Chord Dave or Ayre QX5 Twenty DAC???


Down to two choices in DAC's, the Chord Dave or the Ayre QX-5 Twenty. Comes down to best sound or versatility and cost. Speakers are Wilson Audio Sasha's and amp is T+A 2500R. Love the versatility of the Ayre but the sound of the Chord Dave is phenomenal, not sure if the Ayre could compare. Not sure if the Chord would still sound as good without spending mass amounts on a power regenerator and power cable. 
musicfx
Thank You musicfx and hgeifman for such valuable information. The last few weeks I was experiencing random signal drop out with tidal using Lumin U1 or Melco. I am also planning to compare Deezer to Tidal on the MP3100. Both stream in flac

@czubero,  As you noted, experiencing random signal drop outs with Tidal is an issue when listing to music.

I also upgraded my ISP cable speed from 100Mbps to 250Mbps and have had no problems since with Tidal Streaming.  I cannot prove this but I wonder if the Apple Airport Extreme Router (my old router) had issues handling the streaming speed used by Tidal.   I also believe that the faster cable speed helped.  And, of course, my Netflix movies load much faster now.  Are most routers capable of handling the streaming speeds used by Tidal (is yours)?   I do not know.  

Successful Tidal Streaming REQUIRES ALL your devices that connect to the Internet to be working perfectly.  This include the router, switch boxes, modems and the ISP connection (junction boxes, cable signal range, amplifiers, etc).   It seems, unfortunately, I have had issues with most everything down stream.  

If you are having issues using Tidal Streaming (Random signal dropouts), I suggest you review these many components to ensure they are working okay.  And, yes, most likely, you will need to contact your ISP to ensure the cable speed is okay, the cable signal strength is within its required range, etc.  My ISP, Wave Broadband, was very helpful ensuring the service was working for me.  

My Tidal Streaming problems were first identified when I called my ISP and reported the signal dropouts.  In less than 5 minutes, he said my cable signal was out of the specified range and need to be adjusted by their Technician.   Once he arrived, he identified many more external hardware problems that he repaired by replacing the junction box and signal amplifier.   I suggest you call your ISP and request they check your cable signal range and other components as needed.  I hope this helps. 





I will soon be using my MP3100HV with the new Antipodes CX. I decided on this for a change than getting an Aurender N10. Want to use Roon. T+A says an update will be available shortly to update the MP3100HV to be Roon Ready. Just updated Ethernet cables to the MP with Transparent high performance Ethernet cables and put the MP3100 on Rollerblocks 2+ on top of a Symposium Acoustics Svelte Plus platform. Really sounds good. 
The CX feeding the MP is a really interesting combination. Truly looking forward to your impressions and findings once the components and the updates are settled.