[KevinjKim]

192kbps from yt converted to dsd played on a sp1000 and a qutest, a little part of me died today.

Thank you I've tried converting using ytmp3 converter if that's what meant. but I was just told that its still just mp3 quality music~

 

[KevinjKim]

Thank you I've tried converting using ytmp3 converter if that's what meant. but I was just told that its still just mp3 quality music~

By the way~ I'm loving the Focal Utopia's I thought the French were famous for everything except for electronics but I was very, very wrong~

 

[kovacs]

Hey Everyone ~ I’m not even sure if I’m posting this properly or if I’m just replying a post about PSU???
I just bought the Qutest and I’ve been using it for about over a week and I just wanted to know how I can get the most out of the DAC. I’m quite new to the hifi or the audiophile world and my curiosity has been making me spend $$$... I just hope it doesn’t get any worse ... Anyways, I’m currently running a Bakoon 5210 MK3 preAmp? With the Qutest and using a DAP from AK, the SP1000. I’ve been converting wave files to DSD and 24 bit 192 kHz files from FLAC / dBpoweramp Music Converter etc . I first convert the source from YouTube to a MP3 converter online and I’m not even too sure if I’m actually converting it into DSD, FLAC OR 24/32 bit quality. The music quality sounds good to me but if there’s another way, a better way, I would very much appreciate your advice.
Well, back to the Qutest ... I’m currently running it by hooking up my SP1000 to an optical cable to the Qutest. I tried a usb-b / usb-c type cable but the quality seems better with an optical cable. [ maybe it’s becasue I was using a usb-c adapter to the usb input ] Not sure ~ Does the selectable option filter [ incisive neutral [grey] / HF roll-off [green] / warm [orange] / HF roll-off [red] ] only work when the DAP is hooked up to the usb-b type cable to the Qutest? I’m not hearing any differences in the music when using the filters. I’m also using an iMac and the PINE player app from the Mac. Is there a better way???

Your input on this matter will be very much appreciated ~

Kevin K from Seoul

Man, no offense but if think that the songs ripped from youtube sound good and you can’t hear a difference between the different filters you won’t hear a difference between power supplies. Relax, stop buying equipment and start listening to your system. We all had to start somewhere but you are going way too fast. Turn the lights of, close your eyes and listen to well recorded music that you are familiar with and get to know your system. Try to describe the sound of your system, does it sound bright or warm, how is the soundstage, do you feel like the sound is coming from the loudspeakers or between and behind the speakers, how far behind ? How hard is it to follow the different instruments in a song, does it sound like a mess or can you easily follow a particular instrument or singer ? Do instruments or voices sound real or artificial ? Compare the version from youtube with a Lossless version ( CD, Tidal,... ) what do you hear ? Don’t buy any new gear before you can answer these questions and if you can’t you need to find another hobby and spend your money elsewhere. Your gear is more than capable, but you’ve got a long way to go my friend. Good luck and have fun !

 

[SearchOfSub]

The manual specifies a 5V 1A power supply at minimum. It doesn't specify that the Chord provided PSU must be used. That is why it uses a micro USB port as the power supply. Nothing about aftermarket power supplies and warranty is mentioned anywhere by Chord.

It was mentioned many times on Poly thread and original Hugo thread. John Franks clearly said warranty is voided if Chord products are used by aftermarket PSU.

These aftermarket PSU is not made yesterday. It goes back to Chord Qute days.

 

[soares]

You are very welcome not to upsample your Redbook files. It really a matter of personal choice/system dependent and again I won't discuss it. It's pointless. I do have other views and I am really upset due to the fact that I can not go over DSD256, when I could do it with other DAC using the same Linux. But the worst is that after countless hours changing USB cables, tubes, etc, I have not solved the problem that I mentioned earlier when upsampling to DSD256 or PCM768. The white noise continue to show up randomly and I fail to see why. With my 2 other DAC (OPPO 205 and iFi Nano) and using the same streamer and server (Sonic transporter i5 and Ultrarendu) + HQplayer, I don't get any white noise, ever. This being said I promised to share with you my views on the Qutest. First the power supply. I've tried the stock one, the iFi and the HDPlex. To my surprise, the differences are very subtle and you do not notice them immediately. Not sure if I will further invest on an Sbooster as I did with my 2Qute. Second, some of you asked me if you should upgrade from the 2Qute.I would say yes. The Qutest is really a gem. Sound stage, separation of instruments, timing. So much has been written about it and so eloquently that I will will refrain from saying more. A word on the tonality. I find it a little bit less warm than the 2Qute and also the voices seem a little bit more recessed when you compare to it or specifically to the Oppo205. It's a matter of preferences. As a curiosity when I was trying to see if the white noise could come from a tube, I noticed with surprise that contrary to the other DAC I had, and including also other CD players (e.g. my Sony XA9000ES) the sound didn't differ much... Do not have a clue why. To conclude I would recommend it without reserve to anyone that is looking for a excellent DAC to play Redbook files. Unfortunately I can not say the same regarding upsampling due to the white noise. I can not comment on original high resolution files because I haven't tried yet. Cheers and enjoy your Qutest.

Edit (06.07.2018)

Just to share some additional views:
i) It is clear now that I prefer the stock power supply.
ii) The white noise when upsampling through HQplayer seems to have stopped with the new NAA upgrade.

 

[Currawong]

It was mentioned many times on Poly thread and original Hugo thread. John Franks clearly said warranty is voided if Chord products are used by aftermarket PSU.

These aftermarket PSU is not made yesterday. It goes back to Chord Qute days.

I did a search for "warranty" in posts by @Mojo ideas (who may wish to clarify things) and found no mention of warranty voiding in the 12 results I found, except when someone suggested they open up their own unit. If you know of an official post or instruction where it is stated that you cannot use other than the chord charger with any of their products that use micro USB for charging, please link it here.

With the Hugo (original, not Hugo 2) it does NOT use USB for charging, but a specific charger. Many people fried their units plugging in the wrong charger as it uses a common plug.

Again, the use of micro USB, as with the thousands of devices out there that are the same, implies that any 5V charger with sufficient current (at least 1A as specified in the manual) will be OK to use.

 

[KevinjKim]

Man, no offense but if think that the songs ripped from youtube sound good and you can’t hear a difference between the different filters you won’t hear a difference between power supplies. Relax, stop buying equipment and start listening to your system. We all had to start somewhere but you are going way too fast. Turn the lights of, close your eyes and listen to well recorded music that you are familiar with and get to know your system. Try to describe the sound of your system, does it sound bright or warm, how is the soundstage, do you feel like the sound is coming from the loudspeakers or between and behind the speakers, how far behind ? How hard is it to follow the different instruments in a song, does it sound like a mess or can you easily follow a particular instrument or singer ? Do instruments or voices sound real or artificial ? Compare the version from youtube with a Lossless version ( CD, Tidal,... ) what do you hear ? Don’t buy any new gear before you can answer these questions and if you can’t you need to find another hobby and spend your money elsewhere. Your gear is more than capable, but you’ve got a long way to go my friend. Good luck and have fun !

Thanks will do that tonight ~ thanks for the recommendation ~

 

[AlexB73]

soares
Thank you for 2Qute vs Qutest comparison.
I listen only CD and Vinyl. No streaming, DCD, TDAL and other stuff like this.
I have 2000+ CD and 600+ LP collection. Mostly classical and jazz. I also have ~300 rock music CDs and LPs.
I use 2Qute with Cary 303 CD player as transport connected with coaxial cable.
Do you enjoy to listen vocal thought Qutest?
Which kind of music do you listen?

 

[soares]

Mostly jazz and classical Alex. I must say that the impact I felt most was when listening to classical music. Vocal are indeed wonderful but I had preferred to have them a little "more on my face" as the Oppo205 does. I am sorry but I can not comment on the sound coming from the coax as I only used it with USB. If I find time I will compare it to the sound of my Oppo205 as only a transport. Cheers.

 

[plsvn]

It was mentioned many times on Poly thread and original Hugo thread. John Franks clearly said warranty is voided if Chord products are used by aftermarket PSU.

Customers are not expected to follow every forum and read every interview, post, comment, review whatever out there!

Warranty voiding by using third party PSUs has to be written on product manual or official web pages (they don't even *have to* read web pages: it has to be on the manual that comes with the product itself)
This was the case for 2Qute but it is *NOT* for Qutest

 

[AlexB73]

I compared 2Qute with:
1. Macbook Pro 13" with Amarra and Audioquest Carbon USB cable
versus
2. Cary 303 as transport.

Cary is just OK transport but it over-performed my Mac setup by miles.

 

[Zzt231gr]

I compared 2Qute with:
1. Macbook Pro 13" with Amarra and Audioquest Carbon USB cable
versus
2. Cary 303 as transport.

Cary is just OK transport but it over-performed my Mac setup by miles.

Seems like you've got a very nice cd player!Have you compared it with a dedicated transport?Do you think it would worth the upgrade?

 

[AlexB73]

I bought Cary 303 CD player in 2001. It costed $3000.
I don't want to spend money for a new transport right now.
I just put SR Red fuse inside Cary and use Cardas wooden blocks under the player.
One my friend told me that old Linn CD players should be better as transport. But I never tried one of them.

 

[jayz]

On the subject of reducing interference using ferrite rings, I have been experimenting with Qutest and discovered... lo and behold there is indeed an improvement to be derived. Now before this explodes into an unnecessary argument I have to clarify that the effects of Ferrites on cables (particularly digital cables) is an accepted phenomenon on Headfi and Chord threads in general. Have to clarify that I do not see this as an issue with Qutest but rather a weakness with the EMI RFI polluted environments we live in these days. Therefore it is an ideal opportunity for improvement should one chose to explore and experiment. Phew, with that out of the way, here is what I have done...

I got myself two packs of Dreamtop Ferrite rings (various sizes) and went about attaching to cables. Reading the Dave thread, I came to realise that maximum impact requires attaching to coax cable so initially attached one each to both ends but later increased that to two each end. Then the usb power cable to Qutest. Then other power cables used in the system short of analog line and speaker cables as they can be sensitive to cable inductance change. Even made a few windings of Ethernet cable (feeding my source) around largest ferrite cores and post-tested with the player's network test that it is still capable of the peak bandwidth expected.

The result is noticeable but not in the way I had first imagined because the Qutest is extremely quiet anyway so it is not just about a quieter static background but now, transients are well.. better transients in that you could almost end up startled with dynamic peaks particularly in orchestral pieces.

BTW I got myself the http://www.chesky.com/album/ultimate-demonstration-disc-ud95 and what a disc it is and to imagine they did this in 1996. The dynamics test (track29) is one of the best tracks I have ever heard - if you want to listen to what your system can do in terms of dynamic peaks. I am discovering Qutest's capabilities every day, what a DAC this is.

 

[Zzt231gr]

On the subject of reducing interference using ferrite rings, I have been experimenting with Qutest and discovered... lo and behold there is indeed an improvement to be derived. Now before this explodes into an unnecessary argument I have to clarify that the effects of Ferrites on cables (particularly digital cables) is an accepted phenomenon on Headfi and Chord threads in general. Have to clarify that I do not see this as an issue with Qutest but rather a weakness with the EMI RFI polluted environments we live in these days. Therefore it is an ideal opportunity for improvement should one chose to explore and experiment. Phew, with that out of the way, here is what I have done...

I got myself two packs of Dreamtop Ferrite rings (various sizes) and went about attaching to cables. Reading the Dave thread, I came to realise that maximum impact requires attaching to coax cable so initially attached one each to both ends but later increased that to two each end. Then the usb power cable to Qutest. Then other power cables used in the system short of analog line and speaker cables as they can be sensitive to cable inductance change. Even made a few windings of Ethernet cable (feeding my source) around largest ferrite cores and post-tested with the player's network test that it is still capable of the peak bandwidth expected.

The result is noticeable but not in the way I had first imagined because the Qutest is extremely quiet anyway so it is not just about a quieter static background but now, transients are well.. better transients in that you could almost end up startled with dynamic peaks particularly in orchestral pieces.

BTW I got myself the http://www.chesky.com/album/ultimate-demonstration-disc-ud95 and what a disc it is and to imagine they did this in 1996. The dynamics test (track29) is one of the best tracks I have ever heard - if you want to listen to what your system can do in terms of dynamic peaks. I am discovering Qutest's capabilities every day, what a DAC this is.

That's an interesting post!

Have you tried ferrite on the power cord at first only?

Have you tried shielding the PSU?

Any close pics?