[Lodwales81]

Well, it seems Audiophilleo SE and Singxer SU-6 are the only options right now. I wonder if the Audiophilleo is worth it`s price.

I have also looked at the singxer as an option for my qutest, but most people tend to purchase them for there hdmi (i2s). I previously owned a schiit Mani that was highly rated but I sold and purchased a SMS 200 with is USB.

 

[Ragnar-BY]

almost any 200-300$ dap can do this perfectly. Coax digital out.. 2 sd cards support... done. Fiio x3ii, fiiox5ii.. if you need streaming.. look for one with android. Hiby, fili x5iii, x7
sq will outperform usb interface. guaranteed.

Did not find coaxial output specs for Fiio x5 or x7. Official website just mentions that output without any comments on max sample rate.

 

[Ragnar-BY]

My heart agrees wholeheartedly, but my bank accounts is retching violently

+1

Hugo M scaler costs 3x times more than Qutest. It might be reasonable addition for more expensive DACs, like Hugo TT2. But I hope Chord will release more affordable M scaler model for Qutest. I do like the idea of Qutest - minimalist DAC with one main function (which is done extremly well). I think some kind of "minimalist M Scaler" with one USB-input would be successful too.

 

[dac64]

+1

Hugo M scaler costs 3x times more than Qutest. It might be reasonable addition for more expensive DACs, like Hugo TT2. But I hope Chord will release more affordable M scaler model for Qutest. I do like the idea of Qutest - minimalist DAC with one main function (which is done extremly well). I think some kind of "minimalist M Scaler" with one USB-input would be successful too.

It might be reasonable addition for more expensive DACs, like Hugo TT2. - 100% or totally wrong.

But I hope Chord will release more affordable M scaler model for Qutest. - wrong again. it will never happen!

 

[Ragnar-BY]

wrong again. it will never happen!

Why not? A year ago we had only one upscaling option from Chord. It was Blu and Blu was even more expensive.

Existing Hugo M Scaler have a lot of functions: USB, BNC and 2 optical inputs; optical, S/PDIF and dual-BNC outputs; video-mode. I don`t need all this bells and whistles and I think there are a lot of people with similar thoughts. An M Scaler with one USB-input and one Dual-BNC output should be cheaper to build and difference in functions would be enough to separate it from Hugo M Scaler.

Of course, it would not be released soon. From business perspective it is wise to wait some time to sell enough Hugo M Scalers and introduce cheaper product only after that.

 

[GreenBow]

The M-Scaler uses one million taps. Apparently the magic of the M-Scaler happens between 500,000 and 1,000,000 taps. There is improvement up to 500,00 taps, but the real magic they say happens using the full 1,000,000 taps.

(That might mean that a cut-down version of M-Scaler is not really an option.)

However almost all users are saying that Hugo 2/Qutest with M-scaler, outperforms DAVE. Leaving you with a DAC better than DAVE at half the price. ... I don't know. Up to you. I am just repeating what I have read from others.

 

[Joe-Siow]

Why not? A year ago we had only one upscaling option from Chord. It was Blu and Blu was even more expensive.

Existing Hugo M Scaler have a lot of functions: USB, BNC and 2 optical inputs; optical, S/PDIF and dual-BNC outputs; video-mode. I don`t need all this bells and whistles and I think there are a lot of people with similar thoughts. An M Scaler with one USB-input and one Dual-BNC output should be cheaper to build and difference in functions would be enough to separate it from Hugo M Scaler.

Of course, it would not be released soon. From business perspective it is wise to wait some time to sell enough Hugo M Scalers and introduce cheaper product only after that.

I love your optimism. I really do. And for the sake of my bank account I wish it was the case but I do not believe there will be a lower end version of the HMS.

Having the 3 price points of DACs (Dave, TT2 & Hugo 2/ Qutest) makes sense to capture the different segments of the DAC market.
However, while Blu2 and HMS are also digital products, they are not DACs; they are upscaler for the DACs.
HMS exists because some consumers do not need the CD transport, and Chord is able to provide the upscaling technology without the CD transport at a lower cost.

Having 3 upscaling products in this category will just lead to cannibalization of the Blu2 and HMS sales.

 

[486930]

Hey! I’m building a system from scratch and now only lack a streamer. I’m have the Qutest obviously and would really like to hear anyone from anyone who uses the Innuous ZenMini mk3 or the Stream Box S2 Ultra fra Pro-ject? Optimally someone has auditioned both and can offer their advice. I can live with either from a practical standpoint, so I’m mostly interested in their SQ and synergy with Qutest.

Thanks a bunch

 

[Ragnar-BY]

Having 3 upscaling products in this category will just lead to cannibalization of the Blu2 and HMS sales.

Well, without knowledge of actual sales numbers we can only guess. But I think hypothetical "Q Scaler" is not impossible.

 

[Skampmeister]

Regardless of its triple cost, the Qutest severely benefits from the Scaler. I may buy a TT2, but one has to stop somewhere……………… I fink

 

[Joe-Siow]

I personally have not heard the HMS yet, but some of my friends have tried the Qutest and Blu2. The general opinion was that the combo is sublime and game changing.

 

[x RELIC x]

almost any 200-300$ dap can do this perfectly. Coax digital out.. 2 sd cards support... done. Fiio x3ii, fiiox5ii.. if you need streaming.. look for one with android. Hiby, fili x5iii, x7
sq will outperform usb interface. guaranteed.

FYI, the X5iii downsamples 24/192 through coaxial to 96kHz, and with USB audio output it actually downsamples to 48kHz. It’s been one of the most disappointing portable devices I’ve ever used as a transport. I purchased it specifically for the Hugo2 but I never use it because it does not pass along the sample rate unaltered, as promised by FiiO. The GUI is also very slow and gapless playback is hit and miss (I use lossless ALAC and FLAC files). The X5 and X5ii work flawlessly for bitperfect coaxial output but obviously no apps for Tidal, etc.. Firmware updates are slow and when they do come out they often break more things than they fix.

I would NOT recommend to anyone the X5iii for a transport. I can't speak for the rest of the FiiO line.

 

[odessamarin]

@x RELIC x

yes, right. regarding Fiio X5iii, same here. Sold it as well. Confirmed.
X3ii and X5ii.. is stable as TANK for coaxial transport.

 

[Ragnar-BY]

Hey! I’m building a system from scratch and now only lack a streamer. I’m have the Qutest obviously and would really like to hear anyone from anyone who uses the Innuous ZenMini mk3 or the Stream Box S2 Ultra fra Pro-ject? Optimally someone has auditioned both and can offer their advice. I can live with either from a practical standpoint, so I’m mostly interested in their SQ and synergy with Qutest.

Thanks a bunch

You can add Euphony PTS server to this list.

I have not heard the Pro-Ject Stream Box S2 Ultra yet, but it`s price brings up some questions. The cheapest EU price, which I have found online is around 700 Euro. Add 300 euro and you can buy basic Euphony PTS (250Gb SSD included) or a basic Innuos ZenMini Mk3 (1TB HDD included). Euphony and Innuos are music servers and could run Roon core, Zen is also capable of CD ripping. Pro-Ject S2 Strem Box can only do streaming and endpoints. You still need some kind of network storage. And if you are a Roon user, you`ll need a computer to run Roon core.

It is very interesting if Pro-Ject really made Rasberry Pi to sound so good, that it could justify this price level without extra functionality.

 

[jwbrent]

Hey! I’m building a system from scratch and now only lack a streamer. I’m have the Qutest obviously and would really like to hear anyone from anyone who uses the Innuous ZenMini mk3 or the Stream Box S2 Ultra fra Pro-ject? Optimally someone has auditioned both and can offer their advice. I can live with either from a practical standpoint, so I’m mostly interested in their SQ and synergy with Qutest.

Thanks a bunch

I’m in the same boat. I’m using a 6 year old MacBook Air as a bridge for my music files stored on an external hard drive and my Qutest. The new Project has caught my eye since its at the price point I’m looking to spend. With that said, I just learned about the new Stack Audio Link made in Britain and it looks pretty sweet, so I’m waiting for it to be released.

Stack Audio