Qutest, Hugo TT2, Mscaler

I use a Naim dc-1 BNC to BNC digital cable out of my ND5XS2 into my qutest.
And yes, a very impressive DAC.

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Yeah, I was surprised at the difference between the ND5 XS2 & The Qutest DAC. For me, it was a definite improvement but I can also see why people love the ND5XS2 DAC as well.

Still browsing USB cables… just curious to see how well the Aries can Upscale. Just popped the bog standard cable on and it offered the 768… thought it capped out at 384.

No date, but I am happier getting my ears around the Qutest before the Scaler arrives.

Qutest - First Impressions
It is a truth universally acknowledged that any HiFi addict, audiophile, who inhabits HiFi fora will become dissatisfied with their system. So having got to a system that was giving me a great sound for the wide range of music I listen to I read about the M-Scaler and it peaked my interest. Of course, the only way to get the BEST from the M-Scaler is to have a Chord DAC, not the Audio Note that I currently use.

Fifteen years ago my interest had been similarly raised by the Chord DAC 64 which I borrowed for an extended audition, and then returned. The Benchmark DAC1 had just come out and while being more utilitarian and less lauded, at that point, I felt it worked at least as well in my system; so much for expectation bias! So, my expectations about Chord were mixed.

A friend does reviews and has been listening to a Melco. Not owning a USB DAC he was loaned a Chord Qutest and has been very impressed. As we did daily briefing around what he was hearing and tweaks that could be applied I found my interest quotient rising, but I was safe, I wouldn’t spend the moolah for a Qutest AND an M-Scaler; and then someone posted a wanted advert for an EAR868PL, like the one that has been sitting unused in my living room for two months. Three hours later the price had been agreed, the money transferred and I had placed an order with Signals. Arggh!

Saturday was my first chance to listen to the Qutest. At 2030 what I was listening to was so bad I had to stop, but then …

Initial Setup
My friend had initially listened to the Qutest with its own PSU, but had then been loaned a MkII SBooster + SBooster Ultra Mk II, I assume the Ultra is an LT3045 lowering the PSRR, but it outputs 3A and so is a clever bit of kit. The LPSU gave the Qutest a very nice boost (sic) in his opinion.

I thought about retreading this path, starting with the Chord PSU, then the IFI 5v before going LPSU, but decided to go straight for the big guns. Initially I started with an 8V R-Core low noise LPSU >> two 7V LT3045 in parallel, one 2A the other 1A >> three 1A 5V LT3045 >> Qutest.

For these initial tests I place the Qutest on some loudspeaker pucks with some absorbent rubber beneath, something rather more bespoke is on order.

One things did concern me, the positioning of the LPSU. Ideally I like to keep them away from the more delicate electronics, but without a major rebuild the convenient shelf would place the power supply beneath my Townshend Allegri pre-amp and 18" beneath the Qutest.

The only usable output on my Meridian 210 is SPDIF, and not BNC. I use a very pure silver ribbon cable which I connected to BNC 1 using a BNC adapter.

Sound Quality?
I initially started my listening using the incisive filter. I was struck by the sound field. Not just left to right but by the depth, this was something new …and with SBLs. With highly produced music, rock et al, the overall size of the sound field was generally of the same order as the Audio Note, however with classical music in a natural acoustic it was as though the music was no longer tied to the speakers.

Familiar music had new detail, this is something I had previously heard with the Schitt Yggdrasil, but with that box I ultimately felt I was at a musical autopsy, here the detail was part of a cogent whole. The quality and detail on the cymbal work was interesting, and immediately raised suspicions. This is an effect I associate with noise, such as that introduced by a poor power supply or what I refer to as grounding.

At 2030 what I was listening to was so bad I had to stop, but then I realised that it was all Qobuz. I switched to my NAS and sanity returned. I believe that Qobuz does throttle its feed, while continuing to report that you are getting full fat. I suspect the Audio Note hides the drop in quality far more than the Qutest.

So at this point there was a lot that I was enjoying, but there was an edge, as demonstrated by the emphasised cymbal work, that was intruding and making itself felt on vocals.

Next Day
The next day I listened to the system and still heard some upper frequency artefacts and so replaced the R-Core LPSU with an SBooster running at 5.5v into the three 5v LT3045. After a few hours I repositioned the SBooster onto the floor. This seemed to improve things but I still wasn’t fully satisfied.


Noise can easily pollute the digital chain through such things as RFI and poor power supplies. Additionally I have found that not sorting grounding out makes itself felt. Naim, for instance, pays a lot of attention to this area, but how many people use gear from just one manufacturer? In my case I use Naim, Meridian, Townshend, Oppo, Lexicon and Nord; and now Chord. Not all of these earth back into the mains and so there may well be more than one route to ground, including through interconnects.

In my system I like to ensure than ALL the boxes have a path to ground through the mains; my earthing loom. This is simply a cable from each mains unearthed box to a earth block, and one wire from there to an earthing point. I have found that this simple and cheap method removes a level of upper frequency emPHASis, but also what I think of as some false dynamics. However, the earth point had been on my EAR868PL, now sold, OR on the Audio Note DAC, now benched. So I wired up a plug with one wire that was connected to the earth pin, this was then run up to the earthing block.
</Speculation Warning>

Listening Tests
This was FAR more like it. The positives remained, the sound was more relaxed and so was I. Of course this may also be due to burn in. The sound field is VERY large and powerful.

Comparing the Qutest (QT) to my upgraded Audio Note 2.1 (AN), this is NOT at the 2.1 reference level as the PSU is not valve rectified, but is a definite step up on a standard 2.1.

Sting, Mercury Falling, I Hung My Head - NAS
There is some complex percussion in the track. On the AN I always felt that the music was almost tripping over itself, that the percussionists were struggling. Not so with the QT. The sound field is more open and the noise floor is lower, so that not only is more detail revealed but is placed in a wider, deeper and more airy space.

Led Zepplin, Mothership, Immigrant Song - NAS
The comment about the QT detail resolution and soundfield are consistent. The one place where the AN can perhaps compete is in the slight added weight it brings to vocals, which could also be described as thickening, or 2nd order harmonics?

Leonard Cohen, You Want it Darker, You Want it Darker - Qobuz
Great track, but through the QT is became something breath taking with the male backing singers, well someone needs to, rendered wonderfully.

ELP, Pictures at an Exhibition - Qobuz
Not the best recorded live session. Through the AN this was OK, through the QT my attention was held.

Dead Can Dance, Toward the Within, Rakim - Qobuz
This is a superb live album. It is very good through the AN. It is even better through the QT.

Lorne Balfe, Musical Anthology of His Dark Materials, His Dark Materials - Qobuz
This is a highly produced piece of music with added distortion. I thought the AN’s more concentrated sound field might work in this music’s favour but the QT doesn’t lack any weight or drama. QT wins again.

Where the AN can shade things is by being kinder to less well produced music & I feel with the slight mid-range weight that aids vocals. However, the QT is a cleaner window, while NOT being brutally honest. Its adds to this through the size, precision and power of its soundfield.

Next Steps
Install the better acoustic isolation under the Qutest (on order).
I have an SBooster Ultra Mk II arriving tomorrow. I don’t expect this to better my LT3045s, but you never know and regardless it is a MUCH neater box.
I want to try the R-Core LPSU again now things are working well.

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Great write up… you summed it up a lot better than I ever could. For me, the detail, soundstage and layering is what really shines. It often leaves me looking at this little box and thinking… flipping heck.

I’ve just ordered a Wireworld Silver Starlight USB cable to better test out the upscaling from the Aries G1. I changed one of the filters to, “Dynamic” which is a tweaked version of their, “Precise” one and it sounded really good. So, I feel it’s only fair to try it with a cable that should help it along a bit. If it does, I may have to give the dealer a call to talk about what would be better still. I’ll be using the optical as reference for noise floor etc.

I’ll have to have a listen to “Toward the Within”… I love their album, “Into the Labyrinth”.

I’ll be interested to hear about the Booster Ultra Mk II. May have to compare one of these to the power bank I use.

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Not so! There is at least one person (me!) who hasn’t, and I don’t believe ever will. Info gleaned through the forum might tempt me to try something different to see if my system can be improved (affordably), but that is in no way the same as becoming dissatisfied!

Hi IB,

It was my poor attempt at wit. First Impressions is the alternative title of Pride & Predjudice which includes the line, ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.’

M

I am very impressed by this little box, I think Chord have played this with an incredibly straight bat.

When the Dave 2 has come out I will look to buy @Analogmusic 's old cast off :wink:

…or just stick with where I am.

If the Meridian had an optical output I would be interested in trying that, as it is I have the one option.

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Sorry - must be a bit dense on a Tuesday! (Well, maybe not just Tuesdays…)

ha ha - no chance of me selling my Dave (regardless of future products from Chord) - it’s a fine machine… at some point one just enjoys the music which is what Dave is all about to me.

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:laughing:

Not tempted to “test-run” the TT2? That box also matches the MScaler… :wink:

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you can use the Mscaler on just about all Chord (and non Chord DACs) to various degrees… you just need to watch the RF energy created… there is a little warning about placement in the Mscaler manual.

I have just written elsewhere i have been listening to a few Chord DACs with my Empyreans and it still feels like the Hugo Original even when not through my 552, or being fed by my NDX2 - still sounds the most musical - I might write a fuller write up like i used to on the old forum - buts in the silky succulent mids on the Hugo that excel especially with drums and vocals- they feel warmer and more human than on DAVE and on the Hugo 2 - albeit overall less dynamic, extended and ultimately detailed.

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Did you have a listen to the TT2 and Qutest? If you did, how did they compare? Quite curious as to the differences between the two and if you’re not a headphone user or, need the pre-amp whether it still good bang for buck upgrade from the Qutest.

not the TT2 on the headphones - but yes on the 552. I have not listened to the Qutest.

I am currently comparing the Hugo2 and Hugo driving headphones using their headphone amp.

Currently listening to Chopin Piano Concerto No 2 in F minor played by Nikolai Lugansky and its sublime (edit I found it was 192/24 which might be something to do with it)

I should have included Hugo 2 as the Quest is supposed to be very similar to it. What were the main differences between Hugo 2 & TT2 on the 552?

The TT2 was a little more mellow in tone - i found the Hugo 2 a little on the sharp side of neutral on the 552 - wasn’t sure whether it was my ATCs - but I hear a similar trait on the Empyreans… it might be how i hear things

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I’ll have to get a listen of one at some point. Are you using a LPS with your Hugo or the power supply it came with?

Loving the Qutest so far so always interested in hearing about the other Chord DACs.

I use a LPS when the Hugo is wired up on the 552 and NDX2… currently using it in battery mode with the phones

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I’ll get round to trying out a LPS compared to the power bank I’m using.

Yes, I gave it a lot of thought. In due course I will probably try the higher dacs but this route allows me to get a proper feel for what is possible with the Qutest, then whether the TT2 or Dave are worth the significant extra investment.

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