[EVOLVIST]

Who would have thought that! – They're speakers, not headphones. Or are you saying the sound seems to come from behind them?

Nick, forget the Superalnicos if you want to have the DAVE drive your speakers – they're rated at 4-6 Ω, so should under no circumstances be paired with the DAVE, which needs loads of 8 Ω and higher.

Right, but either I keep the tube amp because I'm in love with it (and I would really have to be IN LOVE), or, I use another amp an as interim solution until the Chord digital amps come out.

As far as the imaging, I've just never heard speakers image like these. It might be the lack of a crossover, because I've never heard crossover-less speakers before. The image is in both speakers, but right in front of me at the same time. The only downside I've noticed so far is hard panning effects are now not as pronounced, like some of those 3D images that Hendrix was doing on Electric Ladyland. The plus side, of course, is this very real feeling that vocals are right in front of my face. This is something I've never experienced with these mammoth multi-point speakers, even in small rooms or spaced close together.

The DAVE plays it's part as the clarity is insane. I suppose I'm just thinking of the SAMs as I wouldn't want to be limited to what I throw at the speakers, within reason, for I wouldn't at large scale symphonic works, anyway.

 

[EVOLVIST]

Triode User what is the impedance on the speakers you mentioned above?

 

[Triode User]

@Triode User what is the impedance on the speakers you mentioned above?

8 ohms and 6 ohms. The 6 ohm ones sounded best.

 

[tunes]

any chance the DAVE will come down
In price in USD after Brexit settles down?

 

[Crgreen]

My understanding is that the DAVE has just gone up in price in the U.K. As to what happens post-Brexit, I doubt anyone knows.

 

[DaveRedRef-III]

One of the early comments I remember Rob saying about Dave was that it 'presented the music in a way that you understood why the artist recorded it.'

I have mentioned before that Dave has expanded my regular listening base significantly. For those that own a Dave it's not really about the 'clarity of sound' though. That's a given. No, it's the musical performance. As many have commented, it's the connection. The emotion. Often for me it's the older parts of my collection, those that are less 'deep' in their composition that have found new favour. The stuff that I liked when I was a kid, mostly predating when I first learned to play an instrument and also before I started recording music. Before I became a little pretentious about listening to a certain quality of composition.

Depth has more meaning when musicality is depleted in the way we have experienced with bad digital conversion.

I find myself playing more of that old simple music that had exceptional feel and performance. Since Dave I have gained a new respect for a few performers like the Eagles, the Hollies and Neil Diamond's early work such as Moods. This music can make the hairs on my neck stand up like the feeling I had when I was a kid and first fell in love with music. A time when everything was analogue.

As audiophiles we live in good times it seems. If only the prices were still the same.

 

[audiobill]

any chance the DAVE will come down
In price in USD after Brexit settles down?

I believe it already has - it was initially $13,300 US if I recall without the stand, and I read it's now under $11K.

 

[esimms86]

$10,600

 

[jlbrach]

any chance the DAVE will come down
In price in USD after Brexit settles down?

dave has already come down in price rather significantly in the US after Brexit due to currency fluctuations

 

[rgs9200m]

Used ones are $8-9K.

 

[Sonic77]

http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/hi-fi-awards-2016-digital-audio/
 
Hey the Dave dac received an award.

 

[Silvertone4]

Some good first impressions from Stereophile's Art Dudley on the DAVE/Blu2 combo and a confirmation that a DAVE review will be in Stereophile's June issue:

http://www.stereophile.com/content/arts-saturday-morning-show#Iw7TruIgmHT4GoIb.97

 

[AndrewOld]

  dave has already come down in price rather significantly in the US after Brexit due to currency fluctuations

Lucky you! It's gone up from £8k to £8.5k in the UK.

 

[SunWarrior]

Questions about the DAVE's output, DAC mode vs. preamp mode.
 
When in DAC mode, the volume shows as -3 dB.
If when in preamp mode, you set the volume to the same -3 dB, is the sound quality of the outputs the exact same as in DAC mode?
 
Or, by being in preamp mode, even if the volume shows as the same as in DAC mode, is the sound quality somehow changed simply by being in preamp mode?
 
Dave, who would set the DAVE in preamp mode to -3 dB only when going into another preamp such as into a headphone amp such as the Cavalli Liquid Gold

 

[Triode User]

  Questions about the DAVE's output, DAC mode vs. preamp mode.
 
When in DAC mode, the volume shows as -3 dB.
If when in preamp mode, you set the volume to the same -3 dB, is the sound quality of the outputs the exact same as in DAC mode?
 
Or, by being in preamp mode, even if the volume shows as the same as in DAC mode, is the sound quality somehow changed simply by being in preamp mode?
 
Dave, who would set the DAVE in preamp mode to -3 dB only when going into another preamp such as into a headphone amp such as the Cavalli Liquid Gold

As far as I understand it, the headphone and RCA outputs are electrically one and the same thing.