[mobbaddict]

One of the pair I have of the Quads has decided to make "brrrrrrr"-sounds like a blown speaker element back in the days. This is special disturbing at the low frequencies, especially from the lower bass, sub-bass range. Since HiFi-Freaks have gone bankrupt, I cannot send them in there on warranty claim. I therefore thought I should look at it a bit myself, as this might be - I was told here on the forum - physical things like a hair etc could cause this problem.

I have such small Torx screwdrivers at hand, so I at least could check that no screws were loose, because I also heard that such could cause this kind of problem. But I did not dare to go any further. There are some pretty strong magnets in the sandwich you see in the picture, and it probably won't take long before I easily could go wrong here. So – I now will contact Quad directly and hope they can help me.

Is there anyone else who has been in contact with the factory where these are made, when experiencing problems? This is also a problem several others has experienced.

Yep you should contact Quad anyway, they should be able to handle the warranty if your reseller went bankrupt. I wouldn't touch the headphone as it could break the warranty.

A little reminder to self, or a little story.

I suddenly got anxious that the dac/amp-combo I have had too low output power. Tested different DACs, but (thank God) ended up with the ones I had, and found they was even better than the ones I tested, so here I am, many hours “out the window”, but maybe a little wiser. I get a little OCD / neurotic when I dive into this game her.

I used 3 pairs of headphones during the "DAC-experiment", Audeze LCD2C without Fazors, Verum One and of course the Quads.

What I want to say with this far too long introduction, is that I REALLY (maybe / maybe not?) got to know the Quad in an even more detailed way than before. At first, I was almost little angry at the Quads, had they betrayed me? I suddenly felt they had a particular lack of soundstage, and that at times they eve could be somewhat veiled. I thought... All this due to MADNESS in listening for hours after hours, with ears larger than mountains, a deeply worried mind constantly searching for microscopic flaws, lurking behind the next tone, waiting to destroy all my dreams of…, music? Perfection? The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Will there ever be an end, a kind of final satisfaction?

Well, the Quads deliver, all the time – they really are fantastic. It all really depends on my mindset. For the hundredths time I again realized that the deep hole of technology still is exactly right in front of me, available at all time for me to stumble into. When climbing out of that hole, I also realized (to my luck), that I again had / discovered the opportunity – and the divine simplicity of it – to enjoy music without judging it at all! Of course, it' is ok / fine / necessary to have opinions about this and that, but I must never forget when I was rocking around in my parents’ house, just to the sound of a small mono-radio! So, for now I’m saying goodbye to the devil who’s lurking inside the details of my God-given opportunity to smile, and just let music happen!

And - In my search for different entry level DACs with powerful amplifier, I found a review with Sandu Vitalie. Quad is constantly hanging on a stand in front of him, and in the last part of the video he talks a lot about Quad.



Happy new music year from Norway!

Yeah the K5 pro is what I'm using with the Quad, it drives planars pretty well. Your ifi amp is even more powerful though, why do you think it couldn't drive the Quad?

 

[Anatman]

Yeah the K5 pro is what I'm using with the Quad, it drives planars pretty well. Your ifi amp is even more powerful though, why do you think it couldn't drive the Quad?

The iFi Nano BL I only use on phone / tablet. I have two Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital, one at each identical rig. (Sorry, I had forgot to remove the iFi Micros in the "Headphone Amp Inventory".)

Your K5 has output power at 1.5W/32 Ohm, mine only 68mW/32 Ohm.

The sudden experience of lack of muscle in the amplifier of the DACs, started with my new hobby, EQ. When I experiment with different settings, the pre amplifying bar in the UI (APO/Peace) can drop alarmingly significantly with "special" settings, eh - when one is totally newbie that is. Then I had to compensate on the DAC, and suddenly I was sometimes at -1db, also even at 0 db in more nightmarish experiences. Panic!

Tested some DACs, read up on five million DACs, and ended up reading simultaneously (that to confirm and marinade / slow-cook in the horror of my totally mistakes with the Pro-Jects…) more on the Pro-Jects that I had. Fortunately, at the same time, I learned much more about EQ, and that was the most important factor for deciding to keep the one I had. Suddenly I now could EQ without the “anti-clipping” function sending the main pre amplifying bar down to -14db… After further testing the DACs I had, with different filters, with and without power supply in addition to USB-power supply etc, I finally realised that I was more than happy with the ones I had.

When reading up on the Pro Jects, I learned that the “maker” of these - John Westlake – “suddenly” left the whole project. There are now many different ongoing discussions /meanings / measurements regarding and about these DACs, and that is the way it is in this world. A lot to read if one wants. But, at last, the Pro-Jects really are personality's it will be fair to say. And also for that reason I felt a little bit more in love with them again, specifically now that the ghost of the lack of power supply had been put to rest.

Sitting in this moment and enjoying myself with the Quds, and around -20db is more than high enough in the Norwegian frosty night. It differs between -25 to -12db ca, depending on different factors like headphones, (all the set for daily use are planar magnetic, but dragged out and tested for the fun of it the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 Ohms, and even the old Beyers make it all fine without struggle at all) source of music etc. With some “worst-case-experiment-EQ-settings”, I may have to increase to -9db, but do not have to go higher now with some more knowledge of the principle of EQ. That said I’m still a new, new, newbie to the EQ-game.

Power out!

 

[nar53]

I had a bit of a scare with my ERA-1's this morning when I knocked them off my desk onto our solid tiled floor! Anyway I've tested them loud & low with various types of music & they seem to be OK. But having seen Anatmans post re HiFi-Freaks going bankrupt which is where I bought mine from I more than a little concerned. I also just checked HiFi-Freaks web site & they still seem to be trading.

All the best to all of you for 2021.

 

[Anatman]

I had a bit of a scare with my ERA-1's this morning when I knocked them off my desk onto our solid tiled floor! Anyway I've tested them loud & low with various types of music & they seem to be OK. But having seen Anatmans post re HiFi-Freaks going bankrupt which is where I bought mine from I more than a little concerned. I also just checked HiFi-Freaks web site & they still seem to be trading.

All the best to all of you for 2021.

Got this reply from Quad already to day:

Hi

Thank you for your E-mail

Our excellence distributors are trained and request that we forward customers in their territory to them. This is important so they can build customer relationships through their dealer networks and they can answer questions and further questions that often arise. The distributors are more than capable of helping their customers with sales, technical, service, spares and general sales enquiries. They have the full support and back up of head office and will report back to head office when and if necessary. Therefore, please contact:

Name : IAD GmbH
Address: Johann-Georg-Halske-Str. 11 41352 Korschenbroich, Germany
Tel : 0049 (0)2161 61783-0
Email : info@iad-gmbh.de

 

[Anatman]

I also just checked HiFi-Freaks web site & they still seem to be trading.

Here are the official announcement of their bankruptcy (In Danish): https://konkurser.dk/konkurs/?id=111865

 

[nar53]

Here are the official announcement of their bankruptcy (In Danish): https://konkurser.dk/konkurs/?id=111865

I certainly wont risk any more online purchases from them. I suppose it would be OK if you can visit their shop/outlet.

 

[mobbaddict]

The iFi Nano BL I only use on phone / tablet. I have two Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital, one at each identical rig. (Sorry, I had forgot to remove the iFi Micros in the "Headphone Amp Inventory".)

Your K5 has output power at 1.5W/32 Ohm, mine only 68mW/32 Ohm.

The sudden experience of lack of muscle in the amplifier of the DACs, started with my new hobby, EQ. When I experiment with different settings, the pre amplifying bar in the UI (APO/Peace) can drop alarmingly significantly with "special" settings, eh - when one is totally newbie that is. Then I had to compensate on the DAC, and suddenly I was sometimes at -1db, also even at 0 db in more nightmarish experiences. Panic!

Tested some DACs, read up on five million DACs, and ended up reading simultaneously (that to confirm and marinade / slow-cook in the horror of my totally mistakes with the Pro-Jects…) more on the Pro-Jects that I had. Fortunately, at the same time, I learned much more about EQ, and that was the most important factor for deciding to keep the one I had. Suddenly I now could EQ without the “anti-clipping” function sending the main pre amplifying bar down to -14db… After further testing the DACs I had, with different filters, with and without power supply in addition to USB-power supply etc, I finally realised that I was more than happy with the ones I had.

When reading up on the Pro Jects, I learned that the “maker” of these - John Westlake – “suddenly” left the whole project. There are now many different ongoing discussions /meanings / measurements regarding and about these DACs, and that is the way it is in this world. A lot to read if one wants. But, at last, the Pro-Jects really are personality's it will be fair to say. And also for that reason I felt a little bit more in love with them again, specifically now that the ghost of the lack of power supply had been put to rest.

Sitting in this moment and enjoying myself with the Quds, and around -20db is more than high enough in the Norwegian frosty night. It differs between -25 to -12db ca, depending on different factors like headphones, (all the set for daily use are planar magnetic, but dragged out and tested for the fun of it the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 Ohms, and even the old Beyers make it all fine without struggle at all) source of music etc. With some “worst-case-experiment-EQ-settings”, I may have to increase to -9db, but do not have to go higher now with some more knowledge of the principle of EQ. That said I’m still a new, new, newbie to the EQ-game.

Power out!

Oh I remember we had this discussion, 68mw is not a lot for a desktop amp

In my experience the Quad is not that greedy though, while it sounds a bit slow and muddy directly on a smartphone, I feel like a basic portable amp like my Fiio E5 can drive it. I did a blind test between the E5 and the K5 pro and couldn't distinguish them with the Quad. We are talking 100mw versus 1 full watt here. On the other hand, the E5 can't seem to properly drive my Avantone Planar.

How do you other headphones work in the Project? Wouldn't the LCD2 work better with more power?

Regarding EQ, what settings do you use? I've been testing UAPP recently with Oratory's EQ settings. For the Quad I find his settings a bit aggressive so I went for a smoother midrange and turned off the bass boost:

 

[phthora]

My is EQ is just +3.5 db at 2400hz with a Q of 1.0. Maybe I'm a man of simple tastes, but that sounds pretty damn good to me.

 

[Anatman]

Oh I remember we had this discussion, 68mw is not a lot for a desktop amp

In my experience the Quad is not that greedy though, while it sounds a bit slow and muddy directly on a smartphone, I feel like a basic portable amp like my Fiio E5 can drive it. I did a blind test between the E5 and the K5 pro and couldn't distinguish them with the Quad. We are talking 100mw versus 1 full watt here. On the other hand, the E5 can't seem to properly drive my Avantone Planar.

How do you other headphones work in the Project? Wouldn't the LCD2 work better with more power?

Regarding EQ, what settings do you use? I've been testing UAPP recently with Oratory's EQ settings. For the Quad I find his settings a bit aggressive so I went for a smoother midrange and turned off the bass boost:

I clearly see the logic in what you say regarding the output power. Still, I am a little in doubt as to how much the output power itself means. My LCD2C works optimally I think with the Project. A friend brought his Chord Hugo 2 with ca750 mW/32Ω over for testing, that I think was the most powerful I tested. Of cause, it had a different sound-signature, but I could not hear that the headphones opened up / added more dynamic / soundstage etc. Also, there are controversy related to the amp- “challenge” I think? Remember that I am a “layman” in this world, and my knowledge is really limited. I also read this article in my journey to the “power or not to power” … https://www.soundguys.com/do-you-need-an-amp-12561/

It also come to my knowledge, that there are different ways to calculate output power vs headphones impedance, and to further complicate it – planars vs dynamics impedance, and current, and, and and. I stopped reading about all this early…

Anyway, now all my most used headphones are been served with enough power, I think.

I am still at very early stages of EQing, getting tips / hints from a sound engineer, and learning. My hearing is “strange” after losing my smelling sensation for many years ago, it has in fact increased relatively much. I think it is the brain compensating, maybe – but special form the midts and up I am overly sensitive. The Verum Ones I, must lower “all” frequency’s between example ca 300-1500Hz, and maybe boost with a low shelfe filter for example from 100-80Hz and down. I do a lot of experimental work these days, exiting! The Quads I mostly of the time leave the midst untouched, and experimenting with different filters / shelfes etc in high and low Hz, even if they “feel” a little boosted in those ranges default, and I can rise / decrease as I please.

Specially since I got the Meze 99 Neo Classic, I do not often use DAC on the go. I have licences for UAPP, but do now not even has it installed on my Note 10+. I just use the Samsung-USB dongle / DAC. Dedicated music listening I always do on one of the rigs. The phone I use for music on the go, and UAPP is there not an option, cause I cannot play "downloaded" music there from Tidal. On the go one has to use cellular data, and that is going to be high cost in the GB-department… I use “Wavelet” (EQ-app) on the phone, it also has specified pre-sets for ones headset one can download when having the paid version.

And - It is only two of my "streams" (to my knowledge) that allows APO, that is Spotify and YouTube Music - in fact I have never tried with Tidal now springs to my mind, have to test sometime - and one has to let APO install the DAC to it to work. When using Audirvana with Tidal, one can download free VST3 plugins, but they are crap I think. I never use EQ in Audirvana, neither up sampling etc.

 

[Anatman]

Here are some thoughts on the "amp or not to have to ramp the amp": https://www.head-fi.org/threads/questions-regarding-headphone-amplification.869345/

 

[WorksUnit]

Really like these, yet I am plagued by right driver either not working, or working at reduced Db....
If anyone has had any success with sorting the same or similar issues do share

 

[Anatman]

Really like these, yet I am plagued by right driver either not working, or working at reduced Db....
If anyone has had any success with sorting the same or similar issues do share

Does distortion appears? Or is it just the sound fading away?

 

[WorksUnit]

No distortion as such....Any given day from the get go they will exhibit those faults for the entire day regardless of source.
Very rarely they function perfectly...which is what they are doing back at the dealers right now apparently.

 

[Chris Kaoss]

Oh I remember we had this discussion, 68mw is not a lot for a desktop amp

In my experience the Quad is not that greedy though, while it sounds a bit slow and muddy directly on a smartphone, I feel like a basic portable amp like my Fiio E5 can drive it. I did a blind test between the E5 and the K5 pro and couldn't distinguish them with the Quad. We are talking 100mw versus 1 full watt here. On the other hand, the E5 can't seem to properly drive my Avantone Planar.

How do you other headphones work in the Project? Wouldn't the LCD2 work better with more power?

Regarding EQ, what settings do you use? I've been testing UAPP recently with Oratory's EQ settings. For the Quad I find his settings a bit aggressive so I went for a smoother midrange and turned off the bass boost:

This eq setting is ridiculous, imo.
It's going to destroy the well chosen signature of the Quad.
On the other hand, If you like that setting, who am i to argue against.

Keep in mind that everyones hearing is different, let alone hearing flaws or different ear shape/ anatomy, which will alter the perceived sound uniquely.

Well, i'm a guy who don't use any eq and listen to a headphone as is. ^^
But i know that the Era-1 respond to eq very well by playing around.

With that said, i like/love the Quad since day 1.
On my R28 they're on par with the D9200 i've acquired lately.
With slightly different signature, but the overall presentation is very similar.

There's nothing more to say, i think.
The Era-1 is, and will be, still my benchmark for all upcoming auditions.

Oh, it still works as intended since i bought it in july 2019.
Couldn't be happier with.

Bought it from IAD Germany directly. (@Anatman )

 

[Chris Kaoss]

My is EQ is just +3.5 db at 2400hz with a Q of 1.0. Maybe I'm a man of simple tastes, but that sounds pretty damn good to me.

Sounds similar to my "voice+ mood" setting, which is 2db @2100Hz with Q1 only.

But i'm on flat most of the time.