Also, can I ask how the you Chord converts would characterise the sound of the Qutest? I’m tempted dip my toe in the water by paring one with an Opticalrendu but I’m wondering how it might compare with the NDS and if it would sound detailed and open but perhaps a bit polite compared to the NDS and more expensive Chord DACs?
Keith
That is right, apparently it is from The Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. The software designer is into that I guess, but don’t ask me what it is, maybe a book?
I also use a DC1 between my ND5XS2 and MScaler, but I have not tried any other options to compare it to. I have about 10 ferrites clipped on mine too.
10, are you trying to convert the DC1 into a Wave Storm?
Maybe,I have about 40 of them in a drawer,so I went to town.
From memory, I would say the Qutest is a detailed DAC, not fatiguing at all. Great soundstage, dynamic… lovely texture especially with vocals and strings. A lovely DAC.
As for the OpticalRendu. This is a streamer / endpoint that can be really amazing. You’ll want an OpticalModule or a EtherRegen to convert the ethernet to optical to feed the OpticalRendu and to really make it sing, look to use a good quality Linear Power Supply. Sean Jacobs or an Uptone JS-2 are two great ones but there are plenty of others out there.
Now, the good news is, @Bluesfan spent a lot of time and effort comparing a load of DACs and streamers etc, including ND555 & Bartok etc. Links below… hopefully these prove helpful
I think of my Qutest as being rather like a mini Dave (which I also have) in how it sounds. With a good power supply I possibly prefer the Qutest to the TT2 because I find the Qutest reacts more to the power supply than the TT2 does. I also find the TT2 bass a bit congested and not as open or transparent. However for a headophone user (which I am not) then the TT2 comes into it own.
Yes you are right about what PGGB stands for. I grew up with the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and so for me 42 will always be the answer to life, the universe and everything.
Nice enclosure. Who makes that?
Yeah I really like them… small and easy to carry. I’ve got a few of them for work as well as audio.
If you type in, “Plugable USB C to M.2 NVMe Tool-free Enclosure USB C and Thunderbolt 3” without the quotes into a jungle/river like online shop and it should appear near or at the top!
Interesting… yes it does feel a bit like tail wagging dog… with Chord there is also the key thing about reconstruction filter optimisation … mixing and matching with Watt’s WTA filter is going to be almost certainly producing unintended digital results/artefacts… however clearly some enjoy it which is fair enough…
I must admit listening to Beethoven’s Second Piano Concerto right now and it sounds sublime.
Thank you
Looking for a power supply for my Qutest, which one are you using?
I wonder if the Qutest is preferable to some because it is the only one in the current DAC lineup without a headphone amp? Somehow, maybe less going on in the box actually means more? I have heard the Hugo 2, but not the Qutest.
Bongonater, I think Fourlegs uses a Sean Jacobs power supply on his Qutest, not sure which one though, maybe he will chime in.
@Bongogator Yes, NO-QUARTER is correct I do use a Sean Jacobs DC4 with my Qutest, but only because I can and because the sound is sublime, not because I recommend that as being value for money. It costs £4,000 and will cost more when the new DC4 ARC6 version is launched!
A friend and I pooled our various 5V power supplies one day last year and listened to the Qutest using each of them. We came to a rough and ready hierarchy according to our ears as per below. I think my go-to suggestion for a good solid bang for buck improvement would be the SBooster Mk2 with the SBooster Ultra Mk2 upgrade which is essentially another regulator stage.
Note that we thought the Allo Shanti was great value for money but only after the fitted captive DC leads had been removed and replaced with two GX16 sockets so after market DC cables could be removed. My friend used MCRU 1m ones which sounded good. It is not a big job.
Sean Jacobs DC4
Sean Jacobs DC3
Farad Super3
SBooster with Ultra Mk2 upgrade.
SBooster
Allo Shanti (with the supplied captive dc leads replaced)
Ultracap LPS-1.2
MCRU
Cheap LPS from China (about £50). This had no right to sound as good as it did.
iFi
Factory supplied smps
I emphasise that this was just our ears and other people may list in a different order. In particular the MCRU has a good following at odds with what we heard so do not dismiss it.
It’s the main reason I have stayed with the Qutest, Dave price wise is out of reach, TT2 I will never use the headphone, preamp, etc so out of the 4k probably half that will be unused.
Could you not find a used DAVE? There must be some out there that are more affordable - they have been with us for a little while now… i know still growing in demand last I heard - but id be genuinely surprised if there was not a healthy used market for them as well.
And by magic, today a Dave pops on the used market and is located only 7 miles away!!!
What did you use before the DC1?
Regard,
David
DC1 replaced an old Mark Grant G1000HD for the money (at the time about £20) this is an excellent cable.
Between Qutest and MScaler I’m using a pair of Mark Grant HDX1.