CHORD DAVE On A 2CH Rig Anyone?

Lee

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2011
3,210
1,738
1,260
Alpharetta, Georgia
There is a lot of chatter regarding the DAVE and Blu2 combo. I think that there are many ways to get your files to the DAC but with a great deal of diminishing returns beyond the SOtM-200/linear PSU. The Blu2 is said to increase the performance of the DAVE by magnitudes in a way that no server at any price tag can. The downside is it is an additional box, and ~10k.

I heard the Blu2 and DAVE pairing at RMAF and I thought it sounded great.
 

Hifi Boy

New Member
Sep 16, 2017
70
3
0
Very nice gear. I heard the Elekit TU-8200 at Bob's Devices with Senn 800s. Really nice sound. Wrote a show report on it today in fact. I am looking into a listening session with the Linn stuff.
Thanks, if you liked the TU-8200, try to see if you can get the TU-8600, which is a 300B amp. It was released just 2 months ago. Unfortunately, I tried it but its gain was set to 2 out of 4, so it wasn't enough to drive my HE-1000. :(

I heard the Blu2 and DAVE pairing at RMAF and I thought it sounded great.
Well, its damn well should, for the same price that Dave is! :D

I mean, its supposed to provide 1 million taps, according to Rob Watts, and its supposed to be something spectacular, but like I said, I thought it sounded worse than Dave itself. Clearly, there had to have been an issue, because I don't believe that making their gear worse was the goal. The point that I actually wanted to make is that I read several people who said that their listening session with the Blu2 was not what they were expecting. In any case, I too would like to hear properly set up Blu2 + Dave and also Linn DS/3.

I hope you have a chance to hear the DS/3 soon and come back with some good reviews! :D
 

Legolas

VIP/Donor
Dec 27, 2015
1,042
387
455
France
Thanks, if you liked the TU-8200, try to see if you can get the TU-8600, which is a 300B amp. It was released just 2 months ago. Unfortunately, I tried it but its gain was set to 2 out of 4, so it wasn't enough to drive my HE-1000. :(

Well, its damn well should, for the same price that Dave is! :D

I mean, its supposed to provide 1 million taps, according to Rob Watts, and its supposed to be something spectacular, but like I said, I thought it sounded worse than Dave itself. Clearly, there had to have been an issue, because I don't believe that making their gear worse was the goal. The point that I actually wanted to make is that I read several people who said that their listening session with the Blu2 was not what they were expecting. In any case, I too would like to hear properly set up Blu2 + Dave and also Linn DS/3.

I hope you have a chance to hear the DS/3 soon and come back with some good reviews! :D

I thought the DAVE on it's own was a good DAC. Not the best I had heard but solid for the price point. My personal preference is the less messing with the data the better. RedBook non upsampled and no filter sounds best to me. The filtering in so many DACs just kills the sound right there. It goes all hifi and lifeless IMO. The timbre is lost, the connection to the music is watered down, it becomes a photocopy of the original master. My opinion, my ears before you get out the bozuka.

Now I hate SMPS and data messing, but the DAVE does seem to go against the grain and produce a good sound. It may be expanding the soundstage a bit, maybe that is the reason it is so popular over at head-fi? But with a Blue2 we are doubling the price, and that opens up a LOT of high end alternative such as the TotalDAC7, Lampizator Golden Gate and Audio Note DAC 5 (used). So I am out as they say. DAVE on it's own - good. At 16K with the Blu2, naa sorry, nothing special. I heard the DAVE without Blue2 and with it at Can-Jam this year, so that was my impressions.
 

Hifi Boy

New Member
Sep 16, 2017
70
3
0
I thought the DAVE on it's own was a good DAC. Not the best I had heard but solid for the price point. My personal preference is the less messing with the data the better. RedBook non upsampled and no filter sounds best to me. The filtering in so many DACs just kills the sound right there. It goes all hifi and lifeless IMO. The timbre is lost, the connection to the music is watered down, it becomes a photocopy of the original master. My opinion, my ears before you get out the bozuka.

Now I hate SMPS and data messing, but the DAVE does seem to go against the grain and produce a good sound. It may be expanding the soundstage a bit, maybe that is the reason it is so popular over at head-fi? But with a Blue2 we are doubling the price, and that opens up a LOT of high end alternative such as the TotalDAC7, Lampizator Golden Gate and Audio Note DAC 5 (used). So I am out as they say. DAVE on it's own - good. At 16K with the Blu2, naa sorry, nothing special. I heard the DAVE without Blue2 and with it at Can-Jam this year, so that was my impressions.
The reason that comes to my mind, why Dave sounds so good, is yes, precisely in the natural reproduction of the soundstage. Rob Watts said that its the ques from the environment that give us a sense of space which makes the thing sound real as opposed to digital reproduction. Also, its in the transients, meaning you have to nail down exactly when an instrument starts to play, otherwise you can't tell the difference between a trumpet and a drum.

The only thing that puzzles me really about the Blu2 is why it even exists. :)

Seriously, in my opinion, I would rather that this new M Scaler technology which gives us 1 million taps was built into Dave 2 or Hugo TT2. Then there would be no reason not to go for one of those DACs. But now you have to buy am additional device to play your CDs only! What about the hirez downloads people have and Tidal? Additional £8K and you only get to play CDs.
 

Iamrael

Member
Nov 3, 2017
87
4
8
I thought the DAVE on it's own was a good DAC. Not the best I had heard but solid for the price point. My personal preference is the less messing with the data the better. RedBook non upsampled and no filter sounds best to me. The filtering in so many DACs just kills the sound right there. It goes all hifi and lifeless IMO. The timbre is lost, the connection to the music is watered down, it becomes a photocopy of the original master. My opinion, my ears before you get out the bozuka.

Now I hate SMPS and data messing, but the DAVE does seem to go against the grain and produce a good sound. It may be expanding the soundstage a bit, maybe that is the reason it is so popular over at head-fi? But with a Blue2 we are doubling the price, and that opens up a LOT of high end alternative such as the TotalDAC7, Lampizator Golden Gate and Audio Note DAC 5 (used). So I am out as they say. DAVE on it's own - good. At 16K with the Blu2, naa sorry, nothing special. I heard the DAVE without Blue2 and with it at Can-Jam this year, so that was my impressions.

If you could expand a bit more on the Totaldac7, I would be very grateful. I am itching to give this DAC a try. Any advice on adding the internal server?
 

Billy Shears

Well-Known Member
Jul 27, 2015
255
1
150
I thought the DAVE on it's own was a good DAC. Not the best I had heard but solid for the price point. My personal preference is the less messing with the data the better. RedBook non upsampled and no filter sounds best to me. The filtering in so many DACs just kills the sound right there. It goes all hifi and lifeless IMO. The timbre is lost, the connection to the music is watered down, it becomes a photocopy of the original master. My opinion, my ears before you get out the bozuka.

Now I hate SMPS and data messing, but the DAVE does seem to go against the grain and produce a good sound. It may be expanding the soundstage a bit, maybe that is the reason it is so popular over at head-fi? But with a Blue2 we are doubling the price, and that opens up a LOT of high end alternative such as the TotalDAC7, Lampizator Golden Gate and Audio Note DAC 5 (used). So I am out as they say. DAVE on it's own - good. At 16K with the Blu2, naa sorry, nothing special. I heard the DAVE without Blue2 and with it at Can-Jam this year, so that was my impressions.

Does any of those Dacs you listed include a Upsampling Cd-Transport?
 

hongkongfoufou

Well-Known Member
Mar 3, 2018
468
201
148
My Dave replaced the Jeff Rowland Aeris DAC. Prior to the Aeris I had the Bricasti M1 and PS Audio Directstream. I love my Dave, but just like my aforementioned DACs, I prefer it with the preamp in the loop. It was only a couple of weeks old when I tried it direct, but both my wife and I hated it. The most significant differences in my system has been the dynamics and very black background where images to come out of nowhere.
Hi, I have hesitate to buy Jeff Rowland Aeris with PSU. I have listened Chord Dave at Munich with headphone. I have been very impressived. I have Corus and 625 S1, so it's great to know that. For your informations, after try Van Den Hul Second XLR, Furutech Lineflux XLR between preamplifier and amplier, my choice is Cardas Clear Cygnus. I have Magnepan 3.7i.
 

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