CHORD ELECTRONICS DAVE

[chesebert]

Modding is so mid 2000s. Remember people used to send their SS gear to get Tube output stage or to have their power supply rebuilt with tube rectifier? Modwright comes to mind.... complete waste of money in many cases and the added cost could have gone to a higher tier unit to begin with. Those were the days

Although back then we were modding sub $3k stuff. Now we are modding $10k dacs ....

 

[Ciggavelli]

Modding is so mid 2000s. Remember people used to send their SS gear to get Tube output stage or to have their power supply rebuilt with tube rectifier? Modwright comes to mind.... complete waste of money in many cases and the added cost could have gone to a higher tier unit to begin with. Those were the days

Although back then we were modding sub $3k stuff. Now we are modding $10k dacs ....

Yeah, if you put a DC4 on both the DAVE and M-Scaler, it brings the cost up to near the cost of a DCS Rossini + Clock. That was my dilemma for a long time before getting the two DC4s. I figured I already had the DAVE and the M-Scaler, so buying 2 DC4s was cheaper than starting fresh with DCS gear. If I had to start over again, I’d try to demo a Rossini and Clock right next to my DC4 mDAVE.

 

[Powersquat]

Any plans on a single +_ 15vdc power supply using one center taped transformer? Should be an improvement over 2 individual +15v and -15v supplies
BTW I’m using a super 3 on my ProJect CD Box RS transport with great results

Sorry to my fellow Dave owners, this is a little off topic. Marc, as a fellow Project Transport owner I would appreciate if you could provide some information.. I have the Project RS2 transport, currently still using the standard SMPS power supply, I'm afraid I'm showing my ignorance, would you happen to know the correct DC connector for the Project RS transport power input, I've been told it's mini XLR, would you be able to confirm this. Also voltage wise, which Farad Super 3 model did you order?.

Thank's

 

[nwavesailor]

Modding is so mid 2000s. Remember people used to send their SS gear to get Tube output stage or to have their power supply rebuilt with tube rectifier? Modwright comes to mind.... complete waste of money in many cases and the added cost could have gone to a higher tier unit to begin with. Those were the days

Although back then we were modding sub $3k stuff. Now we are modding $10k dacs ....

Yup, $10K DAC's.............this is one crazy A#* hobby!!!

 

[chesebert]

Yeah, if you put a DC4 on both the DAVE and M-Scaler, it brings the cost up to near the cost of a DCS Rossini + Clock. That was my dilemma for a long time before getting the two DC4s. I figured I already had the DAVE and the M-Scaler, so buying 2 DC4s was cheaper than starting fresh with DCS gear. If I had to start over again, I’d try to demo a Rossini and Clock right next to my DC4 mDAVE.

That’s an interesting choice. There aren’t that many viable dacs at around $30k: dCS Rossini, Emm Labs DA2, Linn Klimax DS Organik, MSB (the middle one) and Playback Designs dream dac. I would not put Chord among that group TBH. There are other players that may have a dac in the price range but I don’t count those (e.g. Audio Note).

 

[chesebert]

Yup, $10K DAC's.............this is one crazy A#* hobby!!!

Isn’t that the subject matter of this thread? Dave + upscaler is $15k retail. And folks putting in another $10-15k to upgrade power supply.

 

[marcmccalmont]

Sorry to my fellow Dave owners, this is a little off topic. Marc, as a fellow Project Transport owner I would appreciate if you could provide some information.. I have the Project RS2 transport, currently still using the standard SMPS power supply, I'm afraid I'm showing my ignorance, would you happen to know the correct DC connector for the Project RS transport power input, I've been told it's mini XLR, would you be able to confirm this. Also voltage wise, which Farad Super 3 model did you order?.

Thank's

Yes it is a 3 pin mini xlr I ordered a Farad super 3 20vdc but you might consider this I have one on order Linear Tube Audio LPS+ http://v2.stereotimes.com/post/project-cd-box-rs2-transport/
I ordered the Farad without the connector and terminated it myself Linear Tube Audio will supply the dc cable with the correct mini xlr. The LTA has the advantage of shielded r core transformer shottky diodes and bellesen regulators and proper layout ac input on one side and dc output on the other

 

[nwavesailor]

Isn’t that the subject matter of this thread? Dave + upscaler is $15k retail. And folks putting in another $10-15k to upgrade power supply.

I'm with you on the Dave and M scaler but not quite ready for the PS upgrade........................yet!

 

[chesebert]

I'm with you on the Dave and M scaler but not quite ready for the PS upgrade........................yet!

There are so many other things to consider when you are at $30k: ceramic circuit board, re engineer the enclosure possibly (thicker, heavier and unibody), adding specialty coating/shielding layers, use higher quality caps, build multiple power supplies for each analog channel and digital and use separate power for each clock, use multiple FPGAs instead of 1… so on and so forth. TOTL analog design gets expensive really fast.

... at some point you just get tired of these upgrade cycles and say it's good enough and get off headfi

 

[DJJEZ]

... at some point you just get tired of these upgrade cycles and say it's good enough and get off headfi

When you run outta money or get fed up of being broke lol

 

[nwavesailor]

I have only had my Dave for a few weeks and I need to enjoy it for a little while stock!

My mother had these 2 saying I remember as a kid:
"A fool and his gold are soon parted" and "Spending like a drunken sailor" (with my apologies to sailors!)

 

[ecwl]

I have only had my Dave for a few weeks and I need to enjoy it for a little while stock!

My mother had these 2 saying I remember as a kid:
"A fool and his gold are soon parted" and "Spending like a drunken sailor" (with my apologies to sailors!)

Haha… I just realized I had my Dave since February 2016. And I’m still on the stock power supply.
Although everyone here is getting me freaked out that my 5-year warranty is over.
I now use the Toslink inputs only. I tried so many ways to optimize my USB source and one day I threw up my hands and went back to Toslink. Also saved a lot of time, money and mental anguish that way. But my battery-powered USB sources sound the same as Toslink and 80% of my mains-powered USB sources sound fairly close to Toslink. But in obsessive-compulsive audiophilia, fairly close was not close enough.

 

[HeeBroG]

Can’t do this with the Farad board installed!

What PS mod is this one?

 

[Ciggavelli]

Haha… I just realized I had my Dave since February 2016. And I’m still on the stock power supply.
Although everyone here is getting me freaked out that my 5-year warranty is over.
I now use the Toslink inputs only. I tried so many ways to optimize my USB source and one day I threw up my hands and went back to Toslink. Also saved a lot of time, money and mental anguish that way. But my battery-powered USB sources sound the same as Toslink and 80% of my mains-powered USB sources sound fairly close to Toslink. But in obsessive-compulsive audiophilia, fairly close was not close enough.

A cheap(er) non-warrant breaking upgrade is the Innuos Phoenix USB reclocker. It uses a Sean Jacobs LPS like the DC4. It a big upgrade

 

[jlbrach]

A cheap(er) non-warrant breaking upgrade is the Innuos Phoenix USB reclocker. It uses a Sean Jacobs LPS like the DC4. It a big upgrade

absolutely right,my purchase of the phoenix was one of the best upgrades I have done....really good