• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Chord DAVE DAC Review (Video)

PeteL

Major Contributor
Joined
Jun 1, 2020
Messages
3,303
Likes
3,838
Well, who knows. I'll add one more. If you don't have RnD resources, general lack of resources. 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. Then you shut down or sell the company.
One thing I know for sure is that cutting down price of something that was once considered a prestige flagship product just to get rid of it and move to the next one is rarely a good strategy. It devaluate the whole brand, you don't do that if you want to last. You stick to your gun and live and die by the pricing you first felt was justified. This is definetely not a volume product, it's probably paid for by now and they very well may be happy to sell 10 a year. Even if it feels outrageously expensive. They know from the start they won't sell tons. Dev cost are huge on this. Straight cost vs performance comparisons are interesting from a customer stand point but they just can't quantify this that way. where other may base their pricing on hundreds of thousand units baseline, the may do de same on hundreds baseline. It is what it is, very niche. They don't need ASR approval.
 

DanielT

Major Contributor
Joined
Oct 10, 2020
Messages
4,750
Likes
4,631
Location
Sweden - Слава Україні
One thing I know for sure is that cutting down price of something that was once considered a prestige flagship product just to get rid of it and move to the next one is rarely a good strategy. It devaluate the whole brand, you don't do that if you want to last. You stick to your gun and live and die by the pricing you first felt was justified. This is definetely not a volume product, it's probably paid for by now and they very well may be happy to sell 10 a year. Even if it feels outrageously expensive. They know from the start they won't sell tons. Dev cost are huge on this. Straight cost vs performance comparisons are interesting from a customer stand point but they just can't quantify this that way. where other may base their pricing on hundreds of thousand units baseline, the may do de same on hundreds baseline. It is what it is, very niche. They don't need ASR approval.
Well said!:)
 

Lambda

Major Contributor
Joined
Mar 22, 2020
Messages
1,785
Likes
1,519
I agree with your first sentence, but I am absolutely not shocked.
My post with the meme got deleted.

I want to apologize if it offend some one
It was not meant offensive or negative especially not against

sprellemannen

It was sarcasm and because because a over priced product/company's reputation got "killed" by armin ...Again.
 
Last edited:

Kevinfc

Active Member
Joined
May 6, 2021
Messages
214
Likes
198
Most luxury watches don't tend to claim to do their basic function better than their cheaper counterparts.
No, but there is a significant difference among watches in terms of the time it takes to manufacture them, as well as the cost of the materials involved. With a fine watch you’re getting a highly crafted piece. The qualities a customer purchases it for is beyond simple function and extend into beauty, durability and yes, a certain amount of prestige. I would venture that only of handful of DAVE owners would tell you that they made their purchasing decision based on aesthetics or prestige.
 

DonR

Major Contributor
Joined
Jan 25, 2022
Messages
2,968
Likes
5,611
Location
Vancouver(ish)
No, but there is a significant difference among watches in terms of the time it takes to manufacture them, as well as the cost of the materials involved. With a fine watch you’re getting a highly crafted piece. The qualities a customer purchases it for is beyond simple function and extend into beauty, durability and yes, a certain amount of prestige. I would venture that only of handful of DAVE owners would tell you that they made their purchasing decision based on aesthetics or prestige.
haha... some might even say they purchased it DESPITE the aesthetics.
 

beefkabob

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Apr 18, 2019
Messages
1,636
Likes
2,073
1658789908286.png
 

Awsmone

Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2019
Messages
68
Likes
67
An overpriced designer product that looks fancy but has mediocre performance. I’m shocked :p
I am shocked also, from the other two measurements performed on it (stereophioe and Goladen sound) I had formed a view it had measured well, but Amir tells me the results are all consistent , after the shocker that was the m scaler jitter, it begs the question what is going on , as you couldn’t as an EE miss this sort of behaviour , but as I said on YouTube comments it is a 2015 design and is it relevant anymore when $300 Dacs exceed it?
 

Bleib

Major Contributor
Joined
May 13, 2021
Messages
1,252
Likes
2,252
Location
Sweden
Doesn't strike a chord with me
 

Jimster480

Major Contributor
Joined
Jan 26, 2018
Messages
2,880
Likes
2,032
Location
Tampa Bay
Absolutely exemplary video. I really like to hear this type of videos. That's how the producers should present it. Supported by a graph, measurements. But that won't happen. Also Dan Clark similarly, he explained the production of his headphones, enjoying the knowledge and measurements. An honest person will show how he solved product problems, etc. I think the way of truth and honesty is the way of sales. People try to sweep many things under the carpet. They know well that the measurements are not excellent, so they will not show. Otherwise they would brag. All that remains is a verbal description of the unreal device. The price puts the device into the realm of dreams. So it is very tempting to experience the dream. Amir thanks for the video. You woke us up from our dream.:)
Definitely a price to put people in a dream state. However the performance is anything but a dream.... Honestly it barely exceeds (if it even does exceed) my OG Topping DX7 from 2018? That cost me a whopping $250 from Topping directly.
Running it with a THX AAA 789 these days but have used other amps. Overall very disappointing to say the least.

Products like this literally drive this site. The Dave is a joke and there is no other way to say it. Even if it came out 7 years ago it would compete with other higher end products at the time... however it would cost much more. Pretty sure the Oppo DAC out performed this and cost like $2k. I remember wanting one of those back in the day.

If you pay this price then atleast you might as well have something like that Mola Mola DAC that literally topped the chart!
 
Last edited:

Lambda

Major Contributor
Joined
Mar 22, 2020
Messages
1,785
Likes
1,519
I am shocked also, from the other two measurements performed on it (stereophioe and Goladen sound) I had formed a view it had measured well,
Why?
Sows the same story so it shuld be even less of an surprise.

it begs the question what is going on , as you couldn’t as an EE miss this sort of behaviour , but as I said on YouTube comments it is a 2015 design and is it relevant anymore when $300 Dacs exceed it?

Whats going on? its good enough for the average Joe to sound transparent. why would they care for more?
You can't sell dacs by "sound" as they are all transparent. so you sell them by design.

the_cute_little_piggy_power_bank_1.jpg

Would you think this is high quality/performance phone charger?
Do you think this is competitively priced based on charging performance battery capacity and so on?
Of cause not. it's first of all cut (Kawaii) and it also charges your phone (probably ok)

Same with the this DAC. obviously first of all it looks "different" and it’s also an ok DAC.
It just has a different target market. Old slightly eccentric men with more money then brain that care about design.

The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys
 

Jimster480

Major Contributor
Joined
Jan 26, 2018
Messages
2,880
Likes
2,032
Location
Tampa Bay
Why?
Sows the same story so it shuld be even less of an surprise.



Whats going on? its good enough for the average Joe to sound transparent. why would they care for more?
You can't sell dacs by "sound" as they are all transparent. so you sell them by design.

the_cute_little_piggy_power_bank_1.jpg

Would you think this is high quality/performance phone charger?
Do you think this is competitively priced based on charging performance battery capacity and so on?
Of cause not. it's first of all cut (Kawaii) and it also charges your phone (probably ok)

Same with the this DAC. obviously first of all it looks "different" and it’s also an ok DAC.
It just has a different target market. Old slightly eccentric men with more money then brain that care about design.

The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys
The part of this that I find to be a joke is just that this costs as much as a car and offers worse performance than something for $300.
The "price of their toys"; so buy a fast car and go objectively faster. The men and the boys are separated by the better toys that do things better. Not wasting money on trash, to tell other people that your trash costs more money than whatever they have that is better.
I'm sorry but the DAVE is just snake oil nonsense. Even the day it was released it wasn't godtier by any means and cost more than almost every other audio product I have ever seen.

This argument reminds me of the guys who bought Mclarens, AMG Mercedes, BMW M series, etc to flex; came to the car meets and got mopped up by civics. Came with loud mouths and left quiet.

I can understand having a DAC that is more expensive than $300 because it fits your needs, has the outputs you want, has a headphone amp that works with your setup, etc
I cannot understand spending 50x the money for something that is basically worse in every way...
 

Lambda

Major Contributor
Joined
Mar 22, 2020
Messages
1,785
Likes
1,519

Awsmone

Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2019
Messages
68
Likes
67
Why?
Sows the same story so it shuld be even less of an surprise.



Whats going on? its good enough for the average Joe to sound transparent. why would they care for more?
You can't sell dacs by "sound" as they are all transparent. so you sell them by design.

the_cute_little_piggy_power_bank_1.jpg

Would you think this is high quality/performance phone charger?
Do you think this is competitively priced based on charging performance battery capacity and so on?
Of cause not. it's first of all cut (Kawaii) and it also charges your phone (probably ok)

Same with the this DAC. obviously first of all it looks "different" and it’s also an ok DAC.
It just has a different target market. Old slightly eccentric men with more money then brain that care about design.

The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys
Yeah I get your point, but not sure it’s valid here, as Amir pointed out the unique selling point is supposed to measurement excellence and a unique filter, sure the filter is there, though it may be superfluous, but not the measurements
 

Jimster480

Major Contributor
Joined
Jan 26, 2018
Messages
2,880
Likes
2,032
Location
Tampa Bay
But only in a way you can't hear. so why care.
It sell by the the extravagant look not by performance in the lab.

No one buys a Rolex because they need a to measure µSeconds.
Sure an expensive watch works as watch but not better then something costing 1/50 of it



How do you know you can't hear it? Have you tried? Do you own the products? Because if you used it with a D90 as this reviewer mentioned; I'd argue I'd be able to hear the difference from technical excellence to under 100 sinad.
Maybe if you use it with the Hugo and it changes nothing, then Yea I agree there is nothing which should at all be audible.
So why defend selling complete snake oil which is nothing more than a sad flex.
 
Top Bottom