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Review and Measurements of CHORD Qutest DAC
- Thread starter amirm
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There should be no difference between Modius, qutest, d90 if level matched.
Again, measurements are one and sq is something else. All this 3 dacs uses different chips, approach, etc.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...le-thinking-a-dac-has-a-sound-signature.9245/
Say no more. Right now I'm a little disgusted. So excuse me.
Me too! D90 is a big owerblown Product. Just looking at measurements looks attractive. Thats the reason i bought it, after 5 mnts of listening i can definitely say there is a sound character to it. Emphasis on high frequency, the instruments sounds smaller, piano is not piano etc.
Umm yeah maybe your interconnect cables aren't up to D90's required specs and you ought to get some Mogami Gold ones that I have to accommodate its full dynamic rage
Good joke! Keep it for yourself. Buy 8000 usd speakers and start listening!Umm yeah maybe your interconnect cables aren't up to D90's required specs and you ought to get some Mogami Gold ones that I have to accommodate its full dynamic rage
This thread is about the Qutest and let’s use that as a reference for discussion. The D90 is a fraction of the price of the Qutest, but has many more features. The Modius competes with the Qutest at an even smaller fraction of the price.
It’s totally fine to prefer the Modius to the D90 and the Qutest. I think @JohnYang1997 is incensed that the D90 is being defamed without the benefit of a level matched comparison, given the measurements.
I’ll probably never do a three-way, level-matched DAC test - I don’t want to carry that much inventory to make the choice. So, that’s why I do rely on measurements to weed out outliers.
So, using observed sound quality in your system to make your decision is your choice. Objectivists will always say that decision can be biased.
In the end, we all want to be happy with our choices. The path that we take to that happiness will be different. I’m glad you’re happy with your Modius.
It’s totally fine to prefer the Modius to the D90 and the Qutest. I think @JohnYang1997 is incensed that the D90 is being defamed without the benefit of a level matched comparison, given the measurements.
I’ll probably never do a three-way, level-matched DAC test - I don’t want to carry that much inventory to make the choice. So, that’s why I do rely on measurements to weed out outliers.
So, using observed sound quality in your system to make your decision is your choice. Objectivists will always say that decision can be biased.
In the end, we all want to be happy with our choices. The path that we take to that happiness will be different. I’m glad you’re happy with your Modius.
Veri
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Wrong forum, mate.
I'm fine if people say modius is "better" or simply sound the same. But wtf dac only mode makes zero difference period at 0db when playing pcm. It's like saying 0.2 is not the equal in value as 20%.
Uh huh...
I listen on a high end system.
If I compare DACs level matched and not knowing which ones I am listening to all the imagined differences due to price, marketing BS and looks disappear. I have compared DACs over a range from £1100 to £14,000 this way, but no cheap ones. I was surprised but found all the differences I was sure would be there were imagined.
I expect that is the case with you too...
I get your point at 0db. But when the D90 is used for output volume control, is it also your contention that it outperforms a dedicated preamp for this function? That appears to be @Puska ‘s point.
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All the gear, no idea.
bigLP
Member
Within the last year I used a 2qute, a generation before qutest. Which measures worse. I used it on coax out of Naim unitiqute2 and BS node 2i.
Subjectively using my phone app to roughly level match. I thought I could tell a difference on both streamers with and without 2qute. Didnt compare between streamers. Maybe made sound richer by a small margin. I did really dig the form factor and cool lights on the chord and I'm sure that sells a lot of units for them. When I bought it f ou r my uniti 5 years ago I was certain it brought it to a new level. Until I actually tried to hear the difference. Dont be fooled by jewel like case work and pretty lights.....
Subjectively using my phone app to roughly level match. I thought I could tell a difference on both streamers with and without 2qute. Didnt compare between streamers. Maybe made sound richer by a small margin. I did really dig the form factor and cool lights on the chord and I'm sure that sells a lot of units for them. When I bought it f ou r my uniti 5 years ago I was certain it brought it to a new level. Until I actually tried to hear the difference. Dont be fooled by jewel like case work and pretty lights.....
Veri
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Yeah some like the globes/crystal balls. Some think it's weird as hell though
bigLP
Member
My loose implication was that the prettiness of the form biased my perception of its function.
Has anyone used Qutest with a power supply of 1A. I intend to buy Allo shanti to power usbridge signature with 3A, and Qutest with 1A. I see that the Qutest is declared on 2 ampers. I can try it so if it works great, but I'm wondering if the device can be damaged by a smaller amperage than the declared one?
I don't understand why everybody is still obsessed by changing the Qutest PSU?!
What are you trying to improve, exactly? The Qutest is already textbook transparent.Rob Watts said countless times on HeadFi to do NOT "upgrade" the Qutest PSU. According to the designer himself: it will bring absolutely no improvement (not audible nor measurable), will avoid your warranty and yes, may eventually damage your unit.
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