I see, I usually play apple music on my iphone, so if I can find an equivalent dac/amp for a cheaper price then I’d probably go with that. Thanks for the advice! I’ll be on the lookout for a p6p.
There’s ups and downs to either dap or dac/amp, I will say that there aren’t really any portable dac/amps to the level of top tier daps (personally I think it’s because the inherent limitation of an Android phone or PC as the source limit potential sound quality, one of the main benefits in the high end with a dap is that you have a high quality source/transport built in), but within the more midrange side of things I do think that a good midrange dac/amp can offer better bang for buck than a midrange dap.
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What is a good dac pairing for the WA23? I was thinking of an Amber 3 since it is pretty Neutral
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So just in case you missed it, if you want an Amber 3, there’s one here in the forum that’s currently looking for a home!
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For an awesome price too!
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I woild personally aim for something a bit more linear as to not double down too hard on the coloration
How do you guys feel about Hugo 2 vs TT2 vs DAVE? And DAVE vs current stuff like Holo Spring/May…? I would love to try more Chord.
SE only, even for DAVE and TT2, is interesting/odd…
Not odd at all, all Chord DACs are single ended design.
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The DAVE is the only Chord DAC that I haven’t heard, but I do like them (Chord DACs)
I feel like the OG Mojo was the most colored, being kind of v-shaped. The Mojo2 is much more neutral, and even sounds ‘faster’ to my ears placing it sonically in between the Qutest/Hugo 2 and the TT2.
Qutest was my favorite voiced of the ones I’ve heard, being more laid back compared to their other DACs. The TT2 leans more analytical/dry of the three, but it’s also the most neutral and technically proficient of the three.
With the exception of the battery powered units (Mojos/Hugo2) they all seem to scale with better PSU’s. They also seem to fair better with cleaner sources such as using a DDC, or a dedicated streamer.
The Qutest and Hugo2 use the same DACs, but from my understanding the Qutest has better outputs (and generally is more scalable with a PSU).
In general they have a very holographic presentation that comes off a bit hyper-real (can seem artificial at times), but can be very fun with the right amp/headphones. Very detailed as well, especially as you move up the line.
The Qutest was my favorite because it was laid back and not as forward as the rest but still offered that holographic sound.
The Hugo M Scaler just takes them to another level, IMO. It adds texture, depth, and greater clarity but at a high cost ($5k MSRP).
I hope that helped.
(For reference I own the Mojo2 and previously owned the Mojo, and Qutest. I also had the TT2 on loan for a couple of weeks. Same with the HMS)
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You’ll find a lot of high end gear is SE internally even if it has balanced in/out.
Chord very much has a sound, I like the Dave, but it wouldn’t be my first pick at it’s current price point.
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Would you go for a Spring/May instead? Even at such a cost difference
Personally No, but you have to pick what you’re willing to spend first.
There is little point comparing $5000 DAC’s with $10,000 DAC’s, your not going to find a lot of winners in the earlier category, you might find a presentation you prefer.
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@Rhodey has owned both the TT2 and the May KTE I believe. Maybe he can add his thoughts.
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Hmmm. So DAVE definitely seems to have serious promise, then! What would your top 3 recs be, at DAVE level competition? Bassious, spacious, and please-don’t-hurt-me treble.
There is a lot of personal preference at these levels, the current Dave retail price is $14000, it’s varied a lot over the years and I’d expect with the weak pound it’ll drop back some at some point.
I owned a Dave for about 6 months, and enjoyed it a lot, it needs a very good source.
I would easily take the TotalDAC unity over it, the Mola Mola is in the same vein, as is the Bartok, and used you have older Berkeley Reference DAC’s and others. 8K used will probably get you a GG2, and that is a significant steps up for my tastes.
The nice thing about the Dave is it’s easy to buy and sell, buy one at high 6K low 7K and you can probably own it for nothing, since you’ll recoup that when you sell, there is consistently enough demand for them.
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Let’s say you might not spend more on improving your source than a $500-1000 DDC, coming off a PC, or $500-1000 PC streamer. Does that change anything? Or, is that enough?
Why would I do that?
For the Dave, I’d just buy it used with the MScaler.
But I’d you’re spending 7+K Used on a DAC. You need to be thinking you’ll spend the similar ammounts on an amp and at that point $2-3K used on a source doesn’t seem as bad.
You don’t use a chord Dave to drive a $500 amp from a PC unless you want to be severely disappointed by it.
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IMO, yes cost is a factor and when you can if at all possible best practice is to try and keep averages spent relative per topology even better yet combined decision based on synergy combinations. This would take practice and opinion or experience based research.
My personal opinion based on my own real world listening experiences, ( which i often try and document here in various posts), at least on 2 channel equipment, which somewhat translates into the HP world is this, “Garbage in = garbage out.” Please don’t take the use of the term “garbage” harshly, its an analogy for my thought process.
Over many decades, experienced audiophile hobbyists have time and again shown/proven during listening sessions that when you have a quality recording and the source itself has been implemented well, the rest of the equipment has a tendency to “Shine through 
.” My own dealer, over the years has drilled this thought process into my head and has made every attempt to give me real world, “hands -on” listening experiences so that i can understand the concept myself.
At some point over the years, despite my intense desire to spend my money on various transducers, amplifiers and DAC’s it finally dawned on me that my source really did matter, and painstakingly slowly, i have opened my wallet and mind, to finally bringing my digital sources up to speed with the rest of my equipment. I personally, based on my own listening experiences, have found increased performance worthwhile to the rest of my equipment in finally focusing funds to improve the very front ends (the musical source) of my various systems.
Naysayers in this hobby, and i don’t understand why they fight so hard, IMO probably based on a lack of experience or inability to differentiate between critical listening and average daily background music, in my research and personal experiences, will tell you the source and the material doesn’t matter, especially in today’s digital realm, and this is simply untrue.
Good luck with your choices across the board. Folks here will jump in and offer all sorts of good advice and recommendations. 
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Oh, the MScaler is a source upgrade/enhancer? That makes it easy, if so. Or, what are some simple solutions(products) for source upgrades, that offer sufficient quality, coming from a PC?
I mean if you’re already investing a lot of money in things like a mscaler might as well leave the PC behind and move to a dedicated player/bridge/server/streamer.
Why insist on the PC?
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