I'm also back into this thread, after being away for a while, as I'm tempted to get a LPS for my Qutest and looking at the Fidelity Audio base model. I already have one for my Bluesound Node 2i, and have been very happy with it.

Wouldn't the room work better with the sofa and the speakers swapping positions? Or put another way, the door is in the wrong place :relaxed:

I'm also exploring a LPS for the Qutest. I even made myself a IEC powercord today ready for it :sunglasses: Which LPS did you get DJW50?

Comparing the internal DAC in my Hegel H120 to an external Qutest DAC is simple and easy and highlights how good the Qutest is. The Hegel's DAC is more than fine, and sounds more forward/brighter but the Qutest is smoother and more natural, and easier to listen to over extended periods. [This...

At the budget end you also have the Yamaha MusicCast amps eg RN-402, 602 etc. The 402 also has DAB. You'd need to plug in an external HD for the storage. There's also the Bluesound Powernode/Vault, NAD C700, plus the more expensive NAD masters one-boxers (M10 V2, M33)

Sounds good. I've been in contact with John at Temple so I'll be getting a supercharger to try soon :relaxed:

Interesting, Alvin. They aren't a million miles from me, so may try to get hold of a demo unit.

I have the linear PS from Fidelity Audio that Rhinonine mentions above (into a Node 2i rather than the Node, if that's relevant). I'm not really sure how much it brought to the party as you can't really do a back-to-back so easily as it takes a while to fit the board inside the Node, but hey ho...

I don't have an Anni, but my 2p is that 2V sounds better than 1V, into a Hegel H120. Also, I've been testing the Qutest against the Hegel's inbuilt DAC this week, which has been interesting. The Qutest is better, as expected, but on well-recorded tracks it's quite close. The key difference is...

My Node (2i) was a bit hit and miss over wifi but once I connected it via ethernet it has been very stable, and a joy to use. I like the BluOS. Once I'd learned how to use it, it's been great.

this doesn't answer your question @Moonglum ...but if it helps, I also wrestled between the Ares and the Qutest decision. I plumped for the Chord in the end, as I felt it would better handle upgrades to elsewhere in the system i.e had more 'potential' but also because it was UK-made (which is...

I've tested my Node 2i wired* and wireless and I didn't notice any changes in sound quality but the wireless dropped out occasionally, so wired is more/100% reliable, and it responds to volume changes more quickly. * the 'wired' version in this case was just plugging the Node into a TP-Link...

the new Node is out soon/now? so the 2i may well be discounted soon, so sub-£400 prices possible (UK) so tempted to get another for the garage system :8ball:

I use a budget QED digi interconnect, with a RCA plug on one end (Bluesound) and a BNC plug on t'other (Chord). I've not tried anything else.

I run my Node 2i into a Qutest, and like it a lot. The internal Node DAC is fine, but the Qutest is clearly on another level. I've just bought a Fidelity Audio PCB + PSU to try with the Node 2i, so hopefully that will arrive this week and I'll report back.

Nice one, thanks

Just to follow up... I'm in the UK so the board on ebay (from fidelity_audio) is ~ £150 delivered, plus I'd need a 5V PSU, so the iFi one for £50 would fit (I think). That would be a £200 upgrade, correct? Obviously I could drop more £ on the PSU part but the budget is fairly tight :wink:

Interesting, thanks. I have a couple of other tweaks in the pipeline (mainly room stuff) but I'll have a look at that next.

hi all, just got myself a qutest, fed by a Bluesound Node 2i. Very impressed so far. A noticeable step up from the vanilla Node 2i, and excellent resolution of detail and voices, and yet very easy to listen to. So much so I'm now thinking of pushing it further - maybe a IFi power supply?

Interesting. When do a back-to-back of the flac vs the Tidal version, the Tidal version is definitely better. It's louder too, but even when you match the volume, the Tidal has more detail and punch. I can't remember if I was listening to MQA or CD though (on Tidal).... will check tonight. Maybe...

cheers Jester

Better than a RCA to RCA with a BNC adaptor on one end? The streamer is RCA digital out and the Qutest is BNC in. So a RCA-BNC lead looks like the obvious solution but the market for leads like this is much smaller than the std RCA-RCA. If I go RCA-RCA with a BNC adaptor I can buy off ebay...

I'm also interested in a budget digital interconnect to use with the Qutest (RCA - BNC). Can't decide whether to get a specific RCA - BNC or just a standard RCA - RCA then run an adpator on one end.