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Chord Dave or Ayre QX5 Twenty DAC???

Down to two choices in DAC's, the Chord Dave or the Ayre QX-5 Twenty. Comes down to best sound or versatility and cost. Speakers are Wilson Audio Sasha's and amp is T+A 2500R. Love the versatility of the Ayre but the sound of the Chord Dave is phenomenal, not sure if the Ayre could compare. Not sure if the Chord would still sound as good without spending mass amounts on a power regenerator and power cable. 
musicfx
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
So many don't fully understand how important servers and their connections really are.  That's why it's so hard to do DAC shootouts etc..., plus personally I feel you need to have the DAC's in your system all warmed up for at least a week to tell what you really like.  Cables, as I have said above are so important too.  

Mike, I'll stop by when I head to see my family in Sarasota that first week in April.  I only know of one other store there and it's not as high end as yours.  I have visited a store in Tampa once.  Just not many B&M stores on the west coast of FL.  That Trinity DAC has been one of my favorites for years now. I just can't afford one, lol.  
mikelavigne
2,141 posts
 

ctsooner,

it seems you have your Mike’s mixed up.

i’m Mike Lavigne, live in the Seattle area, and i have the room in a barn listed here on Audiogon. I’m just a listener, not a dealer.

likely you have me confused with Mike Bovaird, of Audioshark and Suncoast Audio.

not sure if Mr. Bovaird has had a Trinity dac in his system, but he could have.

OTOH if you are ever in the neighborhood you are welcome to stop by for a listen......but i’m 3000 miles from Sarasota. :)

musicfx OP
63 posts
 
Tough decision, I really liked the Ayre QX5/20, the T+A DAC 8 DSD and the T+A MP 2000R MKll but decided to go with the Chord Dave and an Aurender A10. There are better DAC's but this is my max price range. I will buy in about 10 days unless I hear something else that will work as well. 
bar81
791 posts
 
Congrats.  Enjoy - I expect that you will be very happy with that setup.
wisnon
700 posts
 

CStooner. Mike is da bomb. He has great stuff.

If you are near Sarasota, look him up and his superb demo room. Call first.

It was not my report. it was a Customer who flew in croos country to make up his own mind.

He brought his own cables and tried some of Mike’s. Tastes will vary, and so does system synergy. The test was done with blindfolds, so the gentleman and his wife picked what suited them best.


There is no "tube thing" to deal with with Lampizator as they last a very, very long time. Only tube loss I ever had was a pair of dead vintage tubes rated at 10% (sold for display, not for audio) and they lasted for nearly a year until one failed! This is not a tube amp that puts a huge load on tubes.


The point is taste and synergy matter and there is a lot of quality Dacs out there to choose from.


Here is some feedback from a recent Golden Atlantic buyer:

  1. Any feedback to share?
    Haven’t heard the GA yet, though a pal of a pal will soon get one.

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  1. arthurs

Sure! Tonally balanced but nice tight low end, lit from within very liquid sound in my system. Best DAC I’ve ever owned by a long shot.




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