[OctavianH]

I found what I was looking for somewhere in NYC:

These are looking incredible, like they were manufactured yesterday. I guess now I have all I need for a long period of time.

In the meantime I also upgraded my DAC to Chord Qutest which is better with a good margin over my previous 2Qute.

 

[Scutey]

I found what I was looking for somewhere in NYC:

These are looking incredible, like they were manufactured yesterday. I guess now I have all I need for a long period of time.

In the meantime I also upgraded my DAC to Chord Qutest which is better with a good margin over my previous 2Qute.

They look good!. Narrowly missed out on an auction for a pair a couple weeks ago so still looking.

Let us know what you think of them.

Btw how is the Qutest sounding, has it needed any burn in?.

 

[OctavianH]

Btw how is the Qutest sounding, has it needed any burn in?.

Yes, I would say that Qutest is improving or at least changing. But I am not sure if the DAC changes in any way or my brain changes my perception about it. I never understood DAC or cable burn in, only headphone or tube.
OK, I understand that good isolated cables help in less sound degradation, the same a filtered power supply for a DAC might reduce the noise introduced by a standard power plug but that's it. I do not understand how a cable or the circuitry of a DAC (chip + what is in there) might benefit from burn-in in other way. So I am skeptical that the DAC is improving, maybe my perception and brain is aligning with the new sound signature.
What I ca say for sure is that Qutest has better detail/resolution than my previous 2Qute and the overall sound is less warm and more towards neutral/transparent, which I think it is an improvement for my line.

Sorry for off topic, regarding Tung Sol 7236 I will try them tomorrow and maybe know more about them next week.

 

[mordy]

Yes, I would say that Qutest is improving or at least changing. But I am not sure if the DAC changes in any way or my brain changes my perception about it. I never understood DAC or cable burn in, only headphone or tube.
OK, I understand that good isolated cables help in less sound degradation, the same a filtered power supply for a DAC might reduce the noise introduced by a standard power plug but that's it. I do not understand how a cable or the circuitry of a DAC (chip + what is in there) might benefit from burn-in in other way. So I am skeptical that the DAC is improving, maybe my perception and brain is aligning with the new sound signature.
What I ca say for sure is that Qutest has better detail/resolution than my previous 2Qute and the overall sound is less warm and more towards neutral/transparent, which I think it is an improvement for my line.

Sorry for off topic, regarding Tung Sol 7236 I will try them tomorrow and maybe know more about them next week.

Hi O,
I have always been skeptical about the benefits of expensive cables. However, based on experience, I do believe that different cables can change the sound to some extent by working as tone controls. I have some 80's higher end RCA patch cords that impart a darker sound than the regular inexpensive ones I use.
I also noticed that a $10 A/C hospital grade (14GA) power cord improved the bass - maybe the thicker wire.
Regarding burn-in, I think that it is a fact that electronic equipment benefits from a certain time period of use before it reaches it's full potential.
The Elise/Euforia kept improving until stabilizing after around 150 hours. New tubes need 30-50 hours, and some much longer to reach their full potential. Therefore it makes sense to me that a DAC also needs some time to break in.
Some people report that they cannot hear any difference after use, but as far as I am concerned the break-in period is something real.

 

[OctavianH]

Forgot to mention that this DAC (Qutest, but valid also for 2Qute) is a pure DAC, without any amplification other features. What we see inside looks somehow like:

But anyway, you might have a point that break in might be also useful for this kind of unit.

 

[mordy]

Forgot to mention that this DAC (Qutest, but valid also for 2Qute) is a pure DAC, without any amplification other features. What we see inside looks somehow like:

But anyway, you might have a point that break in might be also useful for this kind of unit.

I have to leave to others if microchips need break in - I was thinking mainly of larger components assembled of many parts.

 

[OctavianH]

I hardly believe a chip or any digital electronic equipment needs burn-in.

Anyway, something somehow related to Elise, therefore on topic. When I replaced the 2Qute with Qutest I observed that the RCA cable I was using from the Qutest output to the Elise input was not making the expected contact on the jacks and was very easy to be removed. The connectors were not as tight as in the past, and also the isolation seemed to be a bit damaged. This cable was the one provided with iFi iDAC2 and was considered by me a decent interconnect. So I had to look to a replacement of 0.5-1m length.
After reading and judging I decided to order a QED Profile Audio 1m:
http://www.qed.co.uk/audio_interconnects/phono_to_phono/profile_audio_cable.html
This cable was somewhere at 20EUR. Packaging was minimal but the cable was above my expectation. Very flexible and very tight connectors which you have to push with force when inserting. Regarding the sound, I think it is somehow improved on the bass area and overall fuller. What to say, if anyone is looking to a cheap but decent RCA cable, this is definitely a good budget option.

 

[Scutey]

I hardly believe a chip or any digital electronic equipment needs burn-in.

Anyway, something somehow related to Elise, therefore on topic. When I replaced the 2Qute with Qutest I observed that the RCA cable I was using from the Qutest output to the Elise input was not making the expected contact on the jacks and was very easy to be removed. The connectors were not as tight as in the past, and also the isolation seemed to be a bit damaged. This cable was the one provided with iFi iDAC2 and was considered by me a decent interconnect. So I had to look to a replacement of 0.5-1m length.
After reading and judging I decided to order a QED Profile Audio 1m:
http://www.qed.co.uk/audio_interconnects/phono_to_phono/profile_audio_cable.html
This cable was somewhere at 20EUR. Packaging was minimal but the cable was above my expectation. Very flexible and very tight connectors which you have to push with force when inserting. Regarding the sound, I think it is somehow improved on the bass area and overall fuller. What to say, if anyone is looking to a cheap but decent RCA cable, this is definitely a good budget option.

I have to say that in the past I have been sceptical about cables, I've been using the same cheap cable for years, and as far as I was concerned it was pretty good, however after reading some reviews of the Atlas Integra cable I decided to give it a go, and after just a few short hours there was definitely a difference, and now with over 40 hours of burn in the cable has cleaned up the sound, more resolution, imaging, detail, tighter bass and a widening of the soundstage, so I am definitely a convert to better cable. That looks like a good buy, btw Octavian.

 

[OctavianH]

Yep, it is a good one. I own also more expensive cables (in range of 50-100EUR) and I have done a comparison. Compared to the one I replaced all are better, but between them I really cannot make a difference. So I guess after you reach a certain level the improvement is minimal, even if the specs contain more "voodoo". We will see if in 40 hrs I will hear something different. I told you I am reluctant to cable burn-in.

Later edit:

I have decided to change the RCA from the other DAC to my speakers, so I odered also this ugly one:

I like that it is very flexible compared to the other ones I own which can be used without problems as a "white weapon" but it is ugly as hell. Let's hope it sounds better as it looks.
I'll try this one with the Qutest - Elise and if it sounds better than the others I'll put the other one to my speakers. Let's see.

 

[hypnos1]

Hi guys.

For anyone who might be interested in how F-A's new flagship amp is progressing, Lukasz has released a photo of its rear at least...hope we'll get a fuller picture soon... : https://www.head-fi.org/threads/feliks-audio-euforia-a-wolf-in-sheeps-clothing.831743/page-316

 

[Scutey]

I have decided to change the RCA from the other DAC to my speakers, so I odered also this ugly one:

I was going to buy the Chord cable myself but opted for the Atlas Integra cable instead, how does it sound in your system?.

 

[OctavianH]

In the first hours it sounded harsh, but after a few hours started to improve and now it is quite good. In the meantime I added a linear power supply for the DAC which improved also the overall sound.

 

[Scutey]

Now that I purchased, new RCA Atlas Integra cable, Beyer T.2 and a Chord 2Qute, along with the Elise, my sound system has never sounded so detailed, dynamic and musical, amazing what £1400 can do!

 

[connieflyer]

Well all you have to do now is upgrade to an Euforia!

 

[OctavianH]

An interesting question would be: what is the future of Elise and Euforia products? We will see an upgraded version in 2019 or F.A. will release another amp and these will remain at this stand?
And at which price point? This is the question which comes to my mind when thinking about an upgrade.