[OG10]

Is there anyway to turn this thing off?

Or do I have to d/c the USB power chord?

 

[plsvn]

just leave it on

 

[dawktah2]

Just downloaded Steely Dan "Gaucho" and will give a listen on Qutest tomorrow. Now if they'd only release "Aja."

 

[kovacs]

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.

Now this is a cheap, easy and safe tweak that anyone could try. I only have two of these laying around, so I looped the power cable for the Qutest through one and attached the other one to the digital cable and I think I can already hear a difference, the improvement is small but I think soundstage is even better with these in place (and it was already very impressive). Now it could be that my mind is playing tricks on me, but it definitely does not sound worse, but do try for yourself. I have tried these before on a pair of interconnects and that did make the sound worse, a couple of years ago I've also used these ferrite rings on my tuner because I had a lot of interference from mains pollution and it made a big and easily noticeable difference then. So like you said they seem to work best on power cables and digital data cables. I've already ordered a pack of 10 for 2€/$ from AliExpress, for one the ones I have are white and I want to replace them with black ones, also it won't hurt to try multiple on one cable, it's easily reversible if I don't like the results.

 

[ZappaMan]

Deleted - wrong thread.

 

[Triode User]

Now this is a cheap, easy and safe tweak that anyone could try. I only have two of these laying around, so I looped the power cable for the Qutest through one and attached the other one to the digital cable and I think I can already hear a difference, the improvement is small but I think soundstage is even better with these in place (and it was already very impressive). Now it could be that my mind is playing tricks on me, but it definitely does not sound worse, but do try for yourself. I have tried these before on a pair of interconnects and that did make the sound worse, a couple of years ago I've also used these ferrite rings on my tuner because I had a lot of interference from mains pollution and it made a big and easily noticeable difference then. So like you said they seem to work best on power cables and digital data cables. I've already ordered a pack of 10 for 2€/$ from AliExpress, for one the ones I have are white and I want to replace them with black ones, also it won't hurt to try multiple on one cable, it's easily reversible if I don't like the results.

Interesting to hear of your experiments but of course best to apply them to one sort of cable at a time to see which is having the most effect. Also, don’t forget that all ferrites are not the same and they target different frequencies although some are more broadband than others.

You are right about your conclusions about using them on analogue cables and by and large this is not a good idea.

 

[Zzt231gr]

Now this is a cheap, easy and safe tweak that anyone could try. I only have two of these laying around, so I looped the power cable for the Qutest through one and attached the other one to the digital cable and I think I can already hear a difference, the improvement is small but I think soundstage is even better with these in place (and it was already very impressive). Now it could be that my mind is playing tricks on me, but it definitely does not sound worse, but do try for yourself. I have tried these before on a pair of interconnects and that did make the sound worse, a couple of years ago I've also used these ferrite rings on my tuner because I had a lot of interference from mains pollution and it made a big and easily noticeable difference then. So like you said they seem to work best on power cables and digital data cables. I've already ordered a pack of 10 for 2€/$ from AliExpress, for one the ones I have are white and I want to replace them with black ones, also it won't hurt to try multiple on one cable, it's easily reversible if I don't like the results.

Pics please!!

Have you noticed for decreased dynamics due to the artificial coil that you created to the cord?

 

[KevinjKim]

[ sorry ] I know that this is a Qutest thread —- Chord seems to release new DACS every 3 years~ the DAVE, TT, Hugo 1, 2Qute all were released in 2014-2015-2017. Everyone of them have been upgraded to the Xilinx Artrix 7 chips and double the tap-length on the devices. Would it be possible that a new DAVE will launch later this year?
Does a new chip; example [ from Spartan 6 to the Xilinx Artrix 7 ] and double the tap-length make big differences in the sound quality?

 

[Skampmeister]

Last I heard, Rob Watts was not working on a new Dave.

 

[rhern213]

I had a few questions as I'm thinking of cleaning up my source components and lines, see if anyone can help me understand what areas are really worth while or what's voodoo.

My current setup is going to be as follows: External HDD -> USB Hub -> Win10 Laptop/JRiver -> USB Hub -> Qutest -> V280 -> HEKv2

The External HDD and Qutest are both connected to the same USB Hub which is connected to the Laptop. The laptop only has 2 USB-C ports which is why I'm using a Hub.

My initial thoughts were to replace the PC with an Auralic Aries, thus eliminating the USB Hub and improving the ports.

My questions are the following.
1. Will I benefit from using a dedicated source such as an Auralic Aries? I'm assuming the output ports and PSU implementation would be better than on my laptop?
2. Would I benefit from swapping out the HDD for an SSD? Considering the HDD is isolated from the PC through a USB hub, would this still introduce some noise from the disc spinning by the time it gets through to the DAC?
3. Would the use of the USB hub and having both the external HDD and Qutest connected to the same HUB cause any more noise/interference? Would I benefit from separating the USB ports where these are feeding into?

One other thing to add is I have an iFi iLlink USB to Spdif converter on the way to test. But I wanted to clean up everything else so there's nothing in the way of skewing the test.

Thanks for any feedback!

 

[miketlse]

I had a few questions as I'm thinking of cleaning up my source components and lines, see if anyone can help me understand what areas are really worth while or what's voodoo.

My current setup is going to be as follows: External HDD -> USB Hub -> Win10 Laptop/JRiver -> USB Hub -> Qutest -> V280 -> HEKv2

The External HDD and Qutest are both connected to the same USB Hub which is connected to the Laptop. The laptop only has 2 USB-C ports which is why I'm using a Hub.

My initial thoughts were to replace the PC with an Auralic Aries, thus eliminating the USB Hub and improving the ports.

My questions are the following.
1. Will I benefit from using a dedicated source such as an Auralic Aries? I'm assuming the output ports and PSU implementation would be better than on my laptop?
2. Would I benefit from swapping out the HDD for an SSD? Considering the HDD is isolated from the PC through a USB hub, would this still introduce some noise from the disc spinning by the time it gets through to the DAC?
3. Would the use of the USB hub and having both the external HDD and Qutest connected to the same HUB cause any more noise/interference? Would I benefit from separating the USB ports where these are feeding into?

One other thing to add is I have an iFi iLlink USB to Spdif converter on the way to test. But I wanted to clean up everything else so there's nothing in the way of skewing the test.

Thanks for any feedback!

Maybe step back and pause for a minute.
I don't have a Qutest, but i do have a Mojo and Hugo 2.
I find a Shanling M1 to be a good music transport, then a USB cable to the DAC.
The M1 or potentially the new M0, remove all issues with RFI and ground loops, and are cheap enough to experiment with.

 

[rhern213]

Maybe step back and pause for a minute.
I don't have a Qutest, but i do have a Mojo and Hugo 2.
I find a Shanling M1 to be a good music transport, then a USB cable to the DAC.
The M1 or potentially the new M0, remove all issues with RFI and ground loops, and are cheap enough to experiment with.

Seems like the M1 is a DAP correct? In this way wouldn't any DAP that has a USB out work the same?

I have a V30 with UAPP that will output bitperfect through USB directly into the DAC. One issue with this connection is it seems the USB out doesn't quite have enough voltage for a strong steady connection so I've gotten occasional drops and bad static. If I connect the V30 to a powered USB Hub then all seems good.

But I still thought the USB port on a PC or dedicated digital transport should be better.

 

[jayz]

I had a few questions as I'm thinking of cleaning up my source components and lines, see if anyone can help me understand what areas are really worth while or what's voodoo.

My current setup is going to be as follows: External HDD -> USB Hub -> Win10 Laptop/JRiver -> USB Hub -> Qutest -> V280 -> HEKv2

The External HDD and Qutest are both connected to the same USB Hub which is connected to the Laptop. The laptop only has 2 USB-C ports which is why I'm using a Hub.

My initial thoughts were to replace the PC with an Auralic Aries, thus eliminating the USB Hub and improving the ports.

My questions are the following.
1. Will I benefit from using a dedicated source such as an Auralic Aries? I'm assuming the output ports and PSU implementation would be better than on my laptop?
2. Would I benefit from swapping out the HDD for an SSD? Considering the HDD is isolated from the PC through a USB hub, would this still introduce some noise from the disc spinning by the time it gets through to the DAC?
3. Would the use of the USB hub and having both the external HDD and Qutest connected to the same HUB cause any more noise/interference? Would I benefit from separating the USB ports where these are feeding into?

One other thing to add is I have an iFi iLlink USB to Spdif converter on the way to test. But I wanted to clean up everything else so there's nothing in the way of skewing the test.

Thanks for any feedback!

The issue with general purpose laptops is that even if we dedicate it for the sole purpose of playing music, there are different things going on in the OS at different times - other program activity, software update, etc etc so the disks get hammered randomly - how can we optimise something that is random in behaviour. And can you imagine the number of switching power devices in there creating noise - it is not just about mains power noise entering via external power adapter.

I think a dedicated source is more likely to be designed with the goal of minimising noise - both generated and external not to mention when you set it up with a controller app on a phone etc, it is a nice interface to operate. Some will argue that there are ways to setup a similar control interface on a laptop but that is besides the point.

My slimdevices transporter streamer/player is approaching a decade in use but the best it can do is 24/96 so aries v1 femto has been on my radar as a possible upgrade. However, might hold off till we hear about Chord's plans especially around future MScalers and digital players etc. Aries mini + internal ssd is an another potential interim solution but I am looking for another genuine upgrade in performance so might wait and see how it plays out with Chord.

 

[rhern213]

The issue with general purpose laptops is that even if we dedicate it for the sole purpose of playing music, there are different things going on in the OS at different times - other program activity, software update, etc etc so the disks get hammered randomly - how can we optimise something that is random in behaviour. And can you imagine the number of switching power devices in there creating noise - it is not just about mains power noise entering via external power adapter.

I think a dedicated source is more likely to be designed with the goal of minimising noise - both generated and external not to mention when you set it up with a controller app on a phone etc, it is a nice interface to operate. Some will argue that there are ways to setup a similar control interface on a laptop but that is besides the point.

My slimdevices transporter streamer/player is approaching a decade in use but the best it can do is 24/96 so aries v1 femto has been on my radar as a possible upgrade. However, might hold off till we hear about Chord's plans especially around future MScalers and digital players etc. Aries mini + internal ssd is an another potential interim solution but I am looking for another genuine upgrade in performance so might wait and see how it plays out with Chord.

That's what my thoughts are, my purpose is to get some feedback on how much of a difference cleaning up the source would really make.

But I think I may have to just do this by trial and error since there are so many variables and differences from what I read out there.

In any case a dedicated streamer/transport will make it a much simpler and nicer setup then having laptops and hubs, and drives hanging all over the place.

 

[dawktah2]

That's what my thoughts are, my purpose is to get some feedback on how much of a difference cleaning up the source would really make.

But I think I may have to just do this by trial and error since there are so many variables and differences from what I read out there.

In any case a dedicated streamer/transport will make it a much simpler and nicer setup then having laptops and hubs, and drives hanging all over the place.

I'm using a Synology server DS416play. The app allows direct USB playback to Qutest. Control using DS Audio app. Anyone else using Synology?