Anyone heard Chord Dave yet?

[hibo]

I've read through most of the posts on HeadFi's Dave thread and the comments seem favourable about the sound, variable about cost/benefit and unfavourable about the remote.  The number of contributors to the thread seems limited so I'm hoping there may be locals familiar with Dave that may offer some insight.   I recall while lurking through the classifieds, that a SNA member sold a Metrum Pavane with the intention of upgrading to Dave.

 

Martin

[Guest yamaha_man]

@@Marc

[Krispy Audio]

I had a go with one, really impressed with the sound I must say. Plenty of resolution as you'd expect but the sound is also very natural. It seems to bring up the top end as well a tad if your system needs some extra energy there. 

[Guest JohnA]

It seems to bring up the top end as well a tad if your system needs some extra energy there. 

that i dont like the sound of. How would you compare it to the esoteric dacs Cameron?

[Krispy Audio]

Well I mention that because the person who owns this one had tried my D-02 and ended up with the Dave. His system was on the warm side ever-so-slightly, and the organic analog nature of the D-02 wasn't a good match (sound was just a little too laid back for him). So the Dave added some drive to things which struck a great balance. The Dave was on the young side as well so could potential change over the coming months. 

[Guest JohnA]

Well I mention that because the person who owns this one had tried my D-02 and ended up with the Dave. His system was on the warm side ever-so-slightly, and the organic analog nature of the D-02 wasn't a good match (sound was just a little too laid back for him). So the Dave added some drive to things which struck a great balance. The Dave was on the young side as well so could potential change over the coming months. 

 

that sums it up nicely for me mate, would still like to hear one, but i dare say i know which i would prefer

[Guest]

It's a remarkable DAC. It really does elevate digital music to another level that is less 'digital' sounding in nature.
For a while there my analog rig surpassed my digital setup, but the combination of a good streamer/Roon and high-end DACs is really bringing the gap between analog - digital closer for me.

I'm currently running and comparing DAVE and the EMM Labs DAC2X. I'm torn between what is two very, very good DACs. In the end it might even be a case of aesthetics/form factor/future upgradeability / compatibility (MQA etc).

Both these have well and truly surpassed my previous DirectStream and the Meitner MA1. You get what you pay for I guess.

[Guest Sime]

Lucky man indeed. @@Marc

I can only dream of using on of these.

[GAM]

I must admit I had a great opportunity to have a listen to Chord Dave in my house and want to thanks again Carlton audio -Melbourne.

It was certainly a great experience and specially joy of having an educated comments and comparison from one of their learned sales person .

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[hibo]

I just read an Enjoy the Music review of the Dac2X.  Interestingly, it was compared to the Vega, which I have.  The reviewer considered the Vega to sound more analogue.  Cameron suggested the Dave 'brings up the top end'.  Could Marc offer an opinion on a comparison between the top end of Dave versus the Dac2X?  I would also be interested in any comments on Dave's preamp implementation.

 

Martin

[Guest]

I haven't used Dave as a pre yet, nor have I run it enough in my "normal" system yet to make any judgements.

Vega was so-so for me. I'd be more inclined to compare it with MA1 rather than DAC2X. Don't hold me to that just yet though.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hibo]

Thanks for the reply Marc.  I think you are being charitable.  Most people would place the Vega below a MA1.  The Vega's big plus is cost to benefit.  I've been considering an upgrade for a while but it has to be a Dac/pre.  The Metrum Adagio was meant to be a contender, still not available and why I was hoping the member that sold the Pavane may have purchased a Dave and could offer a comparison.  Six Moons have done several reviews with Dacs compared to the Vega eg. Fore,Cos,LaScala.

All were smoother sounding than the Vega, something I'm looking for but not at the expense of loss of timbre or speed.  Vega's reproduction of violins seems a bit hard to my recollection of live concert sound.  This could be the quality of the CD recording though.  Unfortunately Wellington doesn't have the population or interest to support dealers with a wide variety of product which makes auditions difficult if not impossible.  Leaves me to sift through reviews and comments to help with any decision.  The upside is decisions are usually well considered before spending.

 

Martin

[Guest]

The Vega is the cheaper of all the DACs we've mentioned - and sounds it despite being still a great dac for the money. We're obviously being very critical.

Dac2x is the most natural, well rounded and least digital of all I've compared to date. You pay for that sadly.

What's the source?

I had a dac revelation today as the result of the new source. Garbage in. Garbage out. But the level of "in" seemingly greater affects the level of out.

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[Briz Vegas]

I had a go with one, really impressed with the sound I must say. Plenty of resolution as you'd expect but the sound is also very natural. It seems to bring up the top end as well a tad if your system needs some extra energy there.

Looking at your picture I wonder if you heard the best from DAVE. I doubt the form factor allows this DAC to have any fancy internal isolation. My not so humble DAC ( Naim with a XPS2 DR supply) sounds way better on sort cone isolation.

My DAC also changes character significantly with each upgrade to Audirvana. It makes it really hard to summarise the sound of the DAC. That probably applies to any DAC i guess, which means you have to suck it and see in your system.

[Krispy Audio]

What better way to compare two dacs than by using them in their stock form, i.e. with stock footers? I used the same power cable, the same interconnects, the same digital interconnect, and was using the stock feet on the Esoteric as well as the Chord. 

 

I think that's the most objective way to compare the two, although to be honest he's just a mate who came over and we were having a listen out of interest rather than comparison sake.

[Briz Vegas]

You should have seen me trying to put the Hugo on Sort Cones. Thing was, i was comparing it to my DAC that does use them.

It was very amusing because even on the deck it was half up in the air with one side dragged down by my interconnects.

[Krispy Audio]

I can imagine! - I've seen a Chord Chordette balancing on two Stillpoints Ultra 5 footers with some hefty weighing ICs . Certainly worth the juggle. 

[hibo]

That's an interesting observation Marc.  Rob Watts made the comment on Headfi that Dave was less critical of source and that greater gains could be achieved after the Dac.  This was refuted by some owners who tweaked their systems at source and heard improvements.  All seems subjective.  I get the impression that you are favouring the Dac2x which is also the more expensive of the two (US dollars).  Priced appropriately then.

 

Martin.

[hibo]

Marc, just read your post again and you were asking my source - Aries with attached SSD and Beta 4 installed.  

 

Martin.

[Guest Sime]

My 2Quote is balancing on two Foculpods using the weight of the cables to keep it at the right angle.

It's angled enough so I can see the top window from my seated position and just enough that it only sits on the pods and not touching the player it's sitting on.

[agisthos]

I'm currently running and comparing DAVE and the EMM Labs DAC2X. I'm torn between what is two very, very good DACs.

 

Here's a question, which one do you prefer for 16/44 PCM? And which for DSD?

 

For me I only care about the former. I find many high end DAC reviews tend to focus on high resolution DSD.

[Guest]

My comments would relate almost exclusively to 16/44.

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[Galactic Soap]

@@hibo - I'm the user who sold the Metrum Pavane for the Chord DAVE. I've had the DAVE for about a month in my main 2 channel rig. I've also used an MSB Analog DAC + Analog Powerbase in that system before moving it to my study where I have my Headfi and nearfield rig setup. Initially I bought the DAVE as I wanted an all in one solution for the study that could connect to my Windows desktop PC and have enough drive to power my Abyss headphones. My logic at the time was that the DAVE would do away with my Aurender server, power (Isotek & Nordost) management and isolation (Synergistic Research Tranquility Basik) components as Rob was spruiking that it was immune to all of that and sounded just as good connected to a Windows Laptop using the stock USB and power chord as it did when connected to an Aurender W20 using top of the range interconnects and cabling. This coupled with the page count on the Headfi thread being over 200 at the time I made my purchase saw me more than a little intrigued. Just before selling the Metrum and buying the DAVE I also changed my speakers from a pair of Magico S1's to a pair of TAD CE-1's, and my speaker cables from Crystal Cable Piccolo speaker cables to Audioquest OAK speaker cables. The new speakers, and speaker cables now joined the rest of my system made up of an Aurender N100H server, Accuphase E470 integrated, Shunyata Power conditioner and cables. My interconnects connecting the DAC to the amp are AQ Wel XLR's, and I use a TotalDAC USB cable to connect the Aurender to the DAVE.  Like the S1 the CE-1's are highly resolving and I was looking for a speaker cable that could add some weight through the mid-range thereby accentuating attack and deck without compromising too much of the upper frequencies. As good as the Metrum was I felt it was within 90% of the Analog DAC when it came to resolution, PRAT, along with sound stage depth and width. Don't get me wrong the Pavane was great and if I was just running a Headphone rig it may have well been good enough for the long haul, however in my 2 channel rig it did everything well enough without ever taking my breath away. I haven't had too much time to listen to music on that system of late, so when I do I want to have my hair stand on end and my feet to tap. I'm sure you, like me, you inevitably brace yourself for all the superlatives when reading reviews of new products, particular digital components which are developing at such a pace its hard to keep up. This is curious given the school of thought that the point of diminishing returns is most profound with digital to analogue conversion components than with almost any other component in a system, yet, despite that belief products like DAVE seem to thrive with the Audiophile market accommodating products like Nagra's $45K HD DAC, all the way up to MSB $200K Select II. At the risk of upsetting those who subscribe to such theories I can confirm that in my system the addition of the DAVE has been a revelation. I believe that in the DAC market there's a level of capability thats quickly developing where spectacular resolution exists in perfect balance with musicality. This was what the Pavane was never quite able to do, compared to the DAVE and to a lesser extent the MSB Analog. Where the Pavane was 90% of the MSB, the MSB would be about 90% of the DAVE by way of resolution. The difference is even more pronounced when it comes to PRAT. The DAVE is enchantingly musical. I just can't help but close my eyes and let my ears take me deep into the recording where artist placement and the sonic characteristics of the recording space the track was laid down appear in ways I've never quite heard before. There are songs I know like the back of my hand that have delivered experiences that have verged on the spiritual through the DAVE. These are tracks that I love, but have listened to time and time again. I have to say I wasn't prepared for that. Hair stood on end and breath was definitely taken away. Unfortunately I'm yet to listen to the DAVE using the stock USB cable & power chord. In the coming weeks I'll be introducing a DEQX HDP-5 into the mix for speaker & room correction purposes. The Aurender will feed the DEQX HDP-5 via USB, and then I'll feed the corrected digital signal to the DAVE via BNC. I look forward to even further improvement! 

[hibo]

@@Galactic Soap

 

Just read your post.  My head is spinning.  Not sure if that is because of all the flash gear you list or Isabelle Faust playing Bach, probably the former.  I was hoping that you would post your impressions, appreciate it.  I do also have a Total Dac USB cable but otherwise much more modest gear.  I often struggle to justify the cost of nice gear because of the diminishing returns in sound benefits.  Your praise of the Dave suggests, despite its cost, diminishing returns don't yet apply.  I've become more motivated to consider Dave since Brexit has softened the high cost in NZD terms and it is not much dearer than Adagio.  I noticed the Aus price is at significant premium to UK.  Be interested to know if you hear any difference between stock Dave cables and what you are currently using.  Reading through the Headfi posts, I didn't think the stock cables were anything special.  The remote looks disappointing, reminds me of the Auralic one I have but with less functionality.  Chord should have done better.  The Dac case design is, to me an acquired taste.  Still, its the sound that's important.  I recall reviews mentioning the Pavane having a fulsome bass.  Does the Dave display a similar balance?  Asking mainly because of Cameron's comment hearing extended treble from Dave, I realise this is always system dependant.

 

Martin

[Galactic Soap]

@@hibo

 

Thank you Martin! LOL! I was quite self conscious when rattling off my gear like I did in my original post. I wanted to highlight that while the DAVE was new it was connected to quite a lot of ancillary components that Rob suggests aren't necessary. I also wanted to point out that there have been a few substantial changes in my system of late. Despite all of that though, the DAVE has been beguiling. If the DAVE is within touching distance of the Adagio I'd have no hesitance recommending the DAVE. I believe the likes of the Pavane/Adagio, La Scalla, Directstream, Chord TT and MA-1 sit above the likes of Auralic's Vega but sit just below the likes of MSB's Analog DAC (particular with Quadrate USB & upgraded Analog Powerbase) and Emm Labs DAC2X. I believe once you break through the initial group of DAC's which are highly resolving, highly musical, have incredible imaging capability and are able to recreate haunting holographic imaging you come across a new class of product where the likes of Chords DAVE, Esoteric's top of the range pieces, the latest offerings from EmmLabs, Nagra, and MSB pick-up where the others have left off and bring timing and spatial information to the table. I don't use the remote. I change my two inputs via the main unit. I also agree with you re: the design, I wasn't a fan when I first saw it. Like you having read the Headfi thread I went in with very high expectations and had convinced myself that if those expectations weren't met then the aesthetics alone would be justification enough for me to move the unit on. Well, those expectations were met and then some. I agree with the reviews you've read re: the Pavane. It had very impressive bass, indeed it was on par with the Analog DAC by way of the quality of it's Bass reproduction. It dug deep, had great texture and more than enough slam to keep me happy. Even here though the DAVE betters it. I find the DAVE just that bit more dynamic right across the frequency range. That's not to say there's anything artificial or "lit-up" about it's tonality, it just grabs and holds my attention like nothing else I've had in my system all the while being incredibly natural in its presentation. Is the DAVE's ability to covey drama and nuance so viscerally a result of accentuated treble due to a brighter than neutral tone - I don't think so but I can understand how some could. We all have such different ways of listening and interpreting what we're hearing.  

Edited July 14, 2016 by Galactic Soap