https://forum.quantasylum.com/t/qa404-and-qa403-update/795
The price keeps climbing $650.
https://forum.quantasylum.com/t/qa404-availability/789
"Update Apr-7-2023: After a long period of the product being out of stock due to silicon shortages, we expect to start taking order"s and shipping QA403s again next week. The shortage issues are still ongoing in various forms, so expect some hiccups in the coming weeks and months."
"..the QA404 hasn’t started selling yet, but it should in the next few months. The newsletter email signup is linked below. When it’s ready, there will be an email sent out."
The price keeps climbing $650.
https://forum.quantasylum.com/t/qa404-availability/789
"Update Apr-7-2023: After a long period of the product being out of stock due to silicon shortages, we expect to start taking order"s and shipping QA403s again next week. The shortage issues are still ongoing in various forms, so expect some hiccups in the coming weeks and months."
"..the QA404 hasn’t started selling yet, but it should in the next few months. The newsletter email signup is linked below. When it’s ready, there will be an email sent out."
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Hi all,
the QA403 is now available in Europe at ELEKTOR.
https://www.elektor.de/quantasylum-qa403-24-bit-audio-analyzer
The QA404 seems to come later since the production of the QA403 is running again.
the QA403 is now available in Europe at ELEKTOR.
https://www.elektor.de/quantasylum-qa403-24-bit-audio-analyzer
The QA404 seems to come later since the production of the QA403 is running again.
I was seriously considering purchasing one of these units. But, after seeing all of the BS associated with actually trying to obtain one, I decided against it. Not a business/marketing model that I am interested in doing business with....
What exactly is the unforgivable crime?
They make a product so popular it’s sold out.
You don’t have one and would like it cheaper if you did have one and for that reason you decide they must be ripping everyone off?
They make an extremely well engineered, USA deigned and built professional audio product with free support and software that requires no license for a fraction of the price of any other spectrum analyser on the market. I’m delighted to see this innovate small business thrive.
There is no doubt that the device has an outstanding quality in its class. But the US price of $600 and the EU price of $890 is quite remarkable. Not a business case for me.
Wow! You certainly have issues! Adding your own slant to my statement; bit of a fanboy? Try doing some research on the topic BEFORE before you go shooting your mouth off...
Let's examine that.
You could purchase a Topping D10 balanced for the source side. According to Amazon, that's $140. (I'm rounding up to the nearest $10 level for all of these. Shipping is excluded, and it would be higher for multiple purchases than just for one package from Quant Asylum.) The performance is comparable to the QA403, but it is limited to balanced output. There is an unbalanced version from Topping for about $30 less. E1DA may or may not offer a Cosmos DAC in the future. There is one shown on their website, but Ivan has said on a couple forums that there may not be enough consumer demand for such a product, so he might not be selling a DAC.
For the ADC, the comparable product from E1DA is $210.
The input impedance of the E1DA Cosmos ADC is rather low by design, so you'd probably want something like an AutoRanger (excellent, but no longer available, I believe) or the APU from E1DA to give the flexibility available from having a higher load impedance for the DUT. So, add $100 for the APU. Or, wait for the E1DA Scaler which is pretty similar in concept to the AutoRanger - price unknown, but a guess would put it in the $100 range, plus or minus a dB or two.
On top of that, the E1DA Cosmos ADC and the Topping DACs aren't isolated through their USB ports. That often causes noise issues in a test system set-up. So, you'd need something like a Topping HS02, at $100, to supply that capability that's built into the QA403. To be fair, I understand that a new version of the Cosmos ADC will have USB isolation built-in, but I presume there will be a price adjustment.
So, you add that all up and it's $550. Not too distant from $600. Factor in shipping and all, and it's even closer.
There's no question that there's some pluses to the QA403 and there's some pluses to the E1DA and Topping based solution. For every plus for one, there's a minus for the other. But, on a dollar basis, they're very close.
I didn't even try researching the EU prices or the shipping to Europe. That could make a big difference, or very little. Dunno.
Further note: I have had zero difficulty dealing with either E1DA or QuantAsylum.
Full disclosure: I have nothing to do with any of these companies. I paid full price for my QA401 (and QA480). I paid full price for a D10s. I paid full price for the Cosmos ADC, the thermostat board, and the Cosmos APU. I built the AutoRanger from a "half-kit" that I paid for like everybody else. I bought an HS02, which works, but I prefer the USB isolator I built myself. I like using each system for different tests. I am on the fence about buying a QA404. But, how much of this test stuff does an amateur really need? So, I probably will just jump off that fence and stick with what I already have.
I looked around and found some plots that show the value proposition of the D10s DAC > AutoRanger > E1DA Cosmos ADC set-up, with the use of a USB isolator.
Compare these two plots with those found here: ASR D10s Review. The measurements at the link were of the D10s DAC made with the latest (at the time, anyway) version of the most elaborate Audio Precsion test system.
These tests above were made with Room Equalization Wizard and Multitone, respectively. Both are great pieces of software.
Arguably, the results I got for the multitone test are superior. I'd guess that's because of my use of a USB isolator device. The Audio Precision test system has great CMRR, but it does start to degrade at higher frequencies.
Point is, this is what you can get with test gear that costs about 2% of what the comparable Audio Precision system costs. I certainly get why commercial enterprises use AP. It's the standard. Nobody questions the test results. But, I don't care about that for my own use.
As I said, I don't own a QA403, so I can't show any test results for it. The published specs appear to be similar for what I showed above.
Compare these two plots with those found here: ASR D10s Review. The measurements at the link were of the D10s DAC made with the latest (at the time, anyway) version of the most elaborate Audio Precsion test system.
These tests above were made with Room Equalization Wizard and Multitone, respectively. Both are great pieces of software.
Arguably, the results I got for the multitone test are superior. I'd guess that's because of my use of a USB isolator device. The Audio Precision test system has great CMRR, but it does start to degrade at higher frequencies.
Point is, this is what you can get with test gear that costs about 2% of what the comparable Audio Precision system costs. I certainly get why commercial enterprises use AP. It's the standard. Nobody questions the test results. But, I don't care about that for my own use.
As I said, I don't own a QA403, so I can't show any test results for it. The published specs appear to be similar for what I showed above.
After some further research, I found that perhaps a better source would be the Topping E50. It has both balanced and unbalanced outputs and somewhat better distortion performance than the D10s. The ASR review of the E50 shows distortion performance pretty comparable to the published performance of the QA403.
The difference is $60 compared to the D10s. Now, the performance of the two systems really is virtually identical as are the test system prices.
It appears that the going price to measure distortion at this level is about $600 US.
The QA403 offers everything in one box. That could be a plus or a minus. The QA403 comes with a very good software suite, but you're pretty much limited to using that software. That could also be a plus or a minus.
It's nice to have choices.
The difference is $60 compared to the D10s. Now, the performance of the two systems really is virtually identical as are the test system prices.
It appears that the going price to measure distortion at this level is about $600 US.
The QA403 offers everything in one box. That could be a plus or a minus. The QA403 comes with a very good software suite, but you're pretty much limited to using that software. That could also be a plus or a minus.
It's nice to have choices.
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there is also a reiew of the QA403 at ELEKTOR
https://www.elektormagazine.com/news/quantasylum-qa403-audio-analyzer-review
About the price.
Somebody compared $600 to Euro 800 (or 720 as an Elektor member).
Please read the details on the QA page!
The $600 is without VAT.
If you buy it from Germany there is shipping cost of $64.
You have to pay import tax of 19% of the sum (600 + 64). The german VAT.
Then custom duty.
Now you can compare.
In case of trouble you have to send it back to the US.
Have a look at DHL for prices!
https://www.elektormagazine.com/news/quantasylum-qa403-audio-analyzer-review
About the price.
Somebody compared $600 to Euro 800 (or 720 as an Elektor member).
Please read the details on the QA page!
The $600 is without VAT.
If you buy it from Germany there is shipping cost of $64.
You have to pay import tax of 19% of the sum (600 + 64). The german VAT.
Then custom duty.
Now you can compare.
In case of trouble you have to send it back to the US.
Have a look at DHL for prices!
Thank you for the link to the review.
I don't live in Europe, so I don't really understand the details of how duties, VAT, and other taxes work there. Are Asian sourced products like the E1DA Cosmos devices subject to the same added costs?
I don't live in Europe, so I don't really understand the details of how duties, VAT, and other taxes work there. Are Asian sourced products like the E1DA Cosmos devices subject to the same added costs?
No. You pay the VAT of your country, not the Gernan one (except if you buy within Germany of course).
To compare prices, it's usually best to look at prices before VAT.
You are right. I am German and I live inGermany, so I took the german VAT.
What matters for me is how much do I have to pay (no matter to whom) to get the QA403 on my table.
Fortunately it is already (719 plus 5 Euro shipping from Elektor as a member)
What matters for me is how much do I have to pay (no matter to whom) to get the QA403 on my table.
Fortunately it is already (719 plus 5 Euro shipping from Elektor as a member)
