CH Precision C1 vs Chord DAVE with M Scaler ?

[Bonesy Jonesy]

Hi WBF folk,
Does anybody have any knowledge and or experience of comparing the musical performance of the CH Precision C1 vs the Chord Electronics DAVE with M Scaler (and ideally the DAVE linked to the M Scaler with High Fidelity Audio STORM BNC digital cables) both connected via their USB digital inputs ?

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

Nobody ????

 

[eskamobob1]

I havent heard the C1 so I cant comment there, but I will say, I find the dave to be wildly over priced given its SQ. I would take an M1SE or weiss 501 over HMS -> dave for similar sound signatures and both are significantly cheaper than that chain used.

 

[caesar]

I never did a direct compare. But I have spent time with both units. CH gas great resolution but lacks real, rich, life-like tone. Like all ch products. so if tone is not your thing or if your system already has great tone, ch could be wonderful.

also note, many ch dealers are showcasing wadax as their “best “ digital, including some stenheim guys and gobel guys That like ch electronics with their speakers.

chord digital can sound sterile and hifi in many systems, but if you already have a very musical system, it can work, as there are many filters to experiment (drive yourself crazy) with

good luck

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

I havent heard the C1 so I cant comment there, but I will say, I find the dave to be wildly over priced given its SQ. I would take an M1SE or weiss 501 over HMS -> dave for similar sound signatures and both are significantly cheaper than that chain used.

Thank you for your post 'eskamobob1' Much appreciated.

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

I never did a direct compare. But I have spent time with both units. CH gas great resolution but lacks real, rich, life-like tone. Like all ch products. so if tone is not your thing or if your system already has great tone, ch could be wonderful.

also note, many ch dealers are showcasing wadax as their “best “ digital, including some stenheim guys and gobel guys That like ch electronics with their speakers.

chord digital can sound sterile and hifi in many systems, but if you already have a very musical system, it can work, as there are many filters to experiment (drive yourself crazy) with

good luck

Thank you for your post 'caesar'. Much appreciated.

I haven't found the sound signature / character of the CH P1 as you mention about CH products.

However my Hifiman EF1000 does have a tube pre-amp so maybe that is adding a bit richer tone to the overall sound as it leans towards warmer side of neutral along with the Susvara headphones which also lean towards the warmer side of neutral.

Yes agree, the Chord components can sound a bit on the cold neutral / sterile side of the sound. However like the CH P1, my Chord Dave is connected to my EF1000 and Susvaras in my system in the UK.
In my larger speaker system in Spain where I have a full Chord Choral system (with two Mezzo 140's mono blocked) I have the Focal Electra 1038 Be Speakers which are also the warmer side of neutral hence balancing out the Chord house sound with a slightly more warmer tone.

 

[Kcin]

I find the perception of Chord Dave is variable. I do agree that it can sound sterile - so can CH digital for that matter. In the right context I think the Dave is very competitive after all this time.

I've had a few very high brow DACs over here- no Wadax - and my new " to me" Dave with outboard linear power supplies is holding its own very well.

My system tends to the rich tone side if I had to make a call on it.

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

I find the perception of Chord Dave is variable. I do agree that it can sound sterile - so can CH digital for that matter. In the right context I think the Dave is very competitive after all this time.

I've had a few very high brow DACs over here- no Wadax - and my new " to me" Dave with outboard linear power supplies is holding its own very well.

My system tends to the rich tone side if I had to make a call on it.

Thank you 'Kcin' for your post. Much appreciated.

Yes for my UK hifi systems, both my headphone amp (EF1000) & headphones (Susvara) and speakers Focal Electra 1008 Be's lean towards the warmer side of neutral, which makes them (to my ears) a perfect balance with the Chord DAVE (fed with my Blu & inbuilt M Scaler with the great Wave High Fidelity STORM BNC cables - yes these cables do make a big impact on the sound from the DAVE) and my recently purchased CH P1 Phono Stage.

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

Hi WBF folk,
Does anybody have any knowledge and or experience of comparing the musical performance of the CH Precision C1 vs the Chord Electronics DAVE with M Scaler (and ideally the DAVE linked to the M Scaler with High Fidelity Audio STORM BNC digital cables) both connected via their USB digital inputs ?

Thank you to all who have been posting on this thread / post. Very much appreciated.

I didn't initially explain why I made this thread / post in the first place, therefore FYI folks;

Main driver why I posted this question is if it is worth selling my Chord DAVE and replacing it with a CH C1 as with now having a CH P1 and liking the performance from it very much, thinking whether to build up a CH Precision system over a long period of time and making it my final 'end game' retirement hifi system ?

 

[heihei]

I've spent some time with CH C1 and found it pretty dull tbh. I'm aware that others rave about it, which suggests it is highly sensitive to set-up, use of X1, etc., but still feels expensive for the price. My experience of Chord is much further down the chain (Qutest & Hugo 1&2), so prob not relevant.

 

[heihei]

I should also add that I wouldn't infer that because you like one component from CH (or any other manufacturer for that matter) that you will like everything else. That is especially true when you cross to a different component category.
For example, in the CH line-up, I think the L1 is incredible, and when combined with X1, is the best I've heard. On the other hand, I think the power amps are "just another SS power amp" and the digital side is somewhat sterile and expensive for what it is.

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

I should also add that I wouldn't infer that because you like one component from CH (or any other manufacturer for that matter) that you will like everything else. That is especially true when you cross to a different component category.
For example, in the CH line-up, I think the L1 is incredible, and when combined with X1, is the best I've heard. On the other hand, I think the power amps are "just another SS power amp" and the digital side is somewhat sterile and expensive for what it is.

Thank you 'heihei' for your very informative post. Very much appreciated.

From my experiences with hifi systems (particularly the Chord Electronics brand), I am a big believer of system synergy i.e. if the individual products have been designed and built from testing with other components along the system chain, then these other components should be considered (if that is possible). Therefore, if all the CH components are put together as a whole complete electronic system, they should by the nature of their design and build characteristics sound their best (assuming a well matched speaker or headphone is also incorporated). However, sometimes this doesn't always appear to be the case, especially with the choice some manufacturers make on speakers or headphones they are using at key hifi shows to show off their electronic components to their best ability.

 

[eskamobob1]

Main driver why I posted this question is if it is worth selling my Chord DAVE and replacing it with a CH C1 as with now having a CH P1 and liking the performance from it very much, thinking whether to build up a CH Precision system over a long period of time and making it my final 'end game' retirement hifi system ?

Dont have any connections with dealers in your area that could give you a demo? Tbh if you are looking at making this kind of jump it seems like the more sensical way to go (unless you are looking to buy used?)

 

[caesar]

...

From my experiences with hifi systems (particularly the Chord Electronics brand), I am a big believer of system synergy i.e. if the individual products have been designed and built from testing with other components along the system chain, then these other components should be considered (if that is possible). Therefore, if all the CH components are put together as a whole complete electronic system, they should by the nature of their design and build characteristics sound their best (assuming a well matched speaker or headphone is also incorporated). However, sometimes this doesn't always appear to be the case, ...

Respectfully disagree on "system synergy". Unless there is a legitimate technical reason to pair certain components, such as say, impedance ratios between amps and preamps, the rest is just marketing propaganda from the allies of the brand and argument about personal taste... if people are willing to explore, there are many combinations that could work and actually sound better than what a single manufacturer has come up wiht

 

[eskamobob1]

Respectfully disagree on "system synergy". Unless there is a legitimate technical reason to pair certain components, such as say, impedance ratios between amps and preamps, the rest is just marketing propaganda from the allies of the brand and argument about personal taste... if people are willing to explore, there are many combinations that could work and actually sound better than what a single manufacturer has come up wiht

I think I agree with you both here. I have yet to hear a single manufacturer system with horrible synergy, so it makes an easy just "one and done" choice, but I also have yet to find any manufacturers that are properly price competitive in every area of source gear meaning that there is almost always better bang for your buck out there if you mix and match, but it can also be harder to find.

Something else to keep in mind is that some brands may have different goals than what you want, but that doesnt mean you should avoid their pieces all together. A great example of this for me is bakoon. While I am not really a fan of how they double down on smoothness and microdetail at the expense of energy within the texture, their amps can have some astonishing results when paired with a dac on the spicier end of the spectrum (berkley was the best I tried but I hear rockna is transcendent when paired with them).

 

[thomask]

Audiogon Discussion Forum

I had been using Chord Dave and Mscaler for 3 years. I installed linear power supply by Farad which cost me around 3k Euros including three separate...

forum.audiogon.com

Dave with Farad power supply and Mscaler combo sounds pretty decent 90% close to Ideon Absolute.

But I had never listened to Ch C1.

Wadax is supreme over all other Dacs that I had listened including MSB Select II, Horizon and Absolute.

 

[dan31]

I would put Playback Designs up there with the best of them. High end DACs’ should be auditioned at home if at all possible.

 

[Sampajanna]

I had a Dave/Mscaler w/ 2X SJ PSU for years (Wavestorm cables are also a must). It is excellent. I compared to many Highend dacs right here and it was as good, slightly better or slightly worse than many (even when worse it was marginal and not worth the hassle and money to switch). For me, in my system, that all changed when I got a Lampi in house to hear. It made my friend cry. It was the biggest upgrade in my system to date. I would still not hesitate to recommend Dave, especially with PSU and Storm cables. But the Pacific or Horizon are both major upgrades and when you add the cost of all the cables and power supplies, you are close if not at a used Pacific….

Not a huge CH fan, TBH. I agree with Caesar…. I have heard the Playback, though and that would be my other choice if not Lampi. The MPD8 is epic, especially when paired with the transport/streamer using their Plink cable. To get to or beyond these choices, you would have to jump up in price significantly….

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

Dont have any connections with dealers in your area that could give you a demo? Tbh if you are looking at making this kind of jump it seems like the more sensical way to go (unless you are looking to buy used?)

Hi 'eskamobob1',
For TOTL very expensive hifi gear, I normally buy on the private second hand market.

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

Audiogon Discussion Forum

I had been using Chord Dave and Mscaler for 3 years. I installed linear power supply by Farad which cost me around 3k Euros including three separate...

forum.audiogon.com

Dave with Farad power supply and Mscaler combo sounds pretty decent 90% close to Ideon Absolute.

But I had never listened to Ch C1.

Wadax is supreme over all other Dacs that I had listened including MSB Select II, Horizon and Absolute.

Thank you 'thomask' for your post. Much appreciated and definitely food for thought !

I could keep my Chord Blu (with in-built M Scaler) and DAVE and install the Farad power supply to the DAVE and call it a day for my digital source.

'Wadax' is well out of my financial price bracket even on the 2nd hand market. Would love to listen to a Wadax DAC one day though.