advertisement


Denafrips Ares 11 vs Chord Qutest vs ..........

Colin123

pfm Member
I'd be interested in the received wisdom of forum members regarding a possible CD replay upgrade path.
I've owned an Audiolab 8200CDQ for many years and it's served me very well but I think it's time to move forward.
I listen mainly to classical in all it's forms, orchestral, string quartet, piano, voice and also some jazz.
I do like the idea of a separate transport and dac and the Audiolab CDT transport has been well reviewed, there are quite a few happy owners on this forum, so I think the transport decision is sorted.

In my research so far I've come down to the Denafrips Ares 11 and the Chord Qutest, I've read great individual reviews of each and also watched some utube comparisons of the two dacs, which often finish by saying they are both great dacs but of course the Qutest is quite a bit more expensive than the Ares 11.

But time has moved on and it's possible to now buy a secondhand Qutest for around the price of the Ares 11.
Does that make it the great secondhand bargain of 2021?

I'm not sure how to move forward particularly as it's impossible to hear both in my own system.

Any thoughts?
 
Do you have much experience of R2R Dacs? As they sound very different over OS dacs, it might be something you need to experience first before making a call. I can't imagine anyone going back to OS Dacs after a good R2R one.

R2R will give you a much more natural sound..I would personally go for the Denafrips, even though I wasn't impressed with the Ares, but I was less impressed with the Chord.

They are very different Dacs.
 
Do you have much experience of R2R Dacs? As they sound very different over OS dacs, it might be something you need to experience first before making a call. I can't imagine anyone going back to OS Dacs after a good R2R one.

R2R will give you a much more natural sound..I would personally go for the Denafrips, even though I wasn't impressed with the Ares, but I was less impressed with the Chord.

They are very different Dacs.

Well, I went back to an nDAC after hearing it against a Denafrips T2, so there's that . . . Assuming, of course, the T2 counts as a "good" R2R one.
 
Well, I went back to an nDAC after hearing it against a Denafrips T2, so there's that . . . Assuming, of course, the T2 counts as a "good" R2R one.


The T2 is a lot more detailed than the NDac, the NDac is an old fashion Burr Brown sound, maybe thats what you like about it. I like the NDac. I used to like many Burr Brown Dacs they were among my favourite OS units, but like all OS dacs, they all had caveats. Then I discovered La Voce, now I no longer waste my time with dacs.
 
The T2 is a lot more detailed than the NDac, the NDac is an old fashion Burr Brown sound, maybe thats what you like about it. I like the NDac. I used to like many Burr Brown Dacs they were among my favourite OS units, but like all OS dacs, they all had caveats. Then I discovered La Voce, now I no longer waste my time with dacs.

Having had the T2 in my system for about 3 weeks, I'd say it was *slightly* more detailed/transparent, but not "a lot." I didn't bother trying the nDAC without the Pardo TXPS in the comparison, which elevates the nDAC significantly.

Glad you found something that works for you.
 
There are 3 types of DAC topology commonly used Delta Sigma R2R and FPGA the Denafrips being R2r the Chord FPGA You also have oversampling v non oversampling NOS mostly NOS Dacs are R2R. Id go for a good NOS dac but to some folks they have issues possible treble roll off being the main one I have heard spoken about. I use a Metrum Adagio and have had the Chord Hugo , Hugo 2 Delta sigmas from Auralic and other R2Rs from various manufacturers including Audio note. The metrum is the most Natural sounding to my ears in my system and they also upgrade the internal DAC chips periodically ( Transient Chips ) giving a user swapable upgrade path without having to junk the whole unit. Something not to be sniffed at in my view.
 
There are 3 types of DAC topology commonly used Delta Sigma R2R and FPGA the Denafrips being R2r the Chord FPGA You also have oversampling v non oversampling NOS mostly NOS Dacs are R2R. Id go for a good NOS dac but to some folks they have issues possible treble roll off being the main one I have heard spoken about. I use a Metrum Adagio and have had the Chord Hugo , Hugo 2 Delta sigmas from Auralic and other R2Rs from various manufacturers including Audio note. The metrum is the most Natural sounding to my ears in my system and they also upgrade the internal DAC chips periodically ( Transient Chips ) giving a user swapable upgrade path without having to junk the whole unit. Something not to be sniffed at in my view.

Technically, I suppose there are more than 3, as an R2R ladder dac should be included. The Metrums arent true ladder Dacs, the Aqua La Voce S3 is, but the S2 isn't as its chip based. I love the Metrum dacs, but they are pricey for a good one and probably a little more than the OP is wanting to spend.

Theres definitely no treble roll off with the La Voce S3, but there also isn't an over emphasis of treble like many OS dacs.

It really is one that needs a listen by the OP, just two very different sounds being discussed.
 
I think you have an excellent shortlist but both are very different to each other. It’s possible to characterise those differences in very simplistic binary ways but I’m not sure that stands up to analysis e.g. more detail v more warmth and body. Simply untrue if paired correctly. And so on. If you can’t hear either then ultimately it’s your call.
 
I bought Chord Qutest back in March and have paired it with various amps. I am impressed with the instrument separation, soundstage and clarity that it offers compared to other delta sigma Dacs I have had.

I have paired Qutest with various headphone amps like Burson Soloist 3x (SS), ZMF Pendant (tube) and Cavalli hybrid and each pairing has left me very impressed with the clarity without being too analytical. It also offers an upgrade path with mscaler but it is debatable if you want to get a £3500 upscaler with a £1250 dac or upgrade to a TT2 instead.
 
Do you have much experience of R2R Dacs? As they sound very different over OS dacs, it might be something you need to experience first before making a call.

No experience at all, your right, I need to hear one or more but easier said than done here 'up north'.
 
No experience at all, your right, I need to hear one or more but easier said than done here 'up north'.

Elite Audio have a no quibble returns policy so you can try at home. They have a range or R2R Dacs and do very good prices on ex demo kit.

The Chord Qutest, you could probably pick up from a business seller on eBay, as they offer 14-30 day returns as a requisite for selling on eBay.
 
I do like the idea of a separate transport and dac and the Audiolab CDT transport has been well reviewed, there are quite a few happy owners on this forum, so I think the transport decision is sorted.
Apart from the transport, do consider an alternative replay such as digital audio files or CD rips in FLAC format played through the DAC. In my limited experience, the sound quality of this replay is better than a subpar CD player or transport/DAC arrangement. A caveat is the DAC needs to be of certain quality.
 


advertisement


Back
Top