icnaiwhimor1975
500+ Head-Fier
I think for a new fresh device it's normal)With a HUGE price tag
CHORD ELECTRONICS DAVE
- Thread starter magiccabbage
- Start date
Wondering what the golden rule is for feeding into a tube amp? I have an Envy. Should I send a hotter 3V signal to the amp or lower it to 2V or 1V? Thanks.
Seems most of us are setting Envy around the 12 O’clock position and adjusting DAC/pre-amp accordingly.
jlbrach
Headphoneus Supremus
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that is exactly what I do and since the envy has a lot of gain I end up setting the volume on my dave/blu2 a fair bit lower
So I got myself an Opto dx off The Music Room, using ifi x power on the transmitter and receiver.
Compared to my ferrited BNC cables the difference was honestly about what I was expecting. Things are less etched, less forced, more relaxed, more clear. I also have more depth to my stage.
I also took this opportunity to get the M Scaler and my ultrarendu completely out of the rig, I have them on the opposite side of the room behind some stuff now with just the optical cable going to the Dave between my speakers, so there weren't just audible benefits, but also visual ones, there is much less visible clutter. But I also put the M Scaler, ultraRendu and transmitter onto a large eco flow battery setup to get it all completely off the grid during playback as well, so the Dave and my amp are not sharing any grounds with the dirty computers/mscaler either.
so far after a few days with the opto-dx I would say it was worth the outlay in my system, giving me the opportunity to completely solve the RF problem.
Compared to my ferrited BNC cables the difference was honestly about what I was expecting. Things are less etched, less forced, more relaxed, more clear. I also have more depth to my stage.
I also took this opportunity to get the M Scaler and my ultrarendu completely out of the rig, I have them on the opposite side of the room behind some stuff now with just the optical cable going to the Dave between my speakers, so there weren't just audible benefits, but also visual ones, there is much less visible clutter. But I also put the M Scaler, ultraRendu and transmitter onto a large eco flow battery setup to get it all completely off the grid during playback as well, so the Dave and my amp are not sharing any grounds with the dirty computers/mscaler either.
so far after a few days with the opto-dx I would say it was worth the outlay in my system, giving me the opportunity to completely solve the RF problem.
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Reactcore
Headphoneus Supremus
Nice!
For RF isolation, i also went to the reference data link method being optical.
You should put the receiver (Dave) side of your OptoDX on an unregulated battery too.
Hey Guys - I'm considering getting a Dave but debating it vs. the dCS Lina. It's really hard to decide since there's no easy way to compare the two. Currently, I have a Hugo TT2 and Focal Stellias, but am planning on getting a pair of Meze Elites as well.
I was also debating going the Estat route and investing in a pair of the new CRBN2s with either the Mjolnir Carbon CC or the BHSE.
Let me know if anyone has experience with any of this equipment and can offer any insight / recommendations - open to other suggestions as well. Thanks!
I was also debating going the Estat route and investing in a pair of the new CRBN2s with either the Mjolnir Carbon CC or the BHSE.
Let me know if anyone has experience with any of this equipment and can offer any insight / recommendations - open to other suggestions as well. Thanks!
Stellia and Elite are like opposites imho. S is heavy mid bass (some EQ tame that a bit) and E is very open and airy with less emphasis on the bass.
S has a smaller stage, a more compact puncher while E is more wide and angelic.
Meze Empyrean 1 (angled pads) is right in between both worlds, and a hugely underestimated asset imho. If you like rock or edm that is the one to get, really.
I only had a short listen to dcs lina tower and thought: this frames all music into a certain format. I think it suits all styles and recordings. It "makes" it sound nice. That's good news for some but not for those demanding uncensored truth. Dave reveals both extatic transients but also exposed half baked recordings.
Same for audio chain vulnerabilities, Dave can be affected more by that than the "streamlined" dcs approach.
Dcs delivers a more predictable outcome which is nice when wanted, but Dave can surprise you more of whats coming. Dcs is more safe, Dave is more exotic.
Again my lina experience was limited so my addon is preliminary.
Good hunting..
Thanks for the recs! I'm looking to get something that brings a different sound to the music (like the Elite), just so I can have 2 different experiences when listening on one pair of headphones vs. the other.
In terms of what I listen to, I'm all over the place - love classic rock (Eagles, Billy Joel, Beatles, Eric Clapton, etc.) but also really like listening to orchestral music like John Williams scores or classical pieces. I also really like country, Broadway, and a bunch of pop (like Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, etc.). Because of this wide range, I think having 2 completely different sounding headphones would be great imo, but let me know what you think.
If you plan to keep Stellia then same sorts would be redundant, Elite would sure bring a clear variety and play into your gear
I've both and like to switch too, it's fun
To make most bass out of Elite I use the thinner hybrid pads, not the angled.
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Beyond The Blackwall
Head-Fier
Personally, I think if you have a TT2, then adding an Mscaler would be better than a Dave by itself. I have not heard the Lina. The Meze Elites and CRBN2 are in different performance tiers. If budget allows, CRBN2 would be my choice without question. SRM-700S drives them wonderfully, it is not necessary to spend more on a Carbon / BHSE unless you really want the sound signature those amps offer. Also, Elites have shallow pads, my ears touched the hard driver covers which was uncomfortable. It may not be an issue for you though.
icnaiwhimor1975
500+ Head-Fier
recommendations are as follows
- buy DAVE + Scaler
- buy ES LAB Es2a or Stax x9000 or CRBN2 (according to preference)
- buy Mjolnir Carbon CC (or any other amp according to preference)
- do not buy BHSE (or any other tube option (you should definitely try listen to them before buying))
The one debate I'm having with the CRBN2's is getting a dedicated amp just for estats - considered the LTA Z10E, which drives both dynamic driver headphones and estats - any opinion on that?
Red Rd Wolf
New Head-Fier
I would never but a dcs. The sued a reviewer for an honest review saying it affected sales. It was only under public pressure that they dropped the lawsuit. I love my Dave. I think you will be happy with it.
What you should do, in that order:
1.
Get a dedicated headphone amp, Violectric / Schiit / maybe a Bliss / the list goes on and is long, there is a lot of information about any dedicated amps that will sound way better than the integrated one of the TT2. The Hugo TT2 (aswell as the Dave, which you can modify, but that's another topic) are DAC's first and foremost, and their integrated amps are just ok for their prices. Both mentioned headphones are rather warm (and midbass heavy), so i would not look for a very warm amp, more like a clean class A amp. Just check out some amp reviews from any reviewer you trust that also mentions some negative aspects (that's why i love Wavetheory). Probably don't buy Topping. Both the Stellia and the Elite are not hard to drive headphones, but they will definitely sound better on a serious, dedicated amplifier.
2.
Either get a MScaler of have another method for upsampling your music, it really makes a difference. If you're already using something like HQPlayer, you're good.
3.
Really think about if you want to get into the estat world. They offer extremely high resolution and speed, but often have drawbacks when it comes to bass or dynamics. Have you heard the CRBN2? Because i was really not impressed by its dynamics, for me it sounded very flat, as basically every other estat that exists (yes, even the two Warwicks). The two new Raals (Immanis & Magna) offer the same extremely high resolution of estats and speed, but they also have very good bass.
Also, the CRBN2 is extremely expensive in Europe. Estats just have a very high cost of entry, especially if you want to get an amp that tries to infuse them with better dynamics (i would still take an Immanis + Envy over the new Bliss + Shang Senior).
I'm not saying that you should completely forget about them, just be sure that that's what you really want. The Susvara (Unveiled) also has a very high level of technicalities and can slam much better than any estat.
If you've heard enough stuff and still think you want to dive into them, go ahead, but since the two new ribbon drivers exists, i find any estat to be a very hard purchase.
It's decent, for both. Here is a review (from my favourite reviewer).
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