CHORD ELECTRONICS DAVE

[jlbrach]

assuming the dave and m scaler are fully functional the guy gave them away

 

[Exekuhtor]

Be sure to try a good DDC with toslink out to HMS to filter the PC's noise out.

Current plan: Singxer SU-6 from my PC with I²S to May and optical to HMS. I already use decent enough Silver Sonic DH Labs BNC cables, and i got a KabelDirekt optical cable lying around, so i think i'm good. I need some more cables for the CFA3 too in the near future, so i don't want to overblow my purchases right now. I already overspent this year with this purchase, but that deal was so good i had to get it...

Farad is very good upgrade, after getting one I am no long using mscaler, as it not making noticeable difference now.

Sooo, in return that means that i don't need the Farad upgrade if i'm using MScaler anyway.
Jokes aside, Farad upgrade mod is out of the question (for now at least).

Do you use the Mscaler with the May?

Nope, MScaler will stay with Dave 100%.

assuming the dave and m scaler are fully functional the guy gave them away

Yeah, somewhat. I see it as: "I payed for TT2+MScaler and got Dave+MScaler", and as i previously stated , i would've never bought a Dave otherwise...

 

[harris4crna]

Current plan: Singxer SU-6 from my PC with I²S to May and optical to HMS. I already use decent enough Silver Sonic DH Labs BNC cables, and i got a KabelDirekt optical cable lying around, so i think i'm good. I need some more cables for the CFA3 too in the near future, so i don't want to overblow my purchases right now. I already overspent this year with this purchase, but that deal was so good i had to get it...

Sooo, in return that means that i don't need the Farad upgrade if i'm using MScaler anyway.
Jokes aside, Farad upgrade mod is out of the question (for now at least).

Nope, MScaler will stay with Dave 100%.

Yeah, somewhat. I see it as: "I payed for TT2+MScaler and got Dave+MScaler", and as i previously stated , i would never bought a Dave otherwise...

Did you listen to the CFA3 and how much is it. I can understand why you would choose this route with your choice of headphones.

 

[ZappaMan]

Listening to Danish String Quartet on Tiny Desk/npr via YouTube, usb from pc to Dave, then etude amp to omega compact speakers and sub, it's great and no faff.

 

[JamieMcC]

How are you getting on with the Etude? I've been thinking of trying one myself with my Dave.

 

[ZappaMan]

How are you getting on with the Etude? I've been thinking of trying one myself with my Dave.

Im a bit hesitant to recommend it as such, just because I dont have a lot of experience with amps, and once it was plugged in, it stayed there.
My speakers are very efficient, so really they dont even need an amp.
Then life is so busy, I dont really have time for tweaking, repositioning, speaker wires... I actually really only listen while i'm working and then i'm half listening.

But saying all that, I think its good, but I wish I had more time to actually evaluate it properly.

That said, I've had it about 2 years, and I'm listening near field, Dave volume would be about -40. I listen to all genres and I do love it. It is a quality hifi system.

 

[JTbbb]

How are you getting on with the Etude? I've been thinking of trying one myself with my Dave.

I had Etude with Dave for a number of years, I did a home trial with a Naim power amp. When delivered it amused me that he struggled with the weight of the Naim but nonchalantly tucked the Etude under his arm! No passive cooling with Etude but has a fan which I only ever heard when initially turning on, then it goes quiet. The sound of the Etude was more dynamic, clear and analytical so it stayed.

Over the said few years I really enjoyed the sound but at the same time I was moving into tube headphone amps, nuf said that I ended up selling the Etude and moved to vintage tube amps! Of course this is all dependent on preference and system but I would certainly recommend trying the Etude! One thing that is a nuisance, to my mind for sure, is the on/off switch being round the back.

 

[JamieMcC]

Im a bit hesitant to recommend it as such, just because I dont have a lot of experience with amps, and once it was plugged in, it stayed there.
My speakers are very efficient, so really they dont even need an amp.
Then life is so busy, I dont really have time for tweaking, repositioning, speaker wires... I actually really only listen while i'm working and then i'm half listening.

But saying all that, I think its good, but I wish I had more time to actually evaluate it properly.

That said, I've had it about 2 years, and I'm listening near field, Dave volume would be about -40. I listen to all genres and I do love it. It is a quality hifi system.

I had Etude with Dave for a number of years, I did a home trial with a Naim power amp. When delivered it amused me that he struggled with the weight of the Naim but nonchalantly tucked the Etude under his arm! No passive cooling with Etude but has a fan which I only ever heard when initially turning on, then it goes quiet. The sound of the Etude was more dynamic, clear and analytical so it stayed.

Over the said few years I really enjoyed the sound but at the same time I was moving into tube headphone amps, nuf said that I ended up selling the Etude and moved to vintage tube amps! Of course this is all dependent on preference and system but I would certainly recommend trying the Etude! One thing that is a nuisance, to my mind for sure, is the on/off switch being round the back.

Thanks for the feedback as those are both a interesting couple of replies as I'm essentially going in an opposite direction but for a second system. My main set up for many years now has been 100db open baffles speakers (Bastani Mandala) the Dave will easily drive them direct but I prefer to go Dave - 300b valve amp (Elekit TU-8900).

For headphone I used Dave - Bottlehead Mainline for a few years then replaced the Mainline with the Elekit TU-8900 whilst a speaker amp it is also superb with headphones easily besting the Mainline but with enough power to also use with harder to drive cans like my HE 6.

I have had a itch to try Dave + Etude paired some good stand mounts for a bit of contrast to current setup.

 

[JTbbb]

Thanks for the feedback as those are both a interesting couple of replies as I'm essentially going in an opposite direction but for a second system. My main set up for many years now has been 100db open baffles speakers (Bastani Mandala) the Dave will easily drive them direct but I prefer to go Dave - 300b valve amp (Elekit TU-8900).

For headphone I used Dave - Bottlehead Mainline for a few years then replaced the Mainline with the Elekit TU-8900 whilst a speaker amp it is also superb with headphones easily besting the Mainline but with enough power to also use with harder to drive cans like my HE 6.

I have had an itch to try Dave + Etude paired some good stand mounts for a bit of contrast to current setup.

Standmounts:- I like Dynaudio special 40’s and 2x 11watt tube power amps drives them very well.

 

[ErikV55]

Hey,
I originally wanted to get a Hugo TT2 + MScaler next year, when i spotted that absolutely ridiculously priced classified listing of the Dave + MScaler i went for it. And i got it.
My normal DAC is the Holo May KTE, which i upgraded to after i really liked the Spring 3 KTE for over a year. At that time i more or less build my chain for the 1266TC (my other main headphone was the OG Susvara, but that one always sounds amazing), the R2R goodness of the Spring / May was really enjoyable for those two.
But because i wanted an alteration, the Chord stuff draw my attention, for various reasons (for example, the jitter imunity is nice because my music is on a noisy gaming PC).
I won't be using the Daves headphone out. I never had a DAC in this price range, only the May that comes somewhat close (not really).

I went through ~250 pages and noteworthy posts consists of:

- Chesebert arguing with Goldensound, as is tradition.
- Farad power supply mod, which improves the sound, but it's three big boxes that independently feed the Dave (i won't do that).
- BNC 3/4 is better (i did that!).
- I really dislike the picture profil of the big ass spider (he stopped posting at some point).
- Some say Dave is at the end of its life because it's rather old, some say it's timeless.
- A lot of people waiting for that super M-Scaler (Choral) to release (i couldn't care less, lol).
- A lot of talk about the Grimm MU stuff, price is 10k+, people say it's better than the MScaler (well duh, i hope so at its price).
- Some very good advice from @ecwl like: Optimal sound for 44.1kHz is to have the HF filter turned off. Anything 48kHz or above the HF filter should be turned on. But he also said that with MScaler things change (so, do i want HF on or off with 705 upscaling???).
- Some stuff like crossfeed etc are for speaker / headphone out only, so i don't care for them (or do i?).
- Really nice comparison from @SoupRKnowva of the Dave vs Rockna Wavedream.

So, the devices arrived and first impressions are:
- No driver nesseccary with Windows 11, or do i need one? It just works! (like Raytracing, yeah, we know Jensen.)
- I am thankfull that the gaming / video button is present on the MScaler, with normal music it's no big deal, but the delay is really problematic otherwise.
- You can't turn the MScaler off. I think that's the most audiophile device thing there is. "IT MUST BE ON THE WHOLE TIME". Yeah ok. Well, i will just disconnect the power supply, even if it only consumes ~10W or so.
- Dave alone, which i only listened to very briefly: Big soundstage, Good separation and clarity, but zero sharpness / roughness, good dynamics.
- If i use the MScaler to sample from the standard 44.1 to 705, the improvement is super noticable.
- I'm really excited to play some games with the mDave.

Let's dig deeper what i hear:
The separation and soundstage get a very big upgrade, but the MScaler also seems to add musicality, which i find interesting. Every single instrument is so distinctly separated, it's nuts. No instruments bleeds anymore into another one. This is most noticable with the bass. Before, the bass was a slam / rumble below the music (and covered when other things were playing, so it got weaker), but with the MScaler, it is its own entity, separated from the music, it is just better, the dynamics increased noticably. In fact, every instrument / voice becomes it's own entity, it's like if you imagine that only one particular instrument or voice is present, you get that exact clarity in the biggest chaos. This effect is way more noticable in very busy songs, the simpler a song is, the less you notice it. If there is only a singer and a guitar, the difference is minor. In terms of dynamics, soundstage, separation, the m-scaled Dave is league ahead of the May. But it's not as analogue sounding and smooth, the May sounds more analogue and life-like. Because if you think about it, there is no way you can distinct each instrument so clearly like with the Dave + MScaler. It's really fun, i don't know if it will get fatiguing over time. I think the May is better at midrange timbre, while the Dave is better at bass timbre. I think i also prefer the smoothness of the May in the treble and think it's more natural. Anyway, May will 100% stay and still be my #1 DAC for the 1266TC. I'm not sure when it comes to the Immanis, since this pure clarity and detail-packed freakshow the Dave brings, is just jaw-dropping with the Immanis, but the May also helps with its midrange. I will most likely prefer my Valkyria with the Dave, i don't know about the Susvara Unveiled yet. I pre-ordered a CFA3, so i can completely mix & match those two DAC's and amps when it arrives.

I have to state one thing: The May is way more forgiving when it comes to not that great recorded music, which i have a lot of. The May just eliminates some sharpness that appears, the Dave is brutally honest. Maybe not the best for a long listening session with bad recorded metal, i think it may get fatiguing. But each single guitar riff is so clear and present, it's truly fascinating - the amount of black space between instruments is too, holy damn.
I can also totally see why people think it's sounding too digital and not musical enough, but let me tell you, as someone who owned a Spring 3 and then a May, this thing is on the completely other side of the spectrum and i really like the variety (at least now, lol). I do not think this would be my one and only DAC forever, but i also think that's because of the music i listen most to (metal). The Dave is not sharp per se, but it is sharper than the May. I think "crisp" is the perfect description.

I am so happy that i got this stupidly good deal!

Oh, and please tell me if you prefer HF on or off and if need an additional driver.

What was the deal I need to know!

 

[rgs9200m]

I like my DAVE a lot. I've had it since 2017 (+ Mscaler for 5 years).

But my 10 year old EMM XDS1 CDP (updated to V3 some time ago) is my big favorite. Sounds very analog-y with fantastic reach into the music with some extreme level of truth to my ears. And it really avoids digital glare. The bass is very fundamental like it's really there. Unfortunately, I have to keep my CD collection around, a real pain. But it's a sacrifice I make for it's out-of-this-world sound.

Amp is a Violectric Niimbus, HPs are various ZMFs (Caldera Closed + Open, Verite closed, ...) and Meze Empyrean (original, sounds awesome to me) and Sony Z1R.

Yeah, I mainly listen to my DAVE at my desk, but EMM has the secret sauce (and has for almost 20 years now to my ears).

 

[Jxnkz]

My current setup is: Holo Red —> TT2 —> Focal Utopia 2022 now I recently tested the M-Scaler in my setup and its pretty awesome.

Should I buy the M-Scaler for my setup or is the standalone Dave better than TT2 + HMS?

 

[JTbbb]

My current setup is: Holo Red —> TT2 —> Focal Utopia 2022 now I recently tested the M-Scaler in my setup and its pretty awesome.

Should I buy the M-Scaler for my setup or is the standalone Dave better than TT2 + HMS?

If you stay with easy to drive headphones like your Utopia’s, Dave is awesome. Been a long time since I had TT2. I quite often enjoy HD800S straight from Dave even though I have some powerful tube headphone amps.

Edit:- I used to own OG Utopia’s, they were nice out of Dave. To my ears of course!

 

[Jxnkz]

If you stay with easy to drive headphones like your Utopia’s, Dave is awesome. Been a long time since I had TT2. I quite often enjoy HD800S straight from Dave even though I have some powerful tube headphone amps.

Edit:- I used to own OG Utopia’s, they were nice out of Dave. To my ears of course!

Thanks for your quick answer! As of now I really like the Utopia and I dont have any other headphones planed in the near future.

The TT2/HMS scaler sounded quite nice and now is the question if the Dave alone sounds better than the other combo… because TT2/HMS is more expensive than a used Dave

 

[JTbbb]

Thanks for your quick answer! As of now I really like the Utopia and I dont have any other headphones planed in the near future.

The TT2/HMS scaler sounded quite nice and now is the question if the Dave alone sounds better than the other combo… because TT2/HMS is more expensive than a used Dave

I guess the only answer is to try and locate one to try.