[uzi2]

It all depends on your use case.

If you want just a DAC and nothing but the DAC - get the Qutest.

If you want a DAC, a battery, and a portable amp get the Hugo 2.

If you want a DAC, a power supply, a pre-amp, and a desktop headphone amplifier get the TT2.

And, if you want to obsess over each component in your chain and argue on forums about power supplies or cables, buy the Qutest and join Head-Fi. If you want experts to make those decisions for you, buy the Hugo 2 or Hugo 2 TT.

I bought the Qutest because half-the-fun is obsessing over the details.

Darko spouts his words for $$. We give our opinions freely.

 

[gearocdguy]

Darko spouts his words for $$. We give our opinions freely.

We all gotta make a living. I find him this best of the group.

 

[mvule]

Does anyone else have the Qutest and RME Adi-2 dac (or has heard the latter)?

Looking around the internet...there seems to be a lot of praise for the Adi-2 dac compared to the Qutest but for me there is no contest (talking dac section of Adi-2 only here).

Qutest is so impeccably balanced with tighter bass, more detail and smoother, to my ears at least.

 

[nxxo]

I have a question? Are there streamers that take the qutest in native DSD?

 

[gearocdguy]

I have a question? Are there streamers that take the qutest in native DSD?

If you want Native 512, I believe you are stuck with Windows. I pretty sure if you wanted to you could run Window's virtually on a PI streamer, but it would be painful to get it all set up and not sure the benefit.

 

[daredevil_kk]

If you want Native 512, I believe you are stuck with Windows. I pretty sure if you wanted to you could run Window's virtually on a PI streamer, but it would be painful to get it all set up and not sure the benefit.

Or get an Aurender.

 

[ericpike]

Hi all. I run my Qutest with a Bluesound Node 2i over optical, which is noticeably better to my ears than my Chrimecast audio. I mainly use Roon. Are there other streamers that are better sounding than my Node? Thanks!

 

[Triode User]

Hi all. I run my Qutest with a Bluesound Node 2i over optical, which is noticeably better to my ears than my Chrimecast audio. I mainly use Roon. Are there other streamers that are better sounding than my Node? Thanks!

I don’t know. Here is my Node 2i sounding great this morning with my Qutest.

 

[kkrazik2008]

I don’t know. Here is my Node 2i sounding great this morning with my Qutest.

Love that Musical Fidelity amp, they don’t make them like that anymore. I have the X-150, built like a brick crap house.

 

[RobertSM]

Does anyone else have the Qutest and RME Adi-2 dac (or has heard the latter)?

Looking around the internet...there seems to be a lot of praise for the Adi-2 dac compared to the Qutest but for me there is no contest (talking dac section of Adi-2 only here).

Qutest is so impeccably balanced with tighter bass, more detail and smoother, to my ears at least.

I absolutely believe the qutest to be have a more refined sound vs. Adi-2. Everything top to bottom in the frequency spectrum on qutest, to me, has a further evolved hi-fi sound.

 

[Christer]

Love that Musical Fidelity amp, they don’t make them like that anymore. I have the X-150, built like a brick crap house.

Hmm, I was also a bit surprised to see that Nick is using a Musical Fidelity amp in his second,Qutest based system.
I've never heard that particular one.
Not enough power for my needs.
But I am currently using the Musical Fidelity X-Can V3 with its separate power supply XPSU and the X-LPS for headphone listening via my Qutest/Mscaler and also spinning some vinyl again via headphones with that stack.
Both my Benchmark HPA2 and my other,more recent,MF headphone amp the M1HPA, need a visit to the doctor.
Luckily both digital and analogue sound very nice indeed with my HD800 and HEKV2 with these MF toys that I had basically retired years ago.
Unlike Nick,I am also using a Musical Fidelity amp in my main, speaker based system.
My Heavy-Weight MF KW550, amp combo which also comes with its dedicated PSU,"77lbs" of watts and current, delivering 900 watts per channel , 0.01% thd between 20-20000khz at full throttle, drives my electrostatic speakers quite nicely.

But also reveals their Achilles heel,which is around 250hz where the electrostatic panels check out and the conventional bass driver takes over.
But from say 300hz and as high as I can hear, those panels can still pick a fight with almost any other speakers I've auditioned except full range electrostatics from a sheer transparency point of view.
I am quite tempted to buy a Martin Logan XL ART "nearly full range" electrostatic speaker even before buying a Dave.
But I doubt Musical Fidelity has got any NEW toys to tempt me. Like most others in HI FI these days they seem more interested in serving the "multi room streaming crowd" since the founder himself retired.
He was a real musician himself and cared about acoustic music.
His own recording as soloist in Mozart's Clarinet Concerto came with my KW550.
PS Imho Qutest really needs the Mscaler to shine.
Without the Mscaler it sounds a bit harsh and unrefined to me with well recorded acoustical music.
Cheers CC

 

[Triode User]

I was also a bit surprised to see that Nick is using a Musical Fidelity amp in his second,Qutest based system.

Correction, it is my third system in the kitchen. That amp never gets turned off and is powering some DIY speakers based on Dali 104 / Living Voice Avatar 2. Mostly it is streaming Radio 3 off the internet.

 

[Christer]

Correction, it is my third system in the kitchen. That amp never gets turned off and is powering some DIY speakers based on Dali 104 / Living Voice Avatar 2. Mostly it is streaming Radio 3 off the internet.

Hello Nick, so what's system number two?
It looks as if that amp and the two toys sitting on top of it need just one gentle nudge from junior standing in that armchair to fall onto the shelf where your TT2 used to live dangerously too?
What are you using to control that streamer?
I see no display,only a tiny blue light indicating it is on.
Is it any good for other uses more than Radio Three streaming?
I am leaning towards a Streamer solution where I can both easily rip cds and also one that works on its own without any need for an Iphone or Ipad or other extra tool to work more than a handy remote control.
And it will need to sound better, more transparent, than my cd players via optical and preferably also better than hi res via my mbp and usb.
Back on topic of Qutest again.
I am still awaiting your verdict on power supplies with Qutest and Mscaler?
And have you connected your Qutest to your Mscaler yet?

Imho it can turn, decent enough on its own, little Qutest,almost into a mini Dave.

The difference is easily audible even with BBC Radio Three and other, not quite hi res streaming quality based sources in my systems.
And with real hi res the difference and improvement in SQ is something I would find it very hard to live without.

Cheers CC

 

[GreenBow]

Correction, it is my third system in the kitchen. That amp never gets turned off and is powering some DIY speakers based on Dali 104 / Living Voice Avatar 2. Mostly it is streaming Radio 3 off the internet.

When I look at this picture, it makes me think of a statement Rob Watts made. He said all analogue electronics are microphonic.

It suggests to me that the best place for an amplifier is not on the speaker. … I think I would just put it one unit next to the speaker. … When I see stuff like that, I also think 'accident waiting to happen'.

(Another example of this thinking is in the new Naim Supernait 3 that has boards mounted to negate vibrations. To reduce microphonics.)

 

[Triode User]

When I look at this picture, it makes me think of a statement Rob Watts made. He said all analogue electronics are microphonic.

It suggests to me that the best place for an amplifier is not on the speaker. … I think I would just put it one unit next to the speaker. … When I see stuff like that, I also think 'accident waiting to happen'.

(Another example of this thinking is in the new Naim Supernait 3 that has boards mounted to negate vibrations. To reduce microphonics.)

Or you might be overthinking it all. Some of the best speakers made are active ones with the amps actually in the cabinets. Anyway, the system sounds great as it is . . . .

As to an accident waiting to happen, all I can say is that I jump horses over big fixed fences and hedges for a hobby and so I am familiar with risk. That amp has been on top of that speaker for more than 10 years with not so much as a wobble even with dogs and small children around it.