[x RELIC x]

Just to clarify on @x RELIC x excellent replies (thanks you have saved me a lot of time today and many times in the past!) the HF filter isn't something added that's extra - and I often actually imply that by posting that one engages the HF filter - what actually happens is the time constants of the 2048FS filter is changed, not a signal path being switched. So with no HF filter the -3dB point of the 2048FS filter is 150 kHz; with the HF filter engaged it changes to 37.5 kHz.

Thanks Rob for the clarification!

 

[Ragnar-BY]

For the Qutest dual-BNC input connection, the input led-light button is blue color. Problem is, the Qutest user manual has no documentation on how to determine that the dual-bnc input SR is either 705 kHz (for 1M taps) or 352.8 kHz for only 1/2 million taps (Qutest manual not does not mention input button blue color for dual-BNC input selection). Only YELLOW and RED button colors for Qutest BNC 1 & 2 inputs are mentioned in the manual.

Is this blue color input button light for dual-BNC 705 kHz input SR an undocumented feature of Qutest? - or is there something wrong with my Qutest?

Color of input button shows which input is active. Color of light behind the viewing glass indicates sample rate (352.8, 705 etc.). That`s how I understand Qutest manual.

 

[Bill13]

Color of input button shows which input is active. Color of light behind the viewing glass indicates sample rate (352.8, 705 etc.).

You think that I didn't read the manual? You didn't answer my question.
For dual-BNC input the color of my Qutest input button is blue. Blue is not a color the input button should display according to the manual. The Qutest manual says that the four different colors the input button can display are: white, green, yellow and red. Not blue, which is the color I'm concerned about.

The display port viewing glass does show purple for 705.6 kHz which is correct for a 44kHz input to the M-scaler and 705kHz output over dual-BNC connectors - - but that's not what I'm asking about.

 

[dac64]

For those US residents, have to tightly coupled chord to new/used right size symposium ultra platform using blue tack, not more than 3mm diameter at four corners and follow instructions carefully. And remember to remove the original footers.

It will bring the chord to next level.

Of course, you don't have to place the chord up side down. :; This is because I have the intenson to replace qutest with tt2.

 

[FIOC]

Yes traditional SPDIF receivers are not good at recovering the SPDIF and creating a clock, as they rely on an analogue PLL - and the data itself modulates the clock, so you get signal correlated jitter which is extremely audible. But my SPDIF receiver is all digital, and relies upon the low jitter local clock, and does not create signal correlated jitter. The SPDIF receiver creates I2S data, with zero signal correlated jitter; plus a word clock, exactly as if it was transmitted via a real I2S connection.

But, the word clock - whether from a direct I2S or SPDIF, still will have source jitter. And this must be eliminated - and that is the job of my DPLL, which completely eliminates any source jitter. So there is absolutely no benefit in using I2S, so no need to go to the complexity of HDMI - the video noise would cause extra problems to worry about too.

Hi Rob, sorry for picking up on what you said a year ago, as I found this clock topic very interesting and could potentially save me a lot of money.

My current signal path is:
Synology NAS (storing my library and running Roon Core) > Ethernet > dCS Network Bridge > single SPDIF RCA out with a BNC adapter into > Chord Qutest > preamp > power amp

I have been concerning the SPDIF connection between dCS NB and Qutest, as I also read SPDIF degrades SQ because the source (in my case the dCS NB) controls the clock, not the DAC. Plus that I cannot fully utilize Roon’s RAAT framework that allows the DAC to control the clock for the entire digital signal path, as Roon can only recognize my dCS NB but not Qutest due to the SPDIF connection, not to mention that the SPDIF output from dCS NB caps at 192/24 and DSD64. Also the RCA to BNC adapter may degrade SQ too. So I feel that I have wasted the potential of both equipments and have been itching to buy the new dCS Bartók streaming DAC to replace the NB+Qutest combo.

However, based on what you said above, it seems to me that no matter how good or how bad the dCS NB handles the clock, or how bad the SPDIF connection mess it up, it doesn’t really matter as Qutest will eliminate any source jitter from the streamer anyway. Am I interpreting what you said into my setup correctly?

What would be your guess or understanding on dCS’s SPDIF implementation on the Network Bridge? Does the RCA to BNC adapter degrade SQ technically?

Putting the DAC quality aside, do you think replacing the dCS NB + Qutest combo with a 2-in-1 streaming DAC (Bartók in this case) would improve SQ? I heard the streaming section inside Bartók connects to the DAC section via I2S, which is superior to SPDIF and in that case Roon can see the DAC section too.

Also speaking out loud and this might be a very stupid question - can I custom order a pair of Coaxial cables, terminated with AES on the source end and with BNC on the DAC end, so that I can use dCS NB’s best output and Qutest’s best input, in order to eliminate the restrictions and improve SQ? Impedance mismatch could be an issue...

Thanks Rob or any experienced user who can help me understand all these!

 

[Rob Watts]

Haven't been able to find an answer to the following question, so maybe Rob Watts or somebody knowledgeable could answer:

I just received my new M-scaler today and connected it to my Qutest via supplied dual-BNC cables..

I'm playing music DVDs (44 kHz sample rate CD player is connected to the M-scaler BNC 1 input connector).
The M-scaler is connected to my Qutest DAC using dual-BNC connection for the 705kHz sample rate (only the dual-BNC input to Qutest at 705 kHz sample rate can utilize the full 1 million M-scaler taps).

For the Qutest dual-BNC input connection, the input led-light button is blue color. Problem is, the Qutest user manual has no documentation on how to determine that the dual-bnc input SR is either 705 kHz (for 1M taps) or 352.8 kHz for only 1/2 million taps (Qutest manual not does not mention input button blue color for dual-BNC input selection). Only YELLOW and RED button colors for Qutest BNC 1 & 2 inputs are mentioned in the manual.

Is this blue color input button light for dual-BNC 705 kHz input SR an undocumented feature of Qutest? - or is there something wrong with my Qutest?

No Blue is correct on the input (it's actually cyan) it indicates that dual data on the BNCs, so you know that the M scaler is giving you the 1M taps for sure.

Hi Rob, sorry for picking up on what you said a year ago, as I found this clock topic very interesting and could potentially save me a lot of money.

My current signal path is:
Synology NAS (storing my library and running Roon Core) > Ethernet > dCS Network Bridge > single SPDIF RCA out with a BNC adapter into > Chord Qutest > preamp > power amp

I have been concerning the SPDIF connection between dCS NB and Qutest, as I also read SPDIF degrades SQ because the source (in my case the dCS NB) controls the clock, not the DAC. Plus that I cannot fully utilize Roon’s RAAT framework that allows the DAC to control the clock for the entire digital signal path, as Roon can only recognize my dCS NB but not Qutest due to the SPDIF connection, not to mention that the SPDIF output from dCS NB caps at 192/24 and DSD64. Also the RCA to BNC adapter may degrade SQ too. So I feel that I have wasted the potential of both equipments and have been itching to buy the new dCS Bartók streaming DAC to replace the NB+Qutest combo.

However, based on what you said above, it seems to me that no matter how good or how bad the dCS NB handles the clock, or how bad the SPDIF connection mess it up, it doesn’t really matter as Qutest will eliminate any source jitter from the streamer anyway. Am I interpreting what you said into my setup correctly?

What would be your guess or understanding on dCS’s SPDIF implementation on the Network Bridge? Does the RCA to BNC adapter degrade SQ technically?

Putting the DAC quality aside, do you think replacing the dCS NB + Qutest combo with a 2-in-1 streaming DAC (Bartók in this case) would improve SQ? I heard the streaming section inside Bartók connects to the DAC section via I2S, which is superior to SPDIF and in that case Roon can see the DAC section too.

Also speaking out loud and this might be a very stupid question - can I custom order a pair of Coaxial cables, terminated with AES on the source end and with BNC on the DAC end, so that I can use dCS NB’s best output and Qutest’s best input, in order to eliminate the restrictions and improve SQ? Impedance mismatch could be an issue...

Thanks Rob or any experienced user who can help me understand all these!

Technically USB is better from the clock POV; but in practice I have had optical sound identical to USB, so that proves that my DPLL is capable of removing all source jitter completely - which of course I see from my jitter measurements anyway.

I can't comment on your sources, as I have no experience on them; but in my experience, assuming bit perfect data, the source can only change the sound by adding RF noise into the DAC. And the less complex the source, and the lower power it consumes, then the better resulting sound quality - this is my technical understanding, and it's backed up by all the source listening tests I have done.

 

[Bill13]

No Blue is correct on the input (it's actually cyan) it indicates that dual data on the BNCs, so you know that the M scaler is giving you the 1M taps for sure.

Thanks, it's a relief to read that 'blue' (actually cyan) is OK after all .. perhaps the Qutest manual could be updated/corrected: input button displays cyan color for the dual-BNC input?

 

[FIOC]

Technically USB is better from the clock POV; but in practice I have had optical sound identical to USB, so that proves that my DPLL is capable of removing all source jitter completely - which of course I see from my jitter measurements anyway.

The issue i have is that the dCS NB does not have a USB output, otherwise I would use USB to connect the two to eliminate all my concerns. dCS was in the process of adding USB output but in late 2018 they abandoned it due to some technical imperfection, which disappointed me a lot. I cannot use optical either, because dCS NB doesn't have optical output. So SPDIF is my only option.

You said "optical sound identical to USB" on Qutest, but how about the BNC input? Does it also sound identical to USB?

 

[Joe-Siow]

You think that I didn't read the manual? You didn't answer my question.

Chill man. U don't have to be an a**hole about it

 

[Bill13]

I could have been more tactful - I apologize. At the time I was frustrated by my problem with Qutest dual-BNC input from M-scaler.
Rob Watts (thankfully) answered the undocumented (user manual) input selector blue/cyan color button problem.

Chill man. U don't have to be an a**hole about it

 

[211276]

This has come up at the right time for me as I have had the Mscaler on loan for the past few days. The yellow input light was on and i was not aware that the 1M taps was not activated. I just discovered that one of the connections was not inserted firmly enough. Now it is and the light is cyon. There was a significant improvement at .5M taps and i cant wait to use it at 1M taps. Definately a keeper. I think the Qutest manual needs to be updated though.

 

[betula]

I have noticed that in the first hour of my listening I prefer the white filter. As time goes on however, the warm HF roll of filter tends to be my choice. It is a bit easier on the ear but still extremely satisfying. Am I alone here enjoying the warm HF roll off filter? Most folks seem to settle down with either the white or the warm filter. Not much information about the 4th filter.

 

[211276]

I prefer mine with the green filter.

 

[dac64]

...

 

[dac64]

I have noticed that in the first hour of my listening I prefer the white filter...

I left it white from day one, and fine tuning the rest of the system.