[reggiegasket]

Better than a RCA to RCA with a BNC adaptor on one end?

The streamer is RCA digital out and the Qutest is BNC in.
So a RCA-BNC lead looks like the obvious solution but the market for leads like this is much smaller than the std RCA-RCA.
If I go RCA-RCA with a BNC adaptor I can buy off ebay etc, and maybe get a s/hand bargain

 

[The Jester]

Better than a RCA to RCA with a BNC adaptor on one end?

The streamer is RCA digital out and the Qutest is BNC in.
So a RCA-BNC lead looks like the obvious solution but the market for leads like this is much smaller than the std RCA-RCA.
If I go RCA-RCA with a BNC adaptor I can buy off ebay etc, and maybe get a s/hand bargain

Closer to a 75 ohm transmission line with a BNC cable and an RCA adapter which is an SPDIF spec,
also longer than 1 metre if possible .... there’s a few RCA plugs that are close to the 75 ohm spec like the WBT stuff but one of those alone is more $$ than several complete cables ... as soon as you put a standard RCA plug on a coax cable it’s no longer 75 ohms ...
Don’t have to go crazy but if you’ve got a DAC the quality of the Qutest why penny pinch on cables

 

[GreenBow]

I tried a DAVE, technically perfect, but I didn't like it as the soundstage was way too set back for my liking. I now have the qutest. Works better for me in the fact that everything is somewhat more upfront and vocals have presence (slightly more forward?).

I do find it a more darker sounding DAC than the DAVE though, the highs are also somewhat recessed, and this decreases it's realism IMO. I use the incisive neutral filter and Oyaide Tunami Terzo RR v2 and Sablon 2020 USB.

I previously found the tonal balance of the Yggy about perfect, but the noise floor of that DAC was not good enough for me.

Any tips on how to tune the qutest to my taste - upsampling, use spdif instead of USB, external linear power supply? Any thoughts?

If the Qutest highs sound recessed I think it's something else in your system. Qutest is flat neutral to me.

 

[reggiegasket]

cheers Jester

 

[HumanMedia]

Closer to a 75 ohm transmission line with a BNC cable and an RCA adapter which is an SPDIF spec,
also longer than 1 metre if possible .... there’s a few RCA plugs that are close to the 75 ohm spec like the WBT stuff but one of those alone is more $$ than several complete cables ... as soon as you put a standard RCA plug on a coax cable it’s no longer 75 ohms ...
Don’t have to go crazy but if you’ve got a DAC the quality of the Qutest why penny pinch on cables

Maybe with standard RCA but the RCA connectors used in the Blue Jeans cable being discussed are specifically designed to be close to 75ohm as possible and are probably better than the WBT, it is mentioned in their spec sheet, they also connect the ground connection to the shell in a coaxial fashion,
http://www.bluejeanscable.com/pages/technicaldocs/canarercap.pdf

IMO a Blue Jeans BNC to RCA will be far better than a BNC cable with an adapter.

 

[The Jester]

I wouldn’t go that far but a good option would be to order one of those to make sure the cable isn’t the weakest link,
the “Grab one off eBay” limitation had me choosing the BNC cable with an adapter the best option ...

 

[triggsviola]

I have the Qutest and love it, but I'm trying to use it with a passive preamp and a power amplifier. I am getting an extremely loud hum/buzz when I do this. It's a very simple Nobsound High Precision Passive Preamp. It's just got an RCA in and out and an ALPS volume pot. Why am I getting this loud noise? When I use my Feliks Echo as a preamp, no noise. Thanks!

 

[Jon L]

I have the Qutest and love it, but I'm trying to use it with a passive preamp and a power amplifier. I am getting an extremely loud hum/buzz when I do this. It's a very simple Nobsound High Precision Passive Preamp. It's just got an RCA in and out and an ALPS volume pot. Why am I getting this loud noise? When I use my Feliks Echo as a preamp, no noise. Thanks!

There is no rhyme or reason when it comes to these types of presumed ground loop/hum noises. Feliks Echo is likely breaking a ground loop internally or draining it to wall via ground wire on the power cord.
Take a long piece of wire and touch one end to chassis screw or ground pin of RCA on Qutest and the other end of wire to similar screw/ground pin on the amp. If this doesn't get rid of the noise, try touching the two ends of wires to possible ground screw/pin between various components in the system. Don't forget about the ground pin on the DC jack of power supplies and music server/computers.

I have gotten rid of noise with this method with various component makeups over time, and I currently use a DIY System Starground system. Fancy way of saying I attached wires to the ground pin of AC plug and attach the wire ends to various components at chassis screws or ground pins to achieve the lowest system background noise level, which is critical for my 111 dB sensitive horns.

0207211427 by drjlo2, on Flickr

 

[triggsviola]

I tried using an sbooster, which lowered the hum a lot, but it's still very much there.

 

[ra990]

I tried using an sbooster, which lowered the hum a lot, but it's still very much there.

Try a regular old battery/power bank to power your Qutest. It won't get cleaner than that. If you still have issues, switch from USB to optical if you can.

 

[triggsviola]

I tried all of that. I'm thinking maybe it's the power amp. It's an Audio-gd Precision 3. Audio-gd isn't exactly known for their engineering. I think I'm going to replace the amplifier.

 

[UNOE]

I haven't seen anyone mention LCX paired with this DAC. Do you think this DAC is overkill for LCX. Would I have to upgrade my amp.

 

[strider1007]

The main task of the amplifier is to drive the headphones (speakers). As long as that works for you, there is no reason to upgrade.

A better DAC will provide a better quality of signal for the amp, resulting in better music through your headphones.

Obviously they shouldn't be too far apart, but I don't think that's the case here..

 

[UNOE]

The main task of the amplifier is to drive the headphones (speakers). As long as that works for you, there is no reason to upgrade.

A better DAC will provide a better quality of signal for the amp, resulting in better music through your headphones.

Obviously they shouldn't be too far apart, but I don't think that's the case here..

Right now I have a Topping D50 with the LCX but when I put my mojo with the LCX it’s much better. I just thinking Qutest might be overkill for that amp.

 

[Redflamingolingo]

Quick question. Sorry if this is a silly one. If I use USB connection from PC to Qutest, I get the Qutest as a sound device on my Windows sound options. If I do optical from my soundcard to the Qutest optical, then the Qutest as a device disappears. I'm still sending the signal through the Qutest, though.

My question is does this at all interfere with the sound quality? Am I still getting the sound from the Qutest DAC? I would use optical on my motherboard, but it does not work.

I'm just curious if running the optical from my soundcard to the Qutest makes a difference in sound quality. I can't really hear a difference versus USB. I want to make sure that the signal isn't tainted by the soundcard. I assume it isn't because if I go into the soundcard control panel, nothing I do affects the actual sound of the audio such as EQ or even flipping the out signal from headphones to speakers, etc.

Thanks, everyone.