[thomaskong78]

She's a darling for having an interest in your hobby and trying out your new purchases to listen to k-pop. As for hiding the true price of gears from my wife? I would never do that. Trust/honesty is supreme in a marriage. I always ask her consent before buying. She would thank me for asking her even though it is my hobby and my money. I guess your wife could have bought a couple of expensive bags while at her mom's place and you don't know about it. Imagine her not telling you the true value when you ask.

Reminds me of the story of the husband who misinformed his partner about the true cost of an audio something. When the husband came home from a business trip, his wife informed him with a big smile on her face, that she sold the audio item on agon for more than he paid for it!

This is quote from someone else but with costly lesson.

 

[thomaskong78]

I had comparison of Jay's Audio CDT Mark2 and Cocktail Audio X30 with 2T SSD as source for Dave and HMS.

The former give slightly more details and transparent soundstage while the latter give more analog sound with better texture.

Soundstage width and depth are almost same.

Overall, I prefer the sound from Cocktail Audio X30 to Jay's Audio CDT Mark2 with analog texture.

It may be that Dave and Hms is more sensitive to upstream source.

 

[supabayes]

I had comparison of Jay's Audio CDT Mark2 and Cocktail Audio X30 with 2T SSD as source for Dave and HMS.

The former give slightly more details and transparent soundstage while the latter give more analog sound with better texture.

Soundstage width and depth are almost same.

Overall, I prefer the sound from Cocktail Audio X30 to Jay's Audio CDT Mark2 with analog texture.

It may be that Dave and Hms is more sensitive to upstream source.

What connection did you use between transport and hms?

 

[thomaskong78]

What connection did you use between transport and hms?

Double Sablon Panatella BNC cables after trying out two more of them.

It give balanced sound with good details and nice dynamics.

 

[astrostar59]

Re: Using an external headphone amp with the DAVE and Abyss Phi



Background

When I got the DAVE, I was a bit concerned about its capability to drive my Abyss Phi headphones. At the time, I had the Audio GD NOS11 DAC/amp, which has a very powerful amplifier section (about 8W at 50Ohm), so I thought that if I was not satisfied with the DAVE amp I still could use the NOS11.

I was very happy when I noticed that the DAVE direct could make the Abyss sing as easily as the NOS11 amp, with much better transparency and speed.

I tried some explosive tracks, such as the Tchaikovsky Ouverture 1812 (those cannons!) or the Grieg’s funeral march for Rikard Nordraak (very violent tympani attack at about 1:00 on the Reference Recordings version), and some organ music for the lowest registers, and the DAVE coped well to the much more powerful NOS11 amp in terms of impact and extension, while meeting my usual loudness demands.

Based on this, I decided do sell the NOS11 and go straight from DAVE to the Abyss for the next future.



That audiophile itch ...

I am enjoying the DAVE + Abyss combo very much since several months now, and I could very happily have lived with it as my endgame set-up.

But (of course, there was a “but” coming), occasionally I was feeling that I was not getting the very last drop of juice out of my music. I like to listen to classical – actually that’s most of my listening – and other acoustic music to realistic loudness levels (i.e. those I experience at the live event), and, especially when the recording level is low (which happens often on classical recordings to allow headroom for 20-25dB dynamic range) I was a bit let down by some lack of dynamics and a slight flatness of presentation.

It was not only a matter of SPL, but also / mostly about the visceral impact of abrupt dynamic changes.

Also, bass extension is extremely good with Abyss + DAVE, but the very last octave (40-20Hz) was a tiny bit rolled off in some cases and less physically involving compared to live feeling, while still being the best I heard from a headphone system.



Scratching that itch is expensive ...

I was not sure this was due to the amp, or to the Abyss or to my hearing sensitivity or tastes, but anyway I decided to try again an external amp with the DAVE, and this time I decided to go with the most synergistic approach I could figure out (and afford) by choosing the Eleven XI Audio Formula S amp + Powerman external power supply, i.e. a combo which was allegedly developed to fully exploit the AB 1266 headphone potential.

During my money-back return period, I half hoped that the XI Audio gear did not make a significant difference to save my pennies for something else (non-audio related), but ... well, if you’re a member of the (audiophile) “lunatic fringe” (cit.) you already know how this ended up



DAVE direct vs. Formula S + Powerman

I started playing high-dynamics classical music, namely the tracks mentioned above, plus some symphonies from Beethoven and Mahler, and a few romantic piano sonatas with challenging dynamics transients.

Not only both visceral impact of extreme dynamics transient and sub-bass response improved, but the overall sound presentation acquired more breadth, spaciousness and soundstage size.

While no specific coloration has been added, the whole musical spectrum appears slightly warmer / darker and richer of harmonics (especially at medium-to-high volume), musically complex passages played at lifelike levels (think orchestral fortissimos) keep openness, composure, readability and texture, instead of becoming slightly congested / compressed.

Organ tracks become literally skull rattling, and I can feel the air displacement from the lower frequencies or from sharp transients (double bass attack) coming from the Abyss drivers at full.

Switching to more relaxed and quieter genres like baroque or small jazz combos, or acoustic / vocal tracks changes the scenario to a much more mixed feeling.

With the Formula S I get this slightly thicker and more open presentation, and the tonality of the woods is a bit sweeter (less strident) and more fleshed out, but the sheer transparency, depth of field and detail retrieval of the direct DAVE drive is unmatched.

Room reverberations, ambience effects, minute background noises, very delicate details like the breathing of a singer or even he/she moving or licking his/her lips are better captured by the DAVE and the shivers I get from these cues are just more intense.

The pristine transparency you get from DAVE directly is somewhat veiled with the Formula S, but to notice this I had to do repeated A/B tests on specific tracks, and I still would rate the DAVE + Formula S as utterly transparent as a combo.

Double bass attack, physical impact and decay, deeply descending scales of electric bass, drums solos are just amazing with the Formula S in the chain.

Classic rock (Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, Police, ...) is also more satisfying via the amp thanks to its slightly more forgiving nature, and the additional fleshy tonality and bass oomph, and so are the occasional pop / EDM tracks I tried (U2, Depeche Mode, Daft Punk, ...) especially when played LOUD.



So, was adding that amp to the Abyss worth?

There is no 2-letter answer to answer to this question, I am afraid.

To me, adding an external amp to the DAVE when driving the Abyss Phi, is most certainly not “necessary” and I can see myself coming back to DAVE alone depending on mood, listening volume, music type.

That said, for some music genres like large symphonic works, tumultuous piano pieces and generally explosive dynamic compositions / passages, and in certain areas of the spectrum (e.g. the deepest bass frequency) the uplift of my music enjoyment from the Formula S is really significant.

Since I am intoxicated by the physical, emotional and intellectual (?) experience my Abyss headphones are able to provide, I have decided to do what I can in order to make them perform at best in every possible musical context, so I am happy to complement the DAVE with the XI Audio gear.

Of course, I feel I am well into the diminishing return here, and you may get much better value for (this kind of) money by upgrading other components of your rig - or spending in a nice vacation in Hawaii, or buying CDs or going to live concerts for the next few years, for that matter.

Just as a final word of caution, I have found that you may also make the DAVE sound definitely worse by adding an amp, so not any powerful and / or well-reviewed amp is going to be worth, and synergy and subjective taste are key factors, as usual.

Sorry for the lengthy post, hope it is helpful for somebody ... also, I would be very interested in others' experience when pairing the DAVE with an external amp to drive demanding HP’s!

IMO this is more about another device in the chain than the DAVE itself. Looking at your system, I would go for the Curious USB, not use the Phasure Lush. I had the Lush 1 and it was very slow and dull sounding, too much energy was lost. MK2 is supposed to be better but I am betting the Curious will open your system up a LOT. Then look at your interconnects between the DAVE and your amp. Get some nice silver cables like the Audio Note AN-Vs for example. Finally look at your power supply. I would say the PS Audio P5 would sort that out for you, get the noise related stuff down and the bass and dynamics up.

Good luck!

 

[xxx1313]

IMO this is more about another device in the chain than the DAVE itself. Looking at your system, I would go for the Curious USB, not use the Phasure Lush. I had the Lush 1 and it was very slow and dull sounding, too much energy was lost. MK2 is supposed to be better but I am betting the Curious will open your system up a LOT. Then look at your interconnects between the DAVE and your amp. Get some nice silver cables like the Audio Note AN-Vs for example. Finally look at your power supply. I would say the PS Audio P5 would sort that out for you, get the noise related stuff down and the bass and dynamics up.

Good luck!

I would not give the advice to replace the Lush^2. I had both Curious USB and Phasure Lush1 (yes, the latter can sound slow and dull, indeed), but Lush^2 is an entirely different animal, imo. Extremely versatile with its different jumper configurations. I am still kind of blown away every day from what this cable can do in combination with M-Scaler/DAVE. However, I agree that clean power is important as well for the highly resolving Chord products with their low noise floor.

 

[simorag]

IMO this is more about another device in the chain than the DAVE itself. Looking at your system, I would go for the Curious USB, not use the Phasure Lush. I had the Lush 1 and it was very slow and dull sounding, too much energy was lost. MK2 is supposed to be better but I am betting the Curious will open your system up a LOT. Then look at your interconnects between the DAVE and your amp. Get some nice silver cables like the Audio Note AN-Vs for example. Finally look at your power supply. I would say the PS Audio P5 would sort that out for you, get the noise related stuff down and the bass and dynamics up.

Good luck!

Hello @astrostar59 and thank you for your input!

After about 1 year of using the XI Audio Formula S / Powerman in combination with DAVE + AB-1266 and more recently with the Phi TC upgrade, I decided to sell the XI Audio in preparation to the next stage of my audio journey.

To my ears / tastes, the performances of my system in the areas you mention, like bass response, dynamics, resolution, openness are actually very satisfactory (not sure which part of my 2018 post was mentioning deficiencies in these areas).

What I am looking forward at the moment is a new amp to:

a) drive both headphones and efficient loudspeakers;
b) reduce upper midrange / lower treble energy towards a warmer coloration of the overall sound signature, aiming to a lusher midrange, without trading off on transparency etc..

In the next couple of months I am going to audition several amps like the Pass XA25, Accuphase E650, Riviera Labs AIC-10 and Air Tight ATM-300 to get a feeling of what a maxed-out (within my budget) set-up of my HMS + DAVE + AB-1266 Phi TC is capable of produce. By the way, if my budget was 15k and my rack allowed the placement of its massive 70kg of beautifulness, I would have contacted you @astrostar59 for an Aries Cerat Genus quote .

In the meanwhile I will audition the RAAL SR1a + Chord Etude as well, in order to check what I could get from a different path (i.e. not towards warmth, rather towards even more pronounced speaker-like and neutral listening experience).

After that I will decide what direction to take.

 

[Triode User]

Hello @astrostar59 and thank you for your input!

After about 1 year of using the XI Audio Formula S / Powerman in combination with DAVE + AB-1266 and more recently with the Phi TC upgrade, I decided to sell the XI Audio in preparation to the next stage of my audio journey.

To my ears / tastes, the performances of my system in the areas you mention, like bass response, dynamics, resolution, openness are actually very satisfactory (not sure which part of my 2018 post was mentioning deficiencies in these areas).

What I am looking forward at the moment is a new amp to:

a) drive both headphones and efficient loudspeakers;
b) reduce upper midrange / lower treble energy towards to a warmer coloration of the overall sound signature, aiming to a lusher midrange, without trading off on transparency etc..

In the next couple of months I am going to audition several amps like the Pass XA25, Accuphase E650, Riviera Labs AIC-10 and Air Tight ATM-300 to get a feeling of what a maxed-out (within my budget) set-up of my HMS + DAVE + AB-1266 Phi TC is capable of produce. By the way, if my budget was 15k and my rack allowed the placement of its massive 70kg of beautifulness, I would have contacted you @astrostar59 for an Aries Cerat Genus quote .

In the meanwhile I will audition the RAAL SR1a + Chord Etude as well, in order to check what I could get from a different path (i.e. not towards warmth, rather towards even more pronounced speaker-like and neutral listening experience).

After that I will decide what direction to take.

It sounds like a fun time ahead. It is always a good thing to have the excuse to listen to new kit. I am a great fan of Pass Labs and I have heard good things about the XA25 so it will be interesting to see what you you think of that. Likewise the Etude which although different had also been getting some great feedback.

 

[naynay]

Hi,

Just a question regarding BNC cables, if the cable has a separate earth at one end, if used between Dave and M Scaler i am assuming the earth cable connects to a spare BNC on the Dave?

Thank you.

 

[Deftone]

Comparison with Dave in this video.

 

[ecwl]

Comparison with Dave in this video.

I think some would call me a Chord fanboy because I truly appreciate Chord DACs since the QBD76. I have not listened to dCS Bartok so in reality, I really should give it a listen when I can before I pass personal judgment.
That said, having skimmed over the video and only listened to the portion comparing DAVE & Bartok, I find it amusing that the reviewer said on one hand, Bartok sounds smoother and on the other hand, everything just sounds sharper and more exciting. To me, this is a common comment I see with people who are used to DAC chip DACs or DSD DACs because the noise floor modulation makes everything sound sharper and more exciting even when it's supposed to smooth vocals but because the actual timing and transients are imprecise, sometimes the sound is also smoother. That said, I could be wrong because when you add M-Scaler to DAVE, you also get better timing and transients so true attacks are sharper but smooth vocals are smoother.
Ultimately, I've definitely heard from people at my dealer preferring DACs other than DAVE. Some people also prefer headphones with really non-neutral frequency responses. At this price level, I think people just have to be sure they like the sound of the DAC before purchasing. As long as people are happy with their purchases, good for them.

 

[iDesign]

I think some would call me a Chord fanboy because I truly appreciate Chord DACs since the QBD76. I have not listened to dCS Bartok so in reality, I really should give it a listen when I can before I pass personal judgment.
That said, having skimmed over the video and only listened to the portion comparing DAVE & Bartok, I find it amusing that the reviewer said on one hand, Bartok sounds smoother and on the other hand, everything just sounds sharper and more exciting. To me, this is a common comment I see with people who are used to DAC chip DACs or DSD DACs because the noise floor modulation makes everything sound sharper and more exciting even when it's supposed to smooth vocals but because the actual timing and transients are imprecise, sometimes the sound is also smoother. That said, I could be wrong because when you add M-Scaler to DAVE, you also get better timing and transients so true attacks are sharper but smooth vocals are smoother.
Ultimately, I've definitely heard from people at my dealer preferring DACs other than DAVE. Some people also prefer headphones with really non-neutral frequency responses. At this price level, I think people just have to be sure they like the sound of the DAC before purchasing. As long as people are happy with their purchases, good for them.

Agreed. It is hard to interpret some of John Darko's subjective comments and fully understand his preferences (I sense that he and I have completely different preferences based on the albums he listed). I am very interested to see complete measurements of the dCS Bartók versus the Chord DAVE to establish a baseline of objectivity. I have always found the headphone output of the DAVE to be ideal because it allows me to listen for multiple hours and without fatigue. Impressions of the dCS Bartók seem to unanimously state that the variable headphone output is more powerful, and combined with its other traits, I suspect I would find it fatiguing over multiple-hour listening sessions. I am certainly interested in testing the dCS Bartók and evaluating its network options.

 

[dac64]

Sorry if I was a bit unclear in my comment maybe. I meant the indoor temperature in the Condo in Thailand without the A/C on!!
I often listened to music with the A/C off to avoid the noise it made.
34-35C was not the temp of HMS, it was much much hotter.
Frying eggs hot, would be a closer description of how it felt to touch.

I'll remember the "bottoms up" and try it when the need for it arises again.

This summer in Sweden my HMS which is on almost all day and night until the Telly goes on occasionally, never got more than lukewarm to touch.
The first week of July was the coldest in 40 years in parts of Sweden so no worries about overheating.

But watching Telly with the HMS on is a no go.
It disturbs reception very much making it impossible to leave on all the time both here and in the tropics with a TV in the same room.
But noise wise and SQ wise my current trial with upgrade well insulated BNC cables sure makes a very notable difference to my musical enjoyment.
Cheers CC

My outdoor temp is between 32 - 36C all year around. 34-35C indoor in Bangkok condo did surprise me initially. However, after considering "urban heat island" effect, it's a norm in Bangkok, after all, many pack high raises in Bangkok.

Anyway, after switching on a quiet ceiling fan, the Quest was metal cool, and HMS was as cool as human body, while played.

 

[analogmusic]

Hey ho

This is an audiophile forum

We are not interested in your yoga views.

Please avoid in future






For QUOTE="Christer, post: 15061947, member: 439374"]Some others work with half dB volume steps which I find very useful to really fine-tune loudness levels. I don't know why Chord uses whole dB steps? To me 1 dB louder or lower can be quite a step.
But I am also finding that with the Wave Fidelity BNC cables I am trying in my system I also don't need to turn up the level as I used to have to do to hear very low level inner detail clearly.
With a calmer clearer more open window to the music I enjoy things even more than with the stock BNC.

Very OT maybe? But since you mention mild tinnitus, have you heard about the new treatment apparently helpful both against traumas and also tinnitus,with electrical stimulation at the point just above the eyebrows on the forehead?

To an old yoga freak like me, familiar with that buzzing point, it looks almost as if the third eye brain connection may just have been validated scientifically?

According to the TV documentary I saw recently ,there is even a direct nerve connection between that point on the forehead in Yoga referred to as the third eye or Agnya Chakra and deeper regions of the brain like the amygdala.
And electrical stimulation of that point on the forehead has obviously been shown to be beneficial not only for patients with lingering traumas, but also tinnitus.
PS The yoga tradition "third eye" was never mentioned in the programme that is just my own personal reflection when I saw the point where they put the plaster.
The treatment seems to be firmly based on accepted science and since I first forgot to mention where I saw this, it was in a recent episode of Mosley's "Trust me I'm a doctor" on BBC.
Cheers CC[/QUOTE]

 

[Rob Watts]

Agreed. It is hard to interpret some of John Darko's subjective comments and fully understand his preferences (I sense that he and I have completely different preferences based on the albums he listed). I am very interested to see complete measurements of the dCS Bartók versus the Chord DAVE to establish a baseline of objectivity. I have always found the headphone output of the DAVE to be ideal because it allows me to listen for multiple hours and without fatigue. Impressions of the dCS Bartók seem to unanimously state that the variable headphone output is more powerful, and combined with its other traits, I suspect I would find it fatiguing over multiple-hour listening sessions. I am certainly interested in testing the dCS Bartók and evaluating its network options.

The headphone output from the dCS website:

Headphone Outputs

1 stereo balanced pair on 1x 4-way male XLR connector. 1 stereo unbalanced pair on 1x 6.35mm (1/4”) 3-pole jack. Full-scale output levels are 1.4W rms into 33Ω, 0.15W rms into 300Ω. Output levels are 0, -10, -20, -30dB, set in the menu. Minimum headphone impedance is 33Ω.

This is identical output power to Dave - and is presumably in balanced mode against Dave's more transparent single ended. Note also that the minimum headphone impedance is 33Ω, suggesting that it doesn't have much current output (Dave's is 8Ω).