[dmance]

... can’t really say I was missing the Qutest, there

Whaaat?? 2Qute and Qutest were close with a better external PSU?

 

[plsvn]

Whaaat?? 2Qute and Qutest were close with a better external PSU?

... in my secondary system, replacing Aries Mini’s internal DAC: the difference made by either the 2Qute or Qutest, *there*, is so huge that the 2Qute is already more than what I need to be happy
(this system too is either on LPS, Aries Mini using Aries femto’s LPS, or battery powered, RWA Signature 15)

 

[rudy49]

has anyone compared the Qutest to the NAD D1050? the NAD is very good even though it is 5 years old now.

 

[koven]

I'm torn between Qutest and Hugo 2 since H2 can be had for $2100 used... and has more function and portability.

 

[jayz]

has anyone compared the Qutest to the NAD D1050? the NAD is very good even though it is 5 years old now.

Not the 1050 but I had the NAD M51 a while back. It had a mellow smooth top end which suited my setup at the time. There were several firmware versions each sounded different at the bottom end, overall balance suited my passive setup at the time. Headfi has a dedicated thread for M51 where you will find numerous claims of how it sounds detailed yet without being harsh, analog-like in general. I liked the digital volume control of the M51 and I could feed it straight into monoblocks with no loss of resolution - at least I didn't hear any loss at low SPLs.

My own interpretation of what detail is, has also changed over the years. The greatest revelation with Qutest has been its ability to paint almost a perfect three dimensional picture of the performance especially the improvement to depth perception. Even with less than ideal recordings, individual vocalists and instruments have a sense of completeness and separation irrespective of how loud or quiet they are heard so from that perspective, the word detail has taken a new meaning. I've also noticed I no longer try to gauge how tight and articulate the low end is or focus on details of high frequencies because everything sounds just right. The last time I experienced a jump in performance of this magnitude (or more) was the move from my previous passive setup to an active system.

 

[andromeda1954]

I'm torn between Qutest and Hugo 2 since H2 can be had for $2100 used... and has more function and portability.

If you don't need a amp take the Qutest , sounds better than the Hugo 2 .

 

[flea22]

Hey guys, I'm looking for a dac upgrade for my gen 1 woo audio wa7, would this be a good option or would this be overkill for a lower value headphone amp, my headphones are lcd 3
Cheers.

 

[VRDS]

[... Even with less than ideal recordings, individual vocalists and instruments have a sense of completeness and separation irrespective of how loud or quiet they are heard so from that perspective, the word detail has taken a new meaning. I've also noticed I no longer try to gauge how tight and articulate the low end is or focus on details of high frequencies because everything sounds just right ...[/QUOTE]
And that´s what I think about my 2Qute too. Maybe that´s true for any of the Chord DACs or where they really shine.
I think playing High Res files there are several DACs which could sound quite good, but playing 16/44, not perfect recordings or quite low volume the 2Qute still sounds good and right.
And I just listen to music now and don´t care for details which was not before.

 

[Emerald Core]

I've purchased Sennheiser HD660s (on the way) and going to buy the Qutest as well. I am still undecided of what pre/power headamp i need to pair them with.

 

[gordec]

The Qutest has no preamp right vs Hugo 2 has DAC and Preamp section? I’m researching for a new DAC mostly for desktop setup.

 

[mentt]

Is There power button or any other way how to safely turn of the qutest? Or is better to let it run 24x7?

 

[dmance]

The Qutest has no preamp right vs Hugo 2 has DAC and Preamp section? I’m researching for a new DAC mostly for desktop setup.

I am buying a Qutest for desktop USB-only use and perfectly okay with digital volume control from JRiver setting 32-bit playback.

 

[maxh22]

I am buying a Qutest for desktop USB-only use and perfectly okay with digital volume control from JRiver setting 32-bit playback.

When you get it can you do a comparison versus your H2? There seems to be a consensus that Qutest as a DAC is better than Hugo 2 but we could use some more impressions to get a better picture.

 

[PanusKatus]

Is There power button or any other way how to safely turn of the qutest? Or is better to let it run 24x7?

Leave it on.

 

[dawktah2]

Any word on North American ship date?

...