[Simple Man]

@RobertSM : how about the Qutest compaired to to your ( former) V850?
Is there a particular reason you use a Qutest now?
Just wondering.

 

[RobertSM]

@RobertSM : how about the Qutest compaired to to your ( former) V850?
Is there a particular reason you use a Qutest now?
Just wondering.

I still own and use the V850. It is the DAC I use for my two-channel system. The Qutest anchors my headphone system. I love them both.

 

[kkrazik2008]

Brand new to me. The Chord Qutest System Stand.

Top-notch milled aluminum stand allows Qutest to slide right in. As you can see I'm using this stand to hold my Qutest in-between to separate chassis of my Woo Audio WA6-SE tube amp. My though is that it should help Qutest isolate from vibration from the tube amp. Also should help Qutest stay cool as it lifts Qutest slightly off the desk surface.

I love it!

Very nice fit and finish! This should be their marketing poster too.

 

[jwbrent]

What amps does the qutest pair well with? Would it work with something like the A90?

I pair mine with a HeadAmp Pico Power, a battery operated portable amplifier using a discreet output stage. Mates very nicely with the Qutest, and with a battery power supply for the Qutest, you’re off the grid.

 

[Reactcore]

What amps does the qutest pair well with? Would it work with something like the A90?

As im reading this i'm just enjoying my Qutest without a amp.

I bought a Questyle current mode amp to combine it prior to Qutest that was my plan.

But i red interesting writeups about users running their HP straight out of a 2cute.
So i got curious and thought this is simple and free to try. When i got the Qutest and hooked up my HP straight out the RCA's, i immediately heard the difference.

Since Qutest actually has a powerful out stage (the same as a Mojo) it can drive my 300ohm senns to real high levels without distortion.

The only thing i kept thinking was that the voltage power section inside the Qutest was not created to supply this OP stage with enough juice to drive current drawing HP's so the capacitors were not matched for this. (They were chosen to feed a amp with high impendance input)

Thats why i installed full size Elco's parallel right over the voltage feeds of the OP component.

Later i terminated my HP's cable with RCA plugs.

Rob says it himself: any extra component in a audio chain only degrades SQ. Not to mention i also can't get ground loops through a net powered amp.

 

[arjuna93]

But i red interesting writeups about users running their HP straight out of a 2cute.

Will it work? What will be the optimal way to try it with IEMs?

 

[Reactcore]

Prior to terminating my HP cable i created first a RCA to jack socket cable.

U should use player software which has good finestep volume control. I use foobar on a compact thinclient PC with foobar remote app on my phone.

With iems u have to be more careful than high impedance cans. They get easy too loud.
My 16ohm earbuds work fine too.

 

[Hooster]

Rob says it himself: any extra component in a audio chain only degrades SQ. Not to mention i also can't get ground loops through a net powered amp.

Rob "himself" is not God and the above statement is not always correct.

 

[uzi2]

Rob says it himself: any extra component in a audio chain only degrades SQ. Not to mention i also can't get ground loops through a net powered amp.

Rob "himself" is not God and the above statement is not always correct.

Agree if you read SQ as sound quality as some people prefer a little additional distortion. Disagree if SQ is signal quality as all additional circuitry will degrade this.
The difference being is that sound quality is subjective and involves adding an individuals ears and brain into the mix...

 

[Hooster]

Indeed. In my speaker system I have Western Electric 111c transformers and a tube buffer in my signal chain. Is the SQ with these better than a straight cable? Hell yes. Do the introduce distortion? Of course they do, but I am not a piece of measuring equipment so that is not what I care about. What I care about is engaging, dynamic and listenable sound.

 

[uzi2]

Indeed. In my speaker system I have Western Electric 111c transformers and a tube buffer in my signal chain. Is the SQ with these better than a straight cable? Hell yes. Do the introduce distortion? Of course they do, but I am not a piece of measuring equipment so that is not what I care about. What I care about is engaging, dynamic and listenable sound.

Ok, so you interpret SQ as sound quality

 

[uzi2]

Rob "himself" is not God and the above statement is not always correct.

To answer your first point - Rob is God in this thread - he is the creator...

 

[bpcans]

To answer your first point - Rob is God in this thread - he is the creator...

LOL uzi2. You got that right. All hail Master Creator Rob Watts!

 

[Chop-Top]

Guess we should all go to integrated amps in lieu of separates for signal and sound quality (Lol)

 

[The Jester]

Imagine going into a reasonably sized recording studio and setting up a pair of studio mic’s 2/3 into the room and 2 metres apart, then set up the audience with chairs 1/3 into the room ... then record say a 4 piece pop band and a string quartet, listen for half an hour to each using the best quality analogue and digital recorders ... then move the players out and replace the mic’s with quality full range speakers with quality amplification in the same position as the mic’s and play it all back ... if you had 10 audience members who regularly listened to live un amplified music how many different opinions would you have on sound quality, realism, imaging, depth, air and any other commonly used terms ... I’m guessing a lot closer to 10 than 1 ..
then replace the audience with those that rarely listen to live un amplified music and ask which of the three versions sounded the best with the same criteria ... would all 10 prefer the live performance ?
Edit:
with the DAC’s Rob Watts has designed over decades of engineering and audible improvements all he and other engineers can do is strive for transparency from input to output and put it out there , what we choose to do with it after that is all personal taste ...
what if Rob was an automotive engineer who designed the best car available at a reasonable price but it didn’t come in the colour you like ?