Chord DAVE DAC Review (Video)

[DonR]

But wait now! Is this a 7 year old DAC? Is it not on the market now? Has the model been discontinued? It matters a lot.

IF it is sold now, then what you said: push the boundaries are essential to the state of the art becomes rather irrelevant , even wrong because it doesn't do just that BUT seven years ago? Maybe it was SOTA then? I don't know anything about that.

It is still being sold as their flagship model.

 

[CapMan]

Nothing new if you have read the text review. But you get to have my emotional reactions thrown in.

Ouch !

 

[amirm]

@amirm missing Dave from the title and intro line

Oops. Fixed. Thanks.

 

[PeteL]

But wait now! Is this a 7 year old DAC? Is it not on the market now? Has the model been discontinued? It matters a lot.

IF it is sold now, then what you said: push the boundaries are essential to the state of the art becomes rather irrelevant , even wrong because it doesn't do just that BUT seven years ago? Maybe it was SOTA then?My youthful interest in HIFi was brought to life two years ago so I don't know anything about that.

Not everybody think that the life of a product should be a couple years. It is both a seven year old product and being sold now. Not sure the point you try to make. You mean that if they had discontinued the product you would be ok with it but the fact that they still sell it it's not acceptable?

 

[CapMan]

Not everybody think that the life of a product should be a couple years. It is both a seven year old product and being sold now. Not sure the point you try to make. You mean that if they had discontinued the product you would be ok with it but the fact that they still sell it it's not acceptable?

If the M Scaler was seen as such a game changer I wonder why it was not baked into DAVE 2.0 in those 7 years.

 

[Jimbob54]

If the M Scaler was seen as such a game changer I wonder why it was not baked into DAVE 2.0 in those 7 years.

Because selling a 14k dac for 7 years with a standalone 5k optional upgrade (that also "works" with the rest of the range) is a far more profitable proposition.

 

[DanielT]

Not everybody think that the life of a product should be a couple years. It is both a seven year old product and being sold now. Not sure the point you try to make. You mean that if they had discontinued the product you would be ok with it but the fact that they still sell it it's not acceptable?

Not how long the thing itself works. If you get sound out of it after time, but the performance in relation to the price. The point is that development, It's moving forward.Development, improvement and change takes place, at different speeds for different things.

New or 40 year old? Little (none?) difference new vs old:


Om the other hand a seven year old:

 

[CapMan]

Because selling a 14k dac for 7 years with a standalone 5k optional upgrade (that also "works" with the rest of the range) is a far more profitable proposition.

Rhetorical question

 

[PeteL]

If the M Scaler was seen as such a game changer I wonder why it was not baked into DAVE 2.0 in those 7 years.

M Scaler was launched in 2018 from what I read.

 

[Thomas savage]

Great video review, your doing a fantastic job with the YouTube content.

The comment section is wonderfully brief and stress free , dosnt necessitate serious alcohol consumption as this place can.

 

[PeteL]

Not how long the thing itself works, how you get sound out of it, but the performance in relation to the price. The point is that development, It's moving forward. At different speeds for different things, how development, improvement, change takes place.

New or old or new? Does not matter for. Compared to seven years old or new:

Not if the thing itself works now, if you get sound out of it. It is of course about what you can get today in terms of performance in relation to price. Different things develop at different speeds.

A 40 year old:
View attachment 220408

Om the other hand a seven year old:
View attachment 220410

Little difference in new vs old there. To connect back to our world. These class D amps that Amir is testing that have about as much power as a 20 year old NAD. Not much of a difference, if I may guess, in terms of sound quality. However, an old DAC (considering its price another matter):

https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...surements-of-nad-c-320bee-pwr-amplifier.8504/

It sounded great then, it sounds great now. It was overpriced then it still is now, yes there has been developpment in technologies. Again, sure I find it too much money. If you expect them to go, "well we are not competitive in some metrics that are inaudible at this point, so let's scrap the Dave and do like everybody and make a XMOS/ESS Dac". Well, they wont do that. That's not what they offer, they don't have a market for that. You can disagree and it's fine.

 

[DanielT]

It sounded great then, it sounds great now. It was overpriced then it still is now, yes there has been developpment in technologies. Again, sure I find it too much money. If you expect them to go, "well we are not competitive in some metrics that are inaudible at this point, so let's scrap the Dave and do like everybody and make a XMOS/ESS Dac". Well, they wont do that. That's not what they offer, they don't have a market for that. You can disagree and it's fine.

It was overpriced then it still is now, yes there has been developpment in technologies.

...still is now......... and today extremely overpriced, I would add.Otherwise, I agree with you.

Well, they won't do that. Why would they if this Chord DAVE DAC sell well?

So, now and then, changes, don't stick to the old for the sake of it and so on.

 

[nerdstrike]

I like a video as much as the next tuber, but thank you for publishing the results in the written report.

I'm pleased? to see that many thousands of currency do not make a DAC great.

 

[Kevinfc]

The economics of these pricey audio items fascinate me. Could there be so much R&D and component expenditure that a $14,000 price tag is necessary for the product to be viable? Or is the price itself is a signifier to those who can afford it that this device is the best and therefore worthy of the expense ?
Even adjusting for inflation, the price is extraordinary for what is offered. There’s similar analogies in other consumer goods, but I can think of none so drastic.

 

[CapMan]

There’s similar analogies in other consumer goods, but I can think of none so drastic.

Fine watches perhaps?

 

[DonR]

Fine watches perhaps?

Most luxury watches don't tend to claim to do their basic function better than their cheaper counterparts.

 

[tomtoo]

Great video review, your doing a fantastic job with the YouTube content.

The comment section is wonderfully brief and stress free , dosnt necessitate serious alcohol consumption as this place can.

No fun there on YT.

 

[voodooless]

It sounded great then, it sounds great now. It was overpriced then it still is now, yes there has been developpment in technologies.

I think that is exactly the point. The thing costs the same while technology has progressed. Guess what you pay now for a 7 year old CPU? 7 year old graphics card?

Again, sure I find it too much money. If you expect them to go, "well we are not competitive in some metrics that are inaudible at this point, so let's scrap the Dave and do like everybody and make a XMOS/ESS Dac". Well, they wont do that. That's not what they offer, they don't have a market for that. You can disagree and it's fine.

Obviously they won’t do that. But it’s definitely about time they get a new (and improved) flagship. Their newer cheaper models rival the thing in performance already, so they basically cannibalize on their own product line.

 

[PeteL]

I think that is exactly the point. The thing costs the same while technology has progressed. Guess what you pay now for a 7 year old CPU? 7 year old graphics card?

Obviously they won’t do that. But it’s definitely about time they get a new (and improved) flagship. Their newer cheaper models rival the thing in performance already, so they basically cannibalize on their own product line.

OK, If you say so. I have been in the business of audio developing and manufacturing once a while ago... and not anymore... If you read between the lines. So I am not the one to give advice on what business model and launch scheduling is the right one. Maybe they feel they can't really improve it significantly enough? I am not sure how their products canibalise each others. I don't have that insight. I think that the main thing they can improve on is power, for the rest it's unsignificant. Who knows, maybe they have stock that they can't afford to liquidate, maybe this one is still doing well, maybe it's not doing well but they don't have anything sufficiently improved in the lab, there are many reason in development to kill an Item for a new one. On the case of Chord, me I have no clue what motivate the process.

 

[DanielT]

OK, If you say so. I have been in the business of audio developing and manufacturing once a while ago... and not anymore... If you read between the lines. So I am not the one to give advice on what business model and launch scheduling is the right one. Maybe they feel they can't really improve it significantly enough? I am not sure how their products canibalise each others. I don't have that insight. I think that the main thing they can improve on is power, for the rest it's unsignificant. Who knows, maybe they have stock that they can't afford to liquidate, maybe this one is still doing well, maybe it's not doing well but they don't have anything sufficiently improved in the lab, there are many reason in development to kill an Item for a new one. On the case of Chord, me I have no clue what motivate the process.

Well, who knows. I'll add one more.Okay a little conspiracy theory I admit but this can , and has happened, in real life.If you don't have RnD resources, general lack of resources, business in decline. You pump out, sell out the last thing you have. This is done by rushing in to boost sales by alluding to the brand. Aggressively sell products that don't really measure up (price-performance). Make sure to pump in as much money as possible, for as long as possible. That before its notices that you are actually selling crap. But you squeeze out the last of the brand, as long as possible.

Then you shut down or sell the company.