Superbly informative with a relaxed approach , totally absorbing , really looking forward for the Chord Choral upscaler to take audio performance into the stratosphere !
Only suckers buy anything like this new. I got mine for $8k gently used. Is the cost insane, yes. Did it blow my eyeballs hearing it after even hearing $500-$1000 DACs, yes. I figure people will pay $3-$4k for a TOTL gaming PC that is outdated in 5 years. If you’re a music fan $8k for something that will last me a decade and get way more playtime than a PC is worth it, to me, yes. Everyone has different priorities on their hobbies, I wear goodwill clothing while people pay $100 for one shirt which adds up.
Its great to talk about chip design and all but other than balanced connections what sonic aspects would improve from my current Hugo2 with streaming module to a newer/higher end chord DAC on Qobuz thru Roon ?
having had Simaudio/Moon, PS Audio DSD (Ted Smith and Rob have to be related somewhere in time....) and now the DAVE with the Chord Upscaler......buying both at a killer price preowned - I could not be more thrilled. Frankly, I'd probably still feel the same had I bought new - in my system, it's that overwhelmingly great. Bravo Chord and BRAVO Kat.
The scary stuff is that all of these "thousands of listening tests" are all done by ONE person. Rob. He doesn't have a team, an engineering partner. It's all on him. He decides all this and he is what... 60? How amazing can his ears still be... think about it.
Have you heard one? I have. It’s really good, and I’m saying that as an owner of a Mola Mola Tambaqui. I prefer the Mola Mola but can respect what the Dave does in my system.
@@GuiltyRocker Your comment is what people say when they believe the defining characteristic of their system is how much money was spent and need to believe that they spent wisely.
Gianna is correct. People who say they prefer their Corolla over a Porsche 911 can LITERALLY NEVER afford the 911. I've heard the DAVE extensively And, while I would not put it top of pack at its price point, it is still competitive. There's not a sub $8k DAC I've heard that can touch it ... And I've heard all the Topping, Gustard, SMSL, etc (all the ChiFi) currently on the market. None are close to the DAVE via ABX testing.
@@klewja Dave is good but I agree, the current pricing is crazy-town considering that it’s more expensive than a Tambaqui and doesn’t have a streaming endpoint.
@@labalo5 exactly, it's just a RU-vid guy that never designed anything close to the DAVE and does his little tests with an AP55, but he doesn't show his console and on the cheap brands that bought him he goes easy on. Hilarious.
The fact that people go out of their way to try to shame the man tells you they are envious and he's doing great work. People love hating on people with beliefs and strong convictions.
