Beauty in Clarity - Chord Qutest DAC Review - still a MUST HAVE DAC in 2020? Lets FIND OUT!

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Beauty in Clarity - Chord Qutest DAC Review - still a MUST HAVE DAC in 2020? Lets FIND OUT!

Рет қаралды 17,128

Күн бұрын

#Chord #hifi #DAC
Our review of the Chord Qutest DAC - Beauty in Clarity
Follow us on Instagram: @small_room_audio
/ small_room_audio
Tested using:
B&W 705s2
Triangle Borea Bro2
Klipsch Cornwall 3
Schitt Aegir / Schitt Freya Plus
Line Magnetic 508ia Integrated Amp
Allo USB Signature
Paul Hynes SR4 Turbo
Uptone Audio LPS1.2
Audioquest Niagara 1200
REL T5i
Find out more:
chordelectroni...
Chipset: Chord Electronics custom coded Xilinx Artix 7 XC7A15T FPGA
Tap-length: 49,152
Pulse array: 10 element pulse array design
Frequency response: 20Hz - 20kHz +/- 0.2dB
Output stage: Class A
THD: 0.0001% 1kHz 3v RMS 300Ω
THD and noise at 3v RMS: 117dB at 1kHz 300ohms ‘A’ weighted (ref 2.5v)
Noise 2.6 uV ‘A’ weighted: No measurable noise floor modulation
Channel separation: 138dB at 1kHz 300Ω
Weight: 770g
Dimensions: 4.5cm (H) 16cm (W) 8.8cm (D)
Boxed Weight: 1500g
Song: LAKEY INSPIRED - Chill Day (Vlog No Copyright Music) Music provided by Vlog No Copyright Music. Video Link: • LAKEY INSPIRED - Chill...

Пікірлер: 68

@gregoryeiding5395 4 жыл бұрын

Love the video and love the idea. I think most audiophiles/enthusiasts are subjected to small rooms and I look forward to the rest of your reviews and videos! Hoping we get a chance to hear your thoughts on treatment and your room in general soon

@SmallRoomAudio 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Gregory - and thank you for the kind words! A treatment video is definitely on the list. Initially I over dampened everything and it all felt a bit dead - panel positioning is much more important than I initially realised. It’s amazing how much difference simply moving stuff around (including yourself) can make!

@stephencosta6814 3 жыл бұрын

The lighting in your video is totally awesome you match the back ground to perfection

@richardblaauwgeers4349 3 жыл бұрын

Omg not only informative, this man makes me laugh

@locmanw1583 4 жыл бұрын

I own this dac! I love it!

@chrisharden3934 4 жыл бұрын

Galvanic Isolation: No electrical connection between the USB input and the audio output. This reduces the chance of you hearing noise from your laptop power supply for example, which is a common problem.

@SmallRoomAudio 4 жыл бұрын

Electrical noise = badtimes!

@PhilBlasco 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you. That was interesting. Thinking about getting this little thing.

@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120 4 жыл бұрын

Good job , Keep the passion going !

@SmallRoomAudio 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Tee-Jay! I’ve been watching your channel for a while, it’s awesome! Great to see you here 👍

@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120 4 жыл бұрын

@@SmallRoomAudio heck yeah 😆

@sauliniinisto5779 4 жыл бұрын

Wow! Good quality video! Needs more subs! Here, take one.

@SmallRoomAudio 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jimmy, much appreciated!

@JohnLnyc 2 жыл бұрын

One odd thing. It remains on….the glowing “marbles” even with brightness attenuated are still rather much in a dark room! Also it does not seem to generate much in the way of heat but I notice a very slight warmness that seems to come and go especially when used for awhile. I do love the sound though!

@iampuzzleman282 3 жыл бұрын

Bought a chord Hugo tt2. Bluesound node 2i has horrible dac. Looked at cutest but figured I would upgrade, so I jumped ahead and see this move as saving money which means I could more easily afford tt2 Lovely video.

@peterallison5021 3 жыл бұрын

my first time viewing your ver informative channel, thank you. I have just purchased what will last me for a long time, a Anthem MRX520, PS Audio S300 power amp and a set of Amphion 3 LS speakers. All this is supplied by my PC (Intel NUC), with a Dragonfly Red. I have the dilemma of going for the Qutest or the M DAC+

@SmallRoomAudio 3 жыл бұрын

I haven’t heard the M Dac+ but I’ve heard good things about it. Depending on the returns policy, your dealer/online shop might allow you to get both, try them out and keep the one you like best!

@peterallison5021 3 жыл бұрын

@@SmallRoomAudio just had a reply, and they are not agents for Chord... bugger

@SmallRoomAudio 3 жыл бұрын

That’s a shame - might have to get them from two different sources. Hope you are able to find them both to try 👍

@evertnijhof7202 8 ай бұрын

There is one other way to upgrade the Chord Qutest and that is by ditching the standard switch mode power supply and replace it with a decent linear power supply; the Farad Super3 makes a huge positive difference to the sound in my system.

@Lorenzo1972. 2 жыл бұрын

Holy crap! Apocalyptica - Nothing Else Matters. Thank you.

@SmallRoomAudio 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome band! 👍

@frederickhardman3389 4 жыл бұрын

Good video, as the rooms is so important can we get a room treatment video? What steps have you taken to improve your room?

@SmallRoomAudio 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Frederick - absolutely agree about the room. In small spaces sound bounces all over the place. Needless to say I’ve got a fair amount of GIK Acoustic panels and I plan on doing a room treatment video in the next couple of months - in the meantime - good panels at first reflection points are the first place I’d visit for anyone wanting to up their listening game!

@MrBonger88 4 жыл бұрын

I really like the sound of Chord Dacs. I have a Mojo for headphone listening. I would have gone with a Chord for my main system but I needed balanced outputs. I ended up buying a Mytek Brooklyn. Different presentation to the Chord but good in its own right

@SmallRoomAudio 4 жыл бұрын

Heard great things about Mytek products - their power amp would be fun to play with!

@monkeypunker 3 жыл бұрын

Oh no not the Mytek Brooklyn. Have you A/B tested it with a Mojo set on line level mode (blue color volume leds)? Mojo is to my taste better by far. No emotions through Mytek, sorry. Just sell it mate.

@MrBonger88 3 жыл бұрын

@@monkeypunker I ended up purchasing a linear power supply for the Brooklyn which has really opened things up. I’ve also got an Okto Research Dac8 Pro on order (multi channel dac needed for an active system) so it will be interesting to see how one of the best measuring dacs on ASR actually sounds. Of course the wait is a few months long to get one of these dacs so I’ll have to make do with what I’ve got 😉

@dilbyjones 3 жыл бұрын

Yes.

@Villaboy78 4 жыл бұрын

I’ve got a qutest and love that black brick sooo much , but I’m fascinated by the fact you’ve got an ms6i ! I’m seriously considering the lower power ms5i - How is the musical fidelity as a companion for the Chord? Also - we see your schitt, nicely done :)

@SmallRoomAudio 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Matthew! The Musical Fidelity is beefy and has plenty of muscle! Absolutely no problem playing hard to drive speakers and a good match for the chord, although its not as refined as say the Aegir or my Line Magnetic 508ia with the top end. I haven’t heard the MS5i but I read they share a similar sound signature. Hope that helps - if you get the chance definitely try and give it a demo!

@Villaboy78 4 жыл бұрын

Mmm seen some interesting vids about the Aegir , it’s a hot product (pun intended!) Do you use the qutest directly as the pre-amp? Is volume control a pain?

@SmallRoomAudio 4 жыл бұрын

I bought an Aegir because of all the reviews to see if I liked it - got to say, it’s very good, which is why it has stayed. It’s by no means ‘god tier’ but I think it’s a very appealing sound for the price, especially with the right speakers. (John Darko’s recent video comparison was excellent for different amps and speaker matching) I use it as a summer amp with Klipsch Cornwall iii speakers and tubes in the winter (or else they’ll melt me!) I will get round to reviewing the Aegir eventually but lots of reviews are out on that, so I’ll try to focus on other items to keep it fresh. I use my Freya plus or the volume on the integrated amplifiers for volume control.

@cinqo7 3 жыл бұрын

Great video. Have you compared the CHORD vs the TOPPING E90 dac? If money was no object, would you buy a better DAC than the QUTEST? Which one would be? Thanks!

@SmallRoomAudio 3 жыл бұрын

Great questions - haven’t heard the Topping yet, but that is definitely on the cards, and money no object - I guess I could go all out on a DCS Vivaldi one in gold - at £66k Wowsers!

@jim586 3 жыл бұрын

@@SmallRoomAudio Hi there. I’ve just subscribed. Fun channel. Have you tried the Topping D90(or even the D70 for that matter) yet? I’ve used the D70 and it’s stunning for the price and has better connectivity. Good luck.

@user-xb4nn6ql5l 4 жыл бұрын

First time I’ve watched your channel - I like it. I’ll be coming back for sure

@SmallRoomAudio 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you, hope to have some more videos up soon!

@mariuszgorka4713 3 жыл бұрын

Great review. Have you tried the Musical Fidelity MX-DAC?

@SmallRoomAudio 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the kind words! No I haven’t tried that dac unfortunately, so I can’t offer any advice. Simon over at the 13th note has reviewed it though, so definitely seek out his video! 👍

@xstensl8823 3 жыл бұрын

you should compare the Qutest to the Denafrips Ares?

@SmallRoomAudio 3 жыл бұрын

That would be great fun to do. I have a full schedule of reviews up until Christmas, but I’ll try and get hold of one in the new year. I’d also like to look at some less reviewed components. A lot of the KZfaq vids are for the same components as they do the rounds, it would be nice to change it up a bit and look at some less known items.

@locmanw1583 3 жыл бұрын

What digital cable input are you guys using? I'm using optical. And like green filter.

@SmallRoomAudio 3 жыл бұрын

I use USB mainly with the orange filter, but all are good. I found optical was particularly good with my Cambridge CXC transport, just softens the edges a bit!

@locmanw1583 3 жыл бұрын

@@SmallRoomAudio Thanks for your thoughts 😄

@zzt231gr 3 жыл бұрын

Optical is the best by far.Watts also says this.

@locmanw1583 3 жыл бұрын

@@zzt231gr ok thanks that's what I am using.☺️

@eEridani 3 жыл бұрын

Good vidéo. Quick question : Have you tried the Chord Mojo and if yes how does it compare with the Qutest ? Is the Quests really worth the 1k price différence ? Thank you.

@SmallRoomAudio 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Matt - I’ve never owned the Mojo, so can only offer a surface insight from listening to my friends one - but the Qutest to my ears has better texture, separation and clarity. Whether that’s worth the price difference is completely subjective. I currently have a £4k Terminator dac in to test, that’s 3x the price of the Qutest...and although it smashes it for soundstage and imaging, the tone isn’t as good! Value for money all depends on what you like your equipment to sound like - for the asking price I believe the Qutest is very good.

@eEridani 3 жыл бұрын

@@SmallRoomAudio Thanks. I think I'm gonna go for it. I've been willing to get it for almost a year now but was a little held back by its price. From all i've heard I think it really fits with what I want for my system. Cheers.

@SmallRoomAudio 3 жыл бұрын

Cool - enjoy!

@WelkySchullin 3 жыл бұрын

Thx. Have you considered some R2R DACs? I have Audio-gd and like it very much...

@SmallRoomAudio 3 жыл бұрын

I’ve got the Terminator at the moment, I’m really enjoying it - certainly a decent step up from the Qutest (in price as well!)

@IronHorsey3 3 жыл бұрын

@@SmallRoomAudio Great job, especially the opener. Have you tried any isolation efforts with your Chord & system? Some say this DAC benefits from isolation. I think everything does but a quality stand with shelves is costly.

@SmallRoomAudio 3 жыл бұрын

@@IronHorsey3 Thank you 🙏 I did try with some iso acoustics pucks underneath, but I didn’t really hear a difference, maybe my stand already isolates enough 🤷‍♂️

@biscuitgames_5016 3 жыл бұрын

Question: would you recommend buying a cutest as a portable DAC and thus being the sole item in the chain between my laptop and my iems/headphones?

@SmallRoomAudio 3 жыл бұрын

Hi, and thanks for the question. It’s ‘doable’ but not all that convenient. I think there are much easier options available for this kind of use - I’ve experienced both the chord mojo and the dragonfly red for this type of listening which are also very good for travelling too.

@biscuitgames_5016 3 жыл бұрын

@@SmallRoomAudio Thanks for the helpfull advice!

@jdk_360 4 жыл бұрын

You should try the Aune X8 DAC. It’s fpga with interchangeable dual op amps. I just got it for my set up using the audeze lcd-x headphones with the thx 789 amp. To me it sounds fantastic. It comes with two op amps. Inexpensive ones. I have yet to try anything higher quality but I plan on ordering a Burson op amp.

@SmallRoomAudio 4 жыл бұрын

The tweaking part really appeals to me, I’ll definitely add it to the list!