Review and Measurements of CHORD Qutest DAC

[adamjohari]

Chord Qutest does seem to be getting good reviews. But at the price point it's hard to purchase.

 

[Deleted member 24508]

I bought the Denifrips Ares ii instead and am very pleased. I for one cannot say which is better.

 

[bob7296]

The Chord Qutest is an amazing DAC. Adding an external linear power supply really takes it up a few notches.

 

[Jimbob54]

The Chord Qutest is an amazing DAC. Adding an external linear power supply really takes it up a few notches.

Why? Paying that much for a DAC and they cant ship it with an adequate power supply? Or......

 

[Deleted member 24508]

Neither. Both are at best sidegrades or inaudible differences to your d10s and at worse downgrades in various ways. If you need something with more inputs, balanced output etc and want to spend money there are way better options out there. Topping's flagship is one example.

Tried a d10, don't need its features, it sounded thin and lifeless.

 

[Killingbeans]

The Chord Qutest is an amazing DAC. Adding an external linear power supply really takes it up a few notches.

[snark] A nearly $2K DAC, and the engineers who designed it had no idea how to implement voltage regulation and filtering? [/snark]

 

[Deleted member 24508]

[snark] A nearly $2K DAC, and the engineers who designed it had no idea how to implement voltage regulation and filtering? [/snark]

Maybe but it still sounds good, so does it need better voltage regulation and filtering?

 

[Killingbeans]

No. That's the whole point. It's part of the DAC itself. A good DAC is designed to be as indifferent to the quality of the external supply as possible.

 

[Deleted member 24508]

No. That's the whole point. It's part of the DAC itself. A good DAC is designed to be as indifferent to the quality of the external supply as possible.

So why waste money on something that makes no, or little difference?

 

[Jimbob54]

So why waste money on something that makes no, or little difference?

I think that is what we are asking you.

 

[BDWoody]

So why waste money on something that makes no, or little difference?

Exactly...

You've gotten to a big part of why this forum exists.

 

[Deleted member 24508]

Exactly...

You've gotten to a big part of why this forum exists.

Exactly...

You've gotten to a big part of why this forum exists.

I guess we, collectively, are seeking excellence, but what is excellence in sound quality? Do we know what "good" sounds like? Is "good' the same to everyone? As I often quote I have spent more than 40 years really trying to like Klipsch speakers, I have friends who rave about them, to me they sound terrible. To me they are not "good", all the reviews in all the world, all the measurements in all the world won't make them sound "good" to me. The Chord Qutest sounds "good", to me, but no better than the Denafrips Ares2 I ended up buying. I tried many even more expensive DACs, most sounded good but not necessarily better. Does an external power supply upgrade make the Chord sound better, I don't know, only each listener can "decide" that, it could just be different. I guess if enough people tell you something is better then that is an indication it may sound better to many people. Of course some products sounding better seems to be obvious. I remember taking a non hi fi friend to buy their first proper set up, he liked nothing beyond a certain price, usually the price of the cheapest option. He bought everything that was on sale, across a number of stores, and at the cheapest price, he seemed convinced the system sounded as good as all the others. Actually I tend to think it did, to him.

 

[Killingbeans]

I guess we, collectively, are seeking excellence, but what is excellence in sound quality?

I think ASR focuses more on statistical significance than bind search for excellence. We try to quantify things in ways that make the personal seach less haphazard.

Do we know what "good" sounds like? Is "good' the same to everyone?

There are some distinct trends in the factors that contribute to preference mean values. But yes, personal taste is personal taste.

Again, ASR is not designed to dictate what you should like and not like. We are more interested in investigating why you like it, and whether it's the actual soundwaves that are causing it, or if other parts of the cognitive system are at play.

 

[Doodski]

ASR is not designed to dictate what you should like and not like. We are more interested in investigating why you like it, and whether it's the actual soundwaves that are causing it, or if other parts of the cognitive system are at play.

Not sure if ASR is that deep into it.

 

[Killingbeans]

Yeah, it might just be me. I have a sweet spot for psychology, and this hobby is an all-you-can-eat buffet

 

[youpassbutter]

Qutest wins Product of the Year for the fourth time - Positive Feedback

The Qutest DAC has won a prestigious What Hi-Fi? Product of the Year Award every year since launch 4th November 2021, Kent, UK: Chord Electronics’ Qutest DAC has won What Hi-Fi?’s Product of the Year Award in the DACs category for the fourth year in succession. The UK designed, engineered and...

positive-feedback.com

Chord Electronics’ Qutest DAC has won What Hi-Fi?’s Product of the Year Award in the DACs category for the fourth year in succession.

 

[Chester]

Qutest wins Product of the Year for the fourth time - Positive Feedback

The Qutest DAC has won a prestigious What Hi-Fi? Product of the Year Award every year since launch 4th November 2021, Kent, UK: Chord Electronics’ Qutest DAC has won What Hi-Fi?’s Product of the Year Award in the DACs category for the fourth year in succession. The UK designed, engineered and...

positive-feedback.com

Chord Electronics’ Qutest DAC has won What Hi-Fi?’s Product of the Year Award in the DACs category for the fourth year in succession.

And I’m sure if Chord keep signing the advertising cheques, it will win it next year also.

 

[Angsty]

I've been following this discussion for a while as I've considered buying a used Qutest. Looking at the measurements, it's a great DAC. It's a single-ended DAC; that will work well for my Bryston pre-amp that has an open "CD" RCA input. It will require only a 0.5m cable to connect it.

People have issues with its user interface; I'd plan to "set it and forget it" once I have settled in on my favorite filter. Honestly, it seems the biggest forum (and review) quibble is about its price. That seems more like a value-based choice than a specific issue of performance or functionality.

The biggest functional issue I have with the Qutest is not the lack of balanced output, but the lack of Bluetooth input. I'm also considering the Topping D90 as an alternative for its superlative performance. What I don't know yet is if I would hear a meaningful difference between the two; published measurements suggest I would not. Either would be a huge advance over the 15 year old DAC in the Bryston (using a Crystal CS43122 processor).

I am returning to digital after a long romance with vinyl. I'm convinced now the DAC systems have become good enough to largely close the "enjoyment gap" with many vinyl set-ups and my listening requirements have changed over time.

I eventually bought a Topping D70s. At first I was convinced I heard a difference. A couple of months went by and I was skeptical about the differences. Now, nine months later, I’m pretty certain that there are no repeatable, unsighted differences.

Put me in the camp that DACs don’t have discernible sound differences when SINAD is over 100, maybe lower.

 

[dananski]

The Chord Qutest is an amazing DAC. Adding an external linear power supply really takes it up a few notches.

What did you try? I got curious about the effect of power supply quality and tried out an iFi iPowerX at the same time as I was trying out the Qutest. I ended up sending both back. The Qutest was awesome and difficult to part with, but for £1250 seemed a bit wasted in either of my systems. The iPowerX didn't seem to do anything beyond error of imagination to the audio; it did charge up my Mojo without the whining noise that normally makes, but I don't think that's quite worth £100 . I suppose a linear supply is the theoretical next step up, but I'm becoming convinced power conditioning just doesn't matter a jot - at least, not beyond what competent audio device manufacturers put into their devices. But I'd be open to doing some double blind testing of it.

 

[JohnnyZeroSix]

And I’m sure if Chord keep signing the advertising cheques, it will win it next year also.

What about all the other advertisers who DIDN'T get Product of the Year? (the loss of subsequent Ad revenue from them must add up to more than the winning bid by Chord)