In about 2 hours it will be 2024 over here, and I will be otherwise engaged !! So may I wish you all a Happy & Prosperous New Year

A good suggestion but even a LIM is €2,800 in Europe. A MIB is over €3,000

I don't find the QUTEST soft at all, in my chain (below). Use the white filter for a more 'incisive' sound. I can't comment on the Bifrost ... I don't have one.

How about 'smoothly incisive' ? :relaxed:

I would NOT characterise the QUTEST as inherently warm/soft to my ears ... more on the incisive side ... although there are filters that can bring down that incisiveness just a smidgeon. I have it paired with a Burson Soloist (which is on the leaner side) but that's because of the warm character...

Sadly, it's €38.75 when you access from Europe ... probably still a good buy tho'

I'm not sure what HMS is, to which you refer. However, I can suggest that replacement of stock PS on the Qutest will improve the bass ... see my comment above yours. Some people swear by battery PS units ... I went with an ultra low noise linear PS that measures really well ... approx €80.

Yes and Yes :relaxed:

Tout à fait (i.e. absolutely)

Oh, mon dieu !! :astonished:

Yes, I agree that (to my ears) Mojo2 does sound 'flat' from cold. It seems to take 30 minutes to really sing. I don't have the channel problems you describe tho'.

Nor me ... I'm in the wrong timezone to watch & comment !

Yes, I agree ... matching is key to get the most out of the Qutest. I spent some time looking at that on my headphone rig. Finally settled on the Burson Soloist, Meze Empyrean with silver hybrid cable and Alcantara pads. The final piece was a different power supply for the Qutest, which made a...

Black on top of silver visually jars ... but that's just me !

... and we've all heard about sewage in the UK !!