Chord Dave

I’m just trying to say what I always say, no absolutes in Audio, only preferences. Someone highly encouraged me to listen to the Rockna Wavedream Edition DAC. I had easy access to it, it was in my price range for DACs, so I had nothing to loose. My initial thoughts were it had more detail than the Dave, but after a few days my wife and I decided we preferred the Dave. Who’s right? The answer of course is no one...I have a different system and different preferences. You may hear the Dave and not like it or conclude it’s not worth the money.
I just listened to Audioquest FireBird Zero speaker cables for three days. They are a step-up from my current cables, but at $14K for an 8’ pair I can’t justify the cost. If money weren’t a concern I would immediately purchase them. I put components in specific price ranges of what I’m willing to spend. $14K far exceeds my budget for speaker cables.

dguitarnut,

I have a Gryphon Diablo 300 with a Chord Dave and prefer the Dave without the m-scaler.  To my ears the sound was very smooth, but I missed the dynamics as well.  Similar to your experience.    I’m sure many out there will love the relaxed presentation, though.

Has anyone compared the new Hugo TT 2 with the Chord Dave?  

I've compared the Hugo TT mk2 to the Dave in my system. To my ears there is a easily discernible difference between the two. I submit most people wouldn't be able to live with the TT mk2 after hearing them in the same system.