Just trialling a Weiss 204 as an alternative to my Qutest. There was a separate thread on similar topic that’s now closed with another forum member trialling something similar.
It’s definitely less forward than the Qutest, which at first makes the Qutest sound more immediate and richer (particularly vocals). However, with what I always see as being the sign of a real upgrade, I started noticing subtle production decisions and additional instrumentation with the Weiss, which was there with the Qutest but the Weiss just separates it better and makes you notice the layers more.
It does show how good the Qutest is, that it’s not an immediate ‘this is much better’ moment. But it was noticeable with some music playing in the background, how clearly and fluidly vocals are rendered in particular, without the slight mid-bass boost I’d perceived in the Qutest (which had thought was just a feature of my Contours).
It’s a v understated piece of kit, which like the Qutest, does one thing well, which really appeals to me. I do think Chord are missing a trick by not having another standalone dac above the Qutest - I don’t want to pay for a headphone/pre-amp I’m not going to use.
You have summed up exactly why we haven’t moved away from nDAC/555 yet.
Once you have a competent DAC there is no easy wow moment. You do get enhepanced micro detail as you spend more, but with different voicing (per manufacturer really). Difficult decisions, and low return on investment!
Are you using the stock SMPS? IME the Qutest is not affected that much by the PSU, but a good PSU on the Weiss DAC204 can be transformative. The cheap SMPS it comes with is only good to break it in.
I tried iFi iPowerX, MiniTeddy, UpTone JS-2, and AudioPhool Meraki. They all improved the stock SMPS, but the standouts were the JS-2 and the AudioPhool (current).
Last month I compared a Weiss DAC204 with a Lumin U2 Mini streamer against my NDX2/XPSDR. I thought they were very, very close, but once I improved the digital coax cable (Lumin→DAC) to a Siltech Classic Legend 380d it opened things up, making it slightly better than the NDX2. The DAC204 is a very good DAC, IMO.
I sold the NDX2, added some money to the kitty and have a Weiss DAC501-MK2 inbound (delivery next week). I’m not getting a streamer because the DAC501 has an ethernet input and exposes a Roon endpoint. That’s all I need. I’ve spoken of this elsewhere in the Streaming forum.
Once it comes in my dealer will loan me a pair of Siltech Classic Legend balanced IC cables with RCA adapters for connection to my 252.
Weiss DAC204 is pretty good. One DAC that I really like and works well with NAIM IMO, is the Okto Research DAC8 (I have the Stereo one). I currently have both DACs but I find the Okto a bit more captivating! The best news is that it is very affordable!
PS - Okto only has the balanced XLR outputs and a headphone jack which I have not used.
Have you experimented with the current SOTA 12G SDI (RG11) 75r coax cables? They are pennies in comparison, require a very long break-in (400 + hours), but rival megabuck cables I’ve heard.
Laird’s Belden 4731R & Laird’s Canare L8CUHD - completed cables. Markertek carries them in fully terminated and tested/certified lengths. I borrowed some very expensive ‘audio’ 75r BNC cables when i had my Qutest and these bested them by an obvious margin. At their sub-$50 USD cost for a 6’ length, I think they may be worth experimenting with.
I tried the Audience Front Row BNC, Wireworld Platinum Starlight 10 BNC, & Nordost Tyr 2. I hadn’t tried a Siltech, however.
My dealer said some customers using a DAC501 with a streamer for Roon, found they get better performance by removing the streamer and using the Roon endpoint on the DAC itself. The 501 MK2 is supposed to be a quite a bit better. I’ll find out this week.
Doesn’t help anyone with a DAC204 though, since it is just a DAC without the other capabilities the DAC501 has (DSP, and ethernet for Roon or UPnP).
I don’t use/have a DAC204. I only home auditioned my dealer’s demo, with the OEM power supply.
The DAC501-MK2 I bought instead – that will be delivered any day now – uses a built-in non-switching power supply, with a standard IEC power cable connector on the back.
