I’ve tried Chord boss. I’ve owned Chord and myriad other brands. My wallet has suffered for it—that’s the entire reason why I’ve bothered to post this on here.
Ears deceive us more than any of our senses, and cognitive bias has been well-described, studied and validated. Simple differences in voltage outputs can influence one’s perception of “quality”; louder is almost always perceived as “better”. This is where brands like Chord, PS Audio, dCS etc exploit this phenomenon to convince folks to pay five figures for a device with 1000% or higher markups.
The more one pays, the more one is invested in the outcome and the more one is susceptible to cognitive bias. This is why the audio industry has one of the worst reputations for feloniously gouging the wallets of their consumers—do you think the DAVE has $14,000 in machining and material costs justifying that price after eight years?
Measurements can be unreliable when it comes to headphones and amplifiers, due to the nature of the rigs and confounds that impede obtaining consistent results. Not true with DACs—these devices perform only one duty, which is to convert a digital audio stream to an analog waveform with the highest fidelity, lowest noise floor and least distortion possible. In other words, the most faithful reproduction of the original analog master possible, which can easily be visualized via waveform analysis.
I’m sorry, but measurements tell 100% of the story with DACs. They shouldn’t have any “sound” other than what the original master intended. This is what the reputable engineers in the industry rely upon when performing quality testing on their gear prior to launch, and what academics rely upon to perform research and teaching.
Reputable manufacturers release their measurements in the service of transparency; shady manufacturers don’t, stuff their marketing materials with a bunch of claptrap, and set their price points arbitrarily. Why won’t Chord release their own measurements of their gear like less pricey manufacturers do? Maybe because he doesn’t need to. Manufacturers charging these outrageous prices get away with it because of those who buy into these theoretical assets that folks like Watts promote in such a way that sound brilliant but have no basis in science—that’s what I meant by Russell’s Teapot.
When pressed for clarification on these arcane claims, Watts just proffers more speculative arguments until his reasonings become circular and meaningless. That’s why there’s no point in trying to argue with them—he’s making up the math as he goes along and it doesn’t add up.
If you’re happy with your Chord products, then I say that’s terrific—I’m not in any way interested in trying to turn you away from something that brings you joy. Chord products sound great, and I’ve never argued otherwise. My original post was directed to Mr. Watts, not you—and my motivation was based on him dismissing the questions posed by unbiased critics, and not just ASR’s either.
If he’s going to charge $6,500+ for a portable, I want to see what goes into that sticker price. When he’s willing to show his hand, I won’t protest—because if folks still want to pay that much, at least they’ll know that it was solely for the privilege of ownership. That’s all I’m saying, and again, my post was never intended as an insult to you. Peace.
