The Chord DAC bandwagon
- Thread starter beammeup
- Start date
John_73
pfm Member
I've had three TT2s in my system over the past couple years, and your description pretty much nails my thoughts on their 'signature', though I wouldn't say brash exactly, but definitely edging towards a lean sound and one I found fatiguing long-term. Try mentioning that over at head-fi though (I made that mistake... talk about a cult!). I'm truly baffled by some that have described it as 'dark' and fuller bodied than the Chord Dave. I found my ideal subjective balance with the original Hugo funnily enough, the one you found you didn't like. Reading between the lines of Chord related threads over the past few years, I think RF is a bit of an issue with some Chord Dacs, causing a brightening of the audible signature, hence the ludicrous prices charged now for audiofoo cables to fix it. In my opinion Dacs at this price level should have all that sorted without recourse to RF reducing cables etc. I do sometimes miss the uncanny 'inner detail' of the TT2, but I'm happier with my current Dac overall, album to album.
camverton
pfm Member
I don’t think Chord DACs are bright so much as as highly revealing. All that detail can sound brash when used with some speakers I have owned but not at all with my current speakers. They can at times be a bit too revealing of poor recordings as well. A case of the cleaner the window the more you can see through it, which isn’t always a good thing!
Whizzy
pfm Member
Think I tend to agree with John-73s comment above that the over brightness is likely to be the result of RFI, something that's been debated on the WAM. If that is the case then the sound could be very dependant on sources of RFI, such as solar panel installations in the locality. My current DAC gives nothing away in terms of detail but suffers none of the Chords brashness. If RFI is indeed the issue then it would explain why we have such different experiences when using Chord DACs.
camverton
pfm Member
All I can say is that I don’t suffer “brightness” or “harshness” using a TT2 into German Physiks speakers with an MBL amp. I have had slight problems in the past with a 2Qute Dac into ML Electrocutions (among others) with other amps. I suspect, but obviously cannot be sure, that some combinations of equipment may require a softer approach. In my room the German Physiks are better at resolving detail than the Martin Logans; not that they are in any way bad!
As ever, it is a case of finding what works well together to give a result that is to our individual preference.
Generally speaking I find that with Chord DACs I just get on with listening to the music, whereas with other DACs I am forever thinking that something isn’t quite right. Mind you, my “isn’t quite right” may well be someone else’s just right - and that’s what makes it interesting and worth sharing experiences.
As ever, it is a case of finding what works well together to give a result that is to our individual preference.
Generally speaking I find that with Chord DACs I just get on with listening to the music, whereas with other DACs I am forever thinking that something isn’t quite right. Mind you, my “isn’t quite right” may well be someone else’s just right - and that’s what makes it interesting and worth sharing experiences.
Mike Hughes
pfm Member
I have given my TT2 lots of opportunities to behave badly in the face of RFI but it just won’t damn it. The TT2 is one of those components which expose what’s going on up stream. If you’re getting brash and looking at the TT2 then you’re definitely looking at the wrong component.
John_73
pfm Member
I'm going by my own experiences, plus the 'reading between the lines' of user comments over at head-fi over the past 6 years.
John_73
pfm Member
Yes heard this many times before, the usual excuses - the rest of the gear is to blame... With a £4k Dac I'd expect sonic perfection even driven from the digital output of a cheap DAP.
Whizzy
pfm Member
Even highly regarded individual pieces of hifi don't always work well together and just because Chord DACs work well in some set-ups does not mean that other equipment is to blame where the sound is less that desirable. My experiences were obtained using both an Innuos Zenith MK3 and a Musical Fidelity Encore as a source, both of which I consider to be worthy bits of kit.
badger748
Former bacon enthusiast
I think you forgot to add “in my opinion”.
Opinions are like....
Warszawa
pfm Member
The only comments I’ve seen relate to the MScaler and its need for expensive cables made from magnets and hosepipe.
How a DAC will sound is system dependant. I found the TT2 to be fatter and more organic sounding than the TT. Others have found the opposite. Go figure.
Horses for courses. I like the sound of Chord DACs, others don’t. Of course, when a brand is this popular those people declare them over rated.
camverton
pfm Member
erm, Did you not also forget to add “in my opinion”?
camverton
pfm Member
There is a British tendency to decry anything successful!
I think that certain brands do acquire reputations for certain sound signatures and Chord have long had a reputation for sounding “bright”. Maybe it is less a question of Chord sounding bright as some other makes sounding “warm” due perhaps to slightly smeared detail? Sitting here listening to music that has been converted from digits to an analogue waveform by a Chord DAC, with a speaker that doesn’t have a cabinet as such for frequencies above 190 Hz, I am hearing a very neutral presentation with exquisite detail but not a hint of harshness or brightness.
I also wonder if opinions of Chord DACs vary according to type of music and recordings listened to? Over compressed pop and rock might be a bit much with a revealing DAC, as can early CDs of classical music.
badger748
Former bacon enthusiast
Haha!erm, Did you not also forget to add “in my opinion”?
Yeah apologies, I was too busy opining my onion opinions during cooking. The chilli was neither harsh nor bright either.
Purité Audio
Trade: Purite Audio
Chord make extremely fine measuring oversampling designs which will be audibly transparent just like every other fine measuring contemporary oversampling design.
Keith
Keith
Agreed. The mysterious diffrences reported here are overwhelmingly likely to be products of imagination.