Never say never, but I reckon 99.9% of folk would get to the Discretes level of performance and not be able to justify another 110K to achieve, what I am guessing would be marginal gains though I have not experienced the Select and so cannot say for sure that this would be the case and it may be a total revelation is sonic engineering. Theyre not limited by audio formats, sample rates, or even speed. Have you thought about hooking up a Blu2 to Dave? For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. At some point you have to be content in this hobby. Main Menu For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Strangely, this new review is not displayed when you select the review folder on the homepage. as far as direct comparison with other dacs the closest Ive done is listening to the Select II at shows and then listening to other top dacs in other systems at shows. You must log in or register to reply here. I'll take a look, however I've heard they're on the warm side? This is the main advantage of DAVE (i.e. has 20 hours on it. Any owners around here? See what the reviews are saying. johndoe21ro Its a clever thing meaning that their products are repairable and upgradeable for example, you can have a card that is set up for single-ended outputs or balanced XLR outputs (for review we have the balanced version). Its an interesting setup with everything from design through to milling the chassis to building the circuit boards being done in-house. StereoNET (Australia) is part of an international network of publications owned wholly by Sound Media Group (Australia). Analogue Volume Control 1dB from 0 to 106 Deactivable by menu, Dimensions ChassisWidth : 432 mmDepth: 305 mmHeight without feet: 51 mm. Wavedream only has a couple hours on it, but from the first note it I mean is it audibly noticeable? Were constantly improving digital input modules to stay at the forefront of the high-end audio industry, ensuring youre always equipped with the most current digital file formats and interfaces. I'm looking for suggestions on DACs I should listen to as possible replacement of my Chord Dave. Digital Audio Forum: DAC, Transports, Digital Processing Forum, 4x20A circuits | Audioquest Niagara 3000 | Paul Hynes SR4T + HDPlex HD500 PSUs -> Music PC w/JCAT XE nic, HQPlayer, Roon, Tidal / Qobuz | HDPlex HD100 PSU -> OCX clock + EtherRegen | Aqua Acoustic Quality LinQ streamer | Aqua Acoustic Quality Formula xHD Rev. connection to the dac chip. Playing Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jacksons Your Daddy Loves You from the Winter in America album gave me the same impression of a reach-out-and-touch soundscape with incredibly well-defined positions in the mix and a whole load of detail the over-driven sound of the electric piano at around a minute forty really stood out as being faithful to the recording; a case of high-fidelity highlighting a low-fidelity artefact? However, there are two inputs for external PSUs and a little doodad/adapter that allows the use of one external PSU. The world's largest high-end audio community. You absolutely can say that you prefer other DAC's to the Berkeley Alpha Reference. The other stand out dacs that we like are the Elegant design. Once you start playing a tune the DAC works out the sample rate and chooses the correct playback clock. Whether its a software update or a leading-edge modular component, were here to help the most valued aspect of MSBour customers. The reasoning behind the two clocks dealing with different frequency families is that music is mostly recorded within multiples of the 44.1kHz family or the 48kHz family and having a clock dealing with each family minimises loss. Always use!! This leaner and cleaner edge has the effect of adding a level of perceived detail to the listening experience. CH Precision mono dac with clock and 3 power supplies (7 boxes)----its more spendy---$150k, Merging Technologies NADAC w/power supply and clock---much better now with the clock and power supply upgrades than my previous experience.----around $60k. I wired it all up and the unit lit up but I could get no sound out of it whatsoever. The only true way for the end user to know what they prefer is through listening in their own system.. Personally, I think that both these standpoints have their merits and its going to be a case of you paying your money and you taking your choice. digital front ends. Besides that the MSB looks so much better. Rori Ultimately, reducing noise in a system or improving room acoustics can have a bigger effect. While were committed to long lasting products that hold their value, we realize audio systems are always evolving. Of those, I've only heard the DAVE. There is no dark magic involved. Too many DACs> Too many amps> Too many headphones. My first serious audio system was Garrard turntable, Fisher Int(SS), ADS bookspeaker bought on 1978. Australian Business Number 38 650 151 296, Digital Sources, DACs, and Computer Audio, Chord Dave vs Mola Mola Makua/Tambaqui vs Emm Labs Dac2x vs Rockna Wavedream. Thats not allthe CNC unibody aluminum chassis provides the discrete power supply with optimal thermal performance and an elegant design aesthetic. I auditioned a DAVE (not deconstructed) and TT2 and found all Chord products lacked the musicality of MSB. But then we have to apply the law of diminishing returns. Whatever, the Discrete is a superb bit of kit that Id really love to take up residence in the system on a permanent basis, but thats not going to happen. By They are all excellent DACs and at that level of performance, it's ultimately about system synergy, personal preferences and the limitations of our hearing. Can it output a Low or High Voltage on a single pin in a bitstream? I agree price is necessarily indicative of quality or performance. Each clock is made up of two independent clocks but only one is used at any given time so as not to add unwanted noise to the circuit. September 6, 2016 in DAC - Digital to Analog Conversion. I also looked at the MSB Discrete DAC but everything thing was an extra cost option (USB, AES/EBU, power supply, etc.,) and expensive. When I have done the comparison with other DACs I have had at the same time - Ayre QX5-Twenty, EAR Dac 4, exasound e32 - often the immediate impression is that DAVE/Blu 2 is not quite as good - a bit dryer sounding, not quite as smooth, not as airy or three dimensional And yet, over the longer term, it is deeply satisfying at a musical level in a way that the other DACs are not. Do diamonds shine on the dark side of the moon? IMHO an audio recommendation in a forum is just an advice on what is worth listening and the reason why we think so. Putting price aside, what are your thoughts about the Hugo TT as an integrated DAC+amp? Copyright Hifi Pig and Hifi Pig Magazine, Big Pig Media LLP. I can leave my hand on it as long as I want to. Stuart Smith finds out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites. Digital Audio Forum: DAC, Transports, Digital Processing Forum, 4x20A circuits | Audioquest Niagara 3000 | Paul Hynes SR4T + HDPlex HD500 PSUs -> Music PC w/JCAT XE nic, HQPlayer, Roon, Tidal / Qobuz | HDPlex HD100 PSU -> OCX clock + EtherRegen | Aqua Acoustic Quality LinQ streamer | Aqua Acoustic Quality Formula xHD Rev. You must log in or register to reply here. will every hear. Can I ask how you procured all those DACs? With the MSB there has been a great deal of attention paid to ensuring the signal stays as pure as possible and is not affected by other parts of the DAC or outside sources; modular construction, dual power supplies, isolation of USB etc. The MSB Renderer was developed using an in-house hardware design running an ultra low noise A5 processor for optimal audio playback performance. The DACs are individually shielded and thermally-bonded and multiple units are used per channel, which MSB tells us increases performance and lowers output impedance. Put simply, your DAC is ready for the future. Im outputting directly to the LAB12 (and later a Krell KST100) power amp and so a digital volume algorithm is used where the digital volume control is left at a relatively high output so as not to encounter loss at lower volume levels. I submit dealers use the statement "component X competes against much more expensive components" far too often. I suppose what Im saying (badly) is that the Discrete was true to the file it was being fed and I did enjoy hearing it allowed me to pull small details out of the mix Jazz at the Pawn Shop (DSD128) felt more lifelike and in the room than I am used to and raw tracks such as Phutures Acid Trax did sound rougher and really basically recorded. You might want to consider adding one of Chord's Upscalers, either Hugo M scaler , or the Blu Mk. The end result is a digital experience defying expectations. Well, you may not have heard a lot of high-end DAC's in your system, but the one's you've listed are pretty darned good. CH Precision C1 DAC. Sablon Audio King/Prince power cords throughout. I haven't yet come across one DAC that is best and will completely dominate other great DACs across all audio evaluation parameters. If I got a great $20K DAC for less, I would not object. Equipment used: - Roon - 3-in 1-out XLR switchbox - Goldpoint SA2X Attenuator - Benchmark AHB2 Amplifier - Hifiman Susvara headphones (Also used Arya and HD800S but for the most part susvara) Video review of DAVE + Mscaler here: The Hugo TT2 is intended to bridge the gap between the range topping DAVE and budget Qutest rack mounted offerings. A Chord DAC converts to analog via Chord's "Pulse Array DAC" which is a discrete circuit, similar to the discrete circuit used in the MSB DACs (but not the same). In that price range, you would be mad not to addthe MSB Premier DAC to your list as well. Ok, I looked a prat but it proves that the separate PSUs are actually doing something rather than being there for show, though they do look rather cool in themselves. Sound Media Group Pty Ltd Much appreciated. We have what I consider to be a pretty resolving system, but we also listen to music a fair old bit for pure pleasure and so theres a valve amp currently feeding our chosen reference loudspeakers though thats not to say this system isnt highly resolving in its own right. This unit came with two power supplies and Ill be playing with the DAC with one and with two to compare and contrast. There are some tonal differences too, but what you prefer will depend on your other equipment and the music you like. Im sure it does have a flavour of its own, but from my standpoint, it sounds like a very neutral and transparent DAC. Like a true audiophile with "issues", I'm saying to myself, if at $8300 I've tried it in my system and I don't like it. And in the case of a great DAC with great amps in a system with very low noise, going direct to the amps can be magical. DLNA Protocol. It is a pretty DAC but usability is left behind. The more observant of you will have read this and noticed that there is no mains inlet. Hope to try different formats on both DACs to see what works best in my system. Chord Dave Black New The Prime DAC With two prime DACs, MSB yields an unprecedented level of detail, reproducing the musicality, soundstage, and texture of an original performance, bringing the artist to you Ps Audio Directstream Dac Vs Auralic Vega Founded in 2004, Games for Change is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that empowers game creators and . UPnP Protocol Then just stay with the basic Premier unit, and the power supply that comes with it. Point 75 EmmLab Dac2 I paid 9K$ for this on 2010. Needless to say given everything talked about so far, the Prime DAC modules are made in-house and they have been making and designing discrete ladder DACs since 1999. I'm super happy with my Esoteric N-01, which is a noticeable step up in quality/musicality from the DAVE - as yes the DAVE sounds a bit "thin" (though extraordinarily detailed). There is scale on bigger productions and intimacy on smaller-scale recordings and pieces, It wont make a pigs ear into a sows purse, but its majestic on really good recordings, Its very detailed but not harshly so actually, its a very easy component to fit in a system and live with, Its not cheap and you will want both PSUs once you compare with just one, No analogue inputs to make it the heart of a full system, You know that MSB have stuff that is out of reach financially and potentially better, Price: 11,000 plus 1,650 for a second power supply. definitely up there with the best dacs in the world. The Base module is used on the two lower DACs (including this one) and then the Preamp Output Stage for the top two DACs in the range. Please specify coaxial S/PDiF or optical S/PDiF. It is not hard to audition these DACs in Melbourneand this is your best way to work out your own preference. MSB Technology Discrete Modular DAC Page 2. Sit back and be immersed. You are using an out of date browser. Like the Lab12. For such a high entry price I wouldn't take the gamble to go on some recommendation by a stranger whose tastes I don't know. I'm also a very patient person and can wait for the right bit of kit at the right price to come up secondhand. I hope you understand. Perhaps thats a bit of an odd example for me to use as its a bit World Music but you are also made aware of the rightness of timing on percussive techno tracks. Different songs will sound better with different sources - Different horses for different courses. The MSB Renderer was developed using an in-house hardware design running an ultra low noise A5 processor for optimal audio playback performance. I don't think any of us have heard the Dave, and we don't have any interest. Cs | Critical Mass CS2s -> components, Isoacoustics -> speakers + subs | Adona Eris II rack on Herbie's titanium footers | Fully treated and dedicated 2 channel room. There seemed to be a little more separation of instruments in the mix of whatever I was listening to than with the LAB12 DAC and Pre in the signal path and a slightly leaner edge to the music more clearly etched, perhaps? JavaScript is disabled. very important and our preference connection is an i2S connection. Ill go through the modules included in the Discrete DAC and explain a little about each. It may not display this or other websites correctly. I havent heard the Rockna. in this forum and they are all very good dacs. As the noise in my system keeps getting lower, the PM2 keeps reaching deeper to find even more musical engagement and purity in standard 16/44 files. and the MSB Select II has a huge advantage over other dacs with its modularity and in-house development which promotes, in a very timely way, keeping the product at the very tip top cutting edge of digital interface developments. Only hifi shops and shows hear and there. Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator, https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/absolute-top-tier-dac-for-standard-res-redbook-cd. A modular I/O card keeps even the discrete DAC flexible, repairable, and upgradeable. The modular nature of the Discrete and other MSB DACs is very clever and I assume this goes a good way towards giving it such a neutral and detailed sound, where no one part is interfering with what the other is doing. It's pretty funny how everyone gives their personal pet recommendation with the utmost confidence that the buyer will like it. I did have the BADA Ref in my system for a short audition, and the Trinity And CH Precision C1 for a longer stay during a previous iteration of my system. You go off people's opinions and hope it'll match your equipment and system when you put the hard earned down. This is a review, detailed measurements and listening tests of CHORD DAVE combination DAC and headphone amplifier. CHORD Dave could be the most expensive deeply design DAC in the world and if you find it not your taste there is the best off the shelf DACs like akm4499 in Topping D90 for 699$ that could be even better than Dave. Thank me laterLoL. The clock can be seen as being the heart of the DAC and once again the clocks are made in-house. In my assessment the Makua offered a more open and spacious sound. Jon Hopkins Music For Psychedelic Therapy was a beautifully enveloping experience, made all the more so as sounds come and go in the soundstage in a somewhat more solid way than without the usual DAC.

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