In terms of sound quality, it's the best digital front end I . of the 5 systems are completely different, our rooms are completely different After that you are GOLDEN. There is no dark magic involved. This latter track is a good track for me to play when listening to new kit as it is basically a drum machine and an acid box and this latter did sound just like a 303 there in the room. I hope you understand. Cs | Critical Mass CS2s -> components, Isoacoustics -> speakers + subs | Adona Eris II rack on Herbie's titanium footers | Fully treated and dedicated 2 channel room. CH Precision C1 DAC. With two prime DACs, we yield an unprecedented level of detail, reproducing the musicality, soundstage, and texture of an original performance, bringing the artist to you. I still did not found better audio source. And thinking more about it, the differences at the time could have been small because the noise level in my system at the time of the comparison were relatively higher than they are now. November 11, 2020 in Digital Sources, DACs, and Computer Audio. Elegant design. SO/ROON/HQPe: DSD 256-Sonore opticalModuleDeluxe-Signature Rendu optical--Bricasti M3 DAC--DIY Purifi Amplifier-Focus Audio FS888 speakers-JL E 112sub-Nordost Tyr USB, DIY EventHorizon AC cables, Iconoclast XLR & speaker cables, Synergistic Purple Fuses, Spacetime system clarifiers. This latter recording gets played to death at shows, but that doesnt detract from it being a very good tune and a very good recording, though I have been known to take the piss a bit when it gets played for the tenth time in a day at audio events. I don't understand why Chord DACs have to be so damn ugly! I own the MSB Select II with the dual powerbases and 33 Femto Clock. The Discrete is a genuine high fidelity DAC and a fabulously built one to boot, add in the modular input flexibility and you have a pretty stunning product with excellent future proofing. While it's an easy setup to wrangle at a show, it does seem like it wasn't doing either component any favours! But of course, I love window shopping and perusing top tier systems including illustrious more familiar gear like Lampi, TD, MSB, Ares Cerat, Aqua. It seems to take in zeros and ones and then somehow make sense of these and just convert them into faithful reproductions of the recording though me not being at the recording of any of the records I listened to, thats my assumption coming into play. It is a manual step which I forgot. The DAC comes equipped with a single power supply, but can be augmented with a second discrete power supply to enable optimized power isolation between all major components. DAVE stands for 'Digital to Analogue Veritas in Extremis', a moniker that best reflects the product's . Sound Media Group Pty Ltd What effect does reconstruction filter have? digital front ends. By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies. I don't want to waste hifi shops time too much knowing I'll be going second hand either. Fixed. The next module is the display which is a cool and easy-to-read LED that is slaved to the audio clock. I've owned a PS Audio Any specific reason you wanna replace the Dave? I think is a good general rule of thumb, but there are some very transparent passive pre-amps out there. @ricred1, youre right to point that out. Put simply, your DAC is ready for the future. To me, the instrumental timbre seems more accurate with DAVE than any other DACs I've heard. in this forum and they are all very good dacs. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. I cant help with comparisons of two of these DACs, but I did hear the Tambaqui up against the dCS Bartok and it was a pretty close call, but ultimately the dCS sounded more analogue and more immersive.However, this was at a time when both units were a similar price. Copyright Hifi Pig and Hifi Pig Magazine, Big Pig Media LLP. prefer to keep our test results among ourselves. johndoe21ro Chord Dave vs Mola Mola Makua/Tambaqui vs Emm Labs Dac2x vs Rockna Focal Utopia ~ LCD i4 ~ ETHER FLOW open/C ~ LCD-2.2/XC ~ Nighthawk ~ K10 custom ~ JH Angie, Chord mscaler // Chord TT2 // Oppo PM-1 (Artisan silver headphone cable) // Beyerdynamic DT880 600 Ohm // WAVE Stream bnc cables // Kef LS50 Meta. more might come to mind and I will add them. @shkong78 how good is the dave + mscaler vs msb? Good points by all. The MSB Renderer was developed using an in-house hardware design running an ultra low noise A5 processor for optimal audio playback performance. This is disabled if you are outputting to a preamplifier. The world's largest high-end audio community. Specifications: Type: Digital to analogue converter with volume control. Tailored for both the transport and the DACs daily use, our remote brings you closer to the music you love. I'm looking for suggestions between $10K - $12K. Strangely from this company is lack of any anti-aliasing on the text causing pixels to not be seen in the fonts chosen! very important and our preference connection is an i2S connection. I auditioned a DAVE (not deconstructed) and TT2 and found all Chord products lacked the musicality of MSB. I don't have that kind of money. 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 wanted to know for anyone who has heard it have you also heard a DAC that approached it in sonic performance? Sound Media Group Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Dealer's should be required to state they're a dealer every time they post or have a disclaimer in their username. And this level of detail the MSB Discrete brings to the listening experience was carried through everything I listened toand I listened to this DAC a lot, with it being the only thing I used to for a solid two weeks. It is a pretty DAC but usability is left behind. Any MSB fans here ? - Page 3 - DAC - Digital to Analog Conversion And yes, you can improve it more by adding nice power source and cable. Watts is avidly not reading this in anticipation of the video version he won't watch. Chord states "DAVE is the most advanced DAC we have ever made. Thanks guys! There are some tonal differences too, but what you prefer will depend on your other equipment and the music you like. But in the specific case of the BADA and PM2, if you wish for me to be more precise, then taking into account that I only had the BADA ref for a very short time, the bottom line was that I didn't feel at the time that the difference between the PM2 in my system was significant enough to make it worth the energy to change components or the potential financial loss involved in a trade. 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. @shkong78 Thanks for sharing your listening impressions of the Lampizator Pacific vs the MSB DACs as well as what you miss about the Pacific vs your Chord combo. 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. Mola Mola dac and the Total dac. It's just more financially viable to me for the performance and price ratio. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Search: Msb Discrete Dac Vs Chord Dave. I do however like the i2S connection better than any other I actually like the simplicity of this and it is very intuitive to use when you get into setting up and menu diving, though diving is over-egging it a bit as the Discrete is a doddle to set upif you do it right, but more on that in a while. Audiogon Discussion Forum Much appreciated. Impedance 100 Low Gain setting. Many of these were already in a shootout on Audiogon with the same requirements - has to sound stellar on 16/44.1 tracks: I agree that the DAVE plus Blu 2 is spectacular, but not in a "hi fi" sense. By clicking links on our site, we may earn affiliate commission, but our editorial remains entirely independent and unbiased. You could spend less and get close to the sound of this DAC, for sure. There ain't no Coupe deVille hiding at the bottom of a Cracker Jack Box. Chord DAVE Review (DAC & HP Amp) Mike, Scott has been absolutely wonderful in his support, despite my purchasing the Found-Music 2A3s used (from Art S.) He has visited once and is planning another visit after the trip your way. So I saw the DAC lighting up and it looked fully functional, right down displaying the bit rate etc of the file playing, but no music. definitely up there with the best dacs in the world. There are some tonal differences too, but what you prefer will depend on your other equipment and the music you like. Mola Mola is another well built great sounding I have a PS Audio DSD ATM and it is also on the warm side which is good, but I'm thinking I need something more neutral due to my speakers being fairly warm and full bodied in their own right to take my system to the next level. Edited November 11, 2020 by seadog. And this is what separates the very good from the excellent piece of audio equipment. It may not display this or other websites correctly. The jump from Six to Seven is rather large. I would,however, like to say we are highly selective over the brands we represent and believe they are excellent value. You must log in or register to reply here. MSB Discrete | The Ear It features the very best conversion technology available, using proprietary techniques never seen before, making DAVE the most advanced DAC/preamp amplifier in the world. The MSB simply offered more of everything and to my ears proved again that a true multi bit converter/ladder DAC is superior to delta/sigma or FPGA DACs. Conversely, you could spend a lot more and not gain a great deal in real terms. However, Id argue that there is sort of two trains of thought on this subject; one where theres absolute fidelity to the source material at all costs, and another that sounds great though to the listener but perhaps not absolutely true to the original source and I dont think its unfair to say that both these positions have their place in the world of playing tunes at home. Anyone make that comparison? It may not display this or other websites correctly. The Chord DAVE was also on my list, but I decided to pass (my Chord retailer was very 'pushy' and not helpful). Sonically it is very much as its name suggests and converts files faithfully and without loss or (importantly) embellishment. CHORD ELECTRONICS DAVE | Page 934 - Head-Fi.org Unless they have the exact same components as the end user, it's impossible to tell that customer how component X will sound in their system. More sharing . Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile. I just heard DAVE directly connected to MacBook Pro via USB without any expensive cables, headphone amplifier, power conditioner. I have listened to MSB Analog DAC and Diamond DAC IV but not in the same setup as DAVE. I don't think any of us have heard the Dave, and we don't have any interest. Does anyone have formula for that? 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 recently bought a DAC with a digital volume control precisely to bypass the preamp, but when I compared the two approaches there was very little between them. Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator. A fully balanced, ultra-high precision, discrete ladder DAC architecture ensures each note tells a story. "Im not sure if there are algorithms that can add high-frequency information that wasnt captured in the original sampled result". 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