[Arniesb]

What I liked about the review is he had it hooked up in a way where you didn't need to swap out cables or anything.

He had both DAC's receiving the exact same music file from the same computer, the exact same optical signal, using the same rca cables to the same thx 789 amp going to the exact same headphones.

I am no expert, according to my last hearing test 2 months ago, my hearing is above average for a 35 year old.

What I do know is that he eliminated any major margin for error by using the setup he has. I doubt anybody on here would bother going through that much effort to do an A/B test. His testing methodology is as close to perfect we could expect from someone outside of a lab environment.

I will never be able to afford a Chord product, but ****, if I can get something comparable for $200, why not. I am in this for the enjoyment of music, not to look at numbers and charts. As long as it sounds good, I don't care.

At least the guy is honest and transparent with his opinions and how he does things.

Humans are not perfect and its hard to hear big difference in quick swaps. Much better is to listen gear week or more and then comeback to lesser gear and it will be easy to notice what is missing.

 

[Focux]

I would say that with any good headphone it is a Quantum Leap!!

I bought my Qutest only after having heard it not only on its own, but also via BLU2 and with the knowledge that an M Scaler was around the corner.
I bought the Qutest primarily to pair it with an M Scaler.

Without an M Scaler Qutest is one of several good dacs in its price range imho.

I am using Q/HMS with my HD800 during my travels and would find it very difficult to live without the M Scaler.
With a high quality headphone amp and the HD800 the benefit of HMS is immediately obvious with well recorded acoustic music.

Cheers Controversial Christer

any chance might there be a more economical alternative?

preferably not chi-fi type*

 

[Joe-Siow]

any chance might there be a more economical alternative?

preferably not chi-fi type*

I heard the Singxer SU-6 on my friend's speaker setup. I like what I heard. Pretty good upscale for a fraction of the price.

 

[tesarpa]

Well I did my own A/B between Chord Mojo and Qutest.
In fact I didn’t even use LP and Empyrean or 800s. I used Schiit Valhalla 2 with JJ gold Pin with HD600 with Dekoni pads. it is the most humble yet very good sounding pair.
I used MacBook Pro late 2013 and connected Mojo via optical out and Chord Quetest Via USB out. Output of both DAC going into Schiit Sys, NO ATTENUATION, for switching. In Roon I created a zone for both the DAC so that same song can be played in both the DAC and I can do A/B with click of a button in SYS. Both are running at ~2v
I played the first song and I could definitely hear difference between Mojo and Qutest.
In the first listen itself it is clear that Mojo is warmer sounding of 2 and quetest has more air and hence more detail and separation in instrument. Definitely qutest provide more depth and is far more resolving compared to Mojo.Anyone looking to get every details extracted from music should look for Qutest.
I am not sure how can someone not find a difference among DAC. I don’t have the Gashelli Lab dac but I wanted to check if the difference between DAC can be heard easily and yes it can be. Definitely among Mojo and Qutest.
Also I find Qutest to have better extension in Bass as well as treble. But since Mojo doesn’t have great extension in Treble so it sounds warmer compared to Qutest.

Thank you for sharing your test results. Let me suggest to make cross test to exclude impact of interfaces and cables. Could you repeat it while Mojo on USB and Qutest on optical? I had a strange experience once, when I tried A/B of two DACs and finally found out that biggest differences were in RCA cables, which I unfortunately did not have same.

 

[gwertheim]

Humans are not perfect and its hard to hear big difference in quick swaps. Much better is to listen gear week or more and then comeback to lesser gear and it will be easy to notice what is missing.

Actually for me quick changes are better. I used to do sound editing and I have trained my ears to pick out subtle changes in EQ.

We are all human and have different range in hearing and training. You might not agree with me but that's what makes us unique.

 

[betula]

Actually for me quick changes are better. I used to do sound editing and I have trained my ears to pick out subtle changes in EQ.

We are all human and have different range in hearing and training. You might not agree with me but that's what makes us unique.

Both quick changes and long term listening are necessary for a profound and fair evaluation. Quick changes reveal the obvious differences, but can often be misleading as our brain usually needs 5-15 minutes to fully adapt to a new sound. Also, lot of the more subtle sound characteristics won't pop up just after a few days with living with the new gear. Focal Clear for example impressed me at first quite a bit but after a few days I just couldn't live with it.

 

[Spareribs]

Maybe zeos couldn’t tell the difference because he was distracted by the cartoon anime girls

 

[Wildcatsare1]

I don't hate the man, but also don't consider him a 'proper' reviewer. He is somewhere between missing ut on great equipment l or buying stand up comedy and audio reviews. For that I quite like him and I do think he is saying his honest opinion.
The problem is his hearing definitely has limitations which is fine, all of our hearing has limits. Some can't hear a difference between DACs, some can't hear a difference between Qutest filters. Rob's hearing is probably as good as it gets for human beings and better than most of ours.

What the real problem with Zeos is, that several thousands of people listen to him and follow him which brings a responsibility of what one can say, even though it is his honest opinion which he is entitled to.

To me Qutest opened another world after Mojo and the 2Qute. The difference was immediate and obvious, there was no going back. The spaciousness, clarity, detail, resolution, soundstage depth speed, extension, naturalness all dramatically improved. I consider Qutest to be my best audio purchase in 2018 (I didn't pay full retail price though).

My problem with Zeos is a) he’s not a “proper” reviewer, but he states his opinions as unequal truth, b) many in those 1,000 or so listeners take his reviews seriously, c) this can be an expensive hobby, misleading people into buying gear, or not buying, carries responsibilities. Those “followers” who take him seriously end up missing out on great equipment, while being pushed into buying cheap Chinafi. He hasn’t reached the peak of NWAVGuy, but is cut from the same horribly misleading audio fool profile.

 

[Baten]

Those “followers” who take him seriously end up missing out on great equipment, while being pushed into buying cheap Chinafi. He hasn’t reached the peak of NWAVGuy, but is cut from the same horribly misleading audio fool profit.

Honestly the price difference should not dictate the sound quality difference, if cheap gear gets you most of the way there (and that can really be the case depending on what you buy!) we should not be cheap- shaming people either.. let's not get too snobby/elitist

 

[Wildcatsare1]

Honestly the price difference should not dictate the sound quality difference, if cheap gear gets you most of the way there (and that can really be the case depending on what you buy!) we should not be cheap- shaming people either.. let's not get too snobby/elitist

Not my point, Zeos leading his followers to buy bad equipment, no matter the cost, due his poorly formed, and informed, opinions.

 

[Baten]

Not my point, Zeos leading his followers to buy bad equipment, no matter the cost, due his poorly formed, and informed, opinions.

OK, bad equipment, any examples? The Qutest review he kept comparing with the Geshelli which is a pretty decent/above average DAC and cheap. It is still an understandable statement that he personally would not buy something 9.5x its price.

I for one don't understand the saltiness these past pages. Do you really need the enforcement of reviewers to feel better about your purchase of the qutest? Can't he personally not find it worth it?

 

[bikutoru]

OK, bad equipment, any examples? The Qutest review he kept comparing with the Geshelli which is a pretty decent/above average DAC and cheap. It is still an understandable statement that he personally would not buy something 9.5x its price.

I for one don't understand the saltiness these past pages. Do you really need the enforcement of reviewers to feel better about your purchase of the qutest? Can't he personally not find it worth it?

I do agree with Baten.
Since Wildcatsare1 mentioned the NWAVGuy.
During that time lots of people that charged big buck for their dacs were very upset that somebody could create something decent and affordable.
I do have the original ODAC and grateful to him for creating it, as at that time I couldn't afford anything north off $200. Still listen to it at least once weekly, it is no Chord dac but is very decent what it is and JDSLabs supports it way better than Chord supported Mojo.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

OK, bad equipment, any examples? The Qutest review he kept comparing with the Geshelli which is a pretty decent/above average DAC and cheap. It is still an understandable statement that he personally would not buy something 9.5x its price.

I for one don't understand the saltiness these past pages. Do you really need the enforcement of reviewers to feel better about your purchase of the qutest? Can't he personally not find it worth it?

Don’t even have a Qutest, just been around long enough to be able to identify a fraud when I see one. What’s the context in which the Geshelli an above average DAC, in comparison to what, to Chord, Schiit, Benchmark, or other ChFi gear?

My issues with Zeos aren’t about cost of gear, but more on the context of reviewing gear inappropriately or improperly, then spouting off opinions on that gear. If he wants to be taken seriously, he needs to take the time to learn about the subject, simple things like when and how to use tube gear, synergy matching headphones, amps, DACs, cabeling. Not just spouting off, on a subject he obviously knows very little about, with zero depth. It’s not about how many participation trophies he’s been given, or breathless reviews from his Mommy. It’s about working hard to be informed on the subject of your study.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

I do agree with Baten.
Since Wildcatsare1 mentioned the NWAVGuy.
During that time lots of people that charged big buck for their dacs were very upset that somebody could create something decent and affordable.
I do have the original ODAC and grateful to him for creating it, as at that time I couldn't afford anything north off $200. Still listen to it at least once weekly, it is no Chord dac but is very decent what it is and JDSLabs supports it way better than Chord supported Mojo.

NWAVGuy is rolling over in his grave, in his mind all you needed was his ”genius” work, nothing more. I will thank him for one thing though, he did demonstrate that even if the measurements of amps or DACs are off the charts good, they can still sound like Schiit.

 

[dac64]

Maybe Mr. Zeos should acquire this to compare with his $200 dac, https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/c6db56_f52e72d4330b451c8c5bbe6724e9ec27.pdf, and see what he youtubing!