[Playtron]

Exactly that.
But some people opened so much that their brain fell out

Very grimm POV

 

[Digital Enigma]

Interesting. I just haven’t seen this.

Can you provide us some links to those manufacturers’ threads? Maybe there is something to be learnt there

I follow different DAC threads and have read them over the years but I’m not digging through thousands of posts, it’s just what I’ve observed. They are far more welcoming to comparisons.

Take for example the Mscaler thread. Some people have actually commented and said they prefer their Chord DAC without it only to be told by other scaler owners they aren’t listening to it properly or they are doing something wrong, Even chord owners attack each other.

 

[GuiltyRocker]

It seems quite a bit extreme and a bit silly to suggest that if someone finds strengths in other DACs over the DAVE or prefer other DACs entirely, that they must "clearly be deaf" or "not understand what timbral accuracy sounds like" etc. And that's the type of superiority complex that keeps people coming back to trolling Chord owners.

In my audition of the DCS Lina system most recently, I immediately picked up on the 1 or 2 things I saw in it having a slight edge over the DAVE in. Likewise, I also immediately picked up on the things I much preferred with the DAVE. I can easily see how someone could walk away with the impression that either is more natural or more realistic than the other for varying reasons. And I wouldn't have been able to if I walked into the demo with the bias of expecting the DAVE to just be absolutely better no matter what. The Lina is just one example across a variety of DACs in a certain tier that I'd just expect tradeoffs, preferences and perception/perspective of transparency and naturalness to play out in similar fashion. Ultimately, it was a reinforcement for me to stick with my system at the moment without an urgent need to change.

Great points, I did the same auditioning other brands, at the end none did anything for me.

 

[GuiltyRocker]

It’s not about bashing chord DAC owners and their hearing ability, the issue is clear that people in this thread don’t like to acknowledge that other DAC typologies exist and dare I say it might be superior to someone else’s ear.

The reason this doesn’t happen in other manufacturers DAC threads is because the owners there aren’t so defensive.

Debated whether or not the pulse array design and wta filter is the only “correct” way to do it, not everyone wants perfect clinical reproduction. People have enjoyed music long before Rob watts dacs and they will continue to do so without them.

Let’s all play together nicely and appreciate that there are many digital to analog designers out there with pure passion going in to their work. If Chord works for you great but you may prefer Rockna, dCS, MSB, PSAudio.

Keep an open mind and be willing to try many different things at once if possible because system synergy is the most important part of getting a system right imo.

Excellent points, having an open mind and playing nice is cool. I tried all those brands you listed with the Exception of Rockna, hopefully I can try that at some point. None of those other brands did anything for me, but as I stated before, it's all preference really, I just happen to prefer Rob's DACs, they make me emotional aside from all the other differences I hear, at the end of the day I need to feel the music. None of those brands did it for me, but for others they may and that's cool.

 

[GuiltyRocker]

Very grimm POV

Hahahahahahahaha, nice Grimm Joke . You really should audition the MU2, you may love it

 

[number1sixerfan]

Great points, I did the same auditioning other brands, at the end none did anything for me.

Yes, we all know. It's been the 100th time you've made the same biased point.

 

[naynay]

I forgot to post about my recent visit to @MvRBE10 's place. He actually made me start my cap mods after he let me hear his Farad3's stacked with Dave and the impact those give.

Now he has been burning in a new released set of Farad's latest model 10 attached to his Dave (10 says they can boost 10 Amps into a load) His Dave also has a part of my cap mods being the internal LM output dual caps changed for single setup.



Boy they look and sound impressive via his Pink Faun amps in Biamping setup to his Usher speakers.. Basslines are simply more refined and deeper reaching vs the F3's.
He took his his Sub out of his stack cause the main speakers can easily fill the low end rumble in their stead.
In the overall presentation instruments are better textured and pinpointed to their places in the scene.

The F10's have an option to decouple from earth which is what i also did on my simple external SMPS to prevent mains noise.

They use the same cabling as the Farad 3 units so connecting those is as simple.

Just highly recommended.

Will i get them too? Its really tempting for the looks alone ..but my wallet.. i will focus on my speakers first, having designed a newly adjustable bassreflex pipe to build in them.

9600 euro ex VAT. Open cheque book these Dave tweeks.

 

[JamieMcC]

Have owned a Dave for four years now I do think it's a great bit of kit but I also enjoy listening to my car radio which is definitely not hifi

Striving for High fidelity is no guarantee of enjoyment and I've yet to hear a stereo system that comes close to sitting a 3 or 4 metres away from a string quartet and the experience live music gives.

 

[GuiltyRocker]

Yes, we all know. It's been the 100th time you've made the same biased point.

Yup it's called a preference buddy, but in your words a "bias".

 

[FunkyBassMan]

Interesting side note - one quite famous (amongst music and acoustics students) study asked musicians to identify what instrument was being played on various recordings. Single instruments playing a single note, for The full envelope of attack, sustain and decay. Easy task which everyone passed. Then the same recordings were played but with the attack of the sound removed and the ability of trained musicians to identify what instrument was played plummeted. This goes right along with the general idea that most of the characteristic sound of an instrument is in its impulse/attack. It makes me wonder how this relates to the outstanding transient response Chord DACs possess and the resulting realism produced.

Exactly.

 

[chesebert]

I'm not talking about your posts to be clear. The only thing I'd say to question here is whether people are not paying attention to what you're hearing, or do they simply value different aspects of what they're hearing differently than you do. We all value different things and have different points of view. Once we've all been exposed to a certain level of gear it's best to honestly share what you hear and others theirs.. and everybody can infer for their own purposes from there.

But again, your posts are very reasonable and *very* informative. Not attacking anyone, and certainly not you.

Good luck telling people their favorite dac sounds bad or meh. I mean sure this brand new dac may be the best dac they have ever heard but it's possible that they just got into this hobby and everything sounds good to them or they have only had mid range dacs and they don't know any better. I suppose that's part of the rite of passage for audiophiles.

Also, don't me started about people clinging to their "favorite dac tech" like there exists a "perfect dac topology".

 

[coopdog]

Excellent points, having an open mind and playing nice is cool. I tried all those brands you listed with the Exception of Rockna, hopefully I can try that at some point. None of those other brands did anything for me, but as I stated before, it's all preference really, I just happen to prefer Rob's DACs, they make me emotional aside from all the other differences I hear, at the end of the day I need to feel the music. None of those brands did it for me, but for others they may and that's cool.

Just wondering if you would still listen to music if the Dave didn’t exist, since no other dac lets you feel the music?

 

[GuiltyRocker]

Exactly

Just wondering if you would still listen to music if the Dave didn’t exist, since no other dac lets you feel the music?

Of course I would, I still have an Oppo BDP105D here, I used it for years, it still sounds good, I just prefer the Chord stuff, I listen to music in the car and enjoy it. If I have a choice I'll go Chord, but I listen to anything it's all good.

 

[GuiltyRocker]

For some reason though, I don't get the same emotional connection with the Oppo and others than I get with Chord, Rob's DACs get me more involved, i guess it's just my preference.

 

[The Jester]

For some reason though, I don't get the same emotional connection with the Oppo and others than I get with Chord, Rob's DACs get me more involved, i guess it's just my preference.

Same here … with the Chord gear in my system I didn’t keep chasing cables, and tweaks and all the other stuff, I just bought more music than I ever did previously … which is saying something ..