Depending on the recording, I generally prefer the HF Filter (ON) with the DAVE. With the Blu Mk II, the setting is (OFF). Also I do not use cross feeds ever and it is a personal preference.
CHORD ELECTRONICS DAVE
- Thread starter magiccabbage
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Please update with honest feedback. Curious myself.
Triode User
Member of the Trade: WAVE High Fidelity
Will do, I have also been loaned a Sablon 2020 by a generous Head-Fi member. . . . . .
i do. I’ve found that without headphones (using speakers) there is a natural crossfeed between the left and right channels (each ear can hear both speakers). When listening to headphones, with CF0 it feels a bit unnatural to me. Ideal CF seems to vary from recording to recording, so I fiddle until I find the setting that feels most natural.
the exception for me is when I’m listening to binaural recordings on headphones. Then I want CF set to zero (the crossfeed is naturally there in the recording process)
these days I use my DAVE exclusively for 2 channel and my TT2 exclusively for headphones, so I’m not switching CF like I used to
as always, CF should be set to whatever sounds best and most natural for the recordings you listen to.
ZappaMan
Headphoneus Supremus
what headphones are you using Ray?
T
These days I have Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC's and Sennheiser HD800 (with SR mod) Both are pretty expansive and "speaker like", so dialing in crossfeed is pretty satisfying (I'm primarily a two channel speaker listener still, but having everyone stuck in the house together is "encouraging" more headphone use
These days I have Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC's and Sennheiser HD800 (with SR mod) Both are pretty expansive and "speaker like", so dialing in crossfeed is pretty satisfying (I'm primarily a two channel speaker listener still, but having everyone stuck in the house together is "encouraging" more headphone use
Hi @ray-dude
Apologies for bugging you with this speaker question, but you are in a unique position in this hobby. Outside this Head-Fi simulation world, I doubt I would be able to find any answers. Too much foot traffic on other threads so will ask here since it could apply to DAVE, TT2 or H2.
Recently, I re-purchased a Mojo. To my surprise I was able to get it completely neutral and uncoloured. No warmness at all. I label it "Hugo1.5" because it's more a Hugo1 sig than a Mojo sig. I run a i2S source and a glass optical cable, so no USB or headphone manufacturer adding it's own flavour in the mix. Just super neutral, transparent and studio reference ready. This has me considering that my Hugo2 transportable maybe expendable, so looking into upstream Chord and speakers. The below poster which probably had around half a mill in audio/headphone gear still craves for these same CIEMs to this day, so I think I can be content with my portable setup and move on to something else. These are the only neutral done right CIEMs ever produced (Jerry Harvey tuned in his prime). This makes the Hugo2 a luxury because a TT2 w/ speakers may make more sense since my Hugo2 transportable rig overall is close in cost to a standalone TT2 and the Mojo fulfills the CIEM duties neutrally.
So here's the speaker question. I want max resolution and max transparency, but I don't want to go the Voxativ or Omega route. I think I can get something close with a 2-way as long as the crossover points don't overlap too much. I don't want a passive crossover in the mix since I'm driving direct. No point in going down this rabbit hole if I can't get max res max transparency. I want to run active. The below photo speaker specs are 8ohm, 91db for the mid-woofer and 8ohm, 92db for the beryllium tweeter. These are modern speakers with high sensitivity and extremely fast response to transients which should pair well with Chord DACs. I think the H2 maybe able to run these to some extent.
Questions?:
Apologies for bugging you with this speaker question, but you are in a unique position in this hobby. Outside this Head-Fi simulation world, I doubt I would be able to find any answers. Too much foot traffic on other threads so will ask here since it could apply to DAVE, TT2 or H2.
Recently, I re-purchased a Mojo. To my surprise I was able to get it completely neutral and uncoloured. No warmness at all. I label it "Hugo1.5" because it's more a Hugo1 sig than a Mojo sig. I run a i2S source and a glass optical cable, so no USB or headphone manufacturer adding it's own flavour in the mix. Just super neutral, transparent and studio reference ready. This has me considering that my Hugo2 transportable maybe expendable, so looking into upstream Chord and speakers. The below poster which probably had around half a mill in audio/headphone gear still craves for these same CIEMs to this day, so I think I can be content with my portable setup and move on to something else. These are the only neutral done right CIEMs ever produced (Jerry Harvey tuned in his prime). This makes the Hugo2 a luxury because a TT2 w/ speakers may make more sense since my Hugo2 transportable rig overall is close in cost to a standalone TT2 and the Mojo fulfills the CIEM duties neutrally.
So here's the speaker question. I want max resolution and max transparency, but I don't want to go the Voxativ or Omega route. I think I can get something close with a 2-way as long as the crossover points don't overlap too much. I don't want a passive crossover in the mix since I'm driving direct. No point in going down this rabbit hole if I can't get max res max transparency. I want to run active. The below photo speaker specs are 8ohm, 91db for the mid-woofer and 8ohm, 92db for the beryllium tweeter. These are modern speakers with high sensitivity and extremely fast response to transients which should pair well with Chord DACs. I think the H2 maybe able to run these to some extent.
Questions?:
- Basically, I can just use RCA -> tweeter and 6.3mm -> midwoofer? I'm not sure if XLR will be too overpowering.
- Do you see any issues with running a 2-way without the passive crossover? Chord is unique in that the traditional methods don't apply, so I think I can get away with this method crossover-less. The midwoofer plays high enough and the tweeter plays low enough so it covers the whole freq range.
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If you can get a natural cross over to work (ie, no cross over at all) then the transparency question comes down to how well matched the drivers are to each other. You will also be splitting the limited H2 power between the two (TT2 obviously would have no problem). The natural cross over point between these drivers I suspect may be in a sensitive range of the audio spectrum. You will hear the overlap region, and any differences in teh drivers. As always, give it a listen! Your ears will quickly tell you whether the transparency benefit you're hearing makes up for any tonal balance issues you may have (alas, there is always a tradeoff between those two).
In terms of value to the dollar, I still think Omega Super Alnico Monitors ($1500ish used) + a Voxativ Zeth bass unit (harder to find used, but they are out there) driven direct is remarkable value. SAMs cover everything above 40-45Hz or so, and the Zeth bass units basically turn them into full range speakers (the bass is ultra fast, and it has its own amp). You lose some transparency on the low end (amp + low pass filter in the Zeth unit) but the speed and precision of the Zeth is so off the charts that you really get a very different experience of bass from most anything you've heard out there.
Very much a full range speaker experience, but driven direct from H2/DAVE/TT2.
Even here, you have some tonal balance issues with the SAMs, but the transparency and sense of coherence is intoxicating (at least for me...others I know have different priorities and sensitivities/preferences).
(And yes, to this day I still miss my Mojo...what a remarkable box! Heres hoping for a Mojo2, and here's hoping even more for a Rob-blessed digital eq so we can all get past these tonal balance issues and eat our transparency cake and have tonal balance too)
In terms of value to the dollar, I still think Omega Super Alnico Monitors ($1500ish used) + a Voxativ Zeth bass unit (harder to find used, but they are out there) driven direct is remarkable value. SAMs cover everything above 40-45Hz or so, and the Zeth bass units basically turn them into full range speakers (the bass is ultra fast, and it has its own amp). You lose some transparency on the low end (amp + low pass filter in the Zeth unit) but the speed and precision of the Zeth is so off the charts that you really get a very different experience of bass from most anything you've heard out there.
Very much a full range speaker experience, but driven direct from H2/DAVE/TT2.
Even here, you have some tonal balance issues with the SAMs, but the transparency and sense of coherence is intoxicating (at least for me...others I know have different priorities and sensitivities/preferences).
(And yes, to this day I still miss my Mojo...what a remarkable box! Heres hoping for a Mojo2, and here's hoping even more for a Rob-blessed digital eq so we can all get past these tonal balance issues and eat our transparency cake and have tonal balance too)
Yes, that's another thing. Once the Mojo2 is released, it will make the H2 even more expendable.
I should of stated my plan. I was considering these for car audio since I'm not a stationary listener. You know how Los Angelinos luv their car audio. 2 8" in kick panels near the feet and tweeters above the dash. I can go H2 with car amplifier built-in crossover points, but good car amps run around $1800. I figured TT2 would be the better buy, but your points have me reconsidering. Car amps is easy since you just input RCA and set xover points to not overlap.
So I'll try with the H2 direct. If the balance is off, I'll add car amps. If it's solid, maybe upgrade to TT2.
I'm trying to run something like this, but with the 8" in the bottom left and right corners. The TT2 should provide more than enough power:
Also, maybe I'll check if Louis sells DIY drivers without cabinets.
As long as it's possible, I'll take it from there...
Cheers
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Were you thinking of me there?
Ha! Missing these discussions my friend. Hope all is well on your side of the pond, and that you and yours and healthy are happy (you guys get to drink beer and whiskey to manage the virus, we alas have to drink bleach)
There was actually a Voxativ event in the UK earlier this year that I forgot to post since I was focused on portable....
Still can't believe ray-dude has the same speaks as the Hoff:
Still can't believe ray-dude has the same speaks as the Hoff:
JaZZ
Headphoneus Supremus
The tweeter can't be fed with low frequencies, so it would need either a passive high-pass filter (at least a capacitor) or to be accessed via actively high-pass filtered signals.
It's not so clear if the lack of low-pass filtering for the woofer will result in higher transparency, as this approach could just as well lead to reduced transparency due to break-up and resonant tendencies of the heavy paper (?) membrane at higher frequencies. Moreover the narrowing dispersion angle of the high-frequency radiation could lead to sonic irritations if there are high enough sound pressure levels left there (which would interfere with the tweeter!).
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Triode User
Member of the Trade: WAVE High Fidelity
Yeah, me too missing our friendly jousting. Speaking of which, I am feeling sorry that you are not enjoying a DC4 driven Dave.
Do you drink vintage bleach or make do with blended? I found a bottle of 26 year old Rioja at the back of the wine rack to celebrate the end of full lockdown. It had kept very well and was a real treat.
Cheers. I was considering adding a capacitor only if really needed:
https://www.parts-express.com/cat/c...MIr9zKlZ--6QIVWB6tBh3QPwpzEAAYASAAEgKiafD_BwE
I think it's much safer to just get a Voxativ (10ohm, 100db) in the kick panel as things can get quite messy freq-wise. I should be able to drive at a decent volume w/ the H2 according to dmance.
I can get a super tweeter above the dash to raise the stage if needed. This would turn out a more simple non-messy, affordable solution as you would not need the TT2 power but you still have max rez and transparency out of a Chord DAC. This would make the H2 re-purposeful and not expendable.
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