Just picked up a Chord Qutest

Yes, I was very impressed by it too after having it for over a week on demo.  I am still waiting though, don't have my own yet.  Enjoy

NJB posted:

I had been using a Mojo in my main system for two years.  After messing around with a number of different DACs, I thought that the Mojo had a certain vibe that my other (admittedly budget end) DACs lacked.  When the Qutest was launched, it was just what I had been waiting for.  No batteries, no headphone amp that I would never use.

I am told that the Qutest takes time to burn in.  So this is going to be good, because after a few hours of playing with it then it already has the Mojo licked.  Most obvious is the bass, well controlled and textured.  However, it just feels like I am getting in bucket loads, what I had been spoon fed before.

Very happy camper

 

Very cool. What are you feeding it?

How heavy is it?

.sjb

Sloop John B posted:

How heavy is it?

.sjb

Ha, quite heavy, so I put it back down with the rest of the hifi kit!

spurrier sucks posted:

NJB posted:

I had been using a Mojo in my main system for two years.  After messing around with a number of different DACs, I thought that the Mojo had a certain vibe that my other (admittedly budget end) DACs lacked.  When the Qutest was launched, it was just what I had been waiting for.  No batteries, no headphone amp that I would never use.

I am told that the Qutest takes time to burn in.  So this is going to be good, because after a few hours of playing with it then it already has the Mojo licked.  Most obvious is the bass, well controlled and textured.  However, it just feels like I am getting in bucket loads, what I had been spoon fed before.

Very happy camper

 

Very cool. What are you feeding it?

At the moment, a Bluesound Node 2.  I am sure that there will be plenty of people that will tell me that it could be improved upon.  I am using it via optical, but might try coax.  I know that this can sometimes give a difference, although it seems a source of great debate with mixed conclusions.

Haven't heard BSN2 but plenty of good reviews on it. On par ow even best the Auralic Aries Mini which I have had. Very good streamer IMO. I've considered "downsizing" to a SN2/Qutest/AAM. Interested in how the Qutest does over the next few weeks for you. 

The dealer that sold me the Qutest, was trying to sell me a Linear PSU to go with it.  I did not take that, having read some threads about the stock PSU being perfectly adequate.  However, over time, I know that is going to gnaw at me!  

why would chord put a poor psu in with dac when they know it would degrade the sound  . just site the psu away from the dac.ive listened to it and to me it sound similar to hugo but more use friendly   enjoy 

I might get a chance to hear the Qutest tomorrow for the first time,I am returning a demo Dave to my dealer.He has his Qutest hooked up to his Blu2,while I used his Dave.I also had the Hugo 2 for a few weeks at home,and I thought it was really good.I might just sit on the sidelines for a while though,see what the next couple of years bring in the Chord world...it is rapidly advancing it seems.

what do you think of Dave as compared to Hugo 2.

I think the Chord Dac technology is mature now, there will no further changes from this line up for another few years.

FPGA are not high volume devices, and hence there isn't much price reduction possible for the next decade.

There is a finite number of buyers prepared to spend north of £1,000 on a dac and once they have all purchased units and demand for Hugo 2 and Qutest falls off in a couple of years say Chord will release another product, in fact I wouldn't be at all surprised if the design stage is already under way.  They are a business after all.

analogmusic posted:

what do you think of Dave as compared to Hugo 2.

I think the Chord Dac technology is mature now, there will no further changes from this line up for another few years.

FPGA are not high volume devices, and hence there isn't much price reduction possible for the next decade.

As far as using it as a DAC goes,the Dave just gives you more if everything that you get with H2...but,by no means is it a HUGE difference.I was definitely smiling a lot while listening to the Dave,but I was disappointed that the headphone amp seems to be malfunctioning.The soundstage seemed to really expand with the Dave,more than with H2,I also did not feel like it took away the Naim sound,just made it better...not sure it is 13 K better though.

s

spurrier sucks posted:

Haven't heard BSN2 but plenty of good reviews on it. On par ow even best the Auralic Aries Mini which I have had. Very good streamer IMO. I've considered "downsizing" to a SN2/Qutest/AAM. Interested in how the Qutest does over the next few weeks for you. 

Hi, well the BSN2 took a bit of a bashing recently from one of the big magazines.  However, I have always enjoyed it and have been using it as a streamer, always with a separate DAC.  I take regular bashings on here for having a poorly balanced set up, with a weak source.  I am hoping that the Qutest addresses some of the problems.

It is too early to make a clear judgement on the Qutest, but the initial impressions are that it is a gem.  I was happy with the Mojo, but this is a step up.  Much more detail, revealing little background pieces that I had not picked up on before.  Imaging is impressive, as is staging.  A bit like when you first realised there were lossless formats, and wondered if they were better than mp3.  If you were happy with mp3 and cannot see the fuss, then the Qutest is not for you.  If FLAC etc improved your enjoyment then the Qutest is worth a listen.  

NJB posted:

spurrier sucks posted:

Haven't heard BSN2 but plenty of good reviews on it. On par ow even best the Auralic Aries Mini which I have had. Very good streamer IMO. I've considered "downsizing" to a SN2/Qutest/AAM. Interested in how the Qutest does over the next few weeks for you. 

Hi, well the BSN2 took a bit of a bashing recently from one of the big magazines.  However, I have always enjoyed it and have been using it as a streamer, always with a separate DAC.  I take regular bashings on here for having a poorly balanced set up, with a weak source.  I am hoping that the Qutest addresses some of the problems.

It is too early to make a clear judgement on the Qutest, but the initial impressions are that it is a gem.  I was happy with the Mojo, but this is a step up.  Much more detail, revealing little background pieces that I had not picked up on before.  Imaging is impressive, as is staging.  A bit like when you first realised there were lossless formats, and wondered if they were better than mp3.  If you were happy with mp3 and cannot see the fuss, then the Qutest is not for you.  If FLAC etc improved your enjoyment then the Qutest is worth a listen.  

'Taking a bashing here" is not hard to do. When adding a 555PS to address issues is the advice giving here you have to weed through lots of comments. 

NJB posted:

If you were happy with mp3 and cannot see the fuss, then the Qutest is not for you.  If FLAC etc improved your enjoyment then the Qutest is worth a listen.  

au contraire, from my perspective at least: i mostly listen to internet radio and thought the Hugo 2 was a nice improvement over my previous 2Qute, despite its daily diet of thin gruel. (mostly FIP Paris.)

It's an interesting comparison the MP3 vs FLAC, and 2qute vs Hugo2.  I suspect the magnitude of difference with a Qutest vs the DAC-V1 (which I own) is much greater, but at the same time, as I attempted to express in my own write-up for the Qutest, it's not that different in presentation, it's just much better at delivering it.    

joe9407 posted:

NJB posted:

If you were happy with mp3 and cannot see the fuss, then the Qutest is not for you.  If FLAC etc improved your enjoyment then the Qutest is worth a listen.  

au contraire, from my perspective at least: i mostly listen to internet radio and thought the Hugo 2 was a nice improvement over my previous 2Qute, despite its daily diet of thin gruel. (mostly FIP Paris.)

Not the point I was trying to make, but it is good to know that the rise through the Chord DAC hierarchy yields benefits, regardless of the source.

As a owner of chord 2Qute myself I’m very interested if someone done a straight comparison between 2Qute and Qutest?

NJB posted:

spurrier sucks posted:

Haven't heard BSN2 but plenty of good reviews on it. On par ow even best the Auralic Aries Mini which I have had. Very good streamer IMO. I've considered "downsizing" to a SN2/Qutest/AAM. Interested in how the Qutest does over the next few weeks for you. 

Hi, well the BSN2 took a bit of a bashing recently from one of the big magazines.  However, I have always enjoyed it and have been using it as a streamer, always with a separate DAC.  I take regular bashings on here for having a poorly balanced set up, with a weak source.  I am hoping that the Qutest addresses some of the problems.

It is too early to make a clear judgement on the Qutest, but the initial impressions are that it is a gem.  I was happy with the Mojo, but this is a step up.  Much more detail, revealing little background pieces that I had not picked up on before.  Imaging is impressive, as is staging.  A bit like when you first realised there were lossless formats, and wondered if they were better than mp3.  If you were happy with mp3 and cannot see the fuss, then the Qutest is not for you.  If FLAC etc improved your enjoyment then the Qutest is worth a listen.  

Well soundstage, details and image are not very high on my list, involvement and tonal balance need to be spot on before even thinking stage.

Tbh the looks of these Chord products are downright ugly and strange imo

1200 for the funny box with a simple wall psu, come on, can it really be that good ?

I know a listen can change everything, so far the Hugo has been a dealbreaker for me due to battery powered.

Perol posted:

NJB posted:

spurrier sucks posted:

Haven't heard BSN2 but plenty of good reviews on it. On par ow even best the Auralic Aries Mini which I have had. Very good streamer IMO. I've considered "downsizing" to a SN2/Qutest/AAM. Interested in how the Qutest does over the next few weeks for you. 

Hi, well the BSN2 took a bit of a bashing recently from one of the big magazines.  However, I have always enjoyed it and have been using it as a streamer, always with a separate DAC.  I take regular bashings on here for having a poorly balanced set up, with a weak source.  I am hoping that the Qutest addresses some of the problems.

It is too early to make a clear judgement on the Qutest, but the initial impressions are that it is a gem.  I was happy with the Mojo, but this is a step up.  Much more detail, revealing little background pieces that I had not picked up on before.  Imaging is impressive, as is staging.  A bit like when you first realised there were lossless formats, and wondered if they were better than mp3.  If you were happy with mp3 and cannot see the fuss, then the Qutest is not for you.  If FLAC etc improved your enjoyment then the Qutest is worth a listen.  

Well soundstage, details and image are not very high on my list, involvement and tonal balance need to be spot on before even thinking stage.

Tbh the looks of these Chord products are downright ugly and strange imo

1200 for the funny box with a simple wall psu, come on, can it really be that good ?

I know a listen can change everything, so far the Hugo has been a dealbreaker for me due to battery powered.

 

Everybody has their own view.  Hifi is an expensive hobby, and the Qutest is far from the worst culprit in my mind.  I like to listen to music, sometimes to nitpick details and sometimes to let it wash over me.  The Mojo was a game changer for me, it had a vibrancy that I described as ‘analogue’ sounding whereas some of the previous ones still sounded too clinical.  I think that the Qutest retains that involvement.  However, as always, a Home demo will determine what you think of the ‘funny box’.  All coloured lights and not much inside.  I didn’t buy it on looks though and it does sound superb.

Perol posted:

Well soundstage, details and image are not very high on my list, involvement and tonal balance need to be spot on before even thinking stage.

Tbh the looks of these Chord products are downright ugly and strange imo

1200 for the funny box with a simple wall psu, come on, can it really be that good ?

I know a listen can change everything, so far the Hugo has been a dealbreaker for me due to battery powered.

 

I absolutely get that detail isn't everything.  The seemingly poor quality power supply?  Well, let's give another brand some credit, I am sure they wouldn't release a product without the power supply being adequate, even if the power requirements are different to what we might expect.  I didn't think I would like the Chord Hugo-type things, but, and  while not perfect, the 2qute impressed me when demoing speakers. The Qutest in my own system?  It's punchy, weighty, and yes, it's detailed, but not in the rubbish top and bottom way.  It's all digital trickery, and not even necessarily true to the original recording, but it does work musically.

The chord Dacs are musical. 

And I find them true to the original recording. I’ve compared them to analog vinyl and there’s no digital trickery involved. 

by default the sales of hugo  1, which was put on the market for mobile headphones . then the sales rocketed when guys were using them in their systems ,me included ,with excellent result.  i had two issues with the battery supply.  hugo 2 tweaked with better battery supply etc. 

now the quietest is designed for the rack.  i rarely use headphones indoors ,the connections on the hugo were problematic ..

ive demoed the new dac and there seems to be slight improvement  without the battery/crossfade/headphone amp .  good buy at 1200.  may go back to chord.  I sold the hugo because of battery issues...  rumours say that a decent external psu improves it. time will tell.  dealers are selling them fast  .  Plenty of v good dacs on the market ,great for the customer..  Didn't think the dave dac was worth the extra  cash ..

All quite interesting indeed. Question remains how Qutest compares with Hugo 2. I am still not a fan of a 3.5mm dig input though. ????

Chag -

analogmusic posted:

I’ve compared them to analog vinyl and there’s no digital trickery involved. 

What have you compared to analog vinyl?  Below is the most informative explanation of how the Chord DACs work you're likely to get in my view, and what it adds up to for me, is a lot of digital trickery, although seemingly very effective.