Chord

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.