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chord qutest owners question

I'm not a lover of switching from one to another - I always think that going back to something after an extended period gives a more accurate and obvious impression.
I'd be lying if I said I'm not becoming a wee bit tempted though.;)
What is also clear is that the dac is now probably earthed.. I had to fudge a bit if wire to my supernaits earthing post to stop a hum.. it’s now not needed.
 
An obvious point here is that Rob Watts has gone into some detail as to why it's an illusion to run your Qutest off an "upgrade" linear supply. I think Keith is quoting him here, and this aligns with things he's (very helpfully) set out in one or two of the mags:

More Rob Wattage | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum

As a side note, I'm currently running two of Rob's DAC designs - a DPA PDM1.2 and a Qutest - side by side. Very interesting to hear what 25 years of evolution in digital design sounds like.
 
An obvious point here is that Rob Watts has gone into some detail as to why it's an illusion to run your Qutest off an "upgrade" linear supply. I think Keith is quoting him here, and this aligns with things he's (very helpfully) set out in one or two of the mags:

More Rob Wattage | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum

As a side note, I'm currently running two of Rob's DAC designs - a DPA PDM1.2 and a Qutest - side by side. Very interesting to hear what 25 years of evolution in digital design sounds like.

Well, all that is immediately invalid because I've heard what I've heard.

Among many other articulable improvements, I can point out with a laser pointer on my wall that the new LPS creates a soundstage that is 2ft wider and 3ft taller than with the Allo Shanti. Which did, itself, create a physically larger soundstage than the factory SMPS. It's an empirical observation.
 
I’ll swap back to the supplied smps today but I can say I am very happy with the more relaxed and spacious sounding mcru supply. If that’s ground plane modulation it rfi I’m not that bothered as to my ear it is better
 
Given how little Watts knows about good accessible competent design as opposed to his Fisher Price aesthetic I struggle to take anything he says too seriously. I really like my Hugo TT2. It does indeed run hot. That concerns me far less than having to look at it.
 
Well that was a quick and obvious win to the mcru to my ears. Aside from re introducing the buzz related to lack of earth the smps is lighter, brighter and less spacious . Whether one is technically better is beyond me but the richer bigger sound of the linear supply suits my Naim/ Atc combo better.
 
Interesting. I just went back to the SMPS since there's a slight buzz with the Sean Jacobs DC2 LPSU. The buzz is still there, just, but less so. As for sonics, the 2Qute only does the TV via toslink since my main dac only has USB and Coax. Not here to argue, we can do as we please, but with reference to ground loops, try it and see. This is with a new to me Leak Stereo 20 that is certainly able to pick up ground issues in ways my previous amp never did, that was silent with anything.

I'm agnostic on Chord dacs in particular but a firm believer in linear supplies generally. I also know that a cheap SMPS can introduce system noise, regardless of what it does for a Chord dac, a thing Naim are picky about.
 
The supplied smps caused a hum which I cured with a piece of wire from the phono earthing post to the outer of a din socket.. the mcru is silent with no need for the wire.. won’t be going back to the chord smps
 
We typically keep our CHORD QUTEST powered-up 24/7 - unless a typhoon is in the area.

Importantly, the very best sound quality we have achieved is by powering the QUTEST on a garden variety CELLPHONE CHARGER BATTERY - they type that you might take with you to recharge your cellphone, in the event that you might be away from mains power for a spell.

The sonic improvement is quite noticeable. Give it a try! :D

Second to the CELLPHONE CHARGER BATTERY - which needs recharging every now and then - we have also had good success with the iFi iPower wall-wart power supply. iFi makes some pretty big claims about low noise and it seems to be true.

In fact, we also get great results, using the iFi iPower to power our ORIGIN LIVE ADVANCED DC MOTOR CONTROLLER on our hot-rodded LINN SONDEK LP12!
(Wouldn't be without the iFi! :cool:)
 
We typically keep our CHORD QUTEST powered-up 24/7 - unless a typhoon is in the area.

Importantly, the very best sound quality we have achieved is by powering the QUTEST on a garden variety CELLPHONE CHARGER BATTERY - they type that you might take with you to recharge your cellphone, in the event that you might be away from mains power for a spell.

The sonic improvement is quite noticeable. Give it a try! :D

Second to the CELLPHONE CHARGER BATTERY - which needs recharging every now and then - we have also had good success with the iFi iPower wall-wart power supply. iFi makes some pretty big claims about low noise and it seems to be true.

In fact, we also get great results, using the iFi iPower to power our ORIGIN LIVE ADVANCED DC MOTOR CONTROLLER on our hot-rodded LINN SONDEK LP12!
(Wouldn't be without the iFi! :cool:)
i'm using a MCRU linear supply now and it sounds better and is cooler...
 
As an aside...

The QUTEST also offers three different levels of VOLTAGE OUTPUT: 1V, 2V or 3V.

Whilst this goes some way towards matching volume levels with other digital sources - of various voltage outputs - in our system, the 3V sounds clearly superior.
(Even if 1V actually matches our VINYL LP source better than 3V...)

I assume the 3V sounds better because the 1V and 2V output options are simply padded-down with added resistance - amounting to "lost gain". Happy to be corrected on this point.

What have others found?
 
As an aside...

The QUTEST also offers three different levels of VOLTAGE OUTPUT: 1V, 2V or 3V.

Whilst this goes some way towards matching volume levels with other digital sources - of various voltage outputs - in our system, the 3V sounds clearly superior.
(Even if 1V actually matches our VINYL LP source better than 3V...)

I assume the 3V sounds better because the 1V and 2V output options are simply padded-down with added resistance - amounting to "lost gain". Happy to be corrected on this point.

What have others found?

The three output voltages on the Qutest are - I think - to ensure compatibility with some of the older Linn and Naim pre-amps.

A few years back, I had a Chord 2Qute going into a Linn Kairn. The 2Qute - the predecessor to the Qutest - had a fixed voltage output of 3V. It sounded terrible.

I raised it with the dealer who in turn raised it with Chord. Chord offered to mod my 2Qute to ensure compatibility.
 
The 3v certainly is louder but I'm not sure I would describe it as sounding better in my system.
I've settled on 2v as it matches volume wise with my CD player.
 
Is it an improvement Tim?

The DPA is very sweet sounding, a little mid-focused, quite airy. I can see why it was an improvement on a mid 90s budget or mid-fi CD player.

I could live with it very happily...if I didn't also own a Qutest, which murders it in just about every parameter.
 
...A few years back, I had a Chord 2Qute going into a Linn Kairn. The 2Qute - the predecessor to the Qutest - had a fixed voltage output of 3V. It sounded terrible.

I raised it with the dealer who in turn raised it with Chord. Chord offered to mod my 2Qute to ensure compatibility.
Following this thread as I would be curious to see which benefits could be brought to my 2Qute with a linear power supply..
Btw I had to change input sensitivity for its highish 3V fixed output to my A&R A60
(adding input resistors) + adding 12dB Roxwell attenuators and it all still sounds great to me.

@iansen Do you happen to know which mod was made by Chord to your 2Qute?
 


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