[ray-dude]

When I auditioned the TT2 (with mScaler), I was eager to have it be good enough to trade out my DAVE (just to have the flexibility of more power output). Took all of 30 seconds to realize (alas) my DAVE wasn't going anywhere.

As for DAVE Next, my wishlist (in priority order) is for:

* A world class external power supply, or the ability to connect a world class external power supply (there is no DAC on the planet that doesn't get better with better ground and better reference voltage)
* More power output (a la TT2)
* An externally configurable digital equalizer that doesn't degrade that amazing transparency (digital room correction, tuning response curves for touchy headphones and speakers, etc...bonus points if each output can have its own transfer function....digital cross over time!)
* 32 PE arrays on the output (assuming that makes a big difference in depth resolution vs the current 20...only Rob knows where the point of diminishing returns is)
* A built in optical variant of DX with enough bandwidth to cover the full 16fs, ideally with a range of at least 20m (put all the digital goodies in a server room, get full isolation at the DAC), or i2s with some sort of optical isolation
* Some sort of analog home theatre pass thru so the output of my surround setup can get passed to my 2 channel speakers

No matter what DAVE Next turns out to be, I'll be ordering one on day one.

 

[Amberlamps]

When I auditioned the TT2 (with mScaler), I was eager to have it be good enough to trade out my DAVE (just to have the flexibility of more power output). Took all of 30 seconds to realize (alas) my DAVE wasn't going anywhere.

As for DAVE Next, my wishlist (in priority order) is for:

* A world class external power supply, or the ability to connect a world class external power supply (there is no DAC on the planet that doesn't get better with better ground and better reference voltage)
* More power output (a la TT2)
* An externally configurable digital equalizer that doesn't degrade that amazing transparency (digital room correction, tuning response curves for touchy headphones and speakers, etc...bonus points if each output can have its own transfer function....digital cross over time!)
* 32 PE arrays on the output (assuming that makes a big difference in depth resolution vs the current 20...only Rob knows where the point of diminishing returns is)
* A built in optical variant of DX with enough bandwidth to cover the full 16fs, ideally with a range of at least 20m (put all the digital goodies in a server room, get full isolation at the DAC), or i2s with some sort of optical isolation
* Some sort of analog home theatre pass thru so the output of my surround setup can get passed to my 2 channel speakers

No matter what DAVE Next turns out to be, I'll be ordering one on day one.

This must be the In-denial Dave owner's thread.

I know, it's hard, but with time your denial will become less and less and you all will begin to accept that £4000, really can be better than £8500.





TT2 > Dave, well, atleast my one is, cheers rob

 

[Triode User]

This must be the In-denial Dave owner's thread.

I know, it's hard, but with time your denial will become less and less and you will begin to accept that £4000, really can be better than £8500.





TT2 > Dave, well, atleast my one is, cheers rob

Wind up merchant with your warped sense of humour and hiding text in your post!

 

[Amberlamps]

Wind up merchant with your warped sense of humour and hiding text in your post!

It's close though.

 

[George Hincapie]

This week my Dave is two years old and as usual I needed to by Dave a birthday present...….
Last year it was a Mscaler, and Dave was very excited when he opened the second package which were the Wave Cables as an accessory.
This year I wondered what Dave may like it was a very high bar to match...…. so a recent visit to CamJam London 2019 produced this...…
Sorry @Rob Watts I have compromised your transparency and wonderful DAC but I could not resist sorry.
Dave needed a birthday present perhaps not quite a match to equal a Mscaler with the Wave Cables but ……

What is it? A Dalek? Are we in danger?!

 

[adyc]

Interesting feedback.
I have sometimes floated the question as to how one could improve the DAVE.
I could only envisage minor tweaks such as increase the power output to match TT2, and enhance the RFI filtering so that it is not a problem with newer equipment such as MScaler.
Otherwise, DAVE is doing a good job by most posts, so why try and change something that is already working.

Dump the dual coaxial links and change to optical. Coaxial is RF hotbed.

 

[racebit]

Dump the dual coaxial links and change to optical. Coaxial is RF hotbed.

You beat me by a few seconds...

The only thing I would really want on next DAVE is 768K optical input. Everything else is fine as is to me. USB and BNCs are the devil to me.
That could be really DAVE 1.1, and that alternate port could even be developed by someone else under Rob guidance, to free Rob for the things that only he can do (eg Davina, DX amps, 2MScaler, etc). Working on an advanced optical port may be a waste of Rob time here on earth

 

[iDesign]

That is exactly what Rob has been saying in here to anyone who would listen and I am not at all surprised. Dave is so far ahead of the game that there is no need to even think about a need for Dave2. I personally would rather RW looks at his other digital projects so he can confound us once more and find other ways to lighten our wallets!

Agreed. The DAVE isn't an iPhone that was designed with planned obsolescence and needs to be updated annually with trivial features to stay relevant. Spare me the wishlists.

 

[llamaluv]

I'm looking for a high quality programmable remote to replace the DAVE's, which I dislike very much.

Ideally, it would be made of metal and consist of just two large buttons. Naturally, this is too much to ask. But anything that is compact, sturdy (and not 100% plastic), has less than 200 buttons and does not look mega-nerdy would be worth considering, just to get away from the stock remote.

Any suggestions?

 

[AndrewOld]

I'm looking for a high quality programmable remote to replace the DAVE's, which I dislike very much.

Ideally, it would be made of metal and consist of just two large buttons. Naturally, this is too much to ask. But anything that is compact, sturdy (and not 100% plastic), has less than 200 buttons and does not look mega-nerdy would be worth considering, just to get away from the stock remote.

Any suggestions?

Ask them for the small remote. I got mine free. It is small and has far fewer buttons, and they all do something useful - Volume up and down, next/previous input, mute, on/off. Still plastic though. The big remote that came with the DAVE originally did indeed let the product down - most of the buttons had no useful function, and it was annoying in particular that there was no way of directly selecting an input. Nor of controlling an M Scaler. Perhaps because listening with headphones is a big part of Chords market they don’t appreciate the value of a remote control, so we are stuck with an afterthought.

 

[llamaluv]

Ask them for the small remote. I got mine free. It is small and has far fewer buttons, and they all do something useful - Volume up and down, next/previous input, mute, on/off. Still plastic though. The big remote that came with the DAVE originally did indeed let the product down - most of the buttons had no useful function, and it was annoying in particular that there was no way of directly selecting an input. Nor of controlling an M Scaler. Perhaps because listening with headphones is a big part of Chords market they don’t appreciate the value of a remote control, so we are stuck with an afterthought.

Ah, I am talking about the newer, smaller remote, although I can see now based on what I had originally wrote why you might have assumed I was referring to the larger one with the vestigial buttons.

 

[tunes]

Hmm.. I may need to reset expectations a bit lower: This is an update to some old DAVE vibration control posts. Now to include the HMS.

I find it hard to understand why hewn-from-rock products like DAVE or HMS could benefit from vibration control. They have thick enclosures, no moving parts, no large transformers, and I don't have loudspeakers to excite the room foundations.
So what is there left to vibrate? I don't know, but I've found that tweaks in this area can make incremental improvements, albeit in infuriatingly unpredicable ways. Price is no guarantee to success.

My DAVE sits on Black Ravioli footers, and my HMS sits on Clearlight RDC 4 cones. Both are reasonably priced compared to some Audiophool products.
I'm sure there are better sounding footers out there, but the Black Ravioli's in particular are a great match for DAVE because they are small, neat, kind to furniture and very stable because they can be stuck on (and this last point is why I'm not able to try them on my HMS - instead I dug out the old RDC cones from my spares box).

As examples of unpredictability, I heard no improvements to DAVE when using the more expensive HRS Nimbus footers, or the frighteningly expensive HRS Vortex footers.
And the RDC cones made no noticeable difference when they were cone-side up under my HMS, but did make a difference when cone-side down. Go figure.

What both these footers did was add a subtle touch of clarity/focus/dynamics to the sound. But neither of them did much to give a weightier, more solid presentation that some of us search for.
But HRS damping plates did just that. I started with the smallest DP II, which almost perfectly fits on top of DAVE's LHS. And the black finish almost perfectly matches my black DAVE. But the weighter sound came with some compromises - some over-smooothing, a loss of air and sparkle.

I later tried the thicker (and of course more expensive) DPX plates. These were well worth it. Even more weight and body, but now there was no loss in detail/air/sparkle - it was all there, just presented in a smoother, more natural manner.
Apart from cost, the main downside of the DPX is that it looks clumsier than the slim DP II on DAVE.

When the HMS arrived, I tried the now-spare DP II, but this didn't do much to SQ. But then the DPX gave the same improvement to HMS as it did to DAVE. Because the HMS surface area is so much greater, I could move around the DPX plate and did find that position subtly matters. So I currently have the DPX on the HMS and DPII on DAVE. And am considering trying a larger DPX on HMS to free up the small DPX to go back onto DAVE.

So, are these footers and damping plates worth it, as I keep saying how subtle the differences are?
In the context of a 5-figure cost hifi system, then yes I think so, particularly if you are searching for that weighter, more natural sound.
But this area is so unpredicatble that I recommend a try-before-buy, or at least a dealer with a good returns policy.

Note that the HRS products are much better value in their home US than they are in the UK.
Note also, that both damping plates and footers will obstruct some of DAVE's ventilation holes. I've never noticed any difference in DAVE's enclosure temperature, but those in hotter climates should take extra care to leave DAVE at least in standby mode when not in use. On the plus side, the extra height of the footers will increase ventilation from below.

How do you put DAVE in standby mode??

 

[MacedonianHero]

How do you put DAVE in standby mode??

Just turn it off via the remote. That will put it in Standby mode. The switch on the back shuts it off completely.

 

[ray-dude]

Hmm.. I may need to reset expectations a bit lower: This is an update to some old DAVE vibration control posts. Now to include the HMS.

FWIW, I recently added some Ingress Audio Level 3 rollerball isolation cups to my DAVE. (See http://www.barrydiamentaudio.com/vibration.htm for Barry Diament’s original write up)

I already had a Acoustic Revive TB-38H stand and Black Ravioli pads, so I was expecting a very minor to negligible SQ change by adding some horizontal vibration isolation.

I was absolutely shocked. This was one of the biggest SQ impacts I’ve ever heard in my system. When the audio group was over, much startled cussing was heard (What?!?) after I put the isolation bowls in.

I can’t say how unique the positive impact is to my set up (need to experiment in a couple other setups to say), but now I am a true believer in mechanical isolation (holy crap!!)

MUCH more experimentation to come.

For other Dave owners, a quickie experiment with marbles and porcelain dishes may be worthwhile to see if it is worth your while to invest in some custom machined bowls (Id love to hear what your hear)

 

[TheAttorney]

FWIW, I recently added some Ingress Audio Level 3 rollerball isolation cups to my DAVE

.... MUCH more experimentation to come.

I'd be interested to see how you get on with the further experimentation - I think there is a whole world of possibilities. I expect the success of any footer design to be highly affected by the surface it is resting on.

Sounds like the Ingres rollerballs can outperform the Black Ravilolis, but I won't be rushing out to buy the rollerballs just yet - a 2-piece solution that includes a ball bearing is the sort of thing that will go wrong in my household, especially when I'm often moving stuff around my hifi rack. I can just imagine a ball bearing shooting off across the floor and rolling under the heaviest piece of furniture in my room (this sort of thing really does happen to me).

The Ingres designer reckons the (low frequency) vibrations, that his rollerballs are trying to reduce, are caused by earth itself (transmitting both natural and man-made vibrations). Which may or may not be true - it's not really something that can easily be verified either way. But it does attempt to answer my earlier question of what is the source of vibration that that impacts SQ in DAVE and similar products?