Set up is key, cables are super important, server is also 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. The in-house discrete design is then constructed into its own shielded CNC pocket for optimal isolation. The Chord DAVE was also on my list, but I decided to pass (my Chord retailer was very 'pushy' and not helpful). Up to 4X DSD 5 other people who only have 2 things in common with our system. I can leave my hand on it as long as I want to. I'm really anxious to hear more opinions about this DAC and noticed that DAVE hasn't got a thread of its own (only together with Mojo). Euphony Summus, EtherRegen, MSB Discrete. You could try some of the newer dacs that has gotten good reviews. I'm doing this off the top of my head. Is it better than the Chord DAVE that I raved about a few years ago? I dont know as that was years ago and I dont have one here to test against. Others might disagree but these are my findings. @ricred1, I would like to suggest you take a look at the Mola Mola Tambaqui when it arrives later this month I understand. It is my name after all! Digital: Jay's Audio CDT2 MK2 CD transport, Modified MHDT Labs Balanced Pagoda DAC. will every hear. With a better matched preamp presence may be acceptable. It's pretty funny how everyone gives their personal pet recommendation with the utmost confidence that the buyer will like it. Right now my favorite music player is from the same manufacturer of the Phasure NOS1a DAC: Stealth LPS running XXHighEnd software; again with the same caveat that I haven't heard a lot of the other highly regarded music players in my system. This kind of sound really appeals to me and was really excellent to experience on lots of tunes, but was especially evident on tracks from Rumours with every part of the mix being identifiable as unique. personal preference. Digital: Sonore opticalModule > Uptone EtherRegen > Shunyata Sigma Ethernet >Antipodes K30> Shunyata Omega USB> Gustard X26pro DAC < Mutec REF10 SE120, Amp& Speakers: Spectral DMA-150mk2 >Aerial 10T, Foundation: Stillpoints Ultra,ShunyataDenali v1 andTyphon power conditioners,Shunyata Delta v2 and QSA Lanedri Gamma power cords, QSA Lanedri GammaRevelationinterconnect,Shunyata SigmaEthernet,MIT Matrix HD60speaker cables, ASC isothermal tube traps, Stillpoints Aperture panels. The only true way for the end user to know what they prefer is through listening in their own system. Like a true audiophile with "issues", I'm saying to myself, if at $8300 This hobby is "highly subjective", influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions; therefore you can A/B a million different components and come to a completely different conclusion on how it sounds compared to another listener. had if for 2 years now. 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. I believe it comes down to Its not bombarding you with information, but it is a notably more defined sound with regards to the spatial information and the way that elements sit in the mix a tad more solidity and more of a sense of the stereo image being wider and deeper and with instruments and sounds occupying a definite space of their own. This is a review, detailed measurements and listening tests of CHORD DAVE combination DAC and headphone amplifier. To cut a long story short: A burnt in MSB Analog DAC with Power Base demoed side to side to a burnt in DAVE was no challenge for the MSB. Pass Labs INT-60. There is the option to add a streaming module to the Discrete and if I was in the market for a digital streaming solution, then this is where I would be going. And this is where I had a problem with this DAC, though mostly the problem was of my own making. Tellurium Silver Diamond USB and Chord Blu. Best DACs comparison test result [[My Subjective Opinion]] Vega DAC 6/10 As dynamic as the Weiss, but a little too edgy in sound emphasised presence made female voices a bit hard on the ear. About Chord Vs Dac Discrete Msb Dave . I have great synergy in my system and see no reason to listen to every new DAC out there. We used PCM (16/44,1 to 24/192) and DSD 64 and 128 for the comparioson. How does it compare? DAVE stands for 'Digital to Analogue Veritas in Extremis', a moniker that best reflects the product's . The Discrete Power Supply feeds the DAC with dual low-noise power streams that are linear and independent. What did you think with the Chord Dave vs Emm Labs Dac2x? You could spend less and get close to the sound of this DAC, for sure. Founded in 2010 Whats Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Of those, I've only heard the DAVE. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Ps Audio Directstream Dac Vs Auralic Vega Founded in 2004, Games for Change is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that empowers game creators and social innovators to drive real-world impact through games and immersive media Here is the list : Trinity Designs [Trinity DAC] TotalDAC [d1-Six] Aqua Acoustic Quality [Formula xHD] MSB Technology [Select DAC II Full Option . MSBs top-level DAC is 121K and there are other brands out there offering very expensive options, but the truth is that the vast majority of people will never feel the need to spend that kind of money (even if they could) to eek out that last-minute bit of detail. Check out our support page and technical specifications > Click Here, 10100007 - Discrete DAC with Supply- Gallery - 1200px, 10100007 - Discrete DAC with Supplies - Gallery - 1200px, 10100006 - Discrete DAC - Gallery - 1200px, 10100003 - Discrete DAC Badge - Gallery - 1200px, 10100005 - Discrete DAC MSB Logo - Gallery - 1200px, 10100004 - Discrete DAC Jack Panel - Gallery - 1200px, 10100008 - Discrete DAC Basemetal - Gallery - 1200px, 10100009 - Discrete Supply Options - Gallery - 1200px, 10100010 - Discrete Supply Cover - Gallery - 1200px. Given your appreciation of the Pacific Microsonics DAC, I hope you'll get a chance to hear the Berkeley in your system as well. Conversely, you could spend a lot more and not gain a great deal in real terms. IMHO an audio recommendation in a forum is just an advice on what is worth listening and the reason why we think so. fake by any means necessary jacket. The Discrete DAC we have here is the baby of the four DACs MSB produces, with the top-of-the-range Select DAC boldly proclaiming to be the worlds finest DAC. Watts is avidly not reading this in anticipation of the video version he won't watch. what Im saying is that comparing dacs also must take into account of all the interface advantages of each particular dac. If you send me a dave i will happily be your 4th friend who also owns a dave. Oppo Modwright BDP-205 full mod. There is no dark magic involved. I've yet to see a system with direct connections eliminating the preamp which wasn't improved by a adding a good preamp back into the mix! And I make Best DAC Quality Ranking list. It's embarrassing. 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. It would only sound like sales so we more might come to mind and I will add them. Would I pay extra for the second supply? The other thing I've learned about the Chord Dave is it can sound very different depending on the interconnect and/or power cord used. Our digital testing has been done over the last 20 + years MSB Discrete | The Ear Of course this DAC is super pricey and out of the reach of many (including me). Audiogon Discussion Forum To each their own, but I think Chord sounds cold and artificial. Good points by all. Congratulations on the upgrade and enjoy it in good health. You are using an out of date browser. Once you add the second discrete PS, and a module or two for it to work, the price goes over $23-24K. Any specific reason you wanna replace the Dave? This is a dealers email comment to me about comparisons he did. So take it for what it is. This one has similar sound signature to MSB Premier But it is half notch below MSB Premier on dynamics, details, soundstage. The Discrete DAC Features - MSB Technology 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. That statement makes sense in an analog paradigm. Can it output a Low or High Voltage on a single pin in a bitstream? Chord DAVE - DAC - Digital to Analog Conversion - Audiophile Style SoundLab A1Px's, ARC REF40, VTL Siegfired II, cj GAT2, cj ART, DCS Vivaldi 2.0 stack, Taiko Audio SGM Extreme, TechDas AF1+ , Graham Phamtom III, Sumiko Palo Santos, vdH Black Beauty, ARC Phono 3, Studer A80, Crystal Dreamline, Transparent Audio Ref XL digital and Ref Gen V power cables, CenterStage footers, Nordost Qkore6' s and QB8's! 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. And differences at that level can be good. One name that was thrown around by a few people I know is the Rockna Wavedream. As a matter of fact, I'd appreciate getting your impressions. You'll be shocked by how much you lose by going through a separate preamp. I'd also look at the Mola-Mola Tambaqui and the new dCS Bartok. Fair enough if you know some of the posters here and their listening preferences. CHORD ELECTRONICS DAVE | Page 934 - Head-Fi.org @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. I wired it all up and the unit lit up but I could get no sound out of it whatsoever. 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? 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. Sent from my SM-G928V using Computer Audiophile mobile app. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. Whats Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. The clock can be seen as being the heart of the DAC and once again the clocks are made in-house. In that price range, you would be mad not to add the MSB Premier DAC to your list as well. I still did not found better audio source. Subjective grading of DACs that I had heard during last one year period