92%
Chord Electronics DAVE
DAVE is the most advanced DAC we have ever made. It features the very best conversion technology available, using proprietary techniques never seen before, making DAVE the most advanced DAC/preamp amplifier in the world. DAVE stands for ‘Digital to Analogue Veritas in Extremis’, a moniker that best reflects the product’s capability; a device so advanced and with so few compromises, that it is truthful in the extreme.
DAVE, which is also a reference-level headphone amplifier and digital preamp, distils over twenty years of Chord Electronics’ research, development and advanced engineering into one device. At its heart lies the advanced Spartan 6 Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) with 1,000x the processing power of a traditional mass-produced chip DAC. DAVE’s FPGA is loaded with over a million lines of code to confront complex timing issues head-on, with speed and precision.
The FPGA’s extraordinary capability enables a number of key sonic benefits, including significantly improved timing and the best noise-shaper performance of any known DAC. DAVE’s technology delivers music with unmatched reality and musicality, with an unrivalled timing response. The device’s lossless digital volume control outputs the signal direct to your power amplifier for the purest experience.
DAVE has a large LC display, showing input, sample frequency, volume and set-up configurations options, within our famous porthole design. On its fascia, DAVE also features a rotary encoder with a large stainless steel controller and ball buttons, enabling direct interactivity in addition to the supplied remote control.
‘Plays with Audirvāna’ hardware products are certified to play music from Audirvāna software over USB or network with the best level of integration and audio performance.
Other accessories & custom options
Precision machined from a solid block of aircraft grade aluminium, a work of art on its own, the Ensemble Stand is irrefutably the most satisfying way to display your Choral system components or stack.
Frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHz flat within +/-0.1dB (HF filter off)
Tap length filter: 164,000
THD + N: 127.5dB (AWT)
Channel separation: >125dB @ 1KHz
Dynamic range: 127.5dB (AWT)
Sample frequencies: 44.1Khz – 768Khz (16 – 32bit) and DSD64 to DSD512 native DSD + DoP (input dependant)
Digital inputs:
4x 75Ω S/PDIF BNC Coax – 44.1kHz to 384kHz
1x AES XLR – 44.1kHz to 96kHz
2x Fibre Optic TOSLINK – 44.1kHz to 96kHz
1x USB Type B – 44.1kHz to 768kHz (16 – 32bit) – PCM and DSD
Analogue outputs:
1x Stereo Pair of Unbalanced RCA
1x Stereo Pair of Balanced XLR
1x ¼” TRS Jack Headphone Output
Key Features
164k tap FPGA DAC
768kHz Type B USB Input
4x 768kHz BNC Coax Inputs
2x 96kHz AES/EBU Inputs
2x 96kHz Optical Inputs
Expandable DXO Inputs
1x Unbalanced RCA Outputs
1x Balanced XLR Outputs
1x ¼" Headphone Output
Supports 800Ω Headphones
Configurable Crossfeed
Standalone Preamp Function
Galvanically Isolated USB
Supports up to 768kHz
Native DSD Supported
DSD 512 (8x) Capable
Solid Aluminium Chassis
Roon tested
Included Accessories
DAVE Quickstart guide
Safety instructions
10A Mains IEC cable
IR Remote control
Type-A USB to Type-B USB cable
Optical cable
2x AAA batteries
WATT RECOMMENDS
Save your favorites. Compare them anytime.
Create a free HiFi Hub account to save products to your Wishlist and compare your favorites side by side.
Professional Reviews 92/100
Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
93/100
Build Quality
92/100
Features Connectivity
90/100
Value for Money
89/100
With reference-grade transparency and explosive timing, the DAVE presents music with uncanny naturalness, wide-open staging, and a pitch-black background. The Ear, Soundnews, and Pursuit Perfect System all praise its clarity, dynamics, and precision. Its robust FPGA architecture and flexible DAC, preamp, and headphone roles make it a formidable centerpiece for resolving systems.
What Reviewers Are Saying
Pros
Exceptionally transparent and natural, with detail that stays balanced rather than clinical.
Outstanding speed, transient accuracy, and dynamic drive across complex music.
Creates a spacious, highly layered soundstage with strong imaging and separation.
Impressively versatile, doubling as a serious DAC, preamp, and headphone amplifier.
&
Cons
Its headphone output can sound a bit forward and lean, especially with demanding headphones.
The remote control is basic and less luxurious than the rest of the unit.
The high-end price and need for an equally capable system mean it is not an easy fit for every setup.
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 93/100
Reviewers consistently describe DAVE as exceptionally transparent, natural, and highly engaging, with a presentation that gets out of the way and lets the music flow. Across the reviews, it is praised for its openness, realism, and the way it makes instruments and voices sound lucid rather than processed.
Tonal Balance and Musicality
93/100
Reviewers repeatedly call the presentation natural, balanced, and unforced, with one noting that it is 'neither overly analytical' and another saying it presents music 'as it should be heard.' The sound is described as vivid and engaging without adding obvious warmth or glare, which gives it a convincing sense of musical ease.
Resolution and Detail
94/100
The reviews are full of detail-focused praise: 'outstanding clarity and resolution,' 'almost no loss of detail,' and layers that are 'broken clearly and cleanly.' One reviewer says DAVE reveals extra detail without becoming aggressive or clinical, which points to very high resolution that stays listenable.
Digital Performance
93/100
Reviewers emphasize speed, timing, transient clarity, and realism, with comments about the music sounding like it is 'played back in real time' and about very strong dynamic control. They also praise its advanced filtering and the way it avoids sounding overtly digital, though the reviews stop short of repeated 'black background' type language.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
92/100
The chassis earns strong praise across the board: 'highest quality standards,' 'absurdly thick aluminum plates,' 'perfectly milled aluminium constructions,' and 'machined from aircraft grade aluminium.' The reviews focus mostly on the premium enclosure and solid feel rather than internal parts, but the construction itself is clearly top-tier.
Features Connectivity
90/100
DAVE is unusually well equipped for a reference DAC, with multiple BNC coax inputs, two optical inputs, AES/XLR, USB, dual-data mode, PCM up to 768 kHz, DSD support over USB, and variable output for preamp use. It also doubles as a headphone amp, and the front-panel controls make it more versatile than a minimalist statement DAC.
Value for Money
89/100
Despite its very high price, reviewers still frame it as good value because it combines a world-class DAC with a serious preamp and headphone amplifier. The value praise is positive and explicit, though it is clearly aimed at buyers in the ultra-high-end segment rather than suggesting bargain pricing.
Reviews
Online Reviews & Mentions
YouTube Reviews
Forum Mentions
No forum mentions found yet
Verified Dealers
Online Dealers
All Dealers
Zoom out the map to see more dealers
Authorized dealers for Chord Electronics DAVE
- Absoulute Audio plus Video — in-store — Aiken, South Carolina, United States (website)
- In Living Stereo — in-store — New York City, New York, United States (website)
- The Music Room — online and in-store — Erie, Colorado, United States (website)
- 110Hz — online and in-store — Kielce, Województwo świętokrzyskie, Poland (website)
- Accent On Music — in-store — Mount Kisco, New York, United States (website)
- Acoustic Designs Inc. — in-store — Scottsdale, Arizona, United States (website)
- Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
- Acoustic Streams — in-store — Lower Drift, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Acoustica — online and in-store — Chester, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Ajasom — in-store — Amadora, Lisboa, Portugal (website)
and 200 more verified dealers