This sort of thing is all very esoteric and beyond my means but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy learning about this technology. I am in the electronics industry so I do understand the cost structures. Hans gets it spot on in his introduction.
First, thank you for exposing me to the album by Pentangle, Sweet Child. In your review, you commented on the quality of this recording and that with Chord Dave and the new power supply, it sounded somewhat better. After purchasing the CD, ripping it in the very specific manner, I must declare that this is the best recording of all time. OF ALL TIME! In the way it sounds, the musicians and voices’ positioning and instrument arrangement and fidelity is staggering. The stereo effect on the tracks that, what appears favoring just left channel, is surreal, as the sound seams to flow and infinitely dissolves in the universe. Mr. Beekhuyzen, you owe it to yourself to listen to this recording on the BEST OF THE BEST equipment you can get your hands on, as it will change your perception of what is the “best recording” is! My suspicion, its just not of this World! Happy listening, Vladimir
Very interesting review Hans, l enjoyed this one. It just goes to show what level you can achieve when you think a little outside the box. Pardon the pun.😁🎧👍
The big question is... does Dave + MScaler + SJ ARC sound better than a $25K DAC? ... we are into DCS territory, and of course, EMM Labs. I suspect that most DACs in the $25K range sound very good... but different... and it may come down to personal preference, equipment matching or even types of music. With Covid finally subsiding, I look forward to once again listening to setups such as this at audio shows
I added the ARC6 DC4 PSU last summer and the Dave is now a far better DAC. The break in period for the ARC6 DC4 takes several months. I later purchased a Hypsos to power the MScaler, another relatively inexpensive and clear upgrade. I am keeping these components for the long run as otherwise these upgrades would not be a good value proposition. The changes from these PSUs became even more audible when I added the fantastic Feliks Envy to my headphone system. I have never enjoyed music so much.
The thing about the DAVE (and any Chord product) is its extremely cogent design language. I can imagine a lot of people not wanting the SJ ARC6 because, appearance-wise, it is so incongruent with the Chord. Not "boring," per se, the important part is the radical difference. I guess some customers will no doubt not even notice, while a few more will find a place under or even behind their audio rack where they don't have to see it... still, and I know it's hard to machine any kind of case anything near what Chord does, I feel SJ could have spent a bit more time on appearance. It's not about, "is it worth the cost?," it's about recognizing your main customer base and understanding, again, in this case, they will have no choice but compare this big power box to their super sleek/strangely alien DAVE.
If I understood correctly, you would need 3 Hypsos: +15V, -15V, +5V. Plus a custom cable. Still, the cost would be about half of the Sean Jacob's PSU. Sounds like an interesting project for someone with the means and willingness to experiment.
I do not like the Idea of putting an array of devices around the dave to made it Sound better. I think a reclocker, the mscaler and a proper Power supply should be included or be available as options in ONE housing. I will buy a New Dac instead of dealing with the fiddely and eerror prone multitude of boxes and associated cable tangle
@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel Before buying a DAVE & M Scaler, I auditioned a few alternatives from Naim, MSB, Sim Audio Moon & DCS. Subject to many caveats about the streaming source that feeds the dac (I compared all using Roon but there's a lot more to it than that). For the budget, I chose the Chord pair with a Sonore streamer. However, the DSC Rossini + (the essential) external clock and the MSB Premier dac (with essential Powerbase) both delivered even more musical delight but for a considerably higher budget. We remain very happy indeed with DAVE & M Scaler, even without the Sean Jacobs power supply.
Another terrific video Hans, thank you. I have 2 questions, I guess the 15V is for the Dave, but if that’s right, what is the 5V for? Also, when I win the Euro millions, do I need another one of these monster PSUs for my M scaler? Are you supposed to bind the chassis of the Dave to the earth post of the PSU?
No, the Kirby is empty a'm afraid. I did buy the Grimm Audio MU1 last month and don't use the M Scaler anymore since the scale in the Grimm sounds even better.
Hello Hans. Surely you can just use a lithium battery pack? And save a lot of money. Would this not give you zero HF interference very low output impedance and high power output?
@@peterlarkin762 what electrical property would make a battery not work!? I don’t understand. I’m no expert I’m only basing what I said on physics. In the high end audiophile world I know that doesn’t count for much. I really think designers are missing a trick though. If you can go 100% off grid why wouldn’t you? Especially for the low power front end products. I’ve got a few chord products and yes I might get around to trying it. Cheers.
@@ricardoperoni901 batteries (unless many connected in parallel) have an internal resistance that is not infinitely small, and because of that sudden current demand is accompanied with voltage drop on the battery output. Mind voltage stability under all circumstances is the prime goal of a PSU. Also batteries are not free of noise. Their terminal voltage depends on state of charge and temperature and age.
@@ricardoperoni901 Of course, doing it with lithium batteries would certainly be better. I use it for the M Scaler and Lumin streamer and it feels spectacular. I also made the connection cables with Neotech up occ Silver cable and this further improved the sound.
or just get off the DAC merry go round and enjoy what you have..Or better yet just get a really good Audio Note NOS DAC and never look back. Chord sounds incredibly digital anyway.
You need +15 VDC, -15 VDC and +5VDC, that's all you need. So you need 3 power supplies. You can do that with any power supplies capable of delivering those voltages at 2 amps. But don't think all power supplies sound the same.
This sort of thing is all very esoteric and beyond my means but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy learning about this technology. I am in the electronics industry so I do understand the cost structures. Hans gets it spot on in his introduction.
👍🏼🙏🏻
First, thank you for exposing me to the album by Pentangle, Sweet Child.
In your review, you commented on the quality of this recording and that with Chord Dave and the new power supply, it sounded somewhat better. After purchasing the CD, ripping it in the very specific manner, I must declare that this is the best recording of all time. OF ALL TIME! In the way it sounds, the musicians and voices’ positioning and instrument arrangement and fidelity is staggering. The stereo effect on the tracks that, what appears favoring just left channel, is surreal, as the sound seams to flow and infinitely dissolves in the universe. Mr. Beekhuyzen, you owe it to yourself to listen to this recording on the BEST OF THE BEST equipment you can get your hands on, as it will change your perception of what is the “best recording” is!
My suspicion, its just not of this World!
Happy listening,
Vladimir
Very interesting review Hans, l enjoyed this one. It just goes to show what level you can achieve when you think a little outside the box. Pardon the pun.😁🎧👍
Very true!
The big question is... does Dave + MScaler + SJ ARC sound better than a $25K DAC? ... we are into DCS territory, and of course, EMM Labs.
I suspect that most DACs in the $25K range sound very good... but different... and it may come down to personal preference, equipment matching or even types of music. With Covid finally subsiding, I look forward to once again listening to setups such as this at audio shows
Agreed
Good to see you back
Thanks!
I added the ARC6 DC4 PSU last summer and the Dave is now a far better DAC. The break in period for the ARC6 DC4 takes several months. I later purchased a Hypsos to power the MScaler, another relatively inexpensive and clear upgrade. I am keeping these components for the long run as otherwise these upgrades would not be a good value proposition. The changes from these PSUs became even more audible when I added the fantastic Feliks Envy to my headphone system. I have never enjoyed music so much.
👍🏼
The thing about the DAVE (and any Chord product) is its extremely cogent design language. I can imagine a lot of people not wanting the SJ ARC6 because, appearance-wise, it is so incongruent with the Chord. Not "boring," per se, the important part is the radical difference. I guess some customers will no doubt not even notice, while a few more will find a place under or even behind their audio rack where they don't have to see it... still, and I know it's hard to machine any kind of case anything near what Chord does, I feel SJ could have spent a bit more time on appearance. It's not about, "is it worth the cost?," it's about recognizing your main customer base and understanding, again, in this case, they will have no choice but compare this big power box to their super sleek/strangely alien DAVE.
I see my viewers use this PSU for they care about the sound quality the unique WTA filtering gives....
Hello Hans, how does the HYPSOS sound with the DAVE? Also will you be doing a video of the Ferrum ERCO in the future?
If I understood correctly, you would need 3 Hypsos: +15V, -15V, +5V. Plus a custom cable. Still, the cost would be about half of the Sean Jacob's PSU. Sounds like an interesting project for someone with the means and willingness to experiment.
Not for me.
I do not like the Idea of putting an array of devices around the dave to made it Sound better. I think a reclocker, the mscaler and a proper Power supply should be included or be available as options in ONE housing. I will buy a New Dac instead of dealing with the fiddely and eerror prone multitude of boxes and associated cable tangle
Fair comment. If you found a replacement for the DAVE with Sean Jacobs PSU, let me know.
@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel Before buying a DAVE & M Scaler, I auditioned a few alternatives from Naim, MSB, Sim Audio Moon & DCS. Subject to many caveats about the streaming source that feeds the dac (I compared all using Roon but there's a lot more to it than that). For the budget, I chose the Chord pair with a Sonore streamer. However, the DSC Rossini + (the essential) external clock and the MSB Premier dac (with essential Powerbase) both delivered even more musical delight but for a considerably higher budget. We remain very happy indeed with DAVE & M Scaler, even without the Sean Jacobs power supply.
Hans, are gonna test the Farad PSP for Dave implementation?
Yes, But it will take some time before I will get the review sample.
Another terrific video Hans, thank you. I have 2 questions, I guess the 15V is for the Dave, but if that’s right, what is the 5V for? Also, when I win the Euro millions, do I need another one of these monster PSUs for my M scaler? Are you supposed to bind the chassis of the Dave to the earth post of the PSU?
I guess that was three questions, sorry!
The 5 volts is for the digital part, the + and - 15 volts for the analog electronics.
Hi, thanks for this new review! Will you keep the Sean Jacobs for the Dave ? Glad to see you've switched to spdif on the M Scaler.
No, the Kirby is empty a'm afraid. I did buy the Grimm Audio MU1 last month and don't use the M Scaler anymore since the scale in the Grimm sounds even better.
Presumably you regard the spdif input superior to others on the M scaler?
@@ryanclements6031 Hi, Usb isn't the best input on Chord's dac in my experience, try spdif or aes ;-)
Hello Hans. Surely you can just use a lithium battery pack? And save a lot of money. Would this not give you zero HF interference very low output impedance and high power output?
Just try it and let me now.
Batteries do not sound great on their own, still requires a bit of engineering and regulation. It's not a straightforward solution.
@@peterlarkin762 what electrical property would make a battery not work!? I don’t understand. I’m no expert I’m only basing what I said on physics. In the high end audiophile world I know that doesn’t count for much. I really think designers are missing a trick though. If you can go 100% off grid why wouldn’t you? Especially for the low power front end products. I’ve got a few chord products and yes I might get around to trying it. Cheers.
@@ricardoperoni901 batteries (unless many connected in parallel) have an internal resistance that is not infinitely small, and because of that sudden current demand is accompanied with voltage drop on the battery output. Mind voltage stability under all circumstances is the prime goal of a PSU. Also batteries are not free of noise. Their terminal voltage depends on state of charge and temperature and age.
@@ricardoperoni901 Of course, doing it with lithium batteries would certainly be better. I use it for the M Scaler and Lumin streamer and it feels spectacular. I also made the connection cables with Neotech up occ Silver cable and this further improved the sound.
Hi Hans, Just wondering, do you plan a Sonnet Pasithea review?
The (Dutch!) manufacturer has refused to give me a review sample several times so I don't ask anymore. Sorry.
@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel That's unfortunate Hans. I was hoping to hear your opinion on this DAC.
Hi Hans, do you think the MU1 or this PSU is a more effective upgrade for the Dave?
The MU1 is the first to buy and if there is money left, the Sean Jacobs
It’s long overdue for Chord to update DAVE with newer Xilinx chip, upgrade the PSU and analog output stage.
You make it sound like the DAVE is a lousy product. As I said in the video, it's still a very good sounding DAC.
or just get off the DAC merry go round and enjoy what you have..Or better yet just get a really good Audio Note NOS DAC and never look back. Chord sounds incredibly digital anyway.
Good review
Glad you enjoyed it
Can DAVE bring modded with any other PSU, such as Ferrum? The Jacobs is just too huge.
You need +15 VDC, -15 VDC and +5VDC, that's all you need. So you need 3 power supplies. You can do that with any power supplies capable of delivering those voltages at 2 amps. But don't think all power supplies sound the same.
My server & network are all run with Sean Jacobs PSU!
👍🏼