Chord Electronics Qutest DAC - Official Thread

[PHC1]

I would love to see your comparison with the Gungnir Multibit if you get the Qutest.

As far as Chord and Schiit multibit DACs go, I only had the 2Qute (Qutest predecessor), Mojo, and Modi Multibit.

(For those who don't know: Schiit multibit DACs are hybrid R2R / resistor string, not pure resistor ladder DACs.)



If it's a different recording, then it is different music. Perhaps you meant a better master of the same recording.

Yes, a better master, sorry, my typing got ahead of my thoughts. The original recording only took place once in history and was captured onto a master tape or in digital form. I love the XRCDs for that analog warmth and naturalness they offer and there is no loudness mastering or dynamic range compression to be found anywhere near the XRCD lol.

 

[elira]

As far as Chord and Schiit multibit DACs go, I only had the 2Qute (Qutest predecessor), Mojo, and Modi Multibit.

How would you describe the difference between Schiit Multibit and Chord FPGA?

 

[Music Alchemist]

How would you describe the difference between Schiit Multibit and Chord FPGA?

It's not really a fair comparison because I only had the entry-level Schiit multibit model. I'm sure the Yggdrasil is a lot better than that, but I haven't heard it. I owned the 2Qute and Modi Multibit at the same time (click for pic) and can tell you that the 2Qute was more resolving, fast, musical, dynamic, etc. The Modi Multibit sounds great for the price, but comes off as more "tubey" to me: thicker, slower, still very dynamic but comparatively more compressed. My most memorable moment comparing them was hearing drums on a particular track that struck out with strong individual impact with the 2Qute, but sounded restrained with the Modi Multibit. (Yes, I volume-matched.) But again, the 2Qute costs more than $1,000 more, so this is not a real comparison between the technological capability of either company. You'll have to look for many other comparisons (or just listen yourself) to get a grasp of all that.

 

[PHC1]

It's not really a fair comparison because I only had the entry-level Schiit multibit model. I'm sure the Yggdrasil is a lot better than that, but I haven't heard it. I owned the 2Qute and Modi Multibit at the same time (click for pic) and can tell you that the 2Qute was more resolving, fast, musical, dynamic, etc. The Modi Multibit sounds great for the price, but comes off as more "tubey" to me: thicker, slower, still very dynamic but comparatively more compressed. My most memorable moment comparing them was hearing drums on a particular track that struck out with strong individual impact with the 2Qute, but sounded restrained with the Modi Multibit. (Yes, I volume-matched.) But again, the 2Qute costs more than $1,000 more, so this is not a real comparison between the technological capability of either company. You'll have to look for many other comparisons (or just listen yourself) to get a grasp of all that.

A member of another audio forum did a serious A/B comparison with the Yggdrasil vs Esoteric K-01X. He owns both. That's a $2.4k dac vs a $20k CDP/dac. Guess which one he preferred...

 

[Music Alchemist]

A member of another audio forum did a serious A/B comparison with the Yggdrasil vs Esoteric K-01X. He owns both. That's a $2.4k dac vs a $20k CDP/dac. Guess which one he preferred...

I know there are plenty of DACs under $3K that many prefer over ones that cost five to six figures. (@romaz prefers the Hugo 2 over the MSB Select DAC and dCS Vivaldi stack, for example.)

But we're getting a little off-topic here...

 

[JWahl]

I would love to see your comparison with the Gungnir Multibit if you get the Qutest.
As far as Chord and Schiit multibit DACs go, I only had the 2Qute (Qutest predecessor), Mojo, and Modi Multibit.

And see, this is where the Hyperbole can get messy. I previously owned the Gungnir MB and Yggdrasil before the Mojo, which I've had for over a year. Clearly, I like the Mojo for what it is. However, on overall sound alone, I prefer the former two. Though there is a certain sound quality I like about the Mojo that I don't get with the Schiit DACs.
What I do like about the Chord Dacs, is what they do in such a compact footprint. I have great respect for Rob's engineering chops and the raw design efficiency of his DACs. He's an engineer's engineer, so to speak.

If the Qutest can improve on some of the low end depth and slam that I find is more reserved with the Mojo, I'll be a happy camper. Impressions I've read from people that have owned Mojo and 2qute seem to say that it does improve bass slam and impact.

 

[Music Alchemist]

And see, this is where the Hyperbole can get messy. I previously owned the Gungnir MB and Yggdrasil before the Mojo, which I've had for over a year. Clearly, I like the Mojo for what it is. However, on overall sound alone, I prefer the former two. Though there is a certain sound quality I like about the Mojo that I don't get with the Schiit DACs.
What I do like about the Chord Dacs, is what they do in such a compact footprint. I have great respect for Rob's engineering chops and the raw design efficiency of his DACs. He's an engineer's engineer, so to speak.

If the Qutest can improve on some of the low end depth and slam that I find is more reserved with the Mojo, I'll be a happy camper. Impressions I've read from people that have owned Mojo and 2qute seem to say that it does improve bass slam and impact.

We were at opposite ends of the spectrum there: me with higher-end Chord and lower-end Schiit and you vice versa. So the comparisons we did were not fair at all. Gotta at least compare two DACs at the same price point, ya know?

The 2Qute is definitely better than the Mojo despite both having the same effective number of taps. (The Mojo has about twice as many, but at half speed.) The Qutest and Hugo 2 have nearly twice as many taps (but at full speed), as well as other advancements. General consensus is that the Hugo 2 is closer to the DAVE than the Mojo in terms of sound quality. Most think the 2Qute sounds better than the original Hugo as well. I'm excited to find out how the Qutest compares to the Hugo 2 with the same external amp.

 

[Triode User]

And see, this is where the Hyperbole can get messy. I previously owned the Gungnir MB and Yggdrasil before the Mojo, which I've had for over a year. Clearly, I like the Mojo for what it is. However, on overall sound alone, I prefer the former two. Though there is a certain sound quality I like about the Mojo that I don't get with the Schiit DACs.
What I do like about the Chord Dacs, is what they do in such a compact footprint. I have great respect for Rob's engineering chops and the raw design efficiency of his DACs. He's an engineer's engineer, so to speak.

If the Qutest can improve on some of the low end depth and slam that I find is more reserved with the Mojo, I'll be a happy camper. Impressions I've read from people that have owned Mojo and 2qute seem to say that it does improve bass slam and impact.

Mojo is brilliant for what it sets out to do. A truly mobile DAC/headphone amp. I had it for quite a while but always in a speaker system. However, for me even the original Hugo gave a much better subjective sound. Less veiled, less muddy. Hugo2 and therefore I assume because not heard also the Qutest are a step even further in that direction and much fairer would be to compare them than the Mojo.

 

[feelingears]

No disrespect, Alchemist, just a point to consider: I don't find the same price argument as compelling because in the end, DAC differences are real but the price doesn't really map or scale to changes in sonic character (between brands). From a "running an audio business" perspective, I find companies needing to charge four or five figures for low-production run electronics to be a more compelling reason for why some DACs cost what they do, and amps, speakers, magic tweaks, etc. Those engineers and business marketeers often have kids they need to feed, clothe, etc. We all have our budgets, so I'm just saying that if you buy new, you're paying for more than the sonic character of the DAC (like the dealer and the cost structure of the business).

But I'm with you as I am eager to hear and buy a Qutest (or other esoteric R2R design) if the reviews triangulate well, even though I love my Gumby. Maybe "Gumby Analog II" is around the corner...

 

[Music Alchemist]

I don't find the same price argument as compelling because in the end, DAC differences are real but the price doesn't really map or scale to changes in sonic character (between brands).

What I meant was that just because the ~$1,300 Chord 2Qute sounds better (to me) than the $249 Schiit Modi Multibit—or the $2,399 Schiit Yggdrasil sounds better (to someone else) than the ~$500 Chord Mojo—doesn't mean that all Chord DACs are going to sound better to everyone than all Schiit DACs, or vice versa. It makes no sense to compare an entry-level product from one company to a higher-end product from another company and then make sweeping statements about the entire companies based on that limited experience. All I'm saying is that if you want to assess the product lines of two companies, you need to actually test them and give them all a chance. Since both companies have various DACs around the same price points, it makes more sense to focus on comparing ones that cost about the same and then share the opinion of which DAC one feels is better at that price point. Then if a cheaper model happens to beat a more expensive one, that's another thing, but separate from opinions on which is better at a given price. Obviously, some DACs are going to outperform costlier competition. That's what Chord is all about in my eyes.

 

[dmance]

There must be a few hundred Qutest units out in the field by now. At least in the UK. Can anybody post first impressions?

 

[dawktah2]

Mr. Rob Watts,

Can you give us more detail about the filters on the Qutest? How many there are, what they change and what colours will be displayed. Are they the same or different than the Hugo 2. Also, is there a "no filter" setting and colour. I have not been reading any Hugo threads so not familiar with the filters on any other unit.

Thank you

 

[plsvn]

from "Qutest Product Specifications" pdf available here:

Selectable Filter Options: Incisive neutral (White), Incisive neutral HF roll-off (Green), Warm (Orange), Warm HF roll-off (Red)

 

[gad1]

What I meant was that just because the ~$1,300 Chord 2Qute sounds better (to me) than the $249 Schiit Modi Multibit—or the $2,399 Schiit Yggdrasil sounds better (to someone else) than the ~$500 Chord Mojo—doesn't mean that all Chord DACs are going to sound better to everyone than all Schiit DACs, or vice versa. It makes no sense to compare an entry-level product from one company to a higher-end product from another company and then make sweeping statements about the entire companies based on that limited experience. All I'm saying is that if you want to assess the product lines of two companies, you need to actually test them and give them all a chance. Since both companies have various DACs around the same price points, it makes more sense to focus on comparing ones that cost about the same and then share the opinion of which DAC one feels is better at that price point. Then if a cheaper model happens to beat a more expensive one, that's another thing, but separate from opinions on which is better at a given price. Obviously, some DACs are going to outperform costlier competition. That's what Chord is all about in my eyes.

Qutest is in a category where comparisons to $2,400 dacs is justified. Hugo 2 sells for $2,379.
Qutest is touted to equal or excel Hugo 2 in a speaker set up. Hugo 2 is regularly compared
to the $2,400 Yggdrasil dac, therefor this category is a valid comparison for Qutest. My previous
dac was a Yggddrasil which I had for 2 yrs. in my speaker only system. I sold it because IMO
in my system there was a dryness. I wanted a bit more life. Yggy is a balanced design., and
is reported to sound best when connected by xlrs which is not possible with my unbalanced
preamp and amp, which may account for my dissatisfaction. One of the reasons Qutest is
on my radar is it's unbalanced design; also various dacs have sound signatures, and brief
experimentation with the Mojo in my system had a sound I liked even if the detail was not
in the Yggy league, so, bottom line, if user feedback is positive comparing Qutest to Hugo 2,
I'm buying one and will be comparing it to Yggy.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Qutest is in a category where comparisons to $2,400 dacs is justified. Hugo 2 sells for $2,379.
Qutest is touted to equal or excel Hugo 2 in a speaker set up. Hugo 2 is regularly compared
to the $2,400 Yggdrasil dac, therefor this category is a valid comparison for Qutest. My previous
dac was a Yggddrasil which I had for 2 yrs. in my speaker only system. I sold it because IMO
in my system there was a dullness. I wanted a bit more life. Yggy is a balanced design., and
is reported to sound best when connected by xlrs which is not possible with my unbalanced
preamp and amp, which may account for my dissatisfaction. One of the reasons Qutest is
on my radar is it's unbalanced design. Also various dacs have sound signatures, and brief
experimentation with the Mojo in my system had a sound I liked even if the detail was not
in the Yggy league, so, bottom line, if user feedback is positive comparing Qutest to Hugo 2,
I'm buying one and will be comparing it to Yggy.

I never said anything about it being a bad idea to compare the Qutest to more expensive DACs. I've stated clearly in various posts that the Qutest measures better than them anyway. (Aside from the DAVE.) My point was that if you take a $500 DAC, compare it to a $2,000+ DAC, and declare the more expensive DAC the winner, my reaction would be, "Well, so what? You should have used a higher-end model from both companies." (The Qutest qualifies as higher-end in this instance and is not Chord's entry-level DAC.) Same goes for my own comparison of a $250 DAC to a $1,300 DAC. I can't generalize the differences between the two technologies the companies use based only on that, because I did not test higher-end Schiit DACs.