[Luis Alberto]

Anyone tried CMA600i with Sony MDRZ1R Headphones?

This is a great combination especially if you upgrade the cables or modify them which I was able to do. They sound very balanced and nuanced at the top now. The CM600i did a nice job in our 2-channel system while the Yggy was away at the factory.

 

[vincent1]

Hi soundizer. I have never read a comparison of the 600i dav and the Yiggy. How close are they ?

Thanks

 

[Soundizer]

Hi soundizer. I have never read a comparison of the 600i dav and the Yiggy. How close are they ?

Thanks

I think you were attempting to ask Luis. See above post.

 

[Soundizer]

This is a great combination especially if you upgrade the cables or modify them which I was able to do. They sound very balanced and nuanced at the top now. The CM600i did a nice job in our 2-channel system while the Yggy was away at the factory.

By upgrade do you mean the Sony Kimber cable 4.4mm?

 

[Luis Alberto]

Hi soundizer. I have never read a comparison of the 600i dav and the Yiggy. How close are they ?

Thanks

Vincent, I can respond here. The Questyle is surprisingly close to the Yiggy in overall sound. Great rhythm, dynamics and a blacker backdrop than the Yggy. I have not done another comparison since the Gen 5 upgrade which blew us away in terms of "improvement". Call it a +25% jaw-dropping change which has not made me want to go with the version 2 analog board. We have our own device which pushes the Yggy further. In conclusion, the Questyle universal amp/Dac/headphone saves on connections and gets you a lot of bang for your money. You do need efficient speakers. It is interesting that it was a hot item a few years ago and very little mention these days which is why I am participating in this thread. The Sony MDRZ1R is bordering on "let's compare this headphone set up to your 2-channel high-end system performance" especially with the Yggy and Dark Voice tube amp headphone set up. The Questyle CMA600i plus the Sony Z1 is a very nice combo.

 

[Luis Alberto]

By upgrade do you mean the Sony Kimber cable 4.4mm?

Yes, it seems the Sony Kimber cable 4.4mm is in other peoples opinion a nice upgrade. But I decided to make the Sony Z1 stock cable better. Saved money and got more than expected improvement. No more zing in the upper frequency or flappy bass..very linear response. I do not know why this cable was approved by Sony but it's a gem when its nasty behavior is tamed.

 

[Soundizer]

Yes, it seems the Sony Kimber cable 4.4mm is in other peoples opinion a nice upgrade. But I decided to make the Sony Z1 stock cable better. Saved money and got more than expected improvement. No more zing in the upper frequency or flappy bass..very linear response. I do not know why this cable was approved by Sony but it's a gem when its nasty behavior is tamed.

Unfortunately the Kimber cable is not available in the UK. When my brother returns my Sony Z1R, I will try it with my Focal Clear cables. Must be improvement right, since I don’t hear too many complaints about the Focal Clear cables.

 

[Soundizer]

Is this the main Questyle CMA600i thread on head-fi? Considering how outstanding and competitive it is.

 

[betula]

Is this the main Questyle CMA600i thread on head-fi? Considering how outstanding and competitive it is.

I am afraid this is the biggest 600i thread on Head-Fi. I was surprised too. Current mode amplification really does something special to the conventional SS sound on this level of amplifiers. Improve the DAC section with something better and you've got a pretty world-class sound. Energetic, extremely clean and clear, but powerful and smooth, liquid. Perhaps most people who own the 600i spend their time with listening to music instead of posting here.

 

[Soundizer]

I am afraid this is the biggest 600i thread on Head-Fi. I was surprised too. Current mode amplification really does something special to the conventional SS sound on this level of amplifiers. Improve the DAC section with something better and you've got a pretty world-class sound. Energetic, extremely clean and clear, but powerful and smooth, liquid. Perhaps most people who own the 600i spend their time with listening to music instead of posting here.

Nice points, well made. I see you have 2Qute. Do you use it as a DAC into the CMA600i?

 

[betula]

Nice points, well made. I see you have 2Qute. Do you use it as a DAC into the CMA600i?

I do indeed.

 

[betula]

I have spent the last hour A/B testing the built-in DAC in the 600i vs my 2Qute.
The 600i's DAC actually stands up quite well against the obviously superior Chord DAC.

I guess you need good headphones (and ears) to hear the differences. The 600i as a DAC/amp combo is pretty phenomenal, but the 600i's strengths is in the current mode amp section. The DAC is good, but nothing spectacular. Versus Chord's 2Qute it does fall short. Not by too much, I have to say. The internal 600i DAC is very smooth, liquid, sweet sounding. Compared to the 2Qute it lacks a bit of detail, black background and natural timbre. The built-in 600i DAC offers a smooth and easy listening. Not as clear and detailed as the 2Qute, but it is not too far. 2Qute offers a better and clearer 3D space, and the picture is slightly sharper than it is on the 600i's DAC. For chilling out and relaxing the 600i's DAC is more than enough. If you are after more details and clarity, slightly more natural timbre invest in 2Qute. 2Qute sounds more lifelike than 600i's DAC, and this might be enough to win you over. Chord offers higher resolution and detail with a darker background but the 600i is quite enjoyable on its own. If you have a few hundreds to spare invest in a better DAC instead of another amp or headphone. You won't regret it.

 

[Soundizer]

I have spent the last hour A/B testing the built-in DAC in the 600i vs my 2Qute.
The 600i's DAC actually stands up quite well against the obviously superior Chord DAC.

I guess you need good headphones (and ears) to hear the differences. The 600i as a DAC/amp combo is pretty phenomenal, but the 600i's strengths is in the current mode amp section. The DAC is good, but nothing spectacular. Versus Chord's 2Qute it does fall short. Not by too much, I have to say. The internal 600i DAC is very smooth, liquid, sweet sounding. Compared to the 2Qute it lacks a bit of detail, black background and natural timbre. The built-in 600i DAC offers a smooth and easy listening. Not as clear and detailed as the 2Qute, but it is not too far. 2Qute offers a better and clearer 3D space, and the picture is slightly sharper than it is on the 600i's DAC. For chilling out and relaxing the 600i's DAC is more than enough. If you are after more details and clarity, slightly more natural timbre invest in 2Qute. 2Qute sounds more lifelike than 600i's DAC, and this might be enough to win you over. Chord offers higher resolution and detail with a darker background but the 600i is quite enjoyable on its own. If you have a few hundreds to spare invest in a better DAC instead of another amp or headphone. You won't regret it.

Thank you for the comparison. I was expecting more of a gap between the sound quality between the 2Qute and CMA600i Dacs. Perhaps there is a greater gap with the new Qutest.

What Headphones did you use to examine the sound differences?

 

[betula]

Thank you for the comparison. I was expecting more of a gap between the sound quality between the 2Qute and CMA600i Dacs. Perhaps there is a greater gap with the new Qutest.

What Headphones did you use to examine the sound differences?

I have got the LCD 2C on my head at the moment. The diffrence between the 2Qute and the 600i's internal DAC is highly personal in my opinion. Some will hear more difference, some will hear less. Whether it is worth the extra money is a personal choice. I love the improvement what my 2Qute brings to the picture. The extra £500 was well worth for me. If £500 was an extremely big stretch for me, I would choose living and be happy with the 600i DAC instead. If you can spend a little more the 2Qute does deliver. Definitely improves the sound more than its price point suggests. Improves resolution and lifelikeness.
BTW I have just had a live chat with one of my favourite artists (Sync24) and he gave away a few free codes for his new album. Enjoying 'Omnious' at the moment. Great stuff.

 

[Luis Alberto]

I have got the LCD 2C on my head at the moment. The diffrence between the 2Qute and the 600i's internal DAC is highly personal in my opinion. Some will hear more difference, some will hear less. Whether it is worth the extra money is a personal choice. I love the improvement what my 2Qute brings to the picture. The extra £500 was well worth for me. If £500 was an extremely big stretch for me, I would choose living and be happy with the 600i DAC instead. If you can spend a little more the 2Qute does deliver. Definitely improves the sound more than its price point suggests. Improves resolution and lifelikeness.
BTW I have just had a live chat with one of my favourite artists (Sync24) and he gave away a few free codes for his new album. Enjoying 'Omnious' at the moment. Great stuff.

The Questyle 600i has potential. It scales up in performance in one key area. Think about it. This is Class A amplification which is impressive for its size and ingeniously designed. You can upgrade the sound with a better PC for example. If you decide to explore Linear power supplies, this could be an overkill step that I would not mind getting some feedback. As to the lack of detail and black background weakness in your comparison, I believe you since I heard the same before the upgrades.