# Chord Anni



## Gianix

Just found this on an Australian shop, is it real or fake?


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## Benno1988

Gianix said:


> Just found this on an Australian shop, is it real or fake?


Real.

Its a headphone and speaker amplifier.

Details still slim. Especially as to what the back looks like.

Looks to be about 4 or so weeks away from shipping.


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## TheMiddleSky

woah, like Qutest form, but should be bigger I guess


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## Benno1988

TheMiddleSky said:


> woah, like Qutest form, but should be bigger I guess


Stacks with Qutest. So Qutest size (tiny) apparently


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## Mightygrey

Benno1988 said:


> Stacks with Qutest. So Qutest size (tiny) apparently


Looks interesting, especially as someone with a nearfield speaker set-up. 

There's no I/O toggle switch visible on the front, so it'll probably be one RCA input only which puts it up against the Burson Funk which is considerably cheaper. Very keen to hear what's going on under the hood in terms of power and topology.


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## 548184 (Aug 22, 2021)

Nice.  I hope this is one of the amps Rob Watts was developing that has no loss of transparency and resolution compared to third-party amps when paired with Chord DACs.

I was considering to do a Car Audio Build, but Car amps will take away some transparency and resolution if using the Qutest as the DAC.

I don't know if it will get loud enough to compete in Car Audio Competitions, but should be enjoyable as a daily driver.

So if Chord releases three products this year?  Chord Anni, Chord Mojo2, ????


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## Another Audiophile (Aug 23, 2021)

From the supplier's website

_"Anni is a revolutionary desktop headphone and near-field studio amplifier using the latest dual-feed-forward circuit topology"

Price at 2500 Australian dollars... _

certainly the price is extraordinary for an amplifier.


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## Benno1988

Another Audiophile said:


> From the supplier's website
> 
> _"Anni is a revolutionary desktop headphone and near-field studio amplifier using the latest dual-feed-forward circuit topology"
> 
> ...


Is it?
Same price as Qutest. Pretty standard Chord pricing.


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## Nostoi

Another Audiophile said:


> From the supplier's website
> 
> _"Anni is a revolutionary desktop headphone and near-field studio amplifier using the latest dual-feed-forward circuit topology"
> 
> ...


Listing has since been removed. 

In any case, I've been told that "The Anni is due in within a fortnight.  There are limited stocks....most of which are bought already by dealers for display stock."


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## Benno1988

Nostoi said:


> Listing has since been removed.
> 
> In any case, I've been told that "The Anni is due in within a fortnight.  There are limited stocks....most of which are bought already by dealers for display stock."


Yep same.

I believe I can order one and have it in the first batch. But I have no need for it.


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## Nostoi

Benno1988 said:


> Yep same.
> 
> I believe I can order one and have it in the first batch. But I have no need for it.


Yup, no great need for it myself. And yet, I also want it because, as a lover of mini systems, I got a need for Qutest and Anni to be together on my desk.


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## Benno1988

Nostoi said:


> Yup, no great need for it myself. And yet, I also want it because, as a lover of mini systems, I got a need for Qutest and Anni to be together on my desk.


Exactly hey. Such a neat little stack.

I doubt it would impress me as much as the SparkoS Aries though. So I'll wait for reviews


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## Nostoi

Benno1988 said:


> Exactly hey. Such a neat little stack.
> 
> I doubt it would impress me as much as the SparkoS Aries though. So I'll wait for reviews


Yup, almost certainly not on Sparkos level, but given the dimensions, it could almost be a transportable set-up, at least from office to home.


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## Another Audiophile (Aug 23, 2021)

Benno1988 said:


> Is it?
> Same price as Qutest. Pretty standard Chord pricing.


the only difference is that the quest can justify its price by having Rob Watts writing the code and the years spent to develop that. I am not sure how this price can be justified for this product but I will wait to see the details. The cutest is unique and amazing. Is this gonna be the case for a headphone/mildly powered desk amp? The competition is huge.


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## Benno1988

Another Audiophile said:


> the only difference is that the quest can justify its price by having Rob Watts writing the code and the years spent to develop that. I am not sure how this price can be justified for this product but I will wait to see the details.


Its Chord and its a product in the hifi realm. Price justification often doesn't exist!


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## Another Audiophile

Benno1988 said:


> Its Chord and its a product in the hifi realm. Price justification often doesn't exist!


Well I have the cutest and the justification is that no other days sound like the chord DACs. Simple. Would that be the case for this product? I am not sure. Also the only products that have been successful are all from Rob Watts. Not sure who designed this one. Any ideas?


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## Infoseeker

Can't it drive a susvara from the near field output!


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## Another Audiophile

Infoseeker said:


> Can't it drive a susvara from the near field output!


We don't know yet


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## Benno1988

I like my Qutest. But I haven't liked hearing the TT2. Leads me to believe I don't like Chord amplification.


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## Nostoi

Benno1988 said:


> I like my Qutest. But I haven't liked hearing the TT2. Leads me to believe I don't like Chord amplification.


How so?


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## TheMiddleSky

Benno1988 said:


> I like my Qutest. But I haven't liked hearing the TT2. Leads me to believe I don't like Chord amplification.



You need listen to TToby or Etude to decide whether you like Chord amplification or not. 

TT2, just like Hugo 2/Qutest, there is no "amplification board" inside. It has headphone plug though.


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## Benno1988

Nostoi said:


> How so?



I like my Chord DAC. But listening to the TT2, not a fan. Do I just not like the Chord headphone amplification sound?



TheMiddleSky said:


> You need listen to TToby or Etude to decide whether you like Chord amplification or not.
> 
> TT2, just like Hugo 2/Qutest, there is no "amplification board" inside. It has headphone plug though.


As above. Only talking headphone. Speaker amplification different fish of kettles.


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## Malevolent

So, a Qutest + Anni stack is, basically, the Hugo 2 on steroids? From the looks of things, it'll get this system pretty darn close to a standalone Hugo TT 2. Nice.

I wonder if Chord has any other goodies hidden up their sleeves? A Mojo 2 has been rumored for a while now.


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## Earbones (Aug 23, 2021)

Benno1988 said:


> I like my Chord DAC. But listening to the TT2, not a fan. Do I just not like the Chord headphone amplification sound?


No such thing as a dramatic sound difference between solid state amps. It’s just power. You should only hear differences between SS amps if you have hard-to-drive cans/speakers and one amp has sufficient power while another does not. Or if there are build issues with an amp.

SS tech is so well-establish and easy to produce flawlessly these days that it is possible to get great clean consistent power for pennies on the watt. The Anni is slick, and matches nicely with the Qutest, but for the money, I dunno. That said, I think for most audiophiles, myself included, gear is 75% function and 25% jewelry. I’ve been known to buy an expensive cable or two simply because they look and feel great, while simultaneously not believing the stuff about how it will “completely upgrade the sound of my headphone”…

Anyway, regarding the difference you’re hearing… Chord doesn’t use off-the-rack chips, they engineer the sound of each DAC model individually, with custom implemented chips… FPGA, to be precise (Field Programmable Gate Array). This creates a greater range within the Chord DAC house sound, from model line to model line, then you might find with other manufacturers using off-the-rack chips. You probably just like the sound of the DAC implementation in whatever Chord model you have more than the DAC implementation in the TT2. I’m not a fan of the TT2 sound either, much prefer the Mojo.


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## Benno1988

Earbones said:


> No such thing as a dramatic sound difference between solid state amps. It’s just power. You should only hear differences between SS amps if you have hard-to-drive cans/speakers and one amp has sufficient power while another does not. Or if there are build issues with an amp.
> 
> SS tech is so well-establish and easy to produce flawlessly these days that it is possible to get great clean consistent power for pennies on the watt. The Anni is slick, and matches nicely with the Qutest, but for the money, I dunno. That said, I think for most audiophiles, myself included, gear is 75% function and 25% jewelry. I’ve been known to buy an expensive cable or two simply because they look and feel great, while simultaneously not believing the stuff about how it will “completely upgrade the sound of my headphone”…
> 
> Anyway, regarding the difference you’re hearing… Chord doesn’t use off-the-rack chips, they engineer the sound of each DAC model individually, with custom implemented chips… FPGA, to be precise (Field Programmable Gate Array). This creates a greater range within the Chord DAC house sound, from model line to model line, then you might find with other manufacturers using off-the-rack chips. You probably just like the sound of the DAC implementation in whatever Chord model you have more than the DAC implementation in the TT2. I’m not a fan of the TT2 sound either, much prefer the Mojo.


What are you smoking?

All SS amps sound the same if they are driving the headphones well?

Cables yeah, maybe. Solid State amps, no. Distinct and clear differences in sound. A Violectric V281 doesn't sound like a Topping A90


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## Earbones (Aug 23, 2021)

Benno1988 said:


> What are you smoking?


Science?


Okay, that was snarky.

Look, here’s a simple experiment. Firstly, we can both agree that it is far easier to ascertain differences in the visible spectrum of light than it is the subtle nuances of audio, right?

So wire a $10,000 solid state amp and a $150 solid state amp to run a filament (Edison) bulb. This type of bulb is very sensitive to power input. Assuming the same amount of clean, consistent power from the two amplifiers, a light meter will show identical brightness and color temp from both amps. It’s just power.

Now if you want to debate that the tolerances will be higher on the hand-made mega-buck amp vs the Amazon special, sure… They may very well be. But again, this is old tech. We pretty much nailed it decades ago. Since probably 1980 (some would argue earlier), it has been possible to produce inexpensive solid state amplifiers that provide clean consistent power.

That all said, if you want the trick one, by all means, get the trick one. This is a hobby. It’s what hobbyists do.


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## RobertSM

The headphone amp part I get on Anni. But what does near-field studio amplifier mean? Speaker amp?


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## RobertSM

And what are all of those holes on the left side of the chassis? I'm interested as I own a Qutest but just not sure as to what exactly Anni does.


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## Mightygrey

RobertSM said:


> The headphone amp part I get on Anni. But what does near-field studio amplifier mean? Speaker amp?


Pretty sure that "near field" = code for "low powered", or suitable for desktop listening only with passive speakers.


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## RobertSM

Well it would be interesting to have a soild-state headphone option available. As it stands now my Qutest feeds directly into my ALO Studio Six tube amp. Having Anni stacked with Qutest would also give me another option for headphone amplification. 

I'm interested in learning more.

Also this would most likely slide into the Qutest system stand(which I own) then Annie could be stacked with Qutest saving on desktop space. 

Definitely interested.


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## mfadio

Earbones said:


> Science?
> 
> 
> Okay, that was snarky.



Well, if you're gonna say stupid stuff, it's always best to open with setting your audience up to be defensive.



Earbones said:


> Look, here’s a simple experiment. Firstly, we can both agree that it is far easier to ascertain differences in the visible spectrum of light than it is the subtle nuances of audio, right?



Nope.  What you want me to agree to is to move our experiment to a simplified system that only relies on power output, instead of speed, recovery, transition, 2 channels, etc.  You want it to be simple, but that doesn't make it so.  I want to be good looking, but the last time I asked a girl to just agree I was good looking, she demurred.



Earbones said:


> That all said, if you want the trick one, by all means, get the trick one. This is a hobby. It’s what hobbyists do.


So glad to have your permission.


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## Nostoi

Earbones said:


> Science?
> 
> 
> Okay, that was snarky.
> ...


You seem to think that "power" is some homogeneous form of energy that is interchangeable.

But what if I told you that a SS amp wasn't reducible to output, and that many factors shaped the sound - dynamics, speed, etc, variations in amplification technologies, and the actual hardware itself from the attenuator to the chassis.

There's always - always - someone like you on every thread who conflates amplifiers because they're able to reproduce sound at an audible level. On the ZMF thread, there was someone happy to use a $25 amplifier from Aliexpress because he was able to listen to his headphones at a listenable level. Sounds like you're the same. If that's the case, bravo. At least you're saving yourself money.


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## tesarpa

I had the pleasure to try Schiit Magni, Benchmark DAC headphone output, SMSL SH-9, iFi Pro iCAN in solid state mode and I'm 100% sure all sound differently driving my Hifiman Ananda (which even isn't power hungry headphone). In my experience, also from speaker setup, the quality of volume control is one of the most important factors to sound quality.

On Chord Anni: I suppose it may have the same trick as Hugo TT2: XLR outputs can drive speakers up to 16 Watt power. I tried that with my AudioNote speakers and there was more power than I need in my modest room.


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## alxw0w (Aug 24, 2021)

Looks like a perfect match to Qutest dac.


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## mvule

Not sure I have ever heard two solid state amps that sound the same...


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## flyte3333

Another Audiophile said:


> using the latest dual-feed-forward circuit topology"



From this description quoted I have to assume this is NOT @Rob Watts  designed.

Rob can you confirm ?


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## Malevolent

mvule said:


> Not sure I have ever heard two solid state amps that sound the same...


Yeah, I have.

It was the same amp.

Heh, just trying to introduce some levity into this thread. 



Earbones said:


> No such thing as a dramatic sound difference between solid state amps. It’s just power. You should only hear differences between SS amps if you have hard-to-drive cans/speakers and one amp has sufficient power while another does not. Or if there are build issues with an amp.
> 
> SS tech is so well-establish and easy to produce flawlessly these days that it is possible to get great clean consistent power for pennies on the watt. The Anni is slick, and matches nicely with the Qutest, but for the money, I dunno. That said, I think for most audiophiles, myself included, gear is 75% function and 25% jewelry. I’ve been known to buy an expensive cable or two simply because they look and feel great, while simultaneously not believing the stuff about how it will “completely upgrade the sound of my headphone”…
> 
> Anyway, regarding the difference you’re hearing… Chord doesn’t use off-the-rack chips, they engineer the sound of each DAC model individually, with custom implemented chips… FPGA, to be precise (Field Programmable Gate Array). This creates a greater range within the Chord DAC house sound, from model line to model line, then you might find with other manufacturers using off-the-rack chips. You probably just like the sound of the DAC implementation in whatever Chord model you have more than the DAC implementation in the TT2. I’m not a fan of the TT2 sound either, much prefer the Mojo.


To be frank, I've heard a multitude of amplifiers over my life time, and I don't think I've ever heard 2 that sound exactly alike. Take, for example, a Benchmark HPA4 and a HeadAmp GS-X mini; they vary in some ways. The GS-X mini has greater body, with a slight but distinct bass slant. On the other hand, the Benchmark is true to form, producing a clean and detailed presentation that eschews coloration.


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## genefruit

flyte3333 said:


> From this description quoted I have to assume this is NOT @Rob Watts  designed.
> 
> Rob can you confirm ?


https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/page-175#post-16522810


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## TheMiddleSky

Malevolent said:


> Yeah, I have.
> 
> It was the same amp.
> 
> ...


I don't think human's ear bones can detect the difference in sound of modern SS amp. Human's eardrum should do the job though


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## iFi audio

tesarpa said:


> Schiit Magni, Benchmark DAC headphone output, SMSL SH-9, iFi Pro iCAN in solid state mode and I'm 100% sure all sound differently driving my Hifiman Ananda



They should sound noticeably differently. Perhaps not a night and day difference, but meaningful enough to have a favorite product.


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## Earbones

mfadio said:


> Well, if you're gonna say stupid stuff, it's always best to open with setting your audience up to be defensive.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Nostoi said:


> You seem to think that "power" is some homogeneous form of energy that is interchangeable.
> 
> But what if I told you that a SS amp wasn't reducible to output, and that many factors shaped the sound - dynamics, speed, etc, variations in amplification technologies, and the actual hardware itself from the attenuator to the chassis.
> 
> There's always - always - someone like you on every thread who conflates amplifiers because they're able to reproduce sound at an audible level. On the ZMF thread, there was someone happy to use a $25 amplifier from Aliexpress because he was able to listen to his headphones at a listenable level. Sounds like you're the same. If that's the case, bravo. At least you're saving yourself money.


Lol, okay guys. Enjoy your amplifiers.


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## Nostoi

Earbones said:


> Lol, okay guys. Enjoy your amplifiers.


Thank you. Enjoy your budget setup, too.


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## mfadio

Earbones said:


> Lol, okay guys. Enjoy your amplifiers.


Keep laughing.  It'll help to drown out all the good advice you get so you can just focus on how right you are.


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## Earbones

mfadio said:


> Keep laughing.  It'll help to drown out all the good advice you get so you can just focus on how right you are.


Bruh. I’m right. You’re wrong. But luckily for you, that’s only in the real world. As it stands, we are debating this in literally the only place in existence where more people will think the magical nonsense you believe in outweighs the established scientific facts that I do. So right here, right now… you’re right. Enjoy it!


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## Earbones (Aug 24, 2021)

Nostoi said:


> Nostoi said:
> 
> 
> > Thank you. Enjoy your budget setup, too.



I will certainly try to enjoy the pitiful sounds of my budget Vision Ears VE8, 64 Audio A12T, Sony IER-M9, Vision Ears EVE20 and JH 13V. Or my terrible cans, the Focal Stellia and Clear. Or the bargain-basement Mojo, Sony ZX507, PHA-2A, and Woo W6.

I may not have the priciest stuff (Well, I guess some of it is pretty up there), but everything I have is well-established as sounding great.

BTW, How’s the middlingly-reviewed IE900 treating you? Does it suddenly develop mids when you connect it to that $900 cable?

Lol, I’m just trolling you. Don’t have an aneurysm.


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## Nostoi (Aug 25, 2021)

Earbones said:


> BTW, How’s the middlingly-reviewed IE900 treating you? Does it suddenly develop mids when you connect it to that $900 cable?



No idea. I just use the cable as jewellery.


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## iFi audio

Nostoi said:


> No idea. I just use the cable as jewellery.



I quite dig what you did there


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## Earbones

Nostoi said:


> No idea. I just use the cable as jewellery.


I honestly can’t fault that use. Although if you stick to $30 Amazon cables, your money goes further…


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## Sense

That devolved quickly. So with the Anni coming out…does anyone think we might get a sequel to the Qutest? It’s been out awhile.


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## RobertSM

Sense said:


> That devolved quickly. So with the Anni coming out…does anyone think we might get a sequel to the Qutest? It’s been out awhile.



I honestly don't see a new Qutest anytime soon. I love the fact that Chord is committed to this smaller desktop form factor with Qutest, Huei and now Anni. I'd love to see a upscaler for the Qutest in the same size as the rest of the line. I think that could easily extend the life of Qutest which in my opinion is still the best DAC in the sub $2000.00 price point.


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## koven

Earbones said:


> I honestly can’t fault that use. Although if you stick to $30 Amazon cables, your money goes further…



Look, here’s a simple experiment. Check the time on a $10,000 mechanical watch and a $50 quartz watch. Assuming the same time zone, your eyes will show identical time of day from both watches. It’s just time. Now if you want to debate that the engineering will be higher on the hand-made Rolex vs the Amazon special, sure… They may very well be. But again, this is old tech. We pretty much nailed the concept of time centuries ago.


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## Earbones

koven said:


> Look, here’s a simple experiment. Check the time on a $10,000 mechanical watch and a $50 quartz watch. Assuming the same time zone, your eyes will show identical time of day from both watches. It’s just time. Now if you want to debate that the engineering will be higher on the hand-made Rolex vs the Amazon special, sure… They may very well be. But again, this is old tech. We pretty much nailed the concept of time centuries ago.


Honestly wasn’t even thinking about the watch. That wasn’t an attempt to flex or whatever. Merely jokingly point out that if you really want to buy cables as jewelry, then your money goes further if you aren’t hung up on kilobuck cables.

But to your point, for most people, a cable isn’t jewelry. It’s an audio equipment connector. It’s functional. Conversely, in 2021, a watch isn’t for telling time. You have a phone for that. A watch is jewelry.


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## Sense (Aug 25, 2021)

Earbones said:


> Conversely, in 2021, a watch isn’t for telling time. You have a phone for that. A watch is jewelry.


Actually…that is your opinion. For you it’s jewelry. For me it’s much faster to check the time on a watch on my wrist vs. a phone that’s screen is off in my pocket.

That said…can we stop the bickering in this thread? I don’t even remember which of you is arguing for what at this point. It’s now just filler.


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## koven

Earbones said:


> Honestly wasn’t even thinking about the watch. That wasn’t an attempt to flex or whatever.



Right... the sole purpose of owning a Rolex is to flex, what else is it good for? Nothing wrong with flexing but own it like a man when you do. Don't squirm around w/ some obvious guise of humility. Hilarious.


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## Malevolent

Earbones said:


> Honestly wasn’t even thinking about the watch. That wasn’t an attempt to flex or whatever. Merely jokingly point out that if you really want to buy cables as jewelry, then your money goes further if you aren’t hung up on kilobuck cables.
> 
> But to your point, for most people, a cable isn’t jewelry. It’s an audio equipment connector. It’s functional. Conversely, in 2021, a watch isn’t for telling time. You have a phone for that. A watch is jewelry.


Actually, some people buy cables because they look pretty; I know I am one of them.

Conversely, I use my watch to tell the time, even though I have a phone for that.

Let's return to the topic of the Qutest, shall we?



RobertSM said:


> I honestly don't see a new Qutest anytime soon. I love the fact that Chord is committed to this smaller desktop form factor with Qutest, Huei and now Anni. I'd love to see a upscaler for the Qutest in the same size as the rest of the line. I think that could easily extend the life of Qutest which in my opinion is still the best DAC in the sub $2000.00 price point.


I agree. Unless the revised model adopts the same form factor and design of the current version, the Qutest appears to be _the_ matching Chord DAC for the Anni.

Hence, unless I am mistaken, Chord is looking to increase the lifespan of this device by expanding its ecosystem, as opposed to supplanting it outright. After all, even though the Qutest isn't exactly in its spring years, it isn't that old in the tooth either. It is reasonably middle-aged, IMO. We might see a new version in 2 years, though, but a new one in 2021, or even 2022? Nah, I don't think that's likely.


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## warrenpchi

Hey y'all!  

Just popping in to remind us all of rule no. 1 here...



> Be polite. We encourage debating in the forums, but please avoid defamatory statements, personal attacks, racial slurs, name-calling, and cursing at others in the forums.



Disagreement can be a wonderful thing, in that it can - and often does - prompt amazing discussions that cover a myriad of viewpoints... but only when we disagree respectfully.

Okay, stepping off the soapbox now.  Thanks y'all!


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## Earbones (Aug 25, 2021)

koven said:


> Right... the sole purpose of owning a Rolex is to flex, what else is it good for? Nothing wrong with flexing but own it like a man when you do. Don't squirm around w/ some obvious guise of humility. Hilarious.


Firstly, stop sniveling that I am responsible for some tacky descent into flexing. Nostoi opened that whole can of worms when he declared that I should “enjoy my budget setup”, insinuating that the only reason a person might not be sold on magical cables or a $10k SS amp isn’t because the science doesn’t support the notion that they make headphones sound better, but rather some sort of sour grapes due to a lack of funds.

Now, I’ll admit that I probably shouldn’t have engaged with him by listing my gear, and for that, I apologize to the whole thread.

But the only reason you’re attacking ME for HIS angle is because you are pissed at the guy who thinks you’re a science-denier who isn’t wise with your money. Which many would believe that you are. So own _that_. But again, WHO CARES? If buying a cable for a thousand bucks makes you happy, go for it. There are guys who’ve never seen a race track who spend $100k on Formula 1 type carbon-injected ceramic wheels for their Ferraris. It’s a hobby, if it makes you happy, cool. So be happy, and don’t lose your mind if someone else thinks spending that money on racing car wheels (or a cable) is a bit daft.

And just to be clear, the sole purpose of owning a Rolex should be investment/wearable currency. They appreciate rapidly due to their scarcity. It becomes wearable currency, which for some people, particularly those with jobs that take them all over the globe, is a good thing to have. You have a job that expects a suit and a watch, so you need a watch anyway? You spend a lot of time in emerging markets that are prone to natural disasters, coups, what have you? Get a Rolex. It pays for itself, and it can get you out of a jam if needed.


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## Sense

Malevolent said:


> Hence, unless I am mistaken, Chord is looking to increase the lifespan of this device by expanding its ecosystem, as opposed to supplanting it outright. After all, even though the Qutest isn't exactly in its spring years, it isn't that old in the tooth either. It is reasonably middle-aged, IMO. We might see a new version in 2 years, though, but a new one in 2021, or even 2022? Nah, I don't think that's likely.


Ok...maybe time for me to buy a Qutest...I've been mulling it over for a bit. 



Earbones said:


> And just to be clear, the sole purpose of owning a Rolex should be investment/wearable currency. They appreciate rapidly due to their scarcity. It becomes wearable currency, which for some people, particularly those with jobs that take them all over the globe, is a good thing to have. You have a job that expects a suit and a watch, so you need a watch anyway? You spend a lot of time in emerging markets that are prone to natural disasters, coups, what have you? Get a Rolex. It pays for itself, and it can get you out of a jam if needed.


Ethan? Ethan Hunt? Is that you?


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## Earbones

Malevolent said:


> Actually, some people buy cables because they look pretty; I know I am one of them.


As I said in literally my first post in this thread:

_“I’ve been known to buy an expensive cable or two simply because they look and feel great, while simultaneously not believing the stuff about how it will completely upgrade the sound of my headphone”_

I’ve never said there’s anything wrong with buying a cable because it’s pretty, or feels particularly good. And how a cable feels can even segue into actual performance… Microphonics is a demonstrable thing, after all. In fact, I’ve never said there’s anything wrong with buying a thousand dollar cable because you think it will do something science says it can’t. For the what, fifth time? Sixth? I will say this… If it makes you happy, go for it. I’m not going to believe it makes your headphones sound better. A lot of people won’t. And a lot will. It is what it is. No use getting mad over it. 

Guys with conviction about something don’t get mad if people disagree with that something. So if people pony up the cash for the expensive cable or the pricy SS amp because they believe it will change their headphones for the better, then they should have the courage of conviction to stand by their purchase and their belief. And if Joe Random opines _in an online forum for discussing the pros and cons of specific audio equipment_ that the cable or amp is not a magic bullet, don’t get bent out of shape by that opinion.


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## Earbones

Sense said:


> Ethan? Ethan Hunt? Is that you?


I wish. Although if you want to buy some marine welding equipment, I’ll be whoever you want me to be. 😄


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## CoffeeOrTea

Waiting for it


----------



## Nostoi

I don't know about Rolexes or any other "bling" watch, I'm more of a Casio man myself, but in any case - let's get back on track shall we, gentleman. 

The Anni is forthcoming. According to one Twitter user, the actual retail price is 250 AUD rather than 2500 AUD. As I understand it, this would put it more in the budget market, which is a bit concerning (i.e., 150 Euros, if he's correct).


----------



## enb141

But what does this Anni does? is just a headphone amp or what else it does, how many inputs/outputs, what else has been leaked/published?


----------



## Nostoi

enb141 said:


> But what does this Anni does? is just a headphone amp or what else it does, how many inputs/outputs, what else has been leaked/published?


We don't know. But this thread allows us groundlessly speculate with minimal evidence, because that's part of the fun.


----------



## Sense

Nostoi said:


> I don't know about Rolexes or any other "bling" watch, I'm more of a Casio man myself, but in any case - let's get back on track shall we, gentleman.
> 
> The Anni is forthcoming. According to one Twitter user, the actual retail price is 250 AUD rather than 2500 AUD. As I understand it, this would put it more in the budget market, which is a bit concerning (i.e., 150 Euros, if he's correct).


Weird...doesn't make sense for Chord to create a budget amp that looks like their mid-fi dac. Would probably be bad for their brand given that they have built their brand on mid-fi to summit-fi.


----------



## genefruit

Sense said:


> Weird...doesn't make sense for Chord to create a budget amp that looks like their mid-fi dac. Would probably be bad for their brand given that they have built their brand on mid-fi to summit-fi.


I contend the original price 2500AUD is likely correct and would be in alignment with the qutest.


----------



## Malevolent

Nostoi said:


> I don't know about Rolexes or any other "bling" watch, I'm more of a Casio man myself, but in any case - let's get back on track shall we, gentleman.
> 
> The Anni is forthcoming. According to one Twitter user, the actual retail price is 250 AUD rather than 2500 AUD. As I understand it, this would put it more in the budget market, which is a bit concerning (i.e., 150 Euros, if he's correct).


Mmm, despite this tweet, I'm of the opinion that the folks at _headphonesty_ are simply mistaken. It's very unlike Chord to release a sub-$200 device, let alone a desktop amplifier. Their cheapest product, thus far, is a Mojo, and this little all-in-one retails for approximately $500. This is less than half of that, yet it appears to be a perfect match in size to a Qutest. It almost beggars belief that the company would ask users of a Qutest to pair a high-end DAC with a budget amplifier. It just doesn't sound like Chord at all.


----------



## Nostoi

Malevolent said:


> Mmm, despite this tweet, I'm of the opinion that the folks at _headphonesty_ are simply mistaken. It's very unlike Chord to release a sub-$200 device, let alone a desktop amplifier. Their cheapest product, thus far, is a Mojo, and this little all-in-one retails for approximately $500. This is less than half of that, yet it appears to be a perfect match in size to a Qutest. It almost beggars belief that the company would ask users of a Qutest to pair a high-end DAC with a budget amplifier. It just doesn't sound like Chord at all.


Agree - and with remarks above - almost certainly an error by Headphonesty. Not exactly surprising given the confusion surrounding the amp.


----------



## enb141

99% unlikely about that price, unless is made in china or is only a volume controller.


----------



## Sense

Someone from chord is probably lurking here and laughing at us.


----------



## Nostoi

Sense said:


> Someone from chord is probably lurking here and laughing at us.


Probably. If so, hi 👋

I did write to them and the chap who replied indicated they weren't terribly happy about the leak...


----------



## GreenBow

Does anyone know what this is? Is it just an amplifier, or an amp with a DAC in it?


----------



## Nostoi

GreenBow said:


> Does anyone know what this is? Is it just an amplifier, or an amp with a DAC in it?


Just a plain old amp.


----------



## Benno1988

Malevolent said:


> Mmm, despite this tweet, I'm of the opinion that the folks at _headphonesty_ are simply mistaken. It's very unlike Chord to release a sub-$200 device, let alone a desktop amplifier. Their cheapest product, thus far, is a Mojo, and this little all-in-one retails for approximately $500. This is less than half of that, yet it appears to be a perfect match in size to a Qutest. It almost beggars belief that the company would ask users of a Qutest to pair a high-end DAC with a budget amplifier. It just doesn't sound like Chord at all.


Well I can order one. And it is most certainly going to cost me over 2000 AUD to do so. 

They charge 500 AUD for the small frame that holds the Qutest and Huei together....


----------



## Earbones

Benno1988 said:


> Well I can order one. And it is most certainly going to cost me over 2000 AUD to do so.
> 
> They charge 500 AUD for the small frame that holds the Qutest and Huei together....


$500 AUD is a bargain. I’ve tested the Qutest and Huei both with and without the connecting frame… Put it this way- I listened via set of United Airlines complimentary headphones with the connecting frame, and a Utopia without the frame… the UA comp headphones _easily_ bested the Utopia. Night and day difference.


----------



## Benno1988

Earbones said:


> $500 AUD is a bargain. I’ve tested the Qutest and Huei both with and without the connecting frame… Put it this way- I listened via set of United Airlines complimentary headphones with the connecting frame, and a Utopia without the frame… the UA comp headphones _easily_ bested the Utopia. Night and day difference.


Call me a convert. I recently lifted my Mogami's off the carpet with some rare Scandinavian oak risers. Let me tell you. Life. Changing.


----------



## Gianix

Is it ironic?


----------



## warrenpchi

🤣


----------



## Nostoi

Gianix said:


> Is it ironic?


Some people say that United Airlines complimentary headphones scale incredibly well, especially when paired with the ultra-magnetic-resonance-chamber of Chord's connecting frame, which is both convex and concave. This approach is innovative in the best sense of the term, thereby allowing for acoustic cocooning reverberation to be articulated in and through the ear chamber while the mouth simultaneously eats peanuts.


----------



## Gianix

Ok it was! 😂😂


----------



## antdroid

I listened to and measured the delta airlines "studio" earphones on a recent business trip to Europe. 

Life changer.


----------



## Nostoi

antdroid said:


> I listened to and measured the delta airlines "studio" earphones on a recent business trip to Europe.
> 
> Life changer.


Looks promising. Excellent channel balance. If I had one *minor* quibble, I would say you need a little more mids and I would roll off 12k to 14k, so that's it not even visible on the graph. Otherwise, top notch!


----------



## flea22

answer is most likely no, But if it has a remote I am sold.


----------



## GreenBow

I hope it doesn't have a fan in it like the Chord Ttoby and Etude.

I had the Ttoby for a while but returned it, partly due to fan noise.


----------



## Christer (Sep 17, 2021)

GreenBow said:


> I hope it doesn't have a fan in it like the Chord Ttoby and Etude.
> 
> I had the Ttoby for a while but returned it, partly due to fan noise.


I  fully agree with your take and would NEVER buy a HIFI product with a fan!
I had an OPPO multiplayer with a fan onboard on home loan once and returned  it the next day.

DYNAMICS in most  current HIFI contexts  are IMO mostly NOT about how  effing loud one can play in a good system but the opposite !
How quietly!
 But  still be able  to hear the very low level timbral and acoustic cues and reverb tails gradually and realistically  fade out.

Besides my Qutest works very well both with my Benchmark headphone amp and my main speaker amp.
Having said all this, my  very recent upgrade to an SSD in my old iMac made it worse in one respect, the bloody fan now  makes a lot of noise much more often than before.
My next computer /laptop upgrade will most probably be a laptop entirely without a fan.
Cheers CC


----------



## Death_Block

in comparison to the looks of the previous products, Chord really got lazy thing time round I reckon.


----------



## Hooster

GreenBow said:


> I hope it doesn't have a fan in it like the Chord Ttoby and Etude.
> 
> I had the Ttoby for a while but returned it, partly due to fan noise.



I wonder what kind of weed whoever designed the Ttoby was smoking. Maybe the same as the person who decided how much it should cost.

With respect to this possible Chord headphone amp, it can't be real. Chord would never put a rotary volume control knob on anything when they could use a pretty colored ball instead.

If this is ever produced I guess it would be sold for around $1500 USD. Would I buy one? No thanks.


----------



## Nostoi

Hooster said:


> I wonder what kind of weed whoever designed the Ttoby was smoking. Maybe the same as the person who decided how much it should cost.
> 
> With respect to this possible Chord headphone amp, it can't be real. Chord would never put a rotary volume control knob on anything when they could use a pretty colored ball instead.
> 
> If this is ever produced I guess it would be sold for around $1500 USD. Would I buy one? No thanks.


It is real and the volume control is fascia-mounted volume control that also doubles as an input selector switch. The Dave also has a knob.

Price guess is about correct. Did I mention it delivers 2 x 10 watts of Chord Electronics ULTIMA amplification? It does.

I cannot reval anything else at this point.


----------



## Hooster

Nostoi said:


> It is real and the volume control is fascia-mounted volume control that also doubles as an input selector switch. The Dave also has a knob.
> 
> Price guess is about correct. Did I mention it delivers 2 x 10 watts of Chord Electronics ULTIMA amplification? It does.
> 
> I cannot reval anything else at this point.



Ok, I believe you. I wonder why you are revealing things and not Chord. Are they too busy to introduce their new products?


----------



## antdroid

Hooster said:


> With respect to this possible Chord headphone amp, it can't be real. Chord would never put a rotary volume control knob on anything when they could use a pretty colored ball instead.



You should take a look at Chord's Product line if you don't think they use knobs: https://chordelectronics.co.uk/products



Hooster said:


> Ok, I believe you. I wonder why you are revealing things and not Chord. Are they too busy to introduce their new products?



Chord hasn't officially announced this product yet. Companies typically have dates they plan on releasing. Maybe they planned on releasing this at CanJam or RMAF (rip).


----------



## Sense

Earbones said:


> I’m not a fan of the TT2 sound either, much prefer the Mojo.


What don’t you like about the TT2 dac sound? Just curious.


----------



## genefruit

https://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/anni


----------



## Nostoi

Live:

https://www.whathifi.com/news/chord...op-amplifier-for-both-headphones-and-speakers

https://darko.audio/2021/09/chords-anni-a-headphone-10wpc-loudspeaker-amplifier/

https://www.stereonet.com/uk/news/c...-s26BhCO4JTYckN69YzE7MA0C4Rbi34mjfxJXKF4LNNsU

Etc.


----------



## Nostoi




----------



## JaquesGelee

TheMiddleSky said:


> woah, like Qutest form, but should be bigger I guess


Same Formfactor, cause there is also a rack available.


----------



## Currawong

Allow me to add my summary, with press photos here: https://www.hear.audio/2021/09/21/chord-announces-new-qutest-sized-anni-headphone-amplifier/


----------



## musicday

Just beautiful, now guys get the headphones and speakers ready.


----------



## CoachB

Gianix said:


> Just found this on an Australian shop, is it real or fake?


Real just received email from Chord two days ago


----------



## Sense

Sooo...is that stack rack $395 per section? Or do you get two sections with it?

Feels like $800 for a plastic rack for the qutest/anni is a little unreasonable. Can't imagine it's per part...but it's chord...so I have to ask.


----------



## alxw0w

Sense said:


> Sooo...is that stack rack $395 per section? Or do you get two sections with it?
> 
> Feels like $800 for a plastic rack for the qutest/anni is a little unreasonable. Can't imagine it's per part...but it's chord...so I have to ask.


It's not plastic. It's aluminium.
Nevertheless - yes a bit expensive


----------



## alekc

This may make me reconsider Qutest for desktop rig. Finally one can say it is Chord house sound when comparing to other dacs and headphone amps. I like minimalistic design and speaker output makes Anni even more interesting.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

It was really nice to see a product announcement from Chord.  I got an email, too.    This Anni product in conjunction with the Qutest looks like a winner.    If I didn't already have both a Hugo 2 and 2go and a TT2, I would consider buying the Qutest + Anni as a desktop solution.

I rarely use my Hugo 2 anymore because I have found that I much prefer DAPs given their superior application and networking support.    The Hugo 2 has great sound, but it is neither designed well as a portable / transportable solution, nor is it a great desktop solution with its cabling requirements.   Qutest + Anni provides a more affordable solution to the TT2 and positions Chord where they are actually strong.


----------



## Slim1970

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> It was really nice to see a product announcement from Chord.  I got an email, too.    This Anni product in conjunction with the Qutest looks like a winner.    If I didn't already have both a Hugo 2 and 2go and a TT2, I would consider buying the Qutest + Anni as a desktop solution.
> 
> I rarely use my Hugo 2 anymore because I have found that I much prefer DAPs given their superior application and networking support.    The Hugo 2 has great sound, but it is neither designed well as a portable / transportable solution, nor is it a great desktop solution with its cabling requirements.   Qutest + Anni provides a more affordable solution to the TT2 and positions Chord where they are actually strong.


I’m with you. My Hugo 2 rarely leaves the house and stays plugged up. I’m using the Hugo 2 as DAC/Preamp for my Burson Timekeeper. The Qutest plus Anni with that nice stand looks like a winner. Do I sell my Hugo 2 and pick up the Qutest and Anni is the question I’m asking myself?


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

Slim1970 said:


> I’m with you. My Hugo 2 rarely leaves the house and stays plugged up. I’m using the Hugo 2 as DAC/Preamp for my Burson Timekeeper. The Qutest plus Anni with that nice stand looks like a winner. Do I sell my Hugo 2 and pick up the Qutest and Anni is the question I’m asking myself?


That exact thought crossed my mind this morning as well.   But, I already have a Hugo TT2, so that's not likely.    I just got my Hugo 2 out and I am listening to my Oriolus Isabellae IEMs with it and it sounds great.   I have been using DAPs so much over the past few months that I forgot just how much I love the sound of the Hugo 2.


----------



## GreenBow (Sep 21, 2021)

Sense said:


> Sooo...is that stack rack $395 per section? Or do you get two sections with it?
> 
> Feels like $800 for a plastic rack for the qutest/anni is a little unreasonable. Can't imagine it's per part...but it's chord...so I have to ask.





alxw0w said:


> It's not plastic. It's aluminium.
> Nevertheless - yes a bit expensive



If I bought the Anni, I would not buy the wrack, as gorgeous as it looks with Anni and Qutest. I would put the Anni in arms reach, and the Qutest to rear of the desk out of the way.


Anyway it's a case of waiting for reviews now, or auditioning for those interested. Going by Ultima reviews though, it should be at a good amplifier. £1200 worth, waits to be seen but I am optimistic even though I don't need one.


----------



## Malevolent

If I owned a Qutest, this would be close to the top of my shopping list - the 2 look so neat and tidy together. On the topic of sound, I'm sure they'd sound great as a combo, too.



HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I rarely use my Hugo 2 anymore because I have found that I much prefer DAPs given their superior application and networking support.    The Hugo 2 has great sound, but it is neither designed well as a portable / transportable solution, nor is it a great desktop solution with its cabling requirements.   Qutest + Anni provides a more affordable solution to the TT2 and positions Chord where they are actually strong.


Like you, my Hugo 2 has taken quite the back seat of late. When I'm out and about, I use a DAP, and when I'm at home, I use my desktop rig instead. The thought of swapping the standalone Hugo 2 for a Qutest + Anni stack has its appeal, to be honest.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

GreenBow said:


> If I bought the Anni, I would not buy the wrack, as gorgeous as it looks with Anni and Qutest. I would put the Anni in arms reach, and the Qutest to rear of the desk out of the way.
> 
> 
> Anyway it's a case of waiting for reviews now, or auditioning for those interested. Going by Ultima reviews though, it should be at a good amplifier. £1200 worth, waits to be seen but I am optimistic even though I don't need one.


Chord is world class at Industrial design.   From a manufacturing point of view, their products are extremely well built and designed to work very well together from a hardware point of view.    The Chord Mojo/Poly and Hugo2/2go fit very well together.  It's software where Chord is challenge.    The Qutest and Anni along with the rack is right in Chord's wheel house.    Very well designed and stylish look and feel.    If you compare the price of what you get with Chord vs. the alternatives, you see that you are paying a significant premium for those design features.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

Currawong said:


> Allow me to add my summary, with press photos here: https://www.hear.audio/2021/09/21/chord-announces-new-qutest-sized-anni-headphone-amplifier/



Thanks! 

You mention the Qutest and the Anni as a nice option for a compact desktop solution. What about the TT2 instead of that for just 1k more? I mean I have it, but it would be a nice idea for a future review / comparison, good to hear your impressions.

It's a shame the Dave meant you ultimately did not do an actual TT2 review. Are you still planning on it?


----------



## TheMiddleSky

CaptainFantastic said:


> Thanks!
> 
> You mention the Qutest and the Anni as a nice option for a compact desktop solution. What about the TT2 instead of that for just 1k more? I mean I have it, but it would be a nice idea for a future review / comparison, good to hear your impressions.
> 
> It's a shame the Dave meant you ultimately did not do an actual TT2 review. Are you still planning on it?


I don't know how great is Anni, but for some headphones that I tried (Focal Utopia, Diana Phi, Hifiman HE1000SE, etc), TT2 alone is better than Qutest with well respected (expensive) amps out there. The difference in quality between Qutest and TT2 as DAC is huge.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

TheMiddleSky said:


> I don't know how great is Anni, but for some headphones that I tried (Focal Utopia, Diana Phi, Hifiman HE1000SE, etc), TT2 alone is better than Qutest with well respected (expensive) amps out there. The difference in quality between Qutest and TT2 as DAC is huge.



Yes, I would think you are right. I never heard the Qutest, but I heard that it's similar to the Hugo 2. I have the TT2 and had the Hugo 2. 

I was focusing on this in Currawong's review: "At a guess that would make for a Qutest + Anni rig for possibly under US$3000, something which will strongly appeal to people wanting a high-end desktop headphone system that doesn’t take up a lot of space." Not sure how much the TT2 is in USD these days, but I guess for about 20-25% more in cash outlay one can get far better performance from the TT2 as a single unit? Worth mentioning in the review?


----------



## TheMiddleSky

CaptainFantastic said:


> Yes, I would think you are right. I never heard the Qutest, but I heard that it's similar to the Hugo 2. I have the TT2 and had the Hugo 2.
> 
> I was focusing on this in Currawong's review: "At a guess that would make for a Qutest + Anni rig for possibly under US$3000, something which will strongly appeal to people wanting a high-end desktop headphone system that doesn’t take up a lot of space." Not sure how much the TT2 is in USD these days, but I guess for about 20-25% more in cash outlay one can get far better performance from the TT2 as a single unit? Worth mentioning in the review?



TT2 official price is USD $5,495, so there is around $2K difference there. Not sure how much Anni in USD, but based on Qutest price (USD $1,695), Anni should be slight lower than that.

I just sold my Hugo 2 around a month ago, after so many experiment with amps.


----------



## Whitigir

So while there are many other stuff that is going with Balanced Line Out.  I would bet that they have no options to use the Anni with any of those sources! That s a shame


----------



## u2u2

The Anni looks close to ideal when pairing a Qutest with headphones. Subject to it actually performing as described (and no doubt it will) and the fan not engaging to an audible level I will be all in on one. My Qutest has been feeling neglected since I got the Naim bug... BNC coax to the Qutest from a Naim Uniti Core Server, RCA from the Qutest to Anni, then out to some Utopias ought to be respectable even with no balanced connections involved? There must be a reviewer out there with an early unit or does Chord not send review units out?


----------



## jlbrach

I would assume Anni would also pair with the hugo 2 if one already owns one for more difficult to drive HP's?


----------



## elira

Is there any information regarding volume control? I don't think there's a big volume pot in there, so if they are doing all the attenuation with a small potentiometer it might have some channel imbalance at low volumes.


----------



## elira

It's $1,795.00 at moon-audio, expected on October 15th. https://www.moon-audio.com/chord-anni-desktop-integrated-amplifier.html


----------



## Sense

So maybe a dumb question but…can this thing run non-powered speakers?


----------



## Slim1970

Sense said:


> So maybe a dumb question but…can this thing run non-powered speakers?


Probably some very efficient ones


----------



## Sense (Sep 21, 2021)

Well I ordered my Qutest today. Been thinking about it for a few months.

I really wish they would at least add a balanced headphone connector to this. I get they are against that connector…but in the past 5 years it’s become a standard.

Its why I went Qutest instead of TT2


----------



## Mightygrey

Sense said:


> So maybe a dumb question but…can this thing run non-powered speakers?


It doesn't appear to have pre-outs.


----------



## Mightygrey

It's a lot of money for a single-ended headphone amplifier, albeit a very powerful one from the sound of things - assuming the quoted 10 Watts are available from the headphone jack as well as into 8-ohm speakers. 

On paper, this squares up against the Burson Funk in terms of its form-factor and intended use-case. However, the 35 Watts (into 8-ohms) makes it a far more flexible speaker powering proposition. Plus the Funk is well over half the price. A back-to-back test would be interesting.


----------



## enb141

Mightygrey said:


> It's a lot of money for a single-ended headphone amplifier, albeit a very powerful one from the sound of things - assuming the quoted 10 Watts are available from the headphone jack as well as into 8-ohm speakers.
> 
> On paper, this squares up against the Burson Funk in terms of its form-factor and intended use-case. However, the 35 Watts (into 8-ohms) makes it a far more flexible speaker powering proposition. Plus the Funk is well over half the price. A back-to-back test would be interesting.



I have a Burson Funk, the headphone amp is just 3 watts, for me is more than enough for my HD650 but if you need more juice you are gonna need something else.

I bought it for my speakers, 45 watts is more than enough for my speakers so I think a Qutest + Funk would be a cheaper combination if you only need 3 watts for heaphones.  10 watts for speakers is kind of useless.


----------



## Malevolent

Mightygrey said:


> It's a lot of money for a single-ended headphone amplifier, albeit a very powerful one from the sound of things - assuming the quoted 10 Watts are available from the headphone jack as well as into 8-ohm speakers.
> 
> On paper, this squares up against the Burson Funk in terms of its form-factor and intended use-case. However, the 35 Watts (into 8-ohms) makes it a far more flexible speaker powering proposition. Plus the Funk is well over half the price. A back-to-back test would be interesting.


10 W into 8 Ω isn't too far-fetched a target, IMO; I think the quoted figure is available to both the headphone and speaker outputs. The Asgard 3, for example, delivers 5 W into 16 Ω.

If this is true, the Anni is quite beefy for a "small-ish" amplifier. Good news for existing Qutest owners.


----------



## Christer (Sep 22, 2021)

I have to say I like the form factor of the Anni, but  specs are  a bit confusing to me. Could someone with better knowledge than me, please explain why they quote two figures for SNR?   -92dB and also -110dB?

To me neither look overly impressive.  My main headphone amp  twith Qutest  the almost 10 years old Benchmark HGC2 quotes SNR at -126dB  and only one number.
And it has all the in and outputs one could ask for including balanced, it was made for the Pro Market and is used there still.

Nor does 10 watts per channel for a speaker amp impress me much either.
I am using an amp capable of delivering 910 wats per channel with a rated THD of less than 0,01% and even the phono input quotes  SNR at -96dB. And it is  from 2006.
Cheers CC


----------



## antdroid

Christer said:


> I have to say I like the form factor of the Anni, but  specs are  a bit confusing to me. Could someone with better knowledge than me, peaase explain why they quote two figures for SNR?   -92dB and also -110dB?
> 
> To me neither look overly impressive.  My main headphone amp  twith Qutest  the almost 10 years old Benchmark HGC2 quotes SNR at -126dB  and only one number.
> And it has all the in and outputs one could ask for including balanced, it was made for the Pro Market and is used there still.
> ...



-92 db is snr and -110db is noise floor level according to the anni manual.

your benchmarks -126db sounds like the dac performance more than the headphone amp.

10 watts is small for speaker amp yes. your 910 watts per channel at what ohms? seems a bit excessive unless thats a combined rating or at 1 ohm like a car speaker poweramp.


----------



## vo_obgyn

jlbrach said:


> I would assume Anni would also pair with the hugo 2 if one already owns one for more difficult to drive HP's?


I’m currently using my Hugo 2’s fixed line level mode to drive my Ray Samuels Emmeline II “The Raptor” headphone amp. May purchase the Anni to replace The Raptor.


----------



## Christer (Sep 22, 2021)

antdroid said:


> -92 db is snr and -110db is noise floor level according to the anni manual.
> 
> your benchmarks -126db sounds like the dac performance more than the headphone amp.
> 
> 10 watts is small for speaker amp yes. your 910 watts per channel at what ohms? seems a bit excessive unless thats a combined rating or at 1 ohm like a car speaker poweramp.


Thanks,  sorry about my ignorance,but I am still as confused as before. You are  quoting the same figures as I did.
 But what is the difference between the two?
I maybe wrongly  understand snr as signal to noise ratio quoted in dB indicating the inherent noise level of  a product?

I thought noise floor was the same ? I am aware that the noise floor or hiss level varies between digital formats with hi res formats gradually improving from say 16.44.1 at 98 dB and 32/768  even lower than the 126dB Benchmark quotes for their HPA2 headphone amp. And I think their quote actually is for the headphone amp section.
They quote  an SNR of 131 dB for their more recent, 2018, HPA4 which does not have a dac section like the HGC2 has. The eqivalent Benchmark dac for HPA4would be the DAC3.
I have never heard the DAC3 or HPA4 but I know that the Qutest is a better more resolving dac than my Benchmark  DAC2. I only use it for the headphone amp.
 But to improve things even further,I am also  using my Qutest with an Mscaler with a battery powered psu "almost mini dave" territory imho..
My  main  speaker amp 910W pc  into 4ohm /650 into 8 ohm.
Cheers CC


----------



## wirefriend

vo_obgyn said:


> I’m currently using my Hugo 2’s fixed line level mode to drive my Ray Samuels Emmeline II “The Raptor” headphone amp. May purchase the Anni to replace The Raptor.


Does the Raptor simnifically  improve Hugo's sound?


----------



## genefruit

Christer said:


> Thanks,  sorry about my ignorance,but I am still as confused as before. You are  quoting the same figures as I did.
> But what is the difference between the two?
> I maybe wrongly  understand snr as signal to noise ratio quoted in dB indicating the inherent noise level of  a product?
> 
> ...


I think you're asking what is the difference between noise floor and signal to noise.  Noise floor - level that is present regardless of a signal being present.  Signal to noise RATIO is the RATIO of signal present above the noise when a signal is present.


----------



## betula

As a lover of Chord sound, I find this Anni very appealing. As a former owner of the Qutest and then the TT2 this combo might be just right for me. I know, many folks wanted a Qutest with a SE headphone out, apparently this is Chord's answer to that request. I wish it was a two in one device, but still a nice proposition. 

This combo must sound better than the Hugo 2. 

I am really interested in some similarly priced amp comparisons.


----------



## Nostoi

EU preorder: https://kopfhoererboutique.com/products/chord-electroncs-anni-pre-order


----------



## jlbrach

vo_obgyn said:


> I’m currently using my Hugo 2’s fixed line level mode to drive my Ray Samuels Emmeline II “The Raptor” headphone amp. May purchase the Anni to replace The Raptor.


I may do the same...sounds like a perfect companion to the hugo 2 for more difficult to drive HP's


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

betula said:


> As a lover of Chord sound, I find this Anni very appealing. As a former owner of the Qutest and then the TT2 this combo might be just right for me. I know, many folks wanted a Qutest with a SE headphone out, apparently this is Chord's answer to that request. I wish it was a two in one device, but still a nice proposition.
> 
> This combo must sound better than the Hugo 2.
> 
> I am really interested in some similarly priced amp comparisons.


I, too, love Chord sound.    I've been listening to my Hugo 2 a lot over the past couple days after not listening to it for a few months because I have been listening mostly to my DX300 for portable or TT2 for desktop.   I had forgotten just how much I love its sound.    I really dislike the USB micro ports, but the sound is really worth it.    I pair the Hugo 2 with a Cayin C9 transportable AMP and it sounds terrific.  I would love to compare that sound to the Qutest + Anni.


----------



## betula

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I, too, love Chord sound.    I've been listening to my Hugo 2 a lot over the past couple days after not listening to it for a few months because I have been listening mostly to my DX300 for portable or TT2 for desktop.   I had forgotten just how much I love its sound.    I really dislike the USB micro ports, but the sound is really worth it.    I pair the Hugo 2 with a Cayin C9 transportable AMP and it sounds terrific.  I would love to compare that sound to the Qutest + Anni.


I imagine Qutest + Anni to be less technical than TT2 but more powerful/impactful. I am very interested indeed as Qutest and Chord in general offers a unique and addictive sound presentation.


----------



## Ciggavelli

betula said:


> I imagine Qutest + Anni to be less technical than TT2 but more powerful/impactful. I am very interested indeed as Qutest and Chord in general offers a unique and addictive sound presentation.


The TT2 is 18W at 8Ω out of the balanced connectors on the back, while the Anni is 10W at 8Ω. The Anni is a bit more powerful out of the 6.35 than the TT2 out of the 6.35


----------



## vo_obgyn

wirefriend said:


> Does the Raptor simnifically  improve Hugo's sound?


I especially like the Hugo 2 > Raptor sound with my Senn HD 800 S cans a lot. I prefer the tube sound with my Senn’s over the Hugo 2 direct sound. I’ve tube-rolled my Raptor over the years and found a nice set of tubes for my set up.


----------



## Sense

betula said:


> As a lover of Chord sound, I find this Anni very appealing. As a former owner of the Qutest and then the TT2 this combo might be just right for me. I know, many folks wanted a Qutest with a SE headphone out, apparently this is Chord's answer to that request. I wish it was a two in one device, but still a nice proposition.
> 
> This combo must sound better than the Hugo 2.
> 
> I am really interested in some similarly priced amp comparisons.


Sorry for the off topic...is that a Burson Soloist? I was thinking of maybe picking one up for the Qutest instead of the Anni...how do you like that amp?


----------



## Slim1970

jlbrach said:


> I may do the same...sounds like a perfect companion to the hugo 2 for more difficult to drive HP's


I’m thinking the same thing.


----------



## Currawong

Now we have a US$ price, I've updated my article.


----------



## flea22

reckon chord will release a mscaler in qutest form? That would be a cool stack!!


----------



## alxw0w

flea22 said:


> reckon chord will release a mscaler in qutest form? That would be a cool stack!!


Not really. Size wise it would fit. But heat dissipation would be a problem in Qutest like case.


----------



## Currawong

alxw0w said:


> Not really. Size wise it would fit. But heat dissipation would be a problem in Qutest like case.


It depends on the silicon. If Xylinx releases a small enough and powerful enough FPGA that it's possible, you could fairly expect one to to be made by Chord.


----------



## alxw0w (Sep 23, 2021)

Currawong said:


> It depends on the silicon. If Xylinx releases a small enough and powerful enough FPGA that it's possible, you could fairly expect one to to be made by Chord.


Yes probably. But when ? As you remember Rob always said that new FPGA release scheme is really slow.
Xylinx announce new FPGA and it becomes available (in mass quantity) like years after.


----------



## Currawong

alxw0w said:


> Yes probably. But when ? As you remember Rob always said that new FPGA release scheme is really slow.
> Xylinx announce new FPGA and it becomes available (in mass quantity) like years after.


When is indeed a good question. We won't know until we know.   Personally I want to see a DAVE in a TT2 chassis (or TT2 with DAVE resolution).


----------



## betula

Sense said:


> Sorry for the off topic...is that a Burson Soloist? I was thinking of maybe picking one up for the Qutest instead of the Anni...how do you like that amp?


Yes, it is a Soloist 3XP. I really like this amp. Powerful, dynamic, energetic yet clean, realistic and not overpowering with great soundstage depth. I would be really curious to read some comparisons to the Anni.


----------



## dac64 (Sep 23, 2021)

Anni is a mini mini mini mini ultima power amp.

Probably nobody is aware of what is forward feedback. That's a selling point!


----------



## enb141

betula said:


> Yes, it is a Soloist 3XP. I really like this amp. Powerful, dynamic, energetic yet clean, realistic and not overpowering with great soundstage depth. I would be really curious to read some comparisons to the Anni.


On paper the closest think to compare Anni is the Funk, as Speaker amp is a huge difference, 10w vs 45w, as for headphone amp, funk has 3w, not sure how many Watts Anni has for driving headphones.

Soloist line only have headphone amp.


----------



## Infoseeker

enb141 said:


> On paper the closest think to compare Anni is the Funk, as Speaker amp is a huge difference, 10w vs 45w, as for headphone amp, funk has 3w, not sure how many Watts Anni has for driving headphones.
> 
> Soloist line only have headphone amp.



Could use the speaker outputs for planar headphones.


----------



## betula

I wonder why we can't see the Anni on Head-Fi front page?


----------



## elira

betula said:


> I wonder why we can't see the Anni on Head-Fi front page?


I don’t think Chord has made an announcement in the forum. There are a lot of details missing and I don’t see Chord trying to answer questions.


----------



## Sense (Sep 23, 2021)

Currawong said:


> It depends on the silicon. If Xylinx releases a small enough and powerful enough FPGA that it's possible, you could fairly expect one to to be made by Chord.



They released a new Artix chip this year (March)...don't know what availability is. I personally would like to see a refresh of any dac/amp with a balanced headphone jack. At some point they need to stop being stubborn...it's not about the sound...it's about ease of use and industry standards. 

Do you have the Anni in-hand? Interested to see what you think.




dac64 said:


> Anni is a mini mini mini mini ultima power amp.
> 
> Probably nobody is aware of what is forward feedback. That's a selling point!



Yes...I have no idea what Ultima power is...feels like a marketing term. Also not sure what forward feedback is. Can you help explain? Why does that make this special? I'm thinking about buying...but I don't understand what the trickle down technology is.


----------



## Infoseeker

dac64 said:


> Anni is a mini mini mini mini ultima power amp.
> 
> Probably nobody is aware of what is forward feedback. That's a selling point!


Same topology use by the Benchmark AHB2 amp?


----------



## elira

As far as I understand that topology is similar to the one used in THX AAA amps, AHB2 included. So, it should be good.


----------



## Infoseeker (Sep 23, 2021)

*Edit: nvm. No idea*. Nah the other THX amps stuff are different. Not advertised as feed forward. Just the ahb2 speaker amp is advertised as so.

I hope it doesn't feel as sterile as the headphone thx amps. I didn't really like my thx amp over a class-A discrete amp.

But speaker amps like Ahb2 seem to have good subjective reviews.


----------



## elira

Infoseeker said:


> Nah the other THX amps stuff are different.  Not advertised as feed forward. Just the ahb2 speaker amp is advertised as so.



From https://www.thx.com/aaa/ 


> Patented feed-forward error correction topology that nulls conventional distortion mechanisms



From the AHB2 "Technology" piece https://benchmarkmedia.com/collections/all-products/products/benchmark-ahb2-power-amplifier



> The AHB2 amplifier is radically different than traditional audio amplifiers. Two new THX-patented feed-forward error-correction technologies eliminate most sources of distortion.


----------



## Currawong

Infoseeker said:


> I hope it doesn't feel as sterile as the headphone thx amps. I didn't really like my thx amp over a class-A discrete amp.


That's because most AAA-based amps have rubbish power supplies, resulting in a flat sound with weak bass.  They are only made to have good SINAD for the measurebator crowd.


----------



## jlbrach

I didnt realize how important the power supply is until I got the powerman to pair with my formula s...a real eye opener or should I say ear opener


----------



## enb141

Infoseeker said:


> Could use the speaker outputs for planar headphones.



For Anni yes, but they you could do it directly from Qutest instead.


----------



## enb141

Currawong said:


> That's because most AAA-based amps have rubbish power supplies, resulting in a flat sound with weak bass.  They are only made to have good SINAD for the measurebator crowd.


Currawong if you could test someday Burson amps would be cool, they claim that their power implementation is better and faster than normal amps.

With your experience you could illuminate us


----------



## ra990

Currawong said:


> the measurebator crowd


Can't tell you how much I love this.


----------



## dac64

Sense said:


> Yes...I have no idea what Ultima power is...feels like a marketing term. Also not sure what forward feedback is. Can you help explain? Why does that make this special? I'm thinking about buying...but I don't understand what the trickle down technology is.



link to Ultima : https://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/ultima

True, only those technically inclined will understand the technology and benefits of the forward feedback.

Forward feedback, in layman term, the SQ is much better than amp deploying negative feedback or zero feedback. 

Just wonder, how does this compare to Rod's pulse array amp?


----------



## dac64

Infoseeker said:


> Same topology use by the Benchmark AHB2 amp?



yes, employed by Benchmark and Wadax. if you know Wadax, 100K over dac, http://www.wadax.eu/


----------



## GreenBow (Sep 23, 2021)

antdroid said:


> -92 db is snr and -110db is noise floor level according to the anni manual.
> 
> your benchmarks -126db sounds like the dac performance more than the headphone amp.
> 
> 10 watts is small for speaker amp yes. your 910 watts per channel at what ohms? seems a bit excessive unless thats a combined rating or at 1 ohm like a car speaker poweramp.



It depends on the room size and efficiency of the speakers.

The TT2 does about 7W per channel single-ended when driving speakers. I only ever had put mine up to maybe 6W and they are not efficient at 86dB. I found it loud in a relatively small room. 10w at 8 ohm, would be enough for me.

Anni would be no good though for me I think, because my speaker plugs would unlikly fit. They are the right 4mm banana plugs, but the plugs have quite a wide part where you hold them. The Anni speaker sockets look a touch too close together for me. (Maybe OK though.)

Going by my little experience with the Ttoby, the Anni should be a good amplifier. Also Ultima amplifier reviews have all gone very well.


----------



## alekc

One thing that came to my head is that Qutest is quite analytical and a bit bright to me. It could be a good match for a bit warmer amp. I wonder is Anni leaning towards such sound or is it more analytical and maybe clinical one or simply trying to be as transparent as possible?


----------



## wirefriend

alekc said:


> One thing that came to my head is that Qutest is quite analytical and a bit bright to me. It could be a good match for a bit warmer amp. I wonder is Anni leaning towards such sound or is it more analytical and maybe clinical one or simply trying to be as transparent as possible?


My thoughts exactly. Can't wait for the first reviews to get a feel what tunning did they choose.
My personal preference would be a warm amp to pair with Qutest.


----------



## Christer

wirefriend said:


> My thoughts exactly. Can't wait for the first reviews to get a feel what tunning did they choose.
> My personal preference would be a warm amp to pair with Qutest.


Hmm, imho an amp should NOT have any  tuning, tuning is for musical instruments.
An amp should be designed to be as transparent to the source as technically possible within the budget used for parts used in the product.
Cheers CC


----------



## elira

I found this review https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/chord-anni


----------



## Sense

elira said:


> I found this review https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/chord-anni


“Despite the modest power output, a multitude of ventilation holes in the casework and a *built-in fan*, this integrated runs pretty hot…”


----------



## betula

Sense said:


> “Despite the modest power output, a multitude of ventilation holes in the casework and a *built-in fan*, this integrated runs pretty hot…”


I don't like that it has a built in fan, but that seems more and more common with new high-end amplifiers (Burson Soloist 3X GT for example). I guess it is about compromises: what you gain sound quality-wise by keeping the components 'artificially' cooler and what you loose by having an extra electronic component in the system that might cause electronic noise or failure. I am pretty sure that Burson or Chord had looked into the electronic noise part and the fans wouldn't cause any issues in this regard. 

Still, there must be a better way to improve sound, the engineers just haven't figured it out yet. Well, if the fans are reliable enough and they don't cause extra noise, I am ready for the improved sound of the Anni in its extremely compact size.

Another comparison I am very interested in is the Qutest/Anni vs. TT2.


----------



## Sense

betula said:


> Another comparison I am very interested in is the Qutest/Anni vs. TT2.


That's what I want to know...the Anni is essentially a power supply for the Qutest and people have said that non-stock power supplies make the Qutest sound better...so if you have a better sounding Qutest and a better amp than the TT2...does it end up being in the same ring as the TT2? @Currawong did you ever say if you have the Anni or not? Would love to get a sneak peek at what you think.


----------



## betula

The TT2 is an overall and undeniable improvement vs. the Qutest, but Chord refused to put a HP out on the Qutest. Their answer is the Anni for those sort of requests. My guess is that the TT2 is still more technical/precise/accurate. But the Qutest supported by the Anni is a very interesting proposition indeed. I am truly curious how close this combo gets to the TT2. Perhaps technically it is not quite there, but regarding the enjoyment factor it might be.


----------



## u2u2

Sense said:


> “Despite the modest power output, a multitude of ventilation holes in the casework and a *built-in fan*, this integrated runs pretty hot…”


Unfortunate that the reviewer didn't offer any distinction heat wise between driving speakers or headphones. Hopefully when on headphone duty the fan does not come into play. The volume comments are troubling... reminds me too much of my McIntosh MHA200 experience... I am gambling and trying to secure an early unit. If successful I will post.


----------



## elira

I'm worried about channel balance at low volumes if they are using just a small potentiometer for that.


----------



## Sense

u2u2 said:


> Unfortunate that the reviewer didn't offer any distinction heat wise between driving speakers or headphones. Hopefully when on headphone duty the fan does not come into play. The volume comments are troubling... reminds me too much of my McIntosh MHA200 experience... I am gambling and trying to secure an early unit. If successful I will post.


That MHA200 pot looks pretty horrible. DMS has one for review and it doesn’t look like it’s going to be a good one. Still looking for a nice Tube amp with balanced out.


----------



## jlbrach

Christer said:


> Hmm, imho an amp should NOT have any  tuning, tuning is for musical instruments.
> An amp should be designed to be as transparent to the source as technically possible within the budget used for parts used in the product.
> Cheers CC


spot on, I agree


----------



## R403

alekc said:


> One thing that came to my head is that Qutest is quite analytical and a bit bright to me. It could be a good match for a bit warmer amp. I wonder is Anni leaning towards such sound or is it more analytical and maybe clinical one or simply trying to be as transparent as possible?



You just fixed my speakers. I've had the Kef Ref 1 and I've been finding them bright, so I was assessing amps. I swapped out the Qutest and yeah, it was the dac. D


Christer said:


> Hmm, imho an amp should NOT have any  tuning, tuning is for musical instruments.
> An amp should be designed to be as transparent to the source as technically possible within the budget used for parts used in the product.
> Cheers CC



In my opinion you should choose what you enjoy. No matter how you tune an instrument, it’s impacted by the room and what your preferences are. It’s impacted by how it’s produced. Some rooms sound warmer and people, like me, would rather reproduce that room with a roll off on the top. In reality, there should be multiple options so you can try and make your own choice. I have the Kef Reference 1 and letting them remain neutral in voicing is murder. Meanwhile others love it and that’s also good. Hardly matters what the choice is, what matters is you have one.


----------



## Hooster

Given the price they are asking for this you would have thought they would have splurged on a decent heat sink and a volume control that is not wobbly. I can't see the interest in this product unless you love to stack your gear and have to have everything matching. 

I think a TT2 by itself is a far more attractive proposition than this anni together with a Qutest. I suspect you get a lot of bang for the extra buck you would be paying for the TT2.


----------



## andrewd01

Sense said:


> That's what I want to know...the Anni is essentially a power supply for the Qutest and people have said that non-stock power supplies make the Qutest sound better...so if you have a better sounding Qutest and a better amp than the TT2...does it end up being in the same ring as the TT2? @Currawong did you ever say if you have the Anni or not? Would love to get a sneak peek at what you think.



I think you can only use the DC out of the Anni to power the Huei since it only has 12V DC out. The Qutest needs 5V so would still need its own power pack as far as I can see.  The Qutest/Anni is quite a messy installation with two power supplies, interconnects and an uber-expensive stand.  The TT2 is a far more tidy solution for not much more money.


----------



## alekc

Hooster said:


> Given the price they are asking for this you would have thought they would have splurged on a decent heat sink and a volume control that is not wobbly. I can't see the interest in this product unless you love to stack your gear and have to have everything matching.
> 
> I think a TT2 by itself is a far more attractive proposition than this anni together with a Qutest. I suspect you get a lot of bang for the extra buck you would be paying for the TT2.


I completely agree with @Hooster on both points. I can't imagine "audiophile" grade equipment with internal fan... this kept me away from considering TTBoy despite its compact size. Internal fan and all the talk about sound quality is an oxymoron for me.

Considering how different is Qutest and TT2 in tuning I doubt Anni will make Qutest closer to TT2. If that would be the case, other amps would already achieved the same goal long before info about Anni has been leaked.


----------



## alekc

Christer said:


> Hmm, imho an amp should NOT have any  tuning, tuning is for musical instruments.
> An amp should be designed to be as transparent to the source as technically possible within the budget used for parts used in the product.
> Cheers CC


@Christer in general I do tend to agree with your point of view. However sometimes you need this additional tuning (or as some call it sound distortion) to really love the sound you hear. We are all different, have different preferences and perception. This is also changing across time as well for every person. So if you are after very clean sound that leaves your dac, than yes, the amp should be completely transparent. On the other hand this would remove a lot if not all tube amps from the equation and while I like solid state amps, I do like tubes as well and in a long term I would probably missed them.


----------



## alekc

Rixon403 said:


> You just fixed my speakers. I've had the Kef Ref 1 and I've been finding them bright, so I was assessing amps. I swapped out the Qutest and yeah, it was the dac. D


@Rixon403 you are more than welcome mate! Glad I could help  Enjoy new sound.


----------



## GreenBow (Sep 25, 2021)

betula said:


> The TT2 is an overall and undeniable improvement vs. the Qutest, but Chord refused to put a HP out on the Qutest. Their answer is the Anni for those sort of requests. My guess is that the TT2 is still more technical/precise/accurate. But the Qutest supported by the Anni is a very interesting proposition indeed. I am truly curious how close this combo gets to the TT2. Perhaps technically it is not quite there, but regarding the enjoyment factor it might be.



Agreed the TT2 is a considerable upgrade. However the Qutest (or Hugo 2) is still an astounding listen. ... Can't remember what I was doing, but I had TT2 going and switched to Qutest. Had zero remorse and carried on listening. ... One time I was listeing with Mojo, and Mojo was sat on top of TT2.


@thread.

I disagree with the recent comments about Qutest (and possibly Hugo 2) being bright. I always found them perfectly balanced. My warm music sounds warm, and my brighter recording sounds brighter, with everything else in between. Hence I must be bang-on neutral.

In fact I consider this generation of Chord DACs to be reference. (I never heard the Hugo.) This is a crucial factor, as it makes building around them easier than if they were not.


----------



## TheMiddleSky (Sep 25, 2021)

Warm/Cold/Dark/Bright could easily become subjective opinion.

At most of the time I'd say a thing (example: Qutest) has certain character based on how majority of other products compare to it, hopefully this way is a little more objective.

I would put Qutest as a balance/neutral DAC with very slight warmness. All Delta Sigma DACs made in China that I know (means most of DAC line up from SMSL, Topping and Questyle) sound brighter and more edgy. On the other hand  R2R DAC like Denafrips Pontus II is darker and fuller sound than Qutest.

If we talk about Chord line up, Qutest, along with Hugo 2 and Dave would categorised as brighter and leaner sounding compare to the other line up TT2 and Mojo.


----------



## wirefriend

I recently listened to Denafrips Ares II R2R and compared it to Hugo2: R2R was darker and more refined but I still preferred Chord for its natural / colourful timbre of instruments.


----------



## TheMiddleSky

wirefriend said:


> I recently listened to Denafrips Ares II R2R and compared it to Hugo2: R2R was darker and more refined but I still preferred Chord for its natural / colourful timbre of instruments.



Set aside from timbre, the transient also more fluid, thus, closer to lifelike presentation. I think this is what make Chord DAC become special compare to other competitor.

I and my friend (who own Pontus II) also have same conclusion, while timbre could be subjective (based on our preference), but Hugo2 produce more accurate transient that closer to natural.

Sometime people use the analogy of Chord DAC as being detail, but also organic. It's not only the affect of timbre, but also (hugely) the effect of transient.


----------



## Arniesb

jlbrach said:


> spot on, I agree


I think some people with bright dacs and poor sources are looking for amps that soften everything so much so that Problems in the chain is not as noticable.
Tubes for example have ton of distortion and poor transparency and thus flaws are not as noticable.


----------



## wirefriend

TheMiddleSky said:


> Set aside from timbre, the transient also more fluid, thus, closer to lifelike presentation. I think this is what make Chord DAC become special compare to other competitor.
> 
> I and my friend (who own Pontus II) also have same conclusion, while timbre could be subjective (based on our preference), but Hugo2 produce more accurate transient that closer to natural.
> 
> Sometime people use the analogy of Chord DAC as being detail, but also organic. It's not only the affect of timbre, but also (hugely) the effect of transient.


Yes, I agree. I think those transients are sometimes being lost by smoother amps / tube amps.
On the other hand, when I tested Hugo2 with Violectric v590 (amp section) the music was very precise but also too dry in the long run.
I hope that Anni will be somewhere in between - preserving transients but also musical and fluid.


----------



## R403

I didn't mean to spark the ultimate debate of sound character on an Anni thread, but here's 2 cents. First of all, your room changes the fequency. So, if you have your chain all neutral your room can still make it bright or dark ect, depending. You may need a dark amp to make the end result neutral. You need to think of the entire chain + acoustics as a cohesive whole. So I'd expect different people to have different impressions. The other part is while I like Chord dacs for aforementioned reasons in this thread, they certainly do not have a monopoly. Technology keeps changing and more competitors are entering this arena.


----------



## wirefriend

Rixon403 said:


> I didn't mean to spark the ultimate debate of sound character on an Anni thread, but here's 2 cents. First of all, your room changes the fequency. So, if you have your chain all neutral your room can still make it bright or dark ect, depending. You may need a dark amp to make the end result neutral. You need to think of the entire chain + acoustics as a cohesive whole. So I'd expect different people to have different impressions. The other part is while I like Chord dacs for aforementioned reasons in this thread, they certainly do not have a monopoly. Technology keeps changing and more competitors are entering this arena.


Do you know of any interesting DACs that have similar level of natural timbre and detailed transients to Chord DACs?


----------



## R403

wirefriend said:


> Do you know of any interesting DACs that have similar level of natural timbre and detailed transients to Chord DACs?



In my opinion the newer, higher end R2R dacs have accomplished this finally. Holo, Terminator Denafrips, and then the Rockna are worth a listen. 

Either way, I'm curious to hear Anni impressions.


----------



## enb141

Anni is just and amp, not a DAC, pretty much is just a headphone amp, 10 watts for speaker amps is pretty much useless. 10 watts for headphones is a good amount but I'm now sure if those 10 watts are for speakers only or are also for the headphones.


----------



## kion

This reminds me of the Bakoon Amp-13R which has been viewed by some as the ideal pairing for the Susvara, so I am very curious how it performs in this regard.

Obviously the Bakoon is in a totally different price bracket but I wonder if Anni is a good alternative considering the law of diminishing returns.


----------



## antdroid

kion said:


> This reminds me of the Bakoon Amp-13R which has been viewed by some as the ideal pairing for the Susvara, so I am very curious how it performs in this regard.
> 
> Obviously the Bakoon is in a totally different price bracket but I wonder if Anni is a good alternative considering the law of diminishing returns.



I have the Bakoon AMP-13R + Qutest. I would love to try the Anni out and see how it performs with Susvara, mostly because of the matching amp/dac design. The volume knob looks a little lacking on the Anni though, especially with how close it is to the two headphone jacks.


----------



## jlbrach

the bakoon is 25 watts while the anni is 10 which in the case of the susvara is important...I think the 13r pumps 4-5 watts into the susvara I am sure the anni is a fair bit less


----------



## Jawed

jlbrach said:


> the bakoon is 25 watts while the anni is 10 which in the case of the susvara is important...I think the 13r pumps 4-5 watts into the susvara I am sure the anni is a fair bit less


How do you know it's 4-5W?


----------



## All Day Breakfast (Sep 29, 2021)

jlbrach said:


> the bakoon is 25 watts while the anni is 10 which in the case of the susvara is important...I think the 13r pumps 4-5 watts into the susvara I am sure the anni is a fair bit less


I was under the impression that a tweak of the volume knob delivered the full 25 watts which are available to the speaker terminals, then became available to the headphone jack.


----------



## antdroid (Sep 29, 2021)

assuming linearity:  25 watts into 8 ohms (bakoon speaker rating) to W watts into 50 ohms (susvara) -> W/25 watts = 8 ohm/50ohm -> W = 25 (8/50) => 4 watts into 50 ohms (susvara impedance)


----------



## Mightygrey

jlbrach said:


> the bakoon is 25 watts while the anni is 10 which in the case of the susvara is important...I think the 13r pumps 4-5 watts into the susvara I am sure the anni is a fair bit less


Just a reminder that the Susvara only needs around half a watt of power to reach 110dB which is more than enough to cause permanent hearing loss.


----------



## jlbrach (Sep 29, 2021)

Jawed said:


> How do you know it's 4-5W?


because i have seen it detailed several times


----------



## jlbrach

Mightygrey said:


> Just a reminder that the Susvara only needs around half a watt of power to reach 110dB which is more than enough to cause permanent hearing loss.


obviously the ability to simply play loud doesnt equate to the ability to sound good...a honda can go the same speed as a mercedes but not drive as well..


----------



## jlbrach

All Day Breakfast said:


> I was under the impression that a tweak of the volume knob delivered the full 25 watts which are available to the speaker terminals, then became available to the headphone jack.


correct, you can adjust to low or high gain and receive the full 25/8 which equates to 4 watts into the susvara


----------



## Mightygrey

jlbrach said:


> obviously the ability to simply play loud doesnt equate to the ability to sound good...a honda can go the same speed as a mercedes but not drive as well..


Of course, but no amp is "pumping 4-5 watts" into the Susvara.


----------



## jlbrach

ok, let me put it differently, 4 watts is available to the susvara from the 13r


----------



## Widell

jlbrach said:


> ok, let me put it differently, 4 watts is available to the susvara from the 13r


How about the TT2, Dave or the HPA4 whats their output?


----------



## Mightygrey

Widell said:


> How about the TT2, Dave or the HPA4 whats their output?


Their specs should be easily found on their product pages.


----------



## u2u2

In other Anni related news... the local Chord dealer just posted price increases taking effect in a week. The Qutest is going up by just over 28%. This is the largest increase and I bet we can all guess why. Other items vary in percentage but all are substantial. So far Anni remains as first announced.


----------



## jcoops16

u2u2 said:


> In other Anni related news... the local Chord dealer just posted price increases taking effect in a week. The Qutest is going up by just over 28%. This is the largest increase and I bet we can all guess why. Other items vary in percentage but all are substantial. So far Anni remains as first announced.


I looked into this price increase and yes chord have increased their prices, coming into effect in September. I found a company that had posted the feb 2020 price list and the new sept 2021 list so I could compare. I don't know what country your in but in the UK the Qutest went up by £55 to £1250 a 4.6% increase. the biggest increase I saw after a quick glance was the Dave, that went up nearly 500 quid.

Not everything went up some stayed the same and the Poly went done £4 according to the price list. For some reason the Mojo isn't on the new price list and neither is the Anni but I guess that's because it wasn't announced till after the price rises.


----------



## u2u2

jcoops16 said:


> I looked into this price increase and yes chord have increased their prices, coming into effect in September. I found a company that had posted the feb 2020 price list and the new sept 2021 list so I could compare. I don't know what country your in but in the UK the Qutest went up by £55 to £1250 a 4.6% increase. the biggest increase I saw after a quick glance was the Dave, that went up nearly 500 quid.
> 
> Not everything went up some stayed the same and the Poly went done £4 according to the price list. For some reason the Mojo isn't on the new price list and neither is the Anni but I guess that's because it wasn't announced till after the price rises.


Located in Canada and the dealer is Bay Bloor Radio. By announcing the price increases as they have it becomes sort of a reverse sale during the interim period. Buy now or look out. The announced Anni price seemed a couple of hundred high but since they posted the other increases it now makes sense. We tend to "enjoy" price premiums here... plus we get to contribute a further 13% to the government. Other Chord dealers here are silent on the increases so far.


----------



## All Day Breakfast (Oct 2, 2021)

u2u2 said:


> we get to contribute a further 13% to the government.


Only 13%? 🤔 I noticed last week here in the UK that DAVE was already selling at the new price (£8995) £500 higher. TT2 (£4250) and H2 (£1895) prices haven’t gone up here yet. Anni selling at £1195 and Qutest remains at £1250 making the Anni+Qutest a relatively good deal. Obviously Chord chose the prices carefully. Prices include 20% VAT.


----------



## Hooster

Too bad about those price increases. It might be best to hold off buying until the supply chain issues improve. Just enjoy the gear you have.


----------



## GreenBow

Chord Anni reviewed in the October 2021 issue of HiFi+.
What HiFi review already online. (I posted that a few day ago.)

(Am shocked at the price rise of the Qutest. Chord already put up prices due to the Brexit effect ages ago.)


----------



## wirefriend

Is the October issue already out? I cannot see it on their page...


----------



## GreenBow

wirefriend said:


> Is the October issue already out? I cannot see it on their page...



I subscribe to PocketMags, and I got notification of the October issue twenty-seven minutes ago.


----------



## jbarrentine

Oh my. I didn't know this was coming at all. I need one to pair with my qutest.


----------



## antdroid

The Qutest prices in US (though its sold out everywhere) is still at $1695. It was $1895 when it launched, so it dropped at some point.


----------



## elira

I wonder if they will launch a 12V version of Qutest so it stacks with Anni.


----------



## Middy

https://reviewary.com/chord-electronics-anni-review/

It doesn't say how good the HA section is... The what HIFI mentioned its better but nothing to compare it to.... I've been googling everyday but news is still scarce......

I've got the modified Singxer SA1 fed by the Qutest ATM but it really needs to at least compete within its price bracket and above to shine... in such a competitive and fast moving segment....


----------



## hongthaie

It seemswith speaker and DAC go together, I love to try it


----------



## u2u2

Middy said:


> https://reviewary.com/chord-electronics-anni-review/
> 
> It doesn't say how good the HA section is... The what HIFI mentioned its better but nothing to compare it to.... I've been googling everyday but news is still scarce......
> 
> I've got the modified Singxer SA1 fed by the Qutest ATM but it really needs to at least compete within its price bracket and above to shine... in such a competitive and fast moving segment....


Good post Middy   The review added a lot to the known info on Anni. Very useful even with skirting headphone use.


----------



## Middy (Oct 8, 2021)

u2u2 said:


> Good post Middy   The review added a lot to the known info on Anni. Very useful even with skirting headphone use.


I posted a question to the reviewer as i am sure more will be interested in the Head amp than the speaker amp... Thats just a nice to have than the main attribute...its why I couldn't understand why it wasn't mentioned...
The what hifi at least spoke of it being the better of the 2...

The shops are getting their stock in so more reviews coming i can imagine...

But it really does need to punch well above its weight like the Q...
£1200 is a big gamble... if it can compete with 2k+ amps it might be a winner... as I see no benefit if its not other than it matches your DAC...

Just some thoughts in my head...


Dave🙂


----------



## Hooster

Middy said:


> I posted a question to the reviewer as i am sure more will be interested in the Head amp than the speaker amp... Thats just a nice to have than the main attribute...its why I couldn't understand why it wasn't mentioned...
> The what hifi at least spoke of it being the better of the 2...
> 
> The shops are getting their stock in so more reviews coming i can imagine...
> ...



These 2k+ amps you speak of. They are unlikely to be better than this https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...topping-l30-headphone-amplifier-review.15226/ and it is only $130 or so... You could get the Topping A90 if you want something that looks better. That would be $499. I don't really see how spending more would get you better sound quality unless you are looking for some special kind of distortion.


----------



## Middy

Hooster said:


> These 2k+ amps you speak of. They are unlikely to be better than this https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...topping-l30-headphone-amplifier-review.15226/ and it is only $130 or so... You could get the Topping A90 if you want something that looks better. That would be $499. I don't really see how spending more would get you better sound quality unless you are looking for some special kind of distortion.


$1 or $1000 doesn't matter, just the SQ.
MY SINGXER SA1 sounds very nice modded and has good figures.  The magni does and my headamp Gilmore lite.
From Chord I was hoping for something exceptional and even then it can't just be a value judgement worth of engineering. As the A90 isn't $390 more worth of SQ....
Figures don't mean much without it sounding good..more money doesn't mean more distortion either nor does it guarantee it..
I am lucky I have the option to try both at the moment but those figures look good 👍.
 Value for money yes,  better sounding ? 
That's the fun part in this hobby I suppose seeing who is.
Chord will never be value for money..😔 most things desirable in life aren't. 

We shall see either way soon enough..

Good luck
Dave


----------



## Hooster

Middy said:


> $1 or $1000 doesn't matter, just the SQ.
> MY SINGXER SA1 sounds very nice modded and has good figures.  The magni does and my headamp Gilmore lite.
> From Chord I was hoping for something exceptional and even then it can't just be a value judgement worth of engineering. As the A90 isn't $390 more worth of SQ....
> Figures don't mean much without it sounding good..more money doesn't mean more distortion either nor does it guarantee it..
> ...



Sure, I think the Singxer is an awesome amp. It would be high up on my list if I was in the market for one. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...xer-sa-1-review-balanced-headphone-amp.23365/

It will be fun to learn what X factor the anni brings to the table. I am sure it will be revealed once people on here report their experiences.


----------



## Middy

The best of the Chinese domestic engineering skill has really come along. I am suprised its taken so long...they have more engineers than some countries have people....
Cheap is great but it's sad if we loose our own domestic talent.... but it does add a lot extra for the privilege...
A UK engineer can earn ×5 more but the products aren't...
I am still surprised India hasn't joined the party with the degree PHDs they have...


----------



## GreenBow

elira said:


> I wonder if they will launch a 12V version of Qutest so it stacks with Anni.



Qutest stacks with Anni, because Anni powers the Qutest.


----------



## Middy

GreenBow said:


> Qutest stacks with Anni, because Anni powers the Qutest.


Yup says not to exceed 2v on the Qutest doing it...1 less wall wart.. not sure if it does the Huei also..


----------



## andrewd01

GreenBow said:


> Qutest stacks with Anni, because Anni powers the Qutest.


I can’t see how.  The Anni has a 12V Dc output. Qutest requires 5V Dc input.


----------



## wirefriend

andrewd01 said:


> I can’t see how.  The Anni has a 12V Dc output. Qutest requires 5V Dc input.


Do you know of any shops that really (not just in theory) have Anni in stock now?


----------



## Middy

I might get a chance to hear one Saturday,  I'll take my Dan Clark Ether2s but they have most big names to play with...


----------



## andrewd01

wirefriend said:


> Do you know of any shops that really (not just in theory) have Anni in stock now?



No I don’t. 

Not sure why you quoted my comment about the voltage because your question is not related to the subject I commented on.
The user manuals for both products are available on the Chord website.


----------



## u2u2 (Oct 12, 2021)

andrewd01 said:


> I can’t see how.  The Anni has a 12V Dc output. Qutest requires 5V Dc input.


This is covered to some degree in the review linked earlier. I still ended up still scratching my head over the 12 vs 5 volts issue. Can't find a simple photograph of the setup anywhere. Chord has come up short in their manuals on this topic but they are masters in brevity. It always comes together when you see the product in hand. Problem is it seems no posters here have been hands on yet. I have one on order and the dealer has updated me to late October/early November until they receive any. Chord introduced the Anni to the public last weekend. Maybe a forum member attended the show and will post. Chord says it only needs the one power source source so it will no doubt be the case. In my limited experience Chord delivers. My Qutest is in a new stand mounted over the Anni stand... ready to go and counting the days!


----------



## andrewd01 (Oct 12, 2021)

Ok I didn’t see that review.  It seems that there is a custom power link provided which has a a 5V USB spur (presumably with a resistor in series to reduce the voltage). Sloppy work by Chord to completely omit any information about this in the manual.


----------



## musickid (Oct 13, 2021)

Has anyone tried the mscaler, qutest, anni trio vs just the anni, qutest combo for headphone listening? I demo'ed the qutest and anni earlier today with hi end headphones and was very impressed. Think the best of mojo and Hugo 2 combined. At present i use a dave with Oppo PM1 headphones but can't afford the mscaler. The mscaled qutest with anni trio would result in a complete end game system and i'm thinking of selling my dave to fund it.

The dave without mscaler is a problem for me as i was running an mscaled Hugo 2 and TT2 before and the music is just not the same without the mscaler. I need to dig around more on the qutest thread for impressions of the mscaler with qutest for headphone listening. Any advice here is also much appreciated.


----------



## musickid




----------



## Slim1970

musickid said:


> Has anyone tried the mscaler, qutest, anni trio vs just the anni, qutest combo for headphone listening? I demo'ed the qutest and anni earlier today with hi end headphones and was very impressed. Think the best of mojo and Hugo 2 combined. At present i use a dave with Oppo PM1 headphones but can't afford the mscaler. The mscaled qutest with anni trio would result in a complete end game system and i'm thinking of selling my dave to fund it.
> 
> The dave without mscaler is a problem for me as i was running an mscaled Hugo 2 and TT2 before and the music is just not the same without the mscaler. I need to dig around more on the qutest thread for impressions of the mscaler with qutest for headphone listening. Any advice here is also much appreciated.


You're not finding the Dave alone, better than a M-Scaled TT2? I moved up from a TT2 to the Dave, like you but kept my M-Scaler. A M-Scaled Dave is ridiculous when it comes to sound reproduction. So I get why you want the HMS in your setup. Outside of power, I can't see the Qutest/Anni/HMS being better than the Dave. This is just me as I have moved up the Chord DAC chain.


----------



## andrewd01

I would love a Dave. No chance of getting one until Dave2 comes out and used values drop.
If I was in your shoes I would find another solution to fill the m scaler gap instead of selling the Dave. For example you could try HQ Player on a nice server in the interim period.  When funds allow you could add another HMS.


----------



## musickid (Oct 13, 2021)

I'm also in a strange situation that after auditioning many different £1000 to £3000 range hi end headphones from many different well known brands until now the only one i have found which sits comfortably on my head are the oppo pm1's for which i have purchased a rather elaborate hand made silver headphone cable which expands the soundstage nicely. There are a number of headphones in the £200 to £500 range which are very comfortable for me but they would be pointless in pairing with dave as they would generally not be resolving enough of the source. Another reason why i'm hesitant to go mscaled dave and why the anni trio makes perfect sense with my pm1.


----------



## musickid (Oct 13, 2021)

Right now listening to your latest trick by dire straits with my pm1/dave and it sounds so exquisitely smooth at 1am ish this morn.

Next up interstellar soundtrack. The anni flavour is definitely coming through the dave without any doubt but more likely the way it combines with qutest. I can definitely 'feel' anni/qutest with my dave. It's riveting and intoxicating. Maybe i should count my chickens lucky and just enjoy my dave/pm1 and to blows with what comes later. Andrew sell your server/tt2 and get a used or even new dave/mscaler?? For me this 'hobby' remains so relaxing to utilise but so hard to implement.


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

musickid said:


> Has anyone tried the mscaler, qutest, anni trio vs just the anni, qutest combo for headphone listening? I demo'ed the qutest and anni earlier today with hi end headphones and was very impressed. Think the best of mojo and Hugo 2 combined. At present i use a dave with Oppo PM1 headphones but can't afford the mscaler. The mscaled qutest with anni trio would result in a complete end game system and i'm thinking of selling my dave to fund it.
> 
> The dave without mscaler is a problem for me as i was running an mscaled Hugo 2 and TT2 before and the music is just not the same without the mscaler. I need to dig around more on the qutest thread for impressions of the mscaler with qutest for headphone listening. Any advice here is also much appreciated.



What made you swap the TT2 mscaler combo for a Dave alone?


----------



## musickid (Oct 13, 2021)

The allure of dave was too overwhelming. Think of dave ownership as a milestone. The plan was to add the mscaler to dave to reach the pinnacle but the funds for that are dwindling away. The next step was a hi end headphone to compliment my pm1. Those after extensive auditioning are nowhere to be found due to my exacting comfort needs. At present i am suffering with dave solo and the pm1....No it is a fantastic pairing (think very cinematic) but the anni, qutest, mscaler trio is niggling away at me a little as it would be a final solution. Ummm.. The tt2 also sounded a bit "heavy" to me.


----------



## Hooster

musickid said:


> Has anyone tried the mscaler, qutest, anni trio vs just the anni, qutest combo for headphone listening? I demo'ed the qutest and anni earlier today with hi end headphones and was very impressed. Think the best of mojo and Hugo 2 combined. At present i use a dave with Oppo PM1 headphones but can't afford the mscaler. *The mscaled qutest with anni trio would result in a complete end game system and i'm thinking of selling my dave to fund it.*
> 
> The dave without mscaler is a problem for me as i was running an mscaled Hugo 2 and TT2 before and the music is just not the same without the mscaler. I need to dig around more on the qutest thread for impressions of the mscaler with qutest for headphone listening. Any advice here is also much appreciated.



Wow, whatever floats your boat... A more prudent approach might be to just keep your Dave and wait till you can add an mscaler. Better than jumping back and forth...


----------



## Middy

Dekoni pads made my older Ethers like a luxury 5 star bed in a top hotel.....


----------



## jlbrach

Hooster said:


> Wow, whatever floats your boat... A more prudent approach might be to just keep your Dave and wait till you can add an mscaler. Better than jumping back and forth...


selling dave for that combo?...dont do that !


----------



## Slim1970

jlbrach said:


> selling dave for that combo?...dont do that !


That’s what I was thinking…..


----------



## Mython2

Another Audiophile said:


> the only products that have been successful are all from Rob Watts.



Wow.

Maybe in the bubble of head-fi, but in fullsize gear, John Franks has been successfully selling amps for decades.

Really, quite a disrespectful remark in regards to Chord and JF.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Mython2 said:


> Wow.
> 
> Maybe in the bubble of head-fi, but in fullsize gear, John Franks has been successfully selling amps for decades.
> 
> Really, quite a disrespectful remark in regards to Chord and JF.


I didn’t mean to be disrespectful and I apologize if it came across that way. What I meant is that the other products are not having the same success the dacs have. I am a 2 Chanel stereo guy predominantly and chord amps have never been my go to solution for amplification.


----------



## Middy

If its good it's good 👍 
Hopefully what hifi's understated review of the head amp is true


----------



## Middy

Just got one, not bad at all, a step above my Singxer Sa1 out the box.
Not 2 hours on it yet.. more details later this week... shout out to Hifonix in Birmingham UK. Every dream piece of kit you can think of..... Mese Elites sound really nice... 2 hours listening to the Anni wishing I could win the lottery..
More next week...


----------



## Middy

There is definitely a break in period....so I've bought an alarm in case anyone steals it.....
So far I am enjoying my new DAC and headphones I've owned for the last 2 years.....

So far better than what I had....not hot using my 16ohm Ether 2s anyway... a touch warm on the right side... less than if I had sat on it and tried to hatch it.... warm..

It must have big caps as it runs for a bit depowered.

I can just just hear the fan next to my head quiet at 2am it's a non issue.....

More of everything but as a review it will need more experienced ears and different models to compare against to say where it lies for the price.... There's something in the dual feed forward tech....

Tick tock  7 more days burn in..


----------



## musickid

Which dac are you using? Also how transparent is anni do you think?


----------



## Middy (Oct 18, 2021)

musickid said:


> Which dac are you using? Also how transparent is anni do you think?


The Qutest.
This amount of money to most of us is a lot. I was twitching buying the Singxer SA1.  I modded the amp for more transparency, this is a touch wider much cleaner. Vocals really nice bass deeper top end more crystal.
How that plays out on focals sens hifimans not sure...

I just give out early impressions and hope it matches pro reviews later..
Is it better or equal to its price peers?

Its a get what you pay for, not a value proposition.... 

So far so good 👍 👌  but a few days to settle and my brain adjust..

Dave


----------



## Reactcore (Oct 18, 2021)

@musickid
I use a Qutest with Hms for a time now and the reallity Hms brings keeps suprising me.
I even terminated my HP's with RCA plugs driving them direct out of Qutest. Its more potent and distortion free than one thinks.

I don't think its all that bad idea to trade Dave for Hms cause of funding.
Btw if u sell Dave before its successor comes you'll get a better deal, u might even buy one back for a lower price keeping the difference.


----------



## Middy

I am so suprised how small the TT and Mscaler are. I'd never seen them and thought they'd be near the Dave..
Then I saw the DCS Bartok.. you can move in a small family and still room for pets and small car...its huge...


----------



## musickid (Oct 18, 2021)

My plan is to maybe trade or sell my dave for a qutest/anni/mscaler. I use one headphone the oppo pm1 and have not found any other headphone that fits me. Adding an mscaler to my dave is beyond my reach and even if i could i would then want to add another hi end headphone which doesn't exist for the reasons mentioned. If i do this i'll be using wave fidelity bnc cables between mscaler and qutest. Can anyone recommend quality rca's in the 70-100 pound range?

I'm listening to the gladiator soundtrack while i type this on a rainy monday morning. The whole thing is very dramatic.


----------



## Middy

musickid said:


> My plan is to maybe trade or sell my dave for a qutest/anni/mscaler. I use one headphone the oppo pm1 and have not found any other headphone that fits me. Adding an mscaler to my dave is beyond my reach and even if i could i would then want to add another hi end headphone which doesn't exist for the reasons mentioned. If i do this i'll be using wave fidelity bnc cables between mscaler and qutest. Can anyone recommend quality rca's in the 70-100 pound range?
> 
> I'm listening to the gladiator soundtrack while i type this on a rainy monday morning. The whole thing is very dramatic.


Do you you go on the Chord Facebook group Nick Bacons on there and others here... Ask those guys what they use... on thier Chords as a straw pole... Brits probably a diamond or clearway by Chord cable co


----------



## alxw0w

musickid said:


> My plan is to maybe trade or sell my dave for a qutest/anni/mscaler. I use one headphone the oppo pm1 and have not found any other headphone that fits me. Adding an mscaler to my dave is beyond my reach and even if i could i would then want to add another hi end headphone which doesn't exist for the reasons mentioned. If i do this i'll be using wave fidelity bnc cables between mscaler and qutest. Can anyone recommend quality rca's in the 70-100 pound range?
> 
> I'm listening to the gladiator soundtrack while i type this on a rainy monday morning. The whole thing is very dramatic.


With all respect MK, to me selling Dave for anni/qutest/mscaler combo seems really strange.
Maybe it's better to consider trading Dave for MTT2 ? (but from the other side that's the stack that you had previously)
So why even thinking about change ?


----------



## musickid

The anni, qutest, mscaler combo is fantastic. It also offers a final and total solution with mscaler as i only use one headphone the pm1.


----------



## alxw0w

musickid said:


> The anni, qutest, mscaler combo is fantastic. It also offers a final and total solution with mscaler as i only use one headphone the pm1.


I'm not saying it is not.
But why not going M Scaler-TT2 route instead ?


----------



## musickid (Oct 18, 2021)

Hi Alx. TT2 sounded too heavy with my oppo pm1. Very sensitive classic headphone. A possible romance here.


----------



## alxw0w

musickid said:


> Hi Alx. TT2 sounded too heavy with my oppo pm1. Very sensitive classic headphone. A possible romance here.


If you decide to switch to anni please report back your thoughts.
I'm always curious to read that kind of impressions.


----------



## musickid (Oct 18, 2021)

Hi Alx i will decide by tomorrow which way to go. Put it this way i heard anni/qutest with top of the range headphones and i was forced to reevaluate everything. I listened to dire straits and that was minus mscaler. Anni is a box of magic.


----------



## TheMiddleSky

musickid said:


> The allure of dave was too overwhelming. Think of dave ownership as a milestone. The plan was to add the mscaler to dave to reach the pinnacle but the funds for that are dwindling away. The next step was a hi end headphone to compliment my pm1. Those after extensive auditioning are nowhere to be found due to my exacting comfort needs. At present i am suffering with dave solo and the pm1....No it is a fantastic pairing (think very cinematic) but the anni, qutest, mscaler trio is niggling away at me a little as it would be a final solution. Ummm.. The tt2 also sounded a bit "heavy" to me.



A little bit outside the topic, but have you tried abyss diana (either v2 or phi)? I also a long time owner of PM-1, and I think the straight upgrade path is to these two abyss headphones (after tried almost all TOTL out there, the exception that I still curious is Solitaire P and LCD-5).

So based on your memory, Qutest + Anni is not as "heavy" sounding as TT2?


----------



## musickid

Abyss headphones were uncomfortable for me. The anni/qutest combo produces a sound in terms of power and quality completely what would not be expected for their size.


----------



## Middy (Oct 18, 2021)

I wasn't sure the first night or so but it seemed to me to really open to a different beast....as I said someone with Heavy hitting amps need to compare the Anni.. it much more than I've had before in every regard...
It's just suprising  every song in my collection being re listened too.....
I haven't  tried the in built power adapter yet to see what that brings...

It really is suprising, I thought I knew my headphones and DAC, blindfolded I wouldn't believe they aren't replacements.....
My thoughts are towards Dave and TT2 owners if its a benefit cost advantage adding the Anni.... I'd love to combine the TT2 Scaler,  to hear the effects....
The Anni's befuddled me it's just so nice....

I can see where @musickid is coming from...


----------



## Middy

@musickid 
Got this so I can use my old nice cable.. £4 Amazon


----------



## lightning3777

enb141 said:


> For Anni yes, but they you could do it directly from Qutest instead.


Hi. May I know if this could be done with rca female to 3.5mm female cable? Or is rca male to 3.5mm female adapter is better?


----------



## musickid (Oct 20, 2021)

From a Japanese tech site


----------



## Rebel Chris

lightning3777 said:


> Hi. May I know if this could be done with rca female to 3.5mm female cable? Or is rca male to 3.5mm female adapter is better?


Remember you have only volume controle with your software, no adjustment with the qutest. I don't know how much power the audio output of the qutest gives. So hopefully it will drive your headphone right.

You need a one left RCA and right RCA to 3.5mm female or 6.3mm female.


----------



## Middy

musickid said:


> From a Japanese tech site


I was going to give it a go driving my Qutest  this weekend... for testing I am using the original Qutest wart for now..
The sound is really good so happy so far


----------



## musickid (Oct 20, 2021)

Are you using planar ether 2 headphones? I'm looking forward to some serious downtime with mscaled qutest anni. Photos to arrive asap. Does anyone know what the second cable is in the picture on the left hand side of the power adaptor?


----------



## u2u2

musickid said:


> From a Japanese tech site


Nice to see.  A touch messy but not a bad trade-off to eliminate another power supply. Good find!


----------



## musickid (Oct 20, 2021)

There are two cables going into the "box". One from anni dc out but what's the other one. I might just be the first headfier to try mscaled qutest anni lol. Very zen. Figured it out...the other cable...it's for huei.


----------



## Middy

musickid said:


> There are two cables going into the "box". One from anni dc out but what's the other one. I might just be the first headfier to try mscaled qutest anni lol. Very zen. Figured it out...the other cable...it's for huei.


You finding a settle in period? How many hours in are you?


----------



## Middy

musickid said:


> Are you using planar ether 2 headphones? I'm looking forward to some serious downtime with mscaled qutest anni. Photos to arrive asap. Does anyone know what the second cable is in the picture on the left hand side of the power adaptor?


Sorry missed the Question Yes Ether 2s They have lovely mids and why I chose it for the Qutest.
With the Anni vocals are really superb, just in a different league. With the Q profile I think it adds more so...
I got the E2S £1100 and DCA fitted new drivers... TT Mscalers Daves must benefit from better amplification of the Anni. The highs I wish could be a touch more but probably more so with different headphones.  Suprised there aren't more reviews yet or just owners expressing their opinions...
I think separate PSUs might edge out on feeding the Q from Anni...2v.... but early days....
80 hours in seems more refined..


----------



## lightning3777

Rebel Chris said:


> Remember you have only volume controle with your software, no adjustment with the qutest. I don't know how much power the audio output of the qutest gives. So hopefully it will drive your headphone right.
> 
> You need a one left RCA and right RCA to 3.5mm female or 6.3mm female.


Thanka for the info ya


----------



## monkey4054

Wondering how the Anni stacks up to the new Violetric amps? Anyone have any thoughts?


----------



## Rebel Chris

Is the Anni class A or AB?


----------



## Middy

Rebel Chris said:


> Is the Anni class A or AB?


I put in a ticket as I cant register the Anni as there is no Anni in the products list..

But asked about the A-AB class.... for you..


----------



## Rebel Chris

Middy said:


> But asked about the A-AB class.... for you..


Thanks 👍




Review underway


----------



## alxw0w

It's class AB.


----------



## Middy

From the horses mouth as well  AB..👍


----------



## Middy

6 days in and still sounding really nice on my kit..


----------



## wirefriend

Middy said:


> 6 days in and still sounding really nice on my kit..


What source do you use to drive it?
Could you compare it to Hugo2?


----------



## Middy (Oct 23, 2021)

I have a huge convoluted mish mash of kit from over the years experimenting.
I am streaming on a highly cut down Windows10  Spotify on a low latency NUC EMI EMC modded With 12v Sbooster Apacer Ram and 4 Isliencers in spare ports...I found this better than expensive shop streamers and tidal masters....>>>>intona industrial>>ifi ipurifier>>> Uptone LPS1.0 feeding the Uptone regen.>>>
Into a DDC Audiowise SRC DX>> into an EMI Modded Qutest... Fed by another Uptone LPS1.0  7v  into a DXP-1A5DSC 5v...
Does it matter, even with the Qutest being similar to the Hugo...
A lot of expensive its only 'X' spends...
I have the  schitt Magni 3 but my now old Gilmore lite mk2 with PSU sounds better.
My main until last week was the Singxer SA1 HPA... Lovely sounding and people prefer to the D90 I am told..
The Singxer is DC offset bypassed modded and more EMC blocking..
That gave it less warmth in the top mids and a lot more detail without loosing much...
I am 6 days in on the Anni out the box its a level above in clarity detail musicality wider staging and a sense of 3d spacing.... bla bla

To be honest I can wax lyrical about how good it is.. I was in the shop listening to the Anni Qutest stack for 2 hours and went crazy and bought it.
In my chain I think it sounds better and that no offence to the shop as it sounded great. 2 days in opened up more and Brain* capacitor* settling 🙂
It's edging to stabilising.. I am for an arbitrary 200 hours in at least...

Some kit can scale... power.. decrapifiers ect... some refine if your lucky.. Mostly its spending what you can afford and a new design does the hard work....
This Dual forward circuit design produces magic... Its like I have a new set of headphones and a new DAC... DCA E2 and Qutest.....Amplification was the bottleneck, now I wish I had the TT2 or a Holo May....
The SRC-DX and low latency clean signal helped the most but this just works and works well.
I now think the What Hi fi review is about right, it a great piece of circuit design.... It needs professional listener with Multiple amps at the same price or known quality to compare... Valve for money Verse HP4, Aries, Violetric, D90 but these are value judgements..
No fancy Reed switch attenuators balanced outputs...a Chord lump of metal and a bit fiddley...
I went to Hifonix UK as I was sick of buying blind of well-meaning posts like mine some accurate some not...

I'd advice to take your Hugo and any other chain you can't live with and get in a shop with your headphones and listen to it....it most likely be better...a built in should be better as it not linked by cables...This is a good new trickle down circuitry Design...i think the Hugo TT2 Dave would benefit and others...
Yes I want this at $£€¥100 direct from China.. but it's not....
Wait for the reviews first or get to a shop if its a choice you have and can afford. Your headphones and Hugo or whatever you have...
My Singxer is great 👍 this is a lot better than I had before....

I'd you do let us know if it is for you or not and how much....

Dave


----------



## ChaiTeac

What kind of power connector is it? I wonder if we'll be able to get linear power supplies for this soon.


----------



## Middy

Dual power so you can't use a standard linear.. 4 pin din socket.... someone may make one... someday...


----------



## ChaiTeac

Dual power? What does that mean? 

I take it from the way you write that - with all the ellipses - that you don't think it will be soon? Or that perhaps it doesn't necessarily need one? Or you just think I'm stupid!


----------



## ChaiTeac (Oct 23, 2021)

I should say that the reason I ask is that I tend to find that linear power supplies get rid of any harshness to the sound that I'm particularly sensitive to. I've got a Qutest already and I'm 75% sure I'll get an Anni next pay day. The other 25% is for the Burson Soloist 3X. I want to see if I can get these two to be a quality, and extremely unfatiguing desktop solution. KEF LS50 Metas to follow! (Of course, if I get the Soloist then I'll want either another speaker amp or a nice set of actives)

My hope is also that running them with clean power will help to tame my (to me) edgy LCD-X 2021.


----------



## Rebel Chris

Rob Watts: 2m BNC cables sounds better than 1 m. 
Me: @## I need 2m BNC cables asap.

Rob Watts: I have tried many power supplies, but the switching power supply provided sounds great.
Also me: nah, I need a linear power supply, definitely sounds better than stock.


----------



## Middy

You can use linear or switching but it's the  dual output +-... 15v 6A... not a plug in DC barrel.... this is a 4 pin din connector....
So yes you can have a great big toroidal but you need that +- output supply at that range of Amps volts and quieter than the switcher and the correct make of DIN.... 
If its quieter that the supplied switching PSU and you done mind the loss of warranty if it pops the amp.. 
And one of the custom PSU makers make one for it.....


----------



## Middy

I preferred my uptone LPS for my Qutest with my DXP-1A5DSC... and I stripped down my Qutest and EMC  absorbing tape covered it.... Anni has a 3 year warranty so can touch it yet....


----------



## jbarrentine

I reaaaaally want an Anni, but I'm going to have a hard time justifying $1700 when my thx789 works fine. Maybe if the 789 were to fall from the desk...


----------



## Middy

jbarrentine said:


> I reaaaaally want an Anni, but I'm going to have a hard time justifying $1700 when my thx789 works fine. Maybe if the 789 were to fall from the desk...


Only you can judge that... I really wanted the Sparkos Aries...potentially as good as the HP4 but the cost....
Covid uncertainty with work stopped me but it's always that few hundred more for X amp.. then a few more for amp Y..Z.....
There will always be another if you can't now...  if you can try one...if not wait for more experienced ears and reviews first.... now I want a better DAC...its never ending....
Good luck regardless friend 

Dave 🙂👍


----------



## Widell

Have anyone compared a TT2 vs Qutest/Anni, this would be an interesting comparison?


----------



## Middy

Widell said:


> Have anyone compared a TT2 vs Qutest/Anni, this would be an interesting comparison?


What Hifi think it beats the Hugo2, I should imagine it would for the TT2 and potentially the Dave.... I want the Holo May or TT2 now as it shines now but I want more..... I think Hifi+ magazine have a review but not online yet... hope they have tried the TT2....


----------



## Widell

Middy said:


> What Hifi think it beats the Hugo2, I should imagine it would for the TT2 and potentially the Dave.... I want the Holo May or TT2 now as it shines now but I want more..... I think Hifi+ magazine have a review but not online yet... hope they have tried the TT2....


Yes, for sure more direct power than CH2  but as a desktop dac/amp it is interesting how close it would get to the TT2, let see, bringing out the 🍿


----------



## Middy

I can't wait 👍


----------



## Atriya

What kind of power would the Anni put into a 50 ohm impedance headphone? I'm guessing not enough for my HE6SE? Currently using a Topping A90 which puts about 5 watts per channel into 50 ohms.


----------



## Middy

Atriya said:


> What kind of power would the Anni put into a 50 ohm impedance headphone? I'm guessing not enough for my HE6SE? Currently using a Topping A90 which puts about 5 watts per channel into 50 ohms.


Put in a ticket to Chord support,  they can give you an accurate answer....

"Support | Chord Electronics" https://chordelectronics.co.uk/get-support


----------



## roskodan

Atriya said:


> What kind of power would the Anni put into a 50 ohm impedance headphone? I'm guessing not enough for my HE6SE? Currently using a Topping A90 which puts about 5 watts per channel into 50 ohms.


*10W* [at 8 Ohm] */* (50 Ohm / 8 Ohm) = *1.6W* [at 50 Ohm]


----------



## jlbrach

I got my anni today and am very impressed...gave it a brief listen using my hugo 2 and found it a great match .....question for others who have gotten their?...what does the gain button do?...I pressed it while listening assuming it was a hi-gain low gain type of function but while the color changed I didnt hear any raising or lowering of volume...I also couldnt see anything in the manual...otherwise everything is pretty self evident...


----------



## Middy

For the speakers out only..... 

and I am wounded beyond belief my Qutest  just stopped working out of warranty just as I hit 200 hours on Anni... turns on no sound eek
Hopefully repairable....

3-4 days seemed plenty to stabilise my anni... but let us know that you think on  your set up.... I think the Anni is really good just not sure how it compares with the big competition....

Have fun with it..and good luck 👍


----------



## jlbrach

Middy said:


> For the speakers out only.....
> 
> and I am wounded beyond belief my Qutest  just stopped working out of warranty just as I hit 200 hours on Anni... turns on no sound eek
> Hopefully repairable....
> ...


you are saying the gain function is only for speakers out?


----------



## Atriya

roskodan said:


> *10W* [at 8 Ohm] */* (50 Ohm / 8 Ohm) = *1.6W* [at 50 Ohm]


I see! Thanks. Not nearly enough for pretty much any demanding headphone then, such as the HE6SE or Susvara, and probably many others.


----------



## Middy

jlbrach said:


> you are saying the gain function is only for speakers out


----------



## adrianm

jlbrach said:


> I got my anni today and am very impressed...gave it a brief listen using my hugo 2 and found it a great match .....question for others who have gotten their?...what does the gain button do?...I pressed it while listening assuming it was a hi-gain low gain type of function but while the color changed I didnt hear any raising or lowering of volume...I also couldnt see anything in the manual...otherwise everything is pretty self evident...


Wow you got it just in time, i was looking to ask someone if adding Anni to Dave would be a good idea. This idea has been nagging me since it came out. In terms of transparency, not just power. I'm curious If it would benefit easy to drive headphones as well.


----------



## roskodan

adrianm said:


> Wow you got it just in time, i was looking to ask someone if adding Anni to Dave would be a good idea. This idea has been nagging me since it came out. In terms of transparency, not just power. I'm curious If it would benefit easy to drive headphones as well.


This is what I got as a reply for suggesting the same.


Rob Watts said:


> Adding an extra stage will always degrade transparency, so I am not interested in designing an analogue headphone amp. If you need more power for headphones go for a TT2.
> 
> More power on a Hugo 2 would need more batteries, or a charge pump to provide a boost voltage; but you have power dissipation problems too - Hugo 2 is a small package. For my needs, Hugo 2 has more than enough power.


I guess that would be even truer for Dave.


----------



## musickid (Oct 26, 2021)

Just posted a photo of mscaled qutest//anni on the qutest thread....some feedback later.....


----------



## adrianm

musickid said:


> Just posted a photo of mscaled qutest//anni on the qutest thread....some feedback later.....


Do you still have your Dave ? I'm curious how Anni would sound out of M-scaled Dave vs direct MDave since your headphones are easy to drive


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## musickid (Oct 26, 2021)

I don't think it makes any sense unless you use loudspeakers or susvara abyss cans with anni. For my oppo pm1 the qutest//anni//mscaled is perfect. The z1r is perfect with just dave no anni. For me qutest mscaled offers me more than solo dave. Anni was designed for qutest so i went for it. I personally would never use a non chord amp with a chord dac for headphones. When i heard anni/qutest i could tell non of the chord dac flavour had been compromised in fact it was magnified.


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## musickid (Oct 26, 2021)

You can see the light emitting diodes inside working hard at the left.


----------



## adrianm

musickid said:


> I don't think it makes any sense unless you use loudspeakers or susvara abyss cans with anni. For my oppo pm1 the qutest//anni//mscaled is perfect. The z1r is perfect with just dave no anni. For me qutest mscaled offers me more than solo dave. Anni was designed for qutest so i went for it. I personally would never use a non chord amp with a chord dac for headphones. When i heard anni/qutest i could tell non of the chord dac flavour had been compromised in fact it was magnified.


 Well that's the plan, Dave's amp is holding me back from going for Susvara Abyss etc.  Even with the transparency loss , the net result is probably superior to a PM-1 straight out of Dave for example. Luckily the LCD-5 ,Elite and Stealth are new alternatives that can be driven straight out of Dave. Will have to test everything and see. Meze Elite sounded great out of Dave.
     Not going to question your choice, but i do find it weird that you're willing to  sell Dave off for MQA (Mscaler Qutest Anni  ). From my pov the M-scaler adds to Dave but by no means is the essential part. I much preferred solo Dave to MTT2. And there's a new M-scaler coming soon anyway.


----------



## adrianm

musickid said:


>


Does  Anni have crossfeed ? I can't really live without it now


----------



## musickid (Oct 26, 2021)

With the mscaler and the way it does reverb to me that's fantastic. But no crossfeed on anni. There are many reasons why i didn't go mDave. Cost, not finding any other hi end headphones that comfort me, playing the upgrade game for 5 years and then going into deeper philosophical reasoning applicable to me. A final solution system so i can just enjoy music with the mscaler being central to any decision is what i aimed for. I'm satisfied now. The realism factor with the anni/qutest/mscaler trio as compared to dave on its own is in a different league IMHO.


----------



## Rebel Chris

The Anni looks from Huei, Qutest, Anni, just boring. I think it is a good move/product, but the design is missing something. 

This weekend Chord will show the Anni, curious which loudspeaker they're going to use. (Dutch audio event).


----------



## musickid (Oct 26, 2021)

I thought that too..boring. It's not very photogenic and also it's size is very deceptive. When i heard qutest/anni through quality headphones the first time only then did i appreciate the new amp and what it's capable of. In fact had i not heard it beforehand i would have dismissed it too. Now i own one. Think transparency, no distortion, power and refinement. It has an addictive sound. Another thing when you see it stacked with qutest in real life with lights on it has a real presence. A stacked qutest with anni on stands is near enough 3K sterling.


----------



## jjb3

Just got my Anni and paired it with my Hugo 2 and a set of Dali Oberon 1s. I was concerned that the Anni would not drive the 6 ohm speakers to decent levels but this is phenomenal in a near field setting. And, it probably has enough juice to drive them to decent levels for a smaller sized room. Huge thank you to @Andrew DiMarcangelo at Bloom Audio for an exceptional buying experience, responsiveness, and just all around good business.


----------



## adrianm

musickid said:


> With the mscaler and the way it does reverb to me that's fantastic. But no crossfeed on anni. There are many reasons why i didn't go mDave. Cost, not finding any other hi end headphones that comfort me, playing the upgrade game for 5 years and then going into deeper philosophical reasoning applicable to me. A final solution system so i can just enjoy music with the mscaler being central to any decision is what i aimed for. I'm satisfied now. The realism factor with the anni/qutest/mscaler trio as compared to dave on its own is in a different league IMHO.


Well i'll definitely audition one, it's pricing isn't something to lose sleep over, it's just a huge bummer on the crossfeed. I was considering a HPA-4 but that's a lot tougher to swallow for occasional use with potential future headphones. I am curious what you're attributing the realism factor to, i would think it would be mostly the M-scaler as your PM1 are also easy to drive. I think you sticking with them for so long is even weirder than me preferring the Z1R to most everything on the market. But i am sticking to closed backs for now, there are tons of good open backs. 
   There's also the fact that while solo Dave is good, mains filtering is a huge upgrade (as with all dacs i've encountered) , as is a good streamer via Coax. Usb i just find bad, even out of battery powered sources. Add to that a battery for the M-scaler and there's a lot of stuff that improves solo Dave vs an optimized one. It is exhausting and expensive, but what's the alternative? It  still ends  up cheaper than a Bartok, even though that's a one box solution.


----------



## musickid (Oct 26, 2021)

Anni is £1200 that's a lot of money but then again some guys spend that on a night out. I tried the z1r but it was very hot inside after 30 minutes. The sony sound is very refined. I personally couldn't enjoy dave without mscaler and i don't have x thousands more to spend on audio. With my pm1 and wave cables this system is already around 9K lol. Then again with music cost is no object for me but i am happy with my system now. I'm at my desk when i listen another reason why the desktop set up suits me. With the mscaler and all the anni, qutest lights on at night it feels like a recording studio or the deck of the starship enterprise lol. Someone who feels music can get more out of it using beats headphones and a cheap phone than someone who doesn't using 10 Bartoks imho.


----------



## adrianm

musickid said:


> Anni is £1200 that's a lot of money but then again some guys spend that on a night out. I tried the z1r but it was very hot inside after 30 minutes. The sony sound is very refined. I personally couldn't enjoy dave without mscaler and i don't have x thousands more to spend on audio. With my pm1 and wave cables this system is already around 9K lol. Then again with music cost is no object for me but i am happy with my system now. I'm at my desk when i listen another reason why the desktop set up suits me. With the mscaler and all the anni, qutest lights on at night it feels like a recording studio or the deck of the starship enterprise lol.


I'm pretty sure there are discounts to be had on Anni as well as the rest of the stuff. I skipped the Wave cables for now, using some Oyaide  silver ones with no ferrites because...battery. I barely listen a couple of hours every few days at my desk so it totally works for me. I'm also pretty ocd about RF noise. I hated the M-scaler when i first heard it, because of the amount of noise it injected into Dave  (connected via optical to source, though i've moved to a streamer via coax since). I returned it the first time around, got it a week later , but it was definitely a mixed bag before adding a battery, i preferred solo Dave up to that point. 
   I'm really hoping the new M-scaler for Dave will have that issue sorted out and won't require ferrites.


----------



## musickid

Keep on exploring till you find the sound that hits deep.


----------



## Nostoi

Must say, the dimensions of the Anni/Qutest are very appealing indeed. The comparison I'd like to hear is between TT2 and Anni/Qutest. Anyone?


----------



## musickid

Check the qutest thread.


----------



## Nostoi

musickid said:


> Check the qutest thread.


Seen it, cheers.


----------



## jlbrach

Middy said:


>


thanks so much....I couldnt find it in the manual


----------



## jlbrach

adrianm said:


> Well that's the plan, Dave's amp is holding me back from going for Susvara Abyss etc.  Even with the transparency loss , the net result is probably superior to a PM-1 straight out of Dave for example. Luckily the LCD-5 ,Elite and Stealth are new alternatives that can be driven straight out of Dave. Will have to test everything and see. Meze Elite sounded great out of Dave.
> Not going to question your choice, but i do find it weird that you're willing to  sell Dave off for MQA (Mscaler Qutest Anni  ). From my pov the M-scaler adds to Dave but by no means is the essential part. I much preferred solo Dave to MTT2. And there's a new M-scaler coming soon anyway.


as an owner of the abyss and susvara I would say the anni will work fine with the abyss but not quite up to the best amps for the susvara


----------



## jlbrach

what I really like about the anni is its size...I am going on a trip for about a week and will bring my hugo 2 with the anni and have a really nice portable system with me


----------



## Middy

Another view...

https://majorhifi.com/chord-electronics-anni-review/


----------



## Currawong

adrianm said:


> Well that's the plan, Dave's amp is holding me back from going for Susvara Abyss etc.  Even with the transparency loss , the net result is probably superior to a PM-1 straight out of Dave for example. Luckily the LCD-5 ,Elite and Stealth are new alternatives that can be driven straight out of Dave. Will have to test everything and see. Meze Elite sounded great out of Dave.
> Not going to question your choice, but i do find it weird that you're willing to  sell Dave off for MQA (Mscaler Qutest Anni  ). From my pov the M-scaler adds to Dave but by no means is the essential part. I much preferred solo Dave to MTT2. And there's a new M-scaler coming soon anyway.


Have you tried the Final D8000 Pro yet?


----------



## adrianm

Currawong said:


> Have you tried the Final D8000 Pro yet?


I haven't, i was dead set on it when it first came out, but reports of it being uncomfortable and virtually no way to try before i buy it turned me off it.  Did you find it a good pairing with Dave?  I'm a bit concerned about it and LCD-5 being too neutral to be enjoyable (as i found to be the case with HEKSE) . Also reviews make it sound like LCD-5 is better across the board, while also being more comfortable. And that i can listen to for myself (When my dealer finally gets a pair in stock, they're being bought before they hit the store atm).
    If i you wouldn't know you could assume they are closed backs by the look, does that design have any impact on the noise leakage/isolation compared to other open backs?


----------



## wirefriend

adrianm said:


> I haven't, i was dead set on it when it first came out, but reports of it being uncomfortable and virtually no way to try before i buy it turned me off it.  Did you find it a good pairing with Dave?  I'm a bit concerned about it and LCD-5 being too neutral to be enjoyable (as i found to be the case with HEKSE) . Also reviews make it sound like LCD-5 is better across the board, while also being more comfortable. And that i can listen to for myself (When my dealer finally gets a pair in stock, they're being bought before they hit the store atm).
> If i you wouldn't know you could assume they are closed backs by the look, does that design have any impact on the noise leakage/isolation compared to other open backs?


I tried D8000Pro - yes, they are as uncomfortable as D8000 on my head (no improvement there). Sonic-wise they have better controlled lows (D8000 non-pro had some unacceptable resonance in lows). So this part was clearly improved. Still, a bit too much lows for me there. I use HE1000SE now and they have more air but are a tad bass shy. Something between D8000Pro and HE1000SE would be the best. I think I will tune HEkSE by using thick, pure copper cable.
Can't wait to hear Anni as it is told to excel at lows, so perhaps that cable will not be needed?


----------



## adrianm

wirefriend said:


> I tried D8000Pro - yes, they are as uncomfortable as D8000 on my head (no improvement there). Sonic-wise they have better controlled lows (D8000 non-pro had some unacceptable resonance in lows). So this part was clearly improved. Still, a bit too much lows for me there. I use HE1000SE now and they have more air but are a tad bass shy. Something between D8000Pro and HE1000SE would be the best. I think I will tune HEkSE by using thick, pure copper cable.
> Can't wait to hear Anni as it is told to excel at lows, so perhaps that cable will not be needed?


Coming from Z1R,  D8k pro sounds kinda perfect for me from a tonality perspective, a shame about the comfort. The T+A Solitaire P also sounds like a good alternative ( that might be more comfortable ).


----------



## Christer

adrianm said:


> I haven't, i was dead set on it when it first came out, but reports of it being uncomfortable and virtually no way to try before i buy it turned me off it.  Did you find it a good pairing with Dave?  I'm a bit concerned about it and LCD-5 being too neutral to be enjoyable (as i found to be the case with HEKSE) . Also reviews make it sound like LCD-5 is better across the board, while also being more comfortable. And that i can listen to for myself (When my dealer finally gets a pair in stock, they're being bought before they hit the store atm).
> If i you wouldn't know you could assume they are closed backs by the look, does that design have any impact on the noise leakage/isolation compared to other open backs?


Excuse me,  but imho THE MOST IMPORTANT  thing to strive for with ANY type of audio equipment SHOULD be NEUTRAL!!!  Too neutral???? OMG, some audiophiles!
Cheers CC


----------



## adrianm

Christer said:


> Excuse me,  but imho THE MOST IMPORTANT  thing to strive for with ANY type of audio equipment SHOULD be NEUTRAL!!!  Too neutral???? OMG, some audiophiles!
> Cheers CC


 It's all about system synergy , i've been down that route before, it gets boring. People say they want neutral than they go and add tube amps  to make the headphones more enjoyable. Dave has all the neutrality and transparency i need, i'd rather get my flavoring from the headphones instead of buying Susvaras (or whatever other flagship) and building a chain around that. 
    HEKSE is great from a technical perspective, but they are too dry to be enjoyable for me. I'd take the Utopias over  them any day, even  though they have a smaller soundstage and are not quite as fast.


----------



## GreenBow

Christer said:


> Excuse me,  but imho THE MOST IMPORTANT  thing to strive for with ANY type of audio equipment SHOULD be NEUTRAL!!!  Too neutral???? OMG, some audiophiles!
> Cheers CC



Yeah I read something a while ago about a guy who was something to do high up in audio. He said if the frequency response is not flat, everything else is irrelevant.


----------



## Rebel Chris

I stay neutral in this discussion


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## musickid (Oct 28, 2021)

Going through quarantine mental adjustment phase. Things i expect to hear are not there and things i don't expect to hear are appearing from outer space. More importantly with anni this is 10W vs dave 2W so the volume dial on anni is a challenge or new to me on tracks with large dynamic range. Anni is always low gain with headphones. Piano and strings are uncannily real with the trio qutest, anni+mscaler. Can confirm anni low end is making my PM1 rumble beautifully in way new to me and i've been using these headphones for a while now.


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## alekc

musickid said:


> Piano and strings are uncannily real with the trio qutest, anni+mscaler.


I'd say piano is kind of trademark with all Chord dacs (including Mojo, while not detailed and clear as Hugo 2 or Qutest I still love both its piano and acoustic guitar interpretation). I guess with your setup records based on those instruments must sound amazing. 

Here is one of my favourite albums with acoustic guitars


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## musickid

Mojo delivers gallons of warmth and musicality. But yes the trio qutest, anni, mscaler builds on that in every direction. Anni's bass control is on another level and when fused with the musical energy the mscaler brings it is a new experience for me.


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## adrianm

musickid said:


> Mojo delivers gallons of warmth and musicality. But yes the trio qutest, anni, mscaler builds on that in every direction. Anni's bass control is on another level and when fused with the musical energy the mscaler brings it is a new experience for me.


Just for context, have you tried other high end ss amps? or the Anni M-scaler combo with Dave?


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## musickid (Oct 28, 2021)

You mean mDave into Anni which unless you're using susvara//abyss seems pointless to me? I've heard quite a few other ss amps but have been using chord dacs direct to headphone mainly before. Anni is digging deep into hi-end headphone amp territory IMHO. Don't be deceived by the small form factor as anni can hold its ground against the very best headphone amps out there and this has been a common recurring opinion in the reviews that are starting to come through. Truth is i stumbled upon anni/qutest in a showroom and was moved by the sound....had this chance meeting not occurred i would have overlooked anni...now i own one. It needs to be heard with qutest to fully appreciate it. I find i need to be more sensitive with volume vs h2 as an example. It's a different set up and i'm still discovering it.


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## R403

Christer said:


> Excuse me,  but imho THE MOST IMPORTANT  thing to strive for with ANY type of audio equipment SHOULD be NEUTRAL!!!  Too neutral???? OMG, some audiophiles!
> Cheers CC


A lot of music was never produced to be heard on neutral equipment. So, the ideology ends up making alot of it sound horrible. Some people also prefer warmer sounds/venues for music. As an owner of the Kef Ref 1 - very neutral, I can assure you the most important thing to strive for is enjoying whatever it is you like. Just as some people may like a blue shirt over a red. Preferences exist and they are your reality. I am on the side that neutral 90% of the time is boring and irritating. The only reason I kept the Kef was because I colored it through the amp. Many however like it, and that's okay too.


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## musickid (Oct 29, 2021)

> Can anyone help me regarding 2v vs 1v out on qutest with sensitive headphones. With some albums one works better and vice versa with other types of music. Never dealt with this before. Is line level just equated to a volume variation or is there more to it? The problem is with certain types of music i listen at normal levels but with other genres i like to go louder and my headphones are sensitive. I'm finding 1v out into anni smoother with less "haze" in the lower end with less "heat" if that makes sense. What a marathon. I originally thought 2v was the way to go now not so sure. So is 1v out with louder volume the same as 2v out with lower volume? 2v however is fuller and more holographic.


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## Christer (Oct 29, 2021)

R403 said:


> A lot of music was never produced to be heard on neutral equipment. So, the ideology ends up making alot of it sound horrible. Some people also prefer warmer sounds/venues for music. As an owner of the Kef Ref 1 - very neutral, I can assure you the most important thing to strive for is enjoying whatever it is you like. Just as some people may like a blue shirt over a red. Preferences exist and they are your reality. I am on the side that neutral 90% of the time is boring and irritating. The only reason I kept the Kef was because I colored it through the amp. Many however like it, and that's okay too.


Well the difference between your preferences  and mine is probably that I rarely, if ever, listen to the type of music and recordings you seem to prefer.
I just came back from the second live concert this month with live acoustic unamplified  instruments and the human voice in real acoustic venues and THAT is my reference point.

I did NOT find any instrument or voices  sounding "too neutral".

A bit different in loudness  depending on where I listened from in the halls. But always sounding like real instruments .
As a photographer I am used to changing perspectives.
I want my HIFI systems both via headphones and more often than via headphones via my speaker based system to replicate  as closely as possible the real timbre and sound of acoustic intruments in a real venue, not a warmed raised treble or boomy bass lifted  or  otherwise unnaturally coloured version.
Transparency and neutrality are the goals I strive for and if my memory serves me right again,it normally does, only a few days ago that the designer of  Dave and other Chord dacs once again mentioned  those same goals as his too.
Each to his own ....
Cheers CC


----------



## jjb3

Has anyone tried the Anni with the ATC SCM7s and if so with what results? Considering them for my desktop.


----------



## adrianm

Christer said:


> Well the difference between your preferences  and mine is probably that I rarely, if ever, listen to the type of music and recordings you seem to prefer.
> I just came back from the second live concert this month with live acoustic unamplified  instruments and the human voice in real acoustic venues and THAT is my reference point.
> 
> I did NOT find any instrument or voices  sounding "too neutral".
> ...


You're way oversimplifying things. If you think that measurements that say flat tuning = real sound for all genres , than enjoy. Plenty of people don't like the Harman target (or any target really). Everyone has different hearing and it also varies with age for the same person. Even sitting in a different position at a venue sounds different.
    The reality is that there are a ton of variables ,not to mention mastering . If you have a neutral chain you can get different headphones better suited to different genres of music. In a chase for realism. No one is  looking for unnatural sound, you won't find many flagships that target that. 
    However if you get a colored chain, you can't  "fix the coloration" for different genres with the headphones/speakers and it gets much harder to get that synergy which results in a "real" sound.  That's also something Rob was saying.
    It's like trying to paint over a blue canvas instead of a white one.


----------



## jjb3

jlbrach said:


> I got my anni today and am very impressed...gave it a brief listen using my hugo 2 and found it a great match .....question for others who have gotten their?...what does the gain button do?...I pressed it while listening assuming it was a hi-gain low gain type of function but while the color changed I didnt hear any raising or lowering of volume...I also couldnt see anything in the manual...otherwise everything is pretty self evident...


I found the gain useful in driving harder to drive speakers. Using the low gain the speakers were clipping the signal but the high gain fixed that.


----------



## tesarpa

jjb3 said:


> Has anyone tried the Anni with the ATC SCM7s and if so with what results? Considering them for my desktop.


I own ATC SCM 11 and drive them with 100 Watts per channel. ATC are most power hungry speakers I met. 10 watts from Anni is likely not enough to fully open the potential of ATC. It can probably make some noise, but it’s not optimal setup.


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## jjb3

tesarpa said:


> I own ATC SCM 11 and drive them with 100 Watts per channel. ATC are most power hungry speakers I met. 10 watts from Anni is likely not enough to fully open the potential of ATC. It can probably make some noise, but it’s not optimal setup.


Thanks. So I have read this same sentiment, but it makes me wonder why they are shown in Chord's advertising photos with the Anni.


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## jlbrach

I am thrilled with the anni…I finally have found an amp I can transport easily that gives me desktop performance with my Hugo 2..I love this thing


----------



## GreenBow

alekc said:


> I'd say piano is kind of trademark with all Chord dacs (including Mojo, while not detailed and clear as Hugo 2 or Qutest I still love both its piano and acoustic guitar interpretation). I guess with your setup records based on those instruments must sound amazing.
> 
> Here is one of my favourite albums with acoustic guitars




Good to hear love for Hugo 2 and Qutest. (Agree with you.)

That album you mentioned is great so far. Playing from Youtube.


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## wirefriend

jlbrach said:


> I am thrilled with the anni…I finally have found an amp I can transport easily that gives me desktop performance with my Hugo 2..I love this thing


Could you compare Anni's sound to your Formula S or Bakoon 13r?


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## adrianm

From the Headfonia LCD-5 review, just published : 

"Before the LCD-5 reached 100 hours, the Chord ANNI was actually the amplifier that matched the LCD-5 in the best way. With its full and heavier body presence, the ANNI managed to tame the pre-burn in LCD-5, but once the 5 sounded as it should I actually found the ANNI too sound a bit too thick and restricted with the LCD-5. For me personally the refinement, energy and extension are missing somewhat when compared to the OOR and Headonia combo, at least for this Audeze. If you want your LCD-5 to sound less neutral, fuller, smoother and dare I even say warmer, then the ANNI could be your to go to amp. It’s a very musical combo which is very easy and soft on the ears but I am not getting the same precision, clarity and transparency as with the OOR and Headonia. It’s a bit weird to say but the Chord – in this case – is not the most technically strong."

Sounds to me like exactly what i was saying regarding adding some coloration for more enjoyment.


----------



## wirefriend

adrianm said:


> From the Headfonia LCD-5 review, just published :
> 
> "Before the LCD-5 reached 100 hours, the Chord ANNI was actually the amplifier that matched the LCD-5 in the best way. With its full and heavier body presence, the ANNI managed to tame the pre-burn in LCD-5, but once the 5 sounded as it should I actually found the ANNI too sound a bit too thick and restricted with the LCD-5. For me personally the refinement, energy and extension are missing somewhat when compared to the OOR and Headonia combo, at least for this Audeze. If you want your LCD-5 to sound less neutral, fuller, smoother and dare I even say warmer, then the ANNI could be your to go to amp. It’s a very musical combo which is very easy and soft on the ears but I am not getting the same precision, clarity and transparency as with the OOR and Headonia. It’s a bit weird to say but the Chord – in this case – is not the most technically strong."
> 
> Sounds to me like exactly what i was saying regarding adding some coloration for more enjoyment.


If coloration means more clearly distinguishable tones of the instruments then I am all for it.
I don't know why people sometimes perceive coloration as a negative term. To my ears the real instrument on the concert have natural tones / colors so I expect audio gear to reproduce it properly (some gear is bit too black-and-white to my ears). 
Unless by the "coloration" we mean artificial sound of instrument - like drums sounding in metallic tone. This of course is not so good coloration.


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## adrianm

wirefriend said:


> If coloration means more clearly distinguishable tones of the instruments then I am all for it.


It doesn't


----------



## Rebel Chris

Today at the Dutch Audio Event I visited the Chord room: @#&# room of the show.

Some low efficient Totems sounding really bad with some really bad loud music. Such a missed opportunity.

Well... the Anni stack is cute, to bad I couldn't listen to it properly with headphones and some decent speakers (proper setup with decent music).  

Everytime the Chord room is a mess. It deserves better.


----------



## rocketron

I bet that record deck sounded lovely with the vibrations  of the speakers????🙄🙄🙄


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## jlbrach

wirefriend said:


> Could you compare Anni's sound to your Formula S or Bakoon 13r?


I for one found the headphonia review confusing to say the least…I have not yet received my LCD-5 so I cannot comment on it as of yet but according to several people whose ears I trust the LCD-5 and the headphonis review are worlds apart….as far as the anni goes I have been using it thus far with my stealth and it is a superb combo IMHO…the stealth is far more difficult to drive than I thought it would be and the anni drives it brilliantly with little effort out of the Hugo 2…..I am doubtful it will drive the susvara as well as the 13r but am sure it will drive them reasonably well….in terms of the formula s combo it is my go to with the abyss TC but I am sure the anni will do a fine job with it….as I said, I LOVE the anni for its form factor and ability to travel with me giving me desktop performance while on the road


----------



## adrianm

jlbrach said:


> I for one found the headphonia review confusing to say the least…I have not yet received my LCD-5 so I cannot comment on it as of yet but according to several people whose ears I trust the LCD-5 and the headphonis review are worlds apart….as far as the anni goes I have been using it thus far with my stealth and it is a superb combo IMHO…the stealth is far more difficult to drive than I thought it would be and the anni drives it brilliantly with little effort out of the Hugo 2…..I am doubtful it will drive the susvara as well as the 13r but am sure it will drive them reasonably well….in terms of the formula s combo it is my go to with the abyss TC but I am sure the anni will do a fine job with it….as I said, I LOVE the anni for its form factor and ability to travel with me giving me desktop performance while on the road


Did you get a chance to compare Stealth out of Dave to Stealth of of Anni? or any impressions on Stealth of Dave in general?


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## jlbrach

Yes I did, I found the stealth needed more power than the Dave provides and the anni made a very positive diffference…I am presently using the stealth out of a Hugo 2 and anni on my trip and it is an excellent combo…do not get me wrong the stealth can be driven out of the Dave I just think it is better with the anni…think abyss TC or even LCD-4 in terms of straight out of the dave


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## alekc

GreenBow said:


> Good to hear love for Hugo 2 and Qutest. (Agree with you.)
> 
> That album you mentioned is great so far. Playing from Youtube.



Glad you like it.  Here is great jazz piano record: 
Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio Autumn in Seatle​​ 

Another record by already mentioned Guy Buttery - it is a very different from Live in Lisbon - but it is great test for instrument separation IMHO.


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## unclepaulie

Just picked up a Chord Anni. Decided my Qutest plus Mcintosh MHA200 were taking up too much space on my desk and I wanted something more compact. I'm also waiting on the stand system to come in (as overpriced as they are) so that I can make a nice little neat stack on my desk. 
Currently using Meze Empyrean headphones which are relatively easy to drive, so my only complaint is that you have very little wiggle room on the volume knob. I actually have the same complaint about the MHA200, with the edge going to the Anni volume knob. Either way there are definitely better volume knobs out there, with my previous SPL Phonitor being one example of what I think a great volume knob should be. Otherwise my first impressions are very positive, I can't tell much difference in amplification between the two amps despite one being a tube amp, both sound great.


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## Christer (Nov 1, 2021)

Rebel Chris said:


> Today at the Dutch Audio Event I visited the Chord room: @#&# room of the show.
> 
> Some low efficient Totems sounding really bad with some really bad loud music. Such a missed opportunity.
> 
> ...


Brilliant idea to put both the record player, the laptop  and the speakers on the same table!
Cheers CC


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## Rebel Chris

Haha, yeah well, the Dutch distributor is to blame. 14 november next audio event. Looking forward to it.


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## Christer

Rebel Chris said:


> Haha, yeah well, the Dutch distributor is to blame. 14 november next audio event. Looking forward to it.


Maybe the reason for doing so was that they did not want the combos to sound "too neutral"?
Cheers CC


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## adrianm

Christer said:


> Maybe the reason for doing so was that they did not want the combos to sound "too neutral"?
> Cheers CC


According to Headfonia, the Anni is anything but neutral


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## Christer (Nov 1, 2021)

adrianm said:


> According to Headfonia, the Anni is anything but neutral


Hi again, sorry but I just could not resist following up on the brilliant idea topic. I also wonder how brilliant the ida of a fan in an amp really is?
My only personal experience of a dedicated HI FI product with a fan apart from a not so dedicated laptop and iMac of course, was the OPPO 105D  multi format player  which I had on home loan over night once, only to return it next day.
That  was a noisy fan!
As far as Anni is concerned I will of course take a listen to it when an  opportunity to do so arrives. But I do no expect any miracles SQ wise.
I did in fact see a Benchmark HGC on sale second hand today for about 350€.
Now that is a both very transparent and neutral amp with very low distortion  and 126dB SNR which I use with my Qutest when listening via headphones.
And it is also a headphone amp I have seen in use heard both micfeed and DXD recorded material via at classical music recording  sessions.

Not much to attract the eye of the beholder.But for those who need fancy looks together with possibly some of the lowest distortion and other SOTA measurements they also have a newer bigger amp with a touch screen to attract those who need really fancy looks.
Not as many BRIGHT COLOURED shiny lights as the newest Chord rack combo on display here though.

Buy all of that and one won´t even need to buy a Christmas tree this season.

Ps. Nice to note that we at least partly seem to agree on the definition of the term "colouration" in a HIFI context.
 Cheers CC


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## musickid

Colour the way the musician and artist paints......


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## adrianm

Christer said:


> Hi again, sorry but I just could not resist following up on the brilliant idea topic. I also wonder how brilliant the ida of a fan in an amp really is?
> My only personal experience of a dedicated HI FI product with a fan apart from a not so dedicated laptop and iMac of course, was the OPPO 105D  multi format player  which I had on home loan over night once, only to return it next day.
> That  was a noisy fan!
> As far as Anni is concerned I will of course take a listen to it when an  opportunity to do so arrives. But I do no expect any miracles SQ wise.
> ...


It's funny, I'm arguing with you about a bit of coloration, and with the whole LCD-5 thread about not wanting to color my headphones with EQ and targeting a neutral response


----------



## Christer

adrianm said:


> It's funny, I'm arguing with you about a bit of coloration, and with the whole LCD-5 thread about not wanting to color my headphones with EQ and targeting a neutral response


And you have the  more transparent dac than I have,but I am the one arguing for the need of transparency and neutrality in HI FI products.
The main reason I do not own a DAVE is its imo way too high  price and its Achilles heel not enough power or current for some demanding headphones when used with an Mscaler.
In real HIFI terms it is undoubtedly a better  even more resolving  and transparent dac than my Qutest and in my experience it is probably about as digital gets when used with an Mscaler.
Funny how we got into this discussion. Catchword " too neutral".
Cheers CC


----------



## adrianm

Christer said:


> And you have the  more transparent dac than I have,but I am the one arguing for the need of transparency and neutrality in HI FI products.
> The main reason I do not own a DAVE is its imo way too high  price and its Achilles heel not enough power or current for some demanding headphones when used with an Mscaler.
> In real HIFI terms it is undoubtedly a better  even more resolving  and transparent dac than my Qutest and in my experience it is probably about as digital gets when used with an Mscaler.
> Funny how we got into this discussion. Catchword " too neutral".
> Cheers CC


I fully agree with you, our difference is probably just semantics. The point of contention is does neutral mean accurate, natural sound? if so we're fully agreed, that's what i'm after.. If neutral means some graph .... measurements depend on a lot of things.


----------



## adrianm




----------



## GreenBow

alekc said:


> Glad you like it.  Here is great jazz piano record:
> Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio Autumn in Seatle​​
> 
> Another record by already mentioned Guy Buttery - it is a very different from Live in Lisbon - but it is great test for instrument separation IMHO.




Thank you for your recomendations. I have been hankering for some new music, because I have not bought any new stuff for quite while. I don't have a big collection so am always hoping to come across new stuff I like.


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## alekc

GreenBow said:


> Thank you for your recomendations. I have been hankering for some new music, because I have not bought any new stuff for quite while. I don't have a big collection so am always hoping to come across new stuff I like.


@GreenBow glad to be helpful. Just PM if you are looking for something more in similar fashion. Enjoy!


----------



## antdroid

jlbrach said:


> I for one found the headphonia review confusing to say the least…I have not yet received my LCD-5 so I cannot comment on it as of yet but according to several people whose ears I trust the LCD-5 and the headphonis review are worlds apart….as far as the anni goes I have been using it thus far with my stealth and it is a superb combo IMHO…the stealth is far more difficult to drive than I thought it would be and the anni drives it brilliantly with little effort out of the Hugo 2…..I am doubtful it will drive the susvara as well as the 13r but am sure it will drive them reasonably well….in terms of the formula s combo it is my go to with the abyss TC but I am sure the anni will do a fine job with it….as I said, I LOVE the anni for its form factor and ability to travel with me giving me desktop performance while on the road


As a fellow Sus+Bakoon owner, and also owning a Qutest, would love to hear what you think of Anni + Sus is like compared to Bakoon.


----------



## jlbrach

the anni is great with most everything up to the susvara in terms of efficiency...it is good but not up to the performance of the 13r with the susvara...but that is setting the bar very high given the 13r costs more than 3 times as much


----------



## u2u2

Placed an order for Anni on the official announcement day. My dealer hustled and was able to secure one which I received today. Got off to a poor start with the unit performing anywhere from somewhat constrained to horrible, as in the worst I have heard, when played with Qutest. No issue from another DAC... But it was not consistently bad. Turned out some almost new, and previously good, Schiit RCA cables were not up to doing the Chord justice. Enter some Nordost cables and all was well. Since sorting the cable issue have been using an iPad Pro to stream Apple Music to the Quest/Anni and into Focal Utopias. The performance is stunning and to my ears flawless. Anni gets a tick warm, peaking at 41 Celsius after a few hours. This is mounted in the Chord stand system below Qutest as seen in Chord marketing literature. If there is a fan it does not make its presence known. When streaming Apple Music the range of volume control is narrow, from full off to about 0900 being usable. Not a big issue as the volume is easy to control and seems to scale properly. Use a program like Kaisertone for non streaming tasks and the gain can be lowered giving Anni a wider range of volume control movement. In sum, the good things written about Anni earlier in this thread are true. Great job by Chord.


----------



## TheMiddleSky

musickid said:


> Colour the way the musician and artist paints......


What happen with qutest + anni?

Anyway, welcome to TT2 club


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## musickid (Nov 14, 2021)

Very fine combo but the cash was available and having owned mTT2 before i decided to go back to it. Smoother for my oppo pm1 headphone and i don't use speakers. Photos to come. Very tough choice.


----------



## Middy

I'd still love to hear more about comparisons to its price competitor's and above out of interest. 
Its a step above my older amps by quite a Margin and would hope so for the price 🙂.
Still very pleased with it and no urge to find something better.... yet...😎


----------



## ardbeg1975

Hello. I have an Anni on order to pair with my Qutest. I currently run the Qutest from an iFi power supply rather than the stock supply. Any feedback on pros/cons of powering the Qutest via the Anni or leaving the DAC on third party supply in the interest of improving the sound according to some listeners?


----------



## u2u2 (Nov 17, 2021)

ardbeg1975 said:


> Hello. I have an Anni on order to pair with my Qutest. I currently run the Qutest from an iFi power supply rather than the stock supply. Any feedback on pros/cons of powering the Qutest via the Anni or leaving the DAC on third party supply in the interest of improving the sound according to some listeners?


I am in day five of Anni ownership and have been experimenting as much as possible with my unit. I would suggest if your situation demonstrated gains from the iFi power to Qutest that will remain to be the case. In my case I have had no issues what so ever on any kit that I could attribute to power supply issues. I have tried the Anni with the supplied dongle to the Qutest and also running the Qutest on its own supply. I have also moved between circuits with no devices on them and back to my usual heavily populated circuit. No issues or detectable differences. To keep it simple, and save scare outlets, I am running on the dongle. I have found gains by modest upgrades to the USB cable and significant improvement with upgraded RCA interconnects. The most fun has been using the second input and doing some A/B testing with varied sources... The Qutest/Anni stack on stock power supply holds its own just fine (in my circumstances). When you have Anni in hand it won't take long to determine what works best for you. Enjoy your purchase.


----------



## ardbeg1975

Anni arrived today. I have put about 2 to 3 hours on it (paired with Qutest) toggling between ZMF VC and Kennerton Wodan. Initial comparisons against Lyr 3, Flux FA-22, and Tor Audio Balanced tube amp — you can hear the “power” of the Anni similar to the Lyr 3 (7 watts) except more so. The Anni is much cleaner, crisper, and wider than the Lyr. The Tor is so different as to not be comparable. My one niggle would be that the Flux is projecting much deeper stage than the Anni with similar width. Anni definitely gives bass more heft when called for without getting bloomy. The low frequencies on the VC have rarely sounded better / had the heft that they do on the Anni.


----------



## Halimj7

If I owned a TT2 and didn’t feel it was worth it in comparison to the Sony TA-ZH1ES might I see an improvement in soundstage and detail over the Sony TA-ZH1ES internal amp? Thanks.


----------



## GAJA71

My Burson Soloist x3 stopped working this week after 6 months of light use. Replaced with Anni, I'm glad I didn't overlook due to the size,  it's excellent with the Hugo 2, very pleased.


----------



## jlbrach

yes the anni works beautifully with the hugo 2 ...it is a very nice small amp


----------



## musickid

In this case h2 and Anni for hard to drive cans otherwise what's the point?


----------



## n2413

Thinking of getting Anni/Qutest for my new Diana TC's. But for a similar price could do the XI Broadway and a "cheaper" dac. Decisions! 

Any opinions on the Chord stack with Abyss?


----------



## musickid

Or tt2?


----------



## GAJA71

n2413 said:


> Thinking of getting Anni/Qutest for my new Diana TC's. But for a similar price could do the XI Broadway and a "cheaper" dac. Decisions!
> 
> Any opinions on the Chord stack with Abyss?


I don't think that you will have enough headroom, better with Hugo2 or TT2.


----------



## jlbrach

the anni is great and will drive them easily


----------



## JanisR

I got to listen to Anni today. I was shopping for a new pair of closed-backs but got all my headphones and my current headphone amp, the Topping A90 in my backpack just in case. I was the only shopper interested in headphones so I got all the time I wanted. I was surprised how noticeable the difference between the Topping A90 and the Chord Anni is. Whilst both amps are undoubtedly excellent products, giving an energetic, detailed sound with a tight, disciplined base, the Anni in comparison sounds a bit warmer. However, the main and most important difference is something I struggle to describe. There is something about Chord products - musicality, a magical touch that somehow makes you love the music more, a hand that reaches out to embrace your soul - that other brands fail to show with the same consistency. That magical touch, I'm glad to report, is very much present in Anni. If you're a Chord fanboy, like I am, you will love it.

Another thing to not is Anni's remarkable synergy with my HEDD headphones. Anni's gentle warmth and love for music shines with those headphones. Listening to Avi Kaplan's "Change on the Rise" made my jaw drop - the rhythmic beat sounded more confident than ever before, the base so rich, deep and yet disciplined but above it all the vocal - so natural, engaging and rich. Game of Thrones' Main Title track sounded with the familiar energy, however there was more to it now - a sweet lullaby-like melody. Vivaldi's L'inverno, Largo by Gidon Kremer sounded even gentler, mode melodic but the difference was not as dramatic as with the first two tracks. When listening to the guitar solo of AC/DC's Thunderstruck, I thought - yes, this is what an electric guitar should sound like. The sound was that of a (good) valve amp. Depeche Mode's "Sweetest Perfection" sounded like Martin Gore is casting a spell on me - so sinful, so divine.

The closed-back headphones I bought: Focal Radiance Bentley SE. I tested them against the Fostex TH-900 mk2, the headphone I have liked and fancied for a very long time. With Anni, the Fostex sounded way too bright, which is what many reviewers had been saying for ages but I only heard that today. The Radiance, I find, has quite a similar sound signature to the Fostex but with none of the cons. The Radiance Bentley SE sounded really good with the Anni - the base is divine and the rest is excellent.


----------



## dbturbo2

JanisR said:


> I got to listen to Anni today. I was shopping for a new pair of closed-backs but got all my headphones and my current headphone amp, the Topping A90 in my backpack just in case. I was the only shopper interested in headphones so I got all the time I wanted. I was surprised how noticeable the difference between the Topping A90 and the Chord Anni is. Whilst both amps are undoubtedly excellent products, giving an energetic, detailed sound with a tight, disciplined base, the Anni in comparison sounds a bit warmer. However, the main and most important difference is something I struggle to describe. There is something about Chord products - musicality, a magical touch that somehow makes you love the music more, a hand that reaches out to embrace your soul - that other brands fail to show with the same consistency. That magical touch, I'm glad to report, is very much present in Anni. If you're a Chord fanboy, like I am, you will love it.
> 
> Another thing to not is Anni's remarkable synergy with my HEDD headphones. Anni's gentle warmth and love for music shines with those headphones. Listening to Avi Kaplan's "Change on the Rise" made my jaw drop - the rhythmic beat sounded more confident than ever before, the base so rich, deep and yet disciplined but above it all the vocal - so natural, engaging and rich. Game of Thrones' Main Title track sounded with the familiar energy, however there was more to it now - a sweet lullaby-like melody. Vivaldi's L'inverno, Largo by Gidon Kremer sounded even gentler, mode melodic but the difference was not as dramatic as with the first two tracks. When listening to the guitar solo of AC/DC's Thunderstruck, I thought - yes, this is what an electric guitar should sound like. The sound was that of a (good) valve amp. Depeche Mode's "Sweetest Perfection" sounded like Martin Gore is casting a spell on me - so sinful, so divine.
> 
> The closed-back headphones I bought: Focal Radiance Bentley SE. I tested them against the Fostex TH-900 mk2, the headphone I have liked and fancied for a very long time. With Anni, the Fostex sounded way too bright, which is what many reviewers had been saying for ages but I only heard that today. The Radiance, I find, has quite a similar sound signature to the Fostex but with none of the cons. The Radiance Bentley SE sounded really good with the Anni - the base is divine and the rest is excellent.


Thanks for the fantastic review of the Anni.  Is there any channel imbalance at low volume levels that you noticed?  With regards to the Heddphone, at what position on the volume knob are you listening for normal listening?  Glad to hear the Anni has enough juice to drive the Heddphone, do you feel the sound quality with the Anni is worth the price difference over the Topping? Thanks


----------



## n2413

JanisR said:


> I got to listen to Anni today. I was shopping for a new pair of closed-backs but got all my headphones and my current headphone amp, the Topping A90 in my backpack just in case. I was the only shopper interested in headphones so I got all the time I wanted. I was surprised how noticeable the difference between the Topping A90 and the Chord Anni is. Whilst both amps are undoubtedly excellent products, giving an energetic, detailed sound with a tight, disciplined base, the Anni in comparison sounds a bit warmer. However, the main and most important difference is something I struggle to describe. There is something about Chord products - musicality, a magical touch that somehow makes you love the music more, a hand that reaches out to embrace your soul - that other brands fail to show with the same consistency. That magical touch, I'm glad to report, is very much present in Anni. If you're a Chord fanboy, like I am, you will love it.
> 
> Another thing to not is Anni's remarkable synergy with my HEDD headphones. Anni's gentle warmth and love for music shines with those headphones. Listening to Avi Kaplan's "Change on the Rise" made my jaw drop - the rhythmic beat sounded more confident than ever before, the base so rich, deep and yet disciplined but above it all the vocal - so natural, engaging and rich. Game of Thrones' Main Title track sounded with the familiar energy, however there was more to it now - a sweet lullaby-like melody. Vivaldi's L'inverno, Largo by Gidon Kremer sounded even gentler, mode melodic but the difference was not as dramatic as with the first two tracks. When listening to the guitar solo of AC/DC's Thunderstruck, I thought - yes, this is what an electric guitar should sound like. The sound was that of a (good) valve amp. Depeche Mode's "Sweetest Perfection" sounded like Martin Gore is casting a spell on me - so sinful, so divine.
> 
> The closed-back headphones I bought: Focal Radiance Bentley SE. I tested them against the Fostex TH-900 mk2, the headphone I have liked and fancied for a very long time. With Anni, the Fostex sounded way too bright, which is what many reviewers had been saying for ages but I only heard that today. The Radiance, I find, has quite a similar sound signature to the Fostex but with none of the cons. The Radiance Bentley SE sounded really good with the Anni - the base is divine and the rest is excellent.


Enjoyed this review. Thanks, super hans


----------



## JanisR

dbturbo2 said:


> Thanks for the fantastic review of the Anni.  Is there any channel imbalance at low volume levels that you noticed?  With regards to the Heddphone, at what position on the volume knob are you listening for normal listening?  Glad to hear the Anni has enough juice to drive the Heddphone, do you feel the sound quality with the Anni is worth the price difference over the Topping? Thanks



The Anni is very powerful. It's a shame the gain switch is inactive for headphones. For the Focal Radiance Bentley SE I kept the volume know at around 9 o'clock. For the HEDD, the knob was at 11 to 12 o'clock, whilst being plenty loud. If you like to fine-adjust your volume and have mostly highly sensitive headphones, it is a consideration. The one thing truly good about the Topping A90 is 3 gain modes: low, medium and high. Channel imbalance at low level - I did not notice any. 

The question about price difference is tricky. I think when we go above the price of the A90, we are hitting diminishing returns. Perhaps it depends on the headphone. The HEDD with the Topping sounds impressive, great. With the Anni, it sounds exactly like the hi-end system you remember listening to at a hi-fi show that costs several times as much as your car and that you will never ever own. I won't use the word 'endgame' but I don't think the headphone upgrade ladder has many steps above that sound quality these days.


----------



## ardbeg1975

I’m running some high sensitivity headphones (Rognir, Wodan, Gjallarhorn) on the Anni at ~8-8:30 on the volume knob (I don’t listen very loud). No channel imbalance at all.


----------



## u2u2

JanisR said:


> The Anni is very powerful. It's a shame the gain switch is inactive for headphones. For the Focal Radiance Bentley SE I kept the volume know at around 9 o'clock. For the HEDD, the knob was at 11 to 12 o'clock, whilst being plenty loud. If you like to fine-adjust your volume and have mostly highly sensitive headphones, it is a consideration. The one thing truly good about the Topping A90 is 3 gain modes: low, medium and high. Channel imbalance at low level - I did not notice any.
> 
> The question about price difference is tricky. I think when we go above the price of the A90, we are hitting diminishing returns. Perhaps it depends on the headphone. The HEDD with the Topping sounds impressive, great. With the Anni, it sounds exactly like the hi-end system you remember listening to at a hi-fi show that costs several times as much as your car and that you will never ever own. I won't use the word 'endgame' but I don't think the headphone upgrade ladder has many steps above that sound quality these days.


Spot on when running Anni off a Qutest. Stellia, rated at 35 ohms, are on the line of needing a lower gain setting when playing loud tracks. This is the only flaw I find with Anni. (could lower the Qutest output to 1 volt but the sound suffers, it needs 2 volts) Lower impedance devices would not be a good match unless you use a pre amp which isn't the setup/use scenario Anni is marketed for. Fortunately, in my case, no problem with all my other headphones as they are all higher impedance than Stellia. Even with HD800 or HD820 I never need to exceed 0900. I have pre amped Anni and when doing so set Anni at 1200. Superb. If disaster struck, and I had to cull my amp herd, Anni would be the survivor.


----------



## dbturbo2

JanisR said:


> The Anni is very powerful. It's a shame the gain switch is inactive for headphones. For the Focal Radiance Bentley SE I kept the volume know at around 9 o'clock. For the HEDD, the knob was at 11 to 12 o'clock, whilst being plenty loud. If you like to fine-adjust your volume and have mostly highly sensitive headphones, it is a consideration. The one thing truly good about the Topping A90 is 3 gain modes: low, medium and high. Channel imbalance at low level - I did not notice any.
> 
> The question about price difference is tricky. I think when we go above the price of the A90, we are hitting diminishing returns. Perhaps it depends on the headphone. The HEDD with the Topping sounds impressive, great. With the Anni, it sounds exactly like the hi-end system you remember listening to at a hi-fi show that costs several times as much as your car and that you will never ever own. I won't use the word 'endgame' but I don't think the headphone upgrade ladder has many steps above that sound quality these days.



I have a Monolith THX AAA 887 that I suspect sounds very similar to your Topping given the shared tech.  This amp with the HEDD running in balanced mode sounds great though I do wish the bass had a bit more slam.  With regards to the bass, are there any significant improvements with the Anni vs the Topping? Thanks again


----------



## JanisR

dbturbo2 said:


> I have a Monolith THX AAA 887 that I suspect sounds very similar to your Topping given the shared tech.  This amp with the HEDD running in balanced mode sounds great though I do wish the bass had a bit more slam.  With regards to the bass, are there any significant improvements with the Anni vs the Topping? Thanks again


I would not call those improvements significant, but that is because the base delivered by the A90 is quite powerful. I have never listened to the Monolith AAA 887, I would assume a similar sound signature for the THX and Topping devices but I would not assume the same power.

Talking numbers, Topping A90 is rated at 7.6 watts, whereas the Anni sports 10 watts. But I am not sure it is as simple a comparison as that.


----------



## jlbrach

obviously isn't all about power output or tech ratings or else the topping 90 would be as good as amps selling for 10 times as much which have lower power output...which it isnt and I won the a90 so I have nothing against it...I own the formula s/powerman combo which has a lower power output rating and const more than 10 times as much and is head and shoulders better


----------



## JaquesGelee

Does any Anni owner here has some fan noise issues?

Cheers


----------



## chihangs

Does anyone knows how anni performs on iem?


----------



## JanisR

JaquesGelee said:


> Does any Anni owner here has some fan noise issues?
> 
> Cheers


I tested Anni in a quiet room, where it was unboxed and plugged in for me, to warm it up. After a while I noticed a fan noise - not loud or annoying but certainly audible. And realised the noise comes from the Anni. Whilst testing it with headphones, even open-backs, it was a non-issue. My PC, which is a very quiet build, is about as noisy as the Anni so I am not at all concerned about the fan noise. I am more concerned that there is a moving part in the device - let us hope it is reliable.


----------



## u2u2

I thought my Anni made no noises but with all these reports of fan noise I had to check more closely. Ran Anni for an hour with my home as quiet as can be and there it was… from about 18 inches, or closer, the steady hum of a fan. Can’t be heard with IEMs or headphones being worn. Good to know it is working and you really have to go out of your way to hear it. My audio related gear is all fanless, where possible, but for Anni. Fan noise can’t be tolerated at the listening post. Good job by Chord. Personally not concerned about reliability of the fan.


----------



## u2u2

chihangs said:


> Does anyone knows how anni performs on iem?


I pretty much retired my Sure SE846 after some horrid performance with my McIntosh amp. Yesterday I tried them with Anni for a few hours. The combination floored me as it was as good as the 846s have ever done (I thought they might be damaged after the McIntosh fail). Problem is the volume had to be near fully off, right where it is either too little or too much so you need a software gain control, pre amp, or other means of control to move the volume up away from that threshold. 
Yesterday I was pairing Anni with the wrong device.
Dusted off a couple of Sony IEMs today, XBA-Z5 and XBA-H3, with the right source… no issues with gain being dialed down to 80% so the volume is up to 0800-0900.
My usual IEM device is Mojo but  it hasn't seen any IEM use for the past two years or so. All my IEMs are dated but I am guessing most IEM users would find Anni performance to be very good if not excellent at its price point. Certainly worth a demo run if you can arrange one.


----------



## chihangs

u2u2 said:


> I pretty much retired my Sure SE846 after some horrid performance with my McIntosh amp. Yesterday I tried them with Anni for a few hours. The combination floored me as it was as good as the 846s have ever done (I thought they might be damaged after the McIntosh fail). Problem is the volume had to be near fully off, right where it is either too little or too much so you need a software gain control, pre amp, or other means of control to move the volume up away from that threshold.
> Yesterday I was pairing Anni with the wrong device.
> Dusted off a couple of Sony IEMs today, XBA-Z5 and XBA-H3, with the right source… no issues with gain being dialed down to 80% so the volume is up to 0800-0900.
> My usual IEM device is Mojo but  it hasn't seen any IEM use for the past two years or so. All my IEMs are dated but I am guessing most IEM users would find Anni performance to be very good if not excellent at its price point. Certainly worth a demo run if you can arrange one.


Good to know the anni is not too much power for iem and sounds good 👍 
Thank you for the update 
I will demo the anni soon when I have the time


----------



## GuYe

http://www.headphoneclub.com/thread-749291-1-1.html


----------



## angan

Hi all, I am new to this forum. Recently got Chord Anni and happy to share my impressions with Qutest as the DAC.  Coming from Rebel Amp and before that Topping A90, I find the Anni to be very enjoyable. It’s hard to describe exactly what the difference is, but everything sounds very natural and balanced. Three key aspects stood out - the soundstage is wide, the notes have a weight about them ( ie don’t sound thin like in the A90) and the bass is punchy yet textured. I have used Focal Radiance, Audeze LCD X and the u12t with it. No channel imbalance I could detect and all of them are comfortable at around 9 o-clock on the volume knob. It does run quite warm, but I couldn’t hear any fan noise. Let me know any questions, will be happy to help.


----------



## Rebel Chris

I really miss the grey metal option.


----------



## Ike1985

I've heard that the Hugo2 isn't as good as Anni + Qutest.  Can anyone confirm this?  Would the Hugo2 + Anni be better than Anni + Qutest?


----------



## jjb3

I decided that the Chord Anni doesn't sound as good with my ATC SCM7s as with a higher powered amp. The difference is very subtle, which is really impressive considering the amp I am now using is 150wpc and the Anni is only 10wpc. But there is a definite increase in clarity, soundstage, detail retrieval, and improved depth. So I'm selling my Anni as much as I like it.


----------



## jlbrach

not sure the anni is meant to compete with 150 wpc desktops....I love it because it is so small and transportable


----------



## jjb3

It's not, that's the point. It held its own pretty well against a unit 15x its power.


----------



## drroman66

jjb3 said:


> It's not, that's the point. It held its own pretty well against a unit 15x its power.


How is it as a headphone amp?


----------



## jjb3

drroman66 said:


> How is it as a headphone amp?


Not sure, I used it only for passive speakers.


----------



## drroman66

jjb3 said:


> Not sure, I used it only for passive speakers.


Thanks. I would only use it as a headphone amp.


----------



## ardbeg1975

drroman66 said:


> Thanks. I would only use it as a headphone amp.


I only use mine as a headphone amp and it is great. Gives slam to bass without losing detail. Doesn’t color the mids and smooths the treble just a bit while still maintaining a crisp presentation. Definitely a step up from my Flux FA-22 which is also a very enjoyable amp.


----------



## jlbrach

drroman66 said:


> How is it as a headphone amp?


it does a great job with HP's....


----------



## JaquesGelee (Jan 3, 2022)

JanisR said:


> I tested Anni in a quiet room, where it was unboxed and plugged in for me, to warm it up. After a while I noticed a fan noise - not loud or annoying but certainly audible. And realised the noise comes from the Anni. Whilst testing it with headphones, even open-backs, it was a non-issue. My PC, which is a very quiet build, is about as noisy as the Anni so I am not at all concerned about the fan noise. I am more concerned that there is a moving part in the device - let us hope it is reliable.


I got two units here so far,

I also recognized a "moving part" in both. Maybe it is the fan suspension itself or even something else (construction below the buttons). Seems to be a normal thing.

It could be postioning, but the fan noise annoys me personally, even from far away.
It is the "loudest" device in house.

The fan of the replacement device from the noise is much better. The first one sounded very strange and turned up from time to time, maybe to max. even in standby.

Don't get me wrong.
The fan is certainly necessary and I can not imagine that I have caught two doa devices.
I don't mean the sound of a typical airflow itself, but rather a dragging or rattling. Even in standby I can't stand this noise and have to turn it off, after a Cool down time.
I also could hear it with open back hp at 9 o'clock. Maybe i have to position anni somewhere else.

At all, an amazing and fast support by dealer and Chord.


Cheers


----------



## JanisR

Does anyone have a picture if the Anni's lid off, i.e. a circuit board pic?


----------



## drroman66

ardbeg1975 said:


> I only use mine as a headphone amp and it is great. Gives slam to bass without losing detail. Doesn’t color the mids and smooths the treble just a bit while still maintaining a crisp presentation. Definitely a step up from my Flux FA-22 which is also a very enjoyable amp.


Thanks so much.


----------



## GuYe




----------



## JaquesGelee (Jan 5, 2022)

GuYe said:


>


Hey,

Are the marked things dampings of the fanscrews?




Cheers


----------



## GuYe

JaquesGelee said:


> 嘿，
> 
> 风扇螺丝上的标记物是阻尼吗？
> 
> ...


是透明按钮


----------



## JaquesGelee (Jan 6, 2022)

GuYe said:


> 是透明按钮


Thank you. Yeah, i could see that it is a transparent "knob" thing. But is this located in the screws of the fan?





Cheers


----------



## GuYe

JaquesGelee said:


> 谢谢你。是的，我可以看到它是一个透明的“旋钮”。但这是否位于风扇的螺丝中？
> 
> 
> 
> 干杯


----------



## rocketron

Has anyone used the speaker out puts too drive headphones?


----------



## miketlse

Looks like the Anni gets reviewed in the new edition of HiFi News.


----------



## GreenBow (Jan 11, 2022)

If you have annoyance from the fan, you could try a replacement fan. There may be a Noctua fan that fits, and unless you get a bad Noctua they are extremely quiet. Noctua also tend to cool better than any other brand so it would not have to run so fast.

(Can someone please do a measurement of the fan, and post for Head-Fi users?)


Review of Anni in the Feb edition of HiFi News.


----------



## JaquesGelee (Jan 11, 2022)

GreenBow said:


> If you have annoyance from the fan, you could try a replacement fan. There may be a Noctua fan that fits, and unless you get a bad Noctua they are extremely quiet. Noctua also tend to cool better than any other brand so it would not have to run so fast.
> 
> (Can someone please do a measurement of the fan, and post for Head-Fi users?)
> 
> ...


My thoughts. Weird and different experiences. If the fan is without sidenoise, lucky one or someone even don't care.

There are so many silent fans out there, which also could pull/ push enough air to keep it cool. Anni pushes the air to the top, so the fan hangs down, which always results in bearing sidenoise with the "wrong" fan.

But it is very important that it isn't only silent, but conveys enough air at all.

Cheers


----------



## ardbeg1975

GreenBow said:


> If you have annoyance from the fan, you could try a replacement fan. There may be a Noctua fan that fits, and unless you get a bad Noctua they are extremely quiet. Noctua also tend to cool better than any other brand so it would not have to run so fast.
> 
> (Can someone please do a measurement of the fan, and post for Head-Fi users?)
> 
> ...


Very rough measure from db meter on my phone held near the top of the Anni in a quiet room — ~45 db


----------



## JaquesGelee (Jan 11, 2022)

ardbeg1975 said:


> Very rough measure from db meter on my phone held near the top of the Anni in a quiet room — ~45 db


I have similar values, even more under load in the avg.

~36 dB in standby, ~45dB with a 32 Ohm DD at 9 o'clock, and more with juicy headphones. Plus +/- 2dB all the time cause of imbalance/ grinding sidenoise. Approximate data with two different apps/ phones.

However, it fluctuates around 2 dB in general for me, which is due to a fan bearing imbalance. And this results in an annoying sidenoise.

After moving the Anni in my room a few times, it has now become less.

Surely, such apps are not accurate. But still a way of getting around somehow, if you don't have the "special" equipment.

Some have reported that they don't have issues or they even don't mind/ care/ personal taste or just a large spread!? Idk...

It shouldn't be more than 20-25dB in idle / standby even for the fan size in my modest opinion.

Also the volume knob is a bit to loose for my taste (not in direction, but up and down).

So, i am very thankful for the guy above to offer pictures from the inside to have a look to the volume knob counterpart f.e.

Cheers


----------



## GreenBow

Sorry, when I said measure the Anni fan, I meant in mm.

Intesting to get dB measuerments though. Many thanks.


----------



## GreenBow (Jan 12, 2022)

JaquesGelee said:


> My thoughts. Weird and different experiences. If the fan is without sidenoise, lucky one or someone even don't care.
> 
> There are so many silent fans out there, which also could pull/ push enough air to keep it cool. Anni pushes the air to the top, so the fan hangs down, which always results in bearing sidenoise with the "wrong" fan.
> 
> ...



If I had Anni and was concerned about noise, I would try Noctua. I think the smallest they make is 40mm, but it may be 30mm.

Their fans are designed to be hung at different angles, (as most PC CPU cooler fans are). I have two on my CPU cooler and they blow air out of the back of the PC. CPU coolers can also be fitted to blow upwards, as apposed to how I have mine set. Meaning they can be hung.

However Noctua's fans have one advantage over other fans. They are designed with turbulence reduction. Menaing less noise created by the fan as it moves air.

We'll never get rid of air-whoosh noise because air makes noise when moving. However getting the best fan for cooling, aligned with turbulence control, is win-win. As I said before they cool better than most fans, so can run quieter based on that too.

Plus Noctua have an excellent exchange policy for the instance where you get a noisy one. Contact them with proof of purchase and your issue, and they post you a replacement. They have an excellent policy overall. E.g. if your CPU cooler is going to be used on a new motherboard. You may need a new backet to attach the cooler to the new motherboard. The CPU socket will likely be different from one generation of CPUs and motherboards, to the next. You tell them of this (with proof of purcahase), and they send you a new bracket free. Then you can attach your existing cooler to the new board. Their idea is that this saves waste - meaning from an eclogical point of view. Can't really go wrong with them.


----------



## JaquesGelee

GreenBow said:


> If I had Anni and was concerned about noise, I would try Noctua. I think the smallest they make is 40mm, but it may be 30mm.
> 
> Their fans are designed to be hung at different angles, (as most PC CPU cooler fans are). I have two on my CPU cooler and they blow air out of the back of the PC. CPU coolers can also be fitted to blow upwards, as apposed to how I have mine set. Meaning they can be hung.
> 
> ...


I am familiar with fans of the brands Noctua, Noiseblocker, BeQuiet, etc. Also fan controls, water coolers, pumps (Laing, Aquacomputer), cooling concepts and co. 

In my private life, however, I no longer tinker with PCs. I already have enough to do with it professionally. In addition, this hobby is also expensive too.

Personally, I don't unscrew a device that is still under warranty and I don't replace a fan. 

As written above. Everyone experiences such noises differently. Personally, the background noise bothers me, not the airflow itself. But currently it has improved, whatever has "loosened" or the repositioning / moving of Anni has changed.

A good amp in a cute and attractive form factor.

The time will tell.

Cheers


----------



## TheMiddleSky

Finally able to hands on Anni, paired with Qutest (White filter), drive LCD-5. 

My very initial impression: Balance character, with a little warmish character that remind me of V281 (overall both amp still sound different though). Good job for Chord, to make Anni remain focus on fluid and good transient, to make sound has natural feeling. 

Definitely fuller body compared to Topping A90 or Singxer SA-1. Treble seems smoother with Anni, but detail retrieval is top notch for the price. What surprise me is how wide the soundstage, coming from such tiny desktop amp. 

No, so far I don't have problem with fan, but will report again later after I have time to try it in my "silent" bedroom.


----------



## GreenBow

JaquesGelee said:


> I am familiar with fans of the brands Noctua, Noiseblocker, BeQuiet, etc. Also fan controls, water coolers, pumps (Laing, Aquacomputer), cooling concepts and co.
> 
> In my private life, however, I no longer tinker with PCs. I already have enough to do with it professionally. In addition, this hobby is also expensive too.
> 
> ...



Yes I was forgetting warranty. Still, did my best to advise folk of an option, which was my intent.


----------



## TheMiddleSky

After spend more time with Qutest + Anni, and able compare it to my TT2 alone, I think Chord aim Qutest Anni as a little brother of TT2.

The overall signature between them seems similar (not identical), but easy to notice both product develop from Chord house sound. Smooth, full body, and focus on fluid transient to make lifelike experience. 

Direct from TT2 still give edges in term of micro detail, soundstage depth/height, instrument placement and even more fluid and accurate transient but this device come with higher price tag. 

Qutest and Anni manage to close the gap really well, and I think price wise, this little combo it's quite good and well place in chord line up.

I've been compared Qutest paired with many desktop amps versus TT2 alone before, back when I about made purchased for TT2. So far Anni is the closest amp to pair with Qutest to get this result.  

Tested with Meze Elite / ZMF Verite.


----------



## JaquesGelee

TheMiddleSky said:


> After spend more time with Qutest + Anni, and able compare it to my TT2 alone, I think Chord aim Qutest Anni as a little brother of TT2.
> 
> The overall signature between them seems similar (not identical), but easy to notice both product develop from Chord house sound. Smooth, full body, and focus on fluid transient to make lifelike experience.
> 
> ...


Phewww...What to say...


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## u2u2

My Anni took parental leave when a baby Poly arrived in the house two weeks ago. Back in action now checking out tracks forum members have posted in recent days. Such a delightful versatile device yet this thread has gone silent? 
Bump time!


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## adamjohari

Can the Anni run Kef LS50? I'm already happy with my SMSL DA-9 though. Maybe just get the TT2?


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## u2u2

adamjohari said:


> Can the Anni run Kef LS50? I'm already happy with my SMSL DA-9 though. Maybe just get the TT2?


When I ordered my Anni and again when I took delivery I spoke with my dealer about what speakers they sell that would work with Anni. They carry the Kef line, among others, and would not recommend any purchase of their lineups to pair with Anni. When a dealer turns down an easy sale… Still hope to see someone post a recommendation.


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## Ultrainferno

In our latest article we're looking at the Anni on HFN

https://www.headfonia.com/chord-electronics-anni-review/


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## JaquesGelee (Mar 15, 2022)

Ultrainferno said:


> In our latest article we're looking at the Anni on HFN
> 
> https://www.headfonia.com/chord-electronics-anni-review/


The intensity of the fan (side-)noise absolutely depends on the unit you got.

@u2u2
It is absolutely up to you, but i would recommend to put the Anni on top. In the Qutest Stand, one side is already closed.


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## u2u2

JaquesGelee said:


> The intensity of the fan (side-)noise absolutely depends on the unit you got.
> 
> @u2u2
> It is absolutely up to you, but i would recommend to put the Anni on top. In the Qutest Stand, one side is already closed.


Obstruct the Qutest window! Those colours, the names... Good grief what would Rob Watts say?

Just went with the way Chord stacks theirs but I didn't do so without some thought...
The "closed" side isn't. Chord has machined out a nice section of the QSS to provide for unrestricted airflow regardless as to how you stack it.
In use the temperatures are essentially the same wether you stack one way or the other, at least so far as my FLIR can measure.
With Anni on the bottom there is less stress on the cables, and depending on use case, the ergonomics are improved. 
I also seem to have gotten lucky as my fan is very quiet but I only use it with headphones. Speaker use might change the game.
That review was a good read.


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## ardbeg1975

u2u2 said:


> Obstruct the Qutest window! Those colours, the names... Good grief what would Rob Watts say?
> 
> Just went with the way Chord stacks theirs but I didn't do so without some thought...
> The "closed" side isn't. Chord has machined out a nice section of the QSS to provide for unrestricted airflow regardless as to how you stack it.
> ...


Yes, I agree it is unfortunate that stacking the Anni on top obscures the Qutest rainbow but I have to agree the fan noise is a non issue for me with that setup. I never hear it.


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## JaquesGelee (Mar 15, 2022)

ardbeg1975 said:


> I have to agree the fan noise is a non issue for me with that setup. I never hear it.


You lucky one. Got another unit with an annoying fan (beside the volume pot and other things).

But this time the side noise is absolutely acceptable in idle. There is no way for me to use open back headphones. Which are by the way 90% of my collection. I could hear the fan from about 2 meters away. Especially the sidenoise, a rattle from time to time, which sounds like a full RPM test. But this one isn't that loud like the two before. The anni gets hotter. The first ones where like a fridge. I'm fine with DCA headphones f.e.

I like the anni, hold it and give up with the dealer. No more details about it or i even get angry again. 😅

I use it as it is only with closed back HP's and hope on the outstanding chord support, if something happens. Made good experiences with the support.


u2u2 said:


> Obstruct the Qutest window! Those colours, the names... Good grief what would Rob Watts say?
> 
> Just went with the way Chord stacks theirs but I didn't do so without some thought...
> The "closed" side isn't. Chord has machined out a nice section of the QSS to provide for unrestricted airflow regardless as to how you stack it.
> ...


As i mentioned, it is absolutely up to you how to stack your unit. So, this is only my modest opinion.

At all, i agree to every point you've mentioned about the comfortability in daily use. But my unit gets hotter and even more loud as it is at all, when Qutest is in top. The Anni manual and the support wrote me, that the Anni is on top in better place.

Makes sense to me. Surely it is no Pro iCAN (which runs a lot hotter) below a Pro iDSD, but Amp's gets even hotter than DAC's at all. Also here i see a lot of  people who put the stack like this, also without spacers. Everybody on his own.

What some hired photographs or from wherever they are, are doing with the stacks for marketing is another thing.

And for the QSS, i see nothing on the left side, maybe you got another one than me!? If you have a look to the opened Anni a few posts before you could see, how the airflow is (direction of the fan).
So mine is definetly more quiet and doesn't run hot and turn off, when on top.

My last post was with no poison, only my experiences.

I've also only tested headphones, but i only could stand the Fan noise with closed backs like mentioned above.

Cheers


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## marcusd

Our own humble review of the Anni is now published. Packs quite a punch, to be honest, a little bit different also to the Hugo 2 sound signature.

https://headfonics.com/chord-electronics-anni-review/


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## Death_Block

I'll take one, please and thank you 🤣


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## Middy

I got one at the release of the Anni ..well a week or so and its much better than anything I had before....I wasn't sure if the shorter path of the Hugo would benefit compared to a Qutest Anni combo. The sound is more open detailed and yes a hint of warmth Anni Qutest combo. For my Mr Speakers Ether 2 I got more detail over my Singxer sa1 even after the Bypassing the blocking caps..

In short I am happy...always there was a few more expensive models I'd have liked to have tried or have the money like the review mentions. 

But well worth the trip to a dealer and with your flagship DAC and headphones and see what you think if its within your budget.. times are hard but this will easily keep me going for a few years.  A good transport and for me bypassing USB on my Chord Qutest using the SRC-DX DDC was a big improvement.. The power and clarity of the Anni showcases that refinement...
I have a lot of power improvements and tweaks also. Nothing is a free lunch 😲

The Ferrum and others probably wouldn't give you that £1000 diminishing returns boost in SQ, so as a Amp it's a comparative bargin I think. But my old amps definitely..

Just some thoughts for lurkers and current users.. and my humble opinion 

Stay safe and happy 😊 

Dave


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## RPKwan

Middy said:


> I got one at the release of the Anni ..well a week or so and its much better than anything I had before....I wasn't sure if the shorter path of the Hugo would benefit compared to a Qutest Anni combo. The sound is more open detailed and yes a hint of warmth Anni Qutest combo. For my Mr Speakers Ether 2 I got more detail over my Singxer sa1 even after the Bypassing the blocking caps..
> 
> In short I am happy...always there was a few more expensive models I'd have liked to have tried or have the money like the review mentions.
> 
> ...


I see you have a Grado as your Avatar, are you pairing the Anni with Grados? That's what I'm debating at the moment, would love to know your impressions.


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## Middy (Jul 10, 2022)

RPKwan said:


> I see you have a Grado as your Avatar, are you pairing the Anni with Grados? That's what I'm debating at the moment, would love to know your impressions.


Ah sorry no just a stock photo i am afraid. Currently and for the foreseeable  future DCA Mr Speakers Ether 2 and its predecessor The Ether.
I went from the Singxer SA1 as my last Amp. At less than half the price. With the swap out there is no comparison just lovely everywhere. Ignore the big sound small box reviews tropes. It's just a really good sounding Amp and the first time I think it's worth the money... I Auditioned it in a store and bought it. How it drives and sounds on gradus I don't know but we'll worth a trip to see for yourself....
If your transport and chain is not needing an upgrade go try it....
Really elevates my headphones beyond what I could imagine..

Not much help but I hope it makes you trial one so you can decide 😉 if its right for you..

Good luck  👍 
David


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## seadog123 (Jul 14, 2022)

Anyone have the Anni and Susvara ? If so, the output via 6.3mm Jack sufficient? Not having gain settings is a possible negative with very hard to drive HP like the Sus.
Or is the speaker output via an adaptor to the Sus the way to go ?

** edited** yeah, not enough power from what I have found out. Back up plan of the GSX Mini for only a bit more is now what I’m aiming for.


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## JaquesGelee (Jul 15, 2022)

seadog123 said:


> Anyone have the Anni and Susvara ? If so, the output via 6.3mm Jack sufficient? Not having gain settings is a possible negative with very hard to drive HP like the Sus.
> Or is the speaker output via an adaptor to the Sus the way to go ?
> 
> ** edited** yeah, not enough power from what I have found out. Back up plan of the GSX Mini for only a bit more is now what I’m aiming for.


Neither Anni, nor the GSX Mini got "enough" juice with less than 4W for the full Sus Potential. But this is my modest opinion.


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## RPKwan

JaquesGelee said:


> Neither Anni, nor the GSX Mini got "enough" juice with less than 4W for the full Sus Potential. But this is my modest opinion.


I tested the Anni and Susvara just the other day, Anni needed max volume but still couldn't drive it properly. What a shame...


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## JaquesGelee

RPKwan said:


> I tested the Anni and Susvara just the other day, Anni needed max volume but still couldn't drive it properly. What a shame...


 A shame for? 😅 Not really a miracle.


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## RPKwan

JaquesGelee said:


> A shame for? 😅 Not really a miracle.


A shame that for the size Anni is great but isn't anywhere enough for Susvara.


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## Rayon (Aug 4, 2022)

The weirdest thing happened. I got Anni in trade as a partial payment for my Euforia from a fellow head-fier. I wasn't interested in Anni and was very against it, but I gave in. I even thought about putting this on sale without opening the box. Luckily I tried it!

I really like this little amp. Sure, it has too little wiggle room in the volume knob for sensitive phones, sure it has a fan, but it also has a voice! It's nice, delicate. I would call it "classy". I feel like I'm in a jazz club. It really can create that atmosphere. Very revealing as well. Very revealing. Not the biggest stage, but somehow I like it. It's like using magnifying class. I can hear new things that I didn't hear before. I think this (Qobuz -> HQPlayer -> Holo May -> Chord Anni -> Focal Utopia) is the most intoxicating sound I've found in my home setup. It hypnotizes me!


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## Middy

I did wonder if its by design that detailed sound with a hint of warmth.
For the Qutest owners. But how that worked with detailed headphones like focal or Sean's.. 
With my DCA ETHER 2s  I love the extra detail I get from the Anni. Personally I'd like a tad less warmth as a Qute Anni ether2 combo but as I go further on in this hobby synergy matters but no complaints really here... just preferences....


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## GoSUV

I am thinking of getting the Anni for small room near field listening with a pair of bookshelf speakers (ProAc Tablette Anniversary if that’s relevant). And I might occasionally use them to listen to headphones such as the Beyer T1.2.

My question is, if I connect the Anni to a Hugo2, and if I wanted to adjust volume using the H2 rather than the pot on the Anni, will it sound better and what position should I set the pot on the Anni? The reason is, I might want to tuck the Anni on the bottom of the shelf to reduce clutter, adjusting volume on the H2 will be more convenient due to the remote control - first world problem I know.

Or am I better off just getting a proper power amp for this use case?


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## Charente

Are there any ANNI & Meze EMPYREAN users that could share their experience ... preferably with the QUTEST DAC ?


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## Middy

Charente said:


> Are there any ANNI & Meze EMPYREAN users that could share their experience ... preferably with the QUTEST DAC ?


Sorry my friend, I only got a taste when trying the Qutest Anni at the store with my DCA ETHER 2s and asked the owner to try the EMPYREAN for a short while. It sounded about 10% better... cleaner detailed... I definitely recommend the SRC-DX DDC regardless as a big boost. But you can only decide if you get a trial unit or take your EMPYREANs to a store and try then....


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## Charente

Middy said:


> Sorry my friend, I only got a taste when trying the Qutest Anni at the store with my DCA ETHER 2s and asked the owner to try the EMPYREAN for a short while. It sounded about 10% better... cleaner detailed... I definitely recommend the SRC-DX DDC regardless as a big boost. But you can only decide if you get a trial unit or take your EMPYREANs to a store and try then....


Thank-you for your thoughts !


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## Middy

Just sorry I can't help, A tad warm but detailed with my Anni Qutest. Really happy as a purchase way above the Singxer SA1 modded and the Gilmore mk2 and PSU...
If you are feeding the Qutest USB swapping to the RCA via the Audiowise SRC-DX is a big boost..... i hope you find users who have the EMPYREAN anni stack... Nice to see you are still posting Charente  Salute..🙂


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## baneand

hey guys, can anyone compare Qutest + Anni with Qutest + Phonitor XE (if someone has them both). I was looking at Phonitor XE because of the big nice knob and retro looks, but 5kg of weight on the standing desk and big size is still putting me off. Then I started thinking about getting the Anni because I already have Qutest, and I saw that little thingy of knob at the front


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## jbarrentine (Oct 2, 2022)

At some point I saw a blurb about Anni having a fan, is that true? That immediately turns me off.


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## JanisR

jbarrentine said:


> At some point I saw a blurb about Anni having a fan, is that true? That immediately turns me off.


It does have a fan, yes, and it is clearly audible when on stand-by. When the amp is on and being used, the fan, on my unit at least, becomes loud - it actually fills the room. I use it with my PC+Qobus as the source and the Anni is way louder even when idle than my PC (I have quiet build with be quiet! fans in it). While I absolutely love the sound of it - detailed and musical with a touch of warm - the noise is becoming more and more of an issue. I use it with closed headphones mostly. When used with my HEDD headphones, I can hear the fan through them. It does look nice next to my Qutest so it's such a shame. Also, the volume knob can be an issue - it is noisy when turning and sometimes the noise fades for a good few seconds after I have stopped turning it. It would be great to have a headphone amp that is perfectly silent - I really hate the noise.


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## jbarrentine

Thank you. That completely removes any urge for the Anni. Time to put the gs-x mini in my crosshairs I guess.


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## JanisR

Do you know about the gs-x's sound signature? I like my sound a bit on the warm side. Before the Anni I had the Topping A90 and it was perfectly built, sounded smooth as silk but just a bit too neutral for my taste.


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## jbarrentine

JanisR said:


> Do you know about the gs-x's sound signature? I like my sound a bit on the warm side. Before the Anni I had the Topping A90 and it was perfectly built, sounded smooth as silk but just a bit too neutral for my taste.


 
Everything I've read and seen says a light touch warm.


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## baneand

I have almost decided to go for upcoming Violectric v222 to use with Qutest, then I heard about Anni which is basically made to fit great with Qutest, but the knob and the fan are turning me off.


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## johnnym

baneand said:


> I have almost decided to go for upcoming Violectric v222 to use with Qutest, then I heard about Anni which is basically made to fit great with Qutest, but the knob and the fan are turning me off.


I can't comment on the Phonitor, but I listened to the Qutest with Anni on my own HD800s at CanJam London. It sounded good. Obviously in such a noisy place I couldn't tell you if it was amazing or even better than my Schiit Jotunheim 2, neither could I tell you the fan was silent, but I couldn't hear it. However, my MacBook Pro's fan loves to come on and makes noise during the working day and is probably much noisier than the Anni, so I'm not worried about fan noise. When I'm not working I'll be on a chair 2m from the Anni so expect in a quiet room the distance will help reduce/remove noise. The one thing I disliked was the volume knob being small and yet went up in larger increments than I would like. Overall the form factor, blind believe in the Chrod pre-amp capabilities and fit with Qutest made me definitely consider it when the time comes. I will have to try at home for a period.


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## baneand

johnnym said:


> I can't comment on the Phonitor, but I listened to the Qutest with Anni on my own HD800s at CanJam London. It sounded good. Obviously in such a noisy place I couldn't tell you if it was amazing or even better than my Schiit Jotunheim 2, neither could I tell you the fan was silent, but I couldn't hear it. However, my MacBook Pro's fan loves to come on and makes noise during the working day and is probably much noisier than the Anni, so I'm not worried about fan noise. When I'm not working I'll be on a chair 2m from the Anni so expect in a quiet room the distance will help reduce/remove noise. The one thing I disliked was the volume knob being small and yet went up in larger increments than I would like. Overall the form factor, blind believe in the Chrod pre-amp capabilities and fit with Qutest made me definitely consider it when the time comes. I will have to try at home for a period.


thanks for feedback. Yeah for me it was attractive because it fits the qutest perfectly and I hear a lot good reviews about the sounds. Also another thing is I will use the 6.5mm jack which is right beside the already small knob so that sounds like it will be annoying


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## Jawed

JanisR said:


> I really hate the noise.


Yours sounds faulty. Why put up with it behaving like that? Get it replaced!


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## jbarrentine

baneand said:


> I have almost decided to go for upcoming Violectric v222 to use with Qutest, then I heard about Anni which is basically made to fit great with Qutest, but the knob and the fan are turning me off.


Isn't 222 just an old unit with a new name? I don't know that violectric is competitive anymore doing that.


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## baneand (Oct 5, 2022)

jbarrentine said:


> Isn't 222 just an old unit with a new name? I don't know that violectric is competitive anymore doing that.


Yeah as far I heard also. But I think that is good thing, it is not like that amp was bad. Still I will wait for reviews and comparisons when it comes out


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## JaquesGelee (Oct 5, 2022)

JanisR said:


> It does have a fan, yes, and it is clearly audible when on stand-by. When the amp is on and being used, the fan, on my unit at least, becomes loud - it actually fills the room. I use it with my PC+Qobus as the source and the Anni is way louder even when idle than my PC (I have quiet build with be quiet! fans in it). While I absolutely love the sound of it - detailed and musical with a touch of warm - the noise is becoming more and more of an issue. I use it with closed headphones mostly. When used with my HEDD headphones, I can hear the fan through them. It does look nice next to my Qutest so it's such a shame. Also, the volume knob can be an issue - it is noisy when turning and sometimes the noise fades for a good few seconds after I have stopped turning it. It would be great to have a headphone amp that is perfectly silent - I really hate the noise.


Like i said months ago. The fan is annoying on some units. With Open backs it was unlistenable. I had the Volume knob issue too plus a scratching noise while turning it.


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## Annarob1947

*is anyone having issues with Anni, mine is 3 weeks old, 4hrs on it,  headphones only, am an Audeze Lcd5 user, so when the power green light died and then came back after 5 mins as blue, im lookingxat both power and gain as blue domes.
Switched off unit ,swith back on , am greeted by both lights ,gain and power being red, contacted retailer, will replace, contacted Chord ,they haven't encountered this issue. *


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## JaquesGelee (Oct 16, 2022)

Annarob1947 said:


> *is anyone having issues with Anni, mine is 3 weeks old, 4hrs on it,  headphones only, am an Audeze Lcd5 user, so when the power green light died and then came back after 5 mins as blue, im lookingxat both power and gain as blue domes.
> Switched off unit ,swith back on , am greeted by both lights ,gain and power being red, contacted retailer, will replace, contacted Chord ,they haven't encountered this issue. *


Hello,

Very interesting. Please let us know, what's the issue here.

Do you have another headphone or cable to test with? Looks like either the amp protection doesn't work as normal. It also could be the 6.35mm plug, so the unit is switching between HP and speaker output for any reason.

Does the built in fan work well? Does the unit run hot?

Do you have the Volume knob on max with the Audeze? Could be also an auto turn off. Saw this happened in a store with connected LS50's by pushing the unit to the limit.

Is the power cable plug connected correctly? Is the plug straight connected to the wall? Do you use the adapter for powering the Qutest too?

How about the source volume? Do you have to crank up the Anni Volume?

And what about the Output of the Qutest? Please use a Maximum of 2V, not 3V as mentioned in the manual! Otherweise Anni runs hot and turns off!
Please check this first! Afterwards the Connections, then the headphone cable plug.

Anni Manual:



Qutest Manual:




Cheers


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## Annarob1947

Ok, its been replaced under warranty.
Now will answer your questions.
Runs quite hot, was surprised. 
Im using Lcd5 on 2pm volume setting.6.35 plug .
Plug is in properly, 2v on qutest as i usually use.
All the problems were, after awhile of use the power light went off totally, no light either green or red.
I switched unit off and then switched on again,  result was power and gain lights both blue, after 10 seconds both red and unit turned off.
Very distressing ,Chord uk were emailed,  the answer was  they haven't had this before. 
It was replaced by retailer  immediately


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## TheMiddleSky

JanisR said:


> Do you know about the gs-x's sound signature? I like my sound a bit on the warm side. Before the Anni I had the Topping A90 and it was perfectly built, sounded smooth as silk but just a bit too neutral for my taste.



Not SS, but if you like Anni sound, you may like Cayin HA-3A as well.


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## Annarob1947

TheMiddleSky said:


> Not SS, but if you like Anni sound, you may like Cayin HA-3A as well.


I have the Ferrum Oor and hypsos as well as Chord set up, i know all reviews say Ferrum is top toer but im much preferred Chord , Ferrum is very lacking in emotion for my taste


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