable I have heard. They have a loaner program so you should be covered.

Thanks, Simon.  Based on your previous recommendation, I have the Transparent Premium USB already on its way in.  The Audience AU24SE USB comes in today.  As for AES, I've satisfied my curiosity enough to know I will be staying with USB.

 

[romaz]

furutech one of the few companies making occ copper cable and supplies to other brands . readymade cable brands simply put a jacket most of the times. I am using their base occ power cable made from bulk cable. with plugs it costed me about $300 and it did make a lot of difference. the sound of my amp is now much smoother and airy. IMHO their totl bulk cable with furutech plugs can beat much more expensive power chords.

I'm a big fan of Furutech as well, especially their plugs and receptacles.  The High Fidelity MC6-Hemisphere I am testing is outfitted with 3 GTX-D (R) receptacles.  I have decided to order one and it will be outfitted with the newer GTX-D NCF receptacles.  I have not tried their cables.

 

[shuttlepod]

 
So how does it sound?  In the past, I have categorized chords as being capable of either producing a very transparent sound resulting in speed, resolution, tight bass and extended highs OR a fuller, more musical sound with a rich midrange.  Usually going in one direction takes you away from the other.  With the CT-1, you get both.  This is the most transparent, most resolving, most dynamic, quietest yet most musical power chord I have yet to hear and it elevates the DAVE to a higher level of realism.  During this evaluation, I also had the opportunity to test this chord along with the High Fidelity MC6-Hemisphere ($2,800), a non current-limiting line conditioner based on the exact same magnetic conduction technology and when combined with any of the above power chords, it resulted in a very noticeable increase in the weight and clarity of the sound but when combined with the CT-1, it is simply breathtaking.  If you are looking for a pleasant and laid back presentation as you relax by the fireplace, I still believe your best bet is the Shunyata but if you are looking to experience that "artist in the room" presentation, I have yet to hear anything that even remotely comes close to the combination of the CT-1 and MC6-Hemisphere.

 
Roy:  I don't suppose you have tested the High Fidelity Cables MC 0.5 Magnetic Wave Guide? This is the little unit that you plug in to an unused outlet in your wall or power conditioner and that is supposed to give you some of the benefits of the power cords. These are much less expensive than the HFC power cords ($299 or less per unit if you order more). I may give this a try and see what happens. 

 

[106099]

  Good evening guys, listening to the soundtrack from Sicario, its intense, dark and brooding. Perfect material for a late night listening session.
 
​Its on Qobuz and Tidal http://listen.tidal.com/album/50958085

 
SImon,
Which version?  2 channel CD or 7.1 blu-ray?

 

[romaz]

   
Roy:  I don't suppose you have tested the High Fidelity Cables MC 0.5 Magnetic Wave Guide? This is the little unit that you plug in to an unused outlet in your wall or power conditioner and that is supposed to give you some of the benefits of the power cords. These are much less expensive than the HFC power cords ($299 or less per unit if you order more). I may give this a try and see what happens. 

I have one MC-0.5 with me now.  It adds to the impact of everything but by itself, it doesn't have near the impact of the CT-1 or the MC6-Hemisphere.  I have the MC-0.5 plugged into a spare receptacle on the Hemisphere.  I will request a couple more to fill the other unused receptacles and gauge their cumulative impact.  It's clear that the more magnets, the better and with enough of these MC-0.5s, it's possible this would be more cost effective than buying their next level of power chord.  Of interest, you can find High Fidelity gear on the used market and as I have queried some of these folks as to why they're selling, without exception, all have told me that they have been so pleased with the product that they are selling to upgrade to the next level.

 

[shuttlepod]

  I have one MC-0.5 with me now.  It adds to the impact of everything but by itself, it doesn't have near the impact of the CT-1 or the MC6-Hemisphere.  I have the MC-0.5 plugged into a spare receptacle on the Hemisphere.  I will request a couple more to fill the other unused receptacles and gauge their cumulative impact.  It's clear that the more magnets, the better and with enough of these MC-0.5s, it's possible this would be more cost effective than buying their next level of power chord.  Of interest, you can find High Fidelity gear on the used market and as I have queried some of these folks as to why they're selling, without exception, all have told me that they have been so pleased with the product that they are selling to upgrade to the next level.

Roy, you are a one-man audition factory. Thanks!

 

[Articnoise]

 

 

Thanks, Roy for your detailed comparisons on various equipment.

 

I don’t have the Dave and have not test against any real top of the line power cords at home. With that said I have 2 LessLoss DFPC Signatures and they are really nice IMO, especially considering what they cost. Louis Motek have focused much on skin-filtering and HF noise in his cables and conditioner. From your description of the Shunyata Sigma Digital I would think that the DFPC Signatures share some main sound characteristics.

 

http://www.lessloss.com/dfpc-series-p-213.html

 

[romaz]

   

Thanks, Roy for your detailed comparisons on various equipment.

 

I don’t have the Dave and have not test against any real top of the line power cords at home. With that said I have 2 LessLoss DFPC Signatures and they are really nice IMO, especially considering what they cost. Louis Motek have focused much on skin-filtering and HF noise in his cables and conditioner. From your description of the Shunyata Sigma Digital I would think that the DFPC Signatures share some main sound characteristics.

 

http://www.lessloss.com/dfpc-series-p-213.html

Interesting technology that's built into their cables, Abbe.  Their "original" line isn't very expensive and their "reference" is in line with what the Shunyatas cost.
 
Here's another interesting option I would like to try as well.  These Equi=Core mains cables by Core Power Technologies have built-in balanced power conditioning and aren't very expensive.  Reviews are good:  http://www.corepowertechnologies.com/

 

[TheAttorney]

  What I am hoping is that the microRendu, for a relatively small investment, will provide the same uptick in SQ as the Aurenders.  Based on the thoughtfulness of its design, I don't see why it won't.  It is my expectation that it will be the finest USB digital source you can buy regardless of cost.
 
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/698-sonore-microrendu-review-part-1/

Please excuse my lack of experience of networking/streamer technology, but am I right in thinking that the microRendu is not a Source as such, more of a conditioner/converter between the actual source and the DAC?
 
I.e, forgetting about the internet for a moment, you will still need a PC with Roon or HPQ etc, with internal disc drives or connection to a NAS. Or a dedicated server with the same storage requirements. And all these sources can already connect to DAVE directly, typically via USB. So so the only purpose of the microRendu is to clean up the source connection, like a posh version of Regen.
 
Have I missed something?

 

[brightonjel]

Since I am sitting here listening to the microRendu right now (mine arrived at noon today) then let me have a go at this:
- DAVE can be driven from multiple sources, but the USB input on any DAC is becoming the standard
- any device that can output audio over USB can most likely drive DAVE, given the right software player is in place (e.g. Roon, JRiver, HQPlayer, Audirvana etc.)
- many of us use a PC or laptop on which we run one of those software programs
- music file storage can be local (on the PC disk, for example) or done over a network from a NAS store
 
Now, it's fair to say that vanilla PCs are typically optimized for anything but high-quality audio delivery over USB, and because of the limits on USB length then the other constraint is that the PC driving the DAC has to be reasonably close.  (And from what I have seen, even dedicated music servers like Aurender etc. are basically an optimized PC, set up just for the purpose of delivering audio.)
 
The microRendu attacks two issues:
a) via ethernet, the thing that plays the music files can be located anywhere convenient, including on some server in a cupboard somewhere and controlled via an iPad/tablet.  The PC can see the Rendu over the network and just sends it packets.
b) the microRendu has been designed only for audio playback, and nothing else.  It's heavily optimized for just that purpose (and based on an hour or so listening, they've done a fantastic job).
 
What we have yet to find out is if DAVE's lack of sensitivity to the quality of the input source (as detailed in this thread) now also extends to the difference between being served directly from a standard PC vs. via the microRendu.  Doubtless someone on this august thread will be reporting on that very, very soon!

 

[isquirrel]

   
SImon,
Which version?  2 channel CD or 7.1 blu-ray?

The 2 channel soundtrack. The movie itself has been released on Blu-ray and its one of my favourite films for 2015.

 

[106099]

 
The 2 channel soundtrack. The movie itself has been released on Blu-ray and its one of my favourite films for 2015.

Thanks Simon.
I will order the bluray.

 

[isquirrel]

  It's funny you should ask because for the past week, I've been testing and comparing power chords with the DAVE.  
 

 
 

Hey Roy,
 
As you know I have a nest of Shunyata's - all 3 Sigma types. I forgot to mention that a while ago I tested the Shunyata Sigma Digital against the Sigma Analog in EACH power supply of my Select II. To my surprise the Analog sounded better on the slower power supply while the digital sounded best (but not by much) on the upper one, when i looked into it, the bottom one was the supply for the Analog side of the DAC you guessed it, the middle one was for the digital side. 
 
I did try the ALO green line, and a couple of other cables, the ALO @ $300 was a good performer, the Sigma Digital was far superior in every way, micro details, bass extension & weight, transient response and overall PRAT. I tested them directly into the dirty mains in the house not into the dedicated line of the main system as per my rules of engagement for the DAVE. I did notice however a slight dip in performance of the main system which went away when I removed it from the system, so that tells me the DAV is pushing out some noise, I don;t see the point of running the SIgma's from the full Shunyata rig as that is overkill $ wise and no-one is going to realistically do that. 
 

 
 
However I have not tested the Sigma Analog against the Sigma Digital and that may bring about an improvement. I have spoken to Shunyata at length about the effect that Power Conditioning gear has when used on different voltages and it does make a difference that we are on 250V and run half the current, that you do in the US. That being said its probable that the best value for money would be a Shunyata Alpha Digital or Analog with a Venom Defender plugged into the adjacent socket, so if you can its worth asking if you can borrow several of those and plug them into the power receptacles around the house that have noisy household items plugged into them. Its well known in the Power community that power line quality in the US is more problematic than in parts of Europe and Australia. I found that with the Entreq grounding devices, they did nothing for my system whereas the Shunyata always has. The other cables worth auditioning is one of the Transparent cables either with or without a Power Isolator. 
 
As an aside I have recently added a Venom MPC-12C and plugged all of my computer rig including the modem/router into it and voila, major improvement. The best device I have heard is the StroMtank S 5000, however at $30,000 its really for the big 2 channel systems. Still if you want to get rid of all of your issues its that or Tesla.
 
http://www.audiosalon.com/brands/stromtank-s-5000-independent-power-source/