Qutest is our "pure" DAC (it contains no headphone amplifier and no rechargeable batteries like some of its stablemates) and is designed to improve sound quality in the home. It is the latest evolution of our most affordable standalone DAC, the multi-award-winning 2Qute, which it directly replaces.

Qutest, which is What Hi-Fi's Best DAC (£500-£1500) and a What Hi-Fi? Best DAC winner every year since its introduction (2018-2022), is a proven class leader and is based on our award-winning proprietary FPGA technology, developed for the class-leading Hugo 2 DAC/headphone amplifier, giving it reliably class-leading technical and sonic performance. It is perfectly equipped to bring the benefits of our digital technology to a wide range of connected devices. It features a galvanically isolated USB-B, optical, and coaxial digital input, providing an instant performance upgrade, as well as the ability to modernize aging digital source components.

The Qutest's chassis is also brand new. It has significantly higher mass than its predecessor and has been precision-machined from solid aircraft-grade aluminum. The Qutest circuit board resides in a shallow cavity in the solid aluminum chassis, which provides greater protection for the circuit board and additional isolation from external vibration compared to previous designs.

The Qutest offers the Hugo 2's proprietary user-selectable frequency-shaping filters and input selection controls, accessible via two fascia-mounted spheres, providing useful flexibility. It also features RCA analog outputs for connection to integrated amplifiers, preamplifiers, and headphone amplifiers, as well as high-resolution dual-data digital inputs for connection to future Chord Electronics products.

Another new feature is a user-selectable output voltage available in 1, 2, and 3V RMS, allowing for flexible connectivity with a wide range of partner devices.

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% 1 kHz 3 V RMS 300 Ω

THD and noise at 3 V RMS:
117 dB at 1 kHz 300 ohms 'A' weighted (reference 2.5v)

Noise 2.6 uV 'A' weighted: No measurable noise floor modulation

Channel separation:
138 dB at 1 kHz 300 Ω

Weight:
770 g

Dimensions:
4.5 cm (H) 16 cm (W) 8.8 cm (D)

Boxed weight:
1500 g

Materials:
Precision machined aluminium chassis with polycarbonate buttons and glass viewing portal. Available in Jett Black only.

Power supply:
5V 2amp Micro USB

Tap length filter:
49,152 - 10-element pulse array design

Connectivity (input):
USB Type B (white): 44.1 kHz to 768 kHz - 16 bit to 32 bit

2x BNC coax (red):
44.1 kHz - 384 kHz - 16 bit to 32 bit

1x Dual-data-mode input (using both BNC coax inputs together):
44.1 kHz to 768 kHz - 16 bit to 32 bit

Optical (green): 44.1 kHz to 96 kHz - 16 bit to 24 bit

Connectivity (output): 1x stereo pair RCA (left and right)

PCM support:
44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, 192 kHz, 352.8 kHz, 384 kHz, 717.6 kHz and 768 kHz. 16 - 32 bit

DSD support:
Native playback supported. DSD64 (Single) to DSD512 (Octa-DSD)

Variable output:
Fixed, but selectable between 3 V (blue), 2 V (green) and 1 V (red) by pressing 'Filter' + 'Input' twice at startup

Driver support:
Driverless on Mac OS X and Linux, driver required for Windows

Herstellerangaben:

Chord Electronics Ltd. The Pumphouse
Farleigh Bridge Farleigh Lane
East Farleigh
ME16 9NB , Kent
United Kingdom
info@chordelectronics.co.uk

Verantwortliche Person:

Drei H Sales GmbH
8 Stormsweg
22085 , Hamburg
Germany
info@3-h.de