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Am I deaf?

Hello all,
Just got a Chord Qutest to use as an outboard dac with my Oppo BD 105. Connected the Chord to the Oppo coax out with an Audioquest Carbon coax cable. $2100 for the Qutest including the cable! I'm not hearing it. I think the Oppo dac may sound a bit better than the Chord. Tried all the filters. Am I nuts?
Ben
honashagen
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
Clearthink.

Obviously the OP was not expecting it to sound worse!
Hence his thread to see where he maybe going wrong.
rcprince
3,070 posts
 

Just to confirm, you are comparing CDs, not SACDs, right?  The Chord would decode the CD layer, while the Oppo could play the SACD layer.

In any event, I don't think you're going nuts, you just prefer your Oppo's sound.  While there are differences in DACs, they may not be as great as you would be led to believe, and some of the differences are more sonic "flavorings"--hence the different filter settings on the Chord.  Could you find one you liked better than the others?

gosta's avatar
gosta
839 posts
 
You’re just being honest to yourself. Not as fun maybe but will save money and time. Or let you put your money where they differ most.
honashagen OP
137 posts
 
Playing cds and Tidal. Tidal on the macbook pro too. 
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