Oh right. I think spending $1500 on just the DAC is dumb. The AMP does way more for the sound. I have a DAC/AMP not an AMP.

Longtime Qutest owner with a new Class A/AB Power amp here.... Have a few questions that I think may have relevance to others in this thread. 1. How to calculate the theoretically appropriate Voltage output for Qutest to properly utilize the sweetspot of a Power Amp. 2. To pre-amp or not to...

Depends on the amp. The Qutest is just a DAC, so any discussion of its tonality has to be framed in context of amp. What's your amp?

and a pre-amp.

I am somewhat surprised by the confusion on the DX amps. So if you want to connect to a conventional linear power amp, use Qutest. For power levels of 1W/8 use Hugo 2. 2W, use Dave. For greater powers, when we want to preserve transparency, then we need a DAC that has a more powerful OP stage -...

SMSL SP400, THX-888. Very lineral / transparent. Doesn't colour Qutest's out as Hugo2's internal amp does. I am looking for colourful / tonally rich amp for Qutest that doesn't loose the details. Any advice?

And I don't see the point in buying a Chord DAC if your not going to take advantage of the built in low impedance amp direct without coloring with some external amp/pre-amp, including top end tube.

The noise remains exactly the same absolute level with the three voltage settings - its a digital domain adjustment, no analogue changes whatsoever. The adjustment is to suit the pre-amp or amp overload issues, so it's entirely down to the connected amp as to which setting is best.

What I'm trying to figure out is how the Qutest would work with a DX power amp. (Or power pulse array / digital power amp...all these names. lol) Normally, I would connect the DAC to a preamp, which would then be connected to a power amp. The Qutest only has digital inputs and analog outputs...

Could any Qutest users please help: I am using a Qutest with a Beyerdynamic A2 amp and feeding the Qutest with my iPhone (Tidal) via USB. At the moment I can control the volume on my amp and iPhone. Is there anyway of fixing the volume to amp only? Thanks

Can you elaborate?! I have the same amp.., with Mojo, on 3V output ( desktop mode)! Rega states that the amp can receive 10V max! I think it's better with 3V! Or Maybe Mojo has been optimised for 3V!

Qutest is not a DX pre-amp, it's just a fixed level DAC! It has no DX digital outputs, and won't decode the volume on a DX input. DX is just a term...

...everyone's ears - and listening priorities - are different, so even someone who has your exact headphones and recommends one particular amp, you may never warm to it. So, once again, how do YOU like your steak? Another challenge you face is that it seems like you are trying to choose one...

What is your current amp?

There doesn’t seem to be enough power when simply connected through either amp. Totally devoid of bass. Would a pre-amp help?

On headphones with both on stock PSUs I have silence to max volume of head amp. On speakers a bit of hiss from the pre-amp is all.

What headphones?

I would consult Chord and your amp manufacturer on that.

Evening all, any recommendations on a solid state amp under £1000 I have a tube amp at the moment but think a little detail is lost and warmth is added with tubes.

Exactly. Let's not make a mountain out of a molehill. I'm surprised Chord bother to state the output impedance of line level output, most DACs don't.

The thing is, all this is so subjective (and dependent on so many factors) that you would probably want to bring your amp to shops and compare direct from the Hugo 2 to the Qutest with your amp (as well as both DACs with that amp), just to be sure what you prefer. There are plenty of others who...

I can't answer your question, but I would be interested to hear why you're not using the Hugo 2 as a headphone amp please? I'm trying to decide between purchasing the Hugo 2 or the Qutest. I currently drive Sennheiser HD800 headphones through a Lehmann Black Cube Linear (headphone amp) and want...

hi folks. my amp xiaudio broadway has xlr output only. can i use the xlr to rca adapter to connect chord qutest to my balance amp. is that any harm to the qutest?

Ah, so it's like I initially suspected from your comments—the DX amps are also DACs! :smile_cat: This all-in-one solution (including volume control) would make things so much more convenient. As long as the most affordable one isn't too much more expensive than the Qutest, I'd rather just wait...

Thank you for your fast answer! So,3V remains the best for my passive preamp?