[dawktah2]

I've auditioned the Hugo2 and it's as if your listening to the music without any electronics in the way. The sound is so clear, it takes conscious adjustment.

The Qutest is resolving, just more musical to my ears.

Thanks so much for that. I don't want to join yet another thread on the H2, but I am wondering if people have had any adverse events with TSA travelling with the H2. I haven't been stopped only once with my WA8, and I'm PreCheck. I also, didn't want to connect/reconnect every time I leave town. I'll be doing that with H2...

 

[OctavianH]

I bought recently a Qutest and I am very pleased about it. It was an upgrade to the previous model, 2Qute.
I did not quite understood why it was not recommended for HPs and Rob Watts advised to get a Hugo 2 instead.
For me Qutest with a LPS is basicly a Hugo 2. Anyway, sounds very good here connected to a Feliks Audio Elise tube amp.

 

[AlexB73]

After long break-in Qutest has much darker tonal balance compared to 2qute.
Qutest tonal balance is more similar to Mojo.
Qutest has much more base and mid-base than 2qutes has.
I have to use different interconnect and power outlet (with brighter sound signature) to adjust Qutest to my system after using 2qute.
Also, Qutest high frequencies are much detailed compared to 2qute. Sound is more clear and less digital.
Soundstage and musical instruments separation are better too.
But I can't see significant improvement in term of dynamic.

 

[soares]

I agree with eveything except the tonal balance. I find the 2qute much darker then the Qutest. It must be related to the system used: STi5 + uR + amp Tac 88 modded + Proac Tablette Signature. Roon and HQplayer embedded

 

[AlexB73]

My system is not standard audiophile system.
Cary 303 Cd player as transport - 300B SET (6sn7, 6f6) integrated amplifier - Altec Linsing 604E vintage speakers.
I also have a second source - EMT948 turntable with EMT TSD15 cartridge, Sun Audio SAT1000 step-up transformer and EAR834p phonostage.
I think USB and coaxial inputs can sound different in term of tonal balance.

 

[soares]

Nice system you got Alex. Thank for sharing!

 

[rhern213]

I bought recently a Qutest and I am very pleased about it. It was an upgrade to the previous model, 2Qute.
I did not quite understood why it was not recommended for HPs and Rob Watts advised to get a Hugo 2 instead.
For me Qutest with a LPS is basicly a Hugo 2. Anyway, sounds very good here connected to a Feliks Audio Elise tube amp.

Just to note, the reason Rob recommends the H2 over the Qutest is due to the benefits of running HP's directly out of the H2's op-amp, instead of outputting to an external amp.

 

[Christer]

I have a couple of questions regarding Qutest via optical.
Having played some rbcds I accidentally found in a box in a wardrobe a couple of days ago, I don't normally play rbcds, I noticed that my two CD players sound slightly different not only on their own,but also via Qutest.
And not only that,with one cd I played this morning the light from Qutest showed red with one and green with the other!
Indicating 16/44.1 with red and 96khz?with the other.
Could anybody explain what is going on?
I expected both cd players to sound basically identical via Qutest. They don't!
With my SACD/CD player playng either the redbook layer or a plain CD I get a warmer less typical low res signature ,digital sound than via the player that only accepts rbcds.
I have to say that in both cases rbcd sounds better via Qutest than directly via either of the two players.
But still inferior to hi res via Qutest. Most notable with massed strings and at orchestral climaxes as usual with rbcd.
But it certainly whets my appetite to taste what an M-scaler might add to this equation.
Regarding hi res and optical via Qutest I would also like to know what would be needed to play my hi res files via optical.
My mbps have two little holes next to the usb ports . Is one of those actually an optical port?
Cheers Christer

 

[Zzt231gr]

There was a huge difference when I changed my old SACD player to Cambridge CXC!

 

[AlexB73]

All transport sound different.
The first reason the quality of digital output (jitter, noise).
The second reason, a noise that transport generates to AC.
Even with Cord DACs (that are not sensible to jitter), I can hear clearly a difference between different fuses in my transport or different legs under my transport.

 

[Friscosfoe]

Re the voltage settings, unlike some other posters , I found a huge difference. My system is a rouge Sphinx

 

[Friscosfoe]

oops system crashed on me. My system is a rogue sphinx with mullard tubes into little Harbeth P3ESRs. Rogue rates input sensitivity at 1V, but on the 1V Chord setting I simply wasn't driving the Harbeths enough. At 3V, the system was unlistenable due to static/ hiss. But things sounded great at 2V. It strikes me as odd to publish an input sensitivity at 1 V, when the amp appears to be designed to operate at a 2V level, but maybe input sensitivity shouldn't match the actual input level.

 

[Christer]

Re the voltage settings, unlike some other posters , I found a huge difference. My system is a rouge Sphinx

In my still limited experience the voltage settings do indeed make a difference.
But since I connect to different sources regularly I have so far not come to the conclusion that there is one ideal setting that works in my system.
With Qutest directly to my pream/amp and speaker at 1V with downloads I have to raise my volume to roughly12 o'clock with most recordings and get a slightly lower noise floor using the same setting with my main headphone amp and downloads.
At 3V I get a wee bit higher noise/hiss and sometimes overload issues.
The hiss is most noticable via headphones.
Am I correct in guessing the higher gain setting from Qutest's output stage is causing hiss/noise to rise?
I can play at the same dB loudness level with less hiss with the 1V setting and my headphone amp has 4 dB better snr than Qutest on paper if I interpret things correctly.
As far as common mains noise is concerned my Benchmark headphone amp lists below 140dB.
Quite an impressive figure.
But I can't find any similar measurement for Qutest.
With my main speaker based system hiss is not a problem really,since I never listen with my ears close to the electrostatic panels but from a distance of at least 4-5 metres away.
I am happy that the settings are there. But I wish they just like the filters, had been adjustable via a remote.

 

[Zzt231gr]

In my still limited experience the voltage settings do indeed make a difference.
But since I connect to different sources regularly I have so far not come to the conclusion that there is one ideal setting that works in my system.
With Qutest directly to my pream/amp and speaker at 1V with downloads I have to raise my volume to roughly12 o'clock with most recordings and get a slightly lower noise floor using the same setting with my main headphone amp and downloads.
At 3V I get a wee bit higher noise/hiss and sometimes overload issues.
The hiss is most noticable via headphones.
Am I correct in guessing the higher gain setting from Qutest's output stage is causing hiss/noise to rise?
I can play at the same dB loudness level with less hiss with the 1V setting and my headphone amp has 4 dB better snr than Qutest on paper if I interpret things correctly.
As far as common mains noise is concerned my Benchmark headphone amp lists below 140dB.
Quite an impressive figure.
But I can't find any similar measurement for Qutest.
With my main speaker based system hiss is not a problem really,since I never listen with my ears close to the electrostatic panels but from a distance of at least 4-5 metres away.
I am happy that the settings are there. But I wish they just like the filters, had been adjustable via a remote.

^^I would like to know too,but IIRC,Rob stated otherwise some time ago...

 

[Rob Watts]

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.