Let’s not forget a suitably talented preamp is likely to cost a similar amount to the DAVE itself. The DAVE even makes a decent digital preamp though, as with most such products, a dedicated high quality preamp will work better still. The results remain as convincing as through the line stages. We tried both Beyerdynamic T1 Gen 2s as well as a pair of Grado PS500s to great effect. This output is designed to drive headphones with impedances between 8 and 800 ohms – a range that covers most on the market. That headphone output is similarly pleasing. The DAVE’s sound is superbly refined, but never uses that as an excuse to smooth things off to the extent where the music’s innate sparkle is reduced. There’s everything we would want here – punch, attack and plenty of insight. These qualities remain readily apparent on Kendrick Lemar’s The Blacker the Berry, where the rhythm track comes through with a seemingly unstoppable momentum. You can use the supplied remote to do these things too. The buttons placed around it navigate around the menu, as well as change inputs. It can be switched in or out of the circuit depending on your set-up. The large (slippery) dome on the top panel is the volume control. The DAVE is pretty easy to set up, though once again, the lack of labelling slows things down until we’re fully familiar with the operational logic of all the controls. Unlike previous range-topping Chord DACs this one has a headphone output, and switches between line and headphone when a 6.3mm jack is plugged in. Most rivals will measure around 2V and 4V respectively.
Its single-ended connection delivers a 3V signal with the balanced output doubling that. You should note that both deliver a far higher level of signal than is normal, so the DAVE will sound much louder than any rival during comparisons. The outputs are far more conventional, with single-ended and balanced analogue options.
These are for as yet unannounced Chord source products. Look carefully and you’ll find a quartet of BNC connectors that Chord calls DX inputs.