[phonomat]

It's high time for a new Violectric DAC. I need something with the footprint of my V281, but the 850 lacks that certain "freshness" by now. Unfortunately (for me), the focus seems to lie on Niimbus atm.
I used to go to the show every year, but won't be able to make it this time around. Oh well.

 

[cj3209]

I would love a modular DAC, ie, same chassis as V850 but ability to swap out the DAC component. Prob won't be as profitable but it would sure be great for us folks that like to have the latest DAC tech.

 

[phonomat]

Well, I'm all for it.

 

[Fegefeuer]

The Violectric line will get updates as well. Just not this year.

 

[cj3209]

I would love a modular DAC, ie, same chassis as V850 but ability to swap out the DAC component. Prob won't be as profitable but it would sure be great for us folks that like to have the latest DAC tech.

Or even allowing us to change the DAC component at will so we can get specific types of sound that we want based on headphones or speakers.

If I was 20 years younger I'd start this project...but I digress...

 

[NDonchev]

Hi again. We discussed DACs for the v281 earlier. I'm the guy that couldn't detect a difference between Fiio X3 II DAP as a DAC and a Violectric v800. Some of you suggested RME ADI-2 or Chord Qutest for the v281.

My exploration of DACs for the v281 got weirder and even more controversial. I had the opportunity to travel to a another shop recently hoping to hear some tube amps and super high-end DACs - mainly DAC Hegel HD30. That didn't happen as they didn't have the unit in stock. I also brought my v281 with me to test with and they had the HD800S which are the headphones I have at home. I tried some other headphones and the Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies.

Then I hooked the HD800S directly into a Chord Hugo 2 expecting nothing very different. And... Wow! No more then 5-10 seconds were needed to start thinking that I want that sound and I'm probably willing to sell the v281 and get this very small Hugo 2 amp + DAC device instead. And then I hooked the Hugo 2 to the v281 and things got even better! The same amazing sound, but even more clear and refined and with better soundstage and authority.

So the final setup was:
Tidal on Apple PC => USB => Hugo 2 DAC => v281 Amp => Unbalanced => HD800S

Also, from time to time I would swap the RCA cables on the v281 for the following setup, for comparison:
Fiio X3 II DAP => USB => v281 Amp => Unbalanced => HD800S

Clear difference and significantly better sound from the Hugo 2. The missing ingredient to my setup was found. The different sounds had a lot more character and taste and were superbly separated and at the same time sounding connected and cohesive. It was sounding fuller, more tangible and with more texture while at the same time very detailed. The music felt alive and full of emotion. The sound from the v281 and the HD800S was transformed for the better. On a slight negative note, I felt that on Ulver's Kveldssanger album (almost exclusively acoustic guitars music), it lost some sparkle. Nevertheless, that's something I'm definitely willing to sacrifice for the joy the Hugo 2 brought to the listening experience as a whole. It was very strong experience and in two occasions I almost shed a tear just from listening to this setup. And this was with the inferior unbalanced headphone output on the v281.

So, at this point I wanted to buy the Qutest as I don't need the amp in Hugo 2 (the two use the same DAC section and should sound very similar or identical). However, they didn't have the Qutest in stock.

I read a lot on the Internet and a lot of people say the RME ADI-2 is very similar to the Qutest, but at the 2/3 of the price. So the plan was to buy both and return the one I liked less (feeling a bit guilty about that...). Ordered both and the RME is here for two days now. On the other hand my order for the Qutest from an UK store was canceled yesterday. Turns out Chord have some weird policy. If there is an official Chord distributor in your country, you can't buy Chord product from elsewhere. So they pointed me to the Bulgarian Chord distributor and refunded me.

Here is the controversial part. I hooked the RME ADI-2 and started listening - with integrated amp, then with v281 unbalanced, then with v281 balanced. So the final setup was:
Volumio Mini PC => USB => RME ADI-2 DAC => 2 x Balanced XLRs => v281 Amp => Balanced XLR => HD800S

First impression was not good, I didn't liked it much. I thought there is more detail retrieval in a bad way and brighter, leaner sound compared to the Fiio X3 II. Listened more and more and continued to be unimpressed by what I hear. I did direct AB switching between the Rme and the Fiio by changing the v281 inputs and guess what... couldn't detect any difference. I tried again on the next day with the Rme running all night and still... no difference to my ears. Also tried to listed to a full song on one of the chains and then the same song on the other... still the same.

People all over the Interned say that the Adi-2 DAC and the Quest (Hugo 2) DAC sound very similar. Some people have slight preference for the first and some for the second. Some say they can't distinguish between the two. And as you can see my experience with the Hugo 2 was very positive and transformative while I found the Adi-2 a disappointment by a big margin.

So, at this point I'm really confused. Sometimes I even start to question my experience with the Hugo 2 at that shop a week or two ago. I know sound can be subjective, but that is way out of what I would expect. So it seems the Adi-2 is going back soon and I hope to get a Qutest in it's place. Things is, I'm a bit worried if it will give me the same experience that the Hugo 2 gave me. Yea, people say they sound the same or very similar, but they do so for the Adi-2 vs the Qutest also and in my experience that can't be further from the truth.

If you have some comments or ideas it will be interesting to hear from you.

 

[Anaz]

Hi again. We discussed DACs for the v281 earlier. I'm the guy that couldn't detect a difference between Fiio X3 II DAP as a DAC and a Violectric v800. Some of you suggested RME ADI-2 or Chord Qutest for the v281.

My exploration of DACs for the v281 got weirder and even more controversial. I had the opportunity to travel to a another shop recently hoping to hear some tube amps and super high-end DACs - mainly DAC Hegel HD30. That didn't happen as they didn't have the unit in stock. I also brought my v281 with me to test with and they had the HD800S which are the headphones I have at home. I tried some other headphones and the Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies.

Then I hooked the HD800S directly into a Chord Hugo 2 expecting nothing very different. And... Wow! No more then 5-10 seconds were needed to start thinking that I want that sound and I'm probably willing to sell the v281 and get this very small Hugo 2 amp + DAC device instead. And then I hooked the Hugo 2 to the v281 and things got even better! The same amazing sound, but even more clear and refined and with better soundstage and authority.

So the final setup was:
Tidal on Apple PC => USB => Hugo 2 DAC => v281 Amp => Unbalanced => HD800S

Also, from time to time I would swap the RCA cables on the v281 for the following setup, for comparison:
Fiio X3 II DAP => USB => v281 Amp => Unbalanced => HD800S

Clear difference and significantly better sound from the Hugo 2. The missing ingredient to my setup was found. The different sounds had a lot more character and taste and were superbly separated and at the same time sounding connected and cohesive. It was sounding fuller, more tangible and with more texture. The music felt alive and full of emotion. The sound from the v281 and the HD800S was transformed for the better. On a slight negative note, I felt that on Ulver's Kveldssanger album (almost exclusively acoustic guitars music), it lost some sparkle. Nevertheless, that's something I'm definitely willing to sacrifice for the joy the Hugo 2 brought to the listening experience as a whole. It was very strong experience and in two occasions I almost shed a tear just from listening to this setup. And this was with the inferior unbalanced headphone output on the v281.

So, at this point I wanted to buy the Qutest as I don't need the amp in Hugo 2 (the two use the same DAC section and should sound very similar or identical). However, they didn't have the Qutest in stock.

I read a lot on the Internet and a lot of people say the RME ADI-2 is very similar to the Qutest, but at the 2/3 of the price. So the plan was to buy both and return the one I didn't like (feeling a bit guilty about that...). Ordered both and the RME is here for two days now. On the other hand my order for the Qutest from an UK store was canceled yesterday. Turns out Chord have some weird policy. If there is an official Chord distributor in your country, you can't buy Chord product from elsewhere. So they pointed me to the Bulgarian Chord distributor and refunded me.

Here is the controversial part. I hooked the RME ADI-2 and started listening - with integrated amp, then with v281 unbalanced, then with v281 balanced. So the final setup was:
Volumio Mini PC => USB => RME ADI-2 DAC => 2 x Balanced XLRs => v281 Amp => Balanced XLR => HD800S

First impression was not good, I didn't liked it much. I thought there is more detail retrieval in a bad way and brighter, leaner sound compared to the Fiio X3 II. Listened more and more and continued to be unimpressed by what I hear. I did direct AB switching between the Rme and the Fiio by changing the v281 inputs and guess what... couldn't detect any difference. I tried again on the next day with the Rme running all night and still... no difference to my ears. Also tried to listed to a full song on one of the chains and then the same song on the other... still the same.

People all over the Interned say that the Adi-2 DAC and the Quest (Hugo 2) DAC sound very similar. Some people have slight preference for the first and some for the second. Some say they can't distinguish between the two. And as you can see my experience with the Hugo 2 was very positive and transformative while I found the Adi-2 a disappointment by a big margin.

So, at this point I'm really confused. Sometimes I even start to question my experience with the Hugo 2 at that shop a week or two ago. I know sound can be subjective, but that is way out of what I would expect. So it seems the Adi-2 is going back soon and I hope to get a Qutest in it's place. Things is, I'm a bit worried if it will give me the same experience that the Hugo 2 gave me. Yea, people say they sound the same or very similar, but they do so for the Adi-2 vs the Qutest also and in my experience that can't be further from the truth.

If you have some comments or ideas it will be interesting to hear from you.

...Allow time to adjust to the sound - the ADI-2 should be a definite upgrade to the Fiio. If it's worth anything I have a Chord Mojo and hear a difference between it and the ADI-2 when both are connected to the V281 (ADI-2 has more detail, but Mojo has more air). Can you hold on to the ADI-2 until you get the Qutest to compare them?

Edit: I found Mojo > rHead > Elex to be amazing for Eric Clapton Unplugged so take my opinion with a grain of salt if you thought the Hugo 2 wasn't good for acoustic guitar LOL

 

[S Crowther]

Hi again. We discussed DACs for the v281 earlier. I'm the guy that couldn't detect a difference between Fiio X3 II DAP as a DAC and a Violectric v800. Some of you suggested RME ADI-2 or Chord Qutest for the v281.

My exploration of DACs for the v281 got weirder and even more controversial. I had the opportunity to travel to a another shop recently hoping to hear some tube amps and super high-end DACs - mainly DAC Hegel HD30. That didn't happen as they didn't have the unit in stock. I also brought my v281 with me to test with and they had the HD800S which are the headphones I have at home. I tried some other headphones and the Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies.

Then I hooked the HD800S directly into a Chord Hugo 2 expecting nothing very different. And... Wow! No more then 5-10 seconds were needed to start thinking that I want that sound and I'm probably willing to sell the v281 and get this very small Hugo 2 amp + DAC device instead. And then I hooked the Hugo 2 to the v281 and things got even better! The same amazing sound, but even more clear and refined and with better soundstage and authority.

So the final setup was:
Tidal on Apple PC => USB => Hugo 2 DAC => v281 Amp => Unbalanced => HD800S

Also, from time to time I would swap the RCA cables on the v281 for the following setup, for comparison:
Fiio X3 II DAP => USB => v281 Amp => Unbalanced => HD800S

Clear difference and significantly better sound from the Hugo 2. The missing ingredient to my setup was found. The different sounds had a lot more character and taste and were superbly separated and at the same time sounding connected and cohesive. It was sounding fuller, more tangible and with more texture while at the same time very detailed. The music felt alive and full of emotion. The sound from the v281 and the HD800S was transformed for the better. On a slight negative note, I felt that on Ulver's Kveldssanger album (almost exclusively acoustic guitars music), it lost some sparkle. Nevertheless, that's something I'm definitely willing to sacrifice for the joy the Hugo 2 brought to the listening experience as a whole. It was very strong experience and in two occasions I almost shed a tear just from listening to this setup. And this was with the inferior unbalanced headphone output on the v281.

So, at this point I wanted to buy the Qutest as I don't need the amp in Hugo 2 (the two use the same DAC section and should sound very similar or identical). However, they didn't have the Qutest in stock.

I read a lot on the Internet and a lot of people say the RME ADI-2 is very similar to the Qutest, but at the 2/3 of the price. So the plan was to buy both and return the one I liked less (feeling a bit guilty about that...). Ordered both and the RME is here for two days now. On the other hand my order for the Qutest from an UK store was canceled yesterday. Turns out Chord have some weird policy. If there is an official Chord distributor in your country, you can't buy Chord product from elsewhere. So they pointed me to the Bulgarian Chord distributor and refunded me.

Here is the controversial part. I hooked the RME ADI-2 and started listening - with integrated amp, then with v281 unbalanced, then with v281 balanced. So the final setup was:
Volumio Mini PC => USB => RME ADI-2 DAC => 2 x Balanced XLRs => v281 Amp => Balanced XLR => HD800S

First impression was not good, I didn't liked it much. I thought there is more detail retrieval in a bad way and brighter, leaner sound compared to the Fiio X3 II. Listened more and more and continued to be unimpressed by what I hear. I did direct AB switching between the Rme and the Fiio by changing the v281 inputs and guess what... couldn't detect any difference. I tried again on the next day with the Rme running all night and still... no difference to my ears. Also tried to listed to a full song on one of the chains and then the same song on the other... still the same.

People all over the Interned say that the Adi-2 DAC and the Quest (Hugo 2) DAC sound very similar. Some people have slight preference for the first and some for the second. Some say they can't distinguish between the two. And as you can see my experience with the Hugo 2 was very positive and transformative while I found the Adi-2 a disappointment by a big margin.

So, at this point I'm really confused. Sometimes I even start to question my experience with the Hugo 2 at that shop a week or two ago. I know sound can be subjective, but that is way out of what I would expect. So it seems the Adi-2 is going back soon and I hope to get a Qutest in it's place. Things is, I'm a bit worried if it will give me the same experience that the Hugo 2 gave me. Yea, people say they sound the same or very similar, but they do so for the Adi-2 vs the Qutest also and in my experience that can't be further from the truth.

If you have some comments or ideas it will be interesting to hear from you.

I fed my V281 for some time from a Chord TT and did not like the result at all. I replaced the TT with a Terminator. Much better imo. Now I am trying the Terminator with a much cheaper amp: Xduoo TA-20. Initial impressions are good driving HD800s and HEK v2 balanced. Preferring it to the V281 especially for the Sennheiser.

 

[bluenight]

Hi again. We discussed DACs for the v281 earlier. I'm the guy that couldn't detect a difference between Fiio X3 II DAP as a DAC and a Violectric v800. Some of you suggested RME ADI-2 or Chord Qutest for the v281.

My exploration of DACs for the v281 got weirder and even more controversial. I had the opportunity to travel to a another shop recently hoping to hear some tube amps and super high-end DACs - mainly DAC Hegel HD30. That didn't happen as they didn't have the unit in stock. I also brought my v281 with me to test with and they had the HD800S which are the headphones I have at home. I tried some other headphones and the Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies.

Then I hooked the HD800S directly into a Chord Hugo 2 expecting nothing very different. And... Wow! No more then 5-10 seconds were needed to start thinking that I want that sound and I'm probably willing to sell the v281 and get this very small Hugo 2 amp + DAC device instead. And then I hooked the Hugo 2 to the v281 and things got even better! The same amazing sound, but even more clear and refined and with better soundstage and authority.

So the final setup was:
Tidal on Apple PC => USB => Hugo 2 DAC => v281 Amp => Unbalanced => HD800S

Also, from time to time I would swap the RCA cables on the v281 for the following setup, for comparison:
Fiio X3 II DAP => USB => v281 Amp => Unbalanced => HD800S

Clear difference and significantly better sound from the Hugo 2. The missing ingredient to my setup was found. The different sounds had a lot more character and taste and were superbly separated and at the same time sounding connected and cohesive. It was sounding fuller, more tangible and with more texture while at the same time very detailed. The music felt alive and full of emotion. The sound from the v281 and the HD800S was transformed for the better. On a slight negative note, I felt that on Ulver's Kveldssanger album (almost exclusively acoustic guitars music), it lost some sparkle. Nevertheless, that's something I'm definitely willing to sacrifice for the joy the Hugo 2 brought to the listening experience as a whole. It was very strong experience and in two occasions I almost shed a tear just from listening to this setup. And this was with the inferior unbalanced headphone output on the v281.

So, at this point I wanted to buy the Qutest as I don't need the amp in Hugo 2 (the two use the same DAC section and should sound very similar or identical). However, they didn't have the Qutest in stock.

I read a lot on the Internet and a lot of people say the RME ADI-2 is very similar to the Qutest, but at the 2/3 of the price. So the plan was to buy both and return the one I liked less (feeling a bit guilty about that...). Ordered both and the RME is here for two days now. On the other hand my order for the Qutest from an UK store was canceled yesterday. Turns out Chord have some weird policy. If there is an official Chord distributor in your country, you can't buy Chord product from elsewhere. So they pointed me to the Bulgarian Chord distributor and refunded me.

Here is the controversial part. I hooked the RME ADI-2 and started listening - with integrated amp, then with v281 unbalanced, then with v281 balanced. So the final setup was:
Volumio Mini PC => USB => RME ADI-2 DAC => 2 x Balanced XLRs => v281 Amp => Balanced XLR => HD800S

First impression was not good, I didn't liked it much. I thought there is more detail retrieval in a bad way and brighter, leaner sound compared to the Fiio X3 II. Listened more and more and continued to be unimpressed by what I hear. I did direct AB switching between the Rme and the Fiio by changing the v281 inputs and guess what... couldn't detect any difference. I tried again on the next day with the Rme running all night and still... no difference to my ears. Also tried to listed to a full song on one of the chains and then the same song on the other... still the same.

People all over the Interned say that the Adi-2 DAC and the Quest (Hugo 2) DAC sound very similar. Some people have slight preference for the first and some for the second. Some say they can't distinguish between the two. And as you can see my experience with the Hugo 2 was very positive and transformative while I found the Adi-2 a disappointment by a big margin.

So, at this point I'm really confused. Sometimes I even start to question my experience with the Hugo 2 at that shop a week or two ago. I know sound can be subjective, but that is way out of what I would expect. So it seems the Adi-2 is going back soon and I hope to get a Qutest in it's place. Things is, I'm a bit worried if it will give me the same experience that the Hugo 2 gave me. Yea, people say they sound the same or very similar, but they do so for the Adi-2 vs the Qutest also and in my experience that can't be further from the truth.

If you have some comments or ideas it will be interesting to hear from you.

Try a audio optimised streamer connected to the V281, might be better then a dac connected to a computer. If not to expensive maybe this https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/naim-nd5-xs-2.

 

[111MilesToGo]

Hi again. We discussed DACs for the v281 earlier. I'm the guy that couldn't detect a difference between Fiio X3 II DAP as a DAC and a Violectric v800. Some of you suggested RME ADI-2 or Chord Qutest for the v281.

My exploration of DACs for the v281 got weirder and even more controversial. I had the opportunity to travel to a another shop recently hoping to hear some tube amps and super high-end DACs - mainly DAC Hegel HD30. That didn't happen as they didn't have the unit in stock. I also brought my v281 with me to test with and they had the HD800S which are the headphones I have at home. I tried some other headphones and the Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies.

Then I hooked the HD800S directly into a Chord Hugo 2 expecting nothing very different. And... Wow! No more then 5-10 seconds were needed to start thinking that I want that sound and I'm probably willing to sell the v281 and get this very small Hugo 2 amp + DAC device instead. And then I hooked the Hugo 2 to the v281 and things got even better! The same amazing sound, but even more clear and refined and with better soundstage and authority.

So the final setup was:
Tidal on Apple PC => USB => Hugo 2 DAC => v281 Amp => Unbalanced => HD800S

Also, from time to time I would swap the RCA cables on the v281 for the following setup, for comparison:
Fiio X3 II DAP => USB => v281 Amp => Unbalanced => HD800S

Clear difference and significantly better sound from the Hugo 2. The missing ingredient to my setup was found. The different sounds had a lot more character and taste and were superbly separated and at the same time sounding connected and cohesive. It was sounding fuller, more tangible and with more texture while at the same time very detailed. The music felt alive and full of emotion. The sound from the v281 and the HD800S was transformed for the better. On a slight negative note, I felt that on Ulver's Kveldssanger album (almost exclusively acoustic guitars music), it lost some sparkle. Nevertheless, that's something I'm definitely willing to sacrifice for the joy the Hugo 2 brought to the listening experience as a whole. It was very strong experience and in two occasions I almost shed a tear just from listening to this setup. And this was with the inferior unbalanced headphone output on the v281.

So, at this point I wanted to buy the Qutest as I don't need the amp in Hugo 2 (the two use the same DAC section and should sound very similar or identical). However, they didn't have the Qutest in stock.

I read a lot on the Internet and a lot of people say the RME ADI-2 is very similar to the Qutest, but at the 2/3 of the price. So the plan was to buy both and return the one I liked less (feeling a bit guilty about that...). Ordered both and the RME is here for two days now. On the other hand my order for the Qutest from an UK store was canceled yesterday. Turns out Chord have some weird policy. If there is an official Chord distributor in your country, you can't buy Chord product from elsewhere. So they pointed me to the Bulgarian Chord distributor and refunded me.

Here is the controversial part. I hooked the RME ADI-2 and started listening - with integrated amp, then with v281 unbalanced, then with v281 balanced. So the final setup was:
Volumio Mini PC => USB => RME ADI-2 DAC => 2 x Balanced XLRs => v281 Amp => Balanced XLR => HD800S

First impression was not good, I didn't liked it much. I thought there is more detail retrieval in a bad way and brighter, leaner sound compared to the Fiio X3 II. Listened more and more and continued to be unimpressed by what I hear. I did direct AB switching between the Rme and the Fiio by changing the v281 inputs and guess what... couldn't detect any difference. I tried again on the next day with the Rme running all night and still... no difference to my ears. Also tried to listed to a full song on one of the chains and then the same song on the other... still the same.

People all over the Interned say that the Adi-2 DAC and the Quest (Hugo 2) DAC sound very similar. Some people have slight preference for the first and some for the second. Some say they can't distinguish between the two. And as you can see my experience with the Hugo 2 was very positive and transformative while I found the Adi-2 a disappointment by a big margin.

So, at this point I'm really confused. Sometimes I even start to question my experience with the Hugo 2 at that shop a week or two ago. I know sound can be subjective, but that is way out of what I would expect. So it seems the Adi-2 is going back soon and I hope to get a Qutest in it's place. Things is, I'm a bit worried if it will give me the same experience that the Hugo 2 gave me. Yea, people say they sound the same or very similar, but they do so for the Adi-2 vs the Qutest also and in my experience that can't be further from the truth.

If you have some comments or ideas it will be interesting to hear from you.

I feel like giving a little contribution from my own path.

Regarding DACs, I experienced that heart-opening and convincing ”wow“ when I auditioned the Chord Hugo 2 for the first time - quite similar to what you said, even though I was at a dealer shop and with good but to me unknown headphones as well as with my old and thoroughly known though lesser headphone. I had auditioned the Chord Mojo before - a no, and the Hugo 1 with Sennheiser HD800 and top Grado‘s - even a double-no back then.

So I thought: Just trust that moment when the Hugo 2 just clicked and the music really fell in place. Remember, getting to the heart of the music in a musical BEGINofEDIT way ENDofEDIT (I don‘t know any better word) is what it‘s all about.

From there on, the Hugo 2 always was the cornerstone, it didn‘t let me down in any way. Every step I took then did open my heart even wider: First I got the Sennheiser HD 800S (single-ended directly out of the H2), then the V281. Running the HD 800S balanced out of the V281 was my last step, providing the next ”wow“ moment.

So, if you would like to hear my suggestion: Trust your heart for the Hugo 2 ”clicking wow“ moment. Looking further all the time is an action of the brain, Not so much one of the heart.

To be honest: I had fallen for the same looking further and further some 20 years ago. All that did for me was to let my head explode, get more and more unhappy until I put this audio hobby to hibernation for some 15 years.

Hope you don‘t mind my writing, hope you might get some reassurance regarding those few magic moments when things just get right and fall into place.

Wrt Hugo 2 versus Qutest: The volume pot of the H2 might come in handy for mobility at some later point in time, even when your current habit is purely desktop at home.

EDIT: Of course, I am talking about the few real, moving and lasting ”wow“ moments, not the superficial boom-bang-gone ones.

 

[NDonchev]

...Allow time to adjust to the sound - the ADI-2 should be a definite upgrade to the Fiio. If it's worth anything I have a Chord Mojo and hear a difference between it and the ADI-2 when both are connected to the V281 (ADI-2 has more detail, but Mojo has more air). Can you hold on to the ADI-2 until you get the Qutest to compare them?

Edit: I found Mojo > rHead > Elex to be amazing for Eric Clapton Unplugged so take my opinion with a grain of salt if you thought the Hugo 2 wasn't good for acoustic guitar LOL

I will definitely listen to the ADI-2 more. Actually, today it seems to sound better for some reason. Nevertheless, the unpleasant harsh bright treble is still there depending on the song.

I think Qutest and ADI-2 will meet at my place as the return period for the ADI-2 is 30 days (still 27 days left).

 

[NDonchev]

I feel like giving a little contribution from my own path.

Regarding DACs, I experienced that heart-opening and convincing ”wow“ when I auditioned the Chord Hugo 2 for the first time - quite similar to what you said, even though I was at a dealer shop and with good but to me unknown headphones as well as with my old and thoroughly known though lesser headphone. I had auditioned the Chord Mojo before - a no, and the Hugo 1 with Sennheiser HD800 and top Grado‘s - even a double-no back then.

So I thought: Just trust that moment when the Hugo 2 just clicked and the music really fell in place. Remember, getting to the heart of the music in a musical (I don‘t know any better word) is what it‘s all about.

From there on, the Hugo 2 always was the cornerstone, it didn‘t let me down in any way. Every step I took then did open my heart even wider: First I got the Sennheiser HD 800S (single-ended directly out of the H2), then the V281. Running the HD 800S balanced out of the V281 was my last step, providing the next ”wow“ moment.

So, if you would like to hear my suggestion: Trust your heart for the Hugo 2 ”clicking wow“ moment. Looking further all the time is an action of the brain, Not so much one of the heart.

To be honest: I had fallen for the same looking further and further some 20 years ago. All that did for me was to let my head explode, get more and more unhappy until I put this audio hobby to hibernation for some 15 years.

Hope you don‘t mind my writing, hope you might get some reassurance regarding those few magic moments when things just get right and fall into place.

Wrt Hugo 2 versus Qutest: The volume pot of the H2 might come in handy for mobility at some later point in time, even when your current habit is purely desktop at home.

EDIT: Of course, I am talking about the few real, moving and lasting ”wow“ moments, not the superficial boom-bang-gone ones.

Thank you very much for this response. It's nice to hear someone else had similar experience.

I also often feel that my head will explode and not feeling particularly happy in this journey anymore. It's starting to take too much effort and time. On some occasions I wonder if it will be better just to sell everything and forget about audio. I'm mainly stress over it instead of being happy with it.

The reassurance is helpful. There are so many different opinions and always presumably better and better gear. But I also think that trusting my own experience is the better choice. Nevertheless, I continue to read on the forums and that confuses me even more as often what I read is very different from my personal experience.

Anyway, tomorrow I will contact my local Chord distributor and see what will come of it. Ideally, I'll have the opportunity to hear the Hugo 2 / Qutest again and make a final decision.

 

[111MilesToGo]

Thank you very much for this response. It's nice to hear someone else had similar experience.

I also often feel that my head will explode and not feeling particularly happy in this journey anymore. It's starting to take too much effort and time. On some occasions I wonder if it will be better just to sell everything and forget about audio. I'm mainly stress over it instead of being happy with it.

The reassurance is helpful. There are so many different opinions and always presumably better and better gear. But I also think that trusting my own experience is the better choice. Nevertheless, I continue to read on the forums and that confuses me even more as often what I read is very different from my personal experience.

Anyway, tomorrow I will contact my local Chord distributor and see what will come of it. Ideally, I'll have the opportunity to hear the Hugo 2 / Qutest again and make a final decision.

Thank you for your kind words. Always happy to contribute. Rest assured, I am perfectly happy with my H2, V281, HD800S Setup - and with my music!

 

[donato]

Thank you very much for this response. It's nice to hear someone else had similar experience.

I also often feel that my head will explode and not feeling particularly happy in this journey anymore. It's starting to take too much effort and time. On some occasions I wonder if it will be better just to sell everything and forget about audio. I'm mainly stress over it instead of being happy with it.

The reassurance is helpful. There are so many different opinions and always presumably better and better gear. But I also think that trusting my own experience is the better choice. Nevertheless, I continue to read on the forums and that confuses me even more as often what I read is very different from my personal experience.

Anyway, tomorrow I will contact my local Chord distributor and see what will come of it. Ideally, I'll have the opportunity to hear the Hugo 2 / Qutest again and make a final decision.

At the end of the day, there's only one opinion and set of ears you need to satisfy. It is tricky with all of the reviews and opinions out there, but ultimately everyone's experience is valid to themselves. The best you can do is build some experience on your own and listen to a variety of gear, understand what you value, and pick the equipment you like and can afford. If you're lucky, you find out who's tastes align with your own and you can lend more weight to those reviews and recommendations and start to tune out others. Be sure to enjoy the process and what you're listening to.

 

[cj3209]

This is off topic but I agree that everyone's ears are different. I owned the H2 and preferred the sound of my AK SP1000 which is currently driving my V281; it just sounded more natural and pleasing to my ears. Putting some tubes in-between made the sound even better, especially for voices. But that's my opinion.

As Paul of iBasso always says, "ENJOY THE MUSIC!"