[hifipassion]

Looking forward to own such a product.
However, I pay attention to small details and I'm confused about one thing.
This information was not included in the initial announcement (on this site) and I saw it added later in the Chord website:
Does the Qutest have a Class A output stage ?
@Rob Watts : Could you please clarify this information for me ?

 

[ra990]

Please excuse my ignorance on this, but I don't get the whole aftermarket power supply thing. Does it really make an audible difference? Plus, hasn't the designer already stated that the included power supply is all that's needed and anything else actually voids warranty (that might have been for the 2Qute only)? Why would the product not include an optimal power supply at this price?

 

[Skampmeister]

Please excuse my ignorance on this, but I don't get the whole aftermarket power supply thing. Does it really make an audible difference? Plus, hasn't the designer already stated that the included power supply is all that's needed and anything else actually voids warranty (that might have been for the 2Qute only)? Why would the product not include an optimal power supply at this price?

Funny isn’t it, Rob gets so much praise for what he does, deserving of course, but is ignored when he goes against the grain when he says to not waste money on a belief system (not exactly his words, but you get my point)
Me, if he says it’s not needed, it’s not needed.

 

[Cloten]

Though I've been complaining on the Chord Poly thread, I thought I'd drop in my first impressions of the Qutest, which arrived yesterday. I'd previously been using a Chord Mojo in my hifi system, and the comparisons are with that: the bass is fuller and more precise, the instrument separation is extraordinarily good, and the timing and articulacy are extraordinary. The sound of violins, in particular, is as real as anything I've heard from an artifical musical reproduction system. Highly, highly recommended. Of course, this may just be initial enthusiasm, but it really is a joy. The only criticism I have is that it doesn't have an 'off' switch.

 

[Skampmeister]

My 2qute has been on nearly 24/7 for two years, being on all the time doesn’t hurt them at all.

 

[miketlse]

Please excuse my ignorance on this, but I don't get the whole aftermarket power supply thing. Does it really make an audible difference? Plus, hasn't the designer already stated that the included power supply is all that's needed and anything else actually voids warranty (that might have been for the 2Qute only)? Why would the product not include an optimal power supply at this price?

This type of question gets repeatedly raised on several of the chord threads.
I will always trust the view/opinion of Rob Watts, largely because he has a CV with 30 years of designing/coding electronic devices, and in recent years winning awards for his DAC designs.
However there are quite a few owners of Chord Dacs, who say that Rob is wrong, and that using a different external power supply produces a 'night and day' difference in the sound quality.
So you have two diametrically opposed views, and 'neer the twain shall meet'.
Asking for advice about power supplies on a chord thread can end up confusing. The best advice is that it is your money, and that if you first demo an alternative power supply, at least you can then make an informed decision, and keep/return the power supply as necessary.

 

[Skampmeister]

As Rob mentioned earlier, whack a power brick onto the Qutest and go from there. Better still, ask someone else to do it for you at some point in time and see if you can tell when it has been done without your knowledge.

 

[Triode User]

Though I've been complaining on the Chord Poly thread, I thought I'd drop in my first impressions of the Qutest, which arrived yesterday. I'd previously been using a Chord Mojo in my hifi system, and the comparisons are with that: the bass is fuller and more precise, the instrument separation is extraordinarily good, and the timing and articulacy are extraordinary. The sound of violins, in particular, is as real as anything I've heard from an artifical musical reproduction system. Highly, highly recommended. Of course, this may just be initial enthusiasm, but it really is a joy. The only criticism I have is that it doesn't have an 'off' switch.

Great that you are enjoying it. I never turn my Dave off.

 

[hifipassion]

Please excuse my ignorance on this, but I don't get the whole aftermarket power supply thing. Does it really make an audible difference? Plus, hasn't the designer already stated that the included power supply is all that's needed and anything else actually voids warranty (that might have been for the 2Qute only)? Why would the product not include an optimal power supply at this price?

As a 2Qute owner, I can state that a low-noise linear power supply (LPS) is definitely better than the included one.
It takes an educated ear and a decent system including good cabling. One will notice it right away.
And, as an advantage, you could turn the 2Qute on/off using the switch on the LPS

 

[dmance]

As a 2Qute owner, I can state that a low-noise linear power supply (LPS) is definitely better than the included ..

As a former 2Qute owner, I went to a Teddy Pardo PSU despite the many posts by Rob Watts that it would make no difference. But it did, and it was not subtle. So I (regrettably) put Rob onto the ''emperor has no clothes' mindset.
But 18months later, I now believe (as Rob Watts indicated) that it was the AC mains noise induced by the factory PSU affected my amplifier.

So I now, apologetically, admit that the 2Qute outputs are probably identical with factory or aftermarket PSU. The audio chain is complex and we have little appreciation how noise thru metal contact affects everything.
Just my 2 cents...

 

[nickosiris]

^ I second that. Chord did indeed tell us that an 'upgrade' to the PSU was totally unnecessary when the 2Qute came out, but I notice a definite audible improvement with an LPS instead of the stock PSU.

 

[agedbest]

Great that you are enjoying it. I never turn my Dave off.

also because you have been advised to leave it always on....

sorry, can you tell me if "Dave" use the same Qutest PSU?

 

[JWahl]

Please excuse my ignorance on this, but I don't get the whole aftermarket power supply thing. Does it really make an audible difference? Plus, hasn't the designer already stated that the included power supply is all that's needed and anything else actually voids warranty (that might have been for the 2Qute only)? Why would the product not include an optimal power supply at this price?

All products are engineered to meet a target price point. And there's a few ways of looking at it.

Either, the 2qute/Qutest use external power supplies to save cost and reduce the end price to consumer, or if the provided is optimal then the extra design into something like the Dave is unnecessary. I lean toward the former.

That doesn't imply that the included supply is inherently compromised or poorly designed.

Another possibility, and probably more likely is that since the Qutest isn't driving a complex load like headphones, it doesn't require a beefy power supply that can deliver large current swings. The Dave probably needs a beefier supply for that reason. The filtering inside the Qutest should deliver very low noise appropriate with its application.

Sometimes we just like to tweak and improve things though, and I like that the Qutest leaves that option up to the consumer for better value IMO.

 

[dawktah2]

With the Qutest I thought Mr. Watts said that noise from the mains would be the concern but to test use a battery pack. Did I read wrong?

Does the LPS improve the 2Qute by noise elimination or something else, I don't own one so haven't read historical threads.

If the LPS improved the 2Qute beyond noise elimination, what did it do and how? Please use layman's terms, thanks!

I'm new just and want to learn...

 

[PHC1]

Sorry if this has been asked before, I did not find it in the thread but is the Qutest "Roon Ready" ?