With the latest energy standards, the legendary Japanese brand Luxman was in danger of no longer seeing its Class A amplifiers pass the test benches. So it went ahead and redesigned the architecture of its Class AB products, to get as close as possible to the sound usually produced by Class A amplifiers. The result is the Lifes 1.0 feedback circuit, new to the new Luxman L507Z amplifier, the false successor to the L507MkII and the brand’s new flagship integrated amplifier, alongside the L509X. On this occasion, we had the exclusive opportunity to test one of the first units to be delivered in Europe.
On the eve of its 100th anniversary, expected in 2025, Luxman is once again carrying out an in-depth review of its technologies to better adapt to the problems of today’s world. And while the brand has been able to create some of the finest amplifiers for almost a century (from the famous tube models to those based on class AB transistors), it is now having to rethink the design of its products, in order to remove from its catalogue class A transistor amplifiers, which are too energy-hungry and whose consumption is no longer acceptable by many standards (including European ones), which are becoming more and more drastic year after year, as the ecological crisis makes itself felt more and more.
We therefore regret the sumptuous L-590AXII, one of today’s best Class A amplifiers, with a warmth that is typical of this technology, for a power of 2 x 30 W under 8 ohms that is already very comfortable with many loudspeakers. We also regret the L507MkII integrated amplifier, a 2 x 110 W class AB amplifier priced at €6,590, from which the Luxman L507Z takes its base, but with almost all the improvements, resulting in a new price almost 3,000 higher, at €9,490.
Closer to the 2 x 120W class AB L-509X (launched at €9,690 and now at €10,690), the Luxman L507Z, like all Luxman amplifiers, uses a high-inertia power supply circuit, consisting of a large-capacity, highly regulated EI power transformer, combined with eight times 10,000μF filter capacitors, twice as many as the L507MkII and as many as the L509X. The high level of instantaneous current supplied provides great stability, which is reflected in the final sound. The preamplifier section, and in particular the volume control, incorporates the latest developments in patented LECUA1000 (Luxman Electronically Controlled Ultimate Attenuator) technology, derived directly from the C-900u stand-alone preamplifier and already installed on the L509X. This computerised attenuator, whose 3D-printed board is integrated into the amplification circuit, allows volume to be adjusted in 88 steps, This not only improves the finesse of signal processing as the volume is lowered, but is also more resistant to vibration, making it more robust than previous versions.
New LIFES 1.0 feedback circuit
In addition to this new design, which has been revised to direct the signal via the shortest possible route, with non-angular layout of the printed circuit boards to optimise current flow and limit loops and ground impedance effects, the L507Z’s special feature is above all its amplified feedback circuit. Once again completely redesigned, despite the latest generation ONDF 4.0 (Only Distortion Negative Feedback) further reworked in 2018 for the L509X, this circuit is now called LIFES 1.0 (Luxman Integrated Feedback Engine System). Recently launched on the M-10X power amplifier, its design is based on that tried and tested for more than twenty years up to the last generation, based on three stages, a parallel stage and a stage equipped with Darlington (a combination of two bipolar transistors which enables the gain to be increased tenfold), then a three-stage Darlington circuit combined with a four-parallel push-pull structure for the output stage. Based on this principle, the structure has been further revised to reduce the number of elements connected in parallel and halve the distortion of the amplification stage, while redesigning the output stage on a three-stage Darlington push-pull configuration with triple parallelism, the latter level ultimately closer to that of the L590AXII in pure class A than the more recent L509X in class AB. The loudspeaker relays have also been reworked, configured in parallel and with low resistance. They improve the damping factor, which is also helped by the OFC cabling, which has been shortened and is now even more direct to the speaker terminals.
Change with continuity
Compared with previous chassis, the L507Z chassis is even more robust thanks to its internal architecture, and allows you to play the game of seven errors with regard to its external design, but with one glaring difference: there are no longer six small front-panel selectors as on all other current models, but only four. Speaker management, which lets you choose an A, B, none or both pairs at the same time, is retained, as are bass, treble and balance management. On the other hand, Rec Out has disappeared, while MM or MC cells can now be selected with a single button, if you wish to use the amplifier’s standard phono preamp.
In addition to the two large left and right selectors, used respectively to manage source inputs and volume as always, the VU meters return to the white backlighting of the L509X, where previously the Class A models were yellow-lit and the Class AB models blue-lit. The light grey aluminium chassis, the only colour available and a Luxman reference, is grafted onto the bonnet with the two long plastic grilles familiar from the L590AXII, rather than the new cut-out metal model from the L509X, whose four cast-iron support feet the L507Z nevertheless uses.
There are also two headphone sockets on the front panel, a standard 6.3 mm one and a brand new 4.4 mm one with independent left and right cabling for improved separation of the two channels.
As for the rear panel, it still offers a plethora of connections, through which up to seven sources can be integrated in addition to two pairs of loudspeakers, including four RCA sources with wider (20 mm) copper-brass alloy terminals for input 1, classic (18 mm) and pure copper terminals for RCA Line-2, 3 & 4. Alongside these are a pair of grounded RCA phono terminals and two balanced XLR inputs. A Pre Out output allows you to take advantage of only the preamplifier part, while a Main In input allows you to integrate only the amplifier part of the device, complemented by 12 V/0.1A Trigger inputs and outputs, if you want to switch on several devices at the same time.
As standard (« De série »), the RA-17A remote control model allows you to select inputs and control volume remotely, in addition to a number of sound parameters and, if the amplifier is connected to a Luxman CD or SACD player, the latter’s basic functions.
The set up
The Luxman L507Z was tested on a system that usually houses a pure Class A Japanese integrated amplifier from a competing brand, and immediately found its place. It was connected to numerous pairs of speakers, compared on its phono preamp to a Vida Prima and a Gold Note PH-10, on the headphone inputs to a Sugden Masterclass HA-4 and, of course, allowed us to integrate sources via both its balanced and unbalanced inputs, with, as always for this type of product, greater musical gain when connected to XLRs. The loudspeaker terminal blocks prefer to use forks, although we also connected banana plugs on several occasions. Finally, moving the amplifier around on several shelves and using it during our Solidsteel cabinet test enabled us to check the resistance of its feet to various supports.
The sound of the Luxman L507Z
Luxman is one of the finest names in hi-fi, with an immediate sonic signature that is even more clearly defined in the L507Z than in previous Class AB models. Thanks to its new feedback circuit design, and the tried and tested LECUA amplification and volume management circuits, this new integrated amplifier boasts a level of sonic purity and finesse that has rarely been achieved. More ductile than an Accuphase integrated, even in class A, the Luxman L507Z manages to recapture the silkiness of the L590AXII, while benefiting from a directness of attack closer to the brand’s class ABs. The warmth of Class A may not be 100%, but it’s much more apparent than on the above models, and the roundness is always present, making for a very pleasant listening experience, free to carry the listener along for several hours without any feeling of fatigue.
On rock tracks, the L507Z develops both power and dynamics, while retaining a real flexibility that is even more audible when listening to natural music such as classical, jazz or blues. For the latter, the quality of the soundstage is always ample, as is the beauty of the timbre, benefiting not only the instruments, but even more so the voices, with that special grain and a very analogue feel, even when using a streamer as a source. The particularly classy white backlighting of the volume meters, between which the volume level is now displayed in red, allows them to evolve at will, to the delight of the eyes and above all the ears, from -80dB to a red zone of 0 to 3dB and more, which we didn’t venture into, out of respect for our neighbours as well as our loudspeakers.
Tested with a mid-range MC cell, the integrated phono preamp outperforms many entry-level and mid-range stand-alone preamps, without reaching the level of openness of our two models costing over a thousand euros, while the headphone outputs are everything but relegated to the background, and can compete with top-of-the-range stand-alone headphone amps, thanks to the fact that their amplification circuits are directly derived from those for loudspeakers.
Our conclusion
With the new Luxman L507Z, the brand shows that its engineers have lost none of their ability to challenge the most tried-and-tested technologies in order to improve their models time and time again. With its new Life 1.0 feedback circuit, the new class AB integrated amplifier achieves the feat of getting as close as possible to the usual class A sounds. In addition to the roundness of the sound, the precision of the details and the absence of noise take the listener into spheres of rare splendour, with the added advantage of relatively low energy consumption and a device that doesn’t heat up much. All this comes at a price, of course, but while the €9,490 you have to pay to enter this world is a hefty sum, it’s well worth it for the musical experience you’ll have afterwards!
Canadian loudspeaker manufacturer Totem also has a number of accessories in its catalogue, including the TOTEM Tress, priced at €29 per metre. Despite the low price, the simple design using quality materials produces a sound that is far better than expected across the entire frequency range of the sound spectrum.
High fidelity doesn’t always have to cost an arm and a leg, as long as the technologies used by manufacturers are simple and the materials well chosen. This is how the cable from the famous Totem Acoustic loudspeaker brand is produced, consisting of a black and white twisted pair with silver-plated 1.8 mm² linearised OFC copper conductors. A Teflon dielectric shield makes the cable rustproof and limits interference. This composition, combined with the Totem Tress’ thinness and flexibility, makes it effective over long distances, adaptable as required, and can also be incorporated into a wall to make it even more discreet. Finished with bare wires, it can easily be integrated with forks or banana plugs, like the Viborg fitted to our test model, for a few more euros only.
The sound of the Totem tress
Compared to our benchmark models, some of which cost more than twenty times as much, the Totem Tress doesn’t show the same balance or, above all, the same suppression of background noise, but what it does over the entire audible frequency range is spectacular. The bass is round, the treble taut and very well timbred, while the midrange breathes with a range of nuances that are very well reproduced. Strings and vocals are revealed with realism, while the spatialization is beautifully full, with the cable’s ability to be forgotten so quickly as it doesn’t try to make its mark with extra luminosity or a particular emphasis on one part of the spectrum.
It makes all types of music simpler and better, from jazz and rock to electro and classical, with real definition of the various elements and layers. On a mid-range system, the Totem Tress already manages to render the elements as precisely as possible, whereas on a large system it only lets itself be surpassed in the extreme bass, which is less controlled. Despite this remark, this basic cable is enough to make a significant contribution to a well-composed high-fidelity system, where all the details provided by even very precise sources will come through with precision.
Our conclusion
It’s not every day that you find such an inexpensive product capable of challenging much more expensive cables. Connected to Viborg banana plugs, which are more practical than connecting bare wires to the terminal blocks of amplifiers and speakers, the Totem Tress succeeds in developing a very fine sound across the entire spectrum, maintaining nuanced timbres and an open, liberated soundstage. Like many of the speakers from this Quebec-based brand, this product is a great success!
A young South Korean brand discovered through its network servers, HiFi ROSE is launching its HIFI ROSE RA180 integrated amplifier, whose two main features – using class AD and enabling bi-amplification – provide real added value, as well as delivering considerable power to speakers, while creating a smooth, airy sound.
Among the most innovative manufacturers of the moment, HiFi ROSE stands out thanks to its network players, whose main distinguishing feature from the competition is their complementary nature, in particular the addition of HDMI inputs and the integration of YouTube, enabling the audio player to be linked to a video system. The brand’s engineers are now taking the same approach to amplification, with the idea of drawing on the best of all existing technologies to create a highly versatile device. And so the HIFI ROSE RA180 was born.
Class AD and bi-amplification
Starting out as a simple integrated amplifier, without a DAC, where we might have expected a full digital function from a specialist in the field such as HiFi ROSE, the RA180 develops a digital approach to amplification via class D, while using a hybrid mode to create a class AD, whose warm sound brings us much closer to the sonic atmospheres of class A than of class D. To achieve this, the main innovation is the use of gallium nitride (GaN) FETs, which have a dead time ten times lower than that of conventional FET semiconductors and therefore offer a much faster switching speed, with the result of developing the linearity of Class D to higher levels than those usually found. You therefore benefit from the linear power, speed and extremely low distortion associated with this digital class, combined with many Class A components.
The power supply is provided by Silicon FETs (SiC) implemented on a proprietary PFC circuit whose processing offers a damping factor close to 200 and an available output power of over 1,000 W.
In addition to these technologies, the RA180 also stands out for its structure, made up of four independent amplifier modules, which not only allow bi-amplification on two pairs of speakers (since there are two stages of eight terminals at the rear of the unit), but also take advantage of a BTL (Bridge Tied Load) mode, which creates a bridge to link the loads and then multiplies the supply voltage power by four. With this technology, the power of 200 W under 4 and 8 ohms for four channels is increased to 400 W for two channels. With an unrestricted frequency range, much higher than that supposed to be audible to humans, particularly in the high frequencies where it peaks at 90 kHz (compared with 20 kHz audible), the HiFi ROSE is ideal for adding a pair of super-tweeter speakers to your loudspeakers, like the Townshends covered in the previous issue (see VUmètre No. 41).
Old-modern design
Even more so in real life than in photographs, the ROSE RA180 looks like a big toy straight out of the great hi-fi years of the last half-century. It’s impossible not to mention the Nagra reference, particularly in the vumeters, but beyond this influence, the amplifier displays its own personality as well as a genuine quest for ergonomics. From right to left, multiple buttons and selectors enable standby, the choice of speakers A or B to use the high or low line of terminals, a pure direct switch, and the possibility of using a subsonic filter or an attenuator. Then a large knob, made of aluminium like the rest of the front panel, is used to vary the volume using a set of interlocking notched circles, the level of which is reflected on a graduated bar just above.
Two illuminated meters on a yellow background mark the end of the right half of the unit, which is still very busy on the left to adapt the type of sound desired. In addition to different levels of gain and frequencies on the RIAA curve when using the internal phono preamp, an active filter limits low frequencies in order to improve high frequencies and therefore produce a finer sound. Then the preamplifier section offers something rarely found on European products and almost always on Asian amplifiers: balance, treble and bass management. A final selector on the far left allows you to choose the input, which is of course connected to the rear panel: three pairs of RCA sockets, a pair of XLR sockets and a pair of RCA phono sockets.
Supported by three large, vibration-resistant aluminium feet, the RA180’s interior is topped by an attractive nameplate that adds to the retro style, and bears the name of the device as well as its main feature: the use of gallium nitride. The rear uses a Furutech mains connection and offers two grounds for connecting both the amplifier to earth and to the ground of a turntable. In addition to the five pairs of analogue inputs mentioned above, the amplifier’s most impressive feature is the four blocks of four terminals which, when BTL mode is activated, deliver an extraordinary sound by combining four mono amplifiers linked in pairs.
The set up
Weighing in at a hefty 16.7 kg, the ROSE RA180 cannot be placed on just any stand, and we recommend that you use a quality hi-fi cabinet to support it. It is easily connected to the mains, to sources – including a vinyl turntable – and to speakers. This last part is where its real specificity lies, because while conventional connection of the left and right speakers is perfectly possible, it is ultimately rendered obsolete by the BTL bridged mode, which consists of connecting both sides of each speaker to the right terminal block of each of the eight pairs. So, the already comfortable power of 2 x 200 W in the case of classic stereo use, or 4 x 200 W in the case of a four-speaker system, peaks at 2 x 400 W in BTL mode and greatly modifies the sound, even with loudspeakers, without the need for a large power load.
As well as trying out this mode at our leisure with several models, our tests also focused on the bi-amplification of two- and three-way speakers. However, we had already returned the super-tweeters tested in the previous magazine and were unable to retrieve them to measure the amplifier’s capabilities in the extreme high register to the maximum, which would have been all the more exciting to check as they are particularly well suited to the Zu loudspeakers in our possession.
Mainly connected to digital sources, the ROSE was also compared on its phono input to stand-alone preamps, themselves connected to our Linn LP12 turntable and to the Vertere MG-1 MkII, also tested in this issue.
The sound of the HIFI ROSE RA180
The scent of ROSE is what immediately springs to mind when listening to this amplifier, whose sound seems to permeate the room like incense. With a conventional connection, what strikes you immediately is the smoothness and naturalness of the amplification. If you didn’t know better, the HIFI ROSE RA180 could be perceived as a pure Class A product rather than a Class AD hybrid. Vigorous, the energy provided is never violent, but just comfortable enough to energise a large number of loudspeakers, even very demanding ones. Warm, the timbres emerge with clarity across the entire spectrum through a very airy soundstage, wider than it is deep, but with a well-balanced overall breadth, with no disparity in treatment between the different elements.
In BTL mode, all the aforementioned components gain even more, and the warmth described above becomes thicker, while the soundstage seems to gain even more space, the power now at 400 W per channel allowing a real gain in attacks, initially round and now more clearly defined. The typicality of the sound doesn’t change, but everything opens up and improves to move this amplifier into another category, from which the competition initially found in stereo mode in this price range now seems to be moving away with the addition of the BTL. The same is true of the internal phono preamp, which is widely competitive with products priced at around €1,000, and against which we had to connect the Aurorasound Vida MkII preamp – priced almost the same as the amplifier – to truly surpass the phono quality of the RA180.
In the case of bi-amplification, the sound attracts in the same way as in BTL mode, and with a two-way loudspeaker, the difference between these two types of connection didn’t seem so glaring to us, since BTL already contributes so much compared to the classic stereo connection. On the other hand, on a very top-of-the-range three-way speaker, the high-frequency range was further extended and, at the same time, the whole quality of the image was refined, not only in the purity of the timbre, but also in the depth of its definition.
Our conclusion
The HiFi ROSE RA180 is attractive not only for its looks and modularity, but also for its class AD sound, which has nothing to envy to the warmth of many class AB or even class A amplifiers. Warm and powerful, with already very high levels of noise reduction and damping factor, it displays all its superb qualities when used in BTL mode, where a single pair of speakers is carried away with almost no limit to the width of its frequency band and the breadth of its dynamics.
Having succeeded in breaking into high-fidelity with innovative sources, HiFi ROSE is continuing its pioneering work with amplification, giving pride of place to digital technology. So far, so good!
After attending the High End trade show in Munich, Accuphase’s management team headed for Paris, where they visited Music Hall, one of the most important resellers for the company in France. On this occasion, we had the privilege of meeting one of the brand’s founders, Jim S. Saito, surrounded by his team of engineers and sales staff.
Could you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
Jim Saito: I’m one of the founders of Accuphase. I have been with the company since the very beginning. Several decades ago, there was a boom in hi-fi and many manufacturers appeared. Some of the big names remained, like Sony or Marantz, but these brands needed to sell a lot for a lot of people. For our part, we felt the need to manufacture very high-end products. So we created Kensonic and then Accuphase, and fifty years on, our philosophy is still the same.
Mark Suzuki: I’m the President of Accuphase, that I joined in 1981. As soon as I arrived, I started rethinking many products, and then designed our first CD player and converter, the DP-801 and DC-801.
Takaya Inokuma: Director of Engineering, I’m committed to the idea that we must continue to focus our production on quality and durability. We make sure that each of our products lasts as long as possible, and that if one of them breaks down, it’s as easy as possible to repair.
Tatsuki Tozuka: I’m in charge of international marketing, with a particular focus on the European market. I worked previously for Esoteric and joined Accuphase in 2009. I really like the way the company works, and I particularly appreciate the European market
Kohei Nishigawa: I’m also in charge of international marketing, but I’m more focused on the Asian and American markets. It’s very interesting for me to come to Europe to see the differences with other markets.
Let’s start with this point. How do you feel the European market differs from other markets?
T. T.: With its musical culture and hi-fi history, the European market is very stable. Europe is the cradle of classical music, and most people know very early what music is and how to listen to it. It is a very mature market, in every sense of the word.
K. N.: The Asian market is much younger, but it is growing very fast and it is much harder to keep up with. It is both very active, and at the same time sometimes based on fads that only last a few years or even a few months.
So, in Acccuphase’s wide range of amplifiers and sources, are you thinking of certain markets in particular to develop some of your products?
J. S.: We can define a global typicity in sound according to certain origins: there is an American sound, a French sound or a Japanese sound. But from that point on, we manufacture all products for all markets, the differences being then sometimes visible in the attractiveness of one reference rather than another in a given market. For example, France and Europe in general are very fond of integrated amplifiers, while other parts of the world, when they think of Accuphase, think of separate components.
Of course, you come to mind whenever the big high-fidelity brands are mentioned. How do you think about always maintaining this level for over 50 years?
T. S.: Our philosophy is always to challenge and develop our technologies to stay at the top of our game, and always improve our products. The main focus is on quality, then we think about developments, new product types or introducing certain innovations, but above all, we want to maintain quality. If a technology is very good for sound, but too unreliable to be sure that our products can cope with it for decades, we won’t integrate it.
M. S.: Not only are we careful to maintain the quality of our products at a very high level, but also that of the company and its employees.
You mentioned markets that are growing very fast, even though Accuphase has maintained almost constant production for many years. Do you intend to maintain this strategy in the future?
J. S.: We’re still manufacturing around 5,000 products a year, and the idea is to remain stable, with the main objective already given earlier: to maintain our level of quality. There would be a major risk in recruiting on a massive scale, training a lot of people and using more lines to ramp up production. Our primary objective is customer satisfaction. That’s why we are not thinking of expanding production, to ensure that our products remain reliable.
When you introduced yourself, you mentioned the ease with which you can modify parts if there is a problem. Is this also part of an ecological approach?
T. I.: The first approach was only to the quality of the products, simply to ensure that they never break down. But if they never break down, it avoids having to change and transport parts, so it becomes kind of ecological.
Today, there is a more in-depth reflection on ecology, particularly in Europe, which is becoming increasingly strict and should make us rethink the consumption of our class A amplifiers. We are thinking about new solutions, but also about maintaining class A until we find other techniques to achieve the same sound quality. Admittedly, these devices consume more power than class AB or class D amplifiers, but an amplifier remains a pleasure product that is only switched on at certain times to enjoy the music.
Analyzing your catalog, you have just released a new preamplifier called C-2300, which replaces not only the C-2150, but also the C-2450. You’ve also discontinued the DC-37 stand-alone DAC, without replacing it with an expected DC-47. Can you describe your product strategy in more detail?
M. S.: We have six models of integrated amplifiers, including two in class A. With the recent move upmarket to the E-800 and E-5000, these integrated amplifiers are partly replacing the separate entry-level units, so we are reducing the number of models while also moving upmarket. Today, an E-800 goes further than a C-2150 preamplifier and is more powerful than an A-48 power amplifier, in addition to being in a single box, which avoids cables between devices and also limits production costs, thus improving the quality-musicality-price ratio.
As for the DAC, we had fewer and fewer requests, so after some thought, we decided not to renew the DC-37. Our DACs can now be found on DC-60 cards and in our CD and SACD players. This is what customers turn to when they want an Accuphase digital source.
This must be a recurring question, but it is becoming all the more burning because at Munich, we saw Luxman present a N-07T network transport. Do you think you will soon be entering this market, where you have been awaited for years?
T. I.: For the moment, we are not doing streamers, because things have evolved enormously in this field over the last few years, and still depend too much on chips and software that change too quickly. In our opinion, there is a latent instability in producing a streamer, as much for the product as for the control app.
Accuphase certainly has to keep an eye on this world, but if you bought our first CD player, you can still use it today and play your CDs on it, so we wouldn’t want to go back on our philosophy by offering a network player that would be obsolete in a few years’ time, or could no longer be controlled by new computers and smartphones. Nobody knows today what will still be available in five years’ time, so for the time being, we prefer that our customers acquire a network transport elsewhere if they wish, and integrate it directly on our DAC cards or on the digital inputs of our CD-SACD players.
In addition to sources and amplifiers, Accuphase manufactures sector conditioners and voice equalizers. How important is it for you to purify the entire musical environment?
T. I.: Over 20 years ago, we created our first stand-alone power supply. We are specialized in hi-fi, but we remain an electronics company. Normally, conditioners are made by cable companies, but we were not always convinced by the products, so we decided to launch our own, in order to control the whole environment around our products. Audiophiles know that the overall environment of a system is very important, so we have to offer them in-house possibilities to make music quality as reliable as possible.
How do you see the future of the hi-fi market worldwide, and in particular its analog side, where you have phono preamplifiers and a cartridge, but no vinyl turntable?
M. S.: Today, streaming is growing very fast, but if you want to enjoy your music to the full and be sure of continuing to do so in a few years’ time, we think you need to use more solid media, such as CDs and vinyl. That’s why we are continuing to make devices to meet these needs, in the belief that they won’t disappear anytime soon.
The best DAC from Chord Electronics, the Chord Dave tops the range with a look that’s still very personal, but an indisputably remarkable musical result, among the finest and most precise available. Thanks to its all-FPGA structure and extremely high-performance noise filters, it extends the soundstage as far as possible and delivers quality detail down to the tiniest levels.
Today, in almost all areas and product ranges of high-fidelity, Chord remains a manufacturer of top-of-the-range electronics whose creator John Franks’ ultimate desire is the most precise possible reproduction of the sound signal. Delegated to one engineer in particular, the DAC department has found in Rob Watts the initiator of great successes such as the Poly, the Hugo and the Mojo, although the man still has a soft spot for his most accomplished product: the Dave. An acronym for ‘Digital to Analogue Veritas in Extremis’, this very top-of-the-range DAC does not deviate from the design devolved to the entire Choral category, which still includes four devices today, since the recent disappearance of the BLU MKII CD transport. In addition to a power amplifier called Étude and a preamplifier called Prima, both of which are dominated by products from the Full Size (including the Pre 2 and Ultima 5 tested in issue no. 41) and Reference lines, a Symphonic phono preamplifier is integrated among the sources with the Dave, a digital-to-analogue converter to which digital preamplifier and headphone amp functions are added.
The Choral Stand fits all the products in the range, allowing them to be positioned vertically or stacked, and, as always at Chord, provides extra stability and improved vibratory effects, thanks to its CNC-machined construction from solid, machined, aircraft-grade aluminium, combined with small rubber elements. Available in polished nickel, matt black or silver, the feet match the converter’s choice of black or silver.
With computers ten times faster than those of the Hugo, the Dave is looking for the ultimate sound with the help of its Xilink Spartan-6 core, which enables programming of an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) with the capacity to process more than a million lines of code, at a speed much faster than that of most converter chips. Its 164,000-point WTA filtering is capable of up to 256 femtoseconds and features 166 proven core DSPs for parallel processing. The noise filter recovers high-resolution data up to 2,048 femtoseconds and converts it to 5 bits, then reprocesses it in a 20-element FPGA, which alone is more powerful than the entire network of the brand’s smallest Hugo 2 DAC. This circuit provides an extremely low noise level for the analogue output stage, as well as very high high-frequency linearity, which drastically limits distortion. A single feedback loop, implemented by two resistors and two polypropylene capacitors, provides the best possible integration of the overall signal path, while a very low-noise power supply plan delivers the purest possible current to the other components.
With its solid, machined, aircraft-grade aluminium chassis and Choral Stand feet, the Dave can be used both as a digital preamplifier and as a pure converter. All modifications are visible through the LCD display recessed inside a porthole in the centre of the unit.
On the right, in addition to a large stainless steel controller for volume control, four cross-shaped ball buttons can be gently pressed to navigate the menu and select the various parameters and inputs on offer. An HF filter can be activated, as can a number of colours on the screen and, above all, a number of sound modes, allowing you to adapt the music to your personal preferences. All these operations are also possible from the remote control, which is very simple, with four cross-shaped buttons in addition to the Menu, Mute and Sleep buttons.
At the rear, a number of connections allow the Chord to be integrated, leaving one surprise: the engineers preferred BNC coaxial to RCA coaxial. This means that you need to use an adaptor for the four inputs of this type if you only have conventional coaxial cables, which are by far the most widespread among hi-fi cable manufacturers, even though professionals and certain brands (Naim, Linn) have long preferred and sometimes still prefer BNC connections. An AES/EBU XLR input, another USB and two Toslink optical inputs are added, as well as four digital outputs, also on BNC sockets. On the far right, the IEC 10A connection is topped by a 0-1 switch to completely deactivate the DAC, which otherwise remains hot unless put to standby using the remote control.
A 6.35 headphone socket on the front further enhances the Dave’s versatility, making it almost completely self-sufficient for desktop listening, where all you have to do is plug in a computer via USB and insert your headphones to enjoy music from the highest spheres.
The set up
Provided you have a BNC cable or an adaptor, or a USB or AES cable, connecting the Dave is then child’s play, especially as it is recommended not to bring hi-fi sector cables that are too bright, but rather simpler elements that avoid any unverified additions to the curves long studied by Rob Watts. In its price range of €10,990, this converter plays in the big league and needs to be associated with a very high-end environment to express itself fully.
We tested it as a DAC and preamp on Accuphase E-600 amplifiers in situ, then cross-checked our listening at Music Hall in Paris on the enormous E-800, while as sources we used a MacBook on Audirvana Studio via USB as well as SACD and network transports from different ranges, including the Aurender N30SA at Music Hall. Two orthoplanar headphones were also used for testing.
The sound of the CHORD Dave
What can you say about a product like this when Chord Electronics talks on its website about the best DAC in the world, a somewhat presumptuous notion when you’ve heard the excellent Nagra, Esoteric, Linn or dCS converters, all based on FPGA architecture, but all still much more expensive than the Dave. If the Dave has no comparable in its brand, either in the Full Size range or in the Reference range, it’s quite simply because Rob Watts believes that, for the moment, he has reached the end of the technological possibilities available, which are themselves already much more powerful than those of the majority of DAC chips. Having reached a level that was deemed highly satisfactory during development, both in terms of measurement calculations and the resulting listening experience, Rob Watts carried out several more months of tests to check that his device could no longer be improved. He is now waiting for even more powerful calculators to try and surpass his product, which is currently a benchmark in terms of maximum distance from background noise and the perception of a black backdrop, allowing the musical image to unfold completely.
So, while competition with other inferior DACs on certain musical tracks sometimes gives only slightly favourable impressions in favour of the Dave, it proves untouchable as soon as you move on to more complex tracks. With a large opera chorus, for example, or simply Bach’s Toccata on organ by the late Simon Preston, who died on 13 May, the clarity and surgical precision of the conversion create some great moments. From the extreme treble, which is never acidified or distorted, to the bass, the depth of which is only limited by the speakers – again, tested in a very broad way thanks to the complementary listening carried out at Music Hall on Sonus Faber Amati Tradition (€30,000) and Wilson Audio SabrinaX (€24,000) – the entire spectrum is particularly stimulated by the contribution of the Dave’s conversion throughout the available dynamic range.
Listening through headphones brings the same levels of background noise reduction and pure sharpness of every detail, particularly well differentiated from each other by the luminosity of the soundstage, for which the relief of the image develops to the point of often allowing the position of musicians or instruments to be drawn out perfectly, particularly with live recordings. Once the headphones are plugged in, the outputs to the amplifier cut out automatically, to the regret of some hi-fi fans who know that the sound heard through headphones can be even better when the same music is played outside in the listening room, but for the benefit of real practicality. As well as being precise and refined, headphone listening is warmed by the quality of the amplification used..
Our conclusion
With its distinctive design, which shouldn’t prevent you from listening to it and comparing it with the larger, often classier models of its competitors, the Chord Dave demonstrates the brand’s expertise in sources and, more particularly, in digital conversion. Produced using the most modern and advanced technologies, the best DAC created by Rob Watts reveals fine, hyper-detailed sonorities, enhanced by a soundstage free of all background noise. For any digital music lover in search of the utmost purity, this product must be checked out, with the real risk of emerging as the one that brings the most benefits to the music.
Author: Vincent Guillemin
Technical sheet: CHORD Dave
Origin: United Kingdom
Price : €12 490 (2025)
Dimensions : 335 78 x 152 mm
Weight : 5 kg
Frequency response : 20 Hz – 20 kHz ; +/- 0,1 dB
Harmonic distortion (THD ) : 0.000015
Signal-to-noise ratio (THD+N): – 127.5 dB
Digital inputs:
4 x SPDIF BNC ; 1 x AES XLR ;
2 x Toslink optical; 1 x USB-B
Analogue outputs: XLR; RCA; 6’35 headphone jack
Audio formats: 44.1 kHz – 768 kHz (16 – 32 bit) and DSD64 to DSD512 native DSD + DoP
