Hello (Chord) Dave, You're My Wife Now!

[Fourlegs]

Is it a streamer too?

No, best keep the streamer and dac separate in my opinion so one can update the specific component function if required. I am using the K50 streamer at the moment. Don’t fall off your chair at it’s RRP. I bought way before the price increases.

 

[Fourlegs]

Yeah would be really interested to hear it as a pre.

Karl and I are ten minutes away from each other. If you came here (an hour or so from Leeds?) you could hear two different systems with Daves, both using it as a pre and dac.

 

[DomT]

@karlsushi its a shame that COVID got in the way of us meeting at @TheFlash ’s place. What a great result for you and a very helpful and interesting write up. Nigel and Nick @Fourlegs are great people to know and I really enjoyed both of their systems. It’s a shame that I am now in Portugal full time as there is a great bunch of people near to you including people like @Ian near Nottingham. I shall have another look at the Chord DACs to compare to dCS but here in Portugal it’s a bit more tricky. Best of luck with the rest of your journey.

For the lounge maybe just get a Naim Muso. Or if you want to have proper HiFi then a pair of ATC SCM11 would seem an obvious consideration. I loved my pair.

 

[antonio66]

I'd be up for listening to a Dave in a bake off with new other higher end DACs including a DCS.

I would be interested to listen Vs my Acuhorn R2R T/45 tubes.

I would be happy to bring along a dCS Rossini to any back-off nr Melton Mowbray if that is where you are talking about

 

[Psilonaught]

Melton Mowbray is only 1.45hrs from me. I recon a high end dac bake off would be cool. We need an Aqua Formula and a Terminator 2 too. My Acuhorn would represent the Lampizator DHT type approach. If someone could bring a Lampizator golden gate 2 however that would be awesome!

 

[karlsushi]

Having stripped my living room system down to hifi loft rejects, I am probably not going to be best placed to host a bake-off' for any more than a couple of people in my small near-field room/system.

@Fourlegs may be better placed to accommodate this, but I don't want to push it all on him.

Out of interest, Fourlegs did have a similarly-themed DAC-off at his not long ago: Thread 'A day of DACs' https://www.hifiwigwam.com/forum/threads/a-day-of-dacs.107792/

 

[Fourlegs]

Having stripped my living room system down to hifi loft rejects, I am probably not going to be best placed to host a bake-off' for any more than a couple of people in my small near-field room/system.

@Fourlegs may be better placed to accommodate this, but I don't want to push it all on him.

Out of interest, Fourlegs did have a similarly-themed DAC-off at his not long ago: Thread 'A day of DACs' https://www.hifiwigwam.com/forum/threads/a-day-of-dacs.107792/

Karl, I am happy to host a ‘high end’ DAC bake off with you, @Psilonaught @antonio66 with their DACs and anyone else that is interested. Yes there was a Terminator vs Dave meeting but unfortunately this was much compromised by not having an appropiate quality pre amp to let the Terminator strengths shine through. We would therefore need to source a preamp. @antonio66 do you have one that you use with your dCS?

I must also say that my Dave has been further modified since the Terminator was here and in my humble opinion is somewhat better than it was when the Terminator was here.

If those who are interested want to message me here on the Wam we can set up a group message and then take it to a Bake Off thread when we have a date and a tentative proposal. My post code is LE14 4BE for anyone wondering about distance to drive etc. Usually what we do here is have a 10ish start with a lasagne lunch break and continue after lunch with chucking out time about 4pm.

 

[antonio66]

@Fourlegs I do have a cheap Chinese pre mod'ed by Firebottle which I've never tried, but the Rossini can be used direct in to a power amp which was how it was being used before the purchase of the Humboldt. Any day except a Saturday is good for me.

 

[karlsushi]

If all else fails, you can use my LDR preamp. It is probably not a world beater, but in purely passive mode, it is pretty transparent and has the buffer option if there are any impedance mismatch issues, so a useful unit for flexibility.

That said, I have significant interest in hearing @Psilonaught's DHT pre!!

If the Rossini works as a pre, then that will probably be a better comparison against Dave connected straight to the power amp anyway. Obviously a pre would be needed for any fixed line-out options such as a Terminator.

Anyone on here got a Mola Mola Tambaqui? That would be a DAC worth hearing against DAVE (based on reviews at least).

 

[Musicraft]

Is there any other DAC manufacturer that has had the same, unchanged flagship DAC in their range for 7 years and they're still flying off the shelves?

For almost four years dCS Bartok despite being their entry DAC and costing more has and continues to sell like hotcakes. And hot on the DAVE's and the Bartok's heels for almost two years EMM Labs/Meitner Audio's MA3 @ £9750 is also selling like hotcakes.

 

[Musicraft]

Would like to hear it’s worth against others.

At £9750 please try EMM Labs/Meitner Audio's MA3 DAC/Streamer/Pre Amp. Like I've as said before -

The MA3 incorporates many of the technologies of their reference DV2 and dare I say is a steal and an absolute bargain.

In some cases it will be easier said then done however if you're system is based on digital audio, using an all in one solution and want the best performance from ATC active monitors (and this should also be the case with numerous power amplifiers) SCM19A's, SCM40A's, SCM100ASL's, etc, then ATC active monitors need to be directly fed from an Ed Meitner - EMM Labs/Meitner Audio DAC/Pre with their V Control which "maintains the input signal without re-quantization allowing for complete transparency at any volume setting, wide attenuation range, and no loss of audio resolution."

Simple.

Ed Meitner aka Mr DSD knows a thing or two and then some about digital audio and is also known as the Billy Woodman of digital audio particularly as he helped Sony/Philips develop DSD technology. ATC monitors were also used in the development of DSD technology.

 

[Fourlegs]

Perhaps the best way to resolve preamp(s) is to suggest that if ones DAC requires a pre amp then the DAC owner might be best to bring his own preamp?

 

[Fourlegs]

@Musicraft are you volunteering any of these DACs?

 

[Psilonaught]

I can bring my KR Audio P135 preamp and my Acuhorn R2R T dac.

Both have a combined price identical to a Dave @ circa £9k so that would be a pretty interesting comparison. Both use type 45 DHT tubes.

Tubes and R2R Vs a pure solid state design.

 

[Psilonaught]

I know for a fact that at least one person on here has a Formula hdx, that should be included IMO.

 

[Musicraft]

@Musicraft are you volunteering any of these DACs?

Our demo/display Terminator II, MA3 and Bartok are in great demand however if any are available at the time of the bakeoff then you guys are more than welcome to also use them.

Btw, it's best to use the Terminator II with a GAIA DDC which we should be able to include.

In the meantime to whet the appetite some reviews of the MA3 -

https://www.stereonet.com/au/reviews/meitner-audio-ma3-integrated-dac-review
https://www.emmlabs.com/images/awards/HFN Sep Meitner Audio MA3_Reprint-LOW.pdf
https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1060-meitner-audio-ma3-dac-preamplifier
https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/meitner-audio-ma3-integrated-da-converter-review-r1086/
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/superi...ner_Audio_MA3_Integrated_HiRes_DAC_Review.htm

 

[karlsushi]

Very interested by the Meitner MA3. It's not one you often read about when high end DACs are being discussed.

A very generous offer @Musicraft

And it just so happens I work in Derby (when I actually go into the office that is), so could do a pick-up/drop-off.

Is this about time to create a bake-off thread and try and sort a date?

 

[Psilonaught]

@Musicraft that is super generous I must say.

 

[antonio66]

@karlsushi Have you started it yet?

 

[nomore landings]

Will be interested to read your thoughts. A Weis 501 might compete, as would the expensive version of my cheapo Chinese TEAC - the Esoteric N 5 XD