Chord Electronics Qutest DAC, Black

Full Description

Qutest is Chord Electronics ‘pure’ DAC (it does not contain headphone amplification or rechargeable batteries like some of its range stablemates) and is designed to improve sound quality in the home. It is the latest evolution and most affordable standalone DAC, the multi-award-winning 2Qute, which it directly replaces.

Qutest is based on the award-winning proprietary FPGA technology developed for the class-leading Hugo 2 DAC/headphone amp, giving it proven class-leading technical and sonic performance. Perfectly equipped to bring the benefits of digital technology to a wide range of connected devices, it features a galvanically isolated USB-B, optical and coaxial digital input, giving an instant performance upgrade, plus the ability to modernise ageing digital source components.

The Qutest chassis is all-new, too. It has significantly greater mass than its predecessor and has been precision-machined from solid aircraft-grade aluminium billet. The Qutest PCB nestles within a shallow cavity in the solid aluminium chassis, giving the circuit board greater protection within the casework and additional isolation from external vibration compared to previous designs.

Qutest offers Hugo 2’s proprietary user-selectable frequency-shaping filters and input selection controls, available via two fascia-mounted spheres, introducing useful flexibility. It also features RCA analogue outputs for connection to integrated amplifiers, preamps and headphone amps, plus high-resolution dual-data digital inputs for connection to future Chord Electronics products. A further new feature is a user-selectable output voltage available in 1, 2 and 3V RMS outputs for flexible connectivity with a wide range of partnering devices.

Package Contents:

• 1.5m 5v 2a Switching Micro USB Power Supply
• 2m Type A to Type B USB Cable
• Qutest Owners Overview Manual
• Raw Silk Drawstring Bag

Technical Specifications

DAC Type	Custom coded FPGA design
FPGA	Xilinx Artix 7
Tap length	49,152 taps
Elements	10 Element Pulse Array Design
Architecture	Hugo 2
Frequency response	20Hz – 20kHz +/- 0.2dB
Dynamic range	124dB A-Weighted
THD	0.0001 1kHz 2.5v RMS 300ohms
THD (2.5v RMS ref 3v)	-117dB 300ohms A-Weighted
Channel separation	138dB at 1kHz 300ohms
Noise floor modulation	None measurable
Output impedance	0.025Ω

Product type	Digital to Analogue Converter (designed for fixed system use)
Device power supply	5v 2amp Micro USB (supplied)
Connectivity (Input)	1x High speed USB (Type B), 2x BNC Coax, 1x Optical
Galvanic Isolation	Yes, on USB Type B input
Connectivity (Output)	1x Stereo RCA
PCM Sample rates	44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, 358kHz, 717.6kHz & 768kHz
Native DSD support	DSD 64, DSD 128 (2x), DSD 256 (4x), and DSD 512 (8x)
Driver support	Driverless with Mac OS X, Linux, iOS, and Android. Driver required for Windows OS
Selectable filter options	Incisive neutral (White), Incisive neutral HF roll-off (Green), Warm (Orange), Warm
Volume control	Fixed, but selectable between 3v (blue), 2v (green), and 1v (red) via dual press of Filer + Input at startup
M-Scaler operation	Yes, via dual BNC inputs
Digital designer	Rob Watts
Mechanical designer	John Franks
Chassis	Premium CNC Machined aircraft grade aluminium with glass lens and acrylic buttons
Colour options	Black
Country of manufacture	England

General Specifications

Dimensions	41mm (H) x 160mm (W) x 72mm (D)
Weight of unit	770g
Boxed Weight	1500g