[evillamer]

Quote:

The specs i know for now:


Chord Electronics DAVE:


-Price: 80000£


-Digital integrated Pre-Amp


-Digital Head AMP


-Remote controlled ( i hope )


-WTA filtering with a new world record at 164.000 taps

(Hugo got a rating on 26000 taps)


-DSD 768


-Balanced XLR


-Two Toslink


- Four Coax S-Pdif


- Two high speed COAX outputs for future use.


- Worlds best DAC and are capable of outpreforme the best analog according to Chord.

they will say this to get your money but be careful. Outperform the best analog?

Are they hinting at the MSB analog?

 

[Beolab]

The specs i know for now:

Chord Electronics DAVE =
Digital to Analogue Veritas in Extremis

-Price: 7995£

-Digital integrated Pre-Amp

-Digital Head AMP: 6V / 0,5A = 1200mW @ 33Ohms 0,000015% distortion

-Remote controlled

-WTA filtering with a new world record at 164.000 taps with 166 separate DSP cores
(Hugo got a rating on 26000 taps)

-DSD 768

-Balanced XLR

-Two Toslink

- Four Coax S-Pdif

- Two high speed COAX outputs for future use.

- Worlds best DAC and are capable of outpreforme the best analog according to Chord.

- Isolated USB and can not be powerd trough a Iphone/Ipad , because it need power.
Maybe someone can create a battery powered USB cable?

- Delivery in october

Specification:

Inputs:
USB B-style 44 kHz to 768 kHz
DXD and Quad DSD
2x optical 44kHz to 192kHz
1 x AES 44kHz to 192kHz
4 x Coax 44kHz to 384kHz
Dual-data mode available
Outputs digital:
2x ultra-high-speed coax 768kHz dual-data mode (for use with future-unannounced
Chord Electronics products)
Maximum output voltage: 6 volts RMS
THD and noise at 2.5 volts: RMS 0.000015 %
THD and noise at 2.5 volts: 127dBA Awt (124dBA into 33 ohms)
Dynamic range at -60 dBFS 1kHz -127 dBA A wt
(No measurable noise floor modulation, no a harmonic distortion)
(Analogue distortion characteristic: no distortion for small signals)
Power requirements: mains power 80 volts to 260 volts; AC 20 watts

 

[analogmusic]

Anyway guys I just want one and can't afford it...
 
I am sure it is absolutely out of this world.

 

[Cagin]

edit the price ^^ 7999 pounds, not 80 000 Don't you go giving A&K ideas now

 

[LFC_SL]

Just wondering if anyone has any info on the specs of this DAC? Or. if there will be a DAC only version. 

See posts in Hugo thread. Also some real-life photos from Munich shoe on that thread

Meet  DAVE - Chord's new DAC:
DAVE (Digital to Analogue Veritas in Extremis) 




The World's best DAC apparently!

It goes on sale this autumn for £7995.
It features a high-grade filter with enhanced processing powers and full high-res audio support, including DSD and DXD files up to 768kHz. 
Outputs include XLR and standard RCA connectors, plus an advanced headphone output. Inputs include USB Type-B, two optical and four coaxial digital sockets.

The case features a full-sized LCD display and "rotary encoder' with a large stainless steel controller.

[COLOR=000000]CHORD ELECTRONICS INTRODUCES THEMOST ADVANCED DAC IN THE WORLD: DAVE[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Chord Electronics has launched its most advanced DAC to date. Given the acronym DAVE, Chord’s latest-generation digital-to-analogue convertor features the very best conversion technology available, using proprietary techniques never seen before.

DAVE is a highly advanced reference-grade DAC, digital preamp and headphone amplifier. Hand-made in Kent, DAVE is based around a proprietary FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) offering more than ten times the program capacity of its predecessor.

At its heart lies a new (and in electronics terms, huge) LX75 version of the Spartan 6 Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The FPGA’s extraordinary capability enables a number of key sonic benefits including significantly improved timing and the best noise-shaper performance of any known DAC. DAVE’s technology delivers music with unmatched reality and musicality, with an unrivalled timing response.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=000000]Technology in depth: new WTA filter[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Chord Electronics has implemented a brand new WTA (Watts Transient Aligned) filter with 164,000 taps. WTA filtering is now up to 256 FS (that's 256-times the sample frequency) — no other DAC has ever FIR filtered at such a high rate! In order to process signals at this unprecedented rate, DAVE has massive parallel-processing capacity with 166 separate DSP cores just for the WTA filtering alone. This enables DAVE to reproduce the original unsampled analogue signal more accurately than any other DAC.

The output stage has been advanced with a new 20-element Pulse Array DAC and a unique second-order analogue noise-shaper, which gives ultra-high-frequency linearity. Its output feeds both balanced XLR and single-ended RCA outputs, as well as an advanced headphone output with more than enough capability for the most impedance-challenging headphones.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=000000]Display[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]A key benefit over its predecessor is a full-sized LCD display, showing input, sample frequency and volume, plus set-up and configuration options. The display, which sits behind the famous Chord porthole, is clearly visible from a variety of angles and retains the signature colour display for volume and sample rate as introduced by the landmark Hugo DAC/headphone amp. On its fascia, DAVE also features a rotary encoder with a large stainless steel controller and ball buttons, enabling direct interactivity in addition to the supplied remote control.

DAVE’s advanced technology is enshrined in Chord Electronics’ trademark casework which has been precision-milled from solid aircraft-grade aluminium to deliver functional strength and rigidity, as well as great beauty. Simply stated, DAVE is the most advanced DAC in the world, something Chord Electronics is immensely proud of.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=000000]Why DAVE?[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Chord has given its most advanced DAC to date a moniker that best reflects the product’s capability; a device so advanced and with so few compromises, that it is absolutely truthful in the extreme; a standard that all other DACs on the market simply cannot hope to match.

Chord initially looked at using Latinised versions of the term ‘Extreme Truth’ or ‘Veritas’ in a move away from model names with simple numbers and letters. Chord eventually chose the acronym DAVE which joins Hugo and stands for Digital to Analogue Veritas in Extremis.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=000000]Specification[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Inputs:

USB B-style 44 kHz to 768 kHz DXD and Quad DSD

2x optical

1 x AES

4 x Coax

Dual-data mode available

44kHz to 192kHz 44kHz to 192kHz

44kHz to 384kHz

Outputs digital:

2x ultra-high-speed coax 768kHz dual-data mode (for use with future-unannounced Chord Electronics products)

Maximum output voltage: 6 volts RMS

THD and noise at 2.5 volts: RMS 0.000015 %

THD and noise at 2.5 volts: 127dBA Awt (124dBA into 33 ohms) Dynamic range at -60 dBFS 1kHz -127 dBA A wt

(No measurable noise floor modulation, no a harmonic distortion) (Analogue distortion characteristic: no distortion for small signals) Power requirements: mains power 80 volts to 260 volts; AC 20 watts[/COLOR]

[COLOR=000000]Price/images[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]DAVE will be available in the autumn priced at £7,995.[/COLOR]

I would love to be able to do it but its impossible - the FPGA in Dave is enormous and expensive. It dissipates 5W against Hugo's 0.8W - Chord have machined a heat-sink that holds the display and dissipates the FPGA power. To get all those taps I use all of the available capacity within this FPGA - it has 166 DSP cores running in parallel just to do the WTA filtering - in fact its amazing in that it only dissipates 5W.

Rob  

 

[magiccabbage]

wow ,,,, thanks for sharing

 

[flipper2gv]

Almost looks like a trophy. Yep, trophy DAC, cheaper than trophy wives.

 
IG? Dota 2? On Head-Fi?

 

[Beolab]

Any first impessions from Munich ???

What if Intel started to make FPGA chipset, then we would have 1000.000 taps in 3 years from now, and the sample rate become obsolete according to scientists, because it is 1:1 with real life studio recordings.

So we are in the biginning to somting big here!

But DAVE have the world record for a couple of years to come!

Take a look at this intervju with Rob Watts & John Franks


http://youtu.be/10k_yMHCncY

 

[evillamer]

rob watts should use 4 x Nvidia Titan X GPU, that way he can do a billion taps.

 

[OK-Guy]

   
 
a couple more photo's of Dave...
 

 
Here is a twenty year progression of Chord DAC's - Dac 64 = 1024 tap filter (top) - QBD 76 = 18,000 taps (middle) & Dave =164,000 taps (foreground).
 

 
I think real world photos like the ones above rather than these mocked up photo-shopped looking stock photos Chord show on release give a more realistic visual feel to how you would see it in the flesh as even in low light shots like above it looks a lot better than the stock pictures portrayed it to be. Like the line up with it's predecessors.

 
sorry I'm late but yes . I'm thinking it's very good idea to use hugo for gaming and watching movies . since I can't use in my work so I think it's good idea to use with my Tv so I bought a new Definitive Technology W Studio Multi Room  sound bar with Wireless Subwoofer , still couldn't find way to pair it with hugo .

Not sure how many do use their Hugo for films/tv programs which would be interesting to know but can vouch it add's another dimension to the Hugo with just not music but films/tv series can be good to listen to with Hugo and again use the Hugo with headphones for films/tv with the laptop can be quite addictive also.  Not familiar with soundbar's though unfortunately, sorry! 
 

  It isn't a very impressive looking machine so how does it sound? And more importantly can it justify the price?
I'll wait for a review.

beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess, after all it primarily even at this price still has to be the sound first, if this sounded the best thing ever and looked like dusty bin, sputnik or even Sloth (from Goonies)  which has been from previous experience of Head-fi & Hi-Fi products looking like they missed the design stage it is still the SQ that is paramount but I think it is just in keeping with the evolution with Chord's natural design philosophy and they are never going to be a normal 44 x 33cm bland box Hi-Fi manufacturer. I must admit if I was been picky I maybe would not quite had so many drill holes along the top wavy part of the design although from photos not sure if they act as a actual vent system or maybe so many bolt holes to the display window personally (makes it maybe a bit to submarine look) but if it was not like this it would not be Chord and can only sit and admire the look of this on the whole.  Maybe the docking rack it sits in is not quite matching in terms of finish but again the stock issued pictures probably don't do it as much justice as a real life photo which I'm sure will be plenty coming soon enough. 
 
Like all things we should all wait of the reviews but if i'm still loving the sound of my Hugo I hate to think how this could potentially sound looking at the incremental tap rates on paper. 
 
Does anything justify the price?, I know Jaffa cakes do at the monent, 2 for 1 offer at a well known supermarket in every town ; )
 

  Very important Question To John and Rob : can you upgrade Hugo with same 164K taps you do with Dave , I'm sure you can do it . Hugo II with 164 k taps .

All in good time, have to remember this is a British Hi-Fi company and not a Korean or Japanese tech company that knocks out a new model every six months to a year like clock work although I hope and wish they (Chord) will/would!  
 
Yes, a Hugo on the move country to country with 164K taps to hand...
 
 Next stop realistically would be a double the current Hugo tap rate or should I say the tap rate will be drip feed up with each model revision... I still be in for a Hugo with double the tap rate if and when it would be available : ) 
 
Doesn't hurt to dream the dream though! 

 

[OK-Guy]

 
Does anything justify the price?, I know Jaffa cakes do at the monent, 2 for 1 offer at a well known supermarket in every town ; )

 
Copied over from Hugo thread to save on clogging.
 
ps... any chance of a Jaffa Cake reveal ?...

 

[FortisFlyer75]

It's a stock picture so will not look as delicious as if I took a real photo of them in a real world environment! 
 

 
These also help keep the Dave crave away! 

 

[Cagin]

Disclaimer: I know nothing of Chord, or of their products.
Looking at that photo about the 20 years of progression. I find it quite respectable that they have kept the flavour of the visual design throughout all those years. It shares a certain Doctor Who flavour, which also safekept a certain esthetic despite being the longest running Sci-Fi TV show.

 

[OK-Guy]

  It's a stock picture so will not look as delicious as if I took a real photo of them in a real world environment! 
 

 
These also help keep the Dave crave away! 

 
sod the photo, which supermarket I wants a 2for1...

 

[FortisFlyer75]

   
sod the photo, which supermarket I wants a 2for1...

Offer finished at midnight