Chord DAVE DAC

@jackhifiguy What is driving you to the Chord DAVE in the first place? If you have not heard it, what attributes have you heard about it that sound appealing? What kind of sound signature do you find most appealing, and what DAC would it be replacing and in what system?

@jackhifiguy Based on what @adasdad said, I want to reiterate my questions from earlier which you didn’t answer. What attributes have you heard about it that sound appealing? What kind of sound signature do you find most appealing, and what DAC would it be replacing and in what system?

I strayed away from saying anything about the DAVE being analytical because I didn’t want to get into a debate about it. It really comes down to the synergy with the rest of your system and how revealing the system is. The Mola Mola Tambaqui also shares the same flavor. Both are engaging, but they are more analytical than they are musical, maybe the Tambaqui is almost equal, but it sure doesn’t sound as organic as many other DACs. 

In these forums (and just about any other forum on the internet), most times discussions revolve around inquiries and perspectives. When done well, those perspectives surface values, which can be helpful to learning how those values can be fulfilled, especially if the community is empathetic to them. The unfortunate thing is that everybody’s values are different, AND not everyone is empathetic to each others’ values. If we could all just be more empathetic to each other and not force our opinions on others, online communities would be much healthier places (mentally).

That said, I’ve been in the boat to have made to feel like how jjss49 and charles1dad have by many (meaning I support both of your posts), mostly because I am spending more on my gear than others or spend more time dialing things in. But in truth, I have never regretted any of my big purchases or effort because they have yielded more than satisfactory results. The purchase themselves and the marketing hype is not what drives the validation, but the comparison to many others’ systems and rooms to mine, as well as the personal satisfaction I get from listening and being transported and the way it makes me feel makes the whole journey worthwhile.