I would take a DAC204 over anything Chord has to offer any day. Chord sounds digital, Weiss sounds more natural, just right, kind of like analog without the surface noise.
Yeah, that is very good way of putting how the Chord Electronics DAVE sounds. It’s truly impressive when you find a product that does this, and in my experience there are few that achieve it, and it sounds like your DAC204 is also one of those too. You feel you are listening to the audio rather than the DAC’s interpretation.
I kind am careful to avoid the word analogue generally, because in audio engineering the terms ‘analogue’ is sometimes used to refer to being deliberately noisy or imperfect.
But in our use cases I think we tend to use it to mean natural sounding and free flowing… our brains are better able to relax listening to it… rather than subconsciously constantly mapping/decoding what it hears.
The other benefit I find with our truly transparent DACs is that they open the world of the recording and production style, techniques and methods. As a recorded music fan I find this as insightful and interesting often as the music itself… and in hifi this aspect is not discussed so much, perhaps because unless you have a really transparent and open system it’s kind of hidden from you.
Yes, I should put a picture of her in the pet pictures topic. I just need to catch her sitting on the top of my 272 where she likes to got because it is warm.
Really important.
Gives me the sense of being there and experiencing that particular moment with them. It’s like you’re sharing a ‘slice with of time’ together.
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Its funny how my respect for the Qutest has just grown over the years.
A couple of weeks ago I replaced the @Signals built cables I used to connect my Icon 4 pre to the 300DR they sold me; and, can I take this opportunity to recommend their services. These cables were provided gratis to help me along.
The replacements are Vertere Redline. Hardly cheap, but the impact is in proportion. It has increased my appreciation of Qutest yet again.
Over the last month I have listened to dCS, Mola Mola and Deco. The quality of what I hear is dependent on the system.
For instance:
Listening to the HiFi Rose RS130 at Guildford Audio it sounded magnificent through the dCS Lina. However, when we switched to the Weiss 204/PSU102 it sounded somewhat sharp. This is a sound quality I do NOT get at home.
I might have said I heard this sharpness somewhat with the Chord Qutest at home, but NOT now I am using the Vertere Redline.
What I hear is not ‘digital’. If anything it is to the warm side of neutral.
In my main system the Weiss 204 does everything the Qutest does, but adds other positive attributes, including real bass control. This is demonstrated in spades through the SBLs. You really get to hear the use of bass as percussion.
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I really like my Dave, endgame piece of gear. and let me add, Stupid Expensive in the US.
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Thanks for sharing your experience with these DACs, excellent contribution.
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Try the Linn NextGen Organik Klimax DSM/3 at $42,000 (minus tax) 
I guess there are various reasons why some people prefer something else to Dave.
Yeah, I would agree with you but when it comes to very detailed sound the Dave is pretty much the king in that corner. Although with modern music like Xenakis it is just one bit to far, or the drones of Eliane Radigue where it flattens the slowly changing small nuances. This is not to put down the Dave, its just awesome in what it does.
To my way of thinking it depends what we mean as detailed with the DAVE… it certainly doesn’t highlight or exaggerate audio to give a faux impression of detail, bit of a pet hate of mine, but its capability that stands out is the detail in relative dynamics rather than flattening or normalising the micro dynamics… That coupled with its very very good phase response (timing) gives it that very natural organic feel without applying that through excessive digital colouration (over warming/filtering)… that for me truly allows you to listen into recordings… when matched with suitably compliant speakers and amp. I use DAVE (with now my Nait50) as part of my final proofing to listen into my trip hop and electronic music masters before releasing… as well as proofing in the car….
I would genuinely like to listen to another DAC that achieves this to the same extent … I know there must be a few out there, indeed some are referenced on this forum from time to time… but I realize now that also so much of this is system matching dependent to be audible as well… and of course there is personal taste.
I am also coming around to the conclusion that in hifi where transparency, nuance and natural pace and timing is wanted (which they are for me), micro dynamics and phase linearity across the passband are the two of some of the most important characteristics needed.
It would be great to have a high end DAC bake off with your own quality near field system 
. It could be a fun journey I am sure of relative small strengths and weaknesses across products.
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Another long-term QUTEST fan here.
I would also echo comments about PSU importance.
But DON’T think that by just throwing some random Linear Power supply at it, the QUTEST will be transformed… No. You will be hard-pressed to hear the difference.
But feed the QUTEST with a VERY high-end, well-designed, ultra-low noise PSU and you will be shocked at how good it is.
[Although it is somewhat counter-intuitive, be sure you don’t just dismiss leading-edge SMPS designs, in this regard… 
]
Even our 5-year-old commented after switching - sitting near the sweet-spot, playing with her toys - and I didn’t even tell her that I changed anything.
It is THAT dramatic!
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Rob Watts has confirmed that the innate 3V output of the QUTEST is digitally attenuated to achieve the alternative 1V and 2V output options.
With this in mind, we always run the QUTEST with the pure 3V output.
YMMV.
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Interesting - I found the opposite with both Hugo and Dave, where reducing the output level improved sound quality somewhat compared to running them at full output.
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I seem to remember Rob Watts the designer specifically guarded replacing the PSUs with linear power supplies as it would compromise the performance of his designs.
I think Chord Electronics use high frequency quality SMPS on many of their products, and more basic SMPS on their entry products and they advise caution of locating their DACs close to products with transformers.
Other than EMF from large transformers or noise from saturating transformers (buzzing) I have not really got to the bottom why. Certainly suturing transformers (through so called DC on the mains) can produce a fair amount of mains noise.
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Rob’s comment applied to the QUTEST only. I cannot comment about the HUGO and the DAVE.
But what can we learn from this?
Perhaps your system has a dedicated preamp creating additional Gain - before the signal reaches the power amp (section) which in turn, typically means the unwarranted Gain needs to be burnt-off at the volume pot.
This scenario typically gives the user bugger-all movement on the volume knob between quiet and too-loud playback volumes. Dead annoying.
Just guessing. I may be way off… 
We use a passive preamp, and the pure, unattenuated 3V output from the QUTEST is more than enough to drive our power amp to full volume.
The upside of the passive preamp is - given that there is no unnecessary additional Gain generated in the chain - that we get about 60% usage of our volume control knob (a stepped attenuator) between quiet and too loud playback. This translates to lots of fine gradients of volume choice. We like it.
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I think Rob Watts is probably dead right. He usually is.
Many amps and preamps (phono stages) benefit from having bigger wattage Linear Power Supplies, but the QUTEST seems to benefit from having way less noise - as a priority!
Advanced SMPS can be very good at this ultra-low noise trick, but lets face it; there is a very big difference between a clever little SMPS wall-wart - iFi iPower and its ilk, for example - and a high-end, leading-edge, hybrid SMPS design.
Superior PSU design has always played a massive role in lifting high-end audio products to the next level. Nothing has changed… Just ask Mr. Lampizator.
Fortunately, PSU design has not sat still.
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Indeed PSU design has not stood still, and some of the super low noise DC to DC supplies used in chips etc are probably more where it is at… but I suspect many of the PSUs used by audiophiles are somewhat simplistic and non leading edge technology…. Also anything with a long DC lead is never going to be great. (Obviously all in my opinion)
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Another shout to the Qutests sibling, Hugo2 with a 2go running off their internal batteries. All the stress which power supply simply disappears
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Agh but batteries need power supplies too on sensitive equipment.