No mention of 475 in this discussion?
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Mission accomplished
Now just have to decide wether I get the QS or the mk428 which are within budget. Or a headphone from the list.
Mk428 seems to be a reference ish sound but with a ton of fun elements added to it and maybe neutral bright. I really really liked your description of its sound. So I dont really need a PSU if im running battery but is the PSU worth the price compared to just using the battery?
The QS nick said is great value cause I can tube roll it to my liking, and I dont know how warm, punchy, slammy, snappy and textured it can get even though I read your review im new to tube rolling.
Ill trust the passlabs for now and not consider the he1000 yet, also the SE is quite more expensive. Id prefer to avoid huge egg shaped hifimen if possible but they do get the FR just right sometimes.
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Literally just 424/428 but with a type c port, nothing else different (from what I know)
I think Iād come down to how often youād actually go portable, and also if that sound appeals to you. Either the mk or the qs is great value, and a great alternative to your pass sound wise (although lower in overall performance)
The psu is only worth it if you use it more often on the desk, because that really just is worth it for the sake of not changing batteries every 4 hours lol. It also gives you a bit more flexiblity in playing around with how it leans imo
Youād really just want to pick another amp to compare to for a reference to know. Not exactly sure what youāre asking
IIRC theyāve come down quite a bit on the used market now, but not super up to date on the used prices for them. Iād really just suggest waiting to get the pass in and go from there after you feel things out more and determine whatās really going to happen with your setup/collection
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On one hand I really just dont go portable ever. On the other hand I love the way you described its sound more than the way you described the quicksilver
Im comparing the 428 to the quicksilver, I know the synergies will be different but if possible id like to compare between them
Resolving ability or detail
Slam
Bass impact
Macrodynamics
Microdynamics
Texturing
Bass extension
Treble extension
Depth
Width
Forwardness
Snappiness and bite
Grip and control
Also everything else you said, thanks for the advice
Resolving ability or detail: MK > QS
Slam: QS = MK
Bass punch: MK > QS
Macrodynamics: QS >= MK
Microdynamics: MK >= QS
Texturing: MK > QS
Bass extension: MK >= QS
Treble extension: MK > QS
Depth: MK > QS
Width: QS >> MK
Forwardness: MK >> QS
Snappiness and bite: MK >> QS
Grip and control: MK > QS
This is a bit misleading since it makes it look like the qs just falls behind overall, but the QS is just a lot more immediately involving and immersive of an amp than the MK is, and itās hard to really convey that in something like this. Truthfully if I had to choose between the two, I do think that the qs is a better pick for just listening enjoyment/pleasure (uncommonly good at being that for the price point while still having actually good technicalities), and the mk is more of what Iād use as more a reference amp and something to have an enjoyable and engaging listening experience still but more focused on accuracy to the recording/rest of the chain.
The QS focuses a lot more on really impressive space size, grandness/scale, and just immersiveness presentation wise whereas the MK is a lot more focused on being smaller scale, more pinpoint and very defined in itās smaller space. QS is more out of head focus whereas MK is more in head focus when it comes to space and presentation imo
QS is also something that in comparison is going to be a bit smoother and more relaxed overall, but not to where itās all that soft or sloppy, or lacking decent bite and stuff, but itās just not as immediate and energetic as the mk is, the mk will be less forgiving overall with more bite and finer control. The QS actually Iād say slams a bit harder, but the MK has better tightness and punch so it makes up for that and doesnāt feel limp.
Something really nice about the quicksilver is itās weighting, which is really nicely balanced a bit more toward the richer side of things but never feels like too much or off or intrusive. Whereas the mk is also really good at weighting but is a bit more on the leaner side of things overall.
Overall signature wise, the mk feels more neutral bright, and the quicksilver almost feels eversoslightly w shaped, but still pretty neutral overall for a tube amp of this class (in general percieved tonality at least)
Dynamically I think the QS can handle the bigger swings a bit better, and also has a tad bit of that contrasty effect that really nicely highlights the dynamics of a piece without feeling artifical. The mk can also handle bigger swings well but I think itās stronger in handling more of the lower level nuance of things honestly, which does mean at times it feels sometimes dynamically average, but when the music actually has it, it comes alive (where the qs feels always very alive in that aspect)
Both are pretty nicely resolving, the MK is more resolving, although I might say the QS feels a tad bit more organically presented of that resolution but MK is still really close on that front and has more to offer still.
And so on. I think itās hard to really make a good comparison since both are pretty different amps, despite actually working well with a lot of the same headphones in my mind. The MK feels a lot more like a traditional headphone amp than the QS does, but a very very very well executed traditional headphone amp in my mind. The QS feels more like a unique experience in the headphone amp realm esp for the price, and thatās not really a gimmick or something that has worn off for me
I think it would come down to if youāre after raw technicalities and something a bit more neutral/middleground, or are after something a bit more immediately fun and engaging all the time
There would be a lot to cover when it comes to pairings, but Iād say that the QS actually handles a wider range of headphones better, but thatās only because of the fact it can handle things like the he6, hekse, and some others that I didnāt find actually all that satisfactory on the mass kobo. I think they both handle higher impedance dynamics about equally well, but the real differentiating factor might actually be in lower impedance dynamics, where I might slightly sway in favor more toward the QS (as an example I liked grado and lower impedance AT more on the QS, but like th900s/denons more on the MK). Really a bit of a tossup there and I think it would more come down to preference lol
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You are goat of comparisons man, this helped me out a lot. Im leaning a bit more towards the MK428 but just by a tiny amount, if it is unavailable and the QS is available I would go for the QS no problem.
Last questions
How important is it to tube roll the QS, and if you have done it, how difficult it is to tweak to my preferred signature?
Is the MK really all that different from the pass labs hpa1?
I think stock tubes are fine, but thereās some nice tube swapping options still. I have my brief experiences denoted in my article, but Iām not the best person to ask about tube swapping, I know @Hazi59 has done a fair amount of swapping on the qs that would be helpful to go over what heās said about it (on both here and hfg)
Yes. The MK is still a fair bit more forward than the pass, more bite and edge, more texture forward, more energetic, (a bit) more macrodynamic, and more focused in presentation. Thatās a bit inadequate of a comparison, but I do think they fit different use cases
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This made me even more sure about the MK! But I will still search for QS in case theres a better offer
And yeah, hazi is the goat of reviewing tubes, tho he has different preferences than me he can figure out which tubes id like
Got some news on the Mass Kobo 394II.
I was talking to a dealer in the US (cause I want one, but probably wonāt be able to buy until March or May) and he informed me that the 394 II wonāt be available by the end of this year due to parts availability. As far as the dealer knows, this is only the 394II and it will not affect the 433.
From his last conversation with Masada-San, the 394II wonāt be available beyond one or two to order this year.
I most likely wonāt get it and I am not going to sell anything to get it. I will probably wait for whatever next model Masada-San will create to replace the 394II. If anyone is interested in the 394II, you better get one right now before its all gone.
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Would probably help to know what headphones he was using. But I do kinda do want to try out a Mass Kobo amp 1 day, everyone always had really good impressions of them no matter what model it is.
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Same here!
Leaning over the 433 because of the approachable price (For me).
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https://x.com/MASSkobo/status/1701543539069648932?s=20
From the translation of this tweet:
Model 394 ā ” , which is manufactured exclusively for overseas use, is scheduled to be discontinued by the end of the year due to current orders.
433 is heading my way and should be here by the end of the week. Expect impressions with Susvara, Utopia and Stellia to follow soon after.
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Probably a dynamic. The lower end mass kobo didnāt do very well with planars or harder to drive headphones.
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Awesome!
Iām looking forward to this!
Somewhat agreed, any of the inefficent planar arenāt really all that satisfactory on the 424/428 or 433, only ones that really do that well are the 394ii and likely 465 (even with the 394 the amp really seems most at home with dynamics). Any of the modern mk can handle easier to drive planar pretty great though imo, and I donāt think Iāve had an issue with harder to drive higher impedance dynamics either. Just donāt expect anything like a susvara to be all that great outside of the 465
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I donāt expect it to handle Susvara well but will give it a try since itās already here. Itās more for having an experiment that Iāll be able to reference when I get my 465 delivered.
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Hey m0n do you have any thoughts on the mk428 SE output?
I realize half of my collection is single ended, easy to drive though. except the akg k812
Im going to buy this amp tomorrow lol, I think it will be godlike with a th900ltd
Also couldnt find the headphones I want used so ill go for this one
I really barely use it, outside of just for convenience with lower end headphones, so I canāt actually say much lol
I really like it with the th900, looking forward to what you think about it lol
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Me too but I need the bal cable to also arrive and the psu it may take some time. Delivery time in my country is shit
@M0N do you have a reccomendation for xlr to 4.5 pentacon or the y cable? I didnt find it on the budget cables thread