Headphones.com don’t collect sales tax as far as I can remember
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The rules are complicated, the rule is of you have a nexus in the state you have to register with the sate and collect sales tax.
The problem is lots of things can qualify as a Nexus, if the retailer resells through say Amazon there is a good chance that would count any state in which Amazon has a warehouse.
I know I’m always pleasantly surprised when I don’t end up paying it.
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While it’s not unusual, it’s definitely illegal. He was asking if they’re “legally” obligated to help out with taxes. I think the answer is yes, they are legally obligated to report taxes correctly. If he means if they’re legally obligated to help him recoup his US sales taxes since he’s not in the US, then that’s a different story. I would assume if he’s shipping it internationally, there’s no sales tax but he might be subject to import duties from his own country.
That’s why i said it was a very strange question.
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I’ve also been looking at soekris, exogal and even chord and although the exogal is probably the technically most advanced, I’m concerned about how to control it. There is talk about an optional/crappy IR remote and an outdated/unsupported app. Anybody any idea how to control it should the remote or app fail? Are the commands known so another remote can be programmed or something?
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I have absolutely no clue how taxes work in the US, dont know what sales taxes is…
If I use a proxy (I have a friend willing to), wouldnt the proxy have to pay the taxes anyway?
Now im torn between trying to use a proxy (dont understand how it works) or asking for international shipping (Mexico’s rate is about 40% import tax which I found insulting).
What would be the best route, im really confused. I see that exogal going further and further away from me which makes me very sad. 
If I dont get it I hope the soekris or chord are very close to the exogal in enjoyment…
I will repeat, one of the CONS of the EXOGAL units is the fact that they do NOT have any physical Controls. the remote works when in direct line of sight w/ the unit, the screen is small and hard to see. The app works fine if you have a device that can download the software, the BT is ok. You should not be fiddling w/ your DAC during a listening session and this one is not fun to fiddle w/. I prefer to control volume from my streamer or a pre-amp, or any way other than the EXOGAL Comet DAC. If you have NO remote and NO App you will own a brick, the DAC does NOT have any controls otherwise to power it on or use it, might as well throw it out.
Warning, SUBJECTIVE OPINION forthcoming → As far as comparisons go to performance, I am intimately familiar w/ the EXOGAL relative to a few other brands. I have no stake in you liking a unit or not and don’t care, but folks are comparing performance of these units incorrectly. They are more in-line w/ $5K++ tier units in performance, I’ll back my words up w/ listening sessions all day long. (MSRP pricing) This is NOT a negative comment to anyone here, but the used price of this unit is not in line w/ its performance ability which is why they are a good value if you find one that keeps working trouble free for a few years. 
The sound quality is fairly neutral, they are imaging freaks and promote a solid wide soundstage. If the front end is good enough, the background blackness is liquid and enhances instrument separation. They perform best being fed AES or BNC from a dedicated streamer source. The USB implementation will pick up noises from your source if they are present.
The company has gone bankrupt and you will have no support if your unit has issues, this is common in the used market thus you will be taking a chance on your money spent.
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Thanks, I’ve been through the exogal thread a few times already but I didn’t found any comment about a possible alternative to the remote and app so your comment in bold is my fear. Was wondering if somebody might have an alternative. In theory the IR commands can be replicated or programmed, if you have the original you should be able to ‘copy’ to a generic programmable remote and maybe read it out.
The remote is rarely on picture and I saw adverts referencing the app as a way to control. I wouldn’t be surprised if some sales you see are because they ended up in a brick situation. Better always ask if a working remote is included if you’re going for one imo…
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If I got this correctly
If I can find a working comet plus with a remote or compatible android app, ITS ALWAYS a better pick perfomance wise over the soekris/chord
But because im going to import it I have no way to test it and fear receiving a brick… which makes the other choices not so bad
Also I completely love the description m0n put of the qutest, thats a signature id like to try.
…
So, yeah, this makes the dilemma more complicated
@M0N is the qutest not a great technical performer for its price?
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I would agree, although I’d really prioritize getting a remote working over the app
It’s adequate but I wouldn’t call it class leading or anything, there’s better value out there if you’re after raw technicalities, the chord coloration is really going to be the main selling point here imo
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I have never heard a chord product, so I dont know its color.
The coloration is my main priority here if I dont manage to get the comet with a remote, I prefer a nice cool and sparkly presentation rather than a warm and soft one.
How correct is my idea of the chord coloration?
-beautiful sheen in the high end
-forward presentation
-smooth instruments as in less grainy
-slight treble bite
-not much added warmth like in the bf2
-great depth
-colorful rather than flat tonality (but leaning towards flat)
-very tight dynamics
Is the qutest very different to the bf2?
Is the dac2543 more similar to what I wrote?
Im going through the most painful health issue I have ever had in my life, I really appreciate your answers so I can pick the perfect dac for myself, im buying this as a coping mechanism.
When I return from the hospital I will have 2 new grados waiting for me, id like to also get a nice dac to celebrate.
My amplifiers are:
-yamamoto ha02
-bottlehead crack +s
-rnhp
-soloist 3xp
-audio technica bha100
-grado ra1
I currently use all of them with the bf2, but some of them would prefer something more analytical.
Thanks a lot!
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Not if they live jn a state with no sales tax
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I think your summation of the Qutest is pretty accurate (so was Mon’s, imo).
I think the Chord sound is basically an emphasis on transients with an overall smoothness to the sound. They also tend to have a more forward presentation, pushing details up a bit but in my experience the Qutest is the most laid back of their DACs (I’ve heard the TT2, and own the Mojo2 and previous Mojo).
Some find it lean, but I think it’s fairly neutral, and to my ears thr bf2 was warmer, but the Qutest extends deeper in bass.
The BF2 is a bit softer/warmer, and has a larger soundstage. Qutest presents in a more holographic way (spherical as opposed to a more traditional stereo, forward stage).
I liked the RNHP with the Qutest, I haven’t heard the other amplifiers listed.
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Ohh lovely. May I jump in and ask you about the differences?
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Thank you very much!
It seems I cant go wrong with whatever dac I pick
Its cali so yeah, 7.5 extra tax which is doable. So this is still a lot better choice than importing myself
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Of course.
The Mojo2 is a little more linear, and less v-shaped than the Mojo. It’s a better sound, imo.
The amp has a bit more power, but is cleaner sounding. Mojo2 is a bit more resolving as well, and ‘faster’ sounding to my ears.
I haven’t used the EQ, but I’ve tried the cross feed and it run, but I prefer the traditional left/right sound (cross feed narrowed the soundstage too much for me).
Hope that’s helps.
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@M0N when you say the dac2543 is no nonsense what do you mean exactly?
Is it a flat with regular presentations that lets the amp do its own thing?
My pleasure.
I really do love the Qutest. It’s not perfect, but it has a very enjoyable, natural-ish (because of the awesome transients, but smoothed over sound) , holographic sound.
Using it with the LTA MZ3 provides a very fast, holographic sound.
One thing that I forgot to mention was that power supplies do have an audible affect on sound. By just using a basic iFi X-Power made the Qutest punchier. Also, the USB is okay. I prefer TOSLINK or BNC (you can use a COAXIAL adapter).
The digital inputs are very sensitive. You’ll notice the difference when using better sources.
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Yes, thank you very much. It seems the Mojo 2 is the obvious choice over the OG. Your description of it makes me very excited about it and I’ve been curious about the Chord sound so this seems like a good option since I’ve been looking to get a portable amp.
I’m also getting an MZ3 soon. Since you’re mentioning the MZ3 + Qutest I would also love to hear about that combo. Do you have the MZ3? Which dacs have you tried it with? What traits does the Mojo 2 have that could give me insight into how the MZ3 + Qutest sound?
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Something that I think is less noticeably colored, and less exaggerated (not uncolored, nothing is uncolored, but it’s more neutral, and more garbage in garbage out). By a bit of consequence it also ends up typically being more picky and more unforgiving as well
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I’ve been using the MZ3 with the Qutest several months now.
It’s a very fun, dynamic, and holographic pairing but it can be lean sounding depending on headphones and tubes used.
I’m currently using some Lawton modded Fostex that are a fun, v-shaped headphone.
The MZ3 is very fast, and very Solid State like. It has that ‘right’ touch of sweetness that tubes provide, imo. It’s very detailed, and has an excellent, 3-dimensional staging (great stage height in addition to depth and width).
It’s just as good a preamp as a headphone amp. I used it with an old Yamaha AVR to power a pair of HifiMan HE6se.
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