[Hiker816]

- my heart says: "Dave's the best; if you buy the TT2 you'll regret it and wish you'd stretched a bit (a lot?) further".

I don't have either the TT2 or Dave (though I hope to add a Dave when I can get the cash together). But it seems like your issue is more FOMO than technical. Here's a suggestion: Get the TT2 now (maybe even used). But, make a promise to yourself that when the Dave 2 is released, you are going to audition it, and if it is substantially better than the TT2, you are going to buy it. And, since you went with the TT2 now instead of the Dave, you are agreeing with yourself that you are not going to feel the tiniest bit guilty when you buy that Dave 2. Then you can sell the TT2 to defray the cost. That way, you are not settling for the TT2, but just using it to tide you over until there's something even better than the current Dave. I've found that kind of psychological difference in perspective helps a lot with FOMO.

 

[Arnold Schwartz]

@Hiker816 i think that’s spot on! Going all in now and buying brand new top of the line is too risky since there’s a doubly whammy for depreciation on account of being used and last gen tech. The last thing you want to do is lose money on two products if you inevitably plan to upgrade, hence avoiding mscaler.

 

[Icenine2]

I NEVER have the discussion w/significant other. Older guy here do YMMV. Same with road bicycle.

 

[Icenine2]

25 years ago I had Levinson gear. My wife walked in and looked at a new Jack I had an asked how much it was. I held up my five fingers thinking she would just go with $500. Ha! “$5000 for that it’s the last one you’ll ever buy“ clearly she was wrong about that. Big rig stuff is so expensive this is so much better

 

[DJJEZ]

There’s a pretty significant consensus that Dave is better than TT2 + mscaler albeit with Dave you might need an amp. I haven’t heard Dave but I’m okay with it being better then my TT2, there is probably something better for every product I own. I enjoy what I own and not burdened by any of it.

If the financial decision to acquire a product is stressing you out, requires you to have a difficult conversation with your significant other or lose sleep that should be enough of a sign to make the decision simple. If you buy TT2 and still can’t get the Dave out of your mind even though your finances don’t support it then that’s a problem.

i disagree. i think TT2 and M-scaler is better than solo dave.

Dave and M-scaler is a whole different story though, IMO the M-scaler adds way more to the DAVE than it does the TT2

 

[bpcans]

I NEVER have the discussion w/significant other. Older guy here do YMMV. Same with road bicycle.

@Icenine2, I eventually had to come clean about my new fat tire bike.

 

[Icenine2]

@Icenine2, I eventually had to come clean about my new fat tire bike.

Ha!! Nice bike!!

 

[Icenine2]

@Icenine2, I eventually had to come clean about my new fat tire bike.

Ha!! Nice bike!!

 

[bpcans]

Ha!! Nice bike!!

@Icenine2, I coulda bout a lightly used Chord DAVE for the price of that bike.

 

[Icenine2]

I hear you my brother

 

[bpcans]

I hear you my brother

@Icenine2, but then I would’ve had to get Sean Jacobs DC4/ARC6 power supply’s for both the DAVE and my M Scaler.

 

[nwavesailor]

If the financial decision to acquire a product is stressing you out, requires you to have a difficult conversation with your significant other or lose sleep that should be enough of a sign to make the decision simple. If you buy TT2 and still can’t get the Dave out of your mind even though your finances don’t support it then that’s a problem.

Yeah, that's not good.

The TT2 is indeed VERY good with or w/o the Ms.

 

[miketlse]

How long until a new Dave or TT2 & MScaler would everyone estimate?

I don't think you will ever see a Dave2 in an all-in-one case design (like the Dave1).

My rationale is as follows:

• Rob has spent a decade developing 'all-in-one case' Dacs for Chord. In simple terms they contain the input selection + upscaling+dac+minimalist component count output amp
• Now that Rob talks about several xScaler designs starting to arrive from the end of the year, the 'all-in-one case' philosophy feels like it's era has finished (apart from the mobile/transportable ranges)
• That still leaves the dac+minimalist component count output amp functionality. Even though this post is nearly 6 years old, the technology link/commonality between Dave1 and the long awaited digital amp is clear

Overall I speculate that the roadmap through the future Chord landscape means that each major product line, consists of Upscaler + digital amp + dedicated network switch/streamer + maybe dedicated power supply (with multiple outputs) in a Chord branded case. But that scenario could take many years to fully role out.

To return to your original question:

• MScaler - possibly the end of 2022, but there has definitely been a xScaler roadmap in Robs mind for many years (see the end of the post)
• Dave2 - every time that Rob answers this type of question about the Dave2, he always answers along these lines. Maybe a clever use of words, leaving open the possibility that there will be no Dave2, because Dave1 will be replaced by the digital amp instead. See also this post
• TT3 - I suspect there could be pressure to update elements of the TT2 circuit board, to eliminate issues related to the inrush current limiter, or the 'clicking' that some owners report. Would that result in an update of the TT2 to TT3? Chord occasionally has to replace individual components on other circuit boards, without any change to the dac model name. The best I can say is 'maybe 2022 for TT3, but it feels very optimistic, and I wouldn't bet money on it'.

 

[zen87192]

We've heard a few issues with the TT2, clicking, burnt boards, humming etc. but have there ever been any issues with the DAVE?

 

[Jawed]

Having said all this, I could clearly hear the improvements to the sound the Dave made, and my concern would be that, having bought the TT2, I'd know that the sound could still be bettered. (But then, this will always be true, won't it?)

Once you set up a hi-fi system with speakers, you will discover that you're spending money 4 to 10x more quickly. But you might find aspects of speaker listening more enjoyable.

So H2 + amplifier + speakers may be more enjoyable to you than DAVE + headphones. So in that case, TT2 + headphones is an intermediate step and robs you of money for a speaker system.