Chord Electronics Qutest DAC - Official Thread

[GreenBow]

By the way, if anyone is wondering, since I have Hugo 2 and Qutest. I did a short ten minutes with each comparison. I didn't hear a single note of difference between the two.

Neither did I head a difference when I put an iFi Nano USB power supply on the Qutest. (It's meant to have excellent measurements of RFI and noise. Military grade level measurements.) I might need to spend longer comparing. Or leaving the Qutest on one PS for a week and then another. I generally finding it easier to asses changes in sound signatures that way. That means my A-B listening of the tests I mentioned (Hugo 2/Qutest and Qutest power supplies) is not definitive.

I for sure did not notice any extra brightness when using either power supply. Not did I detect any brightness using Qutest on PS, compared to Hugo 2 on battery. Some folk do say on here that they do, and I am not saying they are wrong. Just that I saw no difference, in the short tests that I did.


However it's not likely that I will be making any more comparative listening tests. I use a TT2 when I am listening to music. Therefore listening to music on the Qutest/Hugo 2, with set pieces of music isn't really going to happen.

 

[cotic54]

Just reporting back on how everything went.

I checked the consumer unit and found the ofending fridge breaker next to the hifi breakers so I moved the feed to the opposite side, now the supply does hifi first then fridge , this made no difference, also other breakers that were on the offending list
are well away from the hifibreakers . Then I put all hifi onto one single, feed so all on the same earth this also made no difference so then I installed a Toslink cable and most of the pauses in sound dissapeard completly leaving only the slightest occasional pop from the
electric sun blide stopping. The sound is slightly different with the toslink but not in any detrimental way. I may well try a battery in the future just to find out if it improves the the sound, from other posters it seems it works for some people and not for others.
Bearing that in mind could anyone verifiy that this battery is compatible with the Quetest. https://www.amazon.fr/Anker-PowerCo...locphy=9055061&hvtargid=pla-122879971686&th=1

Thanks for all your input and help sorting out my problem.

P.S I would just like to say how reasuring it is that Rob Watts is paticipating in the Chord threads and ready to answer peoples questions, it is a big plus point to any purchasers .

 

[GreenBow]

Bearing that in mind could anyone verifiy that this battery is compatible with the Quetest. https://www.amazon.fr/Anker-PowerCo...locphy=9055061&hvtargid=pla-122879971686&th=1

I can't see any reason why could not use that with the Qutest. It runs at 5V and can supply up to 3A on one power line. Qutest uses under 1A.

It looks like it would last for a long time too.

 

[cotic54]

Thanks, just wanted to be sure about it.

 

[GreenBow]

By the way, if anyone is wondering, since I have Hugo 2 and Qutest. I did a short ten minutes with each comparison. I didn't hear a single note of difference between the two.

Neither did I head a difference when I put an iFi Nano USB power supply on the Qutest. (It's meant to have excellent measurements of RFI and noise. Military grade level measurements.) I might need to spend longer comparing. Or leaving the Qutest on one PS for a week and then another. I generally finding it easier to asses changes in sound signatures that way. That means my A-B listening of the tests I mentioned (Hugo 2/Qutest and Qutest power supplies) is not definitive.

I for sure did not notice any extra brightness when using either power supply. Not did I detect any brightness using Qutest on PS, compared to Hugo 2 on battery. Some folk do say on here that they do, and I am not saying they are wrong. Just that I saw no difference, in the short tests that I did.


However it's not likely that I will be making any more comparative listening tests. I use a TT2 when I am listening to music. Therefore listening to music on the Qutest/Hugo 2, with set pieces of music isn't really going to happen.

Actually just had a second thought about these current results. Qutest was pulling just under 0.6A.

However I had Qutest set to 2V output.

• At 3V Qutest would draw more power.
• Secondly if you were running M-Scaler into Qutest at 768KHz, then that might also draw more power.

 

[Triode User]

Actually just had a second thought about these current results. Qutest was pulling just under 0.6A.

However I had Qutest set to 2V output.

• At 3V Qutest would draw more power.
• Secondly if you were running M-Scaler into Qutest at 768KHz, then that might also draw more power.

Are these currents at the mains voltage or at the dc output from the power supply?

 

[miketlse]

Actually just had a second thought about these current results. Qutest was pulling just under 0.6A.

However I had Qutest set to 2V output.

• At 3V Qutest would draw more power.
• Secondly if you were running M-Scaler into Qutest at 768KHz, then that might also draw more power.

Yes if qutest is outputting a higher voltage/power, then the input current/power to qutest could rise.
Not sure about the second case, because using mscaler means that you are replacing the Qutest internal upscaling, by the mscaler external upscaling. If this switches off the Qutest internal upscaling, then you could see the current to the Qutest decrease.

 

[Qute Beats]

I can't see any reason why could not use that with the Qutest. It runs at 5V and can supply up to 3A on one power line. Qutest uses under 1A.

It looks like it would last for a long time too.

I concur, while some battery packs may sound cleaner, but as long as 5 V supplied you should be Kool and the Gang. I've ran mine off a battery charger I used for my 3000MAh 18650 ecig batteries and it was fine (has 5V USB out). But went back to PSU as heard no benefits.

edit: just a note though, trying to have battery pack charging at the same same caused Qutest to play up, running off the batteries alone was grand.

 

[GreenBow]

Are these currents at the mains voltage or at the dc output from the power supply?

Yes if qutest is outputting a higher voltage/power, then the input current/power to qutest could rise.
Not sure about the second case, because using mscaler means that you are replacing the Qutest internal upscaling, by the mscaler external upscaling. If this switches off the Qutest internal upscaling, then you could see the current to the Qutest decrease.

Actually found it ran at the same current when running at 3V output. Just under 0.6A. (Sorry about camera quality. Still have not bought a good one yet.)

 

[GreenBow]

Have a question though please. I normally unplug the Qutest overnight, but left it plugged in for maybe two days. It runs on my PC.

Today I started up my PC twice. The second time (after I had been out for a walk) the Qutest did not register the PC. I could not get sound, and after looking at settings and whatever I could think of. I looked in the port window and noticed that there was no sampling rate light. I restarted the Qutest and all was good.

However I think this is incorrect behaviour. I know Rob has said that you can leave the Qutest on all the time. I was not expecting to have to restart the Qutest. I was not expecting the sampling rate light to go out.

Normally when I start up the PC and maybe go to YouTube it will play anything I send to it. Today not the case. Does anyone know if this is a fault? Or is this OK.


It might be a one off. It could be something that I have done. The TT2 does still have an effect on my PC even when on stand-by. It's because the processor is still running, while it's on stand-by.

 

[kerisabe]

I concur, while some battery packs may sound cleaner, but as long as 5 V supplied you should be Kool and the Gang. I've ran mine off a battery charger I used for my 3000MAh 18650 ecig batteries and it was fine (has 5V USB out). But went back to PSU as heard no benefits.

edit: just a note though, trying to have battery pack charging at the same same caused Qutest to play up, running off the batteries alone was grand.

I wonder how is the qutest powered with an ifi ipower compared to powered using a powerbank. The only issue ive heard was the ipower spreading noise to the rest of the components connected to the same power line? *Why comparing the ifi ipower and powerbank cause they run on similar price point.

 

[GreenBow]

I have iFi Nano USB. I used it with 5V power output only to the Qutest, meaning not cleaning the USB data cable. In the few minutes I tried that, I heard no difference.

Additionally though, I tried the iFi Nano USB on my Mojo once, for cleaning the USB lines. The result was horrific. The sound was so bright I didn't even run it more than a few seconds. No idea what that is all about, and maybe I did something wrong. However there's not really anything to get wrong. It might be something to do with the iFi re-clocking the signal, since Chord sent for data asynchronously.

I have also heard other people say the same, that iFi on the USB data line is very bright.

On the power only line I hear no difference with the 5V power with Qutest. Neither when I tried it on my Mojo ages ago, for just power.

 

[GreenBow]

Have a question though please. I normally unplug the Qutest overnight, but left it plugged in for maybe two days. It runs on my PC.

Today I started up my PC twice. The second time (after I had been out for a walk) the Qutest did not register the PC. I could not get sound, and after looking at settings and whatever I could think of. I looked in the port window and noticed that there was no sampling rate light. I restarted the Qutest and all was good.

However I think this is incorrect behaviour. I know Rob has said that you can leave the Qutest on all the time. I was not expecting to have to restart the Qutest. I was not expecting the sampling rate light to go out.

Normally when I start up the PC and maybe go to YouTube it will play anything I send to it. Today not the case. Does anyone know if this is a fault? Or is this OK.


It might be a one off. It could be something that I have done. The TT2 does still have an effect on my PC even when on stand-by. It's because the processor is still running, while it's on stand-by.

I seem to have resolved this, but I am going to keep an eye on it.

 

[Arniesb]

I have iFi Nano USB. I used it with 5V power output only to the Qutest, meaning not cleaning the USB data cable. In the few minutes I tried that, I heard no difference.

Additionally though, I tried the iFi Nano USB on my Mojo once, for cleaning the USB lines. The result was horrific. The sound was so bright I didn't even run it more than a few seconds. No idea what that is all about, and maybe I did something wrong. However there's not really anything to get wrong. It might be something to do with the iFi re-clocking the signal, since Chord sent for data asynchronously.

I have also heard other people say the same, that iFi on the USB data line is very bright.

On the power only line I hear no difference with the 5V power with Qutest. Neither when I tried it on my Mojo ages ago, for just power.

Cable can be culprit. I think that even though Nano should provide clean power, but Cable can pick up noise too and with nano connected everything can be highlighted much more.
Had same problem with Audioquest cable and it was gone with different cables.

 

[Ilias9001]

I seem to have resolved this, but I am going to keep an eye on it.

I have encountered this issue quite some times and contacted Chord. The response was that the fpga can sometimes be confused if you switch inputs or turn off and on your pc, so the easiest way is to just unplug the usb or whatever you are connecting it with and plug it back in.