Digital Processor Reviews

Chord Electronics DAVE D/A processor Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Digital Sources: Aurender N10 music server; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; Meridian Ultra DAC; PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream D/A converter with Bridge II network adapter; AudioQuest JitterBug, UpTone Audio ReGen USB cleaner-uppers; Mac mini running Pure Music 3, Audirvana, Tidal HiFi, Vinyl Studio apps; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 USB A/D converter.
Power Amplifiers: MBL Corona C15, Pass Labs XA60.5 (both monoblocks).
Loudspeakers: Aerial Acoustics 5T, Bowers & Wilkins 805 D3, Dynaudio Contour 20, Rockport Technologies Avior II.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Coffee. USB: Canare AES/EBU. Interconnect (balanced): AudioQuest Wild Blue, Cardas Clear, Transparent Reference (with Rockports only). Speaker: Kubala-Sosna Elation!, Transparent Reference (with Rockports only). AC: Kubala-Sosna Elation!, manufacturers' own.
Accessories: Target TT-5 equipment racks; Ayre Acoustics Myrtle Blocks; ASC Tube Traps, RPG Abffusor panels; Shunyata Research Dark Field cable elevators; Audio Power Industries 116 Mk.II & PE-1 AC line conditioners (hard drive, computers). AC power comes from two dedicated 20A circuits, each just 6' from breaker box.—John Atkinson

COMPANY INFO
Chord Electronics Ltd.
US distributor: Bluebird Music Ltd.
275 Woodward Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14217
(416) 638-8207
www.bluebirdmusic.com
ARTICLE CONTENTS

COMMENTS
Anton's picture
Submitted by Anton on May 18, 2017 - 11:26am

Any comment on how it performs as a PS4 controller?

tonykaz's picture
Submitted by tonykaz on May 18, 2017 - 9:06pm

What will come of these DAC designs as MQA gains even more Gravity?

Already we have respected folks like Hans Beekhuyzen, JA and Mastering Engineers ( like Bob Ludwig ) explaining the Future Benefits.

Mr. Ludwig says that MQA removes Pre-Ringing, whew, that alone makes it worthwhile, doesn't it?

Perhaps ( reluctantly ) we say 'by-by' to Multi-bit, R2R, FGPA and any another design not adaptable. ( Schiit YGGY obsolete?, certainly! )

It feels like Digital was refined, than more refined, then refined yet again. phew.

There are only a few 'remnant' that still cling to vinyl as their primary music storage system, it just seems so awkward and cumbersome. Why would a new music lover want Vinyl expense and square footage demands?, especially since MQA Dac prices start at $200!

Right now, today, I'm figuring that everyone in the Audio Business wants to be Bob Stuart.

Tony in Michigan

Archimago's picture
Submitted by Archimago on May 19, 2017 - 10:15am

Hey Tony... I trust that was said with tongue firmly superglued to cheek :-).

I'm not sure if most want to be Mr. Stuart. I'm sure the company must have spent a pretty penny on MQA marketing over the years just from the business perspective.

tonykaz's picture
Submitted by tonykaz on May 19, 2017 - 12:44pm

There is a Team of Software Developers behind all this, Stuart is their Managing Director who's flying around the World selling the Project.

It seems like everyone is getting On-Board.

Betcha it's exciting to be a part it.

Right now, everywhere there's an Audio Group gathering, Stuart is their No.1 choice for Keynote Speaker. Sort-of like he's the Steve Jobs of Audio.

Tony in Michigan

ps. this is my estimation, I've always like Meridian designs, I've been one of their dealers.

Anton's picture
Submitted by Anton on May 19, 2017 - 10:48am

I use MQA for streaming, it's fine.

I don't get the evangelical response it has received in certain corners. It's like someone told a tale of finding some golden ears in a secret place hidden by an audio angel and created the "Book of MQA" and the cult took off from there.

tonykaz's picture
Submitted by tonykaz on May 19, 2017 - 12:59pm

Wonderful analogy, wish I'd of thought of it.

But

Meridian has always been an Engineering Company ( like 3M Corp. ), they've been at the forefront of Digital advancement. I've know these guys since the early 1980s, they're a no-bullshi... type group.

I don't think that I 'believe' in Meridian or MQA but rather I trust Meridian and MQA. The down-side being that they are upper-middle class. Still, a person can access MQA with a $200 Explorer2, $300 for an Audioquest Dragonfly RED or go full desktop with a Mytek for $2,000. ( we can't and won't be able to get a Schiit Bifrost MQA, too bad, I'm a Schiit fanboy )

I don't expect greatness from MQA, just advancement.

I hope we're not boxing ourselves into another corner.

Tony in Michigan

Anton's picture
Submitted by Anton on May 19, 2017 - 1:16pm

This ----> "I hope we're not boxing ourselves into another corner."

tonykaz's picture
Submitted by tonykaz on May 19, 2017 - 1:56pm

Ortofon sent their Man to Analog Planet Headquarters to show their New & Improved $4,000 Phono Cartridge, the video is now on YouTube. Please notice the vastness of the Vinyl Record Collection used as the Backdrop, it's gigantic ! Vinyl guys are boxed into storage of Vinyl and the Fragile nature of the Gear needed for playback, not to mention the total lack of portability & incredible expense.

CD is copyable so it's profit possibility for Artists is less ( perhaps considerably less )

MQA/Tidal is Global in nature, as the World adopts Streaming, new issues will manifest themselves. Will this become another limiting factor?

My hope is to have access to all the recorded music that's out there, on a rental basis. I don't want to rely on my own digital storage & hard copy storage systems.

If I dump my vast CD collection and abandon my hard drive storage systems to rely on Tidal's rental collection will I be boxed in and risk Tidal going out of business? ( and ever increasing Monthly usage charges ).

Seems like there's always something to be worried about, like getting the Big C.

Tony in Michigan

hollowman's picture
Submitted by hollowman on May 19, 2017 - 9:16pm

Chord's view -- "going for broke" on no. of taps to use in their devices -- is interesting.
Only a few weeks ago, Stereophile had a YouTube video interview with heads of mbl (German company). I think they said tap qty was more of an art and science -- a Goldilocks approach. If you go too high (as far as mbl was concerned) you can start harming the sound.

Staxguy's picture
Submitted by Staxguy on May 21, 2017 - 3:14pm

Any chance Chord Electronics will be so kind as to send you their Blue 2 CD to add to the equation?

ultrabike's picture
Submitted by ultrabike on May 25, 2017 - 3:35pm

This may be an oversight or my lack of understanding. But if you notice, the -90 dBFS 16-bit tone plot has a 1.5 mV peak-to-peak range. This seems unusually high relative to other plots I've seen here.

That seems to imply that 0 dBFS is about 33.5 Vrms or so. Doesn't this DAC clip at 12.35 Vrms? (assuming 8.75V is rms and "+3dB" mode is therefore 12.35 Vrms)

Wouldn't that create the illusion of more effective number of bits because the 0 dBFS signal power is much higher, relative to noise floor, than when referenced to a perhaps more standard 2.0 or 4.0 Vrms? I say illusion because of clipping, and because not many downstream equipment (for example, an amplifier) may accept a 33.5 Vrms range with out any issues.

By similar arguments, wouldn't a 1.5 mV peak-to-peak -90 dBFS plot seem visually less noisy when compared to a say 0.2 mV peak-to-peak -90 dBFS plot?

John Atkinson's picture
Submitted by John Atkinson on May 26, 2017 - 8:10am
ultrabike wrote:
This may be an oversight or my lack of understanding. But if you notice, the -90 dBFS 16-bit tone plot has a 1.5 mV peak-to-peak range. This seems unusually high relative to other plots I've seen here.

Yes it is. I set the Chord's volume control to its maximum for this test, even though that would have resulted in clipping with a full-scale signal, because I couldn't replicate the manufacturer's own measurement at lower levels.

ultrabike wrote:
Wouldn't that create the illusion of more effective number of bits because the 0 dBFS signal power is much higher, relative to noise floor, than when referenced to a perhaps more standard 2.0 or 4.0 Vrms?

With this test I was more concerned with looking at waveform symmetry with the undithered data.

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

rhgg2's picture
Submitted by rhgg2 on May 27, 2017 - 8:22am

I am slightly confused. On the one hand you say:

Quote:

With this test I was more concerned with looking at waveform symmetry with the undithered data.

i.e., the fact that I boosted the volume to impracticable levels is not relevant to the test results. On the other hand you say:

Quote:

I set the Chord's volume control to its maximum for this test, even though that would have resulted in clipping with a full-scale signal, because I couldn't replicate the manufacturer's own measurement at lower levels.

i.e., the fact that I boosted the volume to impracticable levels is critical to the test results, as it is only by so doing that I can avoid the conclusion that the manufacturer's claims are spurious. I am reminded of a well known expression involving the eating of cake.

Could I suggest that you provide the results at a standardised level that does not clip the full scale output, so as to allow a fair comparison with other products you have objectively tested?

Maxx134's picture
Submitted by Maxx134 on May 31, 2017 - 7:43am

For the yggydrasil review, you measured similar test waveform of undithered 1kHz sinewave...
yet at 24-bit data, and at extremely small levels of 200uV peak to peak!.
Then with Dave you change your test parameters because you cant get a good "manufacturer" result???!

This leads to pics that are thus misleading for the Dave, in comparison to all other Dacs reviews.

I rather to see a uniformity in your testing to be able to get a true comparison to other dacs, especially the yggydrasil.

As it stands member "ultrabike" sheds light to this discrepancy in measuring uniformity.

Therefore I would like to know, if you cannot achieve the performance the manufacturer states for the Dave,
What were your initial findings before you decided to "juiced up" the settings?

I already heard the Dave personally and have commented positive about it, so not knocking it, but, in fairness..
Curious members want to know.

arashid026's picture
Submitted by arashid026 on July 7, 2017 - 8:00am

I've read all the reviews of the new Chord DACs, and for some reason I feel the team at stereophile doesn't bring up the key reason of the TAPs and the USP of Chord. These DACS all have the fluidity and gentleness of true analog, but this is never mentioned. If you check the review of even the QBD76 on what hi-fi they did identify this very desirable quality. When I play Metallica on Vinyl, and then hear them on my Chord Dave and Chord Mojo, well these do play them with all the energy, and tunefulness (without sounding Harsh) of the Vinyl. Have a lot of respect for JA and the team at stereophile, but would be nice to get Dave reviewed by Fremer and see if it passes his "analog ears" test. (I'm pretty confident he will be pleased)

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