CHORD ELECTRONICS DAVE

[Triode User]

I A/B-ed May with mDAVE both in full upscaling and in passthrough mode. All in all DAVE feels more precise, but less involving (less energetic). DAVE paints more complex and holographic soundstage, May have more natural and pleasant timbre. I switched to May after comparing these two.

Was that with headphones or speakers?

 

[Ragnar-BY]

Was that with headphones or speakers?

I prefer headphones for “serious” listening. Don’t even have normal speakers anymore, only “smart” boxes for background music.

 

[adrianm]

I prefer headphones for “serious” listening. Don’t even have normal speakers anymore, only “smart” boxes for background music.

So what's your current setup?

 

[Ragnar-BY]

So what's your current setup?

Holo May KTE + Riviera AIC-10

 

[adrianm]

Holo May KTE + Riviera AIC-10

Well I guess you're the perfect example why skipping Dave Mods would be a good idea.

 

[rkt31]

Speaker set up is much more revealing of depth and staging. I have tt2 +HMS +ahb2 feeding to wharfedale evo 4.2. i use headphones too but despite so much ease of use of headphones and direct connection to tt2, I prefer speaker set up. There is no match of singers and performers getting reincarnated in front of you.

 

[Ragnar-BY]

Well I guess you're the perfect example why skipping Dave Mods would be a good idea.

Yep. MScaler, DIY cables for MScaler, Wave cables for MScaler, LPSU for HMS, Farad LPSU for HMS, superexpensive PSU for DAVE… Great things to play with, but at some point I got tired of all this.

Thanks god, I’ve realized it before buying DC4 I’d better spend extra cash on CDs or downloads.

 

[MvRBE10]

You got a point but it gets so much better each time so its addicting… and yes. But both is also fun. And for me i like to tinker and doing the hobby on the listening side and tinker side

 

[MvRBE10]

I noticed one big difference between my utopia headphone and speakers. All upgrades are so much more notacible on my 2 way speakers. The fuses upgrade etc and in a way the lps also makes the speakers 2-3 times more effect than on my headphones. I can imagine that headfi people give less about the mscaler because my scaler has much more effect on the speakers than the headphone.

Speakers are for that matter much more detailed and dynamic than my utopia’s. Dont now if i am the only one with this feeling

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

I noticed one big difference between my utopia headphone and speakers. All upgrades are so much more notacible on my 2 way speakers. The fuses upgrade etc and in a way the lps also makes the speakers 2-3 times more effect than on my headphones. I can imagine that headfi people give less about the mscaler because my scaler has much more effect on the speakers than the headphone.

Speakers are for that matter much more detailed and dynamic than my utopia’s. Dont now if i am the only one with this feeling

Some things are really hard to spot on headphones. Headphones are extremely good when it comes to details, refinement harshness extension on both ends - headphones work like a magnifying glass.
But when it comes to overall "soundstage" it could be really hard to spot the differences.

 

[MvRBE10]

Yes and scaler is soundstage and image enhancer. But richness in sound if i describe it correct is much better in speakers, i guess also due to better low end

 

[Toonartist]

The problem is that no matter what endgame system one has there will inevitably be tweaks that can make it better still. For instance last night I spent several hours trying different USB cables going into the SRC.DX. Yep they all sounded different. The SRC.DX also sounds better when fed by a PhoenixUSB. My fibre ethernet was improved upon by adding the PhoenixNET as the final connection to the streamer. The only good advice is to stop somewhere on the journey, relax and just listen to the music. It will almost certainly sound great.

I am often reminded of the misquoted but still applicable saying that, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

Agree 100%. I have 3 filters I like, use on HQP but only rotate it once every month or so. Sinc-Mx, Poly-Sinc-gauss-XLA and Closed-Form-M with LNS15 and sometimes NS9.

I've been through the stage of trying out various bits of gear for my main system but once I found a sound I liked with great imaging/staging etc about a year ago I stopped looking. That said, I would consider the PhoenixUSB at some point as I've only heard positive reviews on this piece of kit!

The Oyaide FTVS-510 was for the Hugo2 but I have ordered more for my main system as well now. Well impressed with the H2 with the Elites... great combo.

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

i guess also due to better low end

Better low end in speakers ?
Quantity yes (in terms of physical impact) but not quality and extension. Not many speakers go as low as 20hz not to mention distortion that speakers produce and also room modes (hence coloration).
Nevertheless I'm impatiently waiting for my 2 channel system to happen

 

[Triode User]

I prefer headphones for “serious” listening. Don’t even have normal speakers anymore, only “smart” boxes for background music.

I asked because I have a suspicion that 2 channel speaker systems more readily expose all the areas where Dave exceeds what the May can achieve. I do accept though that it is a matter for preference of sound because I was thinking that the May could replace my Qutest but in the end I kept the Qutest and sold the May because I preferred the Qutest when powered with a LPS to give the same total value as the May L2.

 

[Toonartist]

That's why i hate the M-scaler as well, but RF aside, I just found that the filter used the the M-scaler is just much better than all of those offered by HQP. The only consistently good thing I've found with it is the LNS15 noise shaper. Some of the filters added lot of separation, but completely destroyed everything else, others are just...tradeoffs with no balance.. Give me an M-scaler without a ton of RF, or the WTA algorithm in HQplayer and I'd switch in a heartbeat as well.
What settings did you end up settling on?

@adrianm Sinc-Mx, Poly-Sinc-gauss-XLA with LNS15 mostly and sometimes Closed-Form NS9. The latter was the closest I found to the MScaler... I also preferred it at 384 max as well for some reason. Just sounded more like an optical out type sound.