Chord Dave FPGA DAC 

I confirm, I received DAVE two months ago and the various IN - OUTPUT are engraved on the back.

Thanks for sharing.

Wow, thanks!

@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel always top reviews ........

🙏

How did you notice that. I always thought this is a Headphone only function and switched of with the headphone Mode . I just checked and noticed crossfeed was set to 1

I didn't know that either. But it appeared that that was not what I had heard the first few days. It was set to zero. If it had been the case, the sound quality couldn't have been improving over the days.But thanks for the tip.

@@mrgadget4863 Hi Mr Gadget, it is intended to stay on for those headphone users who would pair the DAVE to an external headphone amp. That way the crossfeed is not limited only to the headphone output of the DAVE.

@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel Hi Hans. I too had noticed the extensive warm up time the DAVE requires. After you mentioned your initial impressions but the sound improving over time, I didn’t think the crossfeed was your issue but it did remind me of it and I thought I should mention it for the benefit of your viewers.

@@SuperMrGiraffe thx

Coming soon!

Thanks 👍

Wonderful

.

Very welcome

👍🏻

Did you watch the Tambaqui video? For that is exactly what I did.

🤞🏼

I measure all equipment I review but very seldom publish them. Measurements can predominantly show if something goes wrong. It is impossible the predict the sound quality from measurements, although there are those that think differently. Only if a measurement is relevant for the viewer, I will mention it. As for instance with the very high output voltage of the Chord DAVE.

I am told will stay in production for the coming years. As a streamer I use the Auralic Aries G2 and I don’t know a better one (which doesn’t mean it’s definitely the best, of course)

Leave it on playing. I don’t like headphones listening, I only listen to loudspeakers.

Noted (no promise though)

Congrats! I don’t use cross feed since I don’t listen to headphones. I use the PCM mode.

@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel thank you Hans. Thank you for all of the educational videos. I hope that Rob Watts sends you the new Mscaler v2 first before any other reviewer. You have single-handedly helped me with so many decisions including the Dave. Have a great day.

I have not reviewed the Lumin so I can't say.

THIS is the DAC battle we all wanna watch. Especially Bartok , stuffing its face with popcorn

Just as curious about how you think they compare. Especially soundwise. Thanks ahead.

I thought I was rather clear😄. I'm going to buy the Chord....

Thnx. Just to inform: this week I heard the new Mola Mola Kula. All in one. Tambaqui built in. Mind blowing. Didn’t think this SQ was possible in class d

No, I didn't. I think the primary reason for Rob to prefer the optical input is the galvanic separation it offers. But the optical input is limited in bandwidth, the signal has to be converted from electrical to light and back and the connectors are of mediocre quality. If you use a quality streamer and stick to audio hygiene any other input will give better sound quality. If you spend this kind of money on a DAC, don't connect it directly to an ordinary computer but use an audio server with clean outputs or, like I do, a quality streamer or bridge.

@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel i had a Hugo tt2 and an aurender n100h server and after trying optical with a lumin u1 mini I was impressed. The vast majority of my music is cd rips and optical still lets my listen up to pcm 192 and dsd 64. The reality is that no matter how good is your setup you can never get the level of electrical isolation of toslink. The jitter for chord dacs is zero, of corse not, but the level of it is far less important than ground loops in the chain. These are rob watts claims. I encourage you to try it for yourself and see how good or bad it is. Again thank you for your videos, I’ll suscribe to your channel

@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel Truly, Hans, if you haven't already done so, perhaps you could make a video devoted to the importance of AUDIO HYGIENE, something which can make a big improvement in the quality of sound reproduction. Only very recently have I become aware of its importance.

They have about the same character, but the Dave has slightly more resolution overall and more texture in the lows. Slightly more micro dynamics as well. But it has no network functionality and has a higher price.

@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel Very kind of you, thanks!

@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel thanx. The answer I was looking for

There is no mention of a CE label in the manual. But it isn't the first high-end brand that does not do CE. I know of a distributor that cut away capacitors - needed for the CE label - at the inputs since that improved the sound quality clearly.

I’ll try again but the last time they didn’t even answer my mail.

@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel they have a philosophy of having very low expenditures in order to pass the savings on to the customer but I bought a new headphone Amp from them a while back and they're not answering me now. They haven't charged my card yet but I'd still like to know if I need to look elsewhere.

The question than is on what amp….

Absolutely. As there are a million other interesting tests to think of. And I only have 50 video a year🤔 And some suggestions seem a waste of time.

2 volts is the most common since it is Red Book specification. As you have noticed already.

The company has refused me review samples several time…

I know the feeling!

I’ll try to get a review sample

Yes, the Blu MkII only makes sense if you want a CD-player in matching Choral design. The M Scaler has better HF noise filtering on its inputs, added optical inputs and output as well as the option to cycle between the various upscaled sample rates including bypass.

That's personal, I think. Some like to keep their setup simple and ecstatically nice. The M Scaler doesn't fit the Choral line design wise. There are more reasons than sound quality only to choose for equipment.

@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel BOTTOM LINE: When we are LISTENING TO OUR MUSIC, are we continuously staring at and being awed by the AESTHETICS of our electronic sound-processing and -reproducing equipment setup, OR are we focusing on the impact the music we are listening to is having on our ears and our emotions? To me, the QUALITY of the reproduced sound takes considerable precedence over the visual integrity and aesthetics of my audio equipment. But, this is just MY opinion. THEREFORE, to each his own, I say! You, Hans, make it abundantly clear to us viewers of your channel what your priority is: sound quality is what matters most to you; I feel exactly the same way about this as you do. I realize that you are, in all fairness, acknowledging that there ARE people who care MORE about the aesthetics of their audio gear than about whether or not the music it reproduces sounds its best. These differences are what make us humans so fascinating - we, each and every one of us, has our own idiosyncratic preference as to what matters MOST to us. So, whatever floats YOUR PARTICULAR BOAT the highest, GO FOR IT! Thank you, Hans, for bringing this interesting matter to our attention.

Thanks

It it ignorant to publish frequency domain measurements made from a DAC that has extremely high resolution in the time domain. If you do that, you completely missed developments made in digital audio over the last 10 years.

@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel thanks!

@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel Thank you very much. Could you please elaborate on this a lille more in detail. What has been missed and how it made the measurements incorrect?

Great suggestion!

Don't you speak of that indecency in my presence, young man😉

I am also very interested by a MEITNER MA3 review ! I have been told by a close friend of mine (OK it is not a scientific approach...), that "the MA-3 is maybe the only DAC that he has lessoned to, that can compete with the Dave" ... Of course he has not lessoned to all the DACs available on the planet, but I know him for decades and he has very good ears.. So Hans, pleaaaaaaaase !

Switch off both amp and DAC, make the connection between the DAC and the amp, turn both volume controls all the way down. Switch on the DAC, then switch on the amp and turn the volume control of the amp to a normal position. Then finally slowly turn up the volume control on the DAC.

@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel thanks for the answer. Maybe beter a line-output and a variable line output , so You can can choose .

Sorry. Don’t watch next week for that might drive you crazy….. 🤪

@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel my wallet can’t handle another plot twist.

BTW the Mola Mola is not too far from the Dave, has a streamer/bridge integrated and is ‘cheaper’😊

Many people have compared DAVE to Tambaqui and the differences are not large. Quite a few, including myself find the Tambaqui timbre, layering and PRAT to be ahead of the DAVE. Preferences are probably more down to the individual and the system rather than either DAC being “better”.

@@dinfreitas No need to watch the video next week since Hans already said he's going to buy the Chord. :)

I can’t say. I did no direct comparison

@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel Thank you! I thoroughly enjoyed your review of the DAVE alone and then after you used it with the M-SCALER. I just discovered your channel yesterday, and I've now subscribed to it. I will also help support it, as others of your viewers are doing. At some point there will be a comparison made of the Hugo TT-2 and the DAVE. IF, as I suspect, no big difference is experienced between the two, especially when used with the M-SCALER, it's likely to be "GAME OVER" for the DAVE, as there may be very little reason to spend a LOT more money to own it. Considering that the DAVE is designed to be used with the M-SCALER, it likewise makes little sense to buy the DAVE to use by itself - although your review of it as a stand-alone D/A Converter is highly positive. On the other hand, there may be significant design features in the DAVE which the newer Hugo TT-2 can't possibly match, or simply doesn't have. So here we are faced with an interesting dilemma, indeed, which CHORD itself has created - it may well have rendered its older DAVE obsolete, simply because of the technological advances which CHORD's engineers have achieved over the five years since 2016, when the DAVE was released, and the present day in 2021..

In general that might be the case, but when set up carefully this level of equipment is built to high specs. Watch my video on audio hygiene. ru-vid.com/group/PLMbsmejHnP8E-kEzlliBX1bc8V-V4aQfE

Thanks for the link, Hans!

It's too late for me😙

Dit you watch the video?

It has always been the plan to raise the bar gradually. But that doesn't mean I forget about more affordable equipment.

Us your ears....

@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel just for my curiosity, do you know the reference of the op-amps that are used in the Dave ?

Leaving it on is better for the sound quality. Either switching it off or leaving it on won’t damage your Qutest.

@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel I wonder if anyone has tried upgrading the power supply on the qutest and if it made any difference?

Whatever brought people to that judgement is beyond me.

Perfection is a goal not a reality😊

No but I might turn the kitty upside down 😬