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Chord Electronics Qutest DAC is a standalone DAC introduced by Chord at CES 2018 to replace its multi-award-winning predecessor, the 2Qute. With DAC architecture based on the award-winning Hugo 2, the Qutest offers class-leading digital conversion.
Overview
The Next Generation of Pure DACs
Qutest is a ‘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 of Chord’s most affordable standalone DAC, the multi-award-winning 2Qute, which it directly replaces.
Qutest DAC, a What Hi-Fi? Star of CES 2018, is based on Chord’s 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 our 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 modernize aging digital source components.
The Qutest DAC chassis is all-new, too. It has significantly greater mass than its predecessor and has been precision-machined from solid aircraft-grade aluminum billet. The Qutest PCB nestles within a shallow cavity in the solid aluminum chassis, giving the circuit board greater protection within the casework and additional isolation from external vibration compared to previous designs.
Qutest DAC 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 analog 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.
“Chord has managed to do it again. The Qutest sets a new benchmark at this price” – What Hi-Fi?
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.
Connectivity (input): USB Type B (White): 44.1kHz – 768kHz – 16bit – 32bit
2x BNC Coax (Red): 44.1kHz – 384kHz – 16bit – 32bit
1x Dual data mode input (using both BNC coax inputs together): 44.1kHz – 768kHz – 16bit – 32bit
Optical (Green): 44.1kHz – 192kHz – 16bit – 24bit
Connectivity (output): 1x stereo pair of RCA (Left and Right)
PCM support: 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, 358.8kHz, 384kHz, 717.6kHz, and 768kHz.
DSD support: Native playback supported. DSD64 (Single) to DSD512 (Octa-DSD)
Variable output: Fixed, but selectable between 3v (blue), 2v (green), and 1v (red) via dual press of ‘Filter’ + ‘Input’ upon startup
Driver support: Driverless with Mac OS X and Linux, driver required for Windows OS
Digital designer: Rob Watts
Mechanical Designer: John Franks
Country of manufacture: England
- 2m Type A to Type B USB Cable
- Qutest Owners Overview Manual
- Raw Silk Drawstring Bag
Orders ship Sunday through Friday from our offices in Dubai, UAE.
In-stock products typically ship within 48 hours and should be expected to arrive in 3-4 business days. Orders outside of the UAE should be expected to arrive in 5-7 business days.
Pre-order and backorder products will state the approximate delivery timeline beside the Add To Cart button.
If you would like to place a custom order, chat with our specialists for a guided shopping experience. Once your order has been placed, a timeline will be provided depending on your order details.
- Free delivery within the UAE
- Shipping charges will be calculated upon checkout for orders outside of the UAE (Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia & Qatar).
- Taxes and duties are calculated according to the applicable laws of the state or country an item is shipped to and are the customer's responsibility.
For additional information on shipping and our exchange & return policy visit our help center.
Installation charges are applicable and can be paid upon delivery for our clients based in Dubai.
- Installation Charges: AED 450 Per Hour
- Speaker Cables: AED 32 Per Meter
- Trunking: AED 10 Per Meter
For clients based outside of the UAE, please contact our specialists and we will share an estimate based on your requirements.
Single-ended is innately more transparent than balanced as it’s simpler. Secondly, pulse array DACs are single-ended, so going balanced would make it sound worse. Conventional DACs are balanced to solve substrate noise, but the pulse array is discrete so doesn’t have this problem in the first place
