[genefruit]

Can, or does the Chord Etude Amplifier boost the DAVE Headphone output at all? Or is it purely to drive external speakers using the DAVE as a Pre-Amp?

It does not boost the DAVE headphone output.

 

[rkt31]

@Rob Watts can you please post sinad values of mojo 2 and tt2 at full output and at -60db ?

 

[Light - Man]

Hi Rob, were you a consultant for ESS or AKM?

A great Question!

It could be that AKM were eating a few too many chips out of their competitors fryers, so much so, that there was a mysterious fire that ravished the AKM factory of chip fryers?

I reckon that Rob ought to re-evaluate his old opinion of his competitors dedicated DAC chips to really see how much they have greatly improved, as well as how well these chips can be implemented by Chords competitors.

BTW, AKM are due to start mass production of their updated chips from the second quarter of this year.

 

[ecwl]

@Rob Watts can you please post sinad values of mojo 2 and tt2 at full output and at -60db ?

I have always wondered if this is a good measure to compare to other DACs that have noise floor modulation. Because for Chord DACs with no noise floor modulation, the noise floor must be fixed so compared to the -60dB signal, you're going to get a lower SINAD compared to a DAC that has noise floor modulation where for a -60dB signal, you can just let the noise floor go lower while for a -6dB signal, you can let the noise floor go higher. As a result, you can get a better SINAD with noise floor modulation. I, subjectively, can't stand DACs with noise floor modulation. It has that "digital" harshness that I hate.

But I don't know if this simplistic understanding is even correct. So I look forward to the answer we get from Rob Watts on this.

 

[rkt31]

I have always wondered if this is a good measure to compare to other DACs that have noise floor modulation. Because for Chord DACs with no noise floor modulation, the noise floor must be fixed so compared to the -60dB signal, you're going to get a lower SINAD compared to a DAC that has noise floor modulation where for a -60dB signal, you can just let the noise floor go lower while for a -6dB signal, you can let the noise floor go higher. As a result, you can get a better SINAD with noise floor modulation. I, subjectively, can't stand DACs with noise floor modulation. It has that "digital" harshness that I hate.

But I don't know if this simplistic understanding is even correct. So I look forward to the answer we get from Rob Watts on this.

I am not expert but good sinad is an indication of good measurements in almost all tests. Chord dacs excel in ultra low distortion as well ultra low noise floor. So imo sinad must be higher than even best measuring dacs. Problem with asr measurements of qutest was that it was not measured at it's full output but even then sinad was 118db+ .

 

[adamjohari]

Someone opened the Mojo 2 and saw the motherboard printed with an Oct 2021 date. So yeah they work on these things many months beforehand. Either way, let's not pressure Mr Watts on trying to see if he'll slip something out. I was going to buy a used Hugo 2, but when the Mojo 2 was announced I got it instead.

 

[vlach]

Either way, let's not pressure Mr Watts on trying to see if he'll slip something out.

What do you mean by slipping something out? I don't understand what you are talking about.

 

[Triode User]

What do you mean by slipping something out? I don't understand what you are talking about.

Perhaps he meant ‘let something slip’ as in unintentionally reveal something about planned future products. As always, the order and context of the words in a language is everything because things CAN have completely different meanings!!!!

 

[adamjohari]

What do you mean by slipping something out? I don't understand what you are talking about.

Sorry English isn't my main language. But I think you understand what I'm trying to say.

 

[Rob Watts]

4M Taps... Wow! May need to get in touch with my Mortgage Broker to arrange a remortgage soon.... Bet it will be in a same chassis as DAVE...

So the high end M scaler that I am currently working on is in a Choral (Dave) chassis. I don't know where this idea of 4M taps came from, as it's not that.
Remember, that the algorithm is way more important than the number of taps too...

@Rob Watts can you please post sinad values of mojo 2 and tt2 at full output and at -60db ?

So the dynamic range number is SINAD referenced to 1% THD full output, and A weighted. So that's 125dB (Mojo2) and 127 dB (TT2).
I don't do SINAD for higher levels, but I do do it at 2.5v - for Mojo 2 its 118 dB A wt. TT2 is 126 dB, A wt ref to full OP voltage.

 

[rkt31]

So the high end M scaler that I am currently working on is in a Choral (Dave) chassis. I don't know where this idea of 4M taps came from, as it's not that.
Remember, that the algorithm is way more important than the number of taps too...



So the dynamic range number is SINAD referenced to 1% THD full output, and A weighted. So that's 125dB (Mojo2) and 127 dB (TT2).
I don't do SINAD for higher levels, but I do do it at 2.5v - for Mojo 2 its 118 dB A wt. TT2 is 126 dB, A wt ref to full OP voltage.

Thanks a lot.

 

[rkt31]

So the high end M scaler that I am currently working on is in a Choral (Dave) chassis. I don't know where this idea of 4M taps came from, as it's not that.
Remember, that the algorithm is way more important than the number of taps too...

So, what are the improvements in new m scaler ?

 

[Rob Watts]

Please don't ask...

 

[zen87192]

So the high end M scaler that I am currently working on is in a Choral (Dave) chassis. I don't know where this idea of 4M taps came from, as it's not that.
Remember, that the algorithm is way more important than the number of taps too...

Hi, any chance of being a (beta) tester/reviewer for the new and upcoming MScaler?

 

[ecwl]

Haha... To get @Rob Watts into a totally different topic, I was thinking more about DC servo that's in Hugo 2 and now Mojo 2.
I was thinking of the reputedly "top of the line" speaker amplifiers. Vitus Audio, Pilium, Boulder all have DC servo but have more conventional power supplies. Whereas Chord or Soulution amplifiers don't have DC servo but uses switching power supplies that are heavily regulated. Obviously, many amplifiers have conventional power supplies and no DC servo.
Presumably most high-end amplifiers have excellent power supply regulation. But I was wondering about @Rob Watts how important it is in speaker amplifiers to incorporate an extremely high regulation of DC, either with DC servo or other methods.