[dac64]

Some

Have you contacted Chord customer support?
Surely the qutest must be still under warranty.

Some bought used; some bought overseas; some misused...

 

[nephilim32]

Hello all. I have just a suggestion to share with you fine gents.
I bought a pair of LCD XC's and of course pairing it with my Qutest using mostly both Warm filters (orange, red) and I just love it .
Had to buy a closed back cause I have a small child, but with the LCD XC's very forward mid range and great low end presentation it makes for a very fun and engaging listen and kind of accentuates the qutest's amazing clarity in the mids and the quality of them because the XC's are so bloody uniquely forward in their mid range presentation . I love the pairing and I love my Qutest for helping my Xc's to sound like the elite closed back headphone that they truly are .
If anyone has tried this pairing let me know. Pretty wide sound stage for a closed back headphone.

 

[Lodwales81]

Hello all. I have just a suggestion to share with you fine gents.
I bought a pair of LCD XC's and of course pairing it with my Qutest using mostly both Warm filters (orange, red) and I just love it .
Had to buy a closed back cause I have a small child, but with the LCD XC's very forward mid range and great low end presentation it makes for a very fun and engaging listen and kind of accentuates the qutest's amazing clarity in the mids and the quality of them because the XC's are so bloody uniquely forward in their mid range presentation . I love the pairing and I love my Qutest for helping my Xc's to sound like the elite closed back headphone that they truly are .
If anyone has tried this pairing let me know. Pretty wide sound stage for a closed back headphone.

i have a pair of beyerdynamic t1 g2 headphones paired with a beyer A2 amp fed by my qutest, i cant hear any difference when changing the filters.

 

[OctavianH]

I just tried the ISO Regen, powered via a normal switching power supply because I did not had the LPS they sell with it, and the overall impression was that I got a bigger soundstage and more air in the overall presentation, at the cost of clarity and overall sound quality. I tried FLAC and DSD, several times, and I had the feeling that the improvement might be well perceived on a speaker system than on a headphone one like I use. So at the moment, at least in my case, the ISO Regen will go to the box until I will have another way to try it, on a different DAC or with a different power supply. For me it was not an improvement like it was the LPS I added in the past.

 

[jwbrent]

Hello all. I have just a suggestion to share with you fine gents.
I bought a pair of LCD XC's and of course pairing it with my Qutest using mostly both Warm filters (orange, red) and I just love it .
Had to buy a closed back cause I have a small child, but with the LCD XC's very forward mid range and great low end presentation it makes for a very fun and engaging listen and kind of accentuates the qutest's amazing clarity in the mids and the quality of them because the XC's are so bloody uniquely forward in their mid range presentation . I love the pairing and I love my Qutest for helping my Xc's to sound like the elite closed back headphone that they truly are .
If anyone has tried this pairing let me know. Pretty wide sound stage for a closed back headphone.

I owned the XC when I had the original Hugo. I thought they paired well, too, but it took some time for the XC trebles to settle down a bit. Once done, there were many magical moments of listening other than with poorly mastered recordings.

 

[HumanMedia]

Hi I conclude with you. The best DSD playback SQ I got from Qutest is streaming Roon to dCS NB, enable DSD to PCM conversion, then SPDIF to Qutest, 2nd runner up is convert DSD to PCM before streaming to NB.

I am constantly frustrated by the affect of USB cables on the sound of the Qutest. You think you know the native sound of the Qutest then change the USB cable, and the sound changes. Across multiple cables there is a great quality common denominator in there, but USB cables all seem to impart some negative characteristic. What is the natural, neutral sound? How can I get this with a lowish cost USB cable?

I’m starting to think that abandoning playback of DSD256 and above, and returning to coax SPDIF. Is this it’s best performance? Yes I know many strongly recommend optical but then I lose DSD128(?) and DXD. That’s too far for me as I love my DXD titles. But coax SPDIF might be the ideal compromise. In fact I wonder if part of the M-Scalars charm is that it abandons USB connection to the DAC and uses coax SPDIF?

 

[Jon L]

I am constantly frustrated by the affect of USB cables on the sound of the Qutest... But coax SPDIF might be the ideal compromise.

IME, different spdif cables impart at least as large sonic differences as USB cables, so the frustration with cables causing sonic differences is unlikely to be resolved.
Same goes for interconnects, headphone/speaker cables, power cables, etc, etc, the bane of audiophile existence...

 

[HumanMedia]

IME, different spdif cables impart at least as large sonic differences as USB cables, so the frustration with cables causing sonic differences is unlikely to be resolved.
Same goes for interconnects, headphone/speaker cables, power cables, etc, etc, the bane of audiophile existence...

Hehe. Yes you are right. However in my experience all other cables including coax are far more predictable and really good quality is achievable at low prices. USB seems to defy this.

 

[dc71]

Hehe. Yes you are right. However in my experience all other cables including coax are far more predictable and really good quality is achievable at low prices. USB seems to defy this.

For my Qutest and system, the best USB cable I tried (Curious) beats the best spdif I tried (Shunyata Cobra). The Shunyata was a step up from other coax cables, optical and other USB cables, but couldn't match the CuriousUSB. It's possible that the separated power leg on the Curious is what makes the difference, so it may be worth trying a cheaper option with the same configuration. If you can afford it, go straight to the Curious as most people who try it consider it an end-game cable, possibly saving cash in the long run despite its expense

 

[HumanMedia]

For my Qutest and system, the best USB cable I tried (Curious) beats the best spdif I tried (Shunyata Cobra). The Shunyata was a step up from other coax cables, optical and other USB cables, but couldn't match the CuriousUSB. It's possible that the separated power leg on the Curious is what makes the difference, so it may be worth trying a cheaper option with the same configuration. If you can afford it, go straight to the Curious as most people who try it consider it an end-game cable, possibly saving cash in the long run despite its expense

Yes system related indeed - sincere thanks for the suggestion (keep em coming) I tried the Curious and returned it. I couldn’t stand it!? Sounded like it rolled off everything above 10K, and rolled off early in the bass, and put bloated sheen over everything in between. I so wanted it to work.

Ive tried Wireworlds, QEDs, Oyaides, Furutechs, Chords, Mapleshade, AudioQuest and a handful of other manufacturers and boutique brands, that I cant remember here at work and the good ones seem to have qualities that seem fine at first, but small annoying audio properties that I tolerate at first become so annoying I cant live with them over time. But only USB, other types of cables including coax and analog connectors I quickly find ones that work for me and happily keep them for years.

Oh one exception - I really liked the Uptone USBPC, despite its lack of bass I could live with it happily and did, but a change of equipment made using it physically impractical. Actually if i could combine the bass and mids from the Oyaide Class A, and the highs of the Uptone it would be perfect. Im sure we have all had thoughts of combing the good aspects of different products.

Anyways I tried the Curious, but if anyone else has USB suggestions for the Qutest please post them, they are all appreciated. Maybe a pattern of recommendations will emerge of USB cables that suite the Qutest more than not.

 

[OctavianH]

Anyways I tried the Curious, but if anyone else has USB suggestions for the Qutest please post them, they are all appreciated. Maybe a pattern of recommendations will emerge of USB cables that suite the Qutest more than not.

I use here for more than 6 months a QED Reference USB A-B and for me sounds perfect. You can try it.

 

[mmwwmm]

Is the output stage in the Qutest a discrete class A stage or it uses some integrated operational amplifiers? I see a pair of OP07C close to the output. Just curious about that.

 

[Rob Watts]

It's a discrete class A OP stage. One feedback loop and the usual two caps and two resistors in the direct signal path. The OP07C are merely the analogue integrators for the digital DC servo; they are not in the audio path, and only influence the DC on the output. It takes 16 seconds to get DC to be nulled out by the digital servo, that's what is happening at power up during the rainbow display mode.

 

[HumanMedia]

I use here for more than 6 months a QED Reference USB A-B and for me sounds perfect. You can try it.

Really appreciate this recommendation and I will definitely follow up on it.

I also failed to mention that the USB Cable I am currently using is very interesting. It’s the Oyaide USB Class A (not the Class S which doesn’t sound as good) dirt cheap from pro-audio stores not consumer audio stores. It takes about 3 weeks to burn in, and the result is an enourmous soundstage wide and tall, with great bass extension and treble reach. It’s is clear and stunning in all respects except one - there is a narrow band of lower treble which has a metallic twang. Really metallic but only in a narrow frequency range. Many tracks you would never notice it and think its incredible, but when high hats are in that narrow problem spot, the illusion is destroyed. If it wasn’t for that one flaw it would easily be the best I have heard. Such a shame.

Will chase up on the QED, thanks.

 

[nick77]

Given the opportunity I would highly recommend a trial of the Wywires Platinum USB cable. I believe its strength is in the bass reproduction but nice balance overall, it is a bit pricey though. I got mine on sale.

@ HumanMedia


https://positive-feedback.com/revie...latinum-series-usb-and-aesebu-digital-cables/