Chord Electronics Qutest DAC - Official Thread

[Deftone]

Optical always gonna sound smoother, but Good decrapifier + Great usb cable outperforms optical.

Optical cant take away and make the sound darker from reference point you have to remember that, the sound you get from optical is what it is. USB adds to the sound so you can use many devices to reduce the noise and try to get it as low as possible to try to get as close to opitical, if perfect isolation is acheived with USB it will sound just like the optical, darker and smoother.

If USB outperforms it to you then that is because of your preference for sound not because it actually gets lower noise than optical which inst technically possible.

 

[Triode User]

Optical cant take away and make the sound darker from reference point you have to remember that, the sound you get from optical is what it is. USB adds to the sound so you can use many devices to reduce the noise and try to get it as low as possible to try to get as close to opitical, if perfect isolation is acheived with USB it will sound just like the optical, darker and smoother.

If USB outperforms it to you then that is because of your preference for sound not because it actually gets lower noise than optical which inst technically possible.

My Innuos Zenith SE only outputs usb as is the case for their top of the range £10k Zenith Statement which is completely designed around being low noise and also only has USB out. When I asked them about why they didn’t use optical, bearing in mind its RF isolating aspects, they said it was not that simple. For instance, if their usb output was already RF free due to their design within the Zenith then it could outperform optical for noise at the ultimate end of things because the optical converter inside the dac can itself generate electrical noise into the converted signal within the dac. They came to this conclusion have measured both options.

So, whilst in general terms optical is better than usb for RF noise it is perhaps possible that those of us who use usb might actually have the ultimate system interface if our usb source is already noise free. Obviously there are copious amounts of YMMV in this.

 

[Joe-Siow]

Been upgrading my setup in stages.
Recently changed my wall receptacle to Furutech and also added a Plixir power conditioner with a new power cord incoming.

Will be looking at my source in the next few months.
Currently using an SOTM SMS-200 at the moment.
Am looking at the Melco N100 or Innuos Zem Mk 3.
Tiny chance but just wondering if anyone has had the chance the compare the 2?

 

[OctavianH]

I’ve already got an audioquest Carbon optical cable. I’ve been spending time comparing optical to USB connection. I enjoy both but I’m leaning towards USB... sound is bit more dynamic, better instrument separation and the vocals seem a little more forward to which I like. The optical connection has a very smooth presentation and everything is very cohesive, highs feel a touch rolled off by comparison which isn’t necessarily bad.

I’m trying the USB implementation four different ways and getting four different results:

1) USB straight from Mac Mini to Qutest with Qutest stock power.

2) USB straight from Mac Mini to Qutest with iFi iUSB providing the power to Qutest.

3) iFi iUSB between Mac Mini to Qutest with the stock Qutest power.

4) iFi iUSB between Mac Mini to Qutest with iFi iUSB providing the power.

I’m enjoying the experimentation so far. The great thing is each combo sounds wonderful, I just need to determine which sound is my preference. The Qutest is awesome.

Can you describe the difference in sound presentation when switching between these 4 combos?

 

[PY034]

I have been using the Qutest's RCA output into Sennheiser HDV820's XLR input since day 1 owning it, which I mentioned that it took me a while to understand the Qutest (due to burning in process and as well as the changes was pretty subtle)

Two weeks gone with estimated usage of 80 hours, I decided to experiment with RCA cables from Audioquest's signature series which I borrowed from my dealer. I was TOTAL GOBSMACKED by the improvement of the sound quality which was very prominent and I was so surprised as I had never thought a cable would have provided.

 

[Nik74]

Well the cable you mention at £5999 is more expensive than Qutest plus MScaler so I would hope it makes a noticeable improvement

 

[kumar402]

Well the cable you mention at £5999 is more expensive than Qutest plus MScaler so I would hope it makes a noticeable improvement

Omg 6K for pair of RCA

 

[PY034]

Well the cable you mention at £5999 is more expensive than Qutest plus MScaler so I would hope it makes a noticeable improvement

 

[Baten]

Omg 6K for pair of RCA

World's gone mad

 

[Narayan23]

Omg 6K for pair of RCA

World's gone mad

That´s relatively affordable in the world of audiophilia, check out these $30,000 Siltech interconnects:

https://www.thecableco.com/triple-crown-interconnect-pair.html

$17,500 power cable : https://www.thecableco.com/triple-crown-power-cord.html
$65,000 speaker cable : https://www.thecableco.com/triple-crown-speaker-cable-pair.html

 

[Nik74]

I have been using the Qutest's RCA output into Sennheiser HDV820's XLR input since day 1 owning it, which I mentioned that it took me a while to understand the Qutest (due to burning in process and as well as the changes was pretty subtle)

Two weeks gone with estimated usage of 80 hours, I decided to experiment with RCA cables from Audioquest's signature series which I borrowed from my dealer. I was TOTAL GOBSMACKED by the improvement of the sound quality which was very prominent and I was so surprised as I had never thought a cable would have provided.

That´s relatively affordable in the world of audiophilia, check out these $30,000 Siltech interconnects:

https://www.thecableco.com/triple-crown-interconnect-pair.html

$17,500 power cable : https://www.thecableco.com/triple-crown-power-cord.html
$65,000 speaker cable : https://www.thecableco.com/triple-crown-speaker-cable-pair.html

Mortgage deposit down payment or speaker cables... hmmm decisions , decisions lol

 

[betula]

That´s relatively affordable in the world of audiophilia, check out these $30,000 Siltech interconnects:

https://www.thecableco.com/triple-crown-interconnect-pair.html

$17,500 power cable : https://www.thecableco.com/triple-crown-power-cord.html
$65,000 speaker cable : https://www.thecableco.com/triple-crown-speaker-cable-pair.html

Who is buying these cables honestly? From the price of one RCA cable I could pretty much put together a dream system or two.
I guess they don't need to sell too many of these since from the profit of selling one cable they can cover someones salary for a year in the cable store.

 

[Roybenz]

Very litte bang for buck these expensive cables lol

I let my qutest run for about 100hrs. Cant tell any difference after "burn in"

 

[jwbrent]

Very litte bang for buck these expensive cables lol

I let my qutest run for about 100hrs. Cant tell any difference after "burn in"

I believe @Rob Watts has stated similar feelings, but it doesn’t negate those who do hear subtleties that improve the sound. Like all of our senses, we each have unique capabilities shared by some but not by others. No big deal.

 

[jwbrent]

Who is buying these cables honestly? From the price of one RCA cable I could pretty much put together a dream system or two.
I guess they don't need to sell too many of these since from the profit of selling one cable they can cover someones salary for a year in the cable store.

The Asian market when I was in the high end audio biz was a big market for expensive cables.

When a customer buys, for example, a $200,000 sound system, they clearly have the means to afford exotic cables. Components in this price category have the resolving power to reveal the subtle and not so subtle results, and although these differences for the price seem outrageous to most audio enthusiasts, to the well off spenders, it’s worth it because their system sounds better and the pride of ownership is increased.