Oh that stuff again, I stopped reading that junk a long time ago.
Having a quick read now, I think he is talking about this contraption here,
https://www.signalyst.com/hardware.html
A DSD dac that mates with his software and does have 32 elements. I think some ESS dacs have 64, more is good but implementation matters too . The pulse array is totally different, discrete, PWM, constant switching etc etc. A bit unclear what the 16M tap filter is but it is for going to DSD512, different from a PCM reconstruction filter.
Rest easy... Rob's dacs are still best!
You are probably right. But only as far as DAVE/M Scaler are concerned imho.
And personally I can only say it is the best commercially available combo I have heard so far no more!
The other Chord DACs have some real serious competition to fight against imho.
And it is always interesting to read about what other competitors are claiming and doing too.
This guy Jussi also claims Chord's and Rob's claims regarding tap numbers are just " techno babble" in one post.
He claims tap quality and implementation are equally or more important than numbers.
He also claims to have refuted some of Rob's claims. Not sure which though?
Rob never posts or responds at CA as far as I know.
On the other hand the DAC Miska refers to in the link you provided, doesn't even seem to exist in the physical realm at all, so of course I take what he claims with more than "a pinch of salt".
Game Rob, it seems, his dacs exist!
But nor do I swallow everything any other digital GURU,even Rob claims without listening for myself when I can.
The only way to know for yourself which is best is to audition and compare different DACs and other links in a reproduction chain.
Currently I am quite happy with Qutest/MScaler as my travel combo. It takes quite a good ,but far from perfect DAC on its own, to another clearly higher level.
But I also know for sure that a DAVE/MScaler is even better and reproduces acoustic music closer to how I am used to hearing it live both at concerts and rehearsals and recording sessions, which are my only reference points.
The problem for me and many other music lovers is that Rob's tech at its best without commercial compromises thrown in still comes at costs levels unobtainable for most.
Qutest is an intentionally compromised product geared towards an intended market section.
Some of the compromises are very irritating to me on a daily basis.
I hate the fact that it can't turned off without plugging it out and the micro usb power port is a really bad choice imho.
Luckily I am in one and the same Condo since a month and a half, and at least I don't neeed plug in and out the power micro usb at all for the time being.
Just seeing which is up and down on that tiny thing is troublesome in anything but good light, not to mention all the wear involved.
On my old HUGO 1 the supplied usb micro cable stopped working within months for all the wear and tear involved in daily use.
When travelling with a Qutest or H2 and moving around a lot it is a PITA with Qutest too.
Unfortunately almost the same applies to M Scaler as far as lack of an on and off button is concerned.
But at least it has got a proper power connection point.
What were they thinking of when designing their products this way?
Are there no thunder storms in the UK???
Oh yes there are!
And even more of them in the tropics!
I pull the plug from the socket every day to turn M Scaler on and off and since the battery powered LPS I am using with Qutest actually has got an on and off switch I don't need to unplug Qutest at the silly end!
Personally I could upgrade to a DAVE/M Scaler but I am also although my own tech knowledge is very limited compared to many here and Rob himself of course,also clearly aware that DAVE is NOT the best that CAN be done.
It may have been but isn't any longer.
Why invest such really BIG money in something that is surely going to be redundant as Benchmark before long?
Whatever Rob or Chord claim here higher resolving even more transparent to the source Digital Toys will come probably both from Rob and maybe others too before long.
In theory Rob could easily build a DAC that would outperform both TT2 and DAVE simply by combining the best of both and adding say 40 elements as obviously planned for Davina if it ever materializes?
Or why not 64 if even ESS chips can do that if elements are so important???
And also KEEP IN MIND so far even via Rob's DACs we are ALL listening to music recorded with or digitalized from analouge with other ADCs!!!
DAVINA seems to have slipped into Sleeping Beauty mode for MUCH longer than I had originally hoped!
Imho and without any malicious intent or purpose, my advice to Rob as far as his ADC project is concerned would be to skip the decimation problem question, for the time being, and get down to actually delivering the very best possible digital recording and reproduction device without any compromises involved at all.
Personally I am currently trying to figure out why DAVE sounds so much better with M Scaler than both TT2 and Qutest or H2 with M Scaler?
It obviously has got nothing whatsoever, or at least, little to do with the number of taps employed, since with all these other Chord dacs, the inherent ones are bypassed anyway.
I see that as a strange WASTE!
Why throw away 164000 or 90000 taps into slumber if they are so important?
I personally see little reason to even consider a TT2 for my own personal use and needs on its own.
Its only advantage for me would be its superior anlogue section/ output, over say a Qutest as I understand this, maybe wrongly?
I know it sounds very good in combination with M scaler via high quality headphones.
But on its own it is also a clearly intentionally 10 elements only, compromised product which good as it sounds is clearly outperformed by both Qutest /MScaler and of course DAVE on its own.
For me nearfield speaker listening is basically of no interest at all.
I have little interest in hearing a symphony orchestra delivered that way.
I would much rather,and do so on a daily basis while travelling, use headphones for such compromised listening conditions than a mini orchestra with compressed dynamics for lack of power.
Sorry about the overlong rant from me again, tounge in cheek, hoping that Rob will use boxing gloves and not bare fists this time around if we meet at Singapore Canjam in a few weeks time again.
I am not expecting anything new of interest for me there personally from Chord but Benchmark's HPA 4 sounds tempting on paper at least and there are some headphones I would like to see and hear.
Cheers Controversial Christer
