[OctavianH]

It doesn't really answer your question, but my iPurifier 3.0 makes my 2Qute much cleaner/tighter/more precise.

I own also a 2Qute but only Qutest has USB galvanic isolation, and this might be the reason it does not benefit from the iPurifiers.

 

[betula]

I own also a 2Qute but only Qutest has USB galvanic isolation, and this might be the reason it does not benefit from the iPurifiers.

As far as I know the 2Qute also has galvanic isolation. For the very same reason I didn't expect much from the iPurifier 3. The results suprised me.

 

[AlexB73]

2Qute has USB galvanic isolation too.
Dispate that, in my case it benefits from iPurifier 2.

 

[Arniesb]

As far as I know the 2Qute also has galvanic isolation. For the very same reason I didn't expect much from the iPurifier 3. The results suprised me.

Maybe in your case you have better cable so there is less benefits or simply source is less noisy...

 

[betula]

Maybe in your case you have better cable so there is less benefits or simply source is less noisy...

The cable is the same. QED USB Performance Graphit and QED Qunex White RCA cables. Pretty basic but good enough quality I would say.

 

[Ragnar-BY]

I just tried the iFi iPurifier (1st gen) with Qutest (remembered I had one at my office and brought it back home just to try it). The impression was not very good, since it did not improved the sound, but somehow made it loose the dynamics and sound more "flat". What to say, I do not recommend this device. Did anyone had a different impression? I tried some FLAC 16/44.1 here, so nothing fancy.

I have similar opinion about Schiit Wyrd. Wyrd is doing good job with my three other DACs, but Qutest sounds better without it. I would not recommend any "USB-decrapifiers" for Qutest, it`s USB input is good already. I would better save for cleaner source, like opticalRendu, or something like that.

After this testing period with the Pro iDSD I will definitely hunt for a better DAC than my 2Qute, my only question is if it should be the Qutest? Has anyone compared the iFi Pro iDSD and the Qutest? Perhaps the bass control is what amazes me the most versus my 2Qute. Is there any other DAC worth looking at around £1000? I imagine the answer is no, but thought I ask anyway.

I don't think that there is a better DAC for this price. All other DACs that I wanted to try cost two or three times more than Qutest. And if I start looking for upgrade, my first option would be not a new DAC, but a Chord M Scaler.

 

[Joe-Siow]

Give the ISO Regen a try if you can lay your hands on one. I got it used with the LPS-1 as a set with the intention of selling the ISO Rgen to recoup some cash.
I figured there was no harm giving it a go since I had the intention of selling it. That was 9 months ago. The ISO Regen is still in my setup.

 

[OctavianH]

Give the ISO Regen a try if you can lay your hands on one. I got it used with the LPS-1 as a set with the intention of selling the ISO Rgen to recoup some cash.
I figured there was no harm giving it a go since I had the intention of selling it. That was 9 months ago. The ISO Regen is still in my setup.

I read about ISO Regen and I might give it a try just for curiosity, even if I do not really expect that it will provide an improvement in sound quality. In my theory a power supply or analog cable (like for example RCA interconnects) might definitely benefit from isolation and clear signal but a digital stream of data shoud not, normally, be influenced in the same amount. My cable is good, or at least I consider it decent, it is a QED Reference 3m between my PC (I use a normal usb3.0 port from the motherboard) and the Qutest. If I will try the ISO Regen I will not use the LPS they provide because I already have a power conditioner where I might "clean" the AC power suply of the included transformer. I already use a LPS for Qutest and it provided a sensible improvement, a power conditioner for the tube amp and the only filtering I might add is for USB where, at the moment, I found out that Qutest sounds better without it.
To help all understand my setup I will post here this picture:

 

[Arniesb]

I read about ISO Regen and I might give it a try just for curiosity, even if I do not really expect that it will provide an improvement in sound quality. In my theory a power supply or analog cable (like for example RCA interconnects) might definitely benefit from isolation and clear signal but a digital stream of data shoud not, normally, be influenced in the same amount. My cable is good, or at least I consider it decent, it is a QED Reference 3m between my PC (I use a normal usb3.0 port from the motherboard) and the Qutest. If I will try the ISO Regen I will not use the LPS they provide because I already have a power conditioner where I might "clean" the AC power suply of the included transformer. I already use a LPS for Qutest and it provided a sensible improvement, a power conditioner for the tube amp and the only filtering I might add is for USB where, at the moment, I found out that Qutest sounds better without it.
To help all understand my setup I will post here this picture:

Very Classy and clean lookin setup right there!

 

[OctavianH]

Very Classy and clean lookin setup right there!

Yep, I always liked the things to be "arranged". My girl calls this OCD

 

[Skampmeister]

This thread is so disappointing. Babbling page after page about PSUs when Rob Watts himself said the supplied psu was fine.

I agree, they all love Robs ear when it comes to building DAC’s, but fob it off when it comes to PSU’s.

 

[Macaron]

Hi,

Had iPurifier 2 on Qutest, upgraded to Allo Usbridge (much better).
Galvanic isolation isn't a miracle which makes the Qutest insensitive.
Now having the M Scaler in the chain, I wonder if I still need the Usbridge to clean up USB, have to try to connect my PC directly to M Scaler...

 

[nick77]

I had positive results using IsoRegen on my USB connection also.

 

[HumanMedia]

Hi,

Had iPurifier 2 on Qutest, upgraded to Allo Usbridge (much better).
Galvanic isolation isn't a miracle which makes the Qutest insensitive.
Now having the M Scaler in the chain, I wonder if I still need the Usbridge to clean up USB, have to try to connect my PC directly to M Scaler...

Re Galvanic isolation - I think many don’t realise that ‘isolation’ doesn’t mean isolation of noise, it means that the electrical connection is isolated via a magnetic bridge in a transformer. Galvanic isolation merely attenuates noise, it doesn’t isolate you from it.

Re iPurifier - I have no experience with versions Later than 1.0, which are undoubtedly better, but iPurifier 1 always made the 2Qute sound worse to my ears.

 

[Deftone]

I just tried the iFi iPurifier (1st gen) with Qutest (remembered I had one at my office and brought it back home just to try it). The impression was not very good, since it did not improved the sound, but somehow made it loose the dynamics and sound more "flat". What to say, I do not recommend this device. Did anyone had a different impression? I tried some FLAC 16/44.1 here, so nothing fancy.

When i used iPurifier 3 i noticed it was best used on cheap low quality dacs with poor jitter surpression and no internal filertering etc. On well designed DACs like Qutest it has shown to add more noise and degrade measured performance. Same goes for ipower linear power adapter can make the noise floor worse on something like the ADI2.