Chord Electronics
Qutest
Qutest is the DAC on its own — no headphone amplifier, no battery, no volume control — and that is exactly the point: everything in the budget went into conversion. The filter and the ten-element output stage are Hugo 2's, 49,152 taps in class A, along with the same four selectable filters, so what you give up against a Hugo 2 is portability and a headphone socket rather than sound. The USB input is galvanically isolated, which keeps a computer's electrical noise out of the box, and two BNC inputs can be paired to carry 768 kHz. Output is selectable at 1, 2 or 3 volts to suit whatever it feeds. Machined from solid billet with the board recessed into it. What Hi-Fi? Best DAC over £1,000, 2023.
Specifications
| Chipset | Chord Electronics custom coded Xilinx Artix 7 (XC7A15T) FPGA |
|---|---|
| Pulse array | 10 element pulse array design |
| Tap length | Tap-length: 49,152 | Tap length filter: 49,152 – 10 element Pulse Array design |
| PCM support | 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, 352.8kHz, 384kHz, 717.6kHz, and 768kHz. 16 – 32bit |
| DSD support | Native playback supported. DSD64 (Single) to DSD512 (Octa-DSD) |
| Inputs | USB Type B (White): 44.1kHz to 768kHz – 16bit to 32bit; 2x BNC Coax (Red): 44.1kHz – 384kHz – 16bit to 32bit; 1x Dual data mode input (using both BNC coax inputs together): 44.1kHz to 768kHz – 16bit to 32bit; Optical (Green): 44.1kHz to 96kHz – 16bit to 24bit |
| Outputs | 1x stereo pair of RCA (Left and Right) |
| THD | THD: <0.0001% 1kHz 3v RMS 300Ω | THD and noise at 3v RMS: 117dB at 1kHz 300ohms 'A' weighted (reference 2.5v) |
| Noise | 2.6 uV 'A' weighted; No measurable noise floor modulation |
| Channel separation | 138dB at 1kHz 300Ω |
| Frequency response | 20Hz – 20kHz +/- 0.2dB |
| Output voltage | Fixed, but selectable between 3v (blue), 2v (green), and 1v (red) via dual press of 'Filter' + 'Input' upon startup |
| Output stage | Class A |
| Driver support | Driverless with Mac OS X and Linux, driver required for Windows OS |
| Operating voltage | 5v 2amp Micro USB |
| Materials | Precision machined aluminium casing with polycarbonate buttons and glass viewing portal. Available only in Jett Black. |
| Dimensions | 4.5cm (H) 16cm (W) 8.8cm (D) |
| Weight | 770g |
| Weight, boxed | 1500g |
| Country of manufacture | England |
| Designer | Digital: Rob Watts | Mechanical: John Franks |
| Finishes | Available only in Jett Black |
| In the box | Qutest user manual; Safety instructions; Drawstring bag; 5V 2A Switching Micro USB power supply; Type-A USB to Type-B USB cable |
Where to listen
Every model is sold and demonstrated through Joenit's authorized dealer network across Europe. Find your nearest dealer to hear it for yourself.
