[burbster]

For two weeks now, I have been listening to a Sean Jacobs ARC6 DC4 power supply hooked up to my Chord DAVE. It replaced a Sean Jacobs DC3, so I had already modified my DAVE to remove the stock SMPS. I bought the ARC6 used; a new one with the proper connections to a DAVE will cost you $10,000 USD.

Admittedly, that is a lot of money for a power supply, especially one that powers a DAVE, which can be bought on the used market for somewhere around $8000 USD if current listings are to be believed. Nevertheless, if you own a Chord DAVE and if you have the funds, I am hard pressed to think of another change for the same money that will improve your sound this much.

I’ll try to be succinct. The first words to enter my mind, approximately ten seconds into my first listen, were space and bass. That was followed quickly by vibrant. Then “resolution monster.” You don’t strain to hear these changes. They practically hit you in the face. Maybe it’s a cliché, but the ARC6 makes every single track sound new and better. Every single one. I’ll just quickly summarize my listening notes: deep black silence, easily heard improvements to bass in both quality and quantity (actually measurable), vivid colors, tonal density and richness, serious magnification including a lot of newly intelligible vocals, beautiful and true timbres, and powerful, controlled micro- and macro-dynamic swings.

Now I have not heard other replacement power supplies for the DAVE, so I can’t compare solutions from Farad or others. What I can do is give you a sense of the magnitude of the change I am hearing with other changes to my system. I certainly can’t think of any other power supply that has made anywhere near this impact, including Farad Super3s, Uptone LPS 1 and 1.2, and Uptone JS-2. None of these powered my Chord DAVE, but none had nearly the impact on the devices they did power. Paul Hynes made me a one-off custom power supply for my phono stage, but its impact is also dwarfed by the ARC6. Probably the closest is the Sean Jacobs DC3, but going from DC3 to ARC6 (I skipped the plain vanilla DC4) is quite clearly a larger leap than DAVE solo to DAVE plus DC3 (not that the DC3 is chopped liver – it is a huge and worthy upgrade for a fraction of the price, if you can find one).

In terms of overall system upgrades, perhaps the closest and most apt comparison is to the Taiko Extreme, which, not coincidentally, employs a heroic power supply. The Extreme and the ARC6 bring some of the same things to the table: increased tonal density and vibrancy, dynamics, bass quality and quantity. The overall magnitude of change in my system has been roughly similar. The Shunyata Everest, combined with a nice selection of Shunyata Sigma and Alpha power cords, was another great upgrade that transformed my system and did so across both digital and analog. But the sonic impact was not as great.

If I were advising someone on what to buy and when to buy it, I would prioritize an ARC6-DAVE combo over an Extreme or similarly priced server. This is especially the case if you already have a DAVE, but even if you don’t, a used DAVE plus ARC6 is going to cost you maybe 65% of what an Extreme will cost you (and that’s with a Euro that has declined a lot relative to the US dollar in recent months). All of this assumes that you already are using something better than an off-the-shelf computer as a music server.

Apart from the Extreme, I can’t think of any other change to my system that has been this dramatic, save for speakers. But I put speakers into a separate category, one that is highly personal.

Actually, if you own a Chord DAVE, I can think of one change that will give you greater bang for your buck: PGGB (see remastero.com). For a comparatively minimal investment, and assuming you can dedicate an appropriately powerful computer to remaster albums in your library, PGGB provides an incredible sonic lift. The combination of an ARC6-DAVE and music that has been PGGB’d is sublime. I have a nice vinyl setup (TW Acustic Raven, Raven tonearm, Miyajima cart, and Crayon phono stage) and PGGB albums sound better than all but a vanishingly small percentage of the same music on vinyl (and that was true before the ARC6 upgrade; the chasm has only grown since then).

I only have the standard DC4 but my experience was remarkably similar, you now have me lusting after the arc6 upgrade though! Only thing that I would add, is in my case, with mscaler, Dave and dc4 plus cables I am not far off a £20k dac setup. Obviously I have build this up gradually over time, and I never imagined I would ever spend this much when I started out, but as a result, I have never directly compared by setup to a £20k dac, I wonder how it would fair?

 

[burbster]

This was with the m scaler.

I'm not aware of a specific problem with the treble, but one thing I did notice when listening to the Patricia Barber track was just how human she sounded. Like a normal person just singing to me.

I was about to post my experience, comparing for the first time since I bought my transport and DC4, a solo Dave v HMS +Dave, following on from a comment, I think by @801evan, that with a good transport Dave may sound better. Well to cut a long story short, I still preferred the HMS presentation, slightly more recessed behind the speakers, and just a little more relaxed, which I usually take as a positive. However, want really threw me, and was quite obvious, was the higher frequencies, things like cymbal splashes sounded distinctly more real and believable WITHOUT the HMS in the chain. Which had me scratching my head, but I am now wondering could that be down to the Farad3 I am using on HMS? I have the Wave stream cables along with a CAD GC1 connected to HMS and Dave. I may get the MCRU PSU and original SMPS back out to test, although from memory they bring comprises in other areas, like sound stage depth (for me anyway)

 

[Triode User]

For two weeks now, I have been listening to a Sean Jacobs ARC6 DC4 power supply hooked up to my Chord DAVE. It replaced a Sean Jacobs DC3, so I had already modified my DAVE to remove the stock SMPS. I bought the ARC6 used; a new one with the proper connections to a DAVE will cost you $10,000 USD.

Admittedly, that is a lot of money for a power supply, especially one that powers a DAVE, which can be bought on the used market for somewhere around $8000 USD if current listings are to be believed. Nevertheless, if you own a Chord DAVE and if you have the funds, I am hard pressed to think of another change for the same money that will improve your sound this much.

I’ll try to be succinct. The first words to enter my mind, approximately ten seconds into my first listen, were space and bass. That was followed quickly by vibrant. Then “resolution monster.” You don’t strain to hear these changes. They practically hit you in the face. Maybe it’s a cliché, but the ARC6 makes every single track sound new and better. Every single one. I’ll just quickly summarize my listening notes: deep black silence, easily heard improvements to bass in both quality and quantity (actually measurable), vivid colors, tonal density and richness, serious magnification including a lot of newly intelligible vocals, beautiful and true timbres, and powerful, controlled micro- and macro-dynamic swings.

Now I have not heard other replacement power supplies for the DAVE, so I can’t compare solutions from Farad or others. What I can do is give you a sense of the magnitude of the change I am hearing with other changes to my system. I certainly can’t think of any other power supply that has made anywhere near this impact, including Farad Super3s, Uptone LPS 1 and 1.2, and Uptone JS-2. None of these powered my Chord DAVE, but none had nearly the impact on the devices they did power. Paul Hynes made me a one-off custom power supply for my phono stage, but its impact is also dwarfed by the ARC6. Probably the closest is the Sean Jacobs DC3, but going from DC3 to ARC6 (I skipped the plain vanilla DC4) is quite clearly a larger leap than DAVE solo to DAVE plus DC3 (not that the DC3 is chopped liver – it is a huge and worthy upgrade for a fraction of the price, if you can find one).

In terms of overall system upgrades, perhaps the closest and most apt comparison is to the Taiko Extreme, which, not coincidentally, employs a heroic power supply. The Extreme and the ARC6 bring some of the same things to the table: increased tonal density and vibrancy, dynamics, bass quality and quantity. The overall magnitude of change in my system has been roughly similar. The Shunyata Everest, combined with a nice selection of Shunyata Sigma and Alpha power cords, was another great upgrade that transformed my system and did so across both digital and analog. But the sonic impact was not as great.

If I were advising someone on what to buy and when to buy it, I would prioritize an ARC6-DAVE combo over an Extreme or similarly priced server. This is especially the case if you already have a DAVE, but even if you don’t, a used DAVE plus ARC6 is going to cost you maybe 65% of what an Extreme will cost you (and that’s with a Euro that has declined a lot relative to the US dollar in recent months). All of this assumes that you already are using something better than an off-the-shelf computer as a music server.

Apart from the Extreme, I can’t think of any other change to my system that has been this dramatic, save for speakers. But I put speakers into a separate category, one that is highly personal.

Actually, if you own a Chord DAVE, I can think of one change that will give you greater bang for your buck: PGGB (see remastero.com). For a comparatively minimal investment, and assuming you can dedicate an appropriately powerful computer to remaster albums in your library, PGGB provides an incredible sonic lift. The combination of an ARC6-DAVE and music that has been PGGB’d is sublime. I have a nice vinyl setup (TW Acustic Raven, Raven tonearm, Miyajima cart, and Crayon phono stage) and PGGB albums sound better than all but a vanishingly small percentage of the same music on vinyl (and that was true before the ARC6 upgrade; the chasm has only grown since then).

I started with a DC3 powering my Dave and then went to a DC4 and then finally updated that to ARC6. Each of these changes was significant and I can echo all of what you say. I have not (yet) tried the Farad Super 3 system with the Dave but I did have a Farad Super 3 powering my Qutest and swopped that out for a DC4 (not ARC6) and the improvement of the DC4 over the Farad was unexpectedly large (unexpected because I had chosen the Farad as being the best out of perhaps 6 or so others that I had tried in back to back testing). The Qutest + DC4 even made me wonder whether the combination could compete with say £5k dacs, it was that good.

 

[burbster]

I started with a DC3 powering my Dave and then went to a DC4 and then finally updated that to ARC6. Each of these changes was significant and I can echo all of what you say. I have not (yet) tried the Farad Super 3 system with the Dave but I did have a Farad Super 3 powering my Qutest and swopped that out for a DC4 (not ARC6) and the improvement of the DC4 over the Farad was unexpectedly large (unexpected because I had chosen the Farad as being the best out of perhaps 6 or so others that I had tried in back to back testing). The Qutest + DC4 even made me wonder whether the combination could compete with say £5k dacs, it was that good.

So the leap from DC4 to arc6 is not subtle? Dam, where does this rabbit hole end?? I am sure Sean use to list the price for a DC4 to ARC6 upgrade but I cant see it now.

 

[PhenixS1970]

Shameless plug, listed my 2 x Sys. Concept Inc. toslink cables in the classifieds.

 

[Ciggavelli]

So the leap from DC4 to arc6 is not subtle? Dam, where does this rabbit hole end?? I am sure Sean use to list the price for a DC4 to ARC6 upgrade but I cant see it now.

Are you using speakers or headphones? I suspect the delta is less with headphones.

 

[griff500]

So the leap from DC4 to arc6 is not subtle? Dam, where does this rabbit hole end??

In Wonderland of course, and you mustn't be late!

 

[Triode User]

So the leap from DC4 to arc6 is not subtle? Dam, where does this rabbit hole end?? I am sure Sean use to list the price for a DC4 to ARC6 upgrade but I cant see it now.

It is not subtle.

As an aside, the Innuos Statement streamer uses the DC4 power supplies and Innuos have recently launched an upgraded version of the Statement where the only change is to use ARC6 power instead of DC4. The two versions were exhibited side by side at last weekend's North West Audio Show in the UK so one could swop between the two in the Innuos room. I am told by those who heard them that the difference was not subtle. Deeper and firmer bass, sweeter mids and top end etc etc. And this is a purely digital device.

 

[burbster]

Are you using speakers or headphones? I suspect the delta is less with headphones.

I listen 95% of the time with speakers, very occasionally I will use headphones. I think you are right, but not being an experienced head phone user, I am probably not best placed to comment.

 

[burbster]

It is not subtle.

As an aside, the Innuos Statement streamer uses the DC4 power supplies and Innuos have recently launched an upgraded version of the Statement where the only change is to use ARC6 power instead of DC4. The two versions were exhibited side by side at last weekend's North West Audio Show in the UK so one could swop between the two in the Innuos room. I am told by those who heard them that the difference was not subtle. Deeper and firmer bass, sweeter mids and top end etc etc. And this is a purely digital device.

Wow, good to know. I feel an email to Sean J is required.

 

[Somatic]

It is not subtle.

As an aside, the Innuos Statement streamer uses the DC4 power supplies and Innuos have recently launched an upgraded version of the Statement where the only change is to use ARC6 power instead of DC4. The two versions were exhibited side by side at last weekend's North West Audio Show in the UK so one could swop between the two in the Innuos room. I am told by those who heard them that the difference was not subtle. Deeper and firmer bass, sweeter mids and top end etc etc. And this is a purely digital device.

I just wish it was 20% cheaper. Seems like a lot for a power supply. I guess that’s the price you got to pay to play with the big boys.

 

[801evan]

I was about to post my experience, comparing for the first time since I bought my transport and DC4, a solo Dave v HMS +Dave, following on from a comment, I think by @801evan, that with a good transport Dave may sound better. Well to cut a long story short, I still preferred the HMS presentation, slightly more recessed behind the speakers, and just a little more relaxed, which I usually take as a positive. However, want really threw me, and was quite obvious, was the higher frequencies, things like cymbal splashes sounded distinctly more real and believable WITHOUT the HMS in the chain. Which had me scratching my head, but I am now wondering could that be down to the Farad3 I am using on HMS? I have the Wave stream cables along with a CAD GC1 connected to HMS and Dave. I may get the MCRU PSU and original SMPS back out to test, although from memory they bring comprises in other areas, like sound stage depth (for me anyway)

Wow, very cool to read this as we are one of the few. You have to hear if the cymbals is hotter, more forward or not? There should be the ability to hear it faster wherein you hear about more information on the first strike than over the HMS. You also have to turn off the HMS by unplugging the smps and bnc coz that can bring in distortion to the chain when doing the comparison.

Well, as I said previously, the Farad has a slower sound and it misses some info on the first strike...but even when I tried using an Ifi Elite mod I did, it's clean performance made the interference on the HMS even more apparent than the Hypsos. The Hypsos mod I did was able to slightly mask the HMS interference coz Hypsos has its own quality issues. And with the Ifi Elite mod, the first strike was still missing for me vs CDT direct to Dave.

Since my CDT has OCXO and both powered with multi stage filtering and custom psu, it is ahead in terms of power quality over the HMS. The HMS became a weaker link in the chain due to its design and the internal interference it generates. This is all understandable as it is limited by form factor and cost. Implementing my psu solution may bring it to 20k usd levels. Anyways, it's not a knock on the HMS but rather, using it as a barometer with other chain setups one has.

With that said, I didn't have the HMS 1.5ft away from the Dave. I had it on a second shelf just above and offset from the Dave (so not directly above). But even if I found out I had to keep a certain distance between the units. I may not have the desktop space to make that happen.

But point being in this and the Dave with the psu mod, psu quality is very important. Hence why I can listen to the Susvara and Stealth effortlessly with the Dave behind a line conditioner. The amp can effortlessly handle it and the Dave is not modded.

I think it's better to discern these through HP especially with the DCA Stealth. The common issue with speakers is one doesn't know if it's the room or the chain that's limiting the boundary of the soundstage. People usually blame the room then they try high quality speaker cables + interconnects or a line conditioner and the soundstage just become bigger than the room it is in. There's also the resonance in the room that is difficult to solve. So HP it is for me.

 

[Somatic]

Wow, very cool to read this as we are one of the few. You have to hear if the cymbals is hotter, more forward or not? There should be the ability to hear it faster wherein you hear about more information on the first strike than over the HMS. You also have to turn off the HMS by unplugging the smps and bnc coz that can bring in distortion to the chain when doing the comparison.

Well, as I said previously, the Farad has a slower sound and it misses some info on the first strike...but even when I tried using an Ifi Elite mod I did, it's clean performance made the interference on the HMS even more apparent than the Hypsos. The Hypsos mod I did was able to slightly mask the HMS interference coz Hypsos has its own quality issues. And with the Ifi Elite mod, the first strike was still missing for me vs CDT direct to Dave.

Since my CDT has OCXO and both powered with multi stage filtering and custom psu, it is ahead in terms of power quality over the HMS. The HMS became a weaker link in the chain due to its design and the internal interference it generates. This is all understandable as it is limited by form factor and cost. Implementing my psu solution may bring it to 20k usd levels. Anyways, it's not a knock on the HMS but rather, using it as a barometer with other chain setups one has.

With that said, I didn't have the HMS 1.5ft away from the Dave. I had it on a second shelf just above and offset from the Dave (so not directly above). But even if I found out I had to keep a certain distance between the units. I may not have the desktop space to make that happen.

But point being in this and the Dave with the psu mod, psu quality is very important. Hence why I can listen to the Susvara and Stealth effortlessly with the Dave behind a line conditioner. The amp can effortlessly handle it and the Dave is not modded.

I think it's better to discern these through HP especially with the DCA Stealth. The common issue with speakers is one doesn't know if it's the room or the chain that's limiting the boundary of the soundstage. People usually blame the room then they try high quality speaker cables + interconnects or a line conditioner and the soundstage just become bigger than the room it is in. There's also the resonance in the room that is difficult to solve. So HP it is for me.

Can you go into more detail regarding the IFI Elite mod? This will still go through the original Dave SMPS so wondering why it still has the positive effects? Have you tried Farad3 on the Dave or just HMS vs IFI Elite mod? Thanks.

 

[801evan]

Can you go into more detail regarding the IFI Elite mod? This will still go through the original Dave SMPS so wondering why it still has the positive effects? Have you tried Farad3 on the Dave or just HMS vs IFI Elite mod? Thanks.

Ifi elite mod was powering the HMS.
Ifi elite mod is captive lead with 17awg silver occ cable on the DC end, and HQ inlet. I then use a silver occ power cable to go with it.

Dave is just with a line conditioner but it cleans it up so well that what I'm hearing is similar to what DC4 and 3stack farad users are saying. But yes, with the line conditioner it will still use the original Dave SMPS so...it kinda affirms that's how good the internal smps is as Rob mentions many times and I agree with his intention, design and logic. That internal smps just needs some help via a line conditioner, which may be a concept that Rob wouldn't necessarily agree with but, his mains may be pristine while I live in the real world in a dumpy condominium. I also use a silver occ cable to power the Dave so there's that too.

 

[burbster]

Wow, very cool to read this as we are one of the few. You have to hear if the cymbals is hotter, more forward or not? There should be the ability to hear it faster wherein you hear about more information on the first strike than over the HMS. You also have to turn off the HMS by unplugging the smps and bnc coz that can bring in distortion to the chain when doing the comparison.

Well, as I said previously, the Farad has a slower sound and it misses some info on the first strike...but even when I tried using an Ifi Elite mod I did, it's clean performance made the interference on the HMS even more apparent than the Hypsos. The Hypsos mod I did was able to slightly mask the HMS interference coz Hypsos has its own quality issues. And with the Ifi Elite mod, the first strike was still missing for me vs CDT direct to Dave.

Since my CDT has OCXO and both powered with multi stage filtering and custom psu, it is ahead in terms of power quality over the HMS. The HMS became a weaker link in the chain due to its design and the internal interference it generates. This is all understandable as it is limited by form factor and cost. Implementing my psu solution may bring it to 20k usd levels. Anyways, it's not a knock on the HMS but rather, using it as a barometer with other chain setups one has.

With that said, I didn't have the HMS 1.5ft away from the Dave. I had it on a second shelf just above and offset from the Dave (so not directly above). But even if I found out I had to keep a certain distance between the units. I may not have the desktop space to make that happen.

But point being in this and the Dave with the psu mod, psu quality is very important. Hence why I can listen to the Susvara and Stealth effortlessly with the Dave behind a line conditioner. The amp can effortlessly handle it and the Dave is not modded.

I think it's better to discern these through HP especially with the DCA Stealth. The common issue with speakers is one doesn't know if it's the room or the chain that's limiting the boundary of the soundstage. People usually blame the room then they try high quality speaker cables + interconnects or a line conditioner and the soundstage just become bigger than the room it is in. There's also the resonance in the room that is difficult to solve. So HP it is for me.

What CDT are you using? My CDT has an input for an external world clock, but I thought as the DAVE nor the HMS have a clock input, it would be a waste, but is this correct?