Chord Electronics Qutest DAC - Official Thread

[miketlse]

I also would love to see an m-scaler “baby” version in a Qutest sized chassis before a Qutest 2 release. That said, reading between the lines of Rob Watts’ comments re: evolution of FPGA tech during the recent Darko podcast, it seems like a smaller form factor m-scaler may be further out than I’d like.

His posts last weekend were also damping down posters expectations.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/post-16807586
He was so successful that even I am now pessimistic about seeing any new products during the next two years.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Wondering how much I will gain upgrading to Hugo TT2 from Qutest ? Only asking for sound quality differences and not features.
I suspect is a better sounding dac but by how much?
Thanks in advance.

I'd say significant (based on my experience owned hugo 2 with some desktop amp up to $3.5K, then sold everything and move to TT2).

 

[ardbeg1975]

Can anyone comment on improvement (if any) from upgrading from an iFi iPower2 to iPower X for the Qutest?

 

[JazzAudioDog]

My Qutest is no longer seen by my Apple M1 Mac Mini using USB. The Qutest doesn’t show up at all in the M1’s audio Midi device list.

So I tried an optical connection from the M1’s headphone jack. On older Mac Mini’s the headphone jack was a dual-use copper or optical. I’ve never used it on the M1. The Qutest was seen by the M1’s audio Midi device list as a 44k to 96k 16 bit capable pair of headphones. Music that was played sounded chipmunk-like even when the sampling rate was correct.

Is this an Apple problem or a Qutest problem?

Any other investigation ideas? I don’t know if it’s related or not but music played from a Bluesound Node 2i to the Qutest has sounded much thinner over the last month. Both timbre and soundstage.

 

[ardbeg1975]

My Qutest is no longer seen by my Apple M1 Mac Mini using USB. The Qutest doesn’t show up at all in the M1’s audio Midi device list.

So I tried an optical connection from the M1’s headphone jack. On older Mac Mini’s the headphone jack was a dual-use copper or optical. I’ve never used it on the M1. The Qutest was seen by the M1’s audio Midi device list as a 44k to 96k 16 bit capable pair of headphones. Music that was played sounded chipmunk-like even when the sampling rate was correct.

Is this an Apple problem or a Qutest problem?

Any other investigation ideas? I don’t know if it’s related or not but music played from a Bluesound Node 2i to the Qutest has sounded much thinner over the last month. Both timbre and soundstage.

Eliminated the usb cable as an issue?

 

[JazzAudioDog]

Yep. The Apple M1 works fine through the same USB cable to a Cary DAC-100t.

 

[ardbeg1975]

Yep. The Apple M1 works fine through the same USB cable to a Cary DAC-100t.

Then I think unfortunately your implied suspicion that there may be a USB connector or input section fault in the Qutest may be correct. Under warranty?

 

[ardbeg1975]

Any other devices you can test usb to/from the Qutest like an iPhone with CCK cable just to make sure Qutest usb is consistent point of error?

 

[JazzAudioDog]

I have iPhone/iPad but don’t have a CCK cable. I wouldn’t use it for anything except this diagnostic so I need to decide if I want to spend the $. The Qutest is a year old,
I hope still under warranty. I’ll call the retailer Tuesday (after the holiday).
Thanks for your suggestions!

 

[JazzAudioDog]

I don’t know if it’s related or not but music played from a Bluesound Node 2i to the Qutest has sounded much thinner over the last month. Both timbre and soundstage.

The “much thinner” sound I heard is not due to the Qutest. I think it’s been there for some time and became more noticeable due to improvements I’ve made. While investigating the problem I read about what audiophiles were doing to address sound degradation caused by their routers and networks in streaming systems. Adding audiophile switches and LPSs to their routers, etc.

Previously I never believed that stuff. But I figured what the heck. I didn’t purchase anything. I had two available outlets on my Furutech power bar which fed into my Shunyata Hydra power conditioner. I’d always kept the router plugged directly into a wall outlet. I reconfigured the Furutech to give the router’s large SMPS it’s own not-shared duplex plug in the star-grounded Furutech. Holy crap! Clearer highs, better imaging, fleshier mid-stage and beefier bass for zero cost! The next couple days of listening will hopefully prove or reject cognitive bias.

I’m posting here in the Qutest forum because I started my problem diagnosis here but also because I think it shows how the streaming network can affect sound quality in Qutest systems. I wouldn’t have believed it if I had not experienced it myself.

 

[ddaktiv]

The BNC inputs are designed to work with 768kHz inputs, and this precludes using transformers, as they typically are too slow. It is a very sensitive input, much less than 1v peak to peak, and set to 75 ohms.

Qutest was not designed for use with slow ramp up and ramp down PSUs, and although it shouldn't damage the FPGA (as the PSUs start-up and shutdown sequence is controlled via precision enables) I can't guarantee the rest of the circuitry. Not using the stock PSU invalidates the Chord warranty, so this is very much at your risk.

May I know how to use the bnc inputs, I’ve owned the qutest for a few years now and have yet to try the bnc inputs.
If possible please direct me to products I can look into? Currently using Roon and in the process of updating the endpoint to connect to the qutest but curiously I have no idea what products I can use for the bnc’s

 

[JazzAudioDog]

I use an AudioQuest Carbon digital coaxial cable with an AudioQuest BNC adapter on the end connected to one of the BNC ports on the Qutest. Source streamer is a Bluesound Node 2i.

If the Qutest is really that limited Chord should have cautions and use limitations listed in the owner’s manual as well as on the box. The Sbooster compatibility list shows Qutest as “compatible”.

 

[kumar402]

The “much thinner” sound I heard is not due to the Qutest. I think it’s been there for some time and became more noticeable due to improvements I’ve made. While investigating the problem I read about what audiophiles were doing to address sound degradation caused by their routers and networks in streaming systems. Adding audiophile switches and LPSs to their routers, etc.

Previously I never believed that stuff. But I figured what the heck. I didn’t purchase anything. I had two available outlets on my Furutech power bar which fed into my Shunyata Hydra power conditioner. I’d always kept the router plugged directly into a wall outlet. I reconfigured the Furutech to give the router’s large SMPS it’s own not-shared duplex plug in the star-grounded Furutech. Holy crap! Clearer highs, better imaging, fleshier mid-stage and beefier bass for zero cost! The next couple days of listening will hopefully prove or reject cognitive bias.

I’m posting here in the Qutest forum because I started my problem diagnosis here but also because I think it shows how the streaming network can affect sound quality in Qutest systems. I wouldn’t have believed it if I had not experienced it myself.

Did you connect your router with your streamer via LAN cable that was carrying some.dirty power? Or May be the SMPS was polluting the power line to which you DAC or amp was connecting. Just thinking how come better power to Router has so much Impact on sound.

 

[JazzAudioDog]

The router was originally plugged into a plain-vanilla wall mains duplex power socket on a daisy-chain shared service line. That line is completely separate from the stereo system power supply.

My stereo system is powered by two fully independent and dedicated homerun 10 ga cable runs to the breaker box. Each one has an audiophile duplex. The one used for digital components goes to a Shunyata Hydra power conditioner. Outlets in addition to the 4 in the Hydra are provided by a Furutech audiophile star-grounded power bar that takes it’s power from the Hydra. All the power cables are Shunyata.

When I recently moved the router’s SMPS to the Furutech the router went from zero power conditioning to extensive power conditioning. In the original configuration it may have been contaminating it’s ethernet output to the streamer due to dirty power on the shared-service power line it was using.

I’m only an hour into listening on the second day after the change but it’s been a remarkable improvement. The noise reduction has been significant resulting in much better clarity. Imaging is also better. It’s so clean I can turn the volume higher. Bass is tighter. There’s an “ease” to CD-res and hi-res streaming music that wasn’t there before the change.

 

[creativepart]

So I tried an optical connection from the M1’s headphone jack. On older Mac Mini’s the headphone jack was a dual-use copper or optical. I’ve never used it on the M1.

There are no M1 Minis or M1 iMacs that have the Optical S/PDIF 3.5" port. In fact, no Mac Mini since 2017 has had that dual purpose headphone/Optical output.