[bidn]

The clicks are caused by tracks having different sample rates. The Dave clicks when the track sample rate changes. The clicks can be eliminated by stopping playback of one track before commencing playback of one with a different sample rate. This works 99% of the time in my system. I only very occasionally get clicks after starting playback or changing sources. Always mute sources when changing them or Dave will also click.

Thank you audio_1,

however all these tracks related to the issue have the same sampling rate = 44,1 kHz.
They do differ though by having a different (lossless compression) bitrate.
Also I didn't use to have this issue with the Dave alone, but only with the combination HMS -> Dave.

 

[miketlse]

I have been thinking a lot about this question too.
Even though Rob Watts and John Franks design their products for Chord, I think they are as much collaborators as competitors in some ways. They have said so before, particularly in the area of amplifications. I think this type of healthy competition is what improves Chord products.
John Franks last commented on the digital amp in September 2018 where he doesn't think Rob Watts is ready to make digital amplifiers of higher power any time soon (he said a few years although I suspect that might be slightly hyperbolic)
Rob Watts has said that he is busy working on new products but not the ADC so presumably, he has been busy working on digital amp in 2019. But he also recently said he is in super busy mode with no end in sight in October 2019. Not sure if that means the product is close to being finished or whether it means he is stumped.

Yes John did state that the digital amps were still a few years away https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-dave.766517/page-806#post-14442312
You get a hint of the Rob + John relationship in this post

To me, it feels similar to a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) pyramid:

Rob probably discusses many TRL 1 ideas with John (including digital amps, davina, mscalers, dacs, etc).
It is still unclear whether the digital amps have reached TRL 2 yet.
However what is clear is that for Chord, 2019 which is their 30th anniversary, has been focused on analogue products (especially analogue amplifiers).
Maybe this has allowed Rob a clear 12 months, to focus on his new digital product designs.

 

[Mikey99]

@Rob Watts

Have you recently changed any of the components within the Daves you are currently shipping? Perhaps Chord changed to a different type of BNC input connectors?

Here’s my issue....

I sold my Dave and BluMK2 a while back and bought a TT2 and HMS. A few months later I was missing Dave’s amazing transparency so bought another Dave and HMS for a different room. I’ll quickly summarize what was actually countless hours of trouble shooting. BNC input 1 and 2 are horrible. The music cuts in and out and there is a constant crackling noise that sounds more like direct contact electrical interference. With Input 3 and 4 it’s much better, but there is a popping / clicking noise in the right channel that can occur every few seconds, every 30 seconds, and it’s even disappeared for a few mins at times. It’s completely silent when the music is paused. When you start the music the noise begins in the right channel. Pause the music again and the pops and clicks continue for a couple seconds. It almost sounds like there’s a short or a charge is being released. My dealer was kind enough to send me his personal Dave which is fairly old (with the curved glass over the screen vs the flat glass on the new models). Dropping his Dave in place the problem went away. Dropping my TT2 in place the problem went away. I received another new Dave but the exact same problem was there again. Horrible on 1 and 2, better but still not acceptable with 3 and 4. I’ve taking every step you imagine to isolate the problem. From cutting power to unused circuits in my house, to moving the system to other rooms and testing each component in the chain. With HMS in bypass mode there are no issues. The same goes when I upsample to 176. As soon as it goes into DBNC the problem appears (just in the right channel) I’ve used the stock cables which exaggerated the issue. Pulse AG cables which helped but just a little, and I used the Wave BNC cables with the same results. I finally brought my AudioWise OPTO DX into the mix and the problem goes away. So now I have a working Dave, but I shouldn’t have to spend on OPTO DX and two UpTone LPS 1.2’s just to get HMS and Dave working. I tend to rotate my gear fairly quickly so now I am concerned about resell. It’s working for me, but as is I couldn’t sell it to someone without disclosing the issue.

Has anyone else experienced this problem with a new Dave? I suspect Chord changed something and Dave is simply more sensitive than TT2. The fact that an older Dave works and two new Daves have the same problem is quite telling. However, I really do not want to send it off to be repaired. This process has taken nearly two months and I’m tired of either going without music, or only being able to partially upsample the music. Dave on it’s own works just fine. The problem only arises when in dual BNC mode.

Thoughts will be appreciated....

(Edit - making a long post even longer - Even with the OPTO DX in place, I still hear an occasional pop/click in the right channel (and no, it’s not the HP or cable))

I had a similar issue, frequent drop outs and very sensitive to cable movement (but not pops and clicks as you describe). At first I thought it was the cables. After much detective work it was clearly a DAVE issue. I had my Dave replaced under warranty. Apparently some Daves are sensitive to timing between the two BNC connections in dual BNC mode. This can also be fixed via software, but in the factory.

In my case the issue was only there if I used USB on the HMS. No issue at all if I used optical. I did not have pops and clicks as you describe, just frequent drop-outs.

If you search my posts in the m-scaler thread you will find more details. There is a reply from Rob Watts on the issue as well confirming the above.

 

[Sonic77]

What a set up, needed to be matching colors though.

 

[Triode User]

What a set up, needed to be matching colors though.

There is a video here of the show system sounding pretty fine . . . .

 

[Sonic77]

There is a video here of the show system sounding pretty fine . . . .

Thanks, love Kef speakers too! The speaker cables are way too short.

 

[Triode User]

Thanks, love Kef speakers too! The speaker cables are way too short.

Yeah, they were not taking chances that the cables might not reach the speakers were they!!

These on the other hand are my own properly short speaker cables . . . . .

 

[Natronious]

I have been instructed (based on listening tests) speaker wire should be 8' minimum for sound (timing?) reasons, and always the same length for both channels.

Though admittedly the listening tests were not my own...

 

[AndrewOld]

I have been instructed (based on listening tests) speaker wire should be 8' minimum for sound (timing?) reasons, and always the same length for both channels.

Though admittedly the listening tests were not my own...

If someone told me that I wouldn’t believe them. Some naim amplifiers need at least 8’ of naim speaker cable to avoid instability, but that’s their problem.

 

[Triode User]

I have been instructed (based on listening tests) speaker wire should be 8' minimum for sound (timing?) reasons, and always the same length for both channels.

Though admittedly the listening tests were not my own...

I once spent a whole day at a cable manufacturer listening to all their speaker cables. The 1m ones were by far the best. My own experiments at home backed that up when I tried 2m, 1m and 70cm versions of the same cable. I trust my own ears, not what someone else says I’m afraid.

Ps, if longer speaker cables were better or if there was a minimum recommended length, how would that work with active speakers such as my ATC actives which have the amplifiers in the speaker cabinets and therefore ultra short cables? The answer is of course that there is no minimum recommended length.

 

[Amberlamps]

What a set up, needed to be matching colors though.

What a waste of money.

It's times like this that I pat myself on the back and congratulate myself for not becoming an audiophile. Phew, I dodged that bullet.

And if I'm honest, that setup is a complete mess.

 

[Sonic77]

What a waste of money.

It's times like this that I pat myself on the back and congratulate myself for not becoming an audiophile. Phew, I dodged that bullet.

And if I'm honest, that setup is a complete mess.

LOL!

 

[STR-1]

On cable length, I wonder whether the 1m Chord Company umbilicals between the two Statement boxes bring any benefit compared to the also available 0.5m Chord cables, which are said to be better than the standard short cables supplied with that server.

 

[Deftone]

What a waste of money.

It's times like this that I pat myself on the back and congratulate myself for not becoming an audiophile. Phew, I dodged that bullet.

And if I'm honest, that setup is a complete mess.

Didnt you get the Dave in the end then?

 

[EndGameSearch]

I had a similar issue, frequent drop outs and very sensitive to cable movement (but not pops and clicks as you describe). At first I thought it was the cables. After much detective work it was clearly a DAVE issue. I had my Dave replaced under warranty. Apparently some Daves are sensitive to timing between the two BNC connections in dual BNC mode. This can also be fixed via software, but in the factory.

In my case the issue was only there if I used USB on the HMS. No issue at all if I used optical. I did not have pops and clicks as you describe, just frequent drop-outs.

If you search my posts in the m-scaler thread you will find more details. There is a reply from Rob Watts on the issue as well confirming the above.

Mike99 - Thanks for the post. I had tested everything related to Dave's bnc inputs, but I had not thought to try a different input connection type with my hugo m scaler. With the m-scaler fed by USB, Dave's bnc connections 1 and 2 are complete garbage. The music constantly drops in and out and there is a static / clicking / crackling noise, primarily in the right channel. With bnc connections 1 and 2 it's the issue is much less dramatic, but it's still there with a clicking / popping noise any where from every few seconds to every minute or two at best. With the m-scaler fed via BNC, Dave no longer has any issues with bnc 1, 2, 3 or 4. I don't understand why it would make a difference, but it clearly does. I'll be sending my new dave in for repair or replacement.

@Rob Watts I'd appreciate your input on this post as well as the post Mikey99 first responded to. Thank you....