[Reactcore]

I would sure like to see that design if possible and open source?
I understand your 'being satisfied' for sure.

If those pure-sines are indeed switched devises, they disturb the sine and not sooo pure after all.
Analog created sines like in old days perhaps?

It was supposed to be in another modification thread called 'My Choral PSU' or something.. but i can post the schematic i think. Although it needs to be adjusted to my latest insights.

 

[Meridian7]

I did and it sounds like garbage.

Thanks for testing, care to share the inverter brand/type that didn't work well? Was it labelled 'pure sine'?

@SteveHulk: thanks too, which brand/type did work well for you please?

 

[number1sixerfan]

I was getting a bit tired from a standalone DAVE, with its super pronounced transients and a blah imaging.
But after adding the HMS, good cables, OPTO-DX and batteries all around, I cannot think of a anything that could sound better to my ears.
Different? Sure. But as you pointed out, different sounds appeal to different people.
I just wish Chord would sound great out of the box, like MSB and others claim to do.

Although I do think the Dave sounds great out of the box (I enjoy it a lot, even without the mscaler), I'm at a crossroads right now of whether or not to replace it for this very reason. Do I upgrade to an external psu in hopes of better timbre/bass (everything else is perfect), while knowing the entire system won't hold its full resale value... or should I move on to another DAC that feels a bit more complete out of the box. What is keeping me here is that other DACs that are comparable or possibly better seem to all be at much higher price points.

 

[ZappaMan]

I use exactly this setup and it works very well.

One advantage is that Dave and mscaler can be on separate batteries and so, with an optic link only between them, be completely isolated from each other.

Another is that the system is no longer vulnerable to the vagaries of the mains in terms of random rf noise, waveform voltage, and quality variations dependent on the network load.

This requires the battery chargers to be entirely disconnected while listening, easily achieved with simple in-line connectors between the batteries and the chargers. The Victron chargers I use have this feature. I use Meanwell inverters and TNPower LiFePO4 golf cart batteries. One tip I'd mention: use inverters with plenty of power headroom and so if any fans are too noisy, you can safely remove them.

A further advantage is that, if like me you build your own gear, you are released from the obligation (that exists on commercial products) to make your gear resilient to such mains variations as those mentioned above as well as regional variations.

The inverters provide a strictly controlled environment to which it is far easier to build.

As you say, the solution is cheap so if it doesn't work for you then no harm done.

What 9v battery do you use for your fmc?

 

[Reactcore]

Although I do think the Dave sounds great out of the box (I enjoy it a lot, even without the mscaler), I'm at a crossroads right now of whether or not to replace it for this very reason. Do I upgrade to an external psu in hopes of better timbre/bass (everything else is perfect), while knowing the entire system won't hold its full resale value... or should I move on to another DAC that feels a bit more complete out of the box. What is keeping me here is that other DACs that are comparable or possibly better seem to all be at much higher price points.

Dave is capable of so much more than it does in stock form. In exactly the region you mentioned. Specially using headphones direct.

Treating its internal voltage buffer gives it authority, energy, meat and balls. Timbre and different colours of instruments, cold and warm, are hugely improved. Its like you can taste and feel them.

And you dont even need to use an external PSU for it.

 

[JTbbb]

Although I do think the Dave sounds great out of the box (I enjoy it a lot, even without the mscaler), I'm at a crossroads right now of whether or not to replace it for this very reason. Do I upgrade to an external psu in hopes of better timbre/bass (everything else is perfect), while knowing the entire system won't hold its full resale value... or should I move on to another DAC that feels a bit more complete out of the box. What is keeping me here is that other DACs that are comparable or possibly better seem to all be at much higher price points.

Don’t forget the upcoming Choral Scaler.

 

[chelseafc]

Thanks for testing, care to share the inverter brand/type that didn't work well? Was it labelled 'pure sine'?

@SteveHulk: thanks too, which brand/type did work well for you please?

https://www.bixpower.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=XP280AC

There was an audible noise of few hundred hertz from the speakers even without any music playing.

 

[chelseafc]

https://www.bixpower.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=XP280AC

There was an audible noise of few hundred hertz from the speakers even without any music playing.

Yes, it was labeled as pure wave

 

[stemiki]

The only one i know that can answer this and experiment is @stemiki as he powers his Dave out of a unregulated DC battery. If he uses tosink in and headphones his Dave can 'float' with 100% isolation.

Im also shure Dave can pick up RF from the mains.. even without earth connection.
I hear it easily if i place any (specially switchmode) PSU on the same mains outlet point as my Dave. Also together on the output of a mains conditioner.

I found this a time ago when i took my original HMS PSU brick's mains plug and put it on a different mains socket of my house which is wired to another switchboard group. Then again improvement when i did the same with my music server' PSU.

So the noise coming from my HMS PSU had less low impedance short line to my Dave PSU input.

What i heard was again less sharp treble and thus warmer sound with easier to follow and understand singer lyrics. The (bad) fatigue was gone after my optic link which improved things alot, but it was not the last word.

Sorry Reactcore, I didn't understand the question.

As for my power supply for DAVE, I think that having adopted the battery compared to using them only for streamers and M Scalers has obvious advantages, despite an overall modest expense.

After all, I tried to put into practice the advice given by Rob to optimize the system, which can be summarized as follows:

-isolate DAVE as much as possible from disturbances produced by the electricity grid.

-use the optical connection thanks to its electrical isolation.

-use a streamer which can also be a PC or tablet or mobile phone in airplane mode that has "bit Perfect" data that is battery powered and is connected with an optical connection to the DAC or M Scaler.

However, I think that few have used these suggestions to improve their system.

Which to tell the truth, leaving aside the battery for DAVE which must be specially made, is really a matter of few things.

 

[stemiki]

Don’t forget the upcoming Choral Scaler.

Don't forget the upcoming Ultima Reference.

 

[SteveHulk]

Thanks for testing, care to share the inverter brand/type that didn't work well? Was it labelled 'pure sine'?

@SteveHulk: thanks too, which brand/type did work well for you please?

Mean Well inverters, TNPower LiFePO4 golf cart batteries, Victron smart chargers.

 

[number1sixerfan]

Dave is capable of so much more than it does in stock form. In exactly the region you mentioned. Specially using headphones direct.

Treating its internal voltage buffer gives it authority, energy, meat and balls. Timbre and different colours of instruments, cold and warm, are hugely improved. Its like you can taste and feel them.

And you dont even need to use an external PSU for it.

I believe you, and those are really the only things I'd like to improve. I just don't have the skills myself. I guess I could look into finding someone that is, that I could pay to do the service. Other DACs I've heard that have improved timbre and tone seemed to lack the openness and imaging the Dave has, and those are qualities I'm just not willing to give up at all.

Don’t forget the upcoming Choral Scaler.

I think it and the potential new DAC Chord is working on are supposed to be super premium products right? Probably out of my purchase range until I get the chance to set up a really nice two channel system. That said, the products are really interesting and I'm sure I'll be jealous of anyone that gets them lol

 

[Jawed]

Im also shure Dave can pick up RF from the mains.. even without earth connection.

Neutral is an earth connection, that's the problem...

I hear it easily if i place any (specially switchmode) PSU on the same mains outlet point as my Dave. Also together on the output of a mains conditioner.

I found this a time ago when i took my original HMS PSU brick's mains plug and put it on a different mains socket of my house which is wired to another switchboard group. Then again improvement when i did the same with my music server' PSU.

So the noise coming from my HMS PSU had less low impedance short line to my Dave PSU input.

What i heard was again less sharp treble and thus warmer sound with easier to follow and understand singer lyrics. The (bad) fatigue was gone after my optic link which improved things alot, but it was not the last word.

With ferrites on all AC and DC cables (HMS and DAVE and power amp) I found that HMS SMPS plugged in close to DAVE (and power amp) sounds better than further away. My theory is that this minimises the inevitable DC offset that HMS and DAVE's respective power supplies will produce for each "0V", when compared against each other. Since HMS 0V is connected to DAVE 0V via two BNC cables, minimised difference between these two 0V is something to be sought. In theory the BNC cables are there to minimise this difference by direct connection, but RF will spoil things regardless.

 

[Jawed]

I'd never heard of "opamp rolling" until I watched this video:



apparently it's been a thing for years now.

It struck me that some DAVE modders might want to play with opamps

 

[Digital Enigma]

Do I upgrade to an external psu in hopes of better timbre/bass

I have seen many people switch over to R2R for this very reason and they were happy after the change.

R2R has come a very long way since the 90s just like delta sigma, with ladder dacs some measure extremely well and some don’t, just like delta sigma. Implementation is what’s important.

Rockna is a good balance between the warmer softer sound of the Holo and the pin sharp hyper detailed Chord.

I have learnt it’s better to get a component that is 95% of what you already want and the last 5% of improvements can be achieved with isolation and cables.