I guess there are no end of DAC options at all price points. I was particularly interested in the Dave because it seems to be highly regarded and is available through my dealer.
Iâve not heard the Organik, but the old Klimax left me cold, and thatâs putting it politelyâŚ
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The problem is that the Dave dac is very different to the Naim sound. The difficulty is there, to find a better solution but not too different from the Naim signature.
I could be satisfied with linn KDSM upgraded, not DCS, Dave, MSB or Meitner, neither Soulution. But itâs me.
Linn and Naim have a full organic sound, the Dave is lean , but more spacious and detailed. They are very different.
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I liked the Klimax KDSM 3. Could be happy with it.
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Obviously lots of options and just need to do the leg work to see what you like best.
But what could be a bargin is the dCS bartock, as with all the upgrades the rossini and vivaldi have just got, its rumoured that the bartock will soon get a free software upgrade to rossini out going software, that means a much nicer sound and more maps and filters.
This upgrade will put the bartock in a much higher state of tune and getting one now secondhand before this happens could well be a smart move.
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I wouldnât say the Dave is lean far from it, have you heard one at home properly setup
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Only at dealer places. Some reviews point it also, like the recent review by Steve Huff. He compared in his system the Nagra classic dac, Chord Dave and Weiss 501. He liked a lot the Dave but said the sound lacked the full and organic sound of the Weiss.
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I read that review, did he not select it as his DAC in his âperfectâ system ?
I have had a DAVE for a while now it is not lean, itâs a great DAC, try one hooked up to your system it will give you a better idea than reading a review.
I heard it at a dealer place, for me it was enough. But thanks.
As for the reviewer, he has now the Weiss .
You heard it at dealer place, not really the same as a home demo. The thing I take away from Steve Huffâs reviews is that there are many fine DACâs on the market, the DAVE being one of the top tier, and they have a different emphasis. Being different doesnât equate to being worse or better.
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I own a DAVE. It can be lean when compared with those DACs with a fuller, more bloated (organic) soundstage. Itâs pin point sharp which can (again, when compared to the DACs @frenchrooster described in the review) sound lean. I can quite see how the reviewer would describe it in that way. Coming from an nDAC/555 it was like chalk and cheese.
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I didnât said it was better or worse, just not my kind of sound. Heard the Hugo 2 with Aurender, I was not enthusiastic too. It was with an Ear integrated and Sonus Faber speakers.
Of course a home demo is the best, but itâs not possible here. They have only one item and have to keep it for the customers coming.
We have just different ears and tastes, thatâs all.
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Very true FR 
ATB Peter
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Dealer demo or so called online reviews in my opinion is pointless, home demo when spending this kind of cash is essential then one can judge a product.
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You didnât explicitly say better or worse but âleanâ is not exactly a complimentary term for a DAC.
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If you prefer , thin. But it can be a compliment too, as light as a feather, pureâŚThe Dave is very airy and holographic. The Naim doesnât pin points instruments as the Dave. Thereâs lesser separation and clarity. But I prefer its groovy and full sound. Other can describe it fat vs the Dave.
These are my best efforts Glassnaim.
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Much better FR, not the thin bit, Iâm aware of the differences I use a Naim DAC as well as the DAVE.
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Indeed DAVE is full bodied, so indeed some careful matching is required⌠it is also pretty full on to 20 kHz or thereabouts so again careful matching with speakers and room acoustics may be required (certainly in my experience). Some DACs have a gradual high end shelf filter to ease the sound and accentuate âorganicnessâ at the expense of the loss of some presence on some live recordings. Indeed some of the smaller Chord DACs have selectable filters to achieve this.
So itâs a kind of a double edged sword⌠DAVE is fantastically revealing and can be startlingly lifelike into good quality cans (really is remarkable, especially with the m scaler) ⌠but possibly in some speaker systems it could benefit with some media with a high end shelf filter, or a pre with a basic hf filter/tone control. You can do the same with DSP if you do t get hung up on not being bit perfect.
I find DAVE quite useful for checking music masters when producing⌠as you can hear errors quite clearly.
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I think a lot of this also depends on the genre of music that is most important to the listener. I prioritise fidelity to classical instruments above all and found the Dave with or without MScaler lacking in this department, especially where microdynamics and instrumental texture were concerned.
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