Chord Dave - Missing soundstage width

I agree on the tin pan Alley rec. The archives version is awesome. 

If you are looking at the Dave I would recomend trying the Bartok. While it is a bit more expensive it has a network streamer builtin as well. Plus dCS updates the firmware with improvements over time as well. I owned a TT2 and mscaler I had auditioned the Bartok and dave and preferred the Bartok it presented a bigger sound stage and more realistic imaging. 

Maybe take a look at the MSB discrete too. My friend had a premire that was fluly upgraded and it was amazing. He traded it up to the reference which I can't wait to hear. 

Hi martin-andersen, I strongly recommend that before you change anything else in your system, please try with speaker positioning.
I experienced a similar problem with two different Dacs. The cheaper one produced a huge soundstage while the 3x more expensive was disappointing in this regard. I blamed the source, the cables (usb and XLR IC, speakers cables), etc. I tried everything but the soundstage was still narrower.
Short story, I finally found that changing the speaker positing (separation between speakers, distance from the wall and less toe in) gave me the soundstage I was looking for.
At this point I realize that the speaker were perfectly set for my previous DAC sound (cheaper one), but it was not the perfect setup for the new higher end DAC.
Also keep in mind that the Orchid could have a more forward presentation, that can be perceived as a bigger soundstage compared to a more high end DAC that needs to be a bit more laid back in order to produce layers of sound, depth, precise imaging, natural and organic sound. Maybe that is the reason why you perceive the Dave is the winner in every aspect except the soundstage. My advice, let your brain and ears get used to the Dave sound and play with your speaker positioning. Also keep in mind that Dave is an outstanding DAC, which deserves high quality component to really shine. 
Please let us know what are you using actually as a source to the Dave, which cables are involved between the source and the DAC, and the cables you are using as interconnect to your amplifier. Speaker cables too.
There could be a weak point also there. 

What what are using for a streamer & a digital cable (USB or coax, etc)? What power cable are you currently using for the Dave DAC and all your other equipments? And what kind of AC power product do you have for your setup? 
All these factors will be crucial.

You say you are evaluating. Could it be that the Dave is not yet "burnt in?"

Some real good advices here!

the amplifier can change things dramatically. I personally have a Line magnetic 845 premium on cube audio nenuphar. The sound stage is bigger than my room boundaries itself! Both The back and side walls with pin point precision and separation. I have also assisted things with SR HFTs. I thought they are complete snake oil but my curiosity led me to try them and discover they can act like adjustment points on a projector screen somehow.

Also, speaker placement and amount of toe in could be crucial. This needs to be adjusted once a new amp or a new dac has been introduced.

I have heard the dave mutiple times in my system vs denafrips terminator previosuly, then against my latest dac; Rockna wavedream signature. The dave certainly can throw a sound stage outside the boundaries of speakers, i have witnessed that. But i noticed it was less in width than both terminator and rockna. However, the dave always had more depth. 

After a recent comparison (have few friends who own a dave thus i get to witness such comparisons easily), its quite impressive with its depth, clarity (over all spectrum including impressive bass details), vocal separation from rest of music, but to me there is something sterile and emotion-less in the dave (dave is highly sensitive to power cord, it can literally tune it according to my friends) vs a high end r2r dac. There is no "better" here, i think its a matter of taste. My rockna is as technically capable regarding imaging /layering and 3d presentation maybe even superior, and its more dynamic for sure. more importantly its sounds more organic and real to my ears. Needless to say, the guy who owns the dave still preferred it. On the other hand, another friend with dave said my rockna has 10% more details, 20% more musical. Go figure!
The biggest challenge in our hobby is when we have to buy expensive things blind, its a good thing you got to try the dave before you buy it. Good luck making the right choice ))