Chord Qutest vs Denafrips Ares II SOUND DEMO

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Denafrips Ares II vs Chord Qutest (with Allo Shanti LPS) difference is much more noticeable in real life. Dynamics, sound-stage, micro details... to really hear these, you simply have to hear them in person. This is meant for fun and noticing some differences that maybe survived Microphone recording/RU-vid compression/Your own gear signature. Have fun!
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Chord Qutest on Amazon: amzn.to/3tpABS7
0:00 Track 1 - Bert Jerred - Forecasting (male vocal)
1:42 Track 2 - Jeffrey Philip Nelson - Sarah (chesty male vocal)
3:15 Track 3 - Jabberheads - Elaine (full female vocal)
4:50 Track 4 - 青木ヨーマ - Talk 'bout your friend (energetic strings + vocal)
6:22 Track 5 - Quincas Moreira - Selfie Stick (bassy beat)
The lossless audio track from this video:
mega.nz/file/NQs1WQqD#xete_ON...
Test system:
Lindemann Limetree Bridge Streamer
Denafrips Ares II vs Chord Qutest with Allo Shanti LPS
Hegel H90 Integrated Amplifier
KEF LS50: amzn.to/2ztRg0s
#hifi #audiophile #dac #demo

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Опубликовано:

15 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 189

@dasninjastix 3 года назад

I barely notice a difference, I'd say the Chord is a bit tighter, more clinical but at the cost of some musicality. I ran this with my phone face down and turned it over whenever I felt something, and 4/5 times it was the Ares when I turned over my phone. The control on the Chord is stellar though, so if that's your thing it makes sense.

@kinggodzilla7647 3 года назад

I heard more similarities than differences. While the Qutest had a slightly laid-back sound the Ares II a slightly forward sound. What I did notice is the huge price difference between the 2 DACs.

@bananasplitbrain476 3 года назад

Chord is cleaner and more concise but more constrained. The room is more vibrant and deeper with the Ares. Instruments and voices have more air and texture. It is less congested, more open up, in terms of timbre and space! It matches my croft brilliantly which have similar characteristics.

@beletteboy 3 года назад

Finally Ares 2 for me. So much tranparence ! Very surprised ! Great video. Thanks !

@rktrkt-tw8nd 3 года назад

Try "other room test". Play music and listen from other room. The dac which sounds more like the singer is singing in the room nearby is more accurate and true to source.

@MCMTL 2 года назад

I do that when I'm in the kitchen getting a beer.

@rrtind 3 года назад

Qutest sounds less harsh in the upper midrange, less sibilant and less digital. It’s sweeter sounding and more organic. Thank you for doing this iiWi, it’s further confirmation of which one I prefer.

@vekanoid 3 года назад

Yes true. Qutest generally sounds warmer and smoother. Probably Ares is good in some dark and muddy systems. Who knows.

@rrtind 3 года назад

@@vekanoid Yes It could help to balance an overly warm and overly thick sounding system

@rrtind 3 года назад

@barbosa pereira Denafrips is definitely the more bright and lively. But it certainly isn’t natural. This type of edgy upper midrange sound from the Denafrips reminds me of the DAC in my cheap Marantz CD player from the early 90s. The Qutest is so much more advanced it’s not even close.

@Ceko 3 года назад

@@rrtind to me it’s exactly the other way round. I have the Qutest but I’d be happy with the Denafrips.

@rrtind 3 года назад

@@Ceko Appreciate your comment. But IMO you’ve got the better DAC. I think the brighter upper midrange in the Ares II might make it a touch unrefined and it’s a quality that’s no different to DACs of old. Don’t get me wrong, I think the Ares II is worth every penny of its price and even more than its price. But it’s not better than your Qutest. If I was considering a Denafrips over your Qutest, I’d be looking at the Pontus II. The other important thing to consider is that this type of a sound demo doesn’t give you any indication of the soundstage and imaging abilities/presentations of the DACs. That forms a massive part of the musical message and my guess is the Qutest will comfortably take a lead in that regard.

@mtiken 3 года назад

Clean sound from Qutest but sounds electronic but Ares II has open and raw uncontrolled analog sound. My ears opened up and sense of air with Ares II

@monochromios 3 года назад

Cleaner and more controlled sound from Qutest but first impact of the Ares 2 is great. Too much psychoacoustic involved. Technically the Chord is cleaner. The perceived richer sound of the Ares 2 comes from a brain reaction to undefined sounds but it's not an argument to deal in few lines. Great comparison.

@OSQQ123 2 года назад

Ares II has more 3D sound and a tighter bass. I prefer it

@dennishaley4443 2 года назад

At 1/2 the price ...I ordered the Ares 2.

@CovertOperative 2 года назад

The Ares II is significantly better for instrument tamber and a 3D sounstage. The Quitest is clearly smoothing over the rough edges of notee in both the low and high frequencies. The Ares II is a more natural and analogue sound.

@zubidoc 9 месяцев назад

Hi and thank you. Great job on volume matching and mixing. Tonally they're very similar. Qutest: darker background, more focused, a bit more forward, smoother, the bass is softer and a little blurry. Ares II: brighter, airier, more spacious, a bit more layed back, noisier, tighter bass. Taking into account the price difference I would get Ares II + Iris (DDC).

@pheunthai 2 месяца назад

Qutest is clear and clean and maintains its poise even during the more complex passages. Whereas the Ares II becomes more congested and muffled during these passages. I guess that’s why we pay premium for the Qutest.

@dialecticalmonist3405 2 года назад

I really want to like the Ares, but on my Aryas, on this RU-vid sound demo, I can't lie, the Chord sounds sublime.

@mrfrosty3 3 года назад

I have cloth ears, I may have heard a difference in track four but could have been something with the transition. Otherwise they sound very similar.

@VirusForPrez 3 года назад

Hard to tell from sound coming out of my tiny laptop speakers but i would definitely prefer the clearer and more analytical sound of the Denafrips ,just more things you can control through preamp afterwards !

@georgecav Год назад

Thanks. Such demos have obvious limitations but much more useful than just hearing any reviewers personal evaluations and ratings

@lold6130 Год назад

DENAFRIPS Co. Ltd is a privately held company based in Guangzhou, China

@zyghom 3 года назад

even here it is quite noticeable - maybe because I see it? In real life if I had any of them I would be pleased

@rangerscoach 3 года назад

theyre both fantastic

@user-rd9nj6xt3v 10 месяцев назад

Trying to decide between Ares II and Qutest to pair with Quad ESL2905's Had DAC64 back early 2000's and loved what it did,, but very unsure which way to go with the electrostatics at present.

@michaelwright1602 2 года назад

Both sound good, but! I did get that clinical sound from the Chord, my ears picked up on it immediately. And I was not watching the video, but when I heard that sound I scrolled up. It must be me, because I have been through a few DACs, the Ares II was incredible out of the box, it is not clinical or sterile to my ears and is easy to listen to, it simply plays good sounding music. My previous DACs were all chip amps, listening to those was like taking a trip to the dentist office.

@ciousli 2 года назад

This sound demo works better than I anticipated. An actual rough but clear enough comparison between the sound of two dacs, good job. People get told that all dacs sound the same and often don't have the opportunity to go hear for themselves. This video helps a lot for that, you can rougly hear if you'd care about the differences. I'm still uncertain between the two, the Qutest probably makes bad or complex recordings sound better, but the ares has more body and soul. Since I'll use it with a Stax L700, taming bad tracks is a big topic, but the ares will most likely blow my mind under ideal conditions. Hard choice. I wonder how the Pontus II compares to the Qutest.. Wish there was a sound demo comparing those two ;)

@vancouverpingpong Год назад

For me Chord Qutest is the pick. Thank you.

@dott.gianluigigiovene9569 2 года назад

The Qutest has more tri-dimensional soundstage and a smoother and natural sound. The Ares II has a wider, but bidimensional image and a brighter and rich sound. Matter of taste...

@phcduarte 3 года назад

Either absolutely no difference at all, or absolutely minimal difference, if at all. 🤣

@thepickyaudiophile 3 года назад

FWIW I’m on fuzzy noise canceling Bluetooth headphones and 480p (low nitrate audio) and the difference is obvious to me 🤷🏻

@phcduarte 3 года назад

@@thepickyaudiophile My equipment is good enough to detect subtle differences in my DACs, so I can only guess it may be due to age related differences... may I ask how old are you? I'm 50, so my hearing might not be that great... 😝

@thepickyaudiophile 3 года назад

@@phcduarte You got 4 years on me (46), but I played music for the first part of my life, including a bit of work as a recording and mixing engineer, so that may account for something.. or not 😁 Maybe it’s also just what differences you are sensitive to.

@phcduarte 3 года назад

@@thepickyaudiophile I play music also, namely piano, but have no experience either in recording nor mixing - and I'm sure that experience accounts for something! Not that I'm doubting the differences you're noticing, but so that I could concentrate and try and hear them myself, could you please name a specific moment (timestamp) in the video where differences are clearly noticeable to you? Thank you very much in advance for the trouble! :)

@Fizbin32111 2 года назад

In some instances it's not possible to hear the difference because the switching occurs when the song builds or winds down.

@bernardoa.garciah.2316 Месяц назад

Exactly; this is why these videos of comparisons, while interesting, are simply useless.

@ychilds99 2 года назад

I prefer the wider soundstage of the Ares II. Both have similar resolution but the presentation of the Ares II is more engaging. I'd save the $1500 and use if for other things like music. Thank you for sharing this.

@mykeldg 3 года назад

i kind of feel like chord sound is like a high-framerate 240hz monitor with antialiasing. like its interpolating all the frames in between the missing details. the result is super precise, clean & smooth and easy to spot details while not sounding sharp. The Ares on the other hand is like a film camera, its 24fps but sounds more lifelike, with all the grain and flaws intact. my preference would be any between the 2 but I tend to gravitate to the one I can listen to for prolonged periods while having all the detail (qutest). But i think the Ares sounds more lifelike and real and more engaging. (reminds me of the modi multibit but much better)

@vekanoid 3 года назад

Yes agree with you. Actually I would prefere something in between, because Ares is little too open and litle nervous in midrange. Chord is somehow too much filtered. So something in between would be perfect. All that also depend on the other components of the system.

@mykeldg 3 года назад

@@vekanoid that would probably be the schiit bifrost 2. its also r2r but has some refinements and custom output stage + supposedly excellent usb implementation.

@erics.4113 2 года назад

I want to hear the denafrips but have an opportunity to buy a used qutest and may go that route if th3 price is right.

@vojislavsimun9247 3 года назад

Srboljube , sjajan video kao i uvijek. Moze li naziv trece numere? Hvala.

@iiWiReviews 3 года назад

Hvala, ubačena imena svih numera u opis, treća je: Jabberheads - Elaine

@rangerscoach 3 года назад

Listened to the Aries II on my Bryston b100 sst2 with some bowers and Wilkins 704 old school model and gotta say it smoked a Bryston br 20 plugged into a 2b3 powering Bryston A2 loudspeakers running the Qutest. if you have a very flat very revealing system adding the Aries throws the valve, the holographic and the bloom that you might actually like that your system is missing. this is NOT a wire with gain. it changes things and i would say is a must-listen in person. listening to Copy of A by nine inch nails or even something like Neil youngs' live at massey hall you find yourself just captivated by the listening experience, its colour. even when a chord may give you more detail. But to my ears it does mess with the tracks a little. And doesn't scale as well as the chord across genres. if your a cool person go for the denafrips. if your more s science major go for the chord. if you can try and demo a pontius it has got a little of the transients and instrument accuracy that you may find missing from the denafrips aries II

@pryml6823 3 года назад

Listening to this through a Chord Qutest and leaning towards the Denafrips Ares II 😅 Did my Qutest "compensate" for the usual somewhat lack of precision and detail in the Ares II? 🤣

@dialecticalmonist3405 2 года назад

I thought the Chord sounded clearly better. Are you nuts? Sell it to me.

@pryml6823 2 года назад

@@dialecticalmonist3405 lol.... I'll still hang on to the Qutest though, because I feel that it's less coloured and better with the electronic music that I'm heavily into.

@andreasd.barkas4845 5 месяцев назад

original power supply to the qutest ? also wich input connection do you use ?

@TOMASittha108 Год назад

Hi. How do you rate the DAC in Eversolo EverSolo DMP-A6 compared to Chord Qutest?

@michbest 4 месяца назад

Why should enyone compare shrill sounding china shit to smooth sounding Qutest?

@earlebeckford1 11 месяцев назад

Aries 2 has a softer mid and overall warm presentation and Questest is more analytical but not in a bad way. Mids are more forward and I’m able to discern the different instrumentation better. I prefer the Chord because it’s sounds more reference in terms o comparing to listening to music in a recording studio setting you hear into the music more vs just the music. This is pleasing to be because of my recording background. At the end of the day it comes down to preference but for me the Chord Quest sounds more refined as it should with less coloration.

@leeseung4804 3 года назад

If I can’t tell any difference using headphones does this mean I should just be happy with $200 DAC? So confused

@rodpinfold8824 2 года назад

Here in Germany the DENAFRIPS PONTUS II is more in the price scale of the Chord at €1750

@genaishivatov1737 2 года назад

There is some kind of spark in Denafrips - he sounds more incendiary, more exciting. Although Chord is a little more correct, stricter.

@michaelwright1602 2 года назад

The Chord is "Clinical", I picked up on that immediately. Like visiting the dentist... At least to my ears.

@losriosprofundos2113 3 года назад

My headphones probably aren’t good enough to really evaluate this. It’s also a RU-vid video, so I’m thinking it might be pointless to do a sound test this way. I had the Qutest for six weeks, but never took to it. It sounds really good, but there’s something about it, maybe an edge or intensity that I could never get past. They are popular though, so very easy to sell if it’s not for you. I have an Ares II on the way.

@AjuVignesh 2 месяца назад

What did you like at last?

@losriosprofundos2113 2 месяца назад

@@AjuVignesh Denafrips Pontus II. A lot of folks like the Ares II, but the Pontus is a better value in my book

@AjuVignesh 2 месяца назад

Cool. Thanks for your reply. So the denafrips is significantly better than the Qutest?

@losriosprofundos2113 2 месяца назад

@@AjuVignesh I don’t think that it’s an objective criticism, but I hear something that sounds artificial at higher frequencies in the chip based DACs I’ve heard. It’s why I didn’t keep the Qutest. The Pontus doesn’t have a digital sound, but lacks a bit of transparency that you could get in a cheaper chip based DAC or a significantly more expensive R2R DAC.

@AjuVignesh 2 месяца назад

Thank you. So, R2R is the way to go for me too I guess. I will read more about Pontus :)

@angusflood6801 3 года назад

Thank you for posting. The Chord is much more musical/involving. The Ares 2 treble sounds more brittle/processed. No contrast in timing. Chord wins. The Ares 2 sounds like clever Chinese digital, which is what it is. The Chord sounds more like live music with live people.

@fiogray 3 года назад

You're Kinda wrong mate.

@russellparker4568 2 года назад

I agree with Angus the denafrips sounds harsh, like it’s high frequency is distorted

@rodpinfold8824 2 года назад

I agree, Ares ear fatigue after an hour at the latest

@pheunthai 2 месяца назад

Agree that the Qutest sounds more fluid and musical whereas the Ares 2 tends to exaggerate the highs and lows. In fact, in some passages, I could hear boom with the Ares and I’m really averse to boom. The Qutest, on the other hand, maintains its poise throughout. To me, it’s a no brainer. Definitely prefer the Qutest.

@cantfindanamefree 3 года назад

I sold my qutest about a year ago. It was nice but not so much different to what I already had compare to a sub i wanted to buy with the money. I am getting ares 2 tomorrow so will be interesting what that sounds like. Hope I'm not disappointed with that.

@fiogray 3 года назад

So which one did you like best, Ares or Qutest?

@cantfindanamefree 3 года назад

@@fiogray I only got it today. First one was stolen in transit. Its hard to compare vs qutest as its been a while since I had one and I have changed my speakers since. Best way is really A/B but I can't do that. Vs my Blusound Node it's really nice. Warm, open, airy, life like, smooth. Build quality seems excellent also. So far so good. Denafrips recommendeds to use the xlr output but to me rca sounded batter. Maybe my amps implementation is not good or my xlr cables are not as good. Not sure.

@dingbat19 2 года назад

@@cantfindanamefree any update on your view of Qutest vs Ares II ?

@cantfindanamefree 2 года назад

@@dingbat19 it's been long since I've listened to qutest and I've also got different speakers since. From memory qutest was really clean sounding, lots of detail, bigger sound stage. The ares is probably not so clean sounding and maybe lacks the absolute detail of qutest. Ares is very smooth sound, easy to listen to and good for instrumental. For electronic music I'd prefer qutest I think. But ares better value really and strikes a good balance. For the price it's well worth it. Qutest is harder to justify at the price. Good thing with qutest though is you can easily demo it at a dealer.

@bananasplitbrain476 2 года назад

I have to comment on my comment: the Aries is more spectacular, more meaty, flesh and bone and resonant, full bodied but the tone with the Chord is more natural, more pure, free of coloration and sounding. The grown listener will prefer this lack of effects even thought it may sound thinner, two dimensional and cleaner, a bit sterile but in fact it hits the tone and sustain better.

@Audiophileman 3 года назад

more balance harmonics with the qutest, ares have less upper than its lower harmonics.

@marekkouril7134 3 года назад

Hi, are you using 5V 1A or 5V 3A out from Allo Shanti to Qutest? Thanks.

@iiWiReviews 3 года назад

I used 1A for the Qutest and 3A for the streamer since it doesn't work the other way around.

@rainman3269 2 года назад

What settings did you have with both ... Nos ... Os ... Warm ... etc... They both have different settings ...

@iiWiReviews 2 года назад

NOS slow on Ares II and Neutral on Qutest. To my ears those options are the best and most natural sounding on these DACs.

@kortam6065 3 года назад

i like the ares thicker sound

@deadline7610 3 года назад

Nicely Done. Why make us follow links to get track names ? What am I missing ?

@iiWiReviews 3 года назад

Links are simply timecodes so you can skip to any track inside the video. I just updated the full names of songs in the description. But here's the list here too: Track 1 - Bert Jerred - Forecasting Track 2 - Jeffrey Philip Nelson - Sarah Track 3 - Jabberheads - Elaine Track 4 - 青木ヨーマ - Talk 'bout your friend Track 5 - Quincas Moreira - Selfie Stick

@deadline7610 3 года назад

@@iiWiReviews Thanks, Always like to be able to track your music. This is where I went wrong-The lossless audio track from this video: @t

@carthage7757 2 года назад

I notice no big difference except track 2.better vocal with Qutest. Wich filter are you using?

@iiWiReviews 2 года назад

Neutral on Qutest and slow OS on Ares II.

@harrybaque5502 3 года назад

Qutest for me

@Ceko 3 года назад

Qutest seems held back somehow.. that hurts. I have one and I love it but now I want a Denafrips. Can you please send them over so I can test them on my system? 😬

@mccririck01 3 года назад

I have a Chord Mojo and I agree with you. I think Chords cheaper DACs lack attack. The leading edge of notes isn't as natural - it's softened / blunted a bit. I'd like a Denafrips, too. I believe the Chord Dave is amazing, though. But then so is the Holo May...

@pryml6823 3 года назад

@@mccririck01 I've found that you can tweak "attack" on the Qutest by changing the line level output. 2V RMS is ideal in my system.

@SantanKGhey1234 2 года назад

both sound fine... if you only own 1 and not both to A-B then it doesn't matter

@stephenbailey9969 3 года назад

I prefer the Chord: vocals more fleshy, music more spread out and defined, pleasant and melodic. A number of times the Ares exhibited a compressed and muddied soundstage, with a lack of musicality, a slightly sterile sound. (Thanks for the video. I don't own either of these, and I won't be rushing out to purchase, the Ares for the weak sound and the Chord for its price.)

@rodpinfold8824 2 года назад

Interesting, may I ask what you own?

@stephenbailey9969 2 года назад

@@rodpinfold8824 I have settled on the Topping D70s. With its dual AKM chips, it is very clear but also has a natural smoothness that I prefer. Vocals have weight, are not thin or brittle. It is very compatible with my Rega Brio amplifier and Wharfedale Denton 80th anniversary speakers.

@MrGorpm 2 года назад

Both suffered terribly from RU-vid's treatment, but the Denafrips was more forward in the midrange but lacked a bit of resolution whilst the Chord was more resolving, but somehow more clinical in its presentation. Considering the tracks used and the price, I would go for the Denafrips. I would like to do an A-B comparison in my home with better (subjectively speaking) music and partnering equipment. I already own two different DAC's from Cambridge and Chord, but I'm open to improvements.

@carldegamo3877 3 года назад

ares ii for me

@pinkyfloydyfan1 3 года назад

Denafrips all the way!!!

@vkvedam 3 года назад

No difference if I am being honest with my engineer's hat on and blindfolded. If I look at the video then I start painting pictures in my mind :-)

@De132an 3 года назад

Looks like you were running the Ares II in NOS?

@iiWiReviews 3 года назад

OS slow, and that's my favorite one.

@jimbrimcharrington1481 3 года назад

I prefer NOS ... more depth and realism. My room is full of reflections, so OS is a tad too bright for me. Crazy how a room can make or break a component.

@mccririck01 3 года назад

@@jimbrimcharrington1481 I've seen a few reviewers on RU-vid saying they prefer with OS.

@Lexington365 2 года назад

Anyone ever see those Coca Cola tests companies would do in the street? Take the same drink, put some in a Coke can and the rest in a miscellaneous can. The public almost always prefer the Coca Cola can. Close your eyes and listen to the video. Sounds exactly the same all the way though.

@paulk9534 11 месяцев назад

Track3 Qutest seemed to have a much richer and appealing tone to my ear. Track5 again the Qutest had more control and a ‘firmer’ sound that was more pleasing

@rktrkt-tw8nd 3 года назад

Even a kid would tell the difference, it is so huge. Qutest has lot cleaner transients because of that vocals are more life like as if someone is singing in front of you.

@bradyreid9270 2 года назад

Actually...a "kid" is more likely to tell a difference because they have yet to experience presbycusis. That being said...you likely have better equipment, better hearing, and/or a more "trained ear" than most.

@mccririck01 3 года назад

Frustrating that the "full female vocal" ended without the Denafrips getting a chance at the energetic section.

@telescope8570 Месяц назад

I heard distortions on ares

@rajendrabiswas 2 года назад

New chord in coming 1st feb 2022

@peterhaslund Год назад

Very minute differences, to my ears. The Q sees deeper into the room, but it's certainly close. The Ares has more soul, if by soul you mean distortion. To each his own, many people actually prefer fuzzy, "tubey" sound

@zzezzobike 3 года назад

Qutest by far sounds like real music played by real instruments. Big difference, uncompareable

@locmanw1583 3 года назад

I own both I prefer Ares. But will try Qutest with coax as I was using optical. My digital cable with Ares II is Wireworld Silver Starlight 1.5 m! Bass is better with Ares and sounds more analog even though treble is a smidge sunnier. Window on music is clearer with Ares II.

@angusflood6801 3 года назад

@@locmanw1583 Optical is usually very inferior.

@locmanw1583 3 года назад

@@angusflood6801 Right now I have switched over to Wireworld coax thanks!

@locmanw1583 2 года назад

@@jackbrechwald8344 Well both optical or coax. The Ares II is better. With Ares II I used Wireworld Silver Starlight coax. Qutest has a bit more resolution but over sound thin. Ares full and juicy with texture.

@jackbrechwald8344 2 года назад

Sounds identical to me. Listening with HD800s, denafrips Ares 2 Dac. 1/2 the price for Ares but virtualy the same sound. Any difference in sound is really just chasing unicorns.

@User_not_found_403 9 месяцев назад

Track 4 makes my ears bleed. They both sound similar over RU-vid. I think the Qutest has a little more sound stage depth, layering of intruments and space between the notes. With the Ares II with more complex passages, it blends together, whereas on the Qutest there seems to be more separation. It would be easier to A/B if the samples were repeated back to back for each DAC. When if you're not hearing the same sample, its harder to discern differences.

@mccririck01 3 года назад

Could you do a Denafrips Vs Mojo?

@katharinamarschall5662 Год назад

Sound like idential twins to me 😂

@frostzxs 8 месяцев назад

Оба, как из бочки...но спасибо за демо!

@MarcelNL Год назад

Oh wow.....I recently found an entire discussion thread of people who have an Ares II who all say that there is absolutely no difference between dacs because it's just converting some ones and zeros. They really should listen to this video. I seriously dislike the female vocal on the Qutest, for instance. In general I seriously prefer the Denafrips sound, although the bassy beat sounds more clear, detailed and energetic on the Qutest. Question though; isn't it better to just connect the dacs to a soundcard to make the signals digital again for comparison? Recording it from speakers gives much more loss in quality.

@zweer13 2 года назад

At this price point no for both. I don't know what do you like about P2P but it is an old technology. For both amps I want the highs to go to infinity, I want the rhythm to move fast like a midi sequencer.The voices are flat. Only the qutest is embellishing the voice a little bit, but this does not make it less flat. I can get the cheaper mojo to try it, but paying for this is not a great idea.

@MissingInPerson 11 месяцев назад

just the ares II has more air around sound.

@gilltim5711 6 месяцев назад

I just bought a Qutest last week and returned it today. What a disappointment! Flat and lifeless. A couple months ago I bought the Audioquest Dragonfly Red, and was floored by it. Extremely crisp, well defined, with grip and edge. Extremely musical. I thought with such an improvement, I wondered how much better the Qutest would sound. Not even close. The Qutest was flat, all the excitement drained from it. Back to the Red, exuberant, exciting with great highs. So away went the Qutest, even though they're charging me a 10% restocking fee! Love my Dragonfly Red, and only about a hundred bucks. Try it, what have you got to lose? By the way, I use it on my desktop out the USB port, running into a Schiit Asgard headphone amp with Grado GS1000i cans.

@sc0or 2 года назад

Denafrips plays analog sound. There are more fading tones. Chrod - a typical transistor one. Squarish, clear, boring. Without face to face comparison both are good.

@courtneyswaby3178 Год назад

The Denafrips is quieter more three dimentional my preference

@ayewhite333 2 года назад

Denafrips sounds better to my ears, most noticeable on Track 3

@alainbesario6679 3 года назад

i love your video ares 2 more resolute , and wider very transparent cutest flat sounding 2deessshhhh

@nwr99nwr99 3 года назад

I bought a qutest last month. Sounded great BUT the buttons did not operate freely and stuck down intermittently making input and filter changes annoying.This is not an unknown fault. There is a video on RU-vid showing someone taking a qutest apart to fix this. I returned my unit because I felt it wasn't acceptable on a unit costing £1200! I have replaced it with an Ares ii which I've had for 3 weeks now. It sounds great- more musical and bigger sound than the chord to my ears. It is also superlative built quality and at £800 it is ⅔ the cost of the Chord. I'd recommend it over the Qutest.

@Burevestnik9M730 3 года назад

Unfortunately, Cutest got only slow passages while Ares got faster ones on the first track

@mccririck01 3 года назад

Not true. It was the opposite with the full female vocal.

@Burevestnik9M730 3 года назад

@@mccririck01 on the first song

@mccririck01 3 года назад

@@Burevestnik9M730 ah ok. It was the opposite for the 3rd track, which I found frustrating

@vekanoid 3 года назад

Qutest is more smooth here, more natural, very clean and way more pleasent to listen. Ares sounds harsh in compare to Qutest and it has way more noise in background, but on the other hand, strong point for Ares in compare to Qutest is space around vocals and instruments (the stage is bigger).

@mccririck01 3 года назад

@@rrtind how do you know?

@mccririck01 3 года назад

@@rrtind you are basing this judgement on hearing a recording of it on RU-vid. Ridiculous.

@mccririck01 3 года назад

@@rrtind I'm not. I'm only judging you.

@mccririck01 3 года назад

@@rrtind give it a rest. You clearly made up what you originally said and it's not based on what you heard

@q2forever778 Год назад

Hands down Ares 2 sounds more spacious, more clear, more realistic.

@raymondchan3587 2 года назад

Can hear that they were greatly different sounding, Ares was more airy and musical. Those cannot notice any difference should try to upgrade your power supply and cables first, or perhaps your speakers/headphones. Maybe the Ares have more coloration, but I like its signature more.

@De132an 3 года назад

Ares II, yes sir!

@andreasmoller9798 Год назад

Ares seems much more Bang for the buck the qutest is twice the price

@steven2809 4 месяца назад

The wildly different comments on here prove it is pointless to listen to other people's opinion of sound quality....listen for yourself 'in the flesh'!

@gino3286 3 года назад

Denafrips midrange is gorgeous

@onnonugteren2935 5 месяцев назад

" This is meant for fun and noticing some differences that maybe survived Microphone recording/RU-vid compression/Your own gear signature." So it's a waste of time, and people should hear this on an Ipad or laptop? You cannot hear these differences as you know, so why are you all being so serious in the comments?

@newkid7 2 года назад

I find Qutest more musical with vocal, but no soul with bass music at least on that track.

@henrykxxx79 Год назад

Denafrips much better for me

@zzezzobike 3 года назад

Listening through DarkVoice and 6XX, Qutest is natural, clean,precise like BBC production films and series(BBC is using Chord actually), while the other DAC is , well, just another dac , fussy, sibilant, like many other chinese products without a decent designer behind the company

@ambrosia37 3 года назад

Ares II

@Feodorchik 2 года назад

Aries win!!

@junzhang2087 День назад

denafrips has more body, full sound. ESP from female voice.

@HiFiGOAudio 3 года назад

Ares 2 sound more engaging out of the two.

@Burevestnik9M730 3 года назад

no difference

@itzhakazoulay1271 3 года назад

The Denafrips is a clear winner here . more details , transparency, dynamics and agility.

@bananasplitbrain476 3 года назад

Sound collapses when switching to the Chord.

@mounirehab Год назад

Ares ll is much better for me ...

@vlax12 3 года назад

Both sound grate to me. There is some marginal difference in some songs but not enough to justify price difference.

@seano218 Месяц назад

Please don't fall into the sound clip category that doesn't show anything accurate unless we're there in the room with you. Be better than that! What's even worse is you don't play the same section of the song, you just keep it going making for an even harder comparison.

@iiWiReviews Месяц назад

This is old stuff from when I started the channel. Not doing it anymore for the reasons you already mentioned... Even though many still ask for it.

@seano218 Месяц назад

@@iiWiReviews gotcha, thank you! I really enjoy your channel!