CD/SACD Players and DACS

Chord’s most advanced DAC to date is the DAVE. Frankly, I did not know what to expect when it arrived and even more frankly did not actually much care as I was blessed by an over abundance of nominally similar converters. Then I set it up and played a few Hi Res files through it. It took about 5 minutes for me to realize that DAVE was not only playing rings around competitively priced DACS but was putting components which sold for twice it price to shame. Today , the next step up from DAVE which we offer is 2.5 times its price. That says it all !

DAVE is not just a highly advanced reference-grade DAC. It is also a superb digital preamp and headphone amplifier. British in the tradition of an Alan Turing , DAVE employs a new (and in electronics terms, huge) LX75 version of the Spartan 6 Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The FPGA''s amazing capacity results in significantly improved timing and the best noise-shaper performance of any known DAC. DAVE''s technology delivers music with unparalleled veracity and musicality, with an unrivalled timing response.

Inputs:

USB B-style: 44 kHz to 768 kHz - DXD and Quad DSD

2x optical: 44kHz to 192kHz

1 x AES: 44kHz to 192kHz

4 x Coax: 44kHz to 384kHz

Dual-data mode available

Outputs digital:

2x ultra-high-speed coax 768kHz dual-data mode for use with future-unannounced Chord Electronics products.

Maximum output voltage: 6 volts RMS

THD and noise at 2.5 volts: RMS 0.000015 %

THD and noise at 2.5 volts: 127dBA Awt (124dBA into 33 ohms)

Dynamic range at -60 dBFS 1kHz -127 dBA A wt

(No measurable noise floor modulation, no a harmonic distortion)

(Analogue distortion characteristic: no distortion for small signals)

Power requirements: mains power 80 volts to 260 volts; AC 20 watts

“It doesn’t take more than a few seconds of listening to realise that the DAVE is something special. It just sounds so right from the beginning that it genuinely takes effort to even try to deconstruct its performance. When we did, we found a formidable array of talents with no discernable weaknesses. Orff’s Carmina Burana is one of the most demanding pieces of music we know. It has savage dynamics coupled to complex instrumentation and varies from outright frenzy to angelic harmonies in the space of just a few seconds. The DAVE takes it all in stride.

This DAC renders a convincing acoustic – a believable space populated by the choir and instruments. Sound staging is excellent. It is precise, layered and neatly arranged. More than that it’s stable, even when the music turns demanding. The tonal balance is similarly impressive being even-handed and utterly convincing. No part of the frequency range gets undue preference and there’s a lovely balance between attack and refinement.”

WHAT* HIFI - 27th June 2016

Put simply, the Blu MkII upscaling CD transport sets new standards for CD sound quality by using the very latest FPGA technology to implement advanced proprietary filtering and upscaling techniques. Our next-generation CD transport incorporates a powerful new FPGA core with extraordinary capability.

Blu MkII’s sophisticated WTA (Watts Transient Alignment) filtering and upscaling algorithms can output digital data at 705.6kHz (16 x CD’s 44.1kHz native resolution). When partnered with the critically acclaimed DAVE DAC/preamp, with its 705.6kHz-capable digital inputs, the Blu MkII sets a new technical benchmark for CD performance, while redefining sound quality from the medium.

At the heart of the Blu MkII lies an enormously powerful Xilinx FPGA. Rob Watts’ (Chord’s Digital Design Consultant) has used this to create his exclusive WTA M-Scaler technology, which incorporates the most advanced filter of its kind in the world. The Xilinx FPGA has also enabled a key breakthrough in tap-length (the technical indicator of how complex the interpolation filter is) taking Blu MkII to an unprecedented 1,015,808 taps.

A comprehensive suite of high-performance connectivity is offered and the Blu MkII also features a USB digital input, meaning that it can also be used a standalone high-performance upsampler, for use with other digital sources.

Further features include Chord Electronics’ legendary proprietary high-frequency switching power supply and a dedicated CD-only laser mechanism for an uncompromising performance.

“Want to know the best CD player we’ve heard? The answer is depressingly expensive. It’s Chord’s Blu Mk II transport combined with its range topping digital-to-analogue converter, the DAVE. Quality costs - and in this case the price is a hefty £16,000 for the pair.

But regardless of price, we haven’t heard a more insightful or transparent CD playing alternative.

Those who think all CD transports sound the same are in for a shock. The Chord Blu MkII delivers the most informative and enjoyable sound we’ve heard from the CD format. While it’s expensive, there are far pricier alternatives that don’t get close. We’re sorely tempted.”-WHAT* HIFI 22nd November 2017

Qutest is A ‘pure’ DAC (it does not contain headphone amplification or rechargeable batteries like some of its range stablemates) and is designed to improve sound quality in the home. It is the latest evolution of our most affordable standalone DAC, the multi-award-winning 2Qute, which it directly replaces.

Qutest, which is a What Hi-Fi? Star of CES 2018, is based on Chord’s award-winning proprietary FPGA technology developed for the class-leading Hugo 2 DAC/headphone amp, giving it proven class-leading technical and sonic performance. Perfectly equipped to bring the benefits our digital technology to a wide range of connected devices, it features a galvanically isolated USB-B, optical and coaxial digital input, giving an instant performance upgrade, plus the ability to modernise ageing digital source components.

The Qutest chassis is all-new, too. It has significantly greater mass than its predecessor and has been precision-machined from solid aircraft-grade aluminium billet. The Qutest PCB nestles within a shallow cavity in the solid aluminium chassis, giving the circuit board greater protection within the casework and additional isolation from external vibration compared to previous designs.

Qutest offers Hugo 2’s proprietary user-selectable frequency-shaping filters and input selection controls, available via two fascia-mounted spheres, introducing useful flexibility. It also features RCA analogue outputs for connection to integrated amplifiers, preamps and headphone amps, plus high-resolution dual-data digital inputs for connection to future Chord Electronics products.

The MSB Select DAC is the king of all DACs. Starting at $84,500, it outdoes all the rest. The MSB Select DAC is powered by MSB’s Hybrid DAC technology, featuring sixteen channels across eight modules, stitched together for a high-powered direct output.

There is no amplification stage needed to drive the output, just pure digital-to-analog conversion. The Hybrid module is capable of converting between PCM or native DSD.

MSB is constantly developing new input modules for every application and technology. With the release of MQA, MSB has prepared a new module and a simple software update, keeping your DAC up to date with the most recent technologies. The MSB DAC is always ready for the future

The MSB Select DAC includes:

optical/coaxial input module

standard output preamp module

Femto 77 clock

dual powerbase

stock colors: silver and black (custom colors available with extended manufacturing time and custom color charge)

MSB Select DAC upgrade options include:

Fetmo 33 clock

mono power base

quad USB input module

XLR and SPDIF input modules

extra analog outputs

MSB’s Reference DAC is just one step below the Select DAC when it comes to performance. However, when tricked out, it produces a sound that is virtually indistinguishable from the Select model.

The MSB Reference DAC includes:

optical/coaxial input module

base output module

Femto 140 clock

dual powerbase

stock colors: silver and black (custom colors available with extended manufacturing time and custom color charge)

The MSB Reference DAC upgrade options are the same as on the Select

At a base price of half the cost of the Reference DAC, the Premiere DAC easily outperforms everything in between. The numerous upgrade options and input/output upgrades bring it even closer to the Reference DAC.

The Discrete DAC, the successor and highly improved replacement to the now-famous Analog DAC is the MSB DAC that everyone has been waiting for. With two prime DACs, the MSB Discrete yields an unprecedented level of detail that reproduces the musicality, soundstage and texture of an original performance, bringing the artist to you. The fully-balanced, ultra-high precision, discrete ladder DAC architecture ensures that each note tells a story. In addition, the robust in-house design enables the finest quality playback of PCM and native DSD, while its low impedance circuitry drives your amplification directly without adding coloration or buffering noise. The end result is a digital experience that defies all expectations.

There isn’t a DAC made that doesn’t benefit from a great analog preamplifier.

The Stellar Gain Cell DAC combines the benefits of both a full-featured DAC, with an exceptional analog preamplifier controlling its output level. Fully balanced circuitry from input to output, the Stellar Gain Cell DAC is built on years of research and innovation in the art of digital audio and Class A analog amplification. Together, or separately, they create an extraordinarily rich, full-bodied musical experience few standalone products can match.

Stellar Gain Cell DAC is the perfect foundation for those unwilling to compromise sound quality. It is rich, lush, and powerful and is a music lover’s answer to spiraling cost-no-object equipment without sacrifice. It is a worthy companion to the amazing Stellar S300 300-watt per channel power amp.

Until I heard the zero Uno digital Preamplifier I really didn’t appreciate what tubes could do for a DAC.

This might’ve been because I almost always run the DAC into a preamplifier -Generally a tube one cancel the benefit of valve sound remains. But zero Uno really takes its description as a digital preamplifier quiteseriously and thoroughly claims that it is capable, indeed excels at,Driving any power amplifier. That’s where the tube output stage comes in. It is quite impressive. A step up from the Canever Zero Uno HPA. But if you already have a good tube preamplifier, The HPA version goes along way towards the performance of his big brother

I have to admit that getting the MSB discrete DAC onto my listening floor ruined me for

any other processor  I had in that room all of which by comparison sounded thin and digitally handicapped.

But, to do the MSB correctly was a $13,000 proposition and I needed something at half that price with the same musical qualities. Enter zero Uno HPA DAC /headphone amplifier.I had been saved.

Digititus was gone . It was replaced by rhythmic detailed involving music. If you are looking for a DAC Or Dac Headpone amp under 10k this has got to be the one!

The Weiss 501 is a tour de force of engineering combining as it does a State of the Art DAC, a upnp streamer and DSP  which allows the user to tailor the sound to the acoustics of your listening room.Frequency adjustments and special modes, like Vinyl , make this Swiss Army Knife of a digital component impressive in its flexibility.

However, what is really impressive is the sound WHICH IS RELLY WITHOUT FAULT

As John Atkinson,Editor in Chief at Stereophile at the time, commented:

".Listening
The immediate impression was of extraordinary clarity. This wasn't as if the edges of the objects within the soundstage had been enhanced, as can be done to images with PhotoShop, but as if the pixel count of the image had been increased. It didn't manage this by emphasizing treble detail, but to resort to an audio reviewer cliché, the DAC502 cleaned the window into the recorded soundstage to an impressive extent...

 (U)ltimately, musical enjoyment is what this product is all about. As I write this conclusion, I am listening to Stanford's hauntingly engaging song "The Blue Bird," performed by the Gabrieli Consort directed by Paul McCreesh (from Silence & Music, 16/44.1k FLAC, Signum Classics/Tidal). The interplay between the unaccompanied voices, the bell-like interjections of the high soprano, the setting of all the singers within a supportive chapel acoustic—the Weiss DAC502 made all these aspects clear, in service of the music. Which is what a great audio component should do."STEREOPHILE, Jul 24, 2020

The Helios WEISS'S state of the art D/A converter with an unprecedented level of sophistication and versatility. With the Helios we are creating a new paradigm for what used to be a black box device."It's an 8-channel D/A converter with four DACs per channel," the younger Weiss explained. "The housing is fully anodized aluminum. The 502 that Stereophile reviewed also has four channels, but they're split between the speaker feed and the headphone feed. The Helios has four channels on the left and four on the right. What's most significant, however, is the unit's analog stage, whose new discrete operational amplifiers are of the utmost importance." A typical D/A Converter is a ”set and forget” device. Not so with the Helios. It adds a number of interesting signal processing features and sports a variety of digital inputs. Balanced, unbalanced and headphone outputs are provided. Weiss Engineering has a 30 year history in D/A Converter design. In that time span we have learned a thing or two about converter design. The Helios is the essence of our experiences

Many of the audio formats available today are undergoing a transformational period. By providing digital circuitry that supports advanced, high resolution file formats and the latest DAC environment, this model brings out unprecedented excitement from CDs and SACDs, which are still in an important position as audio media. The D-07X inherits the luxurious styling and oustanding performance our flagship model, the D-10X. This advanced digital media player delivers overwhelming performance. It truly conveys the ambience and feeling of recorded music over a wide range of media, delivering the finest listening experience.

Designed for the true music lover, the C1's apparent simplicity hides highly sophisticated technological solutions with the single goal of recreating the full musical experience. This emotion can only be achieved when both level and time information are properly reconstructed from the digital data. And this is what the C1 is all about...

The C1 is based on a fully modular, future-proof architecture. Up to three inputs boards include standard digital inputs complemented by the proprietary CH-Link interface. Optional streaming audio inputs as well as line-level analog inputs enable the use of the C1 as a full featured preamplifier thanks to its integrated volume control.

A reference grade linear power supply (with <1W power consumption in standby mode), sophisticated mechanical chassis design and full USB based firmware update also contribute the C1's uniqueness, for now and for any future format!