Chord DAVE Stereo DAC Review

Id like to send you my ps audio direct stream dac for the test ! I bought smsl su -X dac .. vocals clearer then the ps audio 😮😮😊 These Hi End Companies should be sued and first thing they should have testing gear like yours.. Think of the so called expert Audiophilers just kept saying how great n incredible it sounds.. just like shciit audio stuff i bought n sent right back wtf was shitt.. and bought a stellar sent back same day and your tests i saw it came im last lol im Audiophile 50 yrs and know what im hearing.. Also shows reviewers know nothing or totally Full On LIARS 😊😊❤

Lol the more you pay the worse the specs get ! Smsl 😊 rules

A great sounding DAC. If the measurements aren’t showing differences that are audible then what is the point in the measurements?

I’ve owned both a DAVE and an M Scaler since they were both launched. I bought them based on reputation and my own experience of first having loan units to try at home and liking what I heard. I didn’t compare to other brands so cannot say that they sounded better. I don’t have the scientific understanding to be able to talk intelligently at that level but what probably is worth saying is that the DAVE is an 8-year-old product, with its core design probably being a year or two older. Even if most of its technical claims were true back then I would have expected newer designs to have overtaken it by now.

Thx Amir!
Yeah that DAVE is pure ENTERTAINMENT.
Company marketing line says: "DAVE stands for ‘Digital to Analogue Veritas in Extremis’, 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."
Or rather: DAVE stands for Designed for Amir's Veritable ENTERTAINMENT

Hi guys if I have a Topping A90 D90 and a Susvara and Utopia 2022 I was wondering what DAC would give me a mind-blowing experience in instrument separation and imaging compared to the D90? Thanks so much for your time ❤❤❤❤

The whole DAC/high-end thing is what keeps me firmly rooted in analog sources, at least part time. No second guessing anything, no obsessing over things merely for being told they exist.

If my speakers needed to rely on a $14k DAC to knock my socks off, I'd give them away.

If digital audio needs this kind of absurdity to perform accurately and enjoyably, it's not ready yet.

I'm sorry but, if you can't develop an audibly perfect DAC way more affordably than that, you are in the wrong industry.

Whilst I agree the price is rather high an that there may be some merit to these measurements I always thought of the Dave as a technical Marvel. I always thought that the seperation and transients that this DAC delivers as flat out amazing. Especially when fed with a quality streaming source and clock like the Grimm MU1...
However; given the comments here I think it must be all in my head. I must have been decieved by the device and by my preconceptions. Thank you all - now I see the light!

The problem with Amir is that he wasn’t genetically gifted with golden ears which every high end charlatan knows is essential in browbeating the less scientifically inclined

Any recommendation for the best " down to earth" DAC? 3K? Thanks!

The "high-end audio" industry is unregulated scamming. These clowns make whatever claims they want without repercussion. It's a widespread money grab.

Amir, you are biased and a hack.

So sorry to be impolite but this guy is a moron. The Chord Dave (I own it) is an absolutely stunning dac with detail, instrument separation, and soundstage that is just awe inspiring. I've listened to the Lina ring dac, the mola mola dac, the holo may and many others. I'm new to the audio world. I just started collecting audio equipment in 1964. In almost 60 years I have never bought a piece of equipment based on measurements. And no one should...........LISTEN, LISTEN LISTEN. The only relevant measurement that matters is the subjective one. HOW DOES IT SOUND! This review is a disservice to the audio community.

Some poor bastard has been trying to sell one on US Audio Mart at a $7000-8000 loss for months. Oy.

Thanks for the objective review Amir.

Rob watts has said a thousand times that no dac from his company has any modulation of noise floor at all. And within the first graphic we see this claim being contradicted. Am i missing something.

Perhaps the difficulty of use is a trick used by Chord to confuse us and suspend our logical sense? I would really love to see a test of the Qutest, which I own

I listened to this dac a few years ago and the sellers were raving about how good it sounded. once we left the room i was telling my friend they must have been hearing the cost not the sound quality which did not even stand out to me as good or even great. Mind you I had an nad m51 at home as my reference which sounded at least as good if not better.

This is a CHORD DAVE HATER on steroids so much negativity of an iconic DAC universally loved by audiophiles and anyone who love great sounding music , bet the clown who sent him this to review is hoping it actually arrives back in one piece , I've actually Got one and totally love it buff sed !

I love your reviews...hey can you get our government to conduct a usability study before they unleash another train wreck? (Rhetorical question)

Thanks for exposing these scam companies.

what ..In your opinion is the best dac that you have tested?

Dude, you’re picking on inaudble differences...

In recording professional dacs and adcs are not that expensive and they are probably as good or better. Apogee or others.

What an amazing review of a bad product. Thanks for this! You save people millions of $$$ with these reviews...

We can have world-class sound with 1000$ plus we can hear with her eyes after all. I love it

You're keeping the bastards honest Amir. Somebody has to....

I haven't really been impressed with Chord products mostly because of their very strange interface choices - is the light show on their other DACs meant for kids? But also at these prices yes, I would expect the measurements to be best in class.

Looks like a product Patrick Bateman would have and brag about.

Another great review!

In other words, you are better off spending $9 on an Apple Dongle DAC. Thanks Amir. You just saved me $13991

Wow Amir has no clue

Any follow up as to whether the Dave tested was in spec and/or had damaged parts?

lol

low key destruction of snake oil by science.

love your videos and website, please keep up the good work

did you measure the $2400 stand? it must sound even betterer with that stand, surely?

calling the device dave makes it sound buttery smooth and more emotional. the chord steve for an extra 5k sounds even more butteryery

Nice to see a $200 Topping surpasses this

You need to ask yourself this so called review 1. Fake Graphs and measurements 2. What is he selling crap 3. Not even giving his thoughts on the overall sound
He prefers Benchmark crap with the treble knob all the way turn up with the bass all the way down and he calls that sounding correct lol😂 I never met such a snake 🐍 oil guy trying to tell you don’t buy that buy this because of measurements. He must work with Go Brandon with his logic thinking 🧐

Are the Topping devices you review random samples & not direct reviewer samples?

NEVER BUYING ANY CHORDS PRODUCTS, PURE 100% SNAKE OIL.

Can u test synergy research fuse? Thanks

wow! Thank you. I'm glad I only spent 1300 on a Gumby. Please do a review on Schiit Audio products; the Yggy would be a good one.

I’d like to see more information on transient response, dac upsampling and noise shaping. And not just SINAD. Is there any way we can dig deeper into the things that WOULD make audible differences?

Amir are you saying that all dacs with excellent Sinad will sound identical?

Your measurements don’t match up with the rest of the industry at all. Both Stereophile and Golden Sound have measured the DAVE and have reported much better measurements than you have.

That brick wall filter is very impressive, but, the impulse response will have ringing that goes for a long time. I'll guess the optional rolloff filter is to 'fix' that and shorten the ringing duration. Non linear phase filter options to reduce or eliminate pre-ringing? Those types of options do affect the analog output waveforms, therefore could be audible.