CHORD ELECTRONICS DAVE

[dac64]

Let’s see if we can help!
Everyone post your opinion
Would you recommend a Dave or a Blu2/Hugo2 if either one was in your budget? Does it depend on your end game? Blu2/Dave or Blu2/Dave and Hugo2 in a secondary system or Blu2/Hugo2?

I'll buy Blu2/Hugo2.

Edit: Actually, it doesn't make sense to buy the Hugo 2 since Blu2 isn't portable therefore I'll buy Blu2/Qutest.

Yeah and correction: Blu2/Hugo2, if one listen to headphone too!

 

[marcmccalmont]

I'll buy Blu2/Hugo2.

Edit: Actually, it doesn't make sense to buy the Hugo 2 since Blu2 isn't portable therefore I'll buy Blu2/Qutest.

I’d go for the Blu2/Hugo2 also
I’d take the Hugo2 over the Qutest for the headphone amp

 

[simorag]

Try Pangea AC 14se II ‘s better than expensive power cords reasonably priced. also look into a regenerator for all your equipment except your power amps PS audio p5 or a used powerplant premiere (about $1000 used)

Yes, the Pangea AC14SEmk2 seem like a price / performance champion. They are cheap enough to take the risk to try one and see the results, thank you for you recommendation!

Also, PS Audio would be my go-to for power regeneration, also because there is a shop nearby that allows loans. Only drawback would be that I would need to buy their new unit, which is currently out of my budget.

Shunyata Denali and Sigma Power cables. Simply sublime.

Sure, TOTL Shunyata gear would be like shooting for the top, and in a few years from now, when my system will be more complete (i.e. after the purchase of Blu2 or MScaler, a music server and a tube amp like the WA33), I believe I will invest big in accessories as well.

At the moment I need to be more frugal about power, but at the same time I don't want to overlook this part of my rig, thus bottle-necking the performance of the whole system.
With an investment around 1500Euro I could buy something like the Equi=Core 150 plus an used Cardas Clear Power (Cardas is known for a relatively warm signature) and be content for a while.

Your decision to ignore power cords and regenerator at the moment and instead to put the money towards a Blu2 is exactly what I would do. ... Just to say on the regenerator front I had a P10 and have sold it. I have not noticed any difference in the sound of my system without it.
...
Remember, Blu2 is the objective!

When I replaced my stock cable, plugged in a 10Euro plug multiplier with my current components listed in my previous post, I indeed heard a definite improvement in background blackness, noise, bass depth and control. This is where I got the impression that I should not overlook this issue.
On the other hand, I was demoed at a shop a 2000Euro cable vs. a 500Euro cable and I could not hear the difference between them.
So I am trying to find the sweet spot of the price / performance ratio in this area (easy, no?).

As for the Blu2, my mantra in the last weeks has been Blu2Blu2Blu2Blu2... I am resisting to spend elsewhere (this hobby exposes you to any sort of temptations) and trying to sell all my unused gear to get there as soon as possible!
Thank your for strengthening my will power and focus

Anyway, just when I am writing this I am listening to the Mozart Jupiter symphony (Hogwood) with the DAVE / Abyss Phi combo and it is pure bliss ... great instrument timbre, crazy transparency, air and holographic presentation almost at speaker-like levels ... sometimes I ask myself if I really need to spend another ridiculous amount of money to further improve (don't worry, the response is YES, I want more!).

 

[marcmccalmont]

Yes, the Pangea AC14SEmk2 seem like a price / performance champion. They are cheap enough to take the risk to try one and see the results, thank you for you recommendation!

Also, PS Audio would be my go-to for power regeneration, also because there is a shop nearby that allows loans. Only drawback would be that I would need to buy their new unit, which is currently out of my budget.




Sure, TOTL Shunyata gear would be like shooting for the top, and in a few years from now, when my system will be more complete (i.e. after the purchase of Blu2 or MScaler, a music server and a tube amp like the WA33), I believe I will invest big in accessories as well.

At the moment I need to be more frugal about power, but at the same time I don't want to overlook this part of my rig, thus bottle-necking the performance of the whole system.
With an investment around 1500Euro I could buy something like the Equi=Core 150 plus an used Cardas Clear Power (Cardas is known for a relatively warm signature) and be content for a while.



When I replaced my stock cable, plugged in a 10Euro plug multiplier with my current components listed in my previous post, I indeed heard a definite improvement in background blackness, noise, bass depth and control. This is where I got the impression that I should not overlook this issue.
On the other hand, I was demoed at a shop a 2000Euro cable vs. a 500Euro cable and I could not hear the difference between them.
So I am trying to find the sweet spot of the price / performance ratio in this area (easy, no?).

As for the Blu2, my mantra in the last weeks has been Blu2Blu2Blu2Blu2... I am resisting to spend elsewhere (this hobby exposes you to any sort of temptations) and trying to sell all my unused gear to get there as soon as possible!
Thank your for strengthening my will power and focus

Anyway, just when I am writing this I am listening to the Mozart Jupiter symphony (Hogwood) with the DAVE / Abyss Phi combo and it is pure bliss ... great instrument timbre, crazy transparency, air and holographic presentation almost at speaker-like levels ... sometimes I ask myself if I really need to spend another ridiculous amount of money to further improve (don't worry, the response is YES, I want more!).

Perhaps you can try a powerplant to see what improvement you get then target the used market

 

[simorag]

Have you auditioned the LCD-4, perhaps worth a try..? If your looking for warm-ish sound, they work very well with Dave.

I had the LCD-4 on loan for a week and while I fell in love with their vocals, midrange sweetness and general fatigue-free smoothness, I could not live with their sub-optimal transparency and transient attack presentation even compared to the HD800S I had at the time (of which in turn I felt the Abyss Phi were a MAJOR upgrade).

But, that was before getting the DAVE, and sooner or later I will audition the LCD-4 again with the DAVE (after I have completed the building of my system, of course), because I agree that they could make a great synergy, and complement my Abyss Phi very nicely for certain genres or depending on my mood.

Please note that, apart for this sibilance glitch, I believe that the Abyss Phi is a fantastic headphone, and can do things that no other headphone I tried (I am not that huge expert, though) could do. It is the first headphone I tried that can combine speed, transparency, detail, subwoofer-like bass, imaging with no apparent compromises. I especially like the air the Phi can create around and within the musical scene, which gives me sometimes an eerie illusion of not wearing headphones and being at the venue instead.

When I got the DAVE (which I bought after the Abyss), all these capabilities have been further enhanced significantly.

Perhaps you can try a powerplant to see what improvement you get then target the used market

I just researched in the used market and noticed that an used PS Audio Premier Power Plant costs about the same of the Equi=Core I am considering, so thank you for the heads up!

 

[Triode User]

I just researched in the used market and noticed that an used PS Audio Premier Power Plant costs about the same of the Equi=Core I am considering, so thank you for the heads up!

PS Audio are in the process of rolling out a new range of P5, P10 and a new P20. If you must buy one then bide your time and wait for bargains as people sell their old versions to get the new.

 

[simorag]

Thank you! No hurry because Blu2 will have to come first

 

[xxx1313]

So help the guy out and post your numbers! Same scale 0-100 100 being live music. Easy to trash some ones post but you guys don’t take the time to help the poster?

No personal experience with Blu2 here, so I cannot comment on this. But if Hugo 2 has 86 Points, Dave is above 90 for sure.

By the way, if somebody in Europe is looking for a Hugo 2, mine is offered for sale in the classifieds. Hugo 2 sounds better than every portable and non-portable DAC/headamp in its price class, imho.

 

[Emerald Core]

Which headphones do you guys recommend that pairs well with the DAVE ?

 

[ZappaMan]

On a scale of 0-100
Live music 100
1. Blu2 Dave. 95
2. Blu2 Hugo2. 93
3. Dave. 87
4. Hugo2 86

Hugo2 is by far the best value then the Blu2/Hugo2 but if you are eventually going to buy an Mscaler and pair it with Dave and don’t need a Hugo2 in a secondary system buy a Dave

I’d be interested to add no 5 and 6, 5 is mojo and 6 is mojo/poly!

Though not sure who would ever have experienced all these devices to enable comparison.

 

[Emerald Core]

I’d be interested to add no 5 and 6, 5 is mojo and 6 is mojo/poly!

Though not sure who would ever have experienced all these devices to enable comparison.

Probably Rob would.

 

[SCBob]

I’d be interested to add no 5 and 6, 5 is mojo and 6 is mojo/poly!

Though not sure who would ever have experienced all these devices to enable comparison.

Where does Hugo TT fit on the list, especially in comparision to Hugo 2, and why? Thanks.

 

[ray-dude]

I’d be interested to add no 5 and 6, 5 is mojo and 6 is mojo/poly!

Though not sure who would ever have experienced all these devices to enable comparison.

See links below

I thought the mojo-poly was a hair better than my Mojo via usb, but I haven’t done anything to optimize mojo. Haven’t heard the HugoTt or Qutest yet.

 

[simorag]

Which headphones do you guys recommend that pairs well with the DAVE ?

Well, I am under the impression that it is quite hard to find a headphone to NOT recommend with the DAVE. It just seems to bring out the true soul of any headphone, due to its extreme transparency and "rightness".

Therefore, if you are already very fond of a specific headphone model because you like its character so much, most likely DAVE will only elevate it further.

Only limitation could be the driving capability of the DAVE headphone out, which while being very competent, cannot cope with power hogs like the HE6 or Susvara, at least according to reviews and user's feedback (I cannot provide first hand experience here).

My personal experience is with the HD800S and Abyss Phi, and I much prefer the Phi. The HD800S did not scale equally well when passing from my previous Audio GD NOS11 to the DAVE to my ears, and I would have not justified the investment on the DAVE if I had not upgraded the HD800S as well.

By following this thread on head-fi I have read many raving opinions of the HE1000 / DAVE pairing (which I never heard), perhaps some actual owners could chime in.
Also, LCD4 and Utopia seem a quite common choice among DAVE users.

 

[Sonic77]

Yes, the Pangea AC14SEmk2 seem like a price / performance champion. They are cheap enough to take the risk to try one and see the results, thank you for you recommendation!

Also, PS Audio would be my go-to for power regeneration, also because there is a shop nearby that allows loans. Only drawback would be that I would need to buy their new unit, which is currently out of my budget.




Sure, TOTL Shunyata gear would be like shooting for the top, and in a few years from now, when my system will be more complete (i.e. after the purchase of Blu2 or MScaler, a music server and a tube amp like the WA33), I believe I will invest big in accessories as well.

At the moment I need to be more frugal about power, but at the same time I don't want to overlook this part of my rig, thus bottle-necking the performance of the whole system.
With an investment around 1500Euro I could buy something like the Equi=Core 150 plus an used Cardas Clear Power (Cardas is known for a relatively warm signature) and be content for a while.



When I replaced my stock cable, plugged in a 10Euro plug multiplier with my current components listed in my previous post, I indeed heard a definite improvement in background blackness, noise, bass depth and control. This is where I got the impression that I should not overlook this issue.
On the other hand, I was demoed at a shop a 2000Euro cable vs. a 500Euro cable and I could not hear the difference between them.
So I am trying to find the sweet spot of the price / performance ratio in this area (easy, no?).

As for the Blu2, my mantra in the last weeks has been Blu2Blu2Blu2Blu2... I am resisting to spend elsewhere (this hobby exposes you to any sort of temptations) and trying to sell all my unused gear to get there as soon as possible!
Thank your for strengthening my will power and focus

Anyway, just when I am writing this I am listening to the Mozart Jupiter symphony (Hogwood) with the DAVE / Abyss Phi combo and it is pure bliss ... great instrument timbre, crazy transparency, air and holographic presentation almost at speaker-like levels ... sometimes I ask myself if I really need to spend another ridiculous amount of money to further improve (don't worry, the response is YES, I want more!).

Yes, the Pangea AC14SEmk2 seem like a price / performance champion. They are cheap enough to take the risk to try one and see the results, thank you for you recommendation!

Also, PS Audio would be my go-to for power regeneration, also because there is a shop nearby that allows loans. Only drawback would be that I would need to buy their new unit, which is currently out of my budget.




Sure, TOTL Shunyata gear would be like shooting for the top, and in a few years from now, when my system will be more complete (i.e. after the purchase of Blu2 or MScaler, a music server and a tube amp like the WA33), I believe I will invest big in accessories as well.

At the moment I need to be more frugal about power, but at the same time I don't want to overlook this part of my rig, thus bottle-necking the performance of the whole system.
With an investment around 1500Euro I could buy something like the Equi=Core 150 plus an used Cardas Clear Power (Cardas is known for a relatively warm signature) and be content for a while.



When I replaced my stock cable, plugged in a 10Euro plug multiplier with my current components listed in my previous post, I indeed heard a definite improvement in background blackness, noise, bass depth and control. This is where I got the impression that I should not overlook this issue.
On the other hand, I was demoed at a shop a 2000Euro cable vs. a 500Euro cable and I could not hear the difference between them.
So I am trying to find the sweet spot of the price / performance ratio in this area (easy, no?).

As for the Blu2, my mantra in the last weeks has been Blu2Blu2Blu2Blu2... I am resisting to spend elsewhere (this hobby exposes you to any sort of temptations) and trying to sell all my unused gear to get there as soon as possible!
Thank your for strengthening my will power and focus

Anyway, just when I am writing this I am listening to the Mozart Jupiter symphony (Hogwood) with the DAVE / Abyss Phi combo and it is pure bliss ... great instrument timbre, crazy transparency, air and holographic presentation almost at speaker-like levels ... sometimes I ask myself if I really need to spend another ridiculous amount of money to further improve (don't worry, the response is YES, I want more!).

I just purchased a Pangea AC-14SE MKII, I bought it for my WA 33 tube amp, and man what a difference it made compared to the skinny stock cable. I have been listening for just a short period and there is absolutely a difference. Cables can be snake oily so be careful of ridiculously over priced cables. The WA33 tube amp is worth every penny, make sure to demo before buying, my headphones are the Abyss Phi and Sennheiser hd 800 s.