JRG1488
Member
Just my personal POV but I believe Rob Watts designs good kit and his public utterances are because it seems that the vast majority of people prepared to pay serious dosh for Hi-Fi have fallen hook line and sinker for this sort of bollox and if they want to sell stuff profitably he has to pander to them.
The Chord stuff is beautifully made. I bought a used Chord Blu CD transport which is a joy to own and use. Yes I could probably have found something sounding the same but it is in my room and it isn’t a crap bent tin box with printed on logo.
On the basis that I have known for 40 years at least that the most expensive part of a Hi-Fi component is the enclosure (power transformer in amplifiers) I know a component as beautifully made as the Chord stuff will be pricey.
I accept that the Dave won’t sound better than the Qutest but to be “credible” to the people who are spending money on Hi-Fi they have to say it does, obviously.
Shame but the reality of the business, as Serge has said a business which is honest about how little one needs to spend on electronics to get top performance and the futility of upgrading electronics (usually) is not going to be in business long...
No ones saying these aren't good performing products they are, I was just pointing out even on measurements there are other products that come very close for a whole lot less money.
But your right thats probably missing the point as these are show off products, I just imagine the market for a £8000 dac as a design piece to show off is quite small, hence all the BS about it having better audible performance.