British chord Chord recently released a new DAC, the product name is DAVE (Digital to Analogue Veritas in Extremis——The ultimate weapon of digital-to-analog converter), it has both the functions of digital preamp and headphone amplifier. Unlike traditional design schemes, Chord has always used FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) technology in its high-end decoder and its own development DAVE is no exception.

DAVE is made of a whole piece of aviation aluminum, including a large LCD display. It uses the iconic FPGA decoding module of the entire Chord series, with a filter circuit and an enhanced power module, which can support almost all high-definition documents including 768kHz DXD and DSD. The output methods include XLR, RCA and headphone jacks; the digital input part has USB Type-B, two sets of optical fibers and four sets of coaxial. It’s worth mentioning that DAVE is also equipped with two“Ultra-high-speed digital coaxial output”Interface, used to match“Chord products that have not yet been released in the future”. 

 Experienced audiophiles share their sense of hearing:

Small, gorgeous, calm, unbelievably simple combination, a new product from the old British CHORD chord——DAVE decoding （Digital to Analogue Veritas in Extremis Decoding the ultimate truth?）.

I have heard about DAVE from the special post on the Head-fi forum for several months. I just wanted to understand the features of the machine, but I didn''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''t expect this post to have many twists and turns. Among them, DAVE''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s designer Rob often interacts with netizens and talks about some bragging technical methods. At the end of last year, the decoding finally had a sense of hearing from various users. I did not expect that the evaluation was really exaggerated. The depth and expressiveness of the sound field were significantly better than the CD player Red Reference III, and it was often on par with the MSB Select II or DCS four-piece set. Personally, I believe in moderation. The calm simulation of the last decoded listening experience, I am already satisfied to the point that I don’t have the urge to adjust. He Nai''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s comments in this post（Gunwen）The firepower was huge, and it was accidentally poisoned again.

Let me start with a few representative remarks from the US netizen Romaz. He is a big fan of a HIEND decoder brand in France who loves to listen to live earphones on the forum. He has used various combinations of various grades and has a six-piece set. In addition, he also bought PS Audio, Bricasti and other decoders and digital broadcasts, headphone amplifiers, etc. earphone. He recently ordered a DAVE.

To answer questions from netizens, choose one of the three decoding headphone amplifier battles: Pumpkin HD, French decoding and DAVE?

So now we need a battle between the 3 pretenders for"Best DAC with a Headphone Out" :  NAGRA HD DAC, TotalDAC D1-Dual (or Mono)&  DAVE.  Who will win ? 
Rob:
That depends on how one defines best - if best is defined as transparency and musicality then Dave will win easily. I am prepared to bet a brand new Dave against a bottle of Bollinger that Dave will win.
It depends on what standard you have defined——If you value transparency and musicality, DAVE easily wins.



Another note, the balance port cannot be used to directly connect headphones because of short-circuit protection. With four BNC high-speed output ports, CHORD will launch a matching minimalist digital rear stage in the future（For high-sensitivity speakers and headphones）, It has reached the goal of eliminating the latter-level personality, and the system tone is the DAVE tone.

After the New Year, I ate the first crab in 2016, but it was the most satisfactory part of the system in three years: decoding. Switching from the traditional American tuning to the new British sound instantly, I chose the old British chords that have swept the headphone world due to the portable decoding all-in-ones Hugo and Mojo in the past two years.

The reason for switching to DAVE is not very clear. The impulse comes from YY, and the yearning lies in the potential: this is a decoding integrated machine that claims to be immune to the turntable Jitter and comes with an anti-traditional headphone amplifier.

It has been more than two weeks since the sound was turned on, and it has been warming up almost 24 hours a day. During the day, I can only see the stitches when listening to music. Fortunately, its earphone port allows you to relive the fun of earphones in the dead of night.

This decoded architecture is invisible to the naked eye, that is, there is no“Stockpile”. Its principle can be described as simple or complex. Everything depends on the FPGA algorithm with more than ten times the performance of Hugo. There is no high-density DAC chip inside, and there is no low-speed r2r architecture. Because the architecture is extremely simple, even the display control and fonts are integrated in the same FPGA, which reduces the interference and distortion generated by the circuit itself, and these are the bottlenecks that Chord believes to really hinder decoding to achieve Hi-end. Finally DAVE achieves the smallest distortion and lowest noise in decoding（Based on the original image of Head-fi DAVE designer, I am a layman, please judge by yourself）.

Timing

What really attracted my interest was Timing, which was repeatedly emphasized by the first batch of users of DAVE, which I personally understood as a sense of rhythm similar to that emphasized by British Ming. And I love the expressive power of high-end tea cd players, full of tenacious sense of presence. Listening for these two weeks, DAVE''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s dynamic, depth, and transparency really left a deep impression on me. My previous decoding was called an analogous digital source by Lao Shao. It was calm, restrained, and naturally revealing. But DAVE''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s voice is not pristine. It is more lively, sleek, gentle and transparent, and it has reached a higher level in terms of sound field integrity, density, and dynamics. Really“Digital taste”The extreme, can also be described as simulation. It is difficult to sum up the tone of DAVE in one word. It is like a digital photo. The dizzying sense of color and enthusiasm makes people too late to think.

Amp is nice

DAVE is compared with many amps in the Head-fi discussion area, highly transparent and natural. And many headphones that are perfectly matched are HE-1000, Abyss and Hd800. It is said that starting from Hugo, Chord has opened up a new path whether it is tuning or architecture, and this headphone port is also an alternative decoding single-ended line pass-through, not an additional independent amp module, and it also opposes changing the balance. , In Head-fi, is called mysteriously the path to music.
I don’t burn the earphones that much, and the earphone jack of DAVE didn’t let my chin drop. Probably no amp would do this. It can promote T1 very well and can make the sound field of my old 650 more vivid and three-dimensional, which is a natural style full of music. If you taste it carefully, you will find that it is indeed very smooth and transparent, but everything will not be overemphasized, and will not pull 650 into 800. I think it must be fun to pack DAVE into a backpack and listen to the right earphone combination all over the world.

Digital preamp is really feasible

Digital preamp is a long-term dream, but the reality is so cold. The previous decoding, from the designer to the user, has told you that there is no shortcoming in the direct push and how much the algorithm compensates. But with my own practice and comparison, the micro-dynamics and sound field of the digital preamp is so fragile compared to the real good preamp. It needs to be carefully combined. If you are not careful, you will be muddled and cold. The back end of my home is a combination of manufacturers. The ATC SCA-2 front stage is matched with the new ATC tweeter 50ASLT. This is the choice after comparing EAR and other front stages, which is more suitable for my preferences and environment. The decoding level is high, the front stage gain is large, and the decoding and speakers can attenuate the input level. The strange thing is that it is the default value, which is full and nice, so the front stage seldom can open past 9 o''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''clock. Other combinations, or the use of decoders directly connected to the speakers, have a difference in grades.

Before DAVE got it, I read a lot of comments and said Rob（DAVE designer）How amazing the black technology algorithm is, Rob even said to himself that Chord''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s 5,000-pound preamp can be directly won, and the transparency cannot be compared with the built-in tone of DAVE. I also asked other ATC users and said that after using DAVE, it is really difficult for Mark''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s front-end to find out the advantages and so on. However, I don’t believe it from the previous experience. It''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s a fluke, that is, it has a headphone port. The top earphones are so sensitive, the loss caused by the lack of tone should not fool the ears.

I was disappointed when I connected directly to the ATC speakers for the first time. The sound was thick and dense, but the fluency and layering were lost. But I gradually discovered that many of the previous peripheral accessories tended to be too strong and powerful. To make up for the room acoustics or personal preference, it is a bit redundant now. The direct push attempts have been twists and turns, and the final conclusion is available. Compared with the previous ATC, each has its own advantages. The preamp can widen the sound field, and the crispness of the low frequency is still superior. Freshness, transparency, and depth are the strengths of direct push. I still have not made a decision to sell the preamp. After all, the preamp has more interface functions and vocal and replay, but the DAVE small lunch box directly pushes a pair of big speakers. Such a contradictory modern combination makes me eager to try it. Surprise joy.

Dream back to DSD digital stream

The new generation of decoded built-in USB interface is getting better and better, and it comes with electrical isolation. It is a waste of PC-HIFI not to play. Rob also claims that USB is the input of DAVE, followed by optical fiber, and then BNC and AES. Anything can be solved, but external electrical interference cannot be eliminated by algorithms.

After SACD was cracked, thousands of popular DSD music, DSD support became a must-have hot spot for decoding in previous years. I was also one of the fans and bought DSD exclusive products from EMM. However, calm down and find that the real good sound does not lie in the format. After changing to the last American codec, Red book cd’s 16bit 44.1kHz track grabbing can also move people, but its DSD playback sound is delicate and soft, which does not suit my taste. Gradually, many DSD music scabbards are put into the library and sleep. In the NAS warehouse disk, it is not opened every few months.

DAVE supports 4 times the DSD specification, DOP or Native DSD can be automatically recognized. But the really interesting setting is that it has independently made a set of algorithms for DSD playback to use up the advantages of FPGA. Users can select the DSD enhanced mode in the menu, the decoding will restart in one second, and then the bandwidth and HD advantages will be fully displayed. . However, even in the default mode, DAVE can also support DSD, using a decoding algorithm similar to Hugo.