I thought this was zeos for a second. But this guy knows what he is talking about. Great channel thank you for introducing plini to me :)

You have described what I have been hearing within a week better than I could after a year of use. Excellent review and probably the best Qutest review out there. Looking forward to more reviews.

By far may be the most detailed review on YT, the way you compare and describe among different tracks is phenomenal. Thank you!

I am satisfied with my Qutest. I don't feel like I need to continue upgrading.

Fantastic work describing the sound!

Oooh it's like Zeos without the swearing, cartoon porn and chatting bull💩 about pointless details for half an hour. And the better accent of course 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

This is one of the best , if not the best review of the qutest I ever have seen so far. Thank You for great video , being so informative. I have onwed the qutest myself and consider this to be great little piece of electronic. I share your opinion about the specific genres : like acoustic music , classical ones where the qutest is shining but also sounds sometimes polite. Good luck with next reviews.

You make a terrific point about the Qutest being pretty easy on poorly remastered/mastered recordings. Now recently, I just bought an AC regenerator from PS AUDIO and right now I feel I can actually listen to any crappy recording at a reasonable volume. The Qutest combined with refined and clean power is very good. :)

I like the review thank you, please consider a camera that sits still I felt sick in the end!

Watching these videos about $1500 DACs from my 15 year old laptop's built in tin can speakers lol

Feild programmable Gatorade

You have an amazing setup. Thanks for the review, I really enjoyed it. A genuine suggestion - you have a lot of electronic equipment in close proximity. It might be worth investigating RFI suppression (ferrites on Mscaler BNCs) and optimisation (for reduced RFI) of your power supply. This has paid dividends for me.

Yup, i find my new favorite audio reviewer

I've got this and find it beats my integrated amp's DAC for every genre, and that's listening to electronic dreampop like Au Revoir Simone , Orchestral like John Williams, Mathrock like The Marmozets , and some real dark DnB from the likes of Ed Rush & Optical. And it likes beastie boys too and their stuff is sometimes really poorly recorded. For me it's a richness to the sound and how notes (especially bass) don't click on and click off but sound a little less 'reproduced'. Wife walked in one time I had the integrated doing the DAC work and she said it sounded like the hifi was broken. My amp is a Hegel H390.

Nice review. But I think you should have used the standard power supply... I have read of instances of when other power supply had made the sound more "soft". This has made me hesitant to upgrade the power supply on my Qutest, because I also like to get the dynamics...

Great review. Some comments on power supplies with the Qutest. Not saying that this will “fix” the issues with slam, but I found the stock switching supply that comes from Chord works as well or better than either the ifi iPower (used in this review) or the iPowerX. And a Teddy Pardo power supply costs about $400 USD and provides a quieter background and greater dynamics and even more detailed soundstage without sacrificing timbre. A reasonable upgrade path when compared to adding an M-Scaler. I am also using a Chord Company Signature Super ARAY coax cable from my source that I picked up used and it brings another level of performance to the Qutest. Not sure whether that gets a Qutest in the ball park of a Holo Spring 2, but it really shines with many genres of music and makes redbook recordings sound better than I could have expected.

I wanted to love Chord products having used/purchased the Mojo, Hugo 2, and Poly. But the sound was just too 'polite' for me; very detailed but I often want to relax to music and not worry about whether I can hear that third string violin in the left-hand corner of the chamber. I switched to R-R DACs and have not looked back - they sound natural and great for my ears (Metrum Acoustics Pavane and Xi Audio Sagra DACs).

I wonder when Chord will release a new version given that this model has been out since 2017/2018.

Just goes to show that high-end audio is a combination of art and science. Once that's out of the way, all that remains is enjoyment - or not, according to gear choices beyond a certain price-point. The Chord Mojo 2, for example, now retailing at £395, breaks that price rule very obviously IMHO.

Your reviews really help us to fully understand precisely how something actually sounds by avoiding generalities like "It sounds good.".

If I'm correct you were using an Audioquest Carbon as USB cable, did you also try it with the Supra that can be seen attached to the M-Scaler? I have a Qutest and both USB cables and the Supra is a much better match to the DAC, the Carbon slows down the sound and tame the dynamics in my case, as you also pointed out, maybe what you heard is at least in part due to the USB cable. Also coupling the DAC with spikes or similar improves by a not irrelevant margin the sound stage. If you're interested I have recorded the Qutest with various USB cables and with and without coupling feet.

Proud owner of the Qutest and although the M Scaler is tempting, I do agree with your price point not being worth it to pair the two. Anyhow, very much appreciate your review and analysis. Terrific channel and thank you again for reviewing some privileged audio equipment.

Wow.. I'm not at this level but I'm loving that you've made it for folk. Blinding Stuff. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I would agree with you that its sound is a little to academic or grimey or dirty sounding electronica however I wouldn't completely discount the Qutests ability to match well with all electronic music all together. For example early Plastikman sounds amazing on it. Richie Hawtin's pristine approach to his instrumentation and song structure are complemented by the Qutest. Also Aril Brikha's Departure in Time, while very rich and warm sounding, is somehow up-leveled to a, stop what you're doing and take notice, maturity level. That said I have yet to find any drum and bass that the Qutest does anything to that really makes me stop and take notice of. Great review ^_^

The qutest, with a good power supply, is way greater. Another reviewer said it compares with the Dave. I suspect Chord to mostly upgrade the power supply on other units. I tried a small teradak power supply and my actual one with different results. The Teradak is leaner in the midrange enought to make the sound more upper midrange compliant. The new power supply give a fuller sound, more fast and meatier. I think Farad power supply has been tested to be the best (but too expensive for me...)

Goldensound, you are brilliant. Thank you.

I have the Qutest and did the A/B test with the Oppo UDP 250 DAC. The Qutest had the increased wider sound stage/imaging. Oppo more focused sound. Both Bass response was close. Qutest seem to have more life like treble. I love my Qutest. Sound is warm almost analog. I could listen all night with no fatigue. 😊

Great review, I hit that bell. Wish I could hear some of that stuff on your desk (one day!)

Looking forward to your AHB2 review mate!

+ one for the esthetics, I mean I love it much better than those horible technical black boxes with kind of airplaine cockpit leds

Great review, thanks for posting this. I haven't heard this DAC but I really feel it hits the high points and the lesser points (mainly that it may be "too refined"). I feel that other reviews might have been so "wowed" by the sound that they missed that the DAC might be "prettying up" things a bit too much. It does seem that this is very much worth hearing, but the caveats you mentioned should be kept in mind.

the dave looks like a submarine window thingy

Excellent review! Seeing the Cutest is a $1699 DAC in the US, curious how it would compete with the Schiit Gungnir Multibit as it's goes for $1299 US... any thoughts of a possible review of the Gungnir in the future?

Thank you GoldenSound for this quality++ video, as indeed all those on your channel. The comments that followed allowed me to fix a saturation/clipping problem (not sure of the terms?) on some very dynamic passages (rock music) rendered by my Qutest. When I read the comments yesterday, the output level of my Qutest was at its highest (3V.), and I lowered it to 2V. without any noticeable improvement. Today, the output level is at minimum (1V.), and everything is fixed. What a relief! I couldn't see myself buying a new DAC. Thank you all for your constructive comments and long live GoldenSound.

Micro USB on any DAC is a big turn off.

Great video! Great channel! This was my first video I've seen of yours. I love you!

That description about the tweed tea sipping guy was spot on..thanks!

I've owned a Qutest for 18 months. I've always known but couldn't pin point what you've uncovered. I mostly listen to folk rock and orchestral, it's accurate full and detailed soundstage, with beautiful delicate vocals and solos. Then I put on Muse or Radio Head and it just doesn't like the raw aggression. Maybe a better power supply would help? Advise with the 1, 2 or 3v output option on start up would be appriciated.

I keep hearing from others that certain linear power supplies really enhance the staging, refinement, and resolution of the Qutest. I just received my Qutest today and my LPS in two weeks....

Can you do a review of Chord Mojo 2 and compare it with the Qutest and ifi Dacs?

I would love if you could take a look at the other Chord products like the Mojo and the Hugo if you ever get the chance

Back 1 year later, and this is less about the Qtest and more about the importance of PSU. Qtest not only it failed to impress me but sucked the enjoyment out of music, I was ready to give up, but in last attempt I invested in a Jcat PSU. For the record I pay for the PSU more then I pay for the Qtest (got it at a discount), but the difference is huge. Everything is more defined in it's space, more texture, more air in between note, and for the first time sound travel, I know it sounds like BS, but you can hear sound travel in space. Now the question is, does the new dac+psu worth double the price? I would say Yes. Even more, to make you understand the importance of good PSU, I use the same PSU with a NEO iDSD, and NEO+Jcat Initio 3 is exactly as much as a stock Qtest, and sounds better then a Qtest (obviously withg the same amp, tracks.. etc.). Just "a little bit better" is not nearly good enough, and I may say it is actually worse in this case. Before any Qtest owner give up their DAC, or spend money on 1000-2000 Euro PSU, there is a little test you can do and it may actually be free to try. Power the Qtest on your 10A power bank that we all have for our phone. That alone is an upgrade over iFI 50$ PSU, and it is an instant improvement. That test instantly convinced me to spend another 1k on PSU and was not disappointed. It is like using filters to keep impurities out oif your engine, but it will always work far better with a good gas then filters. Spend less on DACs and more on quality PSU.

On the topic of power supply, I was using an IFI iPower, as this reviewer. I also noticed some "dissociation" of voices, until I went back to the supplied SMPS and voices returned normal. Anybody noticed the same?

I own a Qutest. Good review, your correct with the separation of instruments and vocals. I have it paired with a tube headphone amp and I think it tames some of the refinement. I prefer to listen to live recordings. Eric Clapton unplugged is very good. I subbed 👍

very interesting review , important aspects that you have highlighted here Many Thanks

'Slight lack of slam' seems to sum this up nicely.

Hi great reviews. Are you planning to review ares ii and d90?

Nice Job Golden keep em coming.

Cant you go from single ended to xlr with just a cable?, I know from xlr to rca no, but it shuld be ok from rca to xlr, and qutest does have variable output voltage

Too bad the moving camera makes me nauseous. I’ve tried twice, third time was the charm, have to agree you do get into the weeds of this Chord. Usually listening to Jazz so this piece of kit should improve my Bluesound Node immensely. You turned me on to Bob Moses, Cheers for that. 🙏

I didnt like the wobbly camera…sorry it made me poorly /switch off🤮

If you want more slam and speed plug an ifi ipower elite in it, you'll change your mind without braking the bank... it needs a good switching mode power supply in it which the ordinary ipower isn't...

For the first few seconds the hand gestures and headcam made me think you were just a Z Reviews clone, but your vocal style and technical insight is completely different and a valid alternative, so I've subscribed.

Thank you. My first time ever seeing you. I have been an audio enthusiast for going on 40 years now. I'm quite sure I am "smarter" now, having seen your show. I will be back.

Really enjoyed your review! I’ve been comparing the Qutest with an Apogee Element’s DAC - I’m using good spdif source for both but still find the Qutest a little tiring to listen to- it’s throwing too much detail, like a wall of details and I can’t easily discern the transient variations and volume differences (it’s like compression is applied making the levels similar of all the different instruments. I find the Element superior, it gives the same details but in a slightly more direct and natural way, where they are laid out in front and not fighting for attention. I also find the Element less grainy and more natural even if it’s mids are a touch forward. I missed a chance to buy a Holo Spring 2 for similar price so I’m kicking myself a bit now. I find the Qutest overpriced for the sound it offers, not bad just not the best value

I think that extra "politeness" is quite handy if you're speakers are already pretty forward, like my Klipsch heresy 3's. Its the Jing to there Jang. Its more than enough for me for many years to come. Very simple noting too much to go wrong and very future proof. I wish they bring out a streamer in its form factor and a mini M scaler would be good too.

Interesting DAC technology. For me most valuable is track list. I like to try new music. I am not ready pay so much for gear now.

Have had my Qutest for about 3mos now. I got the Allo Shanti LPS (R-core xformer with supercaps) shortly after. Upgraded the Shanti fuse to Hifi Tuning Supreme, and an upgraded (shielded) power cord. I've since alternated with the oem smps and the Shanti LPS. Obvious uplift with the Shanti. However, I've found that the Qutest even with smps has stunning spatial depth and separation, but it suffered in sound stage width and height. The Shanti really helped the last two aspects. The fuse didn't have much difference here, subtle increase in blackness and overall scale. Using it with speakers.

Here you mention how different DACs are suited for different types of genres and how it was recorded. Is there a DAC that is good for all types of music and recordings?

Mirrors exactly my own experience with Qutest vs RME Adi-2. I love them both. Qutest gives that separation and a sort of excitement which works wonders on my more mojo, less neutral speakers bringing out more detail without making it over-etched. Whereas on already very analytical and detailed speakers Qutest can sound a bit forced and over-etched, and there the RME Adi-2 tames that a bit and brings a lovely slam instead. But it does cause some confusion for me as I end up with one more romanic sounding setup for prog, jazz, rock etc with Qutest and another one with more analytical speakers for electronic music with slam with the RME Adi-2. Its really two different flavours and I think it would cause me even more headscratching if I tried to unite these flavours into one system so ive given up that fight and I switch between the flavours romantic vs analytical when I grow tired of one or the other. I should mention that I do like electronic music on my romantic setup as well with the qutest, but I dont go there when I want it to be really analytical.

Plixir Elite BDC 5v 2a power supply, with Statement DC cable, arrives in four days. I have been using the Allo Shanti for nearly a year now with the Qutest. I will update this comment with my impressions of the Plixir Elite BDC; including all possible outcomes, which include: it's better, it's worse, it's a tradeoff, and no difference (null).

Nice and interesting content! I don't like your continuous camera movement, so I mostly listened it.

Hi, really great review, very detailed and I sense a strong background in E/E & digital electronics :) - the only potential improvement to such reviews with music samples I see might be to use a different ratio btwn volumes of voice vs music. In order to fully dive into the sound of the DAC (or any other component) i need to crank up the volume, and quickly dial it down again at the end of the music sample because voice is rather loud. Perhaps other subscribers may comment as well on my suggestion (supportive or else..). Otherwise great work & perfect information, thank you so much! 👏👏👏

Hi curious what’s your take between the qutest and the denafrips R2R dacs? Have you tested the Pontus II dac?

Anything spoken with a British accent sounds amazing... thats what a DAC is supposed to do....add refinement

A truly helpful review - I was just about to buy one of these and you successfully introduced some worthy questions for me to ask - e.g., I listen to a lot of EDM and hard rock / metal, I listen to far less classical, acoustic etc. I have been looking at the Holo Spring and also the Denafrips Ares II but your recommendation of a D90 is interesting, something I hadn't really considered!

Hmmm.. interesting review. I found the qutest to be very detailed but anything but smooth... really quite a fatiguing and sharp sound after a while, something unnatural going on in the higher frequencies. Much preferred the voicing of my much older Chord DAC64.

Hi love your review, subscribed and notified! I got grado sr80e and a dragonfly black back then in my college years, now im working and could afford some toys, I recently got a Grado GH4(used like new in a very good price). I lurked around forums and found that warmer coloured dac and amps(chord and bifrost) works really well with grado sound signature. Is it a good jump to buy a chord qutest and a decent budget amp(grado doesn't need much power)? Or any other suggestions?

Excellent review. I'll like to see your opinion of the Burson Composer 3X

Thanks for your honest review, I do prefer to mix around someone who drinks tea most of the time rather than someone driving a Lamborghini, and I listens to acoustics and orchestra musics, but that's just a matter of personal preference ;) Keep up the good reviews!

Thanks for the review mate - though separation is nice to have, sometimes we just want versatility and in that sense it doesn’t seem worth the exorbitant cost (let alone the M scaler or the Dave; that’s just taking the piss). Also - thanks for getting me on to Bob Moses, have not heard it but it’s brilliant!

I cant believe you compared a DAC to english gentleman drinking tea. That was so with english manner 😂

Wonderful review! Extremely helpful and enjoyable :) Thanks so much for all of the info! Do you reckon the Qutest would combine well (sound-wise) with the Graham Slee Solo Ultra-Linear DE Head Amp? Best wishes from Brighton ^_^

What about the M-scaler and the Hugo TT2? It has to be a better combo, but is it worth the money in your opinion?

Mr, where can I find that desk? It looks awesome

One small note here: galvanic isolation as much as it helps it's not perfect. Still noise can go through.

What output voltage did you use by the way? I had the impression with my Qutest that the 1V output was tamer than the other two, maybe as you described as being too refined.

You listen to some incredible music, can i get a playlist?

I would pay to see him review any Swans speakers ;) Fantastic work, you got an easy sub...

I watched your review many times and decided to purchase a QuTest DAC and it is amazing as you mentioned however to found a weird issue if anybody experienced. I hooked QuTest DAC to Marantz 40n and Marantz SR6010 and it worked great. But when I hooked QuTest DAC to Musical Fidelity integrated amplifier A3.2, it only produced mono sound, not stereo. It doesn’t matter what I tried, tested all inputs from usb, optical, and BNC from different sources streaming, it still produces mono sound with Musical Fidelity integrated amplifier A3.2. Musical Fidelity integrated amplifier A3.2 is working great with other DAC and devices without the issue above except QuTest. I wonder what causes the issue

Great review - as I have no interest in EDM at all, sounds like the perfect DAC for me!

If I could give you more than one thumbs up I would! Great Review! Thank you,

Interesting and very helpful review The head cam violent movements are unsettling - I jumped to the conclusion because I couldn't take any more. Your channel would do better if you had a more sophisticated video setup - very few KZfaq channels use head cams

After owning it for one month, I sold it ... I did not like it for my set up

at this point your reviews are as much about the gear as it is about discovering new music lol. thanks ! edit:typos

Hey there! Thanks a bunch for all the amazing videos you've put out! I recently got my hands on the Chord Qutest and I'm trying to figure out which amp would be a good match for it. I'm hoping to find an amp that won't break the bank but will still allow me to get the most out of the Qutest. Do you have any recommendations for me? Thanks so much!

Another one of those head cameras with the head bobbing around many seem like a good idea to you but it quickly makes people nauseous.

Hi and thanks for your great review of Chord Electronics Qutest one of which I own, like overall and it ‘definitely’ improved my system (listed below this message/query). I have a wide range of music, from AC/DC to ZZ Top, Anthrax to Voivod, a lot of Contemporary/Technical Prog’ Rock/Metal, a ‘bit’ of traditional Prog’, but also like a lot of many other genre's from Beth Hart to Tracy Chapmen, Kate Bush, some Blues, some (mostly) lighter Jazz Melanie De Biasio, Patricia Barber etc, Electronica such as Moby, Yello etc and more! Anyway!, my system without a DAC ‘is’ I would say on the warmer, richer side of sound; As per above I am ‘overall’ pleased with what the Qutest has added - in short, mostly the things you have described. With these things in mind and ‘many’ telling me the Chord Hugo TT2 is only a ‘very little bit’ better as 'just a DAC', is something like the Holo Audio Spring 3 (Level 2) worth trying? (That is about the price level I could save and get to, unless the Level 3 is ‘definitely’ proportionately worth the extra money?!). Any advice/ideas will be much appreciated. All the best, Simon. My system (taken me approx' 30yrs to get to via buying/selling, deals etc!: Naim HDX (2TB - This is truly SO good for me because I cannot physically use a standard remote control, but with environmental controls I can use it in virtually the same way; when I had it in 2013, it was the first time since 1989 that I could interact (myself) with my entire CD collection!). Naim XPS Power supply. Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 800 Amplifier (Tuned further by John Sampson - HIGHLY recommended, from an already great Amp’ to a superb Amp’ IMO!)... those three components are plugged into a Russ Andrews X4 Block (which was a ’big’ improvement) each using an Atlas EOS 4DD UK Mains Power Cable. Kef Reference 1 'speakers. Chord Electronics Qutest DAC (plugged into standard wall socket). Chord Company Signature Tuned Aray interconnects and ‘speaker cable.

Solid review. Have had a Qutest a couple of months now and pretty much agree. The top end detail and refinement are quite staggering, as is separation. Even more than the preceding 2Qute. What's hard to determine is whether you 'should' be hearing that extra detail or not, but the main thing is it has yet to sound fatiguing or like it's getting in the way. Mainly rock, blues, classical, vocal stuff.

Thank you for this detail review. I've noticed you did mention the RME ADI-2 PRO does separation not as good but when listening to Puma clip you mentioned, i could clearly hear everything like you experience. Perhaps speakers differences?

I purchased mine, with an ifi power supply in Dec 22. My source is a Aurilic Aries Mini. Before that I had a CA DACmagic 100. A friend bought around his Hugo2 before I got the Qutest and I was blown away, so I decided to upgrade. But I’m certain my Qutest isn’t sounding as good as it should. Any advice? I’ll also have a chat with Chord at Ascot on Sunday.

Question, how would yo know if the synth that you mentioned at @16:10 mark suppose to be aggresive? Or how much aggression is not too much? I mean maybe Dave is overemphasizing it?

Could you give your opinion about Soekris dacs (discrete R-2R sign magnitude) ? Would Soekris dac2541/dac1421 be comparable to Chord Qutest for classical, jazz or orchestral music? Thanks

the man is like a scientific british z reviews and i like it.

Nice review! Thank you very much.

What is a good DAC for EDM or Dubstep?

Great review! You earned yourself a new subscriber.

Good job!! Will you have a dedicated review for the ADI-2 FS? Subscribed!

Did you take the same sign-language / gesturing course as Zeos? It's uncanny! Anyway, very interesting piece of kit (especially with the FPGA). I also find your descriptions of sound characteristics very relatable. Great work!

What was the power delivery? Included power supply? pc? I have owned one, and the power supply affects the punch and dynamic. I tried a sbooster (was the best option),, and also tried a power bank (was the softest/tamest)