# Chord Electronics 2Qute DAC announced



## OK-Guy

​ ​  
*The all new Chord Chordette 2Qute DAC announced at CES... details to follow*​


----------



## Zoop

price at 995GBP according to what hi fi.


----------



## hugoboss

this is just what iam waiting for new cute series replacement
 hope it will beat hugo sq with not so far different price
 waiting for the review , cmon who ever got this in the first plz post your impression


----------



## RoundRound

I doubt it will be sonically better than the Hugo considering the Hugo TT isn't Sonically better (as far as I understand),
 But still, if it matched the Hugo's sounds for 30% less money that can only be a good thing!


----------



## Dobrescu George

roundround said:


> I doubt it will be sonically better than the Hugo considering the Hugo TT isn't Sonically better (as far as I understand),
> But still, if it matched the Hugo's sounds for 30% less money that can only be a good thing!


 
 would it not still need an amp?..


----------



## RoundRound

True,
Though I'm using it mainly as a source in a proper Hifi setup so have a proper amp anyway.

Just noticed the new cute doesn't have a volume control - so you'll need a preamp or an integrated, won't be able to just plug it into a poweramp...

Unless you could control the volume through Jriver...?


----------



## OK-Guy

for those looking for a DAC to plug into the headphone/hi-fi set-ups the 2Qute fits the bill and is also a part of Chord's 'Chordette' range, hth


----------



## OK-Guy

Chord 2Cute in Silver & Black at CES


----------



## Shini44

the main question for me is, does it have same or downgraded or better SQ than the Hugo's DAC ?  i mainly used the Hugo as a DAC but sold it later, yet it was the best dac i ever had
  
 so if the 2Qute will have at least the same SQ then the world will be able to enjoy the epicness of that great dac for just nearly 1500$ . 


 waiting for impressions ^^


----------



## dallan

Does it have a battery or does it need to be plugged in? Looks like it has a digital optical input. Could use with the AK120 and portable amp maybe?


----------



## CosmicHolyGhost

I believe this product is fairly priced assuming this is targeting for people who only wish to use it as a DAC with their existing amps and having the desire for PSU upgrade. However, it was mentioned in the Hugo thread that the Hugo sounds its best without the use of pre-amp for 2ch setup. Without the pre-amp function of 2Qute, does it mean it would not sound as good as Hugo TT (using only its DAC function)?


----------



## OK-Guy

*Head-Fi Update:* Rob has told me he will answer any technical stuff about the Hugo-TT & 2Qute upon his return from CES next week...


----------



## seeteeyou

*Quoting Ted Brady's post below:*
  
 So i spent a nice time with Rob Watts and John Franks of Chord today. We talked about many things. Some highlights:

 * the TT and the 2Qute both have USB inputs that are galvanically isolated, with 2 picofarads separating/cutting the grounds.

 * because of this Rob now prefers the USB over the toslink as his favorite input (read: no more need to do things like use the Hugo sd USB input and the Olimex isolator)

 * unlike the HD and EX in the Qute series, *the 2Qute now uses the same drivers and same chip (UAC2) as the Hugo*, that allows driverless lLinux and OSX implementations

 * when I asked which of the new Hugo platforms would have better SQ John answered very Frankly (sorry, couldn't resist) that it depends on the setup....that those users like me who have little need for a headphone preamp or digital preamp function (i.e use their own preamp) that *the SQ of the 2Qute will come very close to that of the TT*. They are simply intended for two different audiences (TT adding a legit remote controlled-preamp amd headphone amp plus state of the art battery power using supercapacitors). Rob added that he worked some magic on the more robust ps in the 2Qute and doubted I would find better sound with an external linear like i did especially with the Qute HD.
  
 Two announcements I am allowed to make:

 1) Chord will have a Qute replacement/upgrade program for the 2Qute, but my feeling is that, like many upgrade programs, the Qute owner may rather find better dollars doing a sell, rebuy. Plus then one doesn't own a "hybrid" (new board, old case) a more difficult value prop for resale down the line.

 2) Chord has moved the QBD announcement until the Munich Show, when they will be ready to deliver this new generation of Rob's WTA filter technology. 
  
 http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/you-buy-hugo%85-read-22946/
  
  
 Holy Cow, just add an Uptone Audio or Paul Hynes Linear Power Supply to 2Qute and that's basically a killer combo for such an incredible price range. A smoking deal for those of us who don't need the extra features.


----------



## CosmicHolyGhost

seeteeyou said:


> Holy Cow, just add an Uptone Audio or Paul Hynes Linear Power Supply to 2Qute and that's basically a killer combo for such an incredible price range. A smoking deal for those of us who don't need the extra features.


 
 Thanks for the info.
 Add an oppo 103 + vanity hd board, we can also spin SACD via DoP over coaxial into the 2Qute. yummy


----------



## OK-Guy

Chord have received a 'Star of CES' from What HiFi...


----------



## hugoboss

seeteeyou said:


> *Quoting Ted Brady's post below:*
> 
> 
> So i spent a nice time with Rob Watts and John Franks of Chord today. We talked about many things. Some highlights:
> ...


 

 omg this news jus got me more want to buy the 2 cute series i hope these news below is so good true no need to buy expensive linear power supply
  
 "Rob added that he worked some magic on the more robust ps in the 2Qute and doubted I would find better sound with an external linear like i did especially with the Qute HD."


----------



## Shini44

hugoboss said:


> omg this news jus got me more want to buy the 2 cute series i hope these news below is so good true no need to buy expensive linear power supply
> 
> "Rob added that he worked some magic on the more robust ps in the 2Qute and doubted I would find better sound with an external linear like i did especially with the Qute HD."


 
 i just want to know if this DAC is as good or better than Hugo (not TT) 

 but i guess the time will tell, since this unit will be out at April, guess we gonna hear about someone or two demoing it soon.


----------



## OK-Guy

A very proud Matt & Rob receiving the What-HiFi 'Star of CES' award
  

  
 Colin of Chord, always a winner.


----------



## hugoboss

if iam not wrong these 2 cute will sound like hugo in the same league or lower quality than hugo. because hugo is still win from the clean power with battery


----------



## schneller

The 2Qute may very well be my next DAC. I just want a great, state-of-the-art DAC for home stereo use, no HP output, etc. The 2Qute fits the bill at $1795.
  
 I wonder how the 2 will compare against say the NAIM nDAC, DAC V-1, and TeddyPardo DAC.


----------



## schneller

Question: where is the button on the 2Qute that adjusts inputs?


----------



## wisnon

The Qute auto senses input and prioritizes based on a certain logic, I think its USB to Spdif to Toslink.
  
 I bet with a Hynes SR3 L-PSU, the 2Qute will kick Hugo's butt!


----------



## Rob Watts

schneller said:


> Question: where is the button on the 2Qute that adjusts inputs?


 
 Its on the connector side back panel, below the 2 on the 2 Qute engraving.
  
 Rob


----------



## wisnon

Wow,
  
 This is a material (hardware) change to the Qute model then? How can an upgrade be done now? Chassis needs changing?


----------



## nick77

When will 2Qute hit the streets?


----------



## schneller

nick77 said:


> When will 2Qute hit the streets?


 
  
 I have an e-mail from the Chord US distributor.
  
 Hugo TT: February, $4795 USD
 2Qute: March, $1795 USD


----------



## nick77

schneller said:


> I have an e-mail from the Chord US distributor.
> 
> Hugo TT: February, $4795 USD
> 2Qute: March, $1795 USD


 
  
 Who is the US distributor? Group buy??


----------



## schneller

Blue Bird Music...
 http://www.bluebirdmusic.com/sections/dacs.html


----------



## ted_b

So supposedly Chord responded to someone's email this week by telling them that, after much discussion, they found that a Qute to 2Qute upgrade program would be very expensive and not worth it.  I didn't read it as "no program" specifically, but it sounds that way.  John and company, at CES, said the upgrade program would likely exist but we all came to the same conclusion that real world market math says selling a Qute/buying a 2Qute was going to be the better path.  And we discussed the reality that resale value on an upgraded anything (hybrid case, new back panel, etc) was slightly less than buying the stock new unit.
  
 I am still going to challenge Rob on his discussion with me that a Hynes won't improve the 2Qute (it clearly improved the HD and to a lesser extent the EX, but improved nonetheless). It would be nice if it didn't.  I hope to get my review unit before general distribution, but we'll see.


----------



## Rob Watts

The initial 2 Qute listening tests revealed the mains powered 2 Qute sounded very similar to a battery powered Hugo.
  
 Battery power has enormous advantages over mains operation, principally very low noise, both in band and more importantly RF noise - much lower than SMPS or linear PSU. RF noise is a hobby horse of mine, as it creates noise floor modulation when random RF noise inter-modulates with the audio signal in the analog electronics. The brain is extremely sensitive to noise floor modulation, as it interferes with it's ability to separate sounds out into individual entities with placement data.
  
 I knew that Qute was sensitive to the power, as too many audiophiles had reported improvements when using better PSU's. This was in spite of Qute's extensive RF filtering and regulation. Part of Hugo's musicality was down to the battery, so I was determined that 2 Qute would have no SQ losses due to mains powering. This was not a simple design challenge, and involved a radical restructuring of the internal PSU arrangements.
  
 So I was very pleased that the SQ tests had given me Hugo performance but with a mains powered 2 Qute. This was not the easy challenge that at first sight may appear.
  
 But was it completely insensitive to the mains? Simply hooking up a linear PSU would not be a good enough test, as it needs RF isolation too. So I decided the ultimate PSU from an impedance, in-band noise, and RF noise isolation POV was a 300A car battery (I used a jump starter type - they are low cost and can be re-charged) and yesterday did the listening tests with 2 Qute using the car battery against the standard Chord mains unit.
  
 I spent much of the afternoon doing my standard listening tests, and could not consistently find a preference - I was struggling to reliably hear a difference. When you are struggling to hear a difference, its usually because that there is no difference! There was no consistent difference in sound-stage, instrument separation and tonal balance. So as a sanity check, I thought I would test it against the original Qute - and immediately I could easily hear the difference - sound-stage was much deeper, instrument separation was better, and it was much smoother with the battery. All SQ hallmarks of reduced RF noise.
  
 So don't bother connecting up "better" PSU's with 2 Qute, as at best it will sound the same, at worst you will damage 2 Qute - some of these units have too high an OP voltage, destroying the protection circuits of the DAC.
  
 Rob


----------



## ted_b

Great results Rob!  Having a 2Qute without the need for a 3rd party linear is a huge success.  Congrats.


----------



## seeteeyou

Is it feasible to triple-stack 2Qute for decoding 5.1-channel DSD when we can't sync them like Ted did with triple-Mytek? Just wondering if ASIO drivers for 2Qute were able to get that setup implemented.
  
 Quite a bit costlier than exaSound e28 but not having to add three Paul Hynes SR3 would be well worth the difference.


----------



## AndrewOld

Rob - if the power supply for the 2Qute is so good, why did you use a battery power supply for the Hugo TT, rather than the same power supply as the 2Qute? The TT doesn't need to be portable, so what advantage does it's battery supply bring?


----------



## CosmicHolyGhost

Will there be firmware upgrades for 2Qute in the future? Most DAC manufacturers provide this. Apparently, there has not been any for Hugo. Thanks.


----------



## Rob Watts

I treat my FPGA designs as if I were designing an ASIC, which means that I spend a great deal of time on verification, simulation and testing. Indeed, less than 1/3 of the design time I spend is writing code and top level design - the other 2/3 is testing. Also, most of the key modules are many years old, so extensively field tested and bug free.
  
 So Hugo has not had a code update - because there were no FPGA bugs at all, due to lots and lots of testing, which will include measurements and extensive listening tests. New digital Verilog modules get extensively simulated, so I know exactly what the digital domain performance in terms of THD and noise. The core Hugo code is now nearly 2 years old, but it was very heavily optimised to suit the size of the Spartan 6 LX9. If I came up with a way of significantly improving SQ and still make it fit on the LX9, we would launch an upgrade, but don't expect one soon. Since I spent many months just on optimising the code to improve SQ, I do not expect to do an update.
  
 Rob


----------



## hugoboss

this is exactly the one iam looking Rob.
 You Have Make Such A Good Product .
 A same hugo sound with lot of more convinience use of bigger connector and cable the most important is no need expensive linear psu
 only one iam consider why using bnc coaxial why not rca type coaxial.
  
 one question Rob,
 is the usb connection sound more better than the coaxial?
 i see there is some usb isolation you use like adum now


----------



## IAMBLEST

How would this work with the OPPO HA-1 - can i use the OPPO as the pre/power amp and the chordette as the DAC only and plug it in to the OPPO? Would this be worthwhile?


----------



## the-kraken

To use with the Oppo HA1: 


 Connect your source to the 2qute via Coax, optical or USB digital input & use the switch on the 2qute to select the appropriate input type. 
 connect RCA cables from the 2qute to the Oppo HA1 RCA inputs 
 select the RCA input on the Oppo, plug in headphones, and Bob's your uncle 

The benefit of this setup would be to utilize the DAC in the 2qute, and the amp in the Oppo. 

If, however, you're sending the signal to an amp for home stereo usage, I'd suggest not connecting the Oppo at all, and just sending digital source into the2qute, and RCA out of the 2qute to the amp's RCA inputs.


As for whether it'd be worth it... maybe you'll let us know after you've set it up?


----------



## Rob Watts

hugoboss said:


> this is exactly the one iam looking Rob.
> You Have Make Such A Good Product .
> A same hugo sound with lot of more convinience use of bigger connector and cable the most important is no need expensive linear psu
> only one iam consider why using bnc coaxial why not rca type coaxial.
> ...


 
 The USB now sounds better than coaxial,and slightly better than optical - its a wee bit more focused. The USB galvanic isolation is on the data side from the FPGA to the 2 Qute USB decoding chip. Because of the galvanic isolation, don't bother about using fancy USB converters or cables. The galvanic isolation is done in such a way as to allow full data rates, and maintain isochronous operation - that is the timing comes from the FPGA.
  
 Rob


----------



## SpiggyTopes

Hi Rob and All,
  
 I'm very excited about the 2Qute to replace my QuteHD and have already placed an advanced order.
  
 If I follow correctly, using a de luxe power supply (I have the Teddy Pardo) would make no difference to the sound quality from the 2Qute?
  
 It certainly does improve the sound from the Qute HD ....


----------



## Rob Watts

spiggytopes said:


> Hi Rob and All,
> 
> I'm very excited about the 2Qute to replace my QuteHD and have already placed an advanced order.
> 
> ...


 
 Yes the car battery made a big difference with my Qute HD too. But 2 Qute had no change in SQ using the car battery - which would be much better than any mains powered PSU.
  
 Rob


----------



## coverto

Rob - very excited about this new PSU! I am guessing in the above quote you mean "any linear PSU" rather than "any mains powered PSU"? Does it take after-market power cords, and if so have you tried any that make a difference?


----------



## Rob Watts

By any mains powered PSU means linear and switchers. Mains cables in this instance will not make a difference either - anyhow, the PSU supplied is a wall wart type. With 2 Qute, don't worry about the power, or the USB, you will not get any more improvements!
  
 Rob


----------



## coverto

Rob - this wall wart you've designed sounds quite interesting. Could it be used to power other components as well (e.g. - an Auralic Aries without the linear PSU option)? Will it be available as a standalone product?


----------



## Rob Watts

OK, a bit of confusion here - I have not designed a better wall wart, I have just put much more RF filtering and regulation into 2 Qute, so that the now 2 Qute is now completely insensitive to the mains power. So adding a better PSU has now no SQ improvements.
  
 Rob


----------



## seeteeyou

Perhaps the jury is still out whether the SMPS wall wart would be contaminating the local power pool or otherwise, even a relatively cheap LPS could help with avoiding such contamination?
  
 Unlike 2Qute and future products from Chord, not all gears were designed with RF filtering and regulation in mind. Taking SMPS wall wart out of the entire food chain should be beneficial for those gears.


----------



## Rob Watts

seeteeyou said:


> Perhaps the jury is still out whether the SMPS wall wart would be contaminating the local power pool or otherwise, even a relatively cheap LPS could help with avoiding such contamination?
> 
> Unlike 2Qute and future products from Chord, not all gears were designed with RF filtering and regulation in mind. Taking SMPS wall wart out of the entire food chain should be beneficial for those gears.


 
 This takes me back to my early twenties, when I was designing linear electronics with vinyl - CD hadn't been invented then. Anyway, this is before my interest in RF noise - then my system sounded best at 2AM, with all the lights and electrical appliances off in the flat. The fact that my system sounded different every time I played it drove me nuts. With the discovery of RF noise being very important, all my electronics had RF filtering built in, and the system then sounded consistent with no change with time of day.
  
 Now the purpose of the RF filtering is actually two fold - to stop noise getting in, and to stop noise getting out, then upsetting other audio electronics. This is crucial for a DAC, as the RF noise that most changes SQ is in the 30 MHz to 300 MHz region - where DAC's create most noise. The typical wall wart creates noise at 70 kHz, but not much above 30 MHz. Compared to all the nasty RF sources in a house, one 6W wall wart won't make much difference.
  
 Rob


----------



## lovethatsound

rob watts said:


> This takes me back to my early twenties, when I was designing linear electronics with vinyl - CD hadn't been invented then. Anyway, this is before my interest in RF noise - then my system sounded best at 2AM, with all the lights and electrical appliances off in the flat. The fact that my system sounded different every time I played it drove me nuts. With the discovery of RF noise being very important, all my electronics had RF filtering built in, and the system then sounded consistent with no change with time of day.
> 
> Now the purpose of the RF filtering is actually two fold - to stop noise getting in, and to stop noise getting out, then upsetting other audio electronics. This is crucial for a DAC, as the RF noise that most changes SQ is in the 30 MHz to 300 MHz region - where DAC's create most noise. The typical wall wart creates noise at 70 kHz, but not much above 30 MHz. Compared to all the nasty RF sources in a house, one 6W wall wart won't make much difference.
> 
> Rob


hi Rob 
IT'S great that you're sorted out the RF noise out, but why are you using batteries for the Hugo TT? This to me doesn't make sense,because it's not a portable dac and because you have sorted the RF noise problem out; so their is no need for the Hugo TT to have batteries.


----------



## hugoboss

jus want to make myself more clear Rob,
 is using expensive highend  usb cable like audioquest diamond will make any different then the standard cable?
 or it will sound no different at all? have you test it with expensive usb cable


----------



## dallan

Oh boy, one of those typical "can of worms" questions…….


----------



## Rob Watts

hugoboss said:


> jus want to make myself more clear Rob,
> is using expensive highend  usb cable like audioquest diamond will make any different then the standard cable?
> or it will sound no different at all? have you test it with expensive usb cable


 
 I have not directly tried expensive USB cables, but I have tried different sources and cables and USB isolators/converters.
  
 Before the galvanic isolation, I could hear massive differences in SQ - I could hear major differences between lap-tops for example - but after galvanic isolation, these differences disappeared.
  
 Bear in mind I exactly understand why those things make a difference from a technical perspective, and putting effective galvanic isolation on an isochronous USB interface will eliminate all those problems. So as long as the cable delivers the correct data, then you are done as far as SQ is concerned.
  
 I suppose there is a possibility of RF noise being transmitted by the USB cables to the DAC output cables, and influencing the sound that way. But if you use quality USB cables that are correctly terminated and screened (and use ferrite dongles), and keep the USB cable away from the OP cables, then this won't be an issue.
  
 But:
  
 There are more things on heaven and earth,Horatio,
 Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
  
 So if somebody sends me a USB cable that has a profound difference on 2 Qute then I will happily listen to it, with an open ears/mind.
  
 Rob


----------



## lovethatsound

Well it don't look like like we're gonna get a answer 2 a simple question about why the Hugo TT is using batteries instead of a proper power supply . something must be wrong some where along the chord chain.


----------



## weisse muller

lovethatsound said:


> Well it don't look like like we're gonna get a answer 2 a simple question about why the Hugo TT is using batteries instead of a proper power supply . something must be wrong some where along the chord chain.




I think Chord may have come out with a serious benefit to the Hugo TT having batteries it's simply that in home systems sometimes your headphone cable is just not long enough and being able to just pick up the TT and move it to the other end of the room or the balcony or by the pool is not such a disadvantage. It's not a mobile unit but it is power free movable.


----------



## wisnon

Actually
 Rob did answer the question on another thread, either Hugo thread or TT thread. It seems they only worked out the PSU regulation and filtration AFTER the TT was already designed.


----------



## JamieMcC

subbed the Chord 2cute and John Swenson Bottlehead dac which is due to launch soon are both looking very interesting. I am looking forward to hearing further reviews of both.


----------



## RubyTiger

Rob, can I expect the 2Qute to sound just like the Hugo? And I am asking about using the same setup for both. That may have sound a little rude but I'm ready to preorder one and get on with things. Luv ya Man!!


----------



## dallan

I am actually curious too. I just got the Hugo and have been jumping it back and forth between home and portable. Thinking maybe to have a 2cute if it is the same dac, just dedicated to my home set up so i don't have to keep juggling.


----------



## Rob Watts

Yes 2 Qute does indeed sound very much like Hugo - indeed, with using HD USB and a PC it actually sounds better due to the galvanic isolation where it sounds smoother and with better sound stage depth. I would be using it in my office set-up, except I am now using a certain prototype of a new DAC due to be shown in May at Munich....
  
 The downside is not having a volume control, so you can only use it as a DAC. If you need to replace your pre-amp too then try out Hugo TT which is currently in production. I have been testing the production version over the WE, and TT is a substantial step up from Hugo - it measures better (its distortion and noise is 4dB lower than Hugo at 3V RMS), and sounds better, plus also has the galvanic isolation on the USB.
  
 Rob


----------



## RubyTiger

rob watts said:


> Yes 2 Qute does indeed sound very much like Hugo - indeed, with using HD USB and a PC it actually sounds better due to the galvanic isolation where it sounds smoother and with better sound stage depth. I would be using it in my office set-up, except I am now using a certain prototype of a new DAC due to be shown in May at Munich....
> 
> The downside is not having a volume control, so you can only use it as a DAC. If you need to replace your pre-amp too then try out Hugo TT which is currently in production. I have been testing the production version over the WE, and TT is a substantial step up from Hugo - it measures better (its distortion and noise is 4dB lower than Hugo at 3V RMS), and sounds better, plus also has the galvanic isolation on the USB.
> 
> Rob


 

 Thanks Rob, that's certainly good news. Can someone explain what HD USB means?? I know the 2 Qute is really going to sound great. My only other question is what color I should go with. Black or Silver with this amp??  Everything's flat black. My audio quest diamond, power cords etc,,


----------



## schneller

Chord 2Qute vs. Hegel HD12. This is my question.


----------



## bpcans

schneller said:


> Chord 2Qute vs. Hegel HD12. This is my question.


I just read a review of the Hegel HD12 DAC @enjoythemusic.com, and I am very intrigued to say the least. Those crafty Scandinavians.


----------



## RubyTiger

bpcans said:


> I just read the a review of the Hegel HD12 DAC @enjoythemusic.com, and I am very intrigued to say the least. Those crafty Scandinavians.


 

 Best to wait and see...


----------



## magliner0316

Hello Rob,
  
 One of the reason I don't like the battery product is if you need to ship it internationally, most shipping company won't let you just ship it.
 Also, the battery life is one major thing to consider for those to buy/sell in the 2nd hand market.
  
 I wonder why can't just make the battery/charger a module so we can swap by ourselves later to enhance more clean SQ?
 Like make every chord comes with standard PSU, and optional battery module for cleaner SQ enhance.
  
  
 Anyway, it is just my noob question and I can't wait to put an order for the 2Qute


----------



## Rob Watts

magliner0316 said:


> Hello Rob,
> 
> One of the reason I don't like the battery product is if you need to ship it internationally, most shipping company won't let you just ship it.
> Also, the battery life is one major thing to consider for those to buy/sell in the 2nd hand market.
> ...


 
 2 Qute PSU did not benefit from a better PSU - I could not hear a difference when using the standard PSU against a 300A car battery. But I heard a massive difference with the older Qute.
  
 You can ship Hugo no problem - its lithium batteries themselves you can't ship. If its inside a product its OK.
  
 Rob


----------



## Agent m

is it different to the standard qute ex?


----------



## RubyTiger

agent m said:


> is it different to the standard qute ex?


 
 If your asking about the sound quality I believe we can definitely rule that as a yes. Go back to the beginning of the thread and read all the way through. It doesn't take long and though it does not answer the big question (Does it sound as good or better than the Hugo?) we know it sounds similar (Rob say's so) and maybe even better through the usb. That's probably all we're going to get until it finally reaches the dealers in April.
  
 edit: I'm sorry if your question was directed to Rob. He is answering questions about the 2 Qute so just specify to him.


----------



## Cenacheros

The 2 Qute would be connected with a Macbook via USB,that I get.How would the 2 Qute be connected to an integrated amplifier? I have in mind a Naim Nap 100 as part of a desk top system.Thanks!


----------



## magliner0316

cenacheros said:


> The 2 Qute would be connected with a Macbook via USB,that I get.How would the 2 Qute be connected to an integrated amplifier? I have in mind a Naim Nap 100 as part of a desk top system.Thanks!




well, you need an amp to play
so it will be the RCA out from 2Qute 

PC/Mac --> USB --> 2qute --> RCA --> amp


----------



## Cenacheros

magliner0316 said:


> well, you need an amp to play
> so it will be the RCA out from 2Qute
> 
> PC/Mac --> USB --> 2qute --> RCA --> amp


 

 Thanks! I had a feeling it would be but wasn't sure.


----------



## RubyTiger

The suspense is starting to kill me.


----------



## dgently

Well, I have ordered a 2QUTE, can't wait until they get shipped to the dealers...
  
 Anyway, while I wait I had one questions. Two of the three digital inputs are isolate (USB and Toslink). I will probably be connecting several devices to it. I was wondering if the noise that could come in through the Coax spdif connection would affect music from the other inputs. (in other words, do I need to NOT use coax at all to get the best sound)


----------



## Rob Watts

I use coax for my blu-ray player, and I simply turn it off when not using it, so then RF can't affect the 2 Qute from coax.
  
 I don't galvanically isolate the coax input as this will run at 384 kHz, and I have not seen a pulse transformer that is fast enough for these kind of speeds.
  
 Rob


----------



## RubyTiger

Rob, is there enough room between the two rca's for locking type interconnects like these...?


----------



## dallan

Hoping that I will get to hear this at canjam and be able to compare it to my hugo.....


----------



## RubyTiger

dallan said:


> Hoping that I will get to hear this at canjam and be able to compare it to my hugo.....


 

 and come back and tell the rest of you.........(maybe!)


----------



## Rob Watts

WBT connectors fit the RCA OP, so I think you (RubyTiger) will be OK.
  
 Rob


----------



## magliner0316

deleted


----------



## SpiggyTopes

Hi All,
  
 Is it on sale yet?


----------



## RubyTiger

spiggytopes said:


> Hi All,
> 
> Is it on sale yet?


 

 I'm wondering myself. I got a sales flyer yesterday from TTVJ (Todd The Vinyl Junkie) advertising Chord products for sale. The 2Qute was one of them. Doesn't say pre-order so what about it Rob; has our bird come in for a landing??


----------



## schneller

I too would appreciate it getting in the hands of reviewers...and better yet...to forum members here. This one is at the top of my list.


----------



## Rob Watts

Chord tell me that 2 Qute is being shipped by end March. But they are heavily back-ordered, first production is sold out. The next production batch is early April. They will be shipping out ASAP.
  
 Rob


----------



## SpiggyTopes

Thanks Rob.


----------



## RubyTiger

Rob, I believe I read that you had tried different spdif convertors. Have you tried the more expensive convertors such as the Audiophilleo with it's pure power supply?
  
 It has been suggested that the AP convertor made a difference on the Hugo. I have one I'm debating on selling but I would like to hear your response. Perhaps I should hold off the sale for now?
  
 Also, what do you think about the effectiveness of usb cables that have an 'active shield'  such as the audio quest diamond and synergistic research?


----------



## magliner0316

rob watts said:


> Chord tell me that 2 Qute is being shipped by end March. But they are heavily back-ordered, first production is sold out. The next production batch is early April. They will be shipping out ASAP.
> 
> Rob


 
  
 Oh man!!!... I wish I got into the first batch :O
  
 Matt


----------



## schneller

The 2Qute is starting to arrive in stories...
 http://audiot.squarespace.com/manchester/2015/3/24/chord-electronics-2qute-dac-arrives-in-manchester.html


----------



## RubyTiger

To quote my fellow head-fi-er above, "Oh Man", I can not wait. I like that black to. That's been the biggest debate going on in my mind ever since I began prepping my table for paint. It's going to be flat black so - black or silver?
  
 I'm not sure what Rob meant by the first batch is sold out. I spoke to my dealer and he said nothing had changed on his end. They have plenty ordered so maybe it's sold out to the dealers?
  
 Regardless I'm ready for mine 'Yesterday'. Peace my brothers.
  
 Also, in the next few weeks I'm sure we will get an answer (finally) to the question, "Does the 2Qute sound as good or better than the Hugo?"


----------



## schneller

The 2Qute manual is now online: http://www.chordelectronics.co.uk/files/2Qute%20manual.pdf


----------



## RubyTiger

Nice manual but I think someone got the dimension's and weight crossed.
  
 No show at CanJam?? I see the Hugo and HugoTT getting a work out but why not 2Qute as it's supposed to be in the stores next month??
  
 On a little tech question Bob, I see the 2Qute will come with asio drivers for windows pc. Any problems with JRiver? My 2 yr old Burson Conductor which used an asio driver would not work correctly with JRiver. Had to go with Foobar 2000 until I finally got an AP2 (uses wasapi) and works great.


----------



## dgently

Hello All, got my 2qute yesterday 
 Unfortunately I have a very busy week and haven't had time to listen much yet  a TV show last night with the family and a songs to test...
 So far seems to sound great, very clear, and more soundstage depth than my previous dac (Yulong DA8).
 I can't say much more for now, have to take the time to have a proper listening session.
 Cheers.


----------



## RubyTiger

dgently said:


> Hello All, got my 2qute yesterday
> Unfortunately I have a very busy week and haven't had time to listen much yet  a TV show last night with the family and a songs to test...
> So far seems to sound great, very clear, and more soundstage depth than my previous dac (Yulong DA8).
> I can't say much more for now, have to take the time to have a proper listening session.
> Cheers.


 

 Look forward to hearing your observations. What headphone and amp are you using? Do you think it will need a break-in period before it sounds it's best?


----------



## dgently

I actually got this DAC to use in my speaker system (With Totem forrest speakers and a 200w integated Jungson amp). So far, with a bit of informal listening I am enjoying it a lot, but I sold my previous DAC a month ago (Yulong DA8), and since then I have been listening to music through a Oppo 103, and iFI iDSD nano(which I normally use for my headphones), and both sound pretty crappy in this system, so this DAC is a BIG relief. Have to listen for while longer, and more carefully to see how much I enjoy it, but so far so good.
  
 BTW, in the pas I have had the an Arcam rdac, Moon 100d, Asus Muses, Concero HD, and the Yulong...   I have never heard any other Chord dacs.
  
 The one thing I can say for sure is that the base is less bloated than the Yulong, and that in my system and room, the soundstage depth is better.
  
 Cheers.


----------



## piercer

I've been using a Hugo in my main system for months now. My wife hates having to turn it on with the fiddly switch whilst holding the button in (for line-out) and the cables are all over the place 
  
 So, I ordered a 2Qute replacement - should work really well plugged directly into my Almarro a340 Mono-blocks with build in volume controls.
  
 It should arrive in the by Saturday. I will let you know if I notice a difference.
  
 Rob - can the 2Qute be left powered on all the time? If so the turn on sequence for the HiFi will be much simplified


----------



## RubyTiger

I'm thinking there will be a few Hugo owners changing just for the reason's you stated Piercer. I wonder if there will be used Hugo's for sale soon. I think it's going to be a tough call. I for one am going with the 2Qute even over a good deal on a used Hugo. I want those full size features - usb cable, coax, rca with enough room for larger rca cables ..etc.
  
 All I can say is thank you Rob, thank you Chord and can I get a better deal because of medical reasons??
  
 I'm suffering  from multi-symptoms all leading back to the 2Qute.  My blood pressure, adrenaline, and mental state are all in question from prescience, presentiment, preconception, foresight, contemplation, prospect, apprehension, keenness, expectancy, readiness, forethought, inkling, prevision, foreseeing, and prior knowledge. That being said I would also like to bring up today's date and it's implications. My psych say's there's only one cure and that's to go forward with my life putting these behind and make the only viable decision (buy the 2Qute) because to do otherwise will mean year's of therapy and we don't want that now do we (his words not mine).
  
 In finishing I would like to share my favorite Chord video and I hope everyone will enjoy it.
  
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJTlkidlYPg
  
 Cheers and happy April fools day.


----------



## Rob Watts

piercer said:


> I've been using a Hugo in my main system for months now. My wife hates having to turn it on with the fiddly switch whilst holding the button in (for line-out) and the cables are all over the place
> 
> So, I ordered a 2Qute replacement - should work really well plugged directly into my Almarro a340 Mono-blocks with build in volume controls.
> 
> ...


 
 Yes leave it on. Fortunately, as it shares Hugo tech, its pretty power efficient - its under 2 W whilst being used - so just keep it on.
  
 Rob


----------



## piercer

OK - 2Qute arrived and is plugged in.
  
 Two dissapointments:
  
 The quality of the source selector button is awful. It is very wobbly and feels like it could break at any moment.
  
 The quality of the black finish o the top is very sub-standard. It might just need a proper clean, but out of the box it looks rather shabby.
  
 Sound-wise: way too early to tell


----------



## dgently

Hi, that's too bad about the button, I actually was surprised when I got it that the button was better than I expected. May be some variation in the productions.
 I got the silver version, so I have no Idea about the finish. Mine is obviously not painted.
 Still getting acquainted with the sound, but enjoying it a lot, but it sounds very different from my previous dac, so I have to wait for the wow factor to wear off to judge properly. Hope you enjoy it, and would love to hear your comments.


----------



## mcullinan

I have the DA8 too and looking to replace. Either this Dac or YGgY. No Sabre plz.


----------



## RubyTiger

piercer said:


> OK - 2Qute arrived and is plugged in.
> 
> Two dissapointments:
> 
> ...


 

 Well that's disappointing. I just preordered a black one myself. Sound wise don't you have the Hugo Piercer? Should sound about the same. The 2Qute a little clearer even.


----------



## piercer

rubytiger said:


> Well that's disappointing. I just preordered a black one myself. Sound wise don't you have the Hugo Piercer? Should sound about the same. The 2Qute a little clearer even.


 
  
 Ruby Tiger - surprisingly that was not my immediate impression. I haven't listened long but my first impressions were that it sounded pretty different. Strange, huh? It also seemed to be noticeably louder than the Hugo in line out mode, wierd. I am wondering if it is an impedance thing.


----------



## dgently

The 2QUTE is louder in my system than my previous Yulong, I think it is because it has a 3v output, don't know about the Hugo...
 I certainly find it clearer than anything I previously owned...


----------



## piercer

OK, some initial results
  
 Listening to 2Qute right now over USB into my Almarro monoblocks. The source is a raspberry pi 2 running Volumio (Highly recommended - they sound great and, as the 2Qute doesn't draw any power from the USB, well up to the task).
  
 ...and the results are excellent. I'm going to stick my neck out and say, yes, ever so slightly better than the Hugo.
  
 There is more control all around (even using the wal-mart power supply) with the real bottom-end bass slightly extended and better sounding.
  
 So apart from the awful switch (sorry Mr Watts), and the black finish on the top - which might be cleanable, I am very happy.
  
 So far, and I can't imagine why this would change, it sounds really awesome.
  
 Above and beyond sound quality the cable arrangement is far better for a home system.


----------



## Rob Watts

Unlike Hugo, 2 Qute does draw power from the USB - this is because of the galvanic isolation - the USB chip is powered from the USB 5v, then the data is galvanic isolated from 2 Qute. The galvanic isolation gives quite a big improvement in SQ when using PC's or laptops as a source.
  
 We can't isolate Hugo, as the technique draws power from the USB, so in portable applications the mobile would go flat too quickly. That said, with mobile phones and Hugo driving headphones, you don't actually need the isolation so much as RF noise levels are orders of magnitude lower than with PC's.
  
 The switch is identical to Hugo.
  
 Rob


----------



## RubyTiger

Here's a link I found with a few impressions as well;  http://blog.audiot.co.uk/manchester/2015/3/24/chord-electronics-2qute-dac-arrives-in-manchester.html.
  
 It looks attractive in the pictures but I'm really not worried over look's one way or another. It's the performance I'm after.
  
 Edit: Looked a little lonely so I added a couple more photos.
  
  
  
  
                                                          
  
                                                          
  
                                                          
  
                
 TYM.


----------



## piercer

rob watts said:


> Unlike Hugo, 2 Qute does draw power from the USB - this is because of the galvanic isolation - the USB chip is powered from the USB 5v, then the data is galvanic isolated from 2 Qute. The galvanic isolation gives quite a big improvement in SQ when using PC's or laptops as a source.
> 
> We can't isolate Hugo, as the technique draws power from the USB, so in portable applications the mobile would go flat too quickly. That said, with mobile phones and Hugo driving headphones, you don't actually need the isolation so much as RF noise levels are orders of magnitude lower than with PC's.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Thanks - Interesting about the galvanic isolation improving sound quality from PC's etc... Maybe that is one of the factors in the improvement I have noticed. Would an improved power supply for the Digital Source (like the Pi) be not such a big improvement then? Is this what the galvanic isolation means?
  
 WRT the switch - it is not like the one on the Hugo (from my point of view) - it seems to stick out more and wobbles like a loose tooth. However as I am probably never going to touch it, this is not such a big issue.


----------



## piercer

rubytiger said:


> Here's a link I found with a few impressions as well;  http://blog.audiot.co.uk/manchester/2015/3/24/chord-electronics-2qute-dac-arrives-in-manchester.html.
> 
> It looks attractive in the pictures but I'm really not worried over look's one way or another. It's the performance I'm after.


 
  
 Tighter bass is a very good description


----------



## hmizutani

piercer said:


> OK, some initial results
> 
> Listening to 2Qute right now over USB into my Almarro monoblocks. The source is a raspberry pi 2 running Volumio (Highly recommended - they sound great and, as the 2Qute doesn't draw any power from the USB, well up to the task).
> 
> ...


 
 So does the black finish on yours not look like the pics in the link RubyTiger provided?


----------



## dgently

piercer said:


> ... WRT the switch - it is not like the one on the Hugo (from my point of view) - it seems to stick out more and wobbles like a loose tooth. However as I am probably never going to touch it, this is not such a big issue.


 
 On mine, the button sticks out, but doesn't really wobble much. Feels like the buttons on a computer keyboard when you remove the caps. Seems sturdy enough to me, and I have to use it to go between my sources. Maybe there is something wrong with yours?


----------



## piercer

hmizutani said:


> So does the black finish on yours not look like the pics in the link RubyTiger provided?


 
  
 No, not quite - it looks less perfect, maybe like there's the remnants of a film over it. I'll try to clean it when I get time, and if I can't I'll post photos.


----------



## schneller

If anyone is able to offer Hegel HD12 vs. 2Qute commentary that would be great. Thanks.


----------



## mcullinan

how do you cycle through the inputs? Im looking for a usb connection for my computer, raid server setup and optical for my PS4. is that what the button does?


----------



## RubyTiger

mcullinan said:


> how do you cycle through the inputs? Im looking for a usb connection for my computer, raid server setup and optical for my PS4. is that what the button does?


 
  
 Can do one better. Look on the Chord site and the 2Qute's manual is there.


----------



## mcullinan

cool thnx


----------



## HumanMedia

As a Chord Qute EX owner who has never heard a Hugo, what sound quality differences can I expect between the EX and the 2qute? Has anyone gone from EX to 2qute, and what are your impressions?


----------



## lovethatsound

schneller said:


> If anyone is able to offer Hegel HD12 vs. 2Qute commentary that would be great. Thanks.


i home demo the hegel hd12 a few weeks ago against my chord hugo.now the hegel hd12 has alot going for it for £900,2 optical output,coaxial output,balance output.plus a remote control.i use the hugo for a dac only as it goes in 2 my hdvd800 amp 2 my hd800s,everything i listen 2 is red book cd,so i tested the hegel the same way.now I'm not gonna go into alot of detail about the sound but 4 sound quality the hugo in my opinion sounded alot better,more real,better sound stage.on the features front hegel hd12 wins by a mile.


----------



## otropato

OK...2Qute DAc sound better than Hugo ,but if we comparing to HugoTT y suppose is another  Q....Better HugoTT?


----------



## otropato

rob watts said:


> Yes 2 Qute does indeed sound very much like Hugo - indeed, with using HD USB and a PC it actually sounds better due to the galvanic isolation where it sounds smoother and with better sound stage depth. I would be using it in my office set-up, except I am now using a certain prototype of a new DAC due to be shown in May at Munich....
> 
> The downside is not having a volume control, so you can only use it as a DAC. If you need to replace your pre-amp too then try out Hugo TT which is currently in production. I have been testing the production version over the WE, and TT is a substantial step up from Hugo - it measures better (its distortion and noise is 4dB lower than Hugo at 3V RMS), and sounds better, plus also has the galvanic isolation on the USB.
> 
> Rob


 
 Hi Rob.Well  ...so I must wait that another new DAC (May,Munich)...I suppose desktop,withXLR ,"new better"chip to DSD direct and DoP....and better sound than Hugo TT...


----------



## RubyTiger

Today's state of the art is inevitably yesterday's news.


----------



## tha_dude

Any further impressions from those that have a 2Qute?


----------



## nick77

tha_dude said:


> Any further impressions from those that have a 2Qute?


 
  
 Any comments on DSD playback??


----------



## HumanMedia

nick77 said:


> Any comments on DSD playback??


 

 +1
 I understand that DSD is the 2Qute's most compromised aspect. But surely it is still a step up from the DSD performance of the Qute EX?


----------



## Rob Watts

The DSD filters in 2 Qute sound much smoother, with better instrument separation and focus than Qute EX DSD filter.
  
 Rob


----------



## vo_obgyn

humanmedia said:


> +1
> I understand that DSD is the 2Qute's most compromised aspect.....


 
  
 Hi HumanMedia,
  
 I was wondering, where I can find more info regarding the 2Qute's DSD playback and its compromised aspect? Can you post a review link or something similar. That would help. Thanks in advance.


----------



## vo_obgyn

rob watts said:


> The DSD filters in 2 Qute sound much smoother, with better instrument separation and focus than Qute EX DSD filter.
> 
> Rob


 
  
 Hi Rob, or anyone else for that matter. Forgive me if this has been noted elsewhere, but how does the 2Qute's DSD filter sound compared to the Hugo's DSD filter? I think that the Hugo sounds really good in DSD.


----------



## Rob Watts

Its the same code for Hugo and 2 Qute - the only change is simple control logic, so all of the audio is identical to Hugo. Even the analogue circuitry is the same, as it has the same discrete Class A OP stage too, as this offers lower THD than the op-amp OP stage.
  
 Rob


----------



## vo_obgyn

rob watts said:


> Its the same code for Hugo and 2 Qute - the only change is simple control logic, so all of the audio is identical to Hugo. Even the analogue circuitry is the same, as it has the same discrete Class A OP stage too, as this offers lower THD than the op-amp OP stage.
> 
> Rob


 
  
 Thanks for the reply Rob. And thanks for your contributions to this forum. I'm using my Hugo for my bedside headphone set-up (see signature). I'm planning on placing an order for the 2Qute DAC soon. I see it placed in my main set-up:
  
 Mark Levinson No.37 CD Transport (coax) or Auralic Aries Wireless Streaming Bridge/MacMini (USB) > *2Qute DAC* > Mark Levinson No.38S Preamp > Mark Levinson No. 532H Amp > Thiel Audio CS2.4 Speakers
  
 vo_obgyn


----------



## cas77

Hello Rob,
 to sum up:
 2 Qute DAC is as good as Hugo TT DAC and  needs neither a special USB cable nor a linear power supply.
 Is it correct?


----------



## Rob Watts

cas77 said:


> Hello Rob,
> to sum up:
> 2 Qute DAC is as good as Hugo TT DAC and  needs neither a special USB cable nor a linear power supply.
> Is it correct?


 
 No its no way as good as TT, but it is as good as ordinary Hugo. It is better than Hugo with USB when fed from a noisy PC. And you don't need to worry about the PSU, as a car battery feeding 2 Qute has no SQ benefits.
  
 TT has better DAC reference components, and this makes it sound much smoother and warmer, with better instrument focus and separation. Technically, this is due to a reduction in noise floor modulation, and it shows in the measurements - THD and noise is some 4dB lower than Hugo/2 Qute at 3v RMS OP. There are some other benefits with TT due to chassis weight, super caps and the extra batteries. And of course TT can replace your pre-amp too, which gives another big step increase in transparency. 
  
 Rob


----------



## SpiggyTopes

Hi Rob,
  
 I would love to talk myself into the TT on the basis that it would replace my pre amp and drive the power amp directly.
  
 But, how then would I connect my other stuff? (wife's karaoke thing, internet radio ...).
  
  
 Any ideas?


----------



## stef c

Hi Rob/Head-fiers

I was wondering if you could help. Just purchased the Chord 2Qute which sounds utterly fantastic fed into my Naim Supernait 2. Just really neutral yet exciting. Thoroughly engaging. 

I have an Airport Express that I use with the 2Qute, streaming Tidal 16 bit 44.1 KHz files via AirPlay through my iPhone and use a VDH optical lead linking the AE to the 2Qute. The signal is therefore bit perfect apparently as this format is native to AE. 

My question is - is this an ideal audiophile set up? Would I have any performance gains from attaching the iPhone directly to the 2Qute via usb or indeed using a MacBook for example via usb? 

I seem to be seeing some conflicting information regarding this. I think I'm right in saying that that the 2Qute's clock will all but eliminate jitter from the AE's highly jittery functionality. So if that's the case and I'm feeding it 16 bit 44.1Khz files via AirPlay, won't it be identical to using a fancy alternative digital transport using the same file?

A lot of people here seem to turn their noses up at Airport Express?


----------



## otropato

I forgotten...the  new Chord DAC  not only will have a better electronics system, but most elaborated chassis,electrical system...its well done.
  
 Rob,please (its true)...Can you appoint me with  1 unit?Now  I dont have money,but I will.


----------



## Rob Watts

stef c said:


> Hi Rob/Head-fiers
> 
> I was wondering if you could help. Just purchased the Chord 2Qute which sounds utterly fantastic fed into my Naim Supernait 2. Just really neutral yet exciting. Thoroughly engaging.
> 
> ...


 
 The USB input on 2 Qute sounds _slightly_ better than the optical - as the galvanic isolation eliminates RF, and the USB input has timing from 2 Qute's low jitter clock, so I would give it a go and feed the iPhone directly - the USB input draws power from the iPhone, so you may need to keep the iPhone charger connected.
  
 Rob


----------



## stef c

Hi Rob

Thanks very much for your reply. I'm a little confused though. Won't the 2 Qutes low jitter clock be engaged when using optical as well? If not then surely USB is MUCH more preferable when using a poor quality jittery source?

Also I was under the impression that optical was immune to RF interference?

I really hope the low jitter clock works with optical though!!!


----------



## dusk

rob watts said:


> No its no way as good as TT, but it is as good as ordinary Hugo. It is better than Hugo with USB when fed from a noisy PC. And you don't need to worry about the PSU, as a car battery feeding 2 Qute has no SQ benefits.
> 
> TT has better DAC reference components, and this makes it sound much smoother and warmer, with better instrument focus and separation. Technically, this is due to a reduction in noise floor modulation, and it shows in the measurements - THD and noise is some 4dB lower than Hugo/2 Qute at 3v RMS OP. There are some other benefits with TT due to chassis weight, super caps and the extra batteries. And of course TT can replace your pre-amp too, which gives another big step increase in transparency.
> 
> Rob


 
 any plans to release a stand alone dac as good as the TT's... or.. better?


----------



## cas77

A very good question  !


----------



## dallan

+2


----------



## Rob Watts

stef c said:


> Hi Rob
> 
> Thanks very much for your reply. I'm a little confused though. Won't the 2 Qutes low jitter clock be engaged when using optical as well? If not then surely USB is MUCH more preferable when using a poor quality jittery source?
> 
> ...


 
 Yes the low jitter clock is engaged in both instances. But for optical, the word clock is synthesized from the DPLL (digital phase lock loop), but with USB its local to the FPGA. This gives a *tiny *(that is one you can only just detect via careful AB listening so in practice ain't worth worrying about) SQ benefit. Both are galvanically isolated, so free from source RF and correlated noise. Hope that explains!


----------



## Rob Watts

dusk said:


> any plans to release a stand alone dac as good as the TT's... or.. better?


 
 That's project xxxx launching at Munich...


----------



## SpiggyTopes

Oh Boy!
  
  
 I'm waiting for my 2 Qute now ........ does this mean I should hang on fro the TT basic (don't need the headphone sockets or remote)?


----------



## lovethatsound

spiggytopes said:


> Oh Boy!
> 
> 
> I'm waiting for my 2 Qute now ........ does this mean I should hang on fro the TT basic (don't need the headphone sockets or remote)?


That depends on how much money you have 2 spend on a dac.The 2 qute like the Hugo is a great sounding dac 4 the money . project xxxx will probably cost anywhere from £4000 to £7000.


----------



## SpiggyTopes

OK,that's too much for me ....... GBP 1,500+ I could persuade myself into!


----------



## dusk

oh, man, that could be... a very expensive piece and amazing piece of hardware


----------



## magliner0316

My order in the UK store told me Chord has some issues with their component manufacturer and gonna delay the launch date for at least 2 weeks...
  
 oh man....


----------



## piercer

magliner0316 said:


> My order in the UK store told me Chord has some issues with their component manufacturer and gonna delay the launch date for at least 2 weeks...
> 
> oh man....


 
  
 Delay the launch date of what?


----------



## magliner0316

piercer said:


> Delay the launch date of what?


 
 2qute
 It was supposed to launch on April 2nd


----------



## piercer

magliner0316 said:


> 2qute
> It was supposed to launch on April 2nd


 
  
 But it's been on sale for a while now in the UK. I already have mine and so do several other people. Why do you think it is delayed?


----------



## magliner0316

I am thinking it's either the shop(custom-cable uk) is lying to me or they didn't really get 2qute from Chord.
  
 Now I'm looking for other shop that can confirm they have it in stock and willing to ship internationally.


----------



## RubyTiger

If you look back into this thread (page 6 on mine) you can read that the first production of 2Qutes were sold out in March. The next batch is due sometime this month and that's when the other retailer's get theirs.
  
 As far as delay .....  
  
 Rob, can you confirm a two week delay?


----------



## Rob Watts

I am not aware of any delays at the moment, but there may have been some earlier - last time I talked to Chord was trying to get Ted_b review sample and I found out that there is a batch going out this week (all sold), another batch going out next week (all sold), so it will take time to clear the back orders on 2 Qute.
  
 Rob


----------



## magliner0316

hmm
just got emails from other vendors, none of them have it in dtock and need to wait for next batch. I guess I preordered it too late with customcable uk on March 2nd... Guess I will just wait


----------



## Cenacheros

magliner0316 said:


> hmm
> just got emails from other vendors, none of them have it in dtock and need to wait for next batch. I guess I preordered it too late with customcable uk in mid-March... Guess I will just wait


 
 http://www.audiot.co.uk/products/chord-electronics-2qute-dac-8433.aspx   They're showing "in stock". Good luck!


----------



## vo_obgyn

Does anyone know if the included power adapter will take 110-240V so that I could power the 2Qute DAC internationally while traveling?


----------



## Rob Watts

Yes I take them on my travels, the same PSU works everywhere, you just need mains adaptors.
  
 Rob


----------



## vo_obgyn

^Thanks Rob


----------



## magliner0316

Well, I'm fine with my preorder wasn't in the first batch.  Don't know why the store told me it wasn't launched yet.  
 I'll wait for my preorder and hope it doesn't take a month for them to ship.
  
 How early did you guys preorder for getting 2Qute in first batch?


----------



## WhatsUp

rob watts said:


> Unlike Hugo, 2 Qute does draw power from the USB - this is because of the galvanic isolation - the USB chip is powered from the USB 5v, then the data is galvanic isolated from 2 Qute. The galvanic isolation gives quite a big improvement in SQ when using PC's or laptops as a source.


 
  
 Hi Rob, I picked up a 2Qute a week ago and quite frankly I'm bowled over by it. So much so, it'll be replacing one of Salisbury's finest streamer/Dac's. I can't wait to audition the QDP76 replacement!
  
 I've a couple of interesting observations I'd really appreciate your thoughts on.
  
 Feeding 2Qute via USB from a battery powered MacBook Pro, PCM Red Book recordings are simply stunning, better than via the Mac's optical.
  
 I then compared the same files fed via USB from an Innuos Wave (A SolidRun CuBox based streamer) powered by its wall wart. SQ was bright, grainy, bass muddy and distortion present on higher frequency strings.
  
 I then powered the Wave from the MacBooks USB3 port. Much better, but slightly bright. Not nailed on like USB from the MacBook.
  
 Innuos advocate a linear PSU as RF from 5v USB or wall wart power will be carried from the Wave to the DAC via the USB ground line. I've ordered a Teddy Pardo PSU to see if that cures it. (14 day sale or return) I'm curious to hear if you have any thoughts on why the SQ is being so adversely affected by the Wave's power supply given Galvanic isolation in the DAC?  
  
 Many Thx


----------



## dgently

Hi all.
  
 Just a little update, since I have had the 2qute for just over two weeks. (seems I was very lucky to get one of the first ones since the store I got it from is out and says they hope to get some at the end of next week). For general info, I ordered on the 3rd of March.
 As to the sound, I haven't done much "critical" listening, but have heard enough to make some comments. I tried to listen and enjoy the system, and did not make an effort to distinguish between redbook, highres and DSD, so most of what I heard was redbook quality.
 The first thing I listened to(don't remember what it was) when I hooked it up gave me the impression it was a tad bright. This was not the case on the second song (in fact later, when my wife first heard it she thought it lacked treble, but it just happened to be the first recording she heard). It soon became clear that this dac clearly shows the character of the recording. The size of the soundstage varies A LOT, some recording are brighter some are a bit dull, some are ballanced, some are fleshy, some are thing. I generally find the sound quite liquid and with very nice drive and dynamics, PRaT. Also, most recording I know have also shown some new sound that surprises me.
 Compared to what I had before (mainly Yulong da8  sabres, Moon 100d) this dac has nicer dynamics than all three, more controlled base than the DA8(with more distinguishable textures), more base than the 100d, the "air" of the 100d with some extra flesh (if it is in the recording).
 Just to clarify, despite some of the adjectives not beeing the most positive, I do think this is a great DAC, and a big step up from my previous dacs. I appreciate the fact that I hear large differences between recordings, and it is nice to hear these, and the different acoustic aesthetics. Despite the great transparency and detail, I find most recordings sound very enjoyable, even 80s-90s masters in all genres.

 This is of course the most expensive dac I have owned, so I cannot compare it with others of the same price.
 Also, I have always heard well marked (non subtle) differences between the dacs I have tested in my system (arcam rdac, simaudio 100d, Asus Muses, Concero HD, Yulong DA8, and while I was wainting for the 2qute, the ifi nano iDSD and Oppo 103 which were crap in my system, although I like the ifi with my Kef headphones).

 My system is a speaker system with Oppo 103 (for video with optical) or small arm base linux box(wandboard running voyage MPD ) from USB, to the 2qute, to Jungson Hedo 200w integrated to Totem Forest speakers (totem interconnects and speaker cables). No headphones, sorry.
 All kinds of music and recording qualities.
  
 cheers,
 dgently


----------



## HumanMedia

Just want to thank everyone so far for feedback on the 2Qute - keep it coming!!
 Also thanks to Rob for all of the information he provides. It is invaluable, enlightening and clears up much forum conjecture.
  
 I also missed the first 2Qute allocation.  I might have also missed out on the second batch as I am after a black unit, and they seem to be more popular than the silver units in my part of the world.


----------



## Rob Watts

whatsup said:


> Hi Rob, I picked up a 2Qute a week ago and quite frankly I'm bowled over by it. So much so, it'll be replacing one of Salisbury's finest streamer/Dac's. I can't wait to audition the QDP76 replacement!
> 
> I've a couple of interesting observations I'd really appreciate your thoughts on.
> 
> ...


 
  
 That's a little odd - my experience so far with 2 Qute is that the source, so long as it is bit perfect, no longer makes a difference to the SQ due to the galvanic isolation. That said, I still have some more SQ tests to do.
  
 What could be happening is RF noise is upsetting the rest of the system - the power amp in particular. In the 80's, my audio was very sensitive, the SQ would vary with time (the system would sound stunning at 2AM), and with things going on in the rest of the house. This was before I discovered RF noise as being very important. After making this discovery, I RF filtered the electronics, and changed my analogue design so that the amps were less sensitive to RF noise. After doing this, the SQ became very much more stable, and if RF sources were on in the room, it would no longer affect SQ.
  
 So perhaps the changes you are hearing is nothing to do with 2 Qute, but RF noise locally generated upsetting the power amp.
  
 Anyhow, I am very pleased you are bowled over by 2 Qute!
  
 Rob


----------



## analogmusic

Hello Mr Watts
  
 I ordered a hugo and will be getting it soon.
  
 I thought about the 2qute but it has a 3.0 volume output which doesn't really suit my Naim 202 preamp, the volume control is already limited with digital 2.0 sources. It is ok with Vinyl.
  
 I plan to use it with a Squeezebox touch via USB (through the EDO software on SBT). I think the USB input on the hugo is asynchonous?
  
 Is the 2qute galvanic isolation something I would be missing in the Hugo? How big or small a difference does galvanic isolation make?
  
 Thanks


----------



## Rob Watts

Yes Hugo HD USB is asynchronous, the timing comes from Hugo.
  
 Galvanic isolation depends upon the noise level of the source. So mobile phones have low RF noise, and sound better than PC's which are very noisy, so the benefits of galvanic isolation does depend quite a bit on the source. With PC's, you get smoother SQ, with much better perception of sound stage depth. I have not tried it with Squeezebox touch.
  
 If you use 44.1 or 48k, then use the Olimex isolator on the SD USB input, as this works really well.
  
 Rob


----------



## hifipassion

Hello,
  
 I'm interested in buying a 2Qute, but I have one big concern.
 The Chord 2Qute has a standard 2V output or is it 3V ?
 Many thanks.


----------



## schneller

Rob: 


analogmusic said:


> Hello Mr Watts
> 
> I ordered a hugo and will be getting it soon.
> 
> ...


 
  
 So are we saying that the 2Qute should NOT be paired with something like a NAIM SuperNait2 (RCA-DIN interconnect)? Rob, can you comment?


----------



## Randle81

Currently trialling the 2qute after seeing it at one of the launches. The sleek black look is excellent. Finish is beautiful (but what is with that button!?). First day: compared to the Auralic Vega the initial sound impression is that it is slightly smoother. I'm also picking up greater detail at the extreme ends of the sound stage (not sure it sounds much wider yet). 
*
At this stage there is one reason I will probably send it back*. It doesn't remember the input source and defaults back to usb when it loses power (I use optical). For a system that I'm trying to simplify, this won't work for my family members. Can this be fixed in any way?


----------



## piercer

randle81 said:


> Currently trialling the 2qute after seeing it at one of the launches. The sleek black look is excellent. Finish is beautiful (but what is with that button!?). First day: compared to the Auralic Vega the initial sound impression is that it is slightly smoother. I'm also picking up greater detail at the extreme ends of the sound stage (not sure it sounds much wider yet).
> 
> *At this stage there is one reason I will probably send it back*. It doesn't remember the input source and defaults back to usb when it loses power (I use optical). For a system that I'm trying to simplify, this won't work for my family members. Can this be fixed in any way?


 
  
 Don't turn it off - I leave mine on all the time.


----------



## Randle81

piercer said:


> Don't turn it off - I leave mine on all the time.



I see that option. At the moment I prefer having it plugged into the same board as my amps that are switched off until required. I also tend to unplug the whole system when going away and in big thunder storms. We will have a power out occasionally. Call me lazy, but I want to press one button on the remote and hear music. I want my wife /son /parents baby sitting to do the same because I want it enjoyed and also don't want them fiddling (a input button on the front might have been different but this is awkward).


----------



## ted_b

Don't turn off digital gear.  Standby yes, powered off NO.  The clocks need 48 hours to re-establish equilibrium.


----------



## WhatsUp

rob watts said:


> That's a little odd - my experience so far with 2 Qute is that the source, so long as it is bit perfect, no longer makes a difference to the SQ due to the galvanic isolation. That said, I still have some more SQ tests to do.
> 
> What could be happening is RF noise is upsetting the rest of the system - the power amp in particular. In the 80's, my audio was very sensitive, the SQ would vary with time (the system would sound stunning at 2AM), and with things going on in the rest of the house. This was before I discovered RF noise as being very important. After making this discovery, I RF filtered the electronics, and changed my analogue design so that the amps were less sensitive to RF noise. After doing this, the SQ became very much more stable, and if RF sources were on in the room, it would no longer affect SQ.
> 
> ...


 

 Thanks for getting back Rob. I have a dedicated mains radial for the hifi and plugged the CuBox wall wart into the domestic mains and still the same result. I tried two other warts as well, again same result. So unless the RF is airborne, I don't see how it's getting into the amp, which is also a Chord BTW.
  
 I've also got my CD going into the 2Qute via Coaxial and it sounds great, even when the wall warts on the hifi radial.
  
 If you're going to be doing more testing and haven't already, It might be worth checking sources such Rasberry-Pi, CuBox etc, as they seem to be increasingly used for streaming audio from NAS's and online services such as Qobuz to standalone DAC's like the 2Qute.
  
 Anyway, I think its safe to say in my case that its the wall wart causing the problem so hopefully the linear supply will solve it.


----------



## dgently

Hi, I just wanted to say that on my Voyage MPD wandboard system (tiny quad-arm system using the same chipsed as the quad Cubox but I do have RT kernel installed) I have not heard any of the characteristics that have been mentioned(no mud/fuzz/grain), it all sounds extremely good to me (using some oversized wall wart I had). Certainly no worse than using my Oppo 103 as source (haven't compared carefully, but very happy with the sound).
 dgently


----------



## Randle81

I know on my Vega it takes an hour before it allows you to choose exact clock settings 



ted_b said:


> Don't turn off digital gear.  Standby yes, powered off NO.  The clocks need 48 hours to re-establish equilibrium.




48 hours? I'd be interested whether Rob Watts would agree if this is the case on the 2qute?


----------



## goldendarko

randle81 said:


> I know on my Vega it takes an hour before it allows you to choose exact clock settings
> 
> 48 hours? I'd be interested whether @Rob Watts would agree if this is the case on the 2qute?



 


Any comparisons between this and the Vega, I know they are 2 totally different form factors and price points, but I'm looking for something portable that would have similar sound quality as my vega/


----------



## Randle81

I'd hesitate to put in a proper review until I've spent more time with it and have let it burn in. My initial impressions are it is competitive with the Vega. Maybe a little bit more realism of instruments (better separation, better location across width of sound stage - particularly at the wider ends of sound stage). 

Has anyone compared the sound with and without the ground screw connected to a grounding point? I'm assuming I might not need to use it as all I'm using is optical at present and I cannot detect any ground hum.


----------



## goldendarko

Thanks for the reply, sounds like it may be a good fit then. I find the Vega to be one of the best, most resolving DAC's I've heard, so if I could get that kind of sound quality in a portable rig that's just fantastic.


----------



## Randle81

Not super portable given the need to bring wall wart, cable, amp.. Etc. Would you not be better with a Hugo? Same technology. Have a listen


----------



## goldendarko

randle81 said:


> Not super portable given the need to bring wall wart, cable, amp.. Etc. Would you not be better with a Hugo? Same technology. Have a listen



 


Well I'm looking for something to pair with the Cavalli Liquid Carbon I just pre ordered...


----------



## ted_b

randle81 said:


> I know on my Vega it takes an hour before it allows you to choose exact clock settings
> 48 hours? I'd be interested whether @Rob Watts would agree if this is the case on the 2qute?


 

 I'm sure not.  My point is not that 48 hrs is required, just that 48 hours is best.  The Vega, for example, as noted, has an auto timer excluding folks from even using the exact setting on its femto for one hour after power up.  It's a static setting.  I'm not saying don't listen, I'm saying it takes a long time for the sq to get back to best sq...so don't power off your digital gear.


----------



## bixby

this is a new one.  Wonder why 99% of the other dac makers don't make some sort of statement about keeping the dac on to properly condition the clock environment.  Or maybe it only affects femto clocks in certain designs that use temperature control.  I remember Opera had a Cd playrer that had an "oven
 controlled"  clock.


----------



## gad1

The 2Qute is on my must try list.  I plan on feeding it via usb from an edo
 enabled squeezebox touch.  I would much appreciate confirmation that
 this is a compatible combo to avoid a return hassel.
  
 regards,
  
 gad1


----------



## Randle81

goldendarko said:


> Well I'm looking for something to pair with the Cavalli Liquid Carbon I just pre ordered...




Oh, a desktop amp. Personally I'd consider a Hugo and you may not notice a difference. But then I'm personally thinking about a portable battery powered rig.


----------



## HumanMedia

Anyone noticed audible changes from burn-in? Or does it sound stable right out of the box?
And is there warm up time from cold turn-on?


----------



## piercer

humanmedia said:


> Anyone noticed audible changes from burn-in? Or does it sound stable right out of the box?
> And is there warm up time from cold turn-on?


 
  
 My 2Qute has sounded amazing from the moment I plugged it in.
  
 Given that we're talking about a DAC in a system it can be hard to tell what is warming up and what isn't.


----------



## Cenacheros

It's great to hear that the 2Qute is so good.It would be great to hear what type of sound signature it has.I had originally planned to buy a Hugo.Given that I will only ever use a Dac at home,I've decided to pair a 2Qute with a seriously good 
 headphone amplifier and Sen.650s.
 I'm tempted by the Hugo TT,but at double the outlay it's a serious consideration.Thanks.


----------



## OK-Guy

​  
 ​  ​ *Shanghai International High-End HiFi Show (SIAV 2015) *​  ​ *Date:* 24th - 26th April 2015​  ​ *Venue:* SIAV 2015​              Shanghai International Exhibition and Convention Center​              2727Riverside Avenue, Puddong​ Shanghai, China.​  ​ *Booth number - 5T02*​  ​ *Dita Audio (China) will be hosting Chord Electronics at the upcoming SIAV event - John Franks will be unveiling and presenting the Chord Hugo TT on Saturday 25th, also on display will be the Hugo and 2Cute with a multitude of differend sources.*​  ​


----------



## analogmusic

schneller said:


> Rob:
> 
> So are we saying that the 2Qute should NOT be paired with something like a NAIM SuperNait2 (RCA-DIN interconnect)? Rob, can you comment?


 
 the supernait 2 doesn't have this issue as the input sensitivity is better than the NAC 202


----------



## analogmusic

rob watts said:


> Yes Hugo HD USB is asynchronous, the timing comes from Hugo.
> 
> Galvanic isolation depends upon the noise level of the source. So mobile phones have low RF noise, and sound better than PC's which are very noisy, so the benefits of galvanic isolation does depend quite a bit on the source. With PC's, you get smoother SQ, with much better perception of sound stage depth. I have not tried it with Squeezebox touch.
> 
> ...


 
 Dear Mr Watts thank you for your reply.
  
 I got my Hugo and wanted to give you my heartfelt thanks for your efforts in making this superb DAC. It is amazing. 
  
 I loved what it did from the minute it was playing music. As you said there is an extra octave of bass I didn't know my speakers was capable of producing.
  
 No harshness at all, and playing music is so much more enjoyable. Also the musicality is so much better now. I had many concerns and issues with my system, but the moment I plugged in the Hugo all concerns went away. 
  
 This is a major achievement and I hope you will keep on doing great work on your DAC designs. Thank you !


----------



## analogmusic

rob watts said:


> Its the same code for Hugo and 2 Qute - the only change is simple control logic, so all of the audio is identical to Hugo. Even the analogue circuitry is the same, as it has the same discrete Class A OP stage too, as this offers lower THD than the op-amp OP stage.
> 
> Rob


 
 Dear Rob
  
 What is a OP stage? I understand discrete stage is better than op-amp, could you explain why? As I understand the Hugo has no analog volume control, so the output from the DAC doesn't go through a preamp (like one of the competing products from Salisbury)
  
 Also what is a pulse array dac? is it similar to Delta Sigma or the resistor ladder Dac?  Is the sound of the hugo due to the filter or due to filter/dac combination? Also if you were to use this filter with a conventional resistor ladder DAC would it work?
  
 Thanks
 Analog


----------



## analogmusic

Dear Rob
  
 The olimex won't work on HD USB input? The Hugo sounds so good already I don't find any need for anything else !
  
 Thanks


----------



## gad1

Hello,
  
 The squeezebox touch is compatible with the Chord Chordette QuteHD
 according to a post on audiokarma.  Is the 2Qute similar enough
 to assume it also would be compatible with the sbt?
  
 gad1


----------



## WhatsUp

whatsup said:


> Thanks for getting back Rob. I have a dedicated mains radial for the hifi and plugged the CuBox wall wart into the domestic mains and still the same result. I tried two other warts as well, again same result. So unless the RF is airborne, I don't see how it's getting into the amp, which is also a Chord BTW.
> 
> I've also got my CD going into the 2Qute via Coaxial and it sounds great, even when the wall warts on the hifi radial.
> 
> ...


 

 Quick update. The Teddy PSU arrived and it immediately cured the RF symptoms I was experiencing with the wall wart from the CuBox. Having been listening with the wall wart for a week, I was quite used to the poor SQ, which was most noticeable with well mastered recordings with high DR but barely noticeable at all with contemporary "LOAD" recordings with low DR. I think the type of music people listen to and their systems transparency and frequency response may explain the varying experiences I've read on this and other forums.
  
 In any event, I hadn't expected to need to buy a linear PSU for the player, but if it means I'm able to enjoy the 2Qute to its fullest then its no big deal. A great DAC and loving it playing some well produced native DSD material. Simply stunning SQ.


----------



## dgently

About the Squeezebox driver, I undestand that the Qute HD needed a driver in general, whereas the 2Qute is UAC2 compliant. The 2Qute SHOULD work without a hitch with the squeezebox touch EDO, although I haven't tried it (my SBT is in storage). It certainly doesn't have any problems with other linux based systems I have tried.
  
 BTW I have tried several UAC2 dacs with EDO, and the only ones I had problems with were Concero HD with early firmware(which they fixed quickly), and the Asus muses, which needed a kernel patch for all my linux systems. I actually had to compile my own EDO kernel for this one, but it had the problematic C-media chipset. I really doubt that the 2qute will have any problems.
  
 As for the sound of wallwart for the computer, I don't think it has to do with just transparency in the system. I clearly hear changes in cables and dacs in my system. Maybe the Cubox has a particularly bad power supply (I use the Wandboard which has the same chipset but is otherwise different). Also, my wallwart is oversized (larger than needed) as none was included with the board. I also find it sounds somewhat better than my oppo 103 -> Lifatec optical cable.
  
 In any case they both sound great. Did have to play with the placement of my speakers (compared to my yulong) so optimise soundstage. Funny how different dac want different placement...   ...something about the timing I guess...


----------



## Randle81

Has anyone got the 2Qute grounded using the little screw on the box and heard any difference?


----------



## HumanMedia

gad1 said:


> Hello,
> 
> The squeezebox touch is compatible with the Chord Chordette QuteHD
> according to a post on audiokarma.  Is the 2Qute similar enough
> ...


 

 The Squeezebox Touch will definitely work via Optical or coax SPDIF.
 However Squeezebox via USB didn't work with the QUTE HD or EX, but USB might work with 2Qute via a hub or with a particular EDO file. Slim chance but might.


----------



## WhatsUp

dgently said:


> About the Squeezebox driver, I undestand that the Qute HD needed a driver in general, whereas the 2Qute is UAC2 compliant. The 2Qute SHOULD work without a hitch with the squeezebox touch EDO, although I haven't tried it (my SBT is in storage). It certainly doesn't have any problems with other linux based systems I have tried.
> 
> BTW I have tried several UAC2 dacs with EDO, and the only ones I had problems with were Concero HD with early firmware(which they fixed quickly), and the Asus muses, which needed a kernel patch for all my linux systems. I actually had to compile my own EDO kernel for this one, but it had the problematic C-media chipset. I really doubt that the 2qute will have any problems.
> 
> ...


 

 As I've already said, I tried two other wall warts plugged into a different mains radial from the hifi, both delivering 5v, 3amps, which is more than sufficient for my version of CuBox which draws 2amps... Same problem. Unless the RF is airborne, it can only be getting into the 2Qute via its USB cable.


----------



## Rob Watts

analogmusic said:


> Dear Rob
> 
> What is a OP stage? I understand discrete stage is better than op-amp, could you explain why? As I understand the Hugo has no analog volume control, so the output from the DAC doesn't go through a preamp (like one of the competing products from Salisbury)
> 
> ...


 
 Welcome to Head-Fi analogmusic, and I am pleased you are enjoying more musicality from your music with Hugo - which is what this is all about!
  
*What is an OP stage?*
 OP is output, and it replaces rather poor OP stages within op-amps. When faced with designing the electronics of Hugo, I had no experience of designing headphone amps - looking into devices that supplied headphones, they were very poor. So I designed it as if it was a power amp (I've designed lots of those) and gave Hugo the ability to drive 8 ohm loudspeakers directly - which means lots of current - in Hugo's case I set it too 0.5A RMS. You will not get this current from op-amps or headphone drive chips, so I had to design a discrete amp. Now to get the best transparency there needs to be a single feedback path, so the discrete OP stage needs to be within the op-amp's global feedback path. Since the op-amps are very high gain bandwidth product devices (high speed), that meant designing a Class A OP stage with very low propagation delay, so that the circuit would remain stable. Now the op-stages in op-amps are pretty poor to awful, so when I got the first prototype I was very pleased at how good the OP stage sounded, and how much lower distortion was (particularly high order harmonics) - even when using the op-stage in DAC mode with easy loads. Indeed, I now use this arrangement all the time now, as it really improves the performance of the op-amp - that's why 2 Qute has it too. The OP stage is by far the weakest part of all op-amps and this is simply because one can use a decent Class A bias current, and very substantial OP transistors, so thermal stability is ensured. And yes, Hugo does not have an analogue volume control, so this means the analogue section is very simple (just 2 resistors and capacitors in the direct signal path). Simple analogue gives much more transparency.
  
*What is a Pulse Array DAC?*
 This is not an easy answer, as its complex and of course proprietary. But firstly the history. I first started designing DAC's in 1989, when the first delta-sigma bitstream devices from Phillips came out - these were DSD 256 DAC's (or PDM dac's). Now they were quite musical, but had technical and SQ problems - but they had very good low signal performance, and analogue distortion characteristic (small distortion for small signals unlike R2R DAC's which have more distortion for small signals due to glitch energy and resistor matching problems - issues that are impossible to solve). The biggest problem was limiting of resolution - unlike PCM, where ultra small signals are buried in the dither and so perfectly preserved, with delta-sigma the noise floor is a cliff edge for low level signals - any small signal below the resolving power of the noise shaper is lost forever. To overcome this, I used 8 PDM noise shapers with different dither, and summed the output in the analogue current to voltage converter (I to V). This gave much better performance, but I knew that much more was possible. So I started creating my own noise shapers and DAC technology using FPGA that were just becoming available (1994 now). What I needed was much higher resolution so the noise shaper OP is 5 bits not 1 bit, and I ran the noise shapers at a much higher rate - 2048 times not 256 times. Running at a faster rate means that you have more permutations of OP, which translates to much better performance. Run a 5th order noise shaper at ten times the speed, you can get in the digital domain, up to 100 dB lower distortion and noise - that's a 100 dB improvement in small signal resolution, so running at much higher rates gives massive improvements in SQ and measurements. Twenty years on, and I am still the only silicon/FPGA DAC designer running as high as this rate - delta-sigma DAC's are still stuck at 256 times or below.
  
 But changing from single bit to multi-bit noise shaping may throw the baby out with the bathwater. The primary benefit of single bit is that it _can (if you are very very careful)_ have zero small signal distortion, as there are no resistors to balance, as there is only one. With 16e Pulse Array, there are 16 PWM elements, and each element has on the long term exactly the same data, but instantaneously slightly different data. The benefit of the Pulse Array scheme is that when the elements are slightly different in value, it creates a fixed signal independent noise, and absolutely no distortion, but has innately higher resolution of 5 bits. That's why Hugo has (uniquely compared to other non Pulse Array DAC's) no measurable distortion, or any other artifact, for signals below -30 dBFS (see plots in previous posts). Additionally, because of the way the array is composed, master clock jitter has no significant affect - random jitter gives a tiny insignificant fixed noise. Its why I don't go endlessly on about femto clocks as the DAC is innately jitter insensitive. There are many more problems with noise shaping, as it is a very complex subject, but this will give you a flavour of the issues involved.  
  
*Is the sound of the hugo due to the filter or due to filter/dac combination?*
 The sound of Hugo is down to lots of things, but of course the primary problem that Hugo addresses is the time domain one. That's where we are converting the sampled data into the original un-sampled continuous analogue waveform - the original signal at the ADC sampling point. Now we are trying to re-create the original un-sampled waveform - re-creating all the missing bits of data from one sample to the next one. Now the theory is very straightforward - if you use an infinite tap length FIR filter with a sinc impulse response you will absolutely and perfectly reconstruct the bandwidth limited signal - if its perfectly bandwidth limited to below 22.05 kHz it will not matter if you sample at 22 uS or 22 femtoS it will make no difference to the output - if you use an infinite tap length FIR filter. Now of course, we can't have infinite tap lengths filters, we have to make do with something very limited.
  
 The question is, what level of time domain accuracy do we need where improving it makes no difference to the sound quality? That's where lots of careful listening tests comes in, as nobody knows. And its where I have been spending a lot of time over the last 18 months working on project xxxx - and I have learnt a lot (and I still have more things to discover, I am sure that I have not gotten to the bottom of the time domain accuracy barrel). What is clear to me, is that the ear/brain is amazingly sensitive to tiny time domain errors - there does not seem to be a level which one can say is insignificant. This is one of the really weird and interesting things about correlating what one hears with real signal errors - the other really odd issue being the perception of sound-stage depth - this can be upset by seemingly impossibly small errors.
  
 This is where I find the "DAC bit perfect" concept  - like a cheap politicians sound byte - ridiculous. The job of a DAC is to reproduce the continuous waveform at the ADC sampler - *NOT* to bit perfectly reproduce the sampled data with all the sampling time domain errors perfectly intact.  
   
*If you were to use this filter with a conventional resistor ladder DAC would it work? *
 The answer to this is yes, but not as well as Pulse Array - the 16e DAC can reproduce 50 MHz sine wave albeit with 3% THD and noise! The problem with R2R is that the OP can't switch fast enough, as there are a lot of switches involved in the R2R ladder, so in practice you can't run them above 16 FS - but I can run mine at 2048 FS so the digital domain is much closer to the original un-sampled analogue waveform. There are lots of other problems with R2R - noise floor modulation, code dependent glitch energy, high distortion at small signal levels, and moderate distortion at large signal levels.
  
  
 I hope I have not confused things too much - but we are dealing with a very complex subject, and something which, after more than 30 years of intense work, I am still learning new things. Things are very complex when you dive into it, and the ear/brain is a remarkably sophisticated device - the illusion of listening to real sounds is a truly amazing brain construct, and its something we know very little about. But at the end of the day, the engineering that goes into Hugo does not matter, its the musicality that counts, so keep on enjoying music! 
  
 Rob


----------



## spu1

Thanks Rob, very nice explanation! 

 Concerning OP Stage, does that mean that the 2Qute could also drive headphones? (as it uses the HUGO OP stage). If not, what is the output impedance of the 2Qute then?

 Thanks,
 spu1
  
 (Should receive my 2Qute soon, I hope…)


----------



## Rob Watts

spu1 said:


> Thanks Rob, very nice explanation!
> 
> Concerning OP Stage, does that mean that the 2Qute could also drive headphones? (as it uses the HUGO OP stage). If not, what is the output impedance of the 2Qute then?
> 
> ...


 
 Yes its the same transistors but in smaller packages, and a smaller current limit (200mA). The OP impedance will be a bit larger than Hugo, but still fraction of an ohm. I have not tried it with headphones, it does not have a volume control - I just wanted the lower distortion and SQ that the OP stage from Hugo offered.
  
 Rob


----------



## dgently

I was not trying to say it couldn't be the USB... I don't know enough about the isolation to comment on this too much. What I was trying to point out, is that not all small linux arm boxes have this problem. 

Although the Wandboad and Cubox have the same chipset, they do differ in other ways(and I had to modify the Cubox version of Voyage MPD - MuBox to boot and work properly on my Wandboard, as well as recompile the kernel to make it realtime). As I said, there may be a difference in how the power supply is set up...(the Wandboard is a bit bigger after all).


----------



## mcullinan

What is the US pricing on the 2Qute?
 Thanks


----------



## goldendarko

$1795 was the last I heard.


----------



## Paradox2701

Dear all,
 
tempted by all these talk about the Chord 2Qute.  I am listening predominantly to classical music, so the talk about better detail and separation is very interesting.  
 
However there is still that little question about the output of the Chord 2Qute having a 3v output vs a 'normal' 2v for a cd player or 2.2v for the naim dac (rca).  How does that affect my pre-amp (202) volume control? Currently am on ndx + 202 and comfort region is 8.30 to 9 on the volume control.  Does tt mean that i have a lot more limited volume control on the 202, which impacts the clarity?  Or just dialling down the volume control but clarity is not impacted?  Based on the specifications there is a THD at 3v and THD at 2v.  Does that imply that the voltage output of the 2Qute can be controlled?  Hope to hear from those who have heard the 2Qute in their system/demo room, or Mr Watts himself.  Or is it a must that I should get the Hugo and attempt to down the volume to an output of 2.2v? Thanks!


----------



## analogmusic

paradox2701 said:


> Dear all,
> 
> tempted by all these talk about the Chord 2Qute.  I am listening predominantly to classical music, so the talk about better detail and separation is very interesting.
> 
> However there is still that little question about the output of the Chord 2Qute having a 3v output vs a 'normal' 2v for a cd player or 2.2v for the naim dac (rca).  How does that affect my pre-amp (202) volume control? Currently am on ndx + 202 and comfort region is 8.30 to 9 on the volume control.  Does tt mean that i have a lot more limited volume control on the 202, which impacts the clarity?  Or just dialling down the volume control but clarity is not impacted?  Based on the specifications there is a THD at 3v and THD at 2v.  Does that imply that the voltage output of the 2Qute can be controlled?  Hope to hear from those who have heard the 2Qute in their system/demo room, or Mr Watts himself.  Or is it a must that I should get the Hugo and attempt to down the volume to an output of 2.2v? Thanks!


 
 Hi I think this is a question for Naim. 
  
*I recall them saying on the forum a while back that all their preamps can accept upto 6 volts. *
  
 I would request Naim to change the input sensitivity on the 202 preamp (I also have one) to make it more like Nait XS or Supernait.
  
 Anyway please let us know what Naim say about this.


----------



## analogmusic

Dear Rob,
  
 Thanks for your reply, very informative.
  
 I completely agree that the musicality of the Hugo is what matters. It's a lot of fun ! Enjoying it a lot.


----------



## analogmusic

paradox2701 said:


> Dear all,
> 
> tempted by all these talk about the Chord 2Qute.  I am listening predominantly to classical music, so the talk about better detail and separation is very interesting.
> 
> However there is still that little question about the output of the Chord 2Qute having a 3v output vs a 'normal' 2v for a cd player or 2.2v for the naim dac (rca).  How does that affect my pre-amp (202) volume control? Currently am on ndx + 202 and comfort region is 8.30 to 9 on the volume control.  Does tt mean that i have a lot more limited volume control on the 202, which impacts the clarity?  Or just dialling down the volume control but clarity is not impacted?  Based on the specifications there is a THD at 3v and THD at 2v.  Does that imply that the voltage output of the 2Qute can be controlled?  Hope to hear from those who have heard the 2Qute in their system/demo room, or Mr Watts himself.  Or is it a must that I should get the Hugo and attempt to down the volume to an output of 2.2v? Thanks!


 
  
 Although more expensive the Hugo has more advantages. It can be used as a headphone amp, and is portable. You don't need to use the power supply with it.
  
 So I can use it in my main rig, on my bedside table, and while watching movies next to my TV. Can bring to my office also and use in the car.
  
  
 I know the 2qute is less expensive but for me the portability of the Hugo is well worth it.


----------



## schneller

I dunno but my gut tells me that the whole "input sensitivity" thing with NAIM is a bunch of FUD being propagated by NAIM to protect sales of their expensive and mediocre NAIM DAC V-1.
  
Here is a Chord vs. V-1 discussion going on the NAIM forum...the 3v thing is brought up by someone again...


----------



## Zojokkeli

Anyone have experience how 2Qute or Hugo stacks up against Schiit's DACs, namely Bifrost Uber?


----------



## RubyTiger

zojokkeli said:


> Anyone have experience how 2Qute or Hugo stacks up against Schiit's DACs, namely Bifrost Uber?


 
 Hmmmm ...  A $579.00 dac vs a $1795.00 dac. I wonder?
  
 Sorry, I couldn't help myself. If it sound's like I was being a smart%^&*#**, I assure you I was only kidding.
  
 You asked a valid question. The Hugo is an extraordinary dac/amp at it's price and the 2Qute is the Hugo with minor differences.
  
 If it would fit in your finances then I would go for the 2Qute. I would think the real question will be the 2Qute vs Yggdrasil.  
  
 As far as differences in sound signature couldn't tell you because I don't have one!!! Argh  ....... Chord get the lead out!!
  
 I could be wrong (What do I know?) but the 2Qute will smoke the Uber. There may be others who could chime in here but I suspect it will be the same answer.


----------



## Zojokkeli

I'm curious as Schiit is often regarded as a giant killer. 2Qute is definitely on my radar, but opinions of people with experience with both DACs would be awesome.


----------



## bpcans

zojokkeli said:


> I'm curious as Schiit is often regarded as a giant killer. 2Qute is definitely on my radar, but opinions of people with experience with both DACs would be awesome.


I'm curious too about the differences between the 2qute and the new Schitt Yaggi. I demoed the Hugo and it sounded fabulous, but when I heard about the 2Qute I passed on the Hugo because a dedicated home DAC is what I really needed.


----------



## analogmusic

schneller said:


> I dunno but my gut tells me that the whole "input sensitivity" thing with NAIM is a bunch of FUD being propagated by NAIM to protect sales of their expensive and mediocre NAIM DAC V-1.
> 
> Here is a Chord vs. V-1 discussion going on the NAIM forum...the 3v thing is brought up by someone again...


 

 Actually it is me who brought it up. I don't work for Naim.  This issue is an issue with some older Naim pre-amps, and those who own those amps know about it. The newer Naim preamps have been sorted out.
  
 The Hugo is more expensive but bought it since it has variable output. I don't think Naim have anything to worry about, and the 2qute is already sold out, and will keep being sold out. Buy yours early !
  
 Just wait for the next what hi-fi review where it will get 5 stars, and win the product of the year. The 2qute will be sold out for the next few years. 
  
 I haven't heard it, but since I understand it sounds identical to the Hugo that's what I expect.


----------



## RubyTiger

analogmusic said:


> Actually it is me who brought it up. I don't work for Naim.  This issue is an issue with some older Naim pre-amps, and those who own those amps know about it. The newer Naim preamps have been sorted out.
> 
> The Hugo is more expensive but bought it since it has variable output. I don't think Naim have anything to worry about, and the 2qute is already sold out, and will keep being sold out. Buy yours early !
> 
> ...


 

 Gee, your not very optimistic. "Sold out for the next few years"? By that time there will be something new and the 2Qute wannabe's will already have shifted gears. So, there it is; I don't believe that will happen since there's no shortage of Hugo's. A long wait maybe but I think they will pull through.
  
 I have a question myself; will the 3v RMS work with all amps? A little extra boost may be not be a bad thing.


----------



## HumanMedia

rubytiger said:


> I have a question myself; will the 3v RMS work with all amps?




I am wondering the same thing.
I have had a 2Qute for a few days. And it mostly sounds good. However all material sounds a little dynamically compressed (music sounds 'loud') and high hats sound very metallic. This doesn't align with anyone else's experiences and I'm wondering if my tube pre-amp is being overdriven by too high an input voltage? 

Note that the 2Qute replaced a Chord Qute EX, which sounded great without these issues.


----------



## OK-Guy

ok-guy said:


> ​
> ​  ​ *Shanghai International High-End HiFi Show (SIAV 2015) *​  ​ *Date:* 24th - 26th April 2015​  ​ *Venue:* SIAV 2015​              Shanghai International Exhibition and Convention Center​              2727Riverside Avenue, Puddong​ Shanghai, China.​  ​ *Booth number - 5T02*​  ​ *Dita Audio (China) will be hosting Chord Electronics at the upcoming SIAV event - John Franks will be unveiling and presenting the Chord Hugo TT on Saturday 25th, also on display will be the Hugo and 2Cute with a multitude of differend sources.*​  ​


 
  
  
*Chord's host Dita-Audio have built a special event stand that will be revealed on Friday... I'll post some photo's of the Dita stand on Friday (apparently John's not allowed to see it).*​


----------



## AlanU

rubytiger said:


> Hmmmm ...  A $579.00 dac vs a $1795.00 dac. I wonder?
> 
> Sorry, I couldn't help myself. If it sound's like I was being a smart%^&*#**, I assure you I was only kidding.
> 
> ...


----------



## Zaiki

I heard qute hd on a speaker system. When comparing density with hugo using as a dac, hugo was outplayed by qute hd.


----------



## Rob Watts

humanmedia said:


> I am wondering the same thing.
> I have had a 2Qute for a few days. And it mostly sounds good. However all material sounds a little dynamically compressed (music sounds 'loud') and high hats sound very metallic. This doesn't align with anyone else's experiences and I'm wondering if my tube pre-amp is being overdriven by too high an input voltage?
> 
> Note that the 2Qute replaced a Chord Qute EX, which sounded great without these issues.


 
 All of Chords FPGA DAC's have been 3v RMS at 0 dBFS (even the DAC 64) on RCA, so 2 Qute is same level as Qute EX.
  
 I ran it a little higher than usual so people could use passive volume controls directly into power amps and have a decent volume control range. 
  
 Rob


----------



## HumanMedia

Thanks for this info. And I may have spoken in haste. I have had the DAC playing 24/7 for a couple of days now, and the metallic twang is fading and it feels a little more relaxed. Maybe this does settle a bit with 'burn-in'. More info coming when I have it a little longer.


----------



## RubyTiger

humanmedia said:


> Thanks for this info. And I may have spoken in haste. I have had the DAC playing 24/7 for a couple of days now, and the metallic twang is fading and it feels a little more relaxed. Maybe this does settle a bit with 'burn-in'. More info coming when I have it a little longer.


 
  
 Speaking of holographic imaging; how does the 2Qute fair? I like classical music so how good are the instruments separated? Their specificity in location? Also, have you noticed if individual voices can be heard which could not previously with your other dac? I know a lot can come into play here like the quality of speakers, headphones, amp's and other (cables) thing's in the signal chain. But what are your observations in these areas?


----------



## AlanU

rubytiger said:


> Speaking of holographic imaging; how does the 2Qute fair? I like classical music so how good are the instruments separated? Their specificity in location? Also, have you noticed if individual voices can be heard which could not previously with your other dac? I know a lot can come into play here like the quality of speakers, headphones, amp's and other (cables) thing's in the signal chain. But what are your observations in these areas?


 
  
 I know this question isn't directed to me but I know that the solid state dac would be the best bet for hyper details. What I find they typically lack is the overtones/ distortion a tube setup would provide. This is probably something not easily analyzed with measurement equipment but the "trusting your ears" as the tubes would provide pleasant distortion.
  
 specific instrument separation is something that i find to be a "hyper detail" rather than holographic.  I guess in the real world a symphony orchestra in a beautiful theater blends and combines the musical instruments while still providing general location of the instruments. I find most solid state dacs have needle point location of instruments. This is what we assume is a reference point in grading how well a dac operates. This is where musical merits may not be the perfect technical detail but what gives pleasure to the human ear.
  
 This is where there seems to be a trend of people using a solid state dac,  tubed preamp and solid state amplifier to get the best "medium" for high detail isolation and organic pleasure to the ears.


----------



## Cenacheros

It would be great to have an idea of what kind of sound the 2Qute produces.Smooth,thin,full,bright,detailed,etc.?? Thanks.


----------



## RubyTiger

alanu said:


> I know this question isn't directed to me but I know that the solid state dac would be the best bet for hyper details. What I find they typically lack is the overtones/ distortion a tube setup would provide. This is probably something not easily analyzed with measurement equipment but the "trusting your ears" as the tubes would provide pleasant distortion.
> 
> specific instrument separation is something that i find to be a "hyper detail" rather than holographic.  I guess in the real world a symphony orchestra in a beautiful theater blends and combines the musical instruments while still providing general location of the instruments. I find most solid state dacs have needle point location of instruments. This is what we assume is a reference point in grading how well a dac operates. This is where musical merits may not be the perfect technical detail but what gives pleasure to the human ear.
> 
> This is where there seems to be a trend of people using a solid state dac,  tubed preamp and solid state amplifier to get the best "medium" for high detail isolation and organic pleasure to the ears.


 
  
 No disrespect meant, but do you want the source of your system to be lacking in providing the best performance and detail as possible? Like in my case I'm buying the 2Qute so I can pair it with a very good tube amp. Of course, if I didn't think the amp was capable of making use of the 2Qutes hyper details then it might be a worthless cause (or not) and I would be no better off with it in the chain. So, I agree it's a matter of preference but also usability. My philosophy, flawed as it may be, is I'm always looking ahead and buy my components in consideration that they could be used as part of a future setup. Hopefully I'm finished but you know how that goes.


----------



## AlanU

rubytiger said:


> No disrespect meant, but do you want the source of your system to be lacking in providing the best performance and detail as possible? Like in my case I'm buying the 2Qute so I can pair it with a very good tube amp. Of course, if I didn't think the amp was capable of making use of the 2Qutes hyper details then it might be a worthless cause (or not) and I would be no better off with it in the chain. So, I agree it's a matter of preference but also usability. My philosophy, flawed as it may be, is I'm always looking ahead and buy my components in consideration that they could be used as part of a future setup. Hopefully I'm finished but you know how that goes.


 
  
 I totally see your point. 
  
 However system synergy is extremely important to the chain of events. For example I personally couldn't listen to a dragon fly v1.2 as to my ears its not musical in any way or form however it has gobs of fatiguing hyper detail with a solid state sound.
  
 I've been informed to purchase a Chord dac but never pulled the trigger (yet).
  
 With a tube amplifier you can at least roll tubes $$$$$ to get the sound your after if you feed it a hyper detailed source. However to find the right mix of not rolling off the lows and high while retaining detail is another topic. Every solid state dac sort of has a predetermined "soundstage" size built into the circuitry. This is somewhat a fixed "soundstage".
  
 With tubes its all about how you roll your tubes for your sound your after. If the dac your using is analytical and cold you still may struggle to get the organic sound your after.
  
 evil hobby........


----------



## Jodet

zojokkeli said:


> Anyone have experience how 2Qute or Hugo stacks up against Schiit's DACs, namely Bifrost Uber?


 
  
 I've owned both the Bifrost Uber (very good for the price) and the PS Audio NWD.   The NWD was definitely better than the Bifrost Uber.  
  
 I'm very close to trying the 2Qute, waiting to hear back from my dealer on availability.


----------



## Zojokkeli

jodet said:


> I've owned both the Bifrost Uber (very good for the price) and the PS Audio NWD.   The NWD was definitely better than the Bifrost Uber.
> 
> I'm very close to trying the 2Qute, waiting to hear back from my dealer on availability.


 
  
 Do post your impressions when you get to hear it. I have too many things on my plate to upgrade my DAC yet, but when I will, it's definitely going to be this bad boy.


----------



## dgently

Here is one stores comments on the 2qute... Haven't read the English version yet. Saw the Dutch one before and read it (But I don't know Dutch, so you can imagine 
 http://www.artsexcellence.com/downloads/reviews/chord.2qute.artsexcellence.english.pdf


----------



## RubyTiger

Nice review but he doesn't know what he's talking about in reference to the Audioquest Diamond. I have a lesser dac (32 bit Sabre with 9018) paired with the Audiophilleo 2 with pure power and the Diamond makes a huge difference in sound quality. I'm waiting to get my hands on the 2Qute so I can hear for myself.
  
 If he's speaking from an economic stand point and saying the diamond is just to expensive to pair with a $1795 dac then I understand where he's coming from. But, take the Diamond, add a SPDIF Convertor and a great dac and you can have a truly reference system.
  
 What I want to know about the 2Qute concerns finesse. It's the little things that count. I like to call it how sweet it sounds. And that's what keeps me up listening all through the night.
  
 You know it's good when calling it quits and going to bed is not what you want to do.


----------



## AlanU

humanmedia said:


> I am wondering the same thing.
> I have had a 2Qute for a few days. And it mostly sounds good. However all material sounds a little dynamically compressed (music sounds 'loud') and high hats sound very metallic. This doesn't align with anyone else's experiences and I'm wondering if my tube pre-amp is being overdriven by too high an input voltage?
> 
> Note that the 2Qute replaced a Chord Qute EX, which sounded great without these issues.


 
 You may need to roll your tubes on the pre amp section. Changing components may disrupt the synergy of the chain. You may need to change the tube on the pre amp to match the sound signature your after.
  
 This is where I'm so tempted to play with different dacs but I do find that the AC powered dacs  with removable IEC cables allows a potential of tweaking the sound signature. Using a foundation research LC1, aural symphonics cappaccino, furutech alpha3, grant fidelity PC 1.5, Audio sensibility statement power cord all change the sound signature of my tube dac aswell as even my Burson DA160. 
  
 I am quite intrigued in the 2Qute...... I'm still casually looking  So far i've yet to hear a solid state dac that gives the intimacy of vocals in my livingroom with my Totem Earths. My spacetech labs tube dac still has been a reference for me. I wish I had more local audiofile friends locally......


----------



## RubyTiger

alanu said:


> You may need to roll your tubes on the pre amp section. Changing components may disrupt the synergy of the chain. You may need to change the tube on the pre amp to match the sound signature your after.
> 
> This is where I'm so tempted to play with different dacs but I do find that the AC powered dacs  with removable IEC cables allows a potential of tweaking the sound signature. Using a foundation research LC1, aural symphonics cappaccino, furutech alpha3, grant fidelity PC 1.5, Audio sensibility statement power cord all change the sound signature of my tube dac aswell as even my Burson DA160.
> 
> I am quite intrigued in the 2Qute...... I'm still casually looking  So far i've yet to hear a solid state dac that gives the intimacy of vocals in my livingroom with my Totem Earths. My spacetech labs tube dac still has been a reference for me. I wish I had more local audiofile friends locally......


 
  
 Say Alan U; you have not filled out your profile yet. There may be some head-fi'ers close by and you will not know until you let others know your location.
  
 I know it wasn't meant for me but I agree with you about power cords, and cables in general can be useful when tweaking a system. I have a modified Burson Conductor and it's quite sensitive to cable changes also.
  
 Do you have a link for the spacetech labs tube dac which sounds very interesting? The thing about the 2Qute is I'm waiting to hear someone say something about it's finesse. Little things like how a note trails off; or how quick the transients are. Micro and Macro detailing and dynamics. For 1795$ some of the more expensive characteristics should be evident. So far all I hear is how it sounds like the Hugo but different. I sure would like to hear more observations.
  
 edit: I made changes to post 224.


----------



## AlanU

rubytiger said:


> Say Alan U; you have not filled out your profile yet. There may be some head-fi'ers close by and you will not know until you let others know your location.
> 
> I know it wasn't meant for me but I agree with you about power cords, and cables in general can be useful when tweaking a system. I have a modified Burson Conductor and it's quite sensitive to cable changes also.
> 
> Do you have a link for the spacetech labs tube dac which sounds very interesting? The thing about the 2Qute is I'm waiting to hear someone say something about it's finesse. Little things like how a note trails off; or how quick the transients are. Micro and Macro detailing and dynamics. For 1795$ some of the more expensive characteristics should be evident. So far all I hear is how it sounds like the Hugo but different. I sure would like to hear more observations.


 
  
 My tube dac is quite industrial looking. For jazz/female vocals and string instruments, trumpet  the dac is leaps and bounds better than my DA160 and even the more refined dac output of the Burson Virtuoso. Deep engagement in female vocals that the Burson virtuoso cannot even touch. The piano note decay is something both Burson products cannot reproduce like my tube dac. I was floored when I first plugged in the 24bit tube dac.
  
 My tube buffer stage......default 6L6GT x 2 or  here's my alternatives!!!!
  
 6Y6/6V6/6K6/6F6/6G6/6550/5881/6CA7/EL34/KT66/KT77/KT88/KT99/KT100

 http://www.thebestamp.com/DA-24-192-XT-3.jpg
  
 (my photo with my Totem forests in the background)
  
 On the same note Chris Botti's trumpet sounds holographic but not laser etched with hyper micro detail. Same exact music on a solid state is faster and less note decay.  The high's and lows do have a roll off like most tube "effect" but this is where the natural realism takes place. When I first listened to my tube dac I had to retrain my brain to understand that years of listening to solid state dacs that it's manipulated my brain to think this is how music is suppose to sound from my speakers. Tube Overtones/pleasant distortion is something the human ear seems to like even though its technically not text book perfect. If I must tweak I will roll tubes. So far my Aural symphonics cappaccino cord gives me a larger spacious soundstage when I power my dac with it (very noticeable compared to other cords I own).
  
 6L6GC and Kt66 is my preference and it provides enough dynamics for my genre I typically listen too. If I'm listening to orchestra or even bassy electronica I will use a 6550 tube(s).
  
 My totem Earth's dispersion of sound with my modest Simaudio integrated  amp provides my music with great realism. However for bassy music the tube roll off reduces the "thump". This is where a solid state dac seems to be a power house of punchier bass and exaggerated high's and pinpoint locators of instruments that may suite other types of genre music that I listen too.
  
 I'll be in the process of going with a tube preamp and solid state amp so this is why I'm also casually on the hunt for a solid state dac. 
  
 If you have a dark/laid back  headphones you can roll the tubes to speed up the sound and on the other hand if you have brighter faster HP you can slow them down by rolling with a smoother tube. This is where you cannot tweak a wall wart powered DAC so you must tweak other things to create your "preference" of sound.
  
 I'm an observer and happily reading reviews....some reviewers seem to be getting "greased in some form" in raving about audio products. I do like to read real end users reviews rather than magazine/online "professional" reviews.


----------



## Jodet

zojokkeli said:


> Do post your impressions when you get to hear it. I have too many things on my plate to upgrade my DAC yet, but when I will, it's definitely going to be this bad boy.


 
  
 Hopefully will be here by next Friday (5/1).


----------



## RubyTiger

I hope everyone forgives me for asking such oddball questions of which this is one.
  
 I have never tried this before so forgive me if it's a stupid question.
  
 Let's say,  I have an aftermarket power cord that I feel makes a considerable difference with my present dac. Being detachable it has a male and female end. Does anyone think there could be a difference if I plugged the 2Qutes power adapter into the female end?


----------



## mcullinan

kinky!


----------



## WhatsUp

No, but try it and see


----------



## Zaiki

rubytiger said:


> I hope everyone forgives me for asking such oddball questions of which this is one.
> 
> I have never tried this before so forgive me if it's a stupid question.
> 
> Let's say,  I have an aftermarket power cord that I feel makes a considerable difference with my present dac. Being detachable it has a male and female end. Does anyone think there could be a difference if I plugged the 2Qutes power adapter into the female end?


According to my experience. Even you plug your power cord to a laptop's power adapter. It do change the sound..


----------



## RubyTiger

I'm sure you guy's are beginning to tire seeing my Avatar showing up so much. But I've run into what may be a problem and it's been written about here already. I think for sure I would like Rob Watts to weigh in on this one.
  
 Some of you might know I have a tube amp ordered. Yesterday, I posted in it's dedicated thread asking if 3v rms would be ok with the amp. I got one reply today from a regular whom I respect and value what he say's.
  
 He told me I better contact Donald because that may very well be to much.
  
 So, I just got off the phone with Donald and he agreed with the poster that 3v rms is indeed high. He replied that I may only be able to use a couple of steps with the attenuator before it begins to get loud. This amp does not have gain settings that I know of.
  
 And, I may be speaking prematurely on the issue as he asked me to wait a few day's while he gave it serious thought. 'Wait", meaning don't purchase the dac until he gets back with me. Perhaps it indeed will work out but
 for now -
                   I would very much like to hear Rob's response to the issue.


----------



## AlanU

rubytiger said:


> I hope everyone forgives me for asking such oddball questions of which this is one.
> 
> I have never tried this before so forgive me if it's a stupid question.
> 
> Let's say,  I have an aftermarket power cord that I feel makes a considerable difference with my present dac. Being detachable it has a male and female end. Does anyone think there could be a difference if I plugged the 2Qutes power adapter into the female end?


 
  
 I use a blue circle power conditioner and even with stock cords there is a sonic difference but not as much as a 3rd party power cord.
  
 I do not know the quality control of the wall wart or power adapter for the 2Qute but i would imagine it's a typical offshore inexpensive adapter. Feeding the power transformer is one thing but its still at the end of the chain before it powers the DAC. The quality of the power is one thing but if the cable is unshielded that's also another issue. This would mean the DAC would require nice filtration in the circuitry.
  
 On a traditional IEC plug  you can really hear a difference. If many here can claim to hear SQ differences in a dac..... you'll definitely be able to hear the difference between cords. Even using rhodium plated power plugs sound different compared to gold plated. If you wan to speed up a heavy sounding / warm component I'd suggest trying a rhodium plated plug if you use a 3rd party power cord. 
  
 Blind testing I can easily determine the difference and I do not own a pair of "golden ears". I can simply hear a difference as long as I'm listening to familiar music.
  
 If anyone wants crystal clear sound the grant fidelity PC 1.5 is over the top for solid state but may work great for tubes. You may like it or hate it. fun fun fun in tweaking


----------



## HumanMedia

OK first wave 2Qute owners - has the sound of the DAC changed much with use?

I have had mine a week and my impressions are that it has a wonderful liquid midrange. If I am listening to a string quartet it is perfect. However if I play anything with bass content it sounds thin and wrong. So wrong I am on the verge of returning it.

The 2Qute replaced a Qute EX which was tonally perfect in my system. I kept everything the same and just replaced it with a 2Qute. At first it sounded a bit congested in the mids and metallic in the highs, with diminished bass. After 48 hours the midrange eased and after a few days the highs softened and became more natural (except in a couple of narrow bands where it still sounds a bit metallic). Now after a week the overall sound is that there is definite push in the upper mids which makes it sound 'loud' all of the time. loud but organic and beguiling. However from the mids down it sounds about 4db down all the way through to lower bass. The bass response is quite linear and doesn't push any particular bass note, BUT the entire bass and lower midrange is much lower in volume than the upper half of its frequency range. It also lacks bass dynamics and punch. I go from delight to complete dissapointment depending on the frequency range of the music I am playing.

I tried a linear power supply with it (checked in with a tech to make sure it wouldn't overvoltage into a 300mA load) the result was much smoother mids, but no improvement with the bass. tried a large gauge power cord on the supply to increase the bass, which it did but only around 100hz with no improvement above this up to midrange and no improvement to bass lower than this.

Is this simply the character of the 2Qute/Hugo? And you either love it's upper midrange bias, or not?
Or is it some synergistic problem with my system?
Or will bass to lower midrange snap back with a little more burn-in?
I read post after post about the Hugo's tighter controlled bass is this just a polite euphemism for diminished and lacking bass? 

Any comments from those who have had it longer than I?


----------



## AlanU

humanmedia said:


> OK first wave 2Qute owners - has the sound of the DAC changed much with use?
> 
> I have had mine a week and my impressions are that it has a wonderful liquid midrange. If I am listening to a string quartet it is perfect. However if I play anything with bass content it sounds thin and wrong. So wrong I am on the verge of returning it.
> 
> ...


 
 Have you listened to the DAC using USB or are you using your usb/spdif AP2 converter?  Sometimes there is a difference between coaxial and the implementation of the usb interface of the dac.


----------



## HumanMedia

alanu said:


> Have you listened to the DAC using USB or are you using your usb/spdif AP2 converter?  Sometimes there is a difference between coaxial and the implementation of the usb interface of the dac.




Only coax SPDIF, as the Source doesn't see the DAC on USB. There are different firmware profiles that can be used with my source which may allow connectivity via USB, but it's a lot of trial and error which I was going to leave until later. I will also try a direct coax connection with the AP out of the chain. (The AP2 made a noticeable and positive improvement to both the Qute EX and HD.)


----------



## Rob Watts

rubytiger said:


> I'm sure you guy's are beginning to tire seeing my Avatar showing up so much. But I've run into what may be a problem and it's been written about here already. I think for sure I would like Rob Watts to weigh in on this one.
> 
> Some of you might know I have a tube amp ordered. Yesterday, I posted in it's dedicated thread asking if 3v rms would be ok with the amp. I got one reply today from a regular whom I respect and value what he say's.
> 
> ...


 
 There is not much I can comment upon - I always designed my pre-amps with passive attenuator followed by a gain stage (or used a single variable gain stage) both topologies would have any input voltage you like with no overloading possible at all. Since all digital OPs are more than 2V RMS, (typically 2.5v RMS) 3V is only 1.5dB more. You could use the 32 bit USB input and reduce the volume a tad in the PC. But frankly I am surprised this issue has arised at all, as we have been doing this for nearly 20 years, and only recently has the issue come up.
  
 The extra OP will certainly not significantly reduce the volume range possible.
  
 Rob


----------



## analogmusic

It's been a week since I got my Hugo and while I haven't heard every DAC, I can safely say that the digital DAC world is now BH and AH. (Before Hugo and after Hugo)
  
 This technology is simply SUPERB. If you can afford it and love music, drop everything and run and buy one.
  
 Everything sounds so musical, from MP3 to Lossless files.


----------



## analogmusic

rob watts said:


> There is not much I can comment upon - I always designed my pre-amps with passive attenuator followed by a gain stage (or used a single variable gain stage) both topologies would have any input voltage you like with no overloading possible at all. Since all digital OPs are more than 2V RMS, (typically 2.5v RMS) 3V is only 1.5dB more. You could use the 32 bit USB input and reduce the volume a tad in the PC. But frankly I am surprised this issue has arised at all, as we have been doing this for nearly 20 years, and only recently has the issue come up.
> 
> The extra OP will certainly not significantly reduce the volume range possible.
> 
> Rob


 
 I am the one who brought it up, and it was due to my own lack of knowledge.
  
 Since all Chord DACs have always been 3.0 V and there have been no complaints and issues I think everyone can ignore my comment and go ahead, and buy the 2Qute without any hesitation.


----------



## Rob Watts

To be fair, Ted_b brought it up too earlier - he sets his Hugo up in a level to suit his particular pre-amp. I trust his ears too!
  
 If you are using Hugo, you are much better off feeding it direct into the power amp, as no pre-amp is perfect.
  
 Thanks for your kind comments about Hugo earlier!
  
 Rob


----------



## piercer

rob watts said:


> There is not much I can comment upon - I always designed my pre-amps with passive attenuator followed by a gain stage (or used a single variable gain stage) both topologies would have any input voltage you like with no overloading possible at all. Since all digital OPs are more than 2V RMS, (typically 2.5v RMS) 3V is only 1.5dB more. You could use the 32 bit USB input and reduce the volume a tad in the PC. But frankly I am surprised this issue has arised at all, as we have been doing this for nearly 20 years, and only recently has the issue come up.
> 
> The extra OP will certainly not significantly reduce the volume range possible.
> 
> Rob


 
  
 I would like to back Mr Watts up on this and give my experience.
  
 My 2Qute goes directly into a pair of Almarro A340 valve monoblocks that have stepped attenuators on them.
  
 I have no issues with volume and have a range from step 4-12 that go from quiet listening to getting pretty loud. Plenty of variation, so, I am happy.
  
 I think people are overplaying this 3v thing.


----------



## nick77

piercer said:


> I would like to back Mr Watts up on this and give my experience.
> 
> My 2Qute goes directly into a pair of Almarro A340 valve monoblocks that have stepped attenuators on them.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Any response to the previous posters lack of bass response with his unit?


----------



## Zojokkeli

nick77 said:


> Any response to the previous posters lack of bass response with his unit?


 
  
 Sounds like a potential deal-breaker to me.


----------



## lovethatsound

zojokkeli said:


> Sounds like a potential deal-breaker to me.


i use the hugo and 2 be honest theirs nothing wrong with the bass,the 2qute is the hugo in desktop form and if anything it's a little bit of a tighter bass so I've been told,optical and usb cables should give the best results.It could be the transport,or how the transport is set up that is causing the problem.


----------



## HumanMedia

I have managed to get the Squeezebox Touch with EDO working via a USB connection to the 2Qute. The first time I tried I got a spinning connecting to DAC, then a couldn't connect to DAC message. I updated to the latest EDO version and now it connects, reboots the SBT and works without hitch. I know someone was wanting confirmation of this.

Haven't compared quality of the two connection methods yet, although at first take they sound roughly the same.


----------



## RubyTiger

I really thank everyone for their contributions to the 3v issue.  Perhaps I may have spoken to soon on the subject and should have waited to hear back from my mod. I will be sure and send him the comments of everyone in concern of this.
  
 I too would like this issue laid to rest. I'm a little confused about Rob's comments above where he say's that Ted_B had an issue on this as well. Then Rob said that he set his Hugo up in a level to suit his particular preamp. Are you talking about the Hugo or the 2Qute? One has a volume output and the other does not.
  
 In response to all of Chord's products are 3v, the Hugo is not 3v? Even so, to be honest I do not think it's really that big of an issue and will work fine with the amp.
  
 What 'would' reassure me is to hear from someone(s) with a dedicated headphone setup. The strictly headphone amplifier I have on order is 1.8 watts into 50 ohms. My HD800's have an impedance of 300 ohms. It doesn't come with a selectable gain setting (s). I know very little about all of this but it sure would be a loss if I could only use 1-3 steps of the attenuator.
  
 I would like to add that everyone's comments I certainly believe are valid and also reassuring but I have to get this right the first time.


----------



## Cenacheros

I'll try once more.Is it at all possible for anyone with a 2Qute to give a description of the sound signature?Thanks.


----------



## HumanMedia

More info on using a Squeezebox Touch as a player/transport

After a night of connection comparisons, the USB connection is now my favourite. Smoother more natural sound,with improved clarity. This is the first of a small handful of DACs I have tried where a USB connection actually betters the sound of the Audiophilleo 2 + PurePower SPDIF.

However the connection isn't perfect like I previously reported. When quickly jumping between sample rates it can get stuck at the wrong speed, or with a strange sound. It doesn't happen often and can be corrected by selecting a file with a different sample rate, then back again. Once playing correctly it plays perfectly, even a playlist with a mix of all sample rates and DSD. (squeezebox touch issues not the DAC)

As part of checking various connections I also tried direct SPDIF connection to the SBT and SPDIF to Rega Saturn CDP. Both were inferior to USB and AP2 SPDIF. No connection method or change of source changed the 2Qutes fundamental character or frequency response. And no option fixed the driveless, attenuated mid range through to bass that I experience from the 2Qute in my system.


----------



## AlanU

humanmedia said:


> More info on using a Squeezebox Touch as a player/transport
> 
> After a night of connection comparisons, the USB connection is now my favourite. Smoother more natural sound,with improved clarity. This is the first of a small handful of DACs I have tried where a USB connection actually betters the sound of the Audiophilleo 2 + PurePower SPDIF.
> 
> ...


 
  
 A friend of mine found with his system the Audiophilleo 2 added a more analytical approach to music. It worked better with overly warm tube systems. 
  
 I've like the USB implementation to my burson virtuoso and Burson DA160.  Although the Stello U3 converter added lush qualities to the music while retaining detail.


----------



## piercer

nick77 said:


> Any response to the previous posters lack of bass response with his unit?


 
  
 Err - I have a ****ton of bass coming out of my HiFi using the 2Qute. My 2Qute is not bass light. Its perfect - best DAC I've ever heard.


----------



## piercer

cenacheros said:


> I'll try once more.Is it at all possible for anyone with a 2Qute to give a description of the sound signature?Thanks.


 
  
 Neutral and transparent in the best possible way - its like its not there.


----------



## Cenacheros

piercer said:


> Neutral and transparent in the best possible way - its like its not there.


 

 Many thanks! It sounds like it will be a good match with Sen.650s,which are warm in tone.


----------



## vo_obgyn

piercer said:


> Err - I have a ****ton of bass coming out of my HiFi using the 2Qute. My 2Qute is not bass light. Its perfect - best DAC I've ever heard.


 
   
 I believe that piercer is right. If it's true that the 2Qute is a desktop HUGO, then the 2Qute will have excellent bass. I've used my HUGO as a DAC in my main stereo rig and the bass was excellent.


----------



## StryGR

I have a Raspberry Pi2 fed by a good linear power supply and running Archphile (www.archphile.org).
  
 Do you think that 2Qute is a top-notch solution for any file, standard or high definition or DSD?


----------



## AlanU

vo_obgyn said:


> I believe that piercer is right. If it's true that the 2Qute is a desktop HUGO, then the 2Qute will have excellent bass. I've used my HUGO as a DAC in my main stereo rig and the *bass was excellent.*


 
 Virtually every solid state dac should perform well in the bass response. I couldn't imagine the designer rolling off the high and lows for a solid state device. If anything i find most SS dacs to accentuate and emphasis highs and lows.  Some companies get overzealous and over excite the product and cause ear fatigue.


----------



## RubyTiger

alanu said:


> A friend of mine found with his system the Audiophilleo 2 added a more analytical approach to music. It worked better with overly warm tube systems.
> 
> I've like the USB implementation to my burson virtuoso and Burson DA160.  Although the Stello U3 converter added lush qualities to the music while retaining detail.


 
 My experience was different. I auditioned all of my cables for the Burson Conductor and each lifted a veil from the music. I ended up with a sound akin to listening through an open window; or standing in a doorway for example. Great clarity but I noticed it had became unpleasantly analytical. The Audiophilleo 2 with pure power returned it to being musical again and it's pretty stunning to hear. I gave up a smidgen of clarity but gained so much more in return.


----------



## AlanU

rubytiger said:


> My experience was different. I auditioned all of my cables for the Burson Conductor and each lifted a veil from the music. I ended up with a sound akin to listening through an open window; or standing in a doorway for example. Great clarity but I noticed it had became unpleasantly analytical. The Audiophilleo 2 with pure power returned it to being musical again and it's pretty stunning to hear. I gave up a smidgen of clarity but gained so much more in return.


 
 This is a perfect example of system synergy being different from individual to individual.   Good to hear a different story about the Audiophilleo.
  
 I'll admit I'll gladly remove hyper details from the source to reduce analytical ear fatigue. This is one reason why I'll add my stello U3 as a USB/spdif converter and reference Atlas Opus cable to my 2 channel system.


----------



## HumanMedia

piercer said:


> Err - I have a ****ton of bass coming out of my HiFi using the 2Qute. My 2Qute is not bass light. Its perfect - best DAC I've ever heard.


 

 This is what I want to hear!
  
 An update. For the last few days the 2Qute has been on 24/7 playing a playlist on loop. Yesterday as I was coming down the stairs to the listening room I could hear some nice lower midrange. There was still little to no bass.  Then over the course of the afternoon and evening I can hear basslines! It's still weak and about 2db down but at least I can hear some bass! And the upper frequencies sound better with some support underneath them now. Please fill out further!!


----------



## HumanMedia

rubytiger said:


> The Audiophilleo 2 with pure power returned it to being musical again and it's pretty stunning to hear. I gave up a smidgen of clarity but gained so much more in return.


 
  
 I found the same with the AP2 and Pure Power on every DAC I have put it on even the Chord HD and EX. I find difficult listening without it. Except now with the 2Qute USB input which is better.
  
 Also note that there have been many updates to the AP firmware over the years the last update this year (1.35) sounds surprisingly cleaner than the previous version I had (1.28?) and that version was a major update from previous versions and runs at half the clock speed.  Running the latest firmware it sounds like a different product from when I bought it. So it is hard to compare AP2s with different firmware.


----------



## RubyTiger

I wonder if any Hugo's owner's will be looking at parting with theirs for the desktop features of the 2Qute? I'm still impressed with the Hugo as a whole with it's versatility and mobility. Since Piercer is the only one so far to have both, I would like to ask him about the differences he hears between the two.
  
 Also, don't you think it's about time for some review's from the mainstream reviewer's such as Ted_B for example? I would like to ask how clearly instruments can be heard at the boundaries of the sound stage? What shape is the stage as well? Example, a U shape or? I have not heard anything about how deep and wide it is either. And let's not leave out height and size?
  
 But the most important thing of all is how musical is it? What is it's character? Can it convey the performers emotions in a way that is meaningful to the listener. Are vocal's locked in place or can you follow the performers movements around the stage? Can someone give a description of that as well? I'm also curious why Piercer and dgently's units have good bass but Human Media not so much.
  
 Now that's a whole lot of questions I know. My dealer say's I should have mine within a couple of weeks (of course he said that a couple of weeks prior also). I'm not trying to cause problems here but as the time near's I get more anxious and want reassurance. It's a 17% restocking fee where I ordered mine so all of this is very important to me.
  
 Lastly, not meaning to step on any toes, could one read the Hugo review's and apply them to the 2Qute which has already been stated to have a slightly deeper soundstage and more clarity.
  
 I'm very sorry if my questions turn anyone from purchasing this dac. I have high hopes and I don't think anyone has said anything truly negative about it. I think it's simply a case of the jitters that comes from waiting so long. Still, we need a sincere review from someone with a lot of experience and I'm surprised at Chord for not doing so already.
  
 Sorry, but more questions may follow these.


----------



## StryGR

My dilemma (Hugo or 2Qute) is over. I ordered Hugo!


----------



## analogmusic

It's been a week with the Hugo. 
  
 really very happy with my purchase. It is a very musical DAC.


----------



## analogmusic

And by the way my wife isn't getting angry asking me to turn the volume down.


----------



## RubyTiger

analogmusic said:


> It's been a week with the Hugo.
> 
> really very happy with my purchase. It is a very musical DAC.


 

 You said Hugo? Not 2Qute? Perhaps I should change to Hugo? Can you adapt the Hugo's usb section so one can use a full size usb cable? What are you using for interconnects? I seriously thinking about changing my mind on the 2Qute as there's not enough information in comparison to the Hugo. And I also like the portability perk.


----------



## lovethatsound

rubytiger said:


> You said Hugo? Not 2Qute? Perhaps I should change to Hugo? Can you adapt the Hugo's usb section so one can use a full size usb cable? What are you using for interconnects? I seriously thinking about changing my mind on the 2Qute as there's not enough information in comparison to the Hugo. And I also like the portability perk.


if you don't need a headphone amp then get a 2qute.The 2qute is the Hugo in desktop form,it has better provision for cables.


----------



## AlanU

lovethatsound said:


> if you don't need a headphone amp then get a 2qute.The 2qute is the Hugo in desktop form,it has better provision for cables.




Aren't you using the chord dac with your kef R900's? 

I didn't know you had a headphone rig


----------



## lovethatsound

alanu said:


> Aren't you using the chord dac with your kef R900's?
> 
> I didn't know you had a headphone rig


I'm using the Hugo as the dac into a hdvd 800 amp,then using the sennheiser balance cable into my hd800s.also using a super nova 7 optical cable from a cyrus se2 transport with a psx-r.It sounds fantastic,but if was buying a dac now i would get the 2qute without question,for its better cable connections.


----------



## RubyTiger

Finally good news here. Talked to the dealer today and he said 4 units are on the way. I guess I'm lucky that I preordered the only black one because he said it's in the shipment. So, maybe I will have it next week.


----------



## AlanU

I have been on a casual hunt for a solid state dac for a while. I'm in no rush so I love reading threads about all sorts of dacs on the market.
  
 I've heard good things about the older gen Chord dacs. The thing about dac's is that they can be complimented by tube amplification. Many people seem to think they can get this incredible organic engagement from a solid state dac (source) and get holographic tube sound from a solid state amplifier.  So far I haven't found a solid state dac in my budget ($2500+) that does this for me. 
  
 I think its worth a try for me to look at the 2Qute. Headgear is such a personal thing and how we rate SQ. 
  
 I currently own a tube dac but also  use my Burson DA160 solid state dac for some situations. I truly believe no dac can accomplish everything. This is why I use 2 dacs for my 2 channel system. 
  
 I'm really looking forward to read more reviews on this 2qute dac......


----------



## StryGR

Don't forget to post impressions. I will do so for my newly-acquired Hugo (as soon as it comes)...


----------



## Randle81

rubytiger said:


> Finally good news here....



If you want portability then just spend the extra on the Hugo. The sound is going to be very similar (if you are able to differentiate at all - you won't be unhappy as either are high quality!). Personally I would be annoyed about having to hold the crossfeed button to get line out every time I switched purpose or my stereo system started up. I'd also be worried about someone plugging nice headphones in and causing damage before turning line out off. If you're running a desktop headphone setup this may be okay. Personally I have no regrets on getting the 2qute (in black it looks awesome!).


----------



## otropato

OK Rob,What do you have to Munich?


----------



## analogmusic

The Hugo basically is what a Dac should have been from day 1. It allows to hear everything on the recording in a way that was not possible at this price point.


----------



## goldendarko

Isn't the Yggy at the same price point as the Hugo? Just sayin...


----------



## analogmusic

There is No dac like the Hugo at the moment. Simply the Hugo is next generation and others Dacs are not


----------



## analogmusic

And I believe it will take much time before the competition can catch up. Indeed if they ever can. Sometimes best to call it quits when your beaten and call it a day and close shop


----------



## OK-Guy

otropato said:


> OK Rob,What do you have to Munich?


 
  
 Rob's getting a plane to Munich, hth.


----------



## analogmusic

Dear Mr Watts will be see a portable Hugo with more taps? Maybe with future more powerful chips still with ULV?


----------



## Zojokkeli

goldendarko said:


> Isn't the Yggy at the same price point as the Hugo? Just sayin...




Slightly more expensive, but not really a fair comparison, as Hugo is portable. Haven't heard either one, but I have no doubts that Yggy is the best DAC on the market today.


----------



## OK-Guy

zojokkeli said:


> Slightly more expensive, but not really a fair comparison, as Hugo is portable. Haven't heard either one, but I have no doubts that Yggy is the best DAC on the market today.


 
  
 obviously in your opinion though not having heard any Schit equipment I can't reason a comment.


----------



## Zojokkeli

ok-guy said:


> obviously in your opinion though not having heard any Schit equipment I can't reason a comment.


 
  
 IMO of course, and I meant no disrespect. When the time comes to upgrade my DAC though, I'm most likely going to go for 2Qute.
 I most probably can't make it to CanJam London, so won't get to compare any high end stuff in the foreseeable future.


----------



## OK-Guy

Zojokkeli... no disrespect taken, I was just pointing out I couldn't offer a comment because I hadn't heard the other manufacturers products.
  
 I see you're in Finland & if you are not attending CanJam send me a email and I'll see if I can sort something more local to you via a Distributor, no promises mind but I'll do my damnest, hth.


----------



## warrior1975

analogmusic said:


> There is No dac like the Hugo at the moment. Simply the Hugo is next generation and others Dacs are not


 

Just curious, since I am looking for a dac, how many dacs you have compared the HUGO to? Hugo is on my list, mostly due to it being transportable and from the rave reviews. I am also considering Schiit Yggy, probably like many others.


----------



## RubyTiger

randle81 said:


> If you want portability then just spend the extra on the Hugo. The sound is going to be very similar (if you are able to differentiate at all - you won't be unhappy as either are high quality!). Personally I would be annoyed about having to hold the crossfeed button to get line out every time I switched purpose or my stereo system started up. I'd also be worried about someone plugging nice headphones in and causing damage before turning line out off. If you're running a desktop headphone setup this may be okay. Personally I have no regrets on getting the 2qute (in black it looks awesome!).


 

 Oh, have you got the 2Qute? Please post some impressions. As much as I would have enjoyed the Hugo's portability I don't want to scrap my expensive usb and interconnects. No, I think the 2Qute is what I need. And I got black also..
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 
  
 Something that bothers me on this thread is how everyone uses the Hugo anytime a point needs to be made. Will the 2Qute forever be under the shadow of it's more expensive brother or will it soon garner the respect and praise in the thread that bares it's name? Sigh...


----------



## analogmusic

I have heard quite a few DACS. I don't like to name companies here as I respect all audio companies. I love music and love technology. Just try to listen for yourself. The end result is always in the listening and if it works for your taste


----------



## OK-Guy

rubytiger said:


> Something that bothers me on this thread is how everyone uses the Hugo anytime a point needs to be made. Will the 2Qute forever be under the shadow of it's more expensive brother or will it soon garner the respect and praise in the thread that bares it's name? Sigh...


 
  
 think it's a case of 'first born' syndrome and the fact that there's not a lot of products out there that are in the same league as the Hugo range (please don't think that's me being conceitedly big-headed as that is a plain fact on many a forum)... the Hugo is a Swiss army-knife of a product that has been out for over a year now and has a lot of customer supporters especially on Head-Fi. The 2Qute & TT are new-borns to the range with differing applications regarding use (not everyone wants a Swiss army-knife)... this thread will be very popular with desktop headphone-amp & Hi-Fi users, a major plus is that Rob Watts is on hand to contribute & advise along the way.
  
 the future looks bright for the 2Qute thread...


----------



## warrior1975

analogmusic said:


> I have heard quite a few DACS. I don't like to name companies here as I respect all audio companies. I love music and love technology. Just try to listen for yourself. The end result is always in the listening and if it works for your taste




Unfortunately easier said than done. I'm leaning towards Hugo tbh, so I can have more freedom. Just a big investment without hearing it. So far I've been very fortunate with all of my purchases, lots of research and some good luck. I'm sure I will love it since my only point of reference (dac wise) is an AK240.


----------



## Randle81

rubytiger said:


> Oh, have you got the 2Qute? Please post some impressions. As much as I would have enjoyed the Hugo's portability I don't want to scrap my expensive usb and interconnects. No, I think the 2Qute is what I need. And I got black also..
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 I'm not sure that impressions without a baseline are that helpful as they are even more subjective than a comparison. Personally I find comparison to bring more clarity That is why people keep referring to the Hugo as it forms an important baseline for establishing this DAC given it is like a twin brother (but not identical).
  
 Regarding my impressions in comparison to the Auralic Vega: I continue to find that it has a little bit more realism of instruments (more natural sound, better separation, better location across width of sound stage - particularly at the wider ends of sound stage). I would add to this that the sound stage is maybe a tiny bit wider, but it is not quite as forward as the Vega. My listening is done with a hi-end hifi system. I'm still exploring options for a head-fi setup. And when I speak of differences - these are very small.
  
 Look forward to hearing your impressions of what it sounds like in your system.


----------



## dusk

alanu said:


> I have been on a casual hunt for a solid state dac for a while. I'm in no rush so I love reading threads about all sorts of dacs on the market.
> 
> I've heard good things about the older gen Chord dacs. The thing about dac's is that they can be complimented by tube amplification. Many people seem to think they can get this incredible organic engagement from a solid state dac (source) and get holographic tube sound from a solid state amplifier.  So far I haven't found a solid state dac in my budget ($2500+) that does this for me.
> 
> ...


 
 have you checked out the yggdrasil yet?


----------



## analogmusic

warrior1975 said:


> Unfortunately easier said than done. I'm leaning towards Hugo tbh, so I can have more freedom. Just a big investment without hearing it. So far I've been very fortunate with all of my purchases, lots of research and some good luck. I'm sure I will love it since my only point of reference (dac wise) is an AK240.


 
 I also bought it without audition.  I understand it is a lot of money. And that's why I held off the purchase for a year.
  
 But I should have bought it earlier. Let's just say this. There is an album of Donald Fagen "the nightfly" - which is a digital recording. I have heard the LP on an Linn Lp12 on Linn amps and Linn speakers. Even though this is a digital recording, the LP12 still sounded like an LP12 does, which is superb.
  
 I played this on my home rig, but never quite got back to the LP12 sound, and my home rig is no slouch, made up of equally reputed British Hi end companies. I have B&W 805S speakers.
  
 It bothered me immensely. But when I got the Hugo and played that album - that magic I heard with the LP12 was there for the first time in my room. 
  
 The Hugo is a very high quality product. Buy with confidence.


----------



## warrior1975

Thank you for your feedback. This is such an expensive and crazy hobby... I'll probably get Hugo and Yggy at some point. That solves that problem.


----------



## AlanU

dusk said:


> have you checked out the yggdrasil yet?


 
 I'm happily waiting to read reviews once real audiofiles start analyzing it.  One thing I'm concerned about is many people read professional reviews that glorify the koolaid. the yggdrasil will sell simply because of the cult following of the Schiit name.
  
 Take the Gungnir for example. For that price its a cheap dac that sounds pretty good. Bitfrost's also relatively inexpensive and does a decent good job.
  
  My ears is the final call on what is fantastic.  There are so many "detail hungry" headfi  people here but then there's people that are into tube products. This is where some people base "details" as the final "be all" while I gladly will accept a loss of detail while the music transforms into pure musical enjoyment leaving "analysis" away from the moment. 
  
 In many cases I find dacs to all sound different. Its the flavours found in an icecream parlor........ everyone has something good to say bout what they have......
  
 With my 2 channel system I tested a decent dac I own. The burson DA160 is acceptably organic sounding but lacks the full goodness a tube system would provide. I was going through Tidals music library and started to listen to Midori "Earth Tones - ocean meditation" This album has recordings of the ocean hitting the beach front.  I compared the sound quality with my Totem Earth speakers  of the ocean with the burson dac and my Space tech labs tube dac using the same Simaudio amplifier. The difference was like something of a feeble sound reproduction of the ocean  vs literally physically sitting on a sandy beach and the water 5 feet away from my feet (tube dac). As entertainment I turned my Marantz home theater amp using the onboard dac listening to the same track with the same Totem speakers and it was a 2d experience. The tube dac does  not have hyper detail but it has musical refinements that is not technically superior to solid state. However for unbelievable realism I have yet heard a solid state dac,amp combo create this type of organic sound. 
  
 My point is that the solid state dac's had more hyper detail which in fact hurt the human ear experience (my personal preference). Tube overtones / harmonic distortion does something different to human hearing. There is a reason why many tube amps are still made or refurbished even in this state of high technology. However a solid state dac with a tube preamp/solid state or solid state preamp/tube amp will become a different beast in music experience.
  
 You can buy a yggdrasil and throw it on the latest hot component like the Cavalli amp or buy a cheaper Gungnir and throw that on a tube amp.  Technically the yggdrasil and liquid carbon is a very good combo but a cheaper Gungnir with very good detail with pleasant harmonic distortion from a tube amp will sound more liquid and meaty with full realistic true to life details in vocals and enough detail to please other musical genre's. 
  
 Next time you go to a concert analyze what you hear. Its going to be a holographic mix of details with decent localization of instruments and vocals. Slap your headphones on and suddenly you get distinct pin point isolation of hyper detail. Seems many are trained or impressed by what is considered "normal" for in home music reproduction.
  
 Personal taste comes into play deciding if a pin drop sound heard and every single ounce of detail is enjoyable. I love details but I'm not analyzing music technically when I sit back chillin'. 
  
 Since sound reproduction is a collective chain of events the weakest link will change the overall SQ.  A lesser dac can be equally as enjoyable as a much more expensive one as long as you can tweak to your sound to be pleasing to your ears. An example is different combo's of interconnects, speaker cabling (even for HP), power conditioning, different power cords. The biggest change would be new "speakers" for your ears be it floor standers, Stand mounts and headphones.


----------



## analogmusic

Buy the Hugo first




warrior1975 said:


> Thank you for your feedback. This is such an expensive and crazy hobby... I'll probably get Hugo and Yggy at some point. That solves that problem.


----------



## Moxhel

Kind of bummed it doesn't have Balanced XLR outputs. What do you guys think of running the 2Qute into a Cavalli Lau through RCA? Not sure I'd be showing the Lau it's true potential if I run it through this way.


----------



## AlanU

moxhel said:


> Kind of bummed it doesn't have Balanced XLR outputs. What do you guys think of running the 2Qute into a Cavalli Lau through RCA? Not sure I'd be showing the Lau it's true potential if I run it through this way.


 

 runs some high end interconnects and you'll probably not tell the difference. I dont have xlr outputs and have no interest in them as long as I can get high quality RCA's.


----------



## Moxhel

alanu said:


> runs some high end interconnects and you'll probably not tell the difference. I dont have xlr outputs and have no interest in them as long as I can get high quality RCA's.


 
 Cheers Alan, I haven't personally tested the differences between RCA and XLR, only read via others the benefits of XLR. The Cavalli converts RCA to balanced anyway, so hopefully I won't be missing out on much


----------



## AlanU

moxhel said:


> Cheers Alan, I haven't personally tested the differences between RCA and XLR, only read via others the benefits of XLR. The Cavalli converts RCA to balanced anyway, so hopefully I won't be missing out on much


 
 Not sure if the headphone realm is completely different but in the 2 channel world I think there are heavily geared in the RCA interconnects. 
  
 I'd be more concerned about power conditioning and good quality cabling before throwing a massive debate on XLR vs RCA.
  
 There's a point of diminishing returns and I'd sweat about  the big stuff vs small stuff


----------



## Randle81

More comparisons to the Auralic Vega. The Vega has notched up some extra points by being less sensitive to jitter or signal strength over optical. l found the 2qute didn't play with 24/192 FLAC files (Bluesound Node => Optical Switch => 2Qute). The Vega had no issues on exact mode with exactly the same cable. I might test by swapping cables and removing the optical switch sometime soon


----------



## HumanMedia

Does anyone know if the 2Qute requires the USB 5V line, for USB connections?


----------



## ted_b

humanmedia said:


> Does anyone know if the 2Qute requires the USB 5V line, for USB connections?


 

 Yes, it does.  From Rob, earlier in the thread:
 "Unlike Hugo, 2 Qute does draw power from the USB - this is because of the galvanic isolation - the USB chip is powered from the USB 5v, then the data is galvanic isolated from 2 Qute. The galvanic isolation gives quite a big improvement in SQ when using PC's or laptops as a source.   We can't isolate Hugo, as the technique draws power from the USB, so in portable applications the mobile would go flat too quickly."


----------



## aqsw

rubytiger said:


> Hmmmm ...  A $579.00 dac vs a $1795.00 dac. I wonder?
> 
> Sorry, I couldn't help myself. If it sound's like I was being a smart%^&*#**, I assure you I was only kidding.
> 
> ...




I guess you can go the other way too. You ever looked at the Lampi .Amber for an extra couple hundred you are getting a word class dac., not something that is cute.


----------



## CosmicHolyGhost

aqsw said:


> I guess you can go the other way too. You ever looked at the Lampi .Amber for an extra couple hundred you are getting a _word _class dac., not something that is cute.


 
 A "_world_" class DIY DAC?


----------



## RubyTiger

aqsw said:


> I guess you can go the other way too. You ever looked at the Lampi .Amber for an extra couple hundred you are getting a word class dac., not something that is cute.


 
  
 Lampizator products are new to me. I do have an S.ET. amp ordered so tubes will be a part of my new system. The 2Qute budgeted in quite nicely and I expect it's performance will be good. I should have it next week so hopefully I can give some feedback with my HD800s.


----------



## wisnon

cosmicholyghost said:


> A "_world_" class DIY DAC?


 
 You mean these? Heheheh


----------



## RubyTiger

wisnon said:


> You mean these? Heheheh


 
  
 Nice but to big. I can put my amp and 2Qute on the same shelf together. Part of the 2Qutes appeal for me is it's miniature size and tech.


----------



## HumanMedia

wisnon said:


> You mean these? Heheheh




OK now I have Lampizzle envy.

Re. 2Qute USB - has any one tried any of the USB filters with it? Any improvement? Especially the new Regen filter/regenerator? Anyone?


----------



## Moxhel

Not sure if this would be the right place to ask. But would an RCA splitter, such as this, affect audio quality to my amps?


----------



## Randle81

Why do you need a splitter? 

It will affect the audio quality. How much is the question? It will also be cable/splitter dependant


----------



## Moxhel

Because I own 2 different amps? Unless I disconnect one amp for the other every time.


----------



## AlanU

if you're splitting the signal this may affect signal transfer and the frequency can potentially Roll off. Not ideal but woth a try due to circumstances..


----------



## highfell

alanu said:


> I totally see your point.
> 
> However system synergy is extremely important to the chain of events. For example I personally couldn't listen to a dragon fly v1.2 as to my ears its not musical in any way or form however it has gobs of fatiguing hyper detail with a solid state sound.
> 
> ...




I have a Hugo playing into a Fatman202 Class A tube amp into Speakers, with GEC KT88 or black plate Tung Sol 6550s - unbelievably good.

The detail the Hugo retrieves, it's musicality etc........... Just pull that trigger. You won't regret it.

The only decision you have to make is do you need portability or not.


----------



## AlanU

highfell said:


> I have a Hugo playing into a Fatman202 Class A tube amp into Speakers, with GEC KT88 or black plate Tung Sol 6550s - unbelievably good.
> 
> The detail the Hugo retrieves, it's musicality etc........... Just pull that trigger. You won't regret it.
> 
> The only decision you have to make is do you need portability or not.


 
 On Headfi there's the battle of similar priced dacs. Schiit "Yggy" and chord.  
  
 I'm sitting back enjoying the slow incoming reviews on both products.
  
 At the present moment I'm the opposite of your setup. I have a Space Tech Labs tube dac and Simaudio integrated amp. My tube dac for the buffer stage uses big power tubes that outperform most small buffer stages found on many tube dacs. I currently use tung Sol kt66 or 6L6G or 6550  tubes for my buffer stage (I can go much larger than kt88 too). Currently my dac is undergoing a modification to take 60yrs old NOS Mullard EL32 tubes for the buffer stage that outperforms the large power tubes I use currently. I just auditioned a dac with that modification and my jaws dropped. My system currently sounds like I'm running a large tube amplifier since my source is adding all the tube goodness with harmonics/overtones and my solid state amp is just simply amplifying the source. 
  
 I'll be swapping my baby tiny 6x5gt rectifier with completely separate unit "super rectifier"  that uses 2x 300B or larger tubes (Massive improvements in dac performance). The use of 2x 300B tubes for the rectifier section alone is absolutely insane!!   At the end of of it my dac will be about $3000. 
  
 With my mods now I dont even think I can even go to a solid state dac now but I'm still not ruling it out either.


----------



## hmizutani

alanu said:


> On Headfi there's the battle of similar priced dacs. Schiit "Yggy" and chord.
> 
> I'm sitting back enjoying the slow incoming reviews on both products.
> 
> ...


 
  
 ...and what exactly does all this have to do with the 2Qute?


----------



## AlanU

hmizutani said:


> ...and what exactly does all this have to do with the 2Qute?


 
 Awaiting for more real end user reviews......on both schiit and interested in Chord. 2 fresh products with alot of forum excitement!!
  
 I'd love to see how a chord would perform a/b to many dacs......of course this is purely subjective.


----------



## RubyTiger

My 2Qute arrived this morning. I took the time to clean the dust off of everything. Took out the AP2 w/pure power. Put in my mid 90's Maestro interconnects. I have not used interconnects for near the whole life of my signature conductor. My pc with AP2 is all I have needed since I don't use a cd player.
  
  
 Is the light supposed to remain bright after disabling the unit in the windows play back devices?


----------



## RubyTiger

If anyone else is using the JRiver Media Center with the 2Qute please contact me. I would like to compare experiences. Also, I would like to hear from some Audiophilleo user's as well.


----------



## thfc3567

Should receive a loner qute2 tomorrow to audition. Already have the black chord hugo to compare. Interested in the improved hd usb input. Is the usb input on the qute2 a different type to the hugo as using the moon audio silver dragon usb cable. Don't really want to fork out for another usb cable if different type. Please can someone confirm this please.


----------



## StryGR

Hugo has micro B and 2Qute has type B on dac side. Different cables!


----------



## SpiggyTopes

rubytiger said:


> If anyone else is using the JRiver Media Center with the 2Qute please contact me. I would like to compare experiences. Also, I would like to hear from some Audiophilleo user's as well.


 

 I'm have used the QUTE HD with JRiver for a year and am waiting for the 2Qute to arrive.


----------



## thiy71

Hello All~
 I want to know whether 2Qute is still no bass after burn-in?
 I should make a decision between Hugo and 2Qute...
 My equipment     HD650-->WA6-->DAC(Hugo? 2Qute?) -->PC


----------



## StryGR

I'd rather go: PC > Hugo > HD-650.
  
 Very nice combo.


----------



## Randle81

thiy71 said:


> Hello All~
> 
> 
> I want to know whether 2Qute is still no bass after burn-in?
> ...



 


I would go 2qute since you already have an amplifier. However you could sell the WA6. I've not found a bass issue with 2qute.


----------



## thiy71

Thanks for your reply~
 WA6 for HD650 is really nice,so i will not replace it.
 I have another question.
 The warranty of 2Qute is 1 years? 2,or more?
 I can't find this information on Chord website.


----------



## piercer

thiy71 said:


> Hello All~
> I want to know whether 2Qute is still no bass after burn-in?
> I should make a decision between Hugo and 2Qute...
> My equipment     HD650-->WA6-->DAC(Hugo? 2Qute?) -->PC


 
  
 2Qute represents the music you present to it - if that music is bassy and if your hifi can handle it then you will hear bass.
  
 The 2Qute is NOT bas light. Not before, not during and not after burn-in. It is bass accurate.


----------



## highfell

thiy71 said:


> Hello All~
> I want to know whether 2Qute is still no bass after burn-in?
> I should make a decision between Hugo and 2Qute...
> My equipment     HD650-->WA6-->DAC(Hugo? 2Qute?) -->PC




If you might use the portability of the Hugo, go with the Hugo.

Once you have heard the 2Qute or Hugo in the home, you will not want to listen to something inferior when away from home - eg especially on long train or plane journeys.


----------



## Randle81

thiy71 said:


> The warranty of 2Qute is 1 years? 2,or more?



 

Warranty for mine is 3 years. I would confirm what the warranty is with your local dealer.


----------



## RubyTiger

The 2Qute is what they say it is. Best money I've spent in awhile. Now I have to write and thank the guy that recommended it in the first place. That was many months ago at that.
  
 Glad I waited. Even so, I know I'm not hearing all that the 2Qute has to offer. More gains on the way.


----------



## analogmusic

Glad you like it. It is a very musical machine


----------



## vo_obgyn

Can anybody confirm that the power supply for the 2Qute is the same as the one that is used for the Hugo?


----------



## vo_obgyn

With both the Hugo and the 2Qute I am experiencing dropouts in audio when playing my Mark Levinson No.37 CD Transport through the Hugo and 2Qute DAC coax input. Here are the specs for the No37 CD Transport:
  
*Measurements of the Nº37:*
  
 Direct digital output, XLR: AES/EBU 110Ω, 5V
 Direct digital output, BNC: S/PDIF 75Ω, 2V
 Direct digital output, RCA: S/PDIF 75Ω, 2V
 Direct digital output, ST: Hewlett-Packard® ST optical
 Mains voltage: 100V, 120V, 200V, 220V, 240V,
 factory set for destination country only
 Mains frequency: 50 or 60 Hz,
 factory set for destination country only
 Power consumption: 29 watts maximum
 Overall dimensions: See “Dimensions”
 Shipping weight: 34 lbs. (15.5 kg)
 Connector complement: 1 male XLR-type connector
 1 female BNC-type connector
 1 female RCA-type connector
 1 ST-type optical connector
 2 RJ45 connectors
 1 IEC mains connector
  
 There are no dropouts when I use any other DAC. So, I am wondering if the Hugo and 2Qute are having trouble with the feed from the No. 37 CD Transport somehow. Maybe not enough output from the No.37 CD Transport for the Hugo and 2Qute to process correctly?
  
  
  
 Edit: Add Manual info:
  
 "The Mark Levinson Nº37 leaps beyond conventional digital audio technology by employing a proprietary, closed-loop jitter-reduction system in conjunction with a double speed CD -ROM  drive. Using a custom-made crystal oscillator with better than five part-per-million accuracy, the digital signal is reclocked immediately before the output, eliminating transport-related jitter from the digital audio signal.This same crystal oscillator controls the all-digital servo used to control the rate at which the disc spins."


----------



## vo_obgyn

^^^
  
 I tried changing to a Audioquest Digital Cable and I am not getting drop-outs. My Wywires digital cables caused the audio droputs. The Wywires digital cables play well with all other DAC's. Not sure what is going on, but with regard to their digital cables Wywires says the following:
  
"The development of WyWires’ digital cables required considerable effort in ensuring perfect electrical parameters such as low capacitance, rejection of crosstalk and external interferences along with perfect characteristic impedance for the specific application. Like all of our cables, bandwidth is very high and impedance is low and stable across the entire operating frequency of the cable which can be as high as 60MHz."


----------



## Rob Watts

I am pleased you have fixed the problem.
  
 The SPDIF inputs are not galvanically isolated in order to allow potentially 384 kHz operation on SPDIF. This means that the grounds are connected and so any noise interference (other equipment being turned on and off) will induce ground currents. If the digital interconnect does not have a low ground impedance then this will induce errors giving drop-outs. So its important the grounds have low RF impedance - this is normally fine with a solid screened quality RF cable. Some audiophile cables are not suitable as they have too high an RF ground impedance.
  
 Rob


----------



## vo_obgyn

^^^
 Thanks Rob,
  
 I like the sound of my Wywires digital cables more than the one that works and that I am currently using - an Audioquest digital cable. Too bad I couldn't get the Wywires cable to work. I have sent an e-mail to Alex at Wywires.


----------



## analogmusic

Hi Rob
  
 Do the 2qute and the Hugo have the same output stage?


----------



## schneller

So I am 99% sure that a 2Qute Black will be my next DAC.

 Two questions:
  
 1. Where in the US is best to buy one? Through Blue Bird Music?
 2. What USB cable is recommended? Chord USB SilverPlus?
  
 My chain is as follows: HTPC > *USB > DAC* > Chord Cobra VEE3 RCA-DIN > NAIM SuperNait2 > Tellurium Q Black > Dynaudio Focus 260 speakers


----------



## Jodet

Call Chad Stelly at acoustic sounds. 
  
http://store.acousticsounds.com/
  
  
 I've been doing business with him for years, he's a great guy.    And I know he has them in stock, we were just talking about these on Friday (yes, I bought one from him).


----------



## magliner0316

Hello Rob,
  
 I just got my 2Qute last fri and I am sure it is the DAC I love.
 Got a quick question about the powering of 2Qute.
  
 I thought 2Qute is like QuteHD, that it will power off/stand by when it senses no input from the source.
 However, 2Qute still shine with power light when I shut down my pc.
 Since I'm using it in my bedroom, I have to switch to a less brighter light(green/purple).
 But I found a small problem on the 2nd day morning, 2Qute won't accept anything I threw at it by USB even when I changed the input setting.
 The solution was to unplug and replug power cord to let it restart, then it's all fine.
 So my questions are "does it has power off function?"  and "Do I need to worry about the malfunction I experienced on 2nd day morning?"
  
 Thanks
 Matt


----------



## magliner0316

schneller said:


> So I am 99% sure that a 2Qute Black will be my next DAC.
> 
> Two questions:
> 
> ...


 
  
 If you don't have any audio usb cable at home, I would recommend using the usb cable come with 2Qute as reference.
 I am also interested to hear more experience on changing USB cables to hear different sound on 2Qute


----------



## RubyTiger

magliner0316 said:


> Hello Rob,
> 
> I just got my 2Qute last fri and I am sure it is the DAC I love.
> Got a quick question about the powering of 2Qute.
> ...


 

 I've been asking the same question about that light. I tried the AP2 with it one day and it indeed did power down. But when the pure power cut on to charge so did the bright led. Also that was on bnc coaxial and not the galvanic isolated usb. I'm using windows and disabling it in the play back devices doesn't do it. Like you I have been switching it to a different input. I rarely shut down my desktop so I'm not sure about the other. I hope someone can help.


----------



## vo_obgyn

So far I've tried the 2Qute at two inputs - the Coax digital and USB. It took some time to find the right coax S/PDIF Digital cable and I finally decided on the Steve McCormack Mod Squad Wonder Link Digital cable which sounded very good. I got audio dropouts with my Wywires S/PDIF digital coax cables.
  
  
 Mark Levinson No.37 CD Transport > *Wonder Link Digital S/PDIF Cable* > Chord 2Qute DAC > Mark Levinsion No.38S > Mark Levinson No. 532H Amp > Thiel Audio CS2.4 Loudspeakers
  
*OR*
  
 Mac Mini Hi-Res Files > *Cardas Clear USB Cable* > Chord 2Qute DAC > Mark Levinsion No.38S > Mark Levinson No. 532H Amp > Thiel Audio CS2.4 Loudspeakers
  
 The 2Qute sound is great across the board and is better than my previous DAC, the Bryston BDA-1.


----------



## Rob Watts

analogmusic said:


> Hi Rob
> 
> Do the 2qute and the Hugo have the same output stage?


 
 Yes same transistors but packaged differently, as the current OP requirements are lower than headphone drive.
  
 The discrete class A OP stage is actually pretty important even when driving easy loads - it sounds better and measures better.
  
 Rob


----------



## StryGR

Thanks Mr. Rob for this wonderful device (Hugo). Dynamics, bass definition and stage depth are top notch!
  
 I assume that this also applies well for 2Qute...


----------



## magliner0316

Just an update to the powering crash
 Yes, 2Qute still become malfunction after long time of no operation (more than 8 hrs)
  
 Anyone experience the same issue?
  
 Rob, any help?
  
 Thanks


----------



## Rob Watts

magliner0316 said:


> Just an update to the powering crash
> Yes, 2Qute still become malfunction after long time of no operation (more than 8 hrs)
> 
> Anyone experience the same issue?
> ...


 
 That sounds like a computer issue - by re powering 2 Qute, it will reset the computer/USB interface and the computer will now work.
  
 Rob


----------



## magliner0316

Thanks for the reply Rob,
  
 I'll do more test to see what's causing it.  It happened every time I boot up my computer the next day.  
 So it is just like you said, resetting the computer/usb interface will solve the problem. 
 Just a bit inconvenient to re-plug 2Qute's power cord everyday 
 I'll see how it behaves with a CDP source.
  
 BTW, does 2Qute has sleep function? Like the QuteHD does?
  
 Thanks
 Matt


----------



## wisnon

Anyone here tried the ptone Audio REGEN device yet on the USB input of 2Qute?


----------



## ted_b

wisnon said:


> Anyone here tried the ptone Audio REGEN device yet on the USB input of 2Qute?


 

 Norman, it's Uptone Audio (likely a typo but if folks are interested it makes finding it more difficult).  There are so few 2Qute users here so far that finding one with a Regen is prolly too early anyway.  .


----------



## wisnon

Thank you Ted, much appreciated. My typing suxx as you can see. LoL
  
 It may make a difference, so that is why I am trying to alert people to the possibility.


----------



## HumanMedia

wisnon said:


> Anyone here tried the ptone Audio REGEN device yet on the USB input of 2Qute?


 

 After discovering that different USB sources still sound different with the 2Qute, I ordered an Uptone Audio Regen. The Regen was developed with my source as one of its test cases, and is known to improve it.  However the Regen is now backordered and I have to wait four weeks before they ship.


----------



## schneller

You, I am sorry. I am suspicious of a lot of the posts here.
  
 We have the engineer/Mr. Chord himself, aka Mr. Watts, who comes here and says, "we've made this brilliant product that doesn't need all sorts of fancy power conditioning, etc." And as soon as he says this, people show up out of the woodwork announcing that the product is sub-par as-is and only improves with this linear power supply, that USB conditioner, or a $200 USB cable, etc.
  
 As far as I am concerned, I trust Mr. Watts and his expertise. As for several others here: I can't help my gut feeling that you are PAID to represent this linear PS firm or that USB conditioner company, USB cable manufacturer, etc.
  
 /End Rant


----------



## ted_b

Sorry, but anyone with a decent ear can hear the difference when a good little linear 12V ps is put on the QuteHD, for example.  I believe Rob intrinsically, so I doubt the Hynes will do the same for the 2Qute (now that they've learned even more)..it did less for the QuteEX...but still worthwhile.  And no, these are not commercially-induced comments schneller.


----------



## RubyTiger

Ha Ha Ha Haaaaa... That's hilarious. The Moderators would shut this thread in a heart beat if that were the case. Besides, I like to come here and hear about things others are trying. Sorry, Ted said it best.


----------



## HumanMedia

schneller said:


> You, I am sorry. I am suspicious of a lot of the posts here.
> 
> We have the engineer/Mr. Chord himself, aka Mr. Watts, who comes here and says, "we've made this brilliant product that doesn't need all sorts of fancy power conditioning, etc." And as soon as he says this, people show up out of the woodwork announcing that the product is sub-par as-is and only improves with this linear power supply, that USB conditioner, or a $200 USB cable, etc.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Remember that the 2Qute is a bottom-rung entry-level product from Chord.
 Also remember that Chord know the importance of a good linear power supply and engineer this into their higher end products.
 And what way to still sell some magic without the high bill-of-materials? - remove the power supply and shed more than half the cost.
 And in terms of the Chord product range price points, the 2Qute still delivers outstanding quality for its price compared to other products in the Chord range - and the user can make it better by providing their own supply. Or buy the higher end products.
  
 Maybe its better to be aware that companies position their products at different performance / price points, and that the cheaper products have definite handicaps.  And why be negative about the lower end products?, especially to the mass market who are reaching to get on the bottom rung of a companies product range? If the user likes it they can spend more and get even better.
  
 The 2Qute isn't designed as the end-of-story, no-room-for-improvement product, even if you want it to be. In terms of the Chord products maybe the new Chord Dave (sort of replacing the QBD76) is the product you are wanting the 2Qute to be?
 The understandably positive, glass-half-full comments from the designer are only the truth from the perspective of the compromised entry level product, and understand that much has been achieved in order to fit into the price point required by the marketing department.


----------



## analogmusic

The new dac has been announced but it costs 7995 gbp. Dear mr watts it is too much money. Cannot afford it.


----------



## otropato

Rob...Rob...is so much...for your Daved.I am desconsolate.Have you a 2Q with XLR?


----------



## Rob Watts

ted_b said:


> Sorry, but anyone with a decent ear can hear the difference when a good little linear 12V ps is put on the QuteHD, for example.  I believe Rob intrinsically, so I doubt the Hynes will do the same for the 2Qute (now that they've learned even more)..it did less for the QuteEX...but still worthwhile.  And no, these are not commercially-induced comments schneller.


 
 The proof of the pudding is a very careful AB listening test. And to evaluate 2 Qute I used a 12v Car battery against the modest PSU Chord supplies. Now a 300A car battery is the ultimate power supply - no RF noise, ultra low impedance, no audio noise - its going to be better than any linear mains driven PSU.
  
 And I could not reliably hear a difference - sometimes I felt the wall wart was better, sometimes I felt the car battery better, sometimes no difference. When you get this in a listening test, you know you have hit the bottom of the well - there is no difference.
  
 I then did the same on the Qute HD, and boy was it a big difference - much smoother, better focus and instrument separation - the kind of change that you do not need to do lots of AB tests as it was way too big to miss. This was a surprise, as Qute HD had sophisticated RF filtering and extra regulation - and I had thought in the past it was good enough - but 2 Qute has a lot more, and is now more than enough.
  
 As to USB with the galvanic isolation - well jury is still out, but what I can say is that previously I had very big differences with PC's and lap tops and I don't get that now. I have got some USB cables to listen too, and will report back. I have had this test lined up for a couple of months but getting Dave finished for Munich has been a bit scary with lots of 3 AM starts!
  
 Rob


----------



## schneller

rob watts said:


> The proof of the pudding is a very careful AB listening test. And to evaluate 2 Qute I used a 12v Car battery against the modest PSU Chord supplies. Now a 300A car battery is the ultimate power supply - no RF noise, ultra low impedance, no audio noise - its going to be better than any linear mains driven PSU.
> 
> And I could not reliably hear a difference - sometimes I felt the wall wart was better, sometimes I felt the car battery better, sometimes no difference. When you get this in a listening test, you know you have hit the bottom of the well - there is no difference.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Thanks so much for that reply, Rob.
  
 Congrats on the DAVE launch!!! 
  
 While I can't afford Dave, I will be buying a 2Qute in Black! And maybe a Chord USB cable. That's it! 
  
 Edit: Someday you should visit Munich outside of a work context. I have plenty of fun tips!


----------



## vo_obgyn

Does anyone know when we would ever want to use the ground connection on the back of the 2Qute? What exactly would be connected, I am wondering?


----------



## Cenacheros

Is anyone able to give an in depth review of their 2Qute? Thanks-C.


----------



## RubyTiger

cenacheros said:


> Is anyone able to give an in depth review of their 2Qute? Thanks-C.


 

 There is a review on the internet. I can not find the web address so maybe someone can help out?
  
 My 2Qutes still breaking in. I left it playing Friday - Sunday evening. It sure sounds like there's an improvement. So last night I listened to the hi-rez version of 'Manu Katche - Live in Concert' and was totally blown away. The drum's thunder and the brass sounds real with my HD800's.
  
 A Manu Katche Live in Concert drum solo -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP_iWAtU4A8
  
 Also if anyone missed it - my favorite Hugo vid - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJTlkidlYPg.
  
 To be honest, you could probably read the review's of the Hugo. Everything I read seems to fit the 2Qute like a glove.


----------



## Cenacheros

rubytiger said:


> There is a review on the internet. I can not find the web address so maybe someone can help out?
> 
> My 2Qutes still breaking in. I left it playing Friday - Sunday evening. It sure sounds like there's an improvement. So last night I listened to the hi-rez version of 'Manu Katche - Live in Concert' and was totally blown away. The drum's thunder and the brass sounds real with my HD800's.
> 
> ...


 

 Thank you for taking the time and trouble to reply! I imagined the 2Qute would be comparable with the Hugo.,Again,thank you! -C


----------



## vo_obgyn

cenacheros said:


> Is anyone able to give an in depth review of their 2Qute? Thanks-C.


 
  
 Here is a good review link:
  
 http://www.artsexcellence.com/downloads/reviews/chord.2qute.artsexcellence.english.pdf


----------



## RubyTiger

vo_obgyn said:


> Here is a good review link:
> 
> http://www.artsexcellence.com/downloads/reviews/chord.2qute.artsexcellence.english.pdf


 
  
 Now I remember who gave it to me.


----------



## otropato

Can any one tell me the Foobar configuration to 2Q.Now I am with Wiener Philharmoniker Valery Gergiev - Moussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition is SACD ISO : DST64 2700kbps /352800 Hz (sound very good) but the indicator ligh of 2Q  showme only green -indicator light sample rates 96...I suppose must be pink (352.8 sample rate) or cobalt (?) ->DSD.When I put youtube music thlight is blue ->176.4 sample rate.I have W7 and digital output configuration to Chord Async USB 44.1-384Hz....Why green to Foobar???


----------



## lovethatsound

vo_obgyn said:


> Does anyone know when we would ever want to use the ground connection on the back of the 2Qute? What exactly would be connected, I am wondering?


This is so you can earth your 2qute separately.you can get mains blocks with earth points on them.some people earth all their hi-fi separates like this,it can make your hi-fi sound better and also stop interference from other house old products,like fridges and so forth.


----------



## vo_obgyn

lovethatsound said:


> This is so you can earth your 2qute separately.you can get mains blocks with earth points on them.some people earth all their hi-fi separates like this,it can make your hi-fi sound better and also stop interference from other house old products,like fridges and so forth.


 
  
 Thanks for your reply. I'm thinking that it must be more of a common practice to ground electronics in the U.K. than here in the U.S. As far as I can tell, I haven't seen mains blocks with earth points that much here in the U.S. I'm not sure how we would connect the 2Qute ground to an earth point here.


----------



## harmony1992

hi man,
 the only thing i want to know is the SQ that the chord ex + better liner psu VS the 2qute.
 i owned a chord ex dac,now i confused that whether or not to upgrade ex to 2qute.


----------



## wisnon

rob watts said:


> As to USB with the galvanic isolation - well jury is still out, but what I can say is that previously I had very big differences with PC's and lap tops and I don't get that now. I have got some USB cables to listen too, and will report back. I have had this test lined up for a couple of months but getting Dave finished for Munich has been a bit scary with lots of 3 AM starts!
> 
> Rob


 
 The Uptone Audio Regen is not galvanic isolation. It rebuilds the USB signal just at the point before it hits the USB receiver dac-side. So... new clean power, new clocking, new data signal. The working theory is that the new signal has high signal integrity and causes the receiver chip to be less stressed and therefore avoids propgating packet noise.
  
 So far, there has been nearly universal thumbs up from a plethora of Dac owners. Its a tip, no one is forcing anyone to buy anything.
  
 As to Mr Schneller...Uptone would NOT need any promotional help, as every batch has been sold out in days and any new orders now will be earliest delivery for July and that will likely sell out too. I can post my paypal receipt for $183 and change that I PAID for mine (delivery included) and felt darn lucky to get in on the first batch. I will gladly pay the addional $45 for the version 2 board that we early adopters have been offered (Regen Amber).
  
 Right now the audio nervosa world is divided in 2.... those who have a Regen device and those who are curious/anticipating. LoL


----------



## mcullinan

i smell a shill.


----------



## wisnon

And I smell a rat.
  
 It seems its not possible to discuss things in a rational manner here. No need for genuflection. Rob is a talented designer, but he does not cover everything and USB is one area that is getting a new look nowadays and the feedback so far is overwhelming. Go to computeraudiophile forum and see for yourself.
  
 My edited digital receipt, just in case you still have delusions of commercial ties:
  
_This ship notification is being sent to you by the U.S. Postal Service® at the request of ALEX J CRESPI. A package with a Click-N-Ship® label created on usps.com is scheduled to be shipped on 04/16/2015. If the "Shipped To" address information is not correct, please contact the Shipper._
  
_*Click-N-Ship® Shipping Details*_

  

_Shipped from:__Shipped to:__ALEX J CRESPI
 UPTONE AUDIO LLC
 4647 INDIAN PEAK RD
 MARIPOSA CA 95338-9371__N

  PA _
 
_*Type of Service:* Priority Mail® 2-Day
 Small Flat Rate Box
*Label Number:* 9405 9036 9930XXXXXXX_
  
_Note To Recipient: Dear client: Your UpTone product is on its way to you.You can track it at USPS.com. Thank you again for your purchase! ALEX_
_To check on the delivery status of your package, please go to Track and Confirm at www.usps.com._
  
 Dear N,
  
 All of the items from order UA web #1024 have now been shipped:






1x USB REGEN


----------



## Zojokkeli

Offtopic, but I gather Regen is similar to Schiit Wyrd, but almost twice as expensive.


----------



## wisnon

No Wyrd is like iFi IPurifier/Larry Moore's aubique filter and the new Audioquest Jitterbug. Empirical's Shortblocks is sorta similar as well. All are passive, Regen is actively powered with its own Power supply.
  
 REGEN is different. Its based on new discoveries from Swenson's experiments. He is rebuilding the USB signal from scratch to have high signal integrity just before it enters the Dac and so reduce/eliminate propogated packet noise.
  
 I own Aubisque and iPurifier and neither has the immediately obvious impact as Regen.


----------



## evillamer

wisnon said:


> No Wyrd is like iFi IPurifier/Larry Moore's aubique filter and the new Audioquest Jitterbug. Empirical's Shortblocks is sorta similar as well. All are passive, Regen is actively powered with its own Power supply.
> 
> REGEN is different. Its based on new discoveries from Swenson's experiments. He is rebuilding the USB signal from scratch to have high signal integrity just before it enters the Dac and so reduce/eliminate propogated packet noise.
> 
> I own Aubisque and iPurifier and neither has the immediately obvious impact as Regen.




Correction: Wyrd is active powered as well. Comes with adaptor. Wyrd also reclocks.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/724519/schiit-decrapifier-released-usb-power-isolator


----------



## RubyTiger

wisnon said:


> No Wyrd is like iFi IPurifier/Larry Moore's aubique filter and the new Audioquest Jitterbug. Empirical's Shortblocks is sorta similar as well. All are passive, Regen is actively powered with its own Power supply.
> 
> REGEN is different. Its based on new discoveries from Swenson's experiments. He is rebuilding the USB signal from scratch to have high signal integrity just before it enters the Dac and so reduce/eliminate propogated packet noise.
> 
> I own Aubisque and iPurifier and neither has the immediately obvious impact as Regen.


 

 How about a link so we can all see what your talking about?


----------



## CosmicHolyGhost

http://uptoneaudio.com/products/usb-regen

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/uptone-audio-regen-listening-impressions-24078/


----------



## rocky500

.....


----------



## otropato

OK I put all in perfect  Foobar2000 configuration to 2Q.now I am listen Serenade .. Eine Klein...(Mozart) is DSD  (by DoP) DT64/2190 kbps/2822400 Hz and the light  correponding to DSD sampler....but there are a creaking noise in all back the music.Its persistent ,the creaspy noisy  is only in DSD mode ,all others are perfect.the sound is beautiful,very clear and loud,the best.really....but that noise is there, important specially in the silence.Its no good for me...Despite of this , DSD sound is superb,amazing....but....My pc is laptop only with battery; 2Q ,HDVA 600 Sennheizer headphone amplifer are connected to Power Wedge 210p with Power Enhancer.Headphones Sennh HD 800 with XLR to amp.....Very best ,but ...bad.....What I do, Rob?


----------



## magliner0316

otropato said:


> OK I put all in perfect  Foobar2000 configuration to 2Q.now I am listen Serenade .. Eine Klein...(Mozart) is DSD  (by DoP) DT64/2190 kbps/2822400 Hz and the light  correponding to DSD sampler....but there are a creaking noise in all back the music.Its persistent ,the creaspy noisy  is only in DSD mode ,all others are perfect.the sound is beautiful,very clear and loud,the best.really....but that noise is there, important specially in the silence.Its no good for me...Despite of this , DSD sound is superb,amazing....but....My pc is laptop only with battery; 2Q ,HDVA 600 Sennheizer headphone amplifer are connected to Power Wedge 210p with Power Enhancer.Headphones Sennh HD 800 with XLR to amp.....Very best ,but ...bad.....What I do, Rob?


 
 did you set the output as 32bit?
 try to set it 24bit


----------



## otropato

otropato said:


> OK I put all in perfect  Foobar2000 configuration to 2Q.now I am listen Serenade .. Eine Klein...(Mozart) is DSD  (by DoP) DT64/2190 kbps/2822400 Hz and the light  correponding to DSD sampler....but there are a creaking noise in all back the music.Its persistent ,the creaspy noisy  is only in DSD mode ,all others are perfect.the sound is beautiful,very clear and loud,the best.really....but that noise is there, important specially in the silence.Its no good for me...Despite of this , DSD sound is superb,amazing....but....My pc is laptop only with battery; 2Q ,HDVA 600 Sennheizer headphone amplifer are connected to Power Wedge 210p with Power Enhancer.Headphones Sennh HD 800 with XLR to amp.....Very best ,but ...bad.....What I do, Rob?


 
  


magliner0316 said:


> did you set the output as 32bit?
> try to set it 24bit


 
  
  
  Thanks but Foobar say "output data format will be chosen automaticaly for the selected device" and device is ASIO foo dsd asio,it is the only  play DSD in headphone, no with ASIO Chotd Hugo 1.03.I think the ground can be a solution.


----------



## wisnon

http://uptoneaudio.com/products/usb-regen
  
 Evillamer, I stand corrected. Regen and Wyrd are in the same class.
  
 There is a difference though and it was debated over at compAudiophile.
 Here is one thread:
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f8-general-forum/schiit-wyrd-universal-serial-bus-industry-standard-cables-connectors-and-communications-protocols-between-computers-and-electronic-devices-decrappifier-22085/index2.html
  
 Exceprt here
*Superdad**

*
 John Swenson and I have been working on a similar product (since before the Wyrd was announced)--with the same SMSC hub chip even. But we use much better regulators, a better clock, proper impedance matching with a 4-layer board--and especially key is that it is tiny enough to not need a USB cable on the output, it plugs into the DAC with just a male>male A>B adapter.

 I still applaud them for bringing out the Wyrd. I can't put schiit in a box to sell for $99 and make any money. Those guys have my respect for all of what they do!

 Oh, here is a pic of our little toy just to prove I'm not blowing smoke:
Attachment 15217
  
  
*AND*
  
 Originally Posted by *Jimmypowder*


 So what's the difference between the Regen and Schiit Decrapifier?

 They are both reclockers , right ?

 So how is this an innovative product?

 Fill me in .
 The Wyrd and the regen are conceptually similar from an upper level standpoint, they are very different in implementation and motivation for the development.

 From reading what Schiit has posted it seems that their motivation was providing a clean power supply and secondly regenerating the data, whereas my motivation was providing the highest signal quality I could, and secondly providing very clean power.

 Some of the differences are:
 The regen has a much lower jitter clock feeding the hub chip, which will provide lower jitter on the data.

 The regen uses a 4 layer board, primarily to allow a proper impedance match. With a standard thickness 2 layer board it is impossible to attain a proper impedance match to the hub chip. The pins on the chip are small and close together, this necessitates very thin board traces, with a two layer board the distance between ground plane and these traces (BTW this is called a differential micro-strip configuration) produce an impedance that is much greater than the spec. With a four layer board the ground plane can be much closer to the top layer which allows for appropriate impedance with the very narrow traces. The regen also uses SMD USB jacks which allow for appropriate trace width and spacing to continue the impedance matching through to the USB jacks. The result of this is that there will be very minimal reflections at the regen side. Even if the DAC does not have good impedance matching (which is pretty common) which WILL cause a reflection at the DAC end, it will be absorbed at the regen because of the proper impedance matching.

 The regen has a frequncy optimized Power Delivery network (PDN), which turns out to make a very significant improvement in SQ. This is quite a technical subject, WAY beyond what I can post here, but here is the mile high summary:

 In order to properly respond to the load variations of what the supply is powering, it needs to have a low impedance over a very broad range of frequencies. For digital audio this is from low Hz to hundreds of Mhz range. The entire supply flow from mains AC to board layout and capacitors on the board play a role in getting this right.

 The regen is what got me focusing in on this. I was testing the first prototype and was seeing some noise on the supply right at the hub chip power pins that shouldn't be there. After a lot of detective work I traced it down to some frequency ranges of the PDN that were much higher impedance than they should be. I included a fix for this in the second version. With this I couldn't detect the noise any more, and it sounded much better, but Alex was still not super thrilled with the SQ. I then did a mathematical analysis of the PDN and found another frequency range that had a higher impedance than it should, made a fix for this, and sent the result to Alex, he was thrilled, this was much better than anything he had heard before.

 This process of frequency optimizing the PDN is something that is done in expensive high speed network equipment, but is almost never done in consumer products, especially audio equipment. But the experience with the regen seems to point to this being quite important for digital audio. I have subsequently tried some of this on some DACs and seen marked improvement in SQ, so it looks like this might be a significant area to look into.

 The whole reason I started thinking about a regen was the USB cable threads, after a lot of experimentation and thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that the signal integrity at the DAC was what was probably the difference between cables. Thus a device designed to regenerate the data signals. Because the whole purpose was to regenerate the signals that the cables were messing up, the regen device had to be right at the input to the DAC, thus it needed to be small and low weight.

 One un-anticipated benefit to the frequency optimized PDN, is that the noise on the VBUS output is much less sensitive to load transients than other implementations. So if the DAC IS bus powered, that brings even more improvement.

 Well there it is, the primary reasons the regen hasa better implementation than other devices.

 John S.


----------



## Cenacheros

" Quite astonishing! The level of detail, the clarity of the midrange (particularly acoustic guitar), the tightness of the bass; all combine to create a fabulous sound with an incredible sense of rhythm that gets your foot tapping straight away and drags you away from whatever else you may be involved with to the music and nothing else.
My experience before this was with Meridian and Arcam DACs but this is in a completely different league.
The effect is most pronounced with CD level material, 24 bit improves variably at different sample rates with lower rates improved the most. Vinyl rips are probably the least transformed.
This will make you want to listen to all your music again.
The best piece of hifi equipment I have bought in 20 years. It's that good. " review by a verified 2Qute buyer on Audio T UKs website


----------



## schneller

Wisnon: please take your product to a different thread.
  
 This is all about the 2Qute...and primarily how it, alone, without ANY other additional devices, is a fabulous DAC. 

 Thanks.
  
 Edit: I looked at the entire ComputerAudiophile thread and those that bought the Regen couldn't really tell if/what was being improved in SQ. Or the improvement was so slight that it could have been the Regen or simple "mental suggestion" to justify the purchase. That was my take at least.


----------



## wisnon

The question was simple. Did any 2Qute owners try the Regen yet and what was the feedback?
  
 No need to get your knickers in a bunch. There is no law that says the thread is ONLY about how the 2Qute sounds with nothing else (as if cables, amps, speakers and headphones aren't mandatory). Whether its iUSB, Wyrd, Regen or Aubisque, the cost is very small compared to the price of the 2Qute itself and so many will be interested either to try or hear feedback telling if this is interesting to pursue or not. Nature of the hobby.
  
 As to you implication that it's mental suggestions, every production lot has been sold out in days (in advance) and even the $45 upgrade to the Regen Amber will have a mad scramble, as only a limited amount of boards will be available and there is a huge countdown to June 10 for that. In any case, the overwhelming reponse has been very positive, so I dont know how you managed to find the needle in the haystack. LoL
  
 I guess I will just wait for Ted's review as he will have both devices by then...


----------



## ted_b

schneller said:


> Wisnon: please take your product to a different thread.
> 
> This is all about the 2Qute...and primarily how it, alone, without ANY other additional devices, is a fabulous DAC.


 
  
 The 2Qute ALONE WITHOUT ANY other devices, is a very poor DAC.  It has no power, no sound, and no music.  It needs associated equipment.  And as the Hugo or any other thread here or anywhere attests, the real benefit of user feedback is how the device interacts with those products and services around it.  Does it improve with better linear ps, or is Rob right that they got it nailed this time?  Does it like an Audiophileo or other SPDIF converter (hundreds of posts about that over on Hugo thread).  Does it like a Regen!!?   Does it need adapters or will all steroid-based cable barrels fit?  How immune is it to USB cable changes?
  
 My review will attempt, like my others, to show the 2Qute in real world setups.  Please don't comment on CA that I didn't review it without ANY devices.  Thanks.


----------



## schneller

ted_b said:


> The 2Qute ALONE WITHOUT ANY other devices, is a very poor DAC.  It has no power, no sound, and no music.  It needs associated equipment.  And as the Hugo or any other thread here or anywhere attests, the real benefit of user feedback is how the device interacts with those products and services around it.  Does it improve with better linear ps, or is Rob right that they got it nailed this time?  Does it like an Audiophileo or other SPDIF converter (hundreds of posts about that over on Hugo thread).  Does it like a Regen!!?   Does it need adapters or will all steroid-based cable barrels fit?  How immune is it to USB cable changes?
> 
> My review will attempt, like my others, to show the 2Qute in real world setups.  Please don't comment on CA that I didn't review it without ANY devices.  Thanks.


 
 Oh come you know what I mean. Yes, a review of the 2Qute without ANYTHING AT ALL attached. Yes, totally logical.
  
 No, I look forward to objective, unbiased, uncolored reviews of the 2Qute straight-out-box, using included power and USB cables, given ample break-in and then compared using "additives" like power line conditioning, USB line conditioning, better USB cables, etc.


----------



## schneller

wisnon said:


> The question was simple. Did any 2Qute owners try the Regen yet and what was the feedback?
> 
> No need to get your knickers in a bunch. There is no law that says the thread is ONLY about how the 2Qute sounds with nothing else (as if cables, amps, speakers and headphones aren't mandatory). Whether its iUSB, Wyrd, Regen or Aubisque, the cost is very small compared to the price of the 2Qute itself and so many will be interested either to try or hear feedback telling if this is interesting to pursue or not. Nature of the hobby.
> 
> ...


 
  
 With all of your talk of prices, upgrade prices and sell-out "threats" you truly talk like a good salesman. Threatening "scarcity" is rule #1 in regards to high pressure sales tactics. Give it a rest. Talk about the 2Qute or start a different thread. How many Regens were made in the first batch? 10 or 10,000?


----------



## wisnon

schneller said:


> Oh come you know what I mean. Yes, a review of the 2Qute without ANYTHING AT ALL attached. Yes, totally logical.
> 
> No, I look forward to objective, unbiased, uncolored reviews of the 2Qute straight-out-box, using included power and USB cables, given ample break-in and then compared using "additives" like power line conditioning, USB line conditioning, better USB cables, etc.


 
 Why limit yourself? I want to hear impression stock and with real world additions! This thread IS on page 26 after all! The basics have been fleshed out somewhat and it is past time for people to start playing around with elements in the hopes of maxxing out performance.
  
 Frankly, I have no financial interest in Uptone (California micro company).  I live in Switzerland and work in Pharma. Indeed, if there is a "threat" it would be to me. I would have to wait longer if even MORE people start to order, in case I want to get a 2nd unit. And its no threat, its REALITY. The prod runs keep selling out fast and you can see as it is PUBLICLY documented. I think more orders is more a curse than a blessing at this point, as the Mom& Pop operation is straining under the weight. LoL
  
 Just read the tech blurb I posted and you will see why this thing has commanded such interest. USB has been a sore point to many and Schiit nd Uptone are commendably trying to address this.
  
 Now again, it will be interesting to see how it works on the 2Qute. I will try it on a QuteEX soon, but as they have very different implementations,its not transferable.


----------



## ted_b

schneller said:


> No, I look forward to objective, unbiased, uncolored reviews of the 2Qute straight-out-box, using included power and USB cables, given ample break-in and then compared using "additives" like power line conditioning, USB line conditioning, better USB cables, etc.


 
 Seriously, dude?  You use the included rca cables that come with your BluRay player?  Sorry, my review will use my cables,and I will specify what they are (the same ones for all my reviews, which sets the comparisons more fairly anyway).  I will also mix and match so folks understand how a DAC like the 2Qute sounds in different system combinations.  I have zero interest in using the $2 cables that come in the box.  You are being quite unreasonable while trying to make a point.


----------



## RubyTiger

I see I know very little about grounding. Today I went to the hardware store and bought a 6 foot grounding rod, the clamp and some small solid copper wire. I did the work and attached the wire to 2Qute. I turned on some music and put my headphones on and heard what sounds like a ground loop. A steady hum? Obviously it didn't work so why not? I'm not a knowledgeable person about these kinds of things so go ahead and laugh if you want. But tell me what's the scoop on this.


----------



## Jodet

Have you emailed Chord to ask them about the grounding plug?


----------



## RubyTiger

jodet said:


> Have you emailed Chord to ask them about the grounding plug?


 

 I see now in the manual. How stupid can I be - don't answer that. It's to connect to a phono. I'll take the stuff back and I needed the exercise anyway.


----------



## otropato

otropato said:


> Thanks but Foobar say "output data format will be chosen automaticaly for the selected device" and device is ASIO foo dsd asio,it is the only  play DSD in headphone, no with ASIO Chotd Hugo 1.03.I think the ground can be a solution.


 
   No ,no...the gound not affect,  the problem persist:creaspy noise in DSD mode, all other perfect and beatiful.best ...but very bad at DSD.Rob,please


----------



## rocky500

otropato said:


> No ,no...the gound not affect,  the problem persist:creaspy noise in DSD mode, all other perfect and beatiful.best ...but very bad at DSD.Rob,please


 
 It might be a foobar problem/setup.
 You could download a demo of JRiver and install that one and see how it goes for a comparison.


----------



## magliner0316

otropato said:


> No ,no...the gound not affect,  the problem persist:creaspy noise in DSD mode, all other perfect and beatiful.best ...but very bad at DSD.Rob,please


 
  
 I forgot to post my foobar setup last night.
 Meanwhile, try to use the USB cable came with the 2Qute and see how it goes.


----------



## rocky500

schneller said:


> Wisnon: please take your product to a different thread.
> 
> This is all about the 2Qute...and primarily how it, alone, without ANY other additional devices, is a fabulous DAC.
> 
> Thanks.


 
 I have my 2Qute for about a week and think it is my best Dac to date in my system. I am now really enjoying my music and always look forward to another session.
  
 I would love to hear about any additions I can add that may improve my 2Qute setup.
 I am big enough now to see through all the advertising and enjoy reading about it all. So bring it on!
 I am using it with an iFi USB Power and iFi cables(Mercury & Gemini). I did try it last night without and just a straight USB cable I got from ebay and thought it still sounded great but may have been slightly better with the iFi gear but not totally sure.
 I will do some more testing to see if I can hear the difference again, if not I suppose I can recoup some costs and sell the iFi gear.


----------



## vo_obgyn

rubytiger said:


> I see now in the manual. How stupid can I be - don't answer that. It's to connect to a phono. I'll take the stuff back and I needed the exercise anyway.


 
 I looked at the manual and couldn't find any information about the 2Qute ground connection. Am I missing something?


----------



## otropato

rocky500 said:


> It might be a foobar problem/setup.
> You could download a demo of JRiver and install that one and see how it goes.


 
 yes I did but this problem had:


----------



## otropato

magliner0316 said:


> I forgot to post my foobar setup last night.
> Meanwhile, try to use the USB cable came with the 2Qute and see how it goes.


 
 Thanks but all time use 2Q USB


----------



## rocky500

I just tried again switching out the iFi gear with just an ebay brought cable and it is definitely better with the iFi in place. The other cable is one of these http://www.ebay.com/itm/U01-1-5m-5ft-USB-A-to-B-DAC-Teflon-Silver-Plated-OFC-Single-Audio-Cable-/221443172497?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item338f0aa891
 Spewing as I could do with the money from selling it.
 The iFi just seems to give the music more transparency. Everything is just more open. more depth and instruments have more space.
 Will have to try some other USB cables just in case the one from ebay could be effecting it somehow.. 
  
 Example of some of the tracks I was using just now to compare
 Baka Beyond - Soiridh Leis, Karunesh - Ancient Voices, Clannad - Atlantic Realm, Missa Johnouchi - Shangrila


----------



## otropato

otropato said:


> yes I did but this problem had:


 
            Now I select JR properly (suppose) but the crush noise is worse


magliner0316 said:


> I forgot to post my foobar setup last night.
> Meanwhile, try to use the USB cable came with the 2Qute and see how it goes.


 
      Can you sendme your foobar setup
  


otropato said:


> No ,no...the gound not affect,  the problem persist:creaspy noise in DSD mode, all other perfect and beatiful.best ...but very bad at DSD.Rob,please


 
  
  


rocky500 said:


> It might be a foobar problem/setup.
> You could download a demo of JRiver and install that one and see how it goes for a comparison.


 
   A important question found
  

  
      That is??problem of DSD noise corvertion?


----------



## otropato

otropato said:


> Now I select JR properly (suppose) but the crush noise is worse
> Can you sendme your foobar setup
> 
> 
> ...


 
 This creaspy noise with Beyerd T1 headph isnt very audible,but with Sennhe HD800 is very notorius


----------



## panditji

I have had mine for a couple of days now and it is fantastic for it's price...I had a Meridian Director earlier and after a shootout with a NAD M51 and M2Tech Evo sold it the very next day...Since then I was looking for a DAC and after listening to the Hugo decided to go for the 2Qute since the sound was supposed to be the same at a much lesser price...
  
 It is as good as a Hugo straight out of the box I feel..The detail retrieval is astonishing and now there is very very decent bass in my music....the 3V output is a blessing as I had to turn up my Luxman 505ux to 12 o clock for decent SPL whereas now it does not go beyond 11 o clock...
  
 @Schneller, go for it buddy as it is a huge step up from the Director....The best upgrade so far after my Harbeths...


----------



## magliner0316

Here is my setting.  Hope this helps


----------



## rocky500

magliner0316 said:


> Here is my setting.  Hope this helps


 
  
 I just tried mine and I used the DSD setting. It goes white when playing DSD files. No creaspy noises either but I am using speakers.


----------



## StryGR

Do any of you hugo/2Qute owners have occasional music interruptions or pause problems during dsd playback?


----------



## rocky500

strygr said:


> Do any of you hugo/2Qute owners have occasional music interruptions or pause problems during dsd playback?


 
 I have been listening for about an hour and no problems heard at all with Foobar playing DSD files.


----------



## RubyTiger

vo_obgyn said:


> I looked at the manual and couldn't find any information about the 2Qute ground connection. Am I missing something?


 
  
 In the manual I found it on the picture that show's the backside of the 2Qute. It's far right on the bottom and say's 'Phono connection'. I would think you would use it to connect to your turn table. 
  
 The reason I was concerned about noise in the first place was: - When I tried my AP2 I heard some noise that seemed to be in the background. It was not loud and actually seem to go away after awhile. But I wonder why the noise in the first place? I have not tried the AP2 since then.
  
 I also think I remember being told it was a good idea to ground a system like this. I think it might have been the amp I attached it to. It was many years ago and my memory is not so good but I sure do remember driving that 6 foot grounding rod in the ground. LOL
  
 Any thoughts? Anyone?


----------



## magliner0316

Thanks Rocky500,
 your way is the correct way
 My way was the default PCM and it doesn't output DSD file to "white".
  
otropato, If you still have trouble, follow the pic inside this link: http://www.soomal.com/doc/20100004910.htm
  
 Hope that helps
  
 Quote:


rocky500 said:


> I just tried mine and I used the DSD setting. It goes white when playing DSD files. No creaspy noises either but I am using speakers.


----------



## RubyTiger

vo_obgyn said:


> Here is a good review link:
> 
> http://www.artsexcellence.com/downloads/reviews/chord.2qute.artsexcellence.english.pdf


 

 Yesterday I emailed Artsexcellence about the above review. I asked what the reviewer meant when he said the Audioquest Diamond USB cable was out of balance with the 2Qute. I assumed it was due to cost considerations not performance. I received an email this morning stating this was the case. So the review has been updated with the new information. Which is no big deal but here's the link again with update.
  
  http://www.artsexcellence.com/downloads/reviews/chord.2qute.artsexcellence.english.pdf
  
 Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Artsexcellence or Audioquest. Just a head-fier with a passion to share.


----------



## wisnon

rocky500 said:


> I have my 2Qute for about a week and think it is my best Dac to date in my system. I am now really enjoying my music and always look forward to another session.
> 
> I would love to hear about any additions I can add that may improve my 2Qute setup.
> I am big enough now to see through all the advertising and enjoy reading about it all. So bring it on!
> ...


 
 Rocky my man, how are you doing?
  
 People I trust like my pal EuroDriver from Monaco says they tweaked the sytem with the Regen  with HQP up sampling in Windows 10 on a tricked out Server to BEAT VINYL! That is a HUGE claim and not lightly made.
  
 I am right now listening to DSD64 and 128 on my Lampi B7 with a Regen Green with stock SMPS and am very happy! Just divine, though I am using a stock Mac Mini 2012 with i7 processor running A+ 2.1 now. I have Jriver and HQP as well.
  
 Here is confirmation from Mike Lavorgne from AusioStream: http://www.audiostream.com/content/lampizator-hq-player-audiopax-avante-garde-digital-done-right
  
 Note that Sound Galleries used HQP to upsample RBCD to DSD128 and into the Lampi Chipless DSD engine, so RBCD is upconverted with Jussi's SoTA modulators to blow people away! Transport is half the battle and so anything like the Regen that can clean up the signal before our chosen converter are a most welcome addition.


----------



## rocky500

wisnon said:


> Rocky my man, how are you doing?


 
 Hi wisnon , I have been changing around my stereo system. Sold off my Job 225 amp but really missed what it did in my system, so am playing around with a Telos clone now and that has brought back some of the traits I miss in the Job. You seem to really find out about a product once it is gone from your system for a while.
 I ordered a Regen and looks like I got in for there next shipment before there June cut off date. 
 Will see how it goes with the 2Qute. Not expecting much but then I really did not expect to hear a difference with the iFi. Could just be the ifi cables with there filters?


----------



## ted_b

rubytiger said:


> Yesterday I emailed Artsexcellence about the above review. I asked what the reviewer meant when he said the Audioquest Diamond USB cable was out of balance with the 2Qute. I assumed it was due to cost considerations not performance. I received an email this morning stating this was the case. So the review has been updated with the new information. Which is no big deal but here's the link again with update.
> 
> http://www.artsexcellence.com/downloads/reviews/chord.2qute.artsexcellence.english.pdf
> 
> Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Artsexcellence or Audioquest. Just a head-fier with a passion to share.


 
 Artsexcellence is a Chord dealer you know!  A nice comparison article to Hugo and Qute but hardly an unbiased review.
  
 My 2Qute arrived today.


----------



## otropato

magliner0316 said:


> Here is my setting.  Hope this helps


 
  
  


rocky500 said:


> I just tried mine and I used the DSD setting. It goes white when playing DSD files. No creaspy noises either but I am using speakers.


 
   Thanks...I resolved the problem it was in the DSD configuration :I dont know how, but there are in DSD mode active (at  the same time,not in "gray") the PCM vol,PCM sample rate and DSD2PCM mode and then they made the creaspy noise.I've had reinstal 2 or 3 times the Foob. Now ...the sound is spectacular,the problem now is  we rapidly acept and make a rutine of all the very good things.Blessed for all.


----------



## wisnon

rocky500 said:


> Hi wisnon , I have been changing around my stereo system. Sold off my Job 225 amp but really missed what it did in my system, so am playing around with a Telos clone now and that has brought back some of the traits I miss in the Job. You seem to really find out about a product once it is gone from your system for a while.
> I ordered a Regen and looks like I got in for there next shipment before there June cut off date.
> Will see how it goes with the 2Qute. Not expecting much but then I really did not expect to hear a difference with the iFi. Could just be the ifi cables with there filters?


 
 I think you will Love the Regen in your system.


----------



## Cenacheros

rob watts said:


> The USB now sounds better than coaxial,and slightly better than optical - its a wee bit more focused. The USB galvanic isolation is on the data side from the FPGA to the 2 Qute USB decoding chip. Because of the galvanic isolation, don't bother about using fancy USB converters or cables. The galvanic isolation is done in such a way as to allow full data rates, and maintain isochronous operation - that is the timing comes from the FPGA.
> 
> Rob


 
  


rob watts said:


> By any mains powered PSU means linear and switchers. Mains cables in this instance will not make a difference either - anyhow, the PSU supplied is a wall wart type. With 2 Qute, don't worry about the power, or the USB, you will not get any more improvements!
> 
> Rob


 

 I'm slightly confused here.Rob Watts has stated that fancy USB cables and PSU are not required for 2Qute.He's the chap who designed it,so I'd certainly go with what he has to say.


----------



## rocky500

cenacheros said:


> I'm slightly confused here.Rob Watts has stated that fancy USB cables and PSU are not required for 2Qute.He's the chap who designed it,so I'd certainly go with what he has to say.


 


rob watts said:


> The USB now sounds better than coaxial,and slightly better than optical - its a wee bit more focused. The USB galvanic isolation is on the data side from the FPGA to the 2 Qute USB decoding chip. Because of the galvanic isolation, don't bother about using fancy USB converters or cables. The galvanic isolation is done in such a way as to allow full data rates, and maintain isochronous operation - that is the timing comes from the FPGA.
> 
> Rob





  
 I take this bit as meaning -  devices like the Audiophilleo that takes the USB from the source and then outputs it to coax. Superior to a lot of USB designs in Dacs. The USB implementation in the 2Qute is done extremely well so you can just go straight from source to USB bypassing something like a Audiophilleo and expect stellar results.
  
 Quote:


rob watts said:


> By any mains powered PSU means linear and switchers. Mains cables in this instance will not make a difference either - anyhow, the PSU supplied is a wall wart type. With 2 Qute, don't worry about the power, or the USB, you will not get any more improvements!
> 
> Rob



  
 This part meaning the switch mode power supply that comes with the 2Qute is all you need. No need trying to spend money on a linear power supply.
  
  
 I think we might be still waiting on Rob to find some time to test a few different USB cables to see if he can hear a difference.


----------



## Cenacheros

rocky500 said:


> I take this bit as meaning -  devices like the Audiophilleo that takes the USB from the source and then outputs it to coax. Superior to a lot of USB designs in Dacs. The USB implementation in the 2Qute is done extremely well so you can just go straight from source to USB bypassing something like a Audiophilleo.
> 
> Quote:
> 
> ...


 

 Hi,Yes it was actually your reports about the ifi USB Power that piqued my interest.I then remembered Rob's earlier posts which were quite emphatic about there not being a need for "fancy USB cables,etc." due to the "galvanic isolation".I'm not in the slightest bit tech savvy,so I'm sure I'm already way out of my depth! I do however hope to take the simplest possible route to decent SQ with the 2Qute by hooking it up via USB with my Macbook.I am very much open to advice and suggestions! Thanks


----------



## rocky500

cenacheros said:


> Hi,Yes it was actually your reports about the ifi USB Power that piqued my interest.I then remembered Rob's earlier posts which were quite emphatic about there not being a need for "fancy USB
> cables,etc." due to the "galvanic isolation".I'm not in the slightest bit tech minded,so I'm sure I'm already way out of my depth! I do however hope to take the simplest possible route to decent SQ
> with the 2Qute by hooking it up via USB with my Macbook.I am open to advice and suggestions! Thanks


 
  
 I will have to do some more testing as I know I hear strange things sometimes and when I go back to it again they might not be there. 
 My systems audio can seem to change quite a bit during the days/nights as I think it could do with the power we have here in Western Australia.
 What I think I heard could even be as simple as the different USB cables and not the iFi USB power. The ifi cables have 3 filter devices per cable. That is 6 when I use both with the USB power device.


----------



## RubyTiger

If every thing Rob said was all there is, then there would be no need for this thread. He's already told us his findings so there would be no reason to beat a dead horse. Instead we should just go ahead knowing we have the dac and no aftermarket equipment needed. So if your a purist and believe the 2Qute's sound will not be affected by aftermarket cables and other aftermarket equipment then please quit reading right here. I don't want to offend anyone. As far as Rob goes I have serious respect for him and what he has told us, but I don't think it's the end all and can not be improved upon.
  
 Maybe I should begin by saying tweaking the sound of the 2Qute can be very beneficial to our preamps and amps further on down the chain to our speakers. It may not be the 2Qute where the gains are found. Let me say I have found what Rob said about the galvanic isolation to be true. USB Cables... well I think the jury's still out on that one. To me a poorly constructed cable is not going to sound like a specialized audiophile cable. I put a stock usb cable into my system a few months ago only to take it out within a couple of weeks. I readily heard a difference. But today I want to relay something I experienced with power cords.
  
 This is something I have been wanting to try and since today I wasn't as impressed with my system I thought, 'Why not.' Out of the closet I pulled an aftermarket power cord that's been stowed for months. It's a cord that really makes a difference but perhaps to much of one. With it there's a totally black background. I felt perhaps to much of a good thing as it always seemed to rob the music's musicality. There's great separation between instruments and a clear focus on instruments and vocalist's. The problem is it's to much so and the music loses the highend nuances to the darkness that can sound so sweet.
  
 I plugged it in and attempted to plug the 2Qute (just like an extension cord) but it didn't work. The prongs were to big. Then I remembered I had this burn in adapter from when I broke in my Vector Dragon power cord. With it you can use an refrigerator to break you expensive cord in. Refrigerators have a lot of cycles that make them advantageous to us audiophiles in a hurry. So, I got it off the shelf and bingo! It worked perfectly. After plugging in the 2Qutes power adapter I sat down for a listen.
  
 I had been listening to 'Halie Loren - After Dark' and now the clarity was astonishing. Ryan Adams 'Live at Carnegie Hall' put me in the audience. Hand claps sounded more real than before and his voice was clear as a bell. Earlier I had heard what I can only describe as a haze  over the music and to be honest I was becoming very disappointed. Sometimes the 2Qute sounds very good and other times I find the music not so engaging. I live in the city and my system is right next to my tower PC and rf can be a problem. Not to mention how dirty the power is. From 8:00 pm is my best listening times. Mechanically wise I had the  2Qutes power adapter run in back and probably up against the other cords. I will have to do some more listening to see if this is really what I want. - Edit: See final thoughts below. - I did notice that cymbals and similar brass that had a definite metallic ring are not so much now.
  
 Anyway, I wanted to try it and so I did. Below is the burn in adapter and aftermarket power cord I used.
  
 edit: I forgot the pictures.  The Burn in adapter below.
  

  

  
          Decaware Power Cord
  
 Final thoughts: After spending a couple of hour's or so listening I went back with Chord's power adapter. While the experiment with the power cord did yield results (blacker background, denser images, vocals with a stronger presence); instruments lost timbre making them not sound as real as before. And the little subtle things like the way the 2Qute handles a soft note with a delicate touch. Sterile is what comes to mind when I think of it. The Chords sound has that 'just right' balance which when I messed with it yielded poor results in other areas. I like the pursuit of better sound and it's what makes this hobby so much fun. In this case moving forward was also a step back. Hopefully some of the other ideas being tossed around will yield more positive results. But be what it may; in this case the 2Qute sounds great just like it is.


----------



## nick77

ted_b said:


> Artsexcellence is a Chord dealer you know!  A nice comparison article to Hugo and Qute but hardly an unbiased review.
> 
> My 2Qute arrived today.


 
 Okay Ted, give us an update on that Hynes PS.


----------



## otropato

......


----------



## otropato

strygr said:


> Do any of you hugo/2Qute owners have occasional music interruptions or pause problems during dsd playback?


 
 Yes  in my case PC poor capacity of multiwork


----------



## otropato

Another probl  I put a DSD128.dff fileand in foobar is only play like that DSD/?kbps?192000 Hz/stereo...another file : DSD128 -5644k.dsf not sound the 2Q light is in DSD  but no sound and in Foob put DSD128/11290 kbps/5644800 Hz/stereo.OK 2Q cantplay dff files? and what DSD files (by USB). The first files (DSD128.dff ) sound glorious ,but to 192 khz.


----------



## rocky500

Just looked at my foobar and have no problems playing my variety of DSD files. It goes white on all of them.
  
 This one is playing 18_I_got_it_bad_and_it_aint_good_Klipsch_II_DSD128.dff
  

  
 Tried another File Vaquero.dsf and it plays fine lights up white.
  

  
  
  
 Must be how you have Foobar setup?


----------



## ted_b

strygr said:


> Do any of you hugo/2Qute owners have occasional music interruptions or pause problems during dsd playback?


 

 Not Hugo (but need to revisit), but 2Qute yes.  I use HQPlayer and for DACs like exaSound I upsample convolved DSD to DSD256.  In the 2Qute I can't go to 256 of course, but find I can't go to 128 either, as it mutes for a second or two every 10 seconds or so.  It is strange that one ASIO driver would be so much less tolerant than another.  Although convolving in DSD is cpu intensive the cpu cores only show 40% load (PCM load is 4%).  I haven't tested non-convoved performance yet (2Qute is still breaking in and these sessions are not serious listening; I just happened to listen to make sure all was well and started hearing these mutes)
  
 Also, the muting is different than what I expected.  In the exaSound they are dropouts/clicks (at convolved DSD128 to DSD256 for example) not full mutes.  I guess a softer way to show dropouts?


----------



## StryGR

In my hugo, dsd reproduction problems (i.e. 1 sec. pauses every minute or so) were more likely due to an Raspberry/Linux (www.archphile.org) incompatibility issue. When I switched to foobar/Win7, all problems disappeared.


----------



## otropato

rocky500 said:


> Just looked at my foobar and have no problems playing my variety of DSD files. It goes white on all of them.
> 
> This one is playing 18_I_got_it_bad_and_it_aint_good_Klipsch_II_DSD128.dff
> 
> ...


 
  I have a very similar foob configuration  only different in Asio mode and SACD,look: 
  




 I think inst different,I tried modificate  but I  cant erase "0seg" and "DSD128",then  I put:

 And the same thinglay DSD128 in DSD/? kbps?192000 Hz/stereo and the 2Q light in only in red color,DXD files :FLAC/11123 kbps/352800 Hz/ stereo ligth in red.When  I return a preview configuration no change.
 Afile DSD128/11290 kbps/5644800 Hz/stereo   I listen only creaspy noise and 2Q is in a beatiful purple color (plop!)


----------



## rocky500

otropato said:


> I have a very similar foob configuration  only different in Asio mode and SACD,look:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 Just tried adding those 2 to my Foobar settings and it still works fine. Foobar v1.3.8.
 I am running Windows 8.1 x64 on a i3 PC.
 I just noticed my foo_dsd_asio  setting is version 0.7.2 while yours is a slightly different version.
 Mine

  
 Just noticed I can drag iso's of SACD rips into foobar and they play and it lights up white.


----------



## otropato

OK   but I cant play DSD128 ,10 hours and nothing I change the foo Asio and no.   W7  x64 ,i7 .


----------



## rocky500

otropato said:


> OK   but I cant play DSD128 ,10 hours and nothing I change the foo Asio and no.   W7  x64 ,i7 .


 
 Your SACD decoder is slightly older. Might be worth trying the slightly newer one.
 You can download here http://sourceforge.net/projects/sacddecoder/files/foo_input_sacd/
  
 Readme
 USE:
  
     If your dac/soundcard supports DSD playback through ASIO driver you can set up ASIO proxy:
     1. Run ASIOProxyInstall-X.X.X.exe to install foo_dsd_asio ASIO proxy driver.
     2. In foobar configure foo_dsd_asio proxy by selecting appropriate DSD compatible ASIO driver,
            DSD playback method, PCM to DSD conversion method (if needed) and DSD samplerate for PCM to DSD conversion.
     3. Select foo_dsd_asio as the output device.
  
  
 CHANGELOG:
  
     04/06/15:
     Version 0.7.2 - Bypass for unsupported samplerates in PCM to DSD converter.
  
     05/12/14:
     Version 0.7.1.2 - DSD/PCM switching fixed.
  
     05/08/14:
     Version 0.7.1.1 - Experimental: PCM upsampler is removed from DSD to DSD converter.
  
     .............................................
  
 Maxim V.Anisiutkin <maxim.anisiutkin@gmail.com>


----------



## otropato

Thanks Rocky.Yesterday download foo_input_sacd-0.7.2.zip  and nothing,Today foo_input_sacd-0.7.8.zip, nothing,Then I put this one DIRECTLY (no automatic remplaze), in components foob folder and delate the other....and YES.... but only in  192kHz  
  

  
 This is a good DSD64 file


----------



## RubyTiger

otropato said:


> Thanks Rocky.Yesterday download foo_input_sacd-0.7.2.zip  and nothing,Today foo_input_sacd-0.7.8.zip, nothing,Then I put this one DIRECTLY (no automatic remplaze), in components foob folder and delate the other....and YES.... but only in  192kHz
> 
> 
> 
> This is a good DSD64 file


 

 Maybe you would have better luck with Jriver? I'm going to post a thread someone gave me a week ago about DSD and Jriver settings. This may help others as well; still,  I really hope you get it to work with Foobar. If not then maybe try Jriver?


----------



## rocky500

rubytiger said:


> Maybe you would have better luck with Jriver? I'm going to post a thread someone gave me a week ago about DSD and Jriver settings. This may help others as well; still,  I really hope you get it to work with Foobar. If not then maybe try Jriver?


 
  
 JRiver seemed pretty easy. I just picked ASIO Chord Hugo 1.03 (ASIO)
 and here is pretty well all the settings I needed. It goes white playing my DSD files.


----------



## rocky500

otropato said:


> Thanks Rocky.Yesterday download foo_input_sacd-0.7.2.zip  and nothing,Today foo_input_sacd-0.7.8.zip, nothing,Then I put this one DIRECTLY (no automatic remplaze), in components foob folder and delate the other....and YES.... but only in  192kHz
> 
> 
> 
> This is a good DSD64 file


 
  
 You might have to uninstall foobar and delete all the settings out of windows as something could be corrupted? Delete all the foobar folders where ever they are kept. Mine in Users > my username >appdata > roaming > foobar2000
 Then reinstall and try again.


----------



## RubyTiger

rocky500 said:


> JRiver seemed pretty easy. I just picked ASIO Chord Hugo 1.03 (ASIO)
> and here is pretty well all the settings I needed. It goes white playing my DSD files.


 
 Awesome good. That's one reason why I like Jriver and all of it's bell's and whistles. They have a good support forum as well. I don't know if they still do; but with the first install it ask's to search your computer for all different kinds of files. The first time I did it I had everything from bird whistles to windows sounds. Be sure and do not do this. Better to add your files manually.
  
 So I doubt this is even necessary but I will post the link just in case. I have not tried these and it's really for a Hugo but I have been told they use the same drivers.
  
 By the way, how does the 2Qute sound with dsd?? I have not broken down and bought any offered at the pay sites. It's just to expensive.
  
 This is the link and since I have not tried any of the information given. I hope it doesn't lead anyone astray.
  
  http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/chord-hugowhich-driver-20575/


----------



## rocky500

rubytiger said:


> Awesome good. That's one reason why I like Jriver and all of it's bell's and whistles. They have a good support forum as well. I don't know if they still do; but with the first install it ask's to search your computer for all different kinds of files. The first time I did it I had everything from bird whistles to windows sounds. Be sure and do not do this. Better to add your files manually.


 
 Good advice on not letting it scan for files and manually putting them in. 
  


rubytiger said:


> By the way, how does the 2Qute sound with dsd?? I have not broken down and bought any offered at the pay sites. It's just to expensive.


 
 Sounds awesome with my DSD collection for the little I have heard. Mainly tried DSD as some were having a few problems here and wanted to see if it worked for me.
 I lent the Dac to a mate and he loved the DSD side over redbook playback with the 2Qute.
 I am just setting up my system so have not really given DSD a real play yet.
 My system is so enjoyable with my Redbook playback. Loving the 2Qute.


----------



## otropato

rubytiger said:


> Maybe you would have better luck with Jriver? I'm going to post a thread someone gave me a week ago about DSD and Jriver settings. This may help others as well; still,  I really hope you get it to work with Foobar. If not then maybe try Jriver?


 
     Yes ,I did it But my system cant playing JRiv good:repeatedly stopping the music.Thanks


----------



## otropato

rocky500 said:


> You might have to uninstall foobar and delete all the settings out of windows as something could be corrupted? Delete all the foobar folders where ever they are kept. Mine in Users > my username >appdata > roaming > foobar2000
> Then reinstall and try again.


 
 Rocky I do that  (uninstall foo ,delete all setting and all folders where ever.....)then install all and:

  No sound and 2Q transparent  light.Its the same file previous
 . to uninstall and deleate

 But yes 2Q gave me good sound but only by 192 kHz.After 
  
 AFTER RESTAR my pc my Foobar return to the same performance like the last picture: play DSD /? kbps? 192000 Hz / stereo,at least very good soun with 2Q in blue light 
  
 Notice  I think maybe my DSD126 files are not good ,now I try to play  a DSD64 file (.dff)dowloaded from the same web site,and foobar dont read like another (sacd.iso)from aother web.
  
 Rocky have you a link for download a .dff file


----------



## rocky500

otropato said:


> Rocky I do that  (uninstall foo ,delete all setting and all folders where ever.....)then install all and:
> 
> No sound and 2Q transparent  light.Its the same file previous
> . to uninstall and deleate
> ...


 
  
 Just download the file you were using above and it works in my Foobar. Dac lights up white.
 So not sure why it is different for you.


----------



## RubyTiger

Is the 2Qute not susceptible to normal hi-fi equipment resonances? Is this why it comes without any type of feet or support? I put some Mapleshade blocks underneath. I'm wondering if it's even necessary?


----------



## Randle81

rubytiger said:


> Is the 2Qute not susceptible to normal hi-fi equipment resonances? Is this why it comes without any type of feet or support? I put some Mapleshade blocks underneath. I'm wondering if it's even necessary?


 

 In my experience of dealing with resonance it is the turn table, cd player and amplifiers that benefit most. It also depends on your hi-fi stand. Personally I've got a very solid wood stand and I've not found any discernible difference with vibrapods / cones under any of my gear (I was desperately wanting to!). I know people with glass shelves often tell a different story.


----------



## Turn&cough

Been flipping through this thread looking for comments on the 2Qute's actual sound quality or comparatives with other DACs and have found very little other than a Chord dealer's rave comparison to another Chord product.
  
 From the little that I've gathered here and elsewhere I'm under the impression that the 2Qute, like the Hugo, is a very detailed but on the thin side of neutral DAC. To me this translates into poor tonality. I'm getting the same drift with the Yggy.
  
 My search for a new DAC continues...


----------



## nick77

turn&cough said:


> Been flipping through this thread looking for comments on the 2Qute's actual sound quality or comparatives with other DACs and have found very little other than a Chord dealer's rave comparison to another Chord product.
> 
> From the little that I've gathered here and elsewhere I'm under the impression that the 2Qute, like the Hugo, is a very detailed but on the thin side of neutral DAC. To me this translates into poor tonality. I'm getting the same drift with the Yggy.
> 
> My search for a new DAC continues...


 
 Yup, not a lot of comparisons except to Hugo. Same boat!


----------



## analogmusic

Poor tonality ? To the contrary that is exactly where the Hugo excels. The Hugo to me is very accurate and I think this is apparent when playing back older analog recordings.


----------



## nick77

analogmusic said:


> Poor tonality ? To the contrary that is exactly where the Hugo excels. The Hugo to me is very accurate and I think this is apparent when playing back older analog recordings.


 
  
 The thread is about the sound quality of the 2Qute.


----------



## Turn&cough

Not that important I suppose as the Qute and the Hugo are cut from the same cloth.
  
 I keep reading how fantastic the Hugo sounds but it always boils down to comments such as ''I'm hearing stuff I never heard before on (insert audiophile recording of your choice).
  
 I also picked up a few comments from its detractors stating that it sounded thin or that it fell apart or got confused with certain recordings. But that could be caused by a number of factors other than the DAC.
  
 Over the years I've seen FOTM DACs come and go and have I've learned to read between the lines and not jump for the add to cart button too fast.
  
 In any case I really need to borrow one ASAP to form my own opinion. These endless technical discussions are of little or no use to me at this point.


----------



## RubyTiger

Stuck on tone?
  
 I'm listening to my 2Qute right now and I hear plenty of tone. You may find it not enough though. And my opinion is the 2Qute is very susceptible to a dirty power grid. I do most all of my listening at night and it sounds really good. I also agree with other's that the 2Qute (sorry that's the Hugo, but still ...) can do special things with certain recordings. Last night I was listening to Le Sacre du Printemps by Leonard Bernstein  & New York Philharmonic, one of my favorites and something happened that left me kind of stunned. The instruments were all over the place when suddenly the dynamic tempo stopped and went in a whole new direction. What was different about that was how fast it changed. If I didn't know better I would have thought there was a dropout. Except it was instantaneous. Fastest transients I have heard. I enjoyed the rest of the performance and heard other new things but none stuck out like that one. I'm having similar experiences with other recordings as well but most have been in the Classical Orchestra.
  
 After spending time with it I'm feeling resolution and detail may be to different things which for me is a new level of performance. My Sabre dac with 9018 chip combined with the AP2 with pure power had gobs of detail. Texture and tone as well, but lacked the finesse of more expensive equipment. The 2Qute seems to let you hear more into the human side of the recording. Things like a breath, even what some refer to as a wet breath that travels the inside of a sax and exits as music. I can now hear an instrument such as a horn and how it resonates where before I heard what came out the end. How it can move closer to the mic and pull back just a little bit or sway's to the left or right. How can you put a price on that?
  
 But, don't expect to hear this on every recording. If the mic didn't pick it up then it's just not there. I have a few guitar recordings where you can hear the pick on the strings. But not on all of them. Maybe not all times of the day either. There are a lot of variables and I sometimes pickup on something I have not heard before.
  
 Is it recording dependent? You bet it is. Do some recordings sux and others don't. Yep. I hate that and wish they all did sound as good. I'm going through my music (hi-rez and Redbook) and culling what I don't like. And you can not expect the 2Qute or the Hugo to be awesome in everything they do. For that your just going to have to move up the chain. Oh, and there are other dac's that can help with that rich tone your looking for. Tubes. I would also think careful selection of cables could certainly help. Mine are all silver except for my Norne Draug 2 which is copper/litz. Probably the silver is maXgniXfyiXng (wrong word), passing on what I feel is some slight power grunge during the day. I suggest you get one to audition and see what you think. Give it a fair shot and come back here and let us know what you think. Maybe see if you can find the words to describe how it sounds. I'm telling you it's tough.
  
 edit: Something else I think I'm hearing is how a studio recording is sometimes put together. Not all are as noticeable but here is what I heard. I began to notice that the performers vocals at mid stage pretty much always seem in focus. Now, I'm talking about the recording, not the talent. But anyway, sometimes the accompanying instruments, say there's one on the right and one at left could sound different to one another. I think it's in how they're recorded. Right now your probably thinking .. duh. This guy must of just fell off the tree cause he sure is a greenie. Can you believe that's really a word??? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 
  
 My example is a piano on the right stage is near crystal clear, each key strike is in sharp focus and detailed. But at the left is a cello, I can hear the strings, the deep sound of the instrument but some thing is slightly wrong and off about it. You could call it dull, lacking tone maybe, or maybe it's been poorly mic'd or something. It just doesn't seem to belong with the sharp contrast of the piano.
  
 I have heard this with other recordings also. One instrument sounds realistic while another is not fully in focus (or that's what I'm calling it). I need to listen more attentively to my left channel to see if I have a problem. But, I don't think so. I think the 2Qute is revealing what is there. The good news' is that a great recording sounds fantastic. Oddly my Sabre dac play's on through the poor recording but doesn't sound noticeable. It's also not as resolved and lacks the the 2Qute's finesse. Especially with the really great recordings where the 2Qute can leave you in total surprise. That's happened to me a lot. It has also made my Redbook listenable again. DSD is as good or better than the best recordings I have - but, ... A turkey is still a turkey after you dress him up. My feeling is that the 2Qute is worth it.
  
 Oh, and the recording of the piano and cello...  suddenly the piano quit and left me with the cello playing. 30 seconds or so, I left also. You may have these moments as well. These are my impressions and observations with my setup. Please don't hold them against me if you hear something different. Instead come here and tell us yours.


----------



## Turn&cough

Thanks for your impressions. Based on those comments it does seem a bit quirky but intriguing nevertheless. The dirty power issue could prove problematic for me.
  
 I'll try and get out for a listen and maybe take one home today.


----------



## analogmusic

The Hugo and 2qute are quite different from many other DACs you may have heard because they are based on very different technology.
  
 They go back to basics of what it takes to render a digital sampled signal properly and are very accurate. I think they do expose recordings, but still maintain the musicality in them.
  
 But most impressive to me is how they handle transients.


----------



## cladane

Reading that the USB input doesn't drill power from the computer USB out sounds strange since ,on the Surface 3, I get an error message saying that the USB device asks too much current.
  
 Is there people experiencing audible clicks periodically ?


----------



## rocky500

cladane said:


> Reading that the USB input doesn't drill power from the computer USB out sounds strange since ,on the Surface 3, I get an error message saying that the USB device asks too much current.
> 
> Is there people experiencing audible clicks periodically ?


 
 Quote from the designer
_"Unlike Hugo, 2 Qute does draw power from the USB - this is because of the galvanic isolation - the USB chip is powered from the USB 5v, then the data is galvanic isolated from 2 Qute. The galvanic isolation gives quite a big improvement in SQ when using PC's or laptops as a source."_
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/749582/chord-electronics-2qute-dac-announced/90#post_11471868


----------



## cladane

Thank you rocky500. I understand now what is happening. And that Surface 3 can't output to the 2Qute.
  
 Other problem: periodically I hear a click. Some bad parameters in the ASIO driver ?


----------



## vert

> Is the 2Qute not susceptible to normal hi-fi equipment resonances? Is this why it comes without any type of feet or support? I put some Mapleshade blocks underneath. I'm wondering if it's even necessary?


 
  
 Put the 2Qute on an isolation stand or footers such as Stillpoints and prepared to be surprised!


----------



## RubyTiger

vert said:


> Put the 2Qute on an isolation stand or footers such as Stillpoints and prepared to be surprised!


 

 I just put 4 Isonodes under mine and I'm hearing a little more focused sound. Better balance as well.To early in the listening to be totally positive. no scratch that. It's definitely better and by a larger margin than I thought. I am indeed surprised, but even so it would be prudent to spend a night session or two before any further recommendation. It sounds promising though.


----------



## vert

rubytiger said:


> I just put 4 Isonodes under mine and I'm hearing a little more focused sound. Better balance as well.To early in the listening to be totally positive. no scratch that. It's definitely better and by a larger margin than I thought. I am indeed surprised, but even so it would be prudent to spend a night session or two before any further recommendation. It sounds promising though.


 

 Unfortunately vibration control makes a big difference. I'm considering get a 2Qute and the first thing I will do is put on my Stillpoints rack.


----------



## Turn&cough

Pick it up and hold it in your hands (or have someone do it for you) in the middle of a tune. If it really is susceptible to resonance you should be able to hear an instant A/B improvement. Try it ''blind'' a few times.
  
 If not it's probably another case of expectation bias psycho-acoustical phenomena.


----------



## RubyTiger

Rob
  
 I just woke up and my 2Qute was flashing. After a short listen early today I switched  to the Toslink input. I do this so the bright light from the usb input does not continue to shine.
  
 I have my cd player connected  to the 2Qute via Toslink. It is not turned on and does not have a standby. I unplugged the 2Qute and then  plugged it back in and it stopped. What would cause this?
  
 edit: It seems' fine this morning so no worries. Could have been my usb connection.
  
 .


----------



## rocky500

Some of us over in Australia are trying IKEA bamboo chopping boards under our components.
  
 It seems you don't want squishy feet but a solid contact between your component and the board to transfer any internal energy out.
 Not sure it would help the 2Qute but Amplifiers, CD Players etc seems like some find it beneficial.
 http://www.theaudiobeat.com/blog/ikea_aptitlig.htm
  
 It is not too expensive and at the very least they look great!


----------



## nick77

Any feedback on power conditioning or linear power supplies improving sonics? I recall someone switching cords? Does the brick have a star eight detachable cord? 
  
 I ordered a unit but BlueBird is out of stock and waiting for new shipment.


----------



## Rob Watts

2 Qute is insensitive to the quality of the mains supply. Replacing the supplied PSU with a 300A car battery gave no noticeable change in SQ - unlike the original Qute which did give a big improvement.
  
 So don't bother, as you will invalidate the warranty too.
  
 Rob


----------



## nick77

rob watts said:


> 2 Qute is insensitive to the quality of the mains supply. Replacing the supplied PSU with a 300A car battery gave no noticeable change in SQ - unlike the original Qute which did give a big improvement.
> 
> So don't bother, as you will invalidate the warranty too.
> 
> Rob


 
 Okay thanks Rob, looking forward to having in house in a week.


----------



## Turn&cough

What about the notion that a SMPS directly/indirectly in the audio chain is not a good idea as it can potentially ''pollute'' the signal?


----------



## rocky500

turn&cough said:


> What about the notion that a SMPS directly/indirectly in the audio chain is not a good idea as it can potentially ''pollute'' the signal?


 
  
 +1
 I have been trying to remove any switched-mode power supplys slowly from my system.


----------



## analogmusic

rob watts said:


> 2 Qute is insensitive to the quality of the mains supply. Replacing the supplied PSU with a 300A car battery gave no noticeable change in SQ - unlike the original Qute which did give a big improvement.
> 
> So don't bother, as you will invalidate the warranty too.
> 
> Rob


 

 I accidentally plugged my turntable charger into my Hugo and it did damage it and it needed to go back to the factory for repairs. 
  
 So you are urged to take the advice of MR Rob Watts to avoid your unit being damaged.


----------



## nick77

nick77 said:


> Any feedback on power conditioning or linear power supplies improving sonics? I recall someone switching cords? Does the brick have a star eight detachable cord?
> 
> I ordered a unit but BlueBird is out of stock and waiting for new shipment.


 
 Appears I will be waiting several more weeks, disappointed. Guess their still in short suppy??


----------



## FRibeiro

https://secure.intona.eu/de/products
High speed galvanic isolation


----------



## Dwaalspoor98

My 2Qute will come in tomorrow, my JKDAC32 which I have only used a few times seems to refuse to give audio output and an Odac on my new Tannoy Canterbury GR's is a bit out of..
  
 Looked for second hand DAC's but they were too old or people are charging to much compared to the 'real' value or they were out of my current budget. The 2Qute just fitted in the maximum amount of money I could spend (on gear) this month and probably the next few months .
  
 I hope I have made the right decision for the money, I could give an impression later this week, but don't expect an audiophile review, I am just a guy who loves great sound and also loves technology but how my music sounds depends so much on my state of mind and this is not something I think I can write about like some of you guys, and I don't have many DAC's to compare with..


----------



## OK-Guy

dwaalspoor98 said:


> My 2Qute will come in tomorrow, my JKDAC32 which I have only used a few times seems to refuse to give audio output and an Odac on my new Tannoy Canterbury GR's is a bit out of..
> 
> Looked for second hand DAC's but they were too old or people are charging to much compared to the 'real' value or they were out of my current budget. The 2Qute just fitted in the maximum amount of money I could spend (on gear) this month and probably the next few months .
> 
> I hope I have made the right decision for the money, I could give an impression later this week, but don't expect an audiophile review, I am just a guy who loves great sound and also loves technology but how my music sounds depends so much on my state of mind and this is not something I think I can write about like some of you guys, and I don't have many DAC's to compare with..


 
  
 Tannoy Canterbury's !!!... swoon, I'm all ears now...


----------



## RubyTiger

Just finished a session. I should of tried the cable that came with the 2Qute sooner. Not bad, not bad at all. Nice rich tone; that reminds me of copper and not so revealing of recording flaws. I give it a thumbs up.


----------



## cybervinay

I have got some major issue with my 2Qute DAC as it won't play the DSD files any more. I use the jriver media player and it all used to work but now when I play DSD files (1x or 2x) all I hear is loud hiss noise.
  
 Here are the symptoms
  
 1. PCM files are all working fine.
 2. When playing DSD files bit streaming is selected in jriver and I can see the blue indication is ON in jriver confirming no changes are being made to signal and is pass through to the DAC
 3. I can see the White LED lights up in 2Qute DAC but I can only hear loud hiss noise on the speaker
 4. I have tried both USB and Coaxial inputs and it is not able to decode DSD files on both inputs.
 5. I am using jriver on Windows 7 and mine is rock solid machine (Xeon processor with 12GB RAM, no issues using jriver for past 7 years)
  
 Here is what I have tried so far but unable to resolve the issue.
  
 1. Uninstalled the USB drivers, rebooted, reinstalled driver and again rebooted. Replaced USB cable as well. It does not fix.
 2. Tried using DAC on different PC but problem still exists.
  
 Is anyone having similar issues? I am looking for suggestion on how to fix it as I would hate to sent this for repair.
 Hopefully this is not a hardware issues and can be fixed with software update. Fingers crossed.
  
 I will let Rob suggest next steps.


----------



## Cenacheros

rubytiger said:


> Just finished a session. I should of tried the cable that came with the 2Qute sooner. Not bad, not bad at all. Nice rich tone; that reminds me of copper and not so revealing of recording flaws. I give it a thumbs up.


 

 Which cable? Thanks!


----------



## RubyTiger

cenacheros said:


> Which cable? Thanks!


 

 The white usb cable. I assume it's standard issue with the 2Qute? I'm comparing it against a couple of generic black cables I have here. Might just be placebo?


----------



## OK-Guy

cybervinay said:


> I have got some major issue with my 2Qute DAC as it won't play the DSD files any more. I use the jriver media player and it all used to work but now when I play DSD files (1x or 2x) all I hear is loud hiss noise.
> 
> Here are the symptoms
> 
> ...


 
  
 I'll alert Matt over your problem and get back to you with a solution... unfortunately Chord is now closed for the day so you'll have to wait until tomorrow for a reply, hth.


----------



## OK-Guy

*cybervinay*... I've heard back from Matt and it appears to be a known J-River problem and not one concerning the 2Qute or your PC, his reply is below...
  
_This sounds like a similar problem that I was made aware about recently. There is a bug in J-River that means if by choice (or by accident) you select the 6dB volume boost button then DSD will not play and you only get a hiss, see link for more info: _
  
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=94367.0
  
_I'll assume/guess that perhaps the boost feature is either not bit perfect or removes the DSD flag so the DAC can no longer recognise the DSD stream... anyway it is supposed to be fixed in the latest release of J-River but I have yet to test this - we at Chord would never use the volume boost mode anyway. _
  
 Hopefully this will solve your problem, if not send me a message detailing your issue and I'll do my best to find a solution, hth.


----------



## cybervinay

ok-guy said:


> *cybervinay*... I've heard back from Matt and it appears to be a known J-River problem and not one concerning the 2Qute or your PC, his reply is below...
> 
> _This sounds like a similar problem that I was made aware about recently. There is a bug in J-River that means if by choice (or by accident) you select the 6dB volume boost button then DSD will not play and you only get a hiss, see link for more info: _
> 
> ...


 
  
 Thanks for providing the details on jriver page. Unfortunately mine is not the same scenario as I use windows version of jriver and problem mentioned on the jriver forum is for MAC version of jriver.
 Further there is no such settings of -6db adjustment in the windows version of the jriver.
  
 I am already using the higher version (20.0.115) and have tried installing jriver and reinstalling an using the default setting.
 I have even tried a new laptop on which jriver was installed for the first time and face the same issue while playing DSD files. (Loud Hiss Noise)
 I am sure its an issue with the 2Qute DAC and not with jriver. It won't play the bit-streamed DSD files.
  
 Please suggest another software player to play DSD and I will try.
 Awaiting further troubleshooting help from you.
  
 Thanks


----------



## OK-Guy

cybervinay said:


> Please suggest another software player to play DSD and I will try.
> Awaiting further troubleshooting help from you.
> 
> Thanks


 
  
 I'm thinking of getting DB-Poweramp though not sure if that does DSD (free trial before you buy), not sure on the others as I've been waiting to see if Sony upgrade Media-Go to DSD/Hi-Res as they're pushing out all their Hi-Fi/TV/Mobile products with this capability... I'll also ask Matt on what other programs are good to use.


----------



## Cenacheros

rubytiger said:


> The white usb cable. I assume it's standard issue with the 2Qute? I'm comparing it against a couple of generic black cables I have here. Might just be placebo?


 

 Thanks!


----------



## OK-Guy

I was in communication with Matt today with regard to a possible J-River problem with Windows, it turns out there may not be a problem afterall. 
  
 The source of the problem seems to be using ASIO for DSD playback... ASIO is not recommended for DSD playback, it works in some cases but not in all.
  
 WASAPI or Kernel Streaming is recommended for DSD playback... if you are running Windows it is best to use WASAPI.

 Chord are trying to find out more and whether there is a workaround for ASIO but unfortunately nothing positive yet...sonically speaking, you shouldn't hear any difference between ASIO or WASAPI.
  
_In other news..._ looking into getting dB-Poweramp in the near future, I noticed that there is a streamer plug-in that can do DSD (Aset UPnP)... if you scroll down the home-page to 'Spoon's Blog' via the link below, details of the latest release mentions a DSD update, hth.
  
 Link: https://www.dbpoweramp.com/


----------



## cladane

ok-guy said:


> I was in communication with Matt today with regard to a possible J-River problem with Windows, it turns out there may not be a problem afterall.
> 
> The source of the problem seems to be using ASIO for DSD playback... ASIO is not recommended for DSD playback, it works in some cases but not in all.
> 
> ...



Well, AssetUPNP does stream PC's sound to any UPNP renderer but it converts this output sound into a file. This isn't a data transfer from the streaming service.


----------



## cybervinay

ok-guy said:


> I was in communication with Matt today with regard to a possible J-River problem with Windows, it turns out there may not be a problem afterall.
> 
> The source of the problem seems to be using ASIO for DSD playback... ASIO is not recommended for DSD playback, it works in some cases but not in all.
> 
> ...


 

 Yes. I was on call with Matt and while troubleshooting we figured this out. DSD playback works fine with WASAPI. I am happy that it was not an issue with DAC and resolved by software workaround.
 Good support from Matt on this. Thank you guys.
  
 --Vinay


----------



## OK-Guy

​  
 John Franks & Rob Watts will be in attendance at the 'Kuala Lumpur International AV Show' from 3rd - 5th July (details below)... pop along and say Hello if you're in the area... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
*Show Information:-*
  
*KL International AV Show 2015*
*Venue:* JW Marriott Hotel - Kuala Lumpur
*Dates:* 3 to 5 July 2015
*Times:* Friday, Saturday & Sunday : 10.00am to 7.30pm


----------



## RubyTiger

cybervinay said:


> Yes. I was on call with Matt and while troubleshooting we figured this out. DSD playback works fine with WASAPI. I am happy that it was not an issue with DAC and resolved by software workaround.
> Good support from Matt on this. Thank you guys.
> 
> --Vinay


 

 Thank you cybervinay and Ok-Guy. This information will truly help all of us Jriver users.


----------



## RubyTiger

Has anyone paired the 2Qute with one of the higher midrange cost amps? $2500-$3500 or more? Any recommendations or observations?


----------



## nick77

Review What Hi Fi
  
 http://www.whathifi.com/chord/2qute/review
  
  
 Rather short and didnt address DSD playblack but they really liked it.


----------



## nick77

Anyone try an audiophile fuse in 2Qute? Anyone know the particulars?


----------



## 4414ever

rubytiger said:


> Has anyone paired the 2Qute with one of the higher midrange cost amps? $2500-$3500 or more? Any recommendations or observations?


 
  
 As soon as I get mine this Wednesday, I will hook it up to my Pass XA30.8 and let you know.


----------



## RubyTiger

4414ever said:


> As soon as I get mine this Wednesday, I will hook it up to my Pass XA30.8 and let you know.


 

 Thanks, I have a nice amp coming one day soon. I'm betting there's more to the 2Qute than I can presently hear.
  
 Something else, I just noticed the wally wart plugs in either way. Does anyone know if there a difference?


----------



## nick77

rubytiger said:


> Thanks, I have a nice amp coming one day soon. I'm betting there's more to the 2Qute than I can presently hear.
> 
> Something else, I just noticed the wally wart plugs in either way. Does anyone know if there a difference?


 
  
 So no ground on plug, correct? Has anyone used the external grounding pin? I finally get mine Tuesday.


----------



## 4414ever

nick77 said:


> So no ground on plug, correct? Has anyone used the external grounding pin? I finally get mine Tuesday.


 

 I have an acoustic revive rgc-24 virtual ground device connected to my QuteHD and it will go on the 2Qute when I receive it this week.


----------



## OK-Guy

​ ​  
 ​ *SHAV 2015*​  ​ Shantou Hi-End Audio Visual Show​ Shantou​ Guangdong Province​  ​ Dates: 17th - 19th July​  ​ *John & Rob will be guest of Chord distributor Zesen Electrical at the Event.*​  ​ Event Website: http://www.shav-show.com/​ Chord Distributor: http://www.zshifi.com.cn/pc/​


----------



## RubyTiger

Rob, will the 2Qute still work the same if you were to turn it over (as in upside down)? Obviously the led window would be on the bottom but I have ran into a dilemma. It's either twist a very stiff usb cable over or flip the 2Qute.
  
It's sounding wonderful by the way. No issues with the sound quality at all. Thanks.


----------



## Rob Watts

rubytiger said:


> Rob, will the 2Qute still work the same if you were to turn it over (as in upside down)? Obviously the led window would be on the bottom but I have ran into a dilemma. It's either twist a very stiff usb cable over or flip the 2Qute.
> 
> It's sounding wonderful by the way. No issues with the sound quality at all. Thanks.


 
 The only downside is the feet, they provide some vibration isolation, and I would be worried about scratching the top plate. Otherwise no problem.
  
 Rob


----------



## Super Pang

Has anyone compared the 2Qute to a Hugo's fixed output through a preamp?


----------



## digitallc

Rob,
 I know that you recommend that the 2Qute only be used with it's own wall wart, but I now have an unused Geek LPS, since recently acquiring the Chord 2Qute.  The Geek LPS puts out 12V, 1.2A as opposed to the 12V, 0.6A of the 2Qute wall wart.
  
 What are your thoughts?


----------



## Rob Watts

Unlike the original Qute, 2 Qute does not benefit sonically from having a different power supply. I compared the supplied PSU with a 12v 300A car battery and could hear no difference in SQ.
  
 Some power supplies have damaged Qute as they do not output 12v but greater voltages - this will damage the protection circuitry.
  
 Use of a different power supply will void Chord's warranty.
  
 Rob


----------



## ted_b

Wow, now that Chord has seemingly changed their policies on external power supplies (Chord was very aware of my use of different supplies on the Qute series and even published my reviews, without a word) I am less excited about my review summary for the 2Qute.  Many here, including me, have found improvement with a better 12V (of course don't use anything but a 12V).  Argh!


----------



## nick77

ted_b said:


> Wow, now that Chord has seemingly changed their policies on external power supplies (Chord was very aware of my use of different supplies on the Qute series and even published my reviews, without a word) I am less excited about my review summary for the 2Qute.  Many here, including me, have found improvement with a better 12V (of course don't use anything but a 12V).  Argh!


 
  
  
 I found the bass to be kinda fat and bloated with the walwart, the addition of my diy Sig11 LPS gives me what I consider world class bass. 
  
 I guess consider me to be banished but happy! A lot of guys are using the MCRU, I thought it was Chord approved. ??


----------



## digitallc

rob watts said:


> Unlike the original Qute, 2 Qute does not benefit sonically from having a different power supply. I compared the supplied PSU with a 12v 300A car battery and could hear no difference in SQ.
> 
> Some power supplies have damaged Qute as they do not output 12v but greater voltages - this will damage the protection circuitry.
> 
> ...


 

 Thank you for replying, and I appreciate the insight.


----------



## gad1

Question for Rob et al:
  
 The issue has been raised in previous posts that the 3V output of the 2qute
 can be problematical for some preamps.  Would preamp volume control
 that is ahead of the line section negate any possible problems caused
 by a high dac output?
  
 thanks,
  
 gad1


----------



## Rob Watts

gad1 said:


> Question for Rob et al:
> 
> The issue has been raised in previous posts that the 3V output of the 2qute
> can be problematical for some preamps.  Would preamp volume control
> ...


 
 Absolutely, Rob


----------



## Allen Dodge

I just got the 2qute and tried it with my android (Samsung Note 4) and it plays music, but has noise and dropouts every few seconds. Any advice? Perhaps it is not compatible?  I’m not doing anything out of the ordinary – just a USB cable to the 2Qute and the files our WAV, CD quality and they play on other devices OK (e.g. Sony Hap and even thru my car USB input).


----------



## cladane

In my case the 2Qute is connected to the USB output of my Windows laptop and I hear periodically little clicks.


----------



## horsh

Hello,I know I'm new to this thread but I've just acquired a 2qute,it replaces a rega dac,I feed it with j river 20 wav files via an ifi usb and 2 gemini cables,after the 2qute it goes through an ifi itube (I love the harmonics) to a graham slee solo ultra linear diamond edition via graham slee cusat 50 I/c's to lcd 2's,I loved the sq with the rega dac,this 2qute has only 4 hours on it,now I'm not good with the cliches like "soundstage width and depth and timbre and prat" and all the rest but whilst listening to my go to albums that I know very well this dac has given me f#%king goose bumps for the first time and then again and again,I had no idea that music could be this moving on a headphone system,please don't get caught up with over complicating things with Lps and burn in times,just buy this thing,plug it in and enjoy the music because surely that was the reason we got into this hobby in the first place


----------



## RubyTiger

horsh said:


> Hello,I know I'm new to this thread but I've just acquired a 2qute,it replaces a rega dac,I feed it with j river 20 wav files via an ifi usb and 2 gemini cables,after the 2qute it goes through an ifi itube (I love the harmonics) to a graham slee solo ultra linear diamond edition via graham slee cusat 50 I/c's to lcd 2's,I loved the sq with the rega dac,this 2qute has only 4 hours on it,now I'm not good with the cliches like "soundstage width and depth and timbre and prat" and all the rest but whilst listening to my go to albums that I know very well this dac has given me f#%king goose bumps for the first time and then again and again,I had no idea that music could be this moving on a headphone system,please don't get caught up with over complicating things with Lps and burn in times,just buy this thing,plug it in and enjoy the music because surely that was the reason we got into this hobby in the first place


 

 Forgive me for not being familiar with your equipment. What kind of headphone amp are you using and what is it's power output? I'm curious if the 2Qute likes a bit of power to pull out it's best in all genre's?


----------



## Cenacheros

horsh said:


> Hello,I know I'm new to this thread but I've just acquired a 2qute,it replaces a rega dac,I feed it with j river 20 wav files via an ifi usb and 2 gemini cables,after the 2qute it goes through an ifi itube (I love the harmonics) to a graham slee solo ultra linear diamond edition via graham slee cusat 50 I/c's to lcd 2's,I loved the sq with the rega dac,this 2qute has only 4 hours on it,now I'm not good with the cliches like "soundstage width and depth and timbre and prat" and all the rest but whilst listening to my go to albums that I know very well this dac has given me f#%king goose bumps for the first time and then again and again,I had no idea that music could be this moving on a headphone system,please don't get caught up with over complicating things with Lps and burn in times,just buy this thing,plug it in and enjoy the music because surely that was the reason we got into this hobby in the first place


 

 Bravo!! How refreshing to read and hear a totally uncomplicated  and heartfelt appraisal of a product on Head-fi.Enjoy,and I have absolutely no doubt you've made an extremely wise purchase.All the best-C..


----------



## horsh

It's a very smooth sounding solid state amp,I'm not sure about the figures regarding power output but with my lcd 2's I don't need to turn the volume past 12 o'clock to reach a very loud level,it drives the lcd's with ease


----------



## kaydee6

Hi Rob,
  
 I have just a Moon Mind 180 streamer connected via Coax to the 2Qute. Problem is I get bad hum through the speakers from this connection. Switching to toslink eliminates the hum.
 Should I stick with toslink? Is this a preferred connection over Coax as I read toslink introduce more jitter compared to coax?
 If I go with Coax, how can I eliminate the hum?
 Thanks!


----------



## kaydee6

Okay, I found this clear explanation from Rob that toslink is prefereable to coax on the hugo. I will think 2qute the order will be the following usb->toslink->coax. 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/702787/chord-hugo/5325#post_10653659


----------



## Rob Watts

Indeed.On 2 Qute the galvanically isolated USB does sound slightly better than Toslink, but it is very small difference. 
  
 Rob


----------



## craigp

rob watts said:


> Indeed.On 2 Qute the galvanically isolated USB does sound slightly better than Toslink, but it is very small difference.
> 
> Rob


 

 Hi Rob,
  
 As a computer geek I'm inclined to be one of the "bits are bits" thinkers but after your explanation some time ago about how USB can be "noisy" I had a mini Eureka moment 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





.  Suddenly I understood why different transports could have a perceivable difference in sound.  Your comment above confused me slightly so could you try to educate me some more? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 Your earlier point was the Toslink has no "noise" hence why it was a better sound than un-galvanically isolated USB.  I therefore understand that a galvanically isolated USB connection could now sound as good as Toslink but how can it be _better_? (I mean just outright sound quality rather than features btw).
  
 Craig
  
 PS I'm aware that Jitter can play a part in this complex world but also understand that this particular problem has been solved with all recent Chord masterpieces thanks to your clever engineering.


----------



## kaydee6

Today I replaced my cheap toslink with qed reference optical quartz cable and what a difference it makes. Bass is now much fuller but at the same time controlled. I hear more fine details in the high too. The mid got more forward and overall sound field got more forceful. This is all still in a smooth and natural music making without any harshness. So it seems that using a good optical with reduced jitter does make a difference for the 2qute.


----------



## RubyTiger

My power supply just broke. I was unplugging it from the wall socket and it cracked and pulled apart.
  
 edit: Walmart doesn't carry them and Radio Shack has gone bust.


----------



## ChordElectronics

Hi RubyTiger,
     Talk to your retailer they will be able to supply a replacement charger for you.


----------



## RubyTiger

Ok, thanks.


----------



## gad1

rubytiger said:


> My power supply just broke. I was unplugging it from the wall socket and it cracked and pulled apart.
> 
> edit: Walmart doesn't carry them and Radio Shack has gone bust.


 

 As a potential customer this makes me nervous.  What else is fragile?


----------



## RexxarCHL

Just had a session with 2Qute on my stereo system. 
This thing is just marvelous. 
2Qute, paired with entry-level RCA and USB cable, surpassed my NSD Excelsio with decent XLR and USB cable with immediate audible difference in soundstage, separation and layering. 
Can't wait for my headphone amp to arrive to further enjoy the sound!


----------



## RubyTiger

gad1 said:


> As a potential customer this makes me nervous.  What else is fragile?


 

 Let me explain. My electrical outlet's are very tight and in a hard to reach area. I wiggled the adapter as I pulled and that's when it happened. Still, I think Chord should have had these built stronger. Maybe it was a fluke but I doubt it.
  
 I certainly have ordered an extra. The cost is 50 US dollars. But that's a small price to pay for a dac this good. As far as any other fragile pieces I really couldn't say. The input selector could feel a little beefier but I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.


----------



## gad1

humanmedia said:


> I have managed to get the Squeezebox Touch with EDO working via a USB connection to the 2Qute. The first time I tried I got a spinning connecting to DAC, then a couldn't connect to DAC message. I updated to the latest EDO version and now it connects, reboots the SBT and works without hitch. I know someone was wanting confirmation of this.
> 
> Haven't compared quality of the two connection methods yet, although at first take they sound roughly the same.


 

 Hello,
  
 I too plan on using the 2qute with an edo usb enabled sbt.   I read
 with interest that you had ordered a regen.  What if any impact
 on sound quality has it had?  Has the bass which you originally
 reported as weak improved with additional burn in time and/or
 the addition of the regen.
  
 thanks-


----------



## Cenacheros

Any point in using one of these between my MacBook and 2Qute.?  http://www.audioquest.com/jitterbug/jitterbug


----------



## ChordElectronics

Hi Cenacheros,
     2Qute features galvanic isolation on the USB input so it is not necessary to add anything else.


----------



## Cenacheros

Many thanks,you've just saved me 45 quid!


----------



## digitallc

My apologies, if this has been answered before. I am thinking of getting the new Mac mini which has USB 3 connections. Should I expect a drop in sound quality, or no difference, vs USB 2 with my 2Qute?


----------



## ChordElectronics

Hi,
      No you will have no loss of sound quality using a USB 3 port even with USB 2 connections.


----------



## digitallc

Thank you for replying.


----------



## Rob Watts

craigp said:


> Hi Rob,
> 
> As a computer geek I'm inclined to be one of the "bits are bits" thinkers but after your explanation some time ago about how USB can be "noisy" I had a mini Eureka moment
> 
> ...


 
 The SQ difference is very small but the benefit is that the USB is driven from the clock on the FPGA, so source jitter is not an issue. With Toslink, the data is asynchronous (from the FPGA point of view) so is processed via the DPLL (digital phase lock loop). 
  
 Hope this explains, Rob


----------



## craigp

rob watts said:


> The SQ difference is very small but the benefit is that the USB is driven from the clock on the FPGA, so source jitter is not an issue. With Toslink, the data is asynchronous (from the FPGA point of view) so is processed via the DPLL (digital phase lock loop).
> 
> Hope this explains, Rob


 
  
 Thanks Rob but your answer simply confirms that there's a lot of stuff I still don't understand ... at all 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 What I don't understand is that there's a lot of "stuff" that can cause complications getting the digital information from source to the DAC chip but providing you have decent kit (of which any Chord product clearly is) the digital 1's and 0's will get there perfectly *(*)*.  In my head this is similar to when I copy a zip file from one PC to another.  I expect it to arrive bit perfect because of some other "stuff" will take care of error correction etc.
  
 So if the bits are there perfectly irrespective of the transport (usb, toslink, etc) and we are only discussing changes in sound from different transport cables (i.e. same device, same power source etc.) then what other factors can affect the analogue sound?  I can only think of these two (and the second I'm not totally convinced about)
  

"noise" transmitted over the wire (this was my Eureka moment from an earlier post of yours where you explained USB can be noisy and that carries through to the electronics within the Hugo affecting the analogue side of things)
differences in digital processing of file types/formats taking place within the DAC that might actually be significant enough to effect the analogue circuitry (again, this is effectively another potential source of "noise" I presume)
  
 Is the second point true in your experience and is it somewhere in that that explains why USB on the 2Qute is very slightly better than the toslink? *EDIT: Or does Toslink contain some noise but owing to the galvanised USB it has less thus making it more to do with the first point?*
  
 Or is there a better way to explain this to me? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  Don't worry if not.  I suspect this is an issue that will rumble on for years and I (for one) will never understand.  Can't blame me for asking Rob Watts himself though just in case 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 Cheers Rob!
  
 Craig
  
 (*) Before my Hugo I owned the Audiolab MDAC which had a great bit-perfect test facility built into the product.  The test took several minutes to complete and with this you could prove beyond any doubt that your setup was playing "bit perfect" to the DAC.  No matter which type of cable I used I could always pass the test (after getting the PC configured correctly of course).  Thought this was worth mentioning because this only convinced me further that the digital side of things has been solved so that can't be where any difference in sound originates


----------



## schneller

So has the consensus been reached that this is THE DAC to own in the $1500-$2000 price range? Does anyone know how it compares to the new $1250 Schiit Gungnir MB?


----------



## jimmypowder

schneller said:


> So has the consensus been reached that this is THE DAC to own in the $1500-$2000 price range? Does anyone know how it compares to the new $1250 Schiit Gungnir MB?



I'll let you know next week when my updated MB Gungnir comes in


----------



## cladane

I own the 2Qute and different DACs and I can say that actually jitter is not more a problem. Technology has reached the point where manufacturers know how to make a DAC jitter free (at least not audible).
 Better to look at first the audio files quality (in what an MP3 world we live!), then the cables, the source, the network.
  
 THE DAC under $2000 ? Not at all. There are very skilled engineers in this world, fortunate us.
 One example: QAT RS3.


----------



## RubyTiger

schneller said:


> So has the consensus been reached that this is THE DAC to own in the $1500-$2000 price range? Does anyone know how it compares to the new $1250 Schiit Gungnir MB?


 

 If there is a direct consensus of the 2Qute being the best under $2000.00 I don't know about it. What I can help with are some new (to me) review's. Some being customer feedback so look for the review button on those.
  
http://www.whathifi.com/chord/2qute/review
  
http://www.moon-audio.com/chord-2-qute-dac.html
  
http://www.cnet.com/news/for-the-serious-audiophile-the-chord-2qute-digital-converter/
  
http://www.audiot.co.uk/products/chord-electronics-2qute-dac-8433.aspx
  
 I think it's a great dac and it would be hard to find something better around the cost. And what should be really great about it is that Chord will offer updates in the future?
  
 What about it Rob, will future updates be taken into consideration for the 2Qute?


----------



## OK-Guy

​  ​           ​  
*CanJam London*​  ​ *Date: Saturday 29th - Sunday 30th*​  ​ *Venue: Hotel Russell*​ *Russell Square, London WC1*​  ​ *Nearest  Tube: Russell Square (Piccadilly-Line)*​  ​ *Chord Electronics is a proud Sponsor of the inaugural*​ *CanJam-London Event*​  ​ *We will have the Chord Hugo, Chord Hugo-TT & Chord 2Qute on display with Headphones from Beyerdynamic, Grado Labs, Rhapsodio & Dita Audio*​  ​ *John Franks & Rob Watts will be in attendance along with the team from Chord Electronics.*​  ​ *Tickets:* http://www.eventbrite.com/e/canjam-london-2015-tickets-16567663327​  ​ ​


----------



## schneller

Can anyone comment as to whether adding a Schiit Wyrd into the USB input side of the 2Qute would be helpful?


----------



## johndean

schneller said:


> Can anyone comment as to whether adding a Schiit Wyrd into the USB input side of the 2Qute would be helpful?




I don't know , but the Uptone Regen that helped with most dacs didn't help much with the 2qute imo.


----------



## vert

I leave my 2Qute on all of the time and it seems to sound better than powering it off after each listening session.


----------



## ChordElectronics

schneller said:


> Can anyone comment as to whether adding a Schiit Wyrd into the USB input side of the 2Qute would be helpful?


 

 No, using any of the mentioned USB devices will have no effect on 2Qute's performance. We recommend that you keep the signal as direct as possible from your source to your 2Qute.


----------



## 4414ever

What would be cool to try, if we could get 9.5 2Qute people to contribute $20 each and we could then agree to all test drive the REGEN for say 7 days and then pass on to the next person on the contributor/part owner list.  I would not want to have to do an LLC arrangement if we could all just agree to an honor based system.  Then at the end of the trial, if someone wants to buy it we agree to sell it at a discounted rate based on the order of response to the project.  Discount must take into consideration that it has been auditioned by 9 other people.  Or we agree to just sell it and split up the loot evenly.
  
 The goal is that 9.5 people can audition the device with minimal outlay.
  
 Probably too much hassle, but just thought I would throw it out there.


----------



## schneller

4414ever said:


> What would be cool to try, if we could get 9.5 2Qute people to contribute $20 each and we could then agree to all test drive the REGEN for say 7 days and then pass on to the next person on the contributor/part owner list.  I would not want to have to do an LLC arrangement if we could all just agree to an honor based system.  Then at the end of the trial, if someone wants to buy it we agree to sell it at a discounted rate based on the order of response to the project.  Discount must take into consideration that it has been auditioned by 9 other people.  Or we agree to just sell it and split up the loot evenly.
> 
> The goal is that 9.5 people can audition the device with minimal outlay.
> 
> Probably too much hassle, but just thought I would throw it out there.


 
 Sorry to disappoint but the conclusion of several Regen + 2Qute owners at ComputerAudiophile concludes the Regen does nothing to benefit. 
  
 I wish you Regen people would go peddle your wears elsewhere.


----------



## 4414ever

schneller said:


> Sorry to disappoint but the conclusion of several Regen + 2Qute owners at ComputerAudiophile concludes the Regen does nothing to benefit.
> 
> I wish you Regen people would go peddle your wears elsewhere.


 

 Funny.  So the general consensus and "conclusion" of the masses is fact but I guess that is the purpose of forums.
  
 And sorry to invalidate your conspiracy theory, but I have absolutely no affiliation with the "Regen people".


----------



## johndean

schneller said:


> Sorry to disappoint but the conclusion of several Regen + 2Qute owners at ComputerAudiophile concludes the Regen does nothing to benefit.
> 
> I wish you Regen people would go peddle your wears elsewhere.


 
 I am one of the ones who said I felt the Regen paired with the 2QUte provided no benefit.
  
 The Regen did yield significant audio improvement with every other dac I tried ,especiallyconected to a computer. 
  
 There was less improvement with a network streamer like the Auralic Aries.
  
 Is it worth 160 bucks. Absolutely.


----------



## OK-Guy

​  ​  ​ *Chord Electronics will be exhibiting following products at Audio Show East :-*​  ​ *Hugo, Hugo-TT & 2Qute and two new products -*​ *Chord 2800 MK11 Amplifier (with built-in DAC) and eagerly awaited flagship DAVE (Pre-Amp DAC)*​  ​ *In a supporting role will be Headphone products from Beyerdynamic, Audioquest, Dita Audio & Rhapsodio.*​  ​ *Systems will feature PMC Speakers - Fact 12 & Twenty-26 *​  ​  ​ _*Please Note*_*: the Chord DAVE being exhibited at 'Audio Show East' is one of the 'working pre-production units' and not the final signed-off version, the only way to listen to DAVE is by attending the Event.*​  ​ *Chord's event Team are Colin & Tom  *​  ​ *Show website/registration/tickets:* http://www.signals.uk.com/audioshoweast201.html​  ​


----------



## OK-Guy

​  ​ *2Qute DAC at Audio Show East*​  ​ ​  ​  ​


----------



## vert

I noticed some treble harshness during break-in. But it seems like it's smoothed out quite a bit and there's been a jump in listenability.
  
 Anyone notice the same?


----------



## johndean

vert said:


> I noticed some treble harshness during break-in. But it seems like it's smoothed out quite a bit and there's been a jump in listenability.
> 
> Anyone notice the same?


 
 Yes ,when I initially started using it. There is none now after a couple of months.


----------



## vert

Yes, it seems like it's opening up quite a bit now and the treble harshness is disappearing.
  
 I wasn't able to listen to it for long periods before, but that changed last night so I figured there must have been a leap in performance.


----------



## Brubacca

I am very interested in this DAC. Vert and Johndean, which input are you using? I have seen user reports of harshness of treble specifically on the coax input. Do you observe this?


----------



## johndean

brubacca said:


> I am very interested in this DAC. Vert and Johndean, which input are you using? I have seen user reports of harshness of treble specifically on the coax input. Do you observe this?




By far the best input is USB because it has galvanic isolation . It is the best input to use , period


----------



## Brubacca

johndean said:


> By far the best input is USB because it has galvanic isolation . It is the best input to use , period




Can you elaborate? My intended use would be coax from my non-usb capable streamer.


----------



## jimmypowder

brubacca said:


> Can you elaborate? My intended use would be coax from my non-usb capable streamer.




The USB input in my experience has better resolution and less treble harshness . 

I have a USB streamer so I'm in luck .


----------



## vert

I'm using the BNC.
  
 All of the harshness is gone now and I'm able to listen to it for extended periods.


----------



## thfc3567

Just set up the melco digital music library with the chord qute2. Wow, never realized how restricting the sound is using a pc. Now everything played through it is crystal clear as if a veil has been removed. Very expensive but ultimately worth it.


----------



## rocky500

I had the Regen for a few months and tried as I might (different Linear PSU's) it really did seem to take away something from my music with my 2Qute.
 Tried the Jitterbug and it too slightly dulled the sound but not quite to the Regens extent.
 Could also be depending on what else in used in your system (amps, speakers etc) but my system is better without them.
 Looking at the Regen thread it does seem to work very well for others with other brand Dacs.


----------



## RubyTiger

Cables can make a difference. I'm using audioquest's Diamond which may be going overboard for some but there's improvements across the board. Bigger images, improved height, width and depth. Greater instrument separation, details, timbre and texture. I suspect the Carbon is a very good cable as well and I'm very curious if there's other's synergistic with the 2Qute.
  
 I (and others) have had some problems with Jriver and ASIO. Besides timing errors, when choosing 'DSD' there's a loud screeching noise that is as bad as scrapping your fingernail's across a chalk board. I'm sure it's not good for your headphones as well.
  
 Jriver and Chord's ASIO do not mix very well. I now use 'WASAPI' exclusively.
  
 Matt Bartlett from Chord has helped me with these settings and they work.
  
 1. Under Playback Options set Bitstreaming to 'DSD', then under Track Change's check both boxes;    ( Do not play silence. and use gapless for sequential album tracks.)
  
 2. Then under 'DSP Studio' The out put encoding box should say 'NONE'. On the right hand side make sure the Channel say's 'source number of channels'.
  
 You should be able to play all bitrates without going back and changing anything (even DSD).


----------



## vert

Everything makes a difference, unfortunately.
  
 I connect the 2Qute to an Entreq grounding box. I also have it sitting on my Stillpoints rack.
  
 I leave the 2Qute on 24/7.


----------



## johndean

rocky500 said:


> I had the Regen for a few months and tried as I might (different Linear PSU's) it really did seem to take away something from my music with my 2Qute.
> Tried the Jitterbug and it too slightly dulled the sound but not quite to the Regens extent.
> Could also be depending on what else in used in your system (amps, speakers etc) but my system is better without them.
> Looking at the Regen thread it does seem to work very well for others with other brand Dacs.


 
 I have tried at least a dozen dacs with the Regen and the only one that did not benefit from it was the 2Qute. That includes
 more expensive dacs.
  
 None of my other dacs have USB galvanic isolation so maybe that's the key but I dont know for sure.


----------



## RubyTiger

vert said:


> Everything makes a difference, unfortunately.
> 
> I connect the 2Qute to an Entreq grounding box. I also have it sitting on my Stillpoints rack.
> 
> I leave the 2Qute on 24/7.


 

 Unfortunately? I was speaking of product's like the Regen and Jitterbug that don't improve the overall sound. When my 2Qute arrived many month's ago I was happy to see the bnc coax input. The AP2 w/pure power comes with such a fitting and I have even read where Philip had alluded to it being the best connector. But, when spending time with the AP2 bnc verses the 2Qutes galvanic isolation the galvanic isolation was clearly better in clarity.
  
 I have not tried any of Audiophilleo's more expensive sibling's though. And I know Philip highly recommends the AP with Hugo. If you read back through the thread you will see that Rob say's the 2Qutes sound is smoother with pc and the distortion level is even less than the Hugo. What did the Entreq grounding box do for the 2Qute? I have read also that the Stillpoints are a good tweak although I'm using Isonodes which are more like individual air bladders.
  
 The sound I am hearing is very clean with no background noise. Everything's in focus as it should be be so I can not account for the different way's of handling resonances. I would like to try Stillpoints though and see if there's a difference.


----------



## vert

The entreq box takes the hard etching out of digital. Hard etching you didn't know was there until it's gone.
  
 It's also reduces noise.
  
 You may hear a huge difference with the stillpoints, depending upon your setup. The ESS rack is incredible.


----------



## adolfo

Hi,
  
 Does 2Qute require 5VDC in the USB input as Hugo for handshake?
  
 Adolfo


----------



## Rob Watts

It needs the 5V to power the USB decoder chip - this is how the galvanic isolation works, as the isolation is on the decoded I2S data post USB.
  
 Rob


----------



## RubyTiger

vert said:


> The entreq box takes the hard etching out of digital. Hard etching you didn't know was there until it's gone.
> 
> It's also reduces noise.
> 
> You may hear a huge difference with the stillpoints, depending upon your setup. The ESS rack is incredible.


 

 Is that glass shelves on the ESS rack? Which of the still points do you recommend for the 2Qute?
  
 I had a welder build me a stand out of 1/4 inch steel plate and tubing. It was less than $400.00. Not only does it have to be moved with a dolly I believe you could drop it from an airplane with little to no damage. Lot's of other way's to spend $8600.00.
  
 Just saying....


----------



## vert

The shelves are acrylic on the ESS rack.
  
 With stillpoints footers, the high you go up, the better they are. But even with the Ultra SS, you should hear big differences.
  
 I spent half of retail on the rack, and I can tell you it is worth every penny. In fact, I wish I bought the bigger size.
  
 I wouldn't audition any DAC without the rack.


----------



## vert

I'd recommend anyone using SPDIF with an RCA to BNC adapter for the 2Qute to ditch that.
  
 Go with USB or get a digital cable with properly terminated BNC.
  
 I just installed a digital cable with proper BNC connectors (my transport also uses BNC) and was stunned at the jump in performance. Sounds like another DAC.
  
 According to the designer of my digital cable, BNC to BNC is the way to go for SPDIF.


----------



## johndean

vert said:


> I'd recommend anyone using SPDIF with an RCA to BNC adapter for the 2Qute to ditch that.
> 
> Go with USB or get a digital cable with properly terminated BNC.
> 
> ...


 
 That's interesting. I am using USB and havent tried the Coax  .Have you compared the coax with bnc 
 to the USB?


----------



## vert

I haven't compared USB to SPDIF, but it sounds very good with my Ziro audio digital cable (with native BNC connectors).
  
 The interesting question is how much I would need to spend on a USB cable to get the same performance as my SPDIF cable.


----------



## johndean

vert said:


> I haven't compared USB to SPDIF, but it sounds very good with my Ziro audio digital cable (with native BNC connectors).
> 
> The interesting question is how much I would need to spend on a USB cable to get the same performance as my SPDIF cable.


 
 Well here's guessing a good Usb cable with the 2qute with galvanic isolation will sound better than coax.


----------



## OK-Guy

​  ​ *You Talked, We Listened... The Game Will Change !!!*​  ​ *Date: 14.10.15 - Venue: The Shard*​  ​ ​  
 ​ 




* ...The Competition is free to enter and open TO ALL !!!...*



​  ​ *Competition Link:*  http://www.head-fi.org/t/782815/chord-electronics-the-shard-event​


----------



## Skampmeister

All I want to say is thanks Rob, the 2Qute has been my favorite piece of audio I've ever owned, there's just something about that silver little box.


----------



## montanari

hy guys!
 I m willing to trade my hugo for a 2qute
 i m located in europe and put the same request in the classified
 just to let you know..!!
  
 by the way: does the dac improve over a spdif connection? (I use a ConceroHD as a converter to the Hugo and i think is much better (for my taste)
 thanks
 Dani


----------



## Raika

I wonder why Rob choose battaries inside Hugo which I know that Batteries produce power through a chemical reaction. Every type of battery will have a slightly different chemical mixture that is used to generate power .


----------



## RubyTiger

montanari said:


> hy guys!
> I m willing to trade my hugo for a 2qute
> i m located in europe and put the same request in the classified
> just to let you know..!!
> ...


 

 The 'galvanic isolated' usb sounded better than my AP2 with pure power. I was using the straight bnc to bnc which is supposed to be the best. Nor have I read of anyone achieving better results with equipment like the 'Regen', or Audioquest Jitterbug. On another note; my 2Qute sounds much better now after many months of use.. I used to ask about the overly bright led but not so much anymore. Another change has been the background which is black now in contrast to the brightness from before. Good luck with the trade.


----------



## WoIf

Hi I'm new here.
 This is my first time owning a Chord 2Qute DAC.
  
 My current OS is Windows 10
 Whenever I set my Sample Rate to 384khz 32bit or 24bit, I'm able to hear sound when i click on "Test button" but Media players stops working.
 -Spotify (skipping songs),
 -foobar2000 (displays a error "Unrecoverable playback error: The parameter is incorrect.   (0x80070057)"), 
 -VLC (no sound but elapsed time is still running)
 -Youtube (able to watch the video but no sound)
  
 Is this normal when simple rate is set to 384khz?


----------



## OK-Guy

woif said:


> Hi I'm new here.
> This is my first time owning a Chord 2Qute DAC.
> 
> My current OS is Windows 10
> ...


 
  
 I'll get back to you with some advice in a short while.


----------



## montanari

I m in love with my Hugo that i use just as a usb dac, becuase i use it in my lcd3 chains and the headphone for sure needs a more powerful amp (for my taste)
 do you guys think is it Worth to sell the hugo to buy a 2qute so to optimize the setup and use maybe a better usb port and the fancier rca and usb cable that are in the drawer now?
 according to my reading the hugo and 2qute should sound the same..


----------



## Skampmeister

IMO, the 2qute sounds better, so buy it.


----------



## montanari

I assume you had both (not a 2minutes demo)
In wich way better?


----------



## vert

montanari said:


> according to my reading the hugo and 2qute should sound the same..


 
 Hard to say. Some people prefer the Hugo over the 2Qute. Check out the Naim streaming forum for reviews.


----------



## WoIf

ok-guy said:


> I'll get back to you with some advice in a short while.


 
 ok


----------



## OK-Guy

woif said:


> Hi I'm new here.
> This is my first time owning a Chord 2Qute DAC.
> 
> My current OS is Windows 10
> ...


 
  
  
 Wolf, I've heard back from Matt at Chord, his response is below...
  
_Setting the Windows output to 384KHz is not ideal. By doing this you are making the computer upsample everything that it is trying to play which results in lots of load on the computer processor slowing it down and causing drop outs. It can also affect the sound quality.

 When you use Spotify, VLC or Youtube these programs use the sound mixer built into Windows and the normal output from the programs is 44Khz so it is best to leave the Windows settings at 44Khz. This will stop any software upsampling and make the computer more efficient.

 With Foobar you need to install the kernel streaming, ASIO or WASAPI modules so that Foobar can play music at it's native format and use no upsampling. You can then play high resolution music at the correct sample rate.
 Foobar has the ability to bypass the Windows software mixer and control the 2Qute directly which gives the best results._
  
 Hope this helps...


----------



## WoIf

ok-guy said:


> Wolf, I've heard back from Matt at Chord, his response is below...
> 
> _Setting the Windows output to 384KHz is not ideal. By doing this you are making the computer upsample everything that it is trying to play which results in lots of load on the computer processor slowing it down and causing drop outs. It can also affect the sound quality.
> 
> ...





Thanks for update, I appreciate the info.
Send matt my regards

I want to know, by setting 384khz would cause those media player to stop working?
My fear is I might have faulty DAC.


----------



## johndean

vert said:


> Hard to say. Some people prefer the Hugo over the 2Qute. Check out the Naim streaming forum for reviews.


 
 The Hugo has no USB galvanic isolation scenario . the 2Qute does. I have heard people prefer the 2 qute over the Hugo
 because of this.


----------



## vert

johndean said:


> The Hugo has no USB galvanic isolation scenario . the 2Qute does. I have heard people prefer the 2 qute over the Hugo
> because of this.


 
  
 I would go with USB with the 2Qute.
  
 There's a treble harshness via SPDIF with the 2Qute. I noticed it as well as others on the Naim forum.


----------



## montanari

well
 i connect the hugo by usb and by spdif (wireworld silverlight7+conceroHD spdif+usb wireworld silverlight7)
 and the sounds is pretty much the same
 oh yes, here is more analog, there is warmer ...maybe


----------



## Skampmeister

montanari said:


> I assume you had both (not a 2minutes demo)
> In wich way better?




Yes, I owned a Hugo for a month before selling it to buy the 2qute. The 2qute was more open and alive sounding.


----------



## WoIf

Any updates?


----------



## kevjmj

rubytiger said:


> Maybe you would have better luck with Jriver? I'm going to post a thread someone gave me a week ago about DSD and Jriver settings. This may help others as well; still,  I really hope you get it to work with Foobar. If not then maybe try Jriver?


 

 Are you still planning on putting up this thread? This will be my next upgrade - to go to DSD, and so far I'm leaning towards the Jriver, especially if the next version looks "other than Windows". I hope that the thread is about "Jriver settings" for the 2 Qute.


----------



## RubyTiger

kevjmj said:


> Are you still planning on putting up this thread? This will be my next upgrade - to go to DSD, and so far I'm leaning towards the Jriver, especially if the next version looks "other than Windows". I hope that the thread is about "Jriver settings" for the 2 Qute.


 
  
 My apologies as I dropped the idea due to a lack of response. I'm using Media Center 20 and have not looked into the next version yet.
  
 Also, I'm using Window's 7 and setting up Jriver for it is so very simple.
  
 1. Open up Jriver.
 2. Under Player choose 'play back options'.
 3. Under digital output select 'Chord - WASAPI'
 4. Under Settings choose Bitstreaming and check DSD.
  
 Your done.
  
 I'm sure OK-GUY can help you or knows who can for other's.


----------



## digitallc

digitallc said:


> My apologies, if this has been answered before. I am thinking of getting the new Mac mini which has USB 3 connections. Should I expect a drop in sound quality, or no difference, vs USB 2 with my 2Qute?


 
  
  


chordelectronics said:


> Hi,
> No you will have no loss of sound quality using a USB 3 port even with USB 2 connections.


 
 So it turns out that the issue is not the *quality* of the sound.....
  
 http://audiophilereview.com/cd-dac-digital/apple-messes-up-usb-30-audio-big-time.html


----------



## bpcans

Is anybody here using a Chord 2Qute with a MacBook Pro15 13" to a tube amp? I'm presently using a Peachtree DAC•ITx to a Woo WA6, and I'm looking to upgrade. Thanks


----------



## kevjmj

So far this and my La Figaro 339 have worked flawlessly. It runs at a sample frequency of 192 without using JRiver.


----------



## duncan1

I have been reading about this DAC and like its design especially the discrete class A output . But I also noticed that several people commented on the earth the Chord 2Qute not having one and only a two pin mains connector that too I agree with as earth induced noise can cause problems . While this isnt emphasized in the US it is "big time " in the UK and has been for decades reams of info have been published comments by the 1000 over many decades . This ties up with my own findings which were initiated by a now departed UK power amp designer way back in the late 70,s he too produced an amplifier without an earth but had to install an earth due to UK regulations. I notice too the comments on galvanic isolation of USB and some comments on the co-axial BNC socket "not as good " if the philosophy of the designer is correct this is down to whatever is attached to the DAC . If you have a garden then a suggestion is a direct feed via a military transmitter co-ax -low capacitance /inductance /low resistance connected to an earth spike about 6 feet down the co ax shielding connected only to the spike end . The only problem is like a 1930,s tube radio earth if the ground is dry you had to water it to reduce the resistance.. Thats just one method its a subject that has many angles.


----------



## ChordElectronics

*COMPETITION TIME*​  
Our London Underground campaign has begun and to celebrate we're offering you a chance to win a Mojo. To enter just find one of the 26 sites on the central London tube network, take a selfie, and publish it on your Facebook (not forgetting to tag us in). Competition ends in two weeks time.​  ​ *Happy hunting!*​  ​ ​


----------



## johndean

bpcans said:


> Is anybody here using a Chord 2Qute with a MacBook Pro15 13" to a tube amp? I'm presently using a Peachtree DAC•ITx to a Woo WA6, and I'm looking to upgrade. Thanks


 
 I am using a 2qute with Auralic Aries and Primaluna Prologue Premium Tube amp and the 2Qute works
 very well with this tube amplifier .A tube amp and the 2 qute seem very complimentary to me


----------



## bpcans

johndean said:


> I am using a 2qute with Auralic Aries and Primaluna Prologue Premium Tube amp and the 2Qute works
> very well with this tube amplifier .A tube amp and the 2 qute seem very complimentary to me


Thanks for your response JD.


----------



## duncan1

Just bought one 2 days ago  -my equipment - Cyrus xtse2+ pu -own built buffer using high quality audio chips - Stax 727 mk2 -heavily modified by me -Stax omega 2 mk 1 earspeakers . I found it to be very open and clear reproducing exactly whats on my cd,s great detail and contrary to some reports excellent bass a real musical presentation . But for those looking for something to cover up flaws in their equipment this isnt it or to make cd,s or any other musical medium that has been recorded with music of low recording techniques this will not do it. Faithful reproduction is what it is about and also the longer its on the better it gets -very happy so far.


----------



## Cenacheros

I bought a 2Qute the other day from Art's Excellence in Holland,£/€ exchange rate very much in £'s favour,plus a great deal on USB cable as well as a super guy to deal with and delivery to UK within two days.No,I have absolutely no connection with the company.The point is,I was advised to let the unit burn in for two weeks,and not expect optimum performance for three months! I'll be back in the UK next week and eager to collect my 2Qute. A long anticipated purchase!


----------



## duncan1

Not someone who just plugs a part in and thats it  I noticed that my system was now a bit too open for me personally . This is not in any way -shape or form caused by the 2Qute  as it only reproduces  what it is given ,no my Stax SRM-727-mk 2 which I have heavily modified from sounding -well laid back to very open  wasnt what I wanted . So I went the easiest way of making changes and in the process found out that  my Cyrus XTSE2 -platform was being shown up a bit by the 2Qute to resolve this I constructed various lengths of 75 ohm co-ax as well as various high quality commercial connectors . I tested them on my  Wayne Kerr digital bench LCR tester  for only capacitance  in a range of cables from 6PF to 0.5UF  , I added parallel caps to make up values I didnt to have already. I was surprised to find  that there was a very large difference in the reproduction  depending on the capacitance . As suspected the larger the capacitance the "smoother " the reproduction  this I whittled down to a sound I was happy with. So if any buyer of this great DAC  has equipment they think isnt reproducing exactly what they want then experiment with digital cables . You will find long cables have a higher capacitance and very short low this is usually the case although ,yes I know of others that dont fit that pattern . IT shows how great effect a cable connected to a high-fi system can have on the reproduction  if all the components are very open . I intentionally didnt test for inductance .


----------



## oldson

cenacheros said:


> I bought a 2Qute the other day from Art's Excellence in Holland,£/€ exchange rate very much in £'s favour,plus a great deal on USB cable as well as a super guy to deal with and delivery to UK within two days.No,I have absolutely no connection with the company.The point is,I was advised to let the unit burn in for two weeks,and not expect optimum performance for three months! I'll be back in the UK next week and eager to collect my 2Qute. A long anticipated purchase!


 
 i fancy one of these.
 good price, cheers for posting.


----------



## John Swe

I went to pick up my 2Qute yesterday after a long wait.  I have encountered a problem, the LED-lights does not change on the USB when I change the sample rate. On the Coax and optical it changes seemingly without trouble. Is this something to be worried about, because if its only the light that is stuck and not the sample rate then that is no big problem.  Im using foobar if that helps anything.


----------



## Cenacheros

oldson said:


> i fancy one of these.
> good price, cheers for posting.


 

 You're welcome! I upgraded to the Carbon cable,still came in at a very favourable price.


----------



## iansen

If I have read this correctly: when using the USB input from eg a laptop, then part of the Chord 2Qute is powered by the laptop (via the USB).
  
 If this is correct then is there "good practice" for unplugging the laptop into the 2Qute.
  
 I use a Macbook Pro and iTunes and Bitperfect via USB into a Chord 2Qute which feeds into a pre-amp. I often disconnect the laptop from the USB cable to move the laptop to another room.
  
 Everytime I disconnect the USB, I turn down the volume on the pre-amp and change input.
  
 Is there anything else I should be doing? eg quit iTunes? e.g. Actually turn the Macbook off?


----------



## Cenacheros

I've been lurking on the Hugo/2Qute forums for some time now.At last I've bought a 2Qute.I have it connected to a Macbook 
 via USB with an Audioquest Carbon cable playing CD files ripped to WAV.I'm using Senn. 650s recabled with Forza Audioworks Noir HPC Mk 11. The headphone amp. was made to order by NJC Audio in Cornwall,a Monitor 11.I've given details of the 
 equipment used simply because I'm sure they all play their part,the 2Qute especially.The end result? Audio bliss! Stunning,simply stunning!!!


----------



## Cenacheros

Apart from the 2Qute being a fantastic Dac,and revealing hidden layers of details on old favourite tracks that I never knew were there,it does so in a completely fatigue free way.I can listen to music forever without the slightest listening fatigue.This is a rare
 quality!


----------



## RubyTiger

cenacheros said:


> Apart from the 2Qute being a fantastic Dac,and revealing hidden layers of details on old favourite tracks that I never knew were there,it does so in a completely fatigue free way.I can listen to music forever without the slightest listening fatigue.This is a rare
> quality!


 

 I wonder if Chord made some changes. My experience at first was no where near so positive. It was bright, bright, with a glare. Some busier music could be slightly congested, and Classical Orchestra (for example) did sound compressed. I kept asking, "Are the led light's supposed to be so bright?" There was a glare over everything. Vocals, especially female's sounded extra smooth and  intimate, and I could finally understand the lyric's. Jazz sounded great as well but not electronica. Well, it's month's later now and I have a black background. I do not remember exactly when it happened but those led's don't shine nearly as bright anymore either. I no longer hear the compression from before.and electronica now sounds sharp with some snap to it. I never experimented with power supplies or any of the numerous other item's that promise better sound. I just sat back and let it break in. And now I'm happy with the results.


----------



## Cenacheros

I did have reservations prior to buying the 2Qute.To a degree it was a leap of faith.Happily,my doubts were unfounded.Plenty of bass,absolutely no glare,just a full and detailed well rounded delivery.I'm using a USB connection,this is meant to be the ideal connection for 2Qute,as well as a decent cable.The 2Qute is powered 24/7.I couldn't be happier!


----------



## RubyTiger

cenacheros said:


> I did have reservations prior to buying the 2Qute.To a degree it was a leap of faith.Happily,my doubts were unfounded.Plenty of bass,absolutely no glare,just a full and detailed well rounded delivery.I'm using a USB connection,this is meant to be the ideal connection for 2Qute,as well as a decent cable.The 2Qute is powered 24/7.I couldn't be happier!


 

 Well welcome to the family. I hope the 2Qute brings you many hour's of enjoyment. I wasn't trying to rain on your parade but just stating what myself and many others experienced. Again, I wonder if Chord made some improvements. Even now I find some of my music less engaging than with other dac's. But I attribute that to it being more resolving and accurate to the recording.


----------



## Cenacheros

Oh,I didn't imagine for a moment you were being in any way negative! I can understand "the less engaging" view.Led Zepp.,etc.,has less slam than with my Dragonfly dac,but is a lot more accurate and resolving as you rightly say.To a degree, there might be a trade off for some people,depending on their musical tastes.Right now,I'm listening to each of my 15 Michael Franks Cds,this Dac was definitely made for Michael Franks! Cheers!


----------



## John Swe

I have not been home much since I bought and inserted the 2qute in my system, so it's probably not even close to being fully burned in but I still wanted say that inserting my 2 jitterbugs helpt some to make the sound somewhat more smooth and easier to listen to. After getting substantially more burn in hours I will take them out to see if anything gets lost. If anyone have tried using jitterbugs with the 2qute I would love to hear if you perceived any difference, good or bad.


----------



## panditji

cenacheros said:


> Oh,I didn't imagine for a moment you were being in any way negative! I can understand "the less engaging" view.Led Zepp.,etc.,has less slam than with my Dragonfly dac,but is a lot more accurate and resolving as you rightly say.To a degree, there might be a trade off for some people,depending on their musical tastes.Right now,I'm listening to each of my 15 Michael Franks Cds,this Dac was definitely made for Michael Franks! Cheers!


 
 Wow, I too love Michael Franks...Will listen to the albums now that you reminded me....the 2Qute does bring out a lot of details and I love my instrumental collection with it...


----------



## cladane

Hello here,
  
 I tried to connect a linear PSU to my 2Qute but it doesn't power up.
 Any reason?


----------



## naimless

Be careful it does say in the instructions not to use any other power supply but the one that comes with the 2Qute also the designer of this dac has stated(earlier in this thread)that the 2 Qute won't benefit from a change of ps battery or linear.
But as you've got one and you want to try it that's upto you,have you checked it's the correct voltage and the output plug is wired correctly,I've noticed that sometimes the centre pin can be -ve or+ve.


----------



## Cenacheros

I take back what I said about Led Zepp. not having "slam".My ears changing or the 2Qute maturing? A bit of both I'm sure.Everything sounds fantastic!


----------



## cladane

Yes @nameless I read this advice not to use another PSU.
 Well, I did a try... but I have checked the 12V output. Perhaps there is a current limiter. My PSU outputs 1.5A.


----------



## Skampmeister

My opinion is simply if Rob himself states you don't need another PSU, and from what we know of him, he would say it would benefit from another if it did, don't bother trying to change from the one supplied.


----------



## cladane

Yes, true. I have reintroduced the original psu.


----------



## John Swe

Ok now I have alot of burn in time on my 2qute. When I took away the jitterbugs the sound got a bit more focused. They are staying out, this is love affair between the 2qute and my T1.


----------



## Skampmeister

My System 

https://youtu.be/hG-1cRdUM2c


----------



## panditji

Has anybody compared a Mojo v/s 2Qute in a hifi setup vis a vis the sound quality and detailing? Are they similar sounding ? 
 I have a 2 Qute and am planning another unit for my second system and wanted to know if it would be a good idea to save some money and get a Mojo instead of a 2Qute..


----------



## naimless

I used my mojo in my main system while waiting for my 2qute to arrive and while I didn't compare them side by side I heard a definite improvement when my 2qute was connected up more detail more bass although the gap between the two was smaller until my 2qute was burned in.
This was using the usb connection on both I wouldn't expect the gap to be as large over co-axial or optical ,haven't really used the other connections much yet so can't say for sure.
Of course this is all imo and as you would expect they do sound very similar but to me the 2qute just improves on the mojo in just about every way, as it should it is after all twice the price.
Having said that I think it would depend on what you were pairing it with in your 2nd system wether the extra cost of the 2qute is justified.


----------



## Skampmeister

I too have a 2qute and a mojo, and I A/B them and the 2qute was more transparent and open, and more detailed. 

But the mojo on headphones, well, yippe.


----------



## jlbrach

out of curiousity,if i was to use the 2Qute with a Cavalli Liquid Carbon amp how would i connect the 2Qute to the amp after i connect my AK120 to the 2Qute....I cannot quite see the connection options in the pictures


----------



## Paul777

the-kraken said:


> To use with the Oppo HA1:
> Connect your source to the 2qute via Coax, optical or USB digital input & use the switch on the 2qute to select the appropriate input type.
> connect RCA cables from the 2qute to the Oppo HA1 RCA inputs
> select the RCA input on the Oppo, plug in headphones, and Bob's your uncle
> ...


 
 Newbie question sorry.  Is there a way to integrate the 2qute into both an oppo HA-1 in conjunction with an oppo BD-105?  So it could serve both headphone listening and speakers.  I use the BD-105 as a preamp with mono blocks to the speakers.  Thanks in advance to anyone that can help.  I used my friends AK380 feeding the HA-1 today and heard the difference a better DAC can make. For $1,800 for the 2qute I'd love to be able to enjoy the DAC for both headphone and 2-ch speaker listening.


----------



## cladane

Hello here,
  
 I would suggest to @Paul777 the following adapter:
  
http://www.audiophonics.fr/fr/adaptateurs-rca/viablue-rca-adaptateur-la-paire-p-740.html


----------



## Paul777

How can I feed the 2Qute directly to mono blocks without a volume control?


----------



## cladane

No you can't. You will need a preamp.


----------



## Paul777

cladane said:


> No you can't. You will need a preamp.


 
 I thought so. I promise I wasn't going to blow anything up.  I'll feed it into my oppo HA-1.


----------



## Paul777

Probably the best audio dollars I ever spent. The change to my system was not subtle. I LOVE my new DAC.


----------



## cantara256

rob watts said:


> No its no way as good as TT, but it is as good as ordinary Hugo. It is better than Hugo with USB when fed from a noisy PC. And you don't need to worry about the PSU, as a car battery feeding 2 Qute has no SQ benefits.
> 
> TT has better DAC reference components, and this makes it sound much smoother and warmer, with better instrument focus and separation. Technically, this is due to a reduction in noise floor modulation, and it shows in the measurements - THD and noise is some 4dB lower than Hugo/2 Qute at 3v RMS OP. There are some other benefits with TT due to chassis weight, super caps and the extra batteries. And of course TT can replace your pre-amp too, which gives another big step increase in transparency.
> 
> Rob


 
 Anyone here actually compared the 2Qute with the full Hugo TT? I know Rob says the TT is definitely better, but given the price difference, I'm wondering what people who have listened to both think.
  
 And for Rob: any thoughts on releasing an amp-less TT?


----------



## Paul777

Are there thoughts on what driver is best, asio or wasapi?


----------



## RubyTiger

paul777 said:


> Are there thoughts on what driver is best, asio or wasapi?


 
  
 The 2Qute only get's better with time. I think WASAPI is best.


----------



## michaelvv

Hi...
  
 Got my Chord 2qute yesterday, after a long waiting time.
  
 Do you still consider 300 hours as the ultimate break in time ??
  
 I have it on 24/7, and after 10 hours it started to open up a little.
  
 My Amps are both DHT tubes 4P1L/2A3.
  
 Thanks Michael


----------



## nick77

michaelvv said:


> Hi...
> 
> Got my Chord 2qute yesterday, after a long waiting time.
> 
> ...


 
 I didnt notice much difference after about 4 days of 24/7. I think it really opened up about day 3.


----------



## michaelvv

Hi Nick.
  
 Great Info to know, it's starting to get better here at my place.
  
 Michael.


----------



## henriks

For things like Tidal/Spotify Chromecast audio(spdif) will 2Qute be overkill?


----------



## jlbrach

IMHO it is certainly overkill for lossy material like spotify but it is perfect for lossless Tidal.....or any other lossless source


----------



## theveterans

> IMHO it is certainly overkill for lossy material like spotify but it is perfect for lossless Tidal.....or any other lossless source


 
  
 Nah, there's no overkill. In my book, a DAC should improve the sound quality of 128 - 320 Kbps lossy file, not make it worse. If it makes it worse, it's a poor DAC IMO. I doubt 2Qute would make the sound of lossy file worse by "revealing" its shortcomings. Actually, it will reveal details that you've never heard before on a 320 Kbps lossy file (obviously coming from a lesser DAC) and nope I bet it won't make the a 320 Kbps file sound flat compared to Flac.


----------



## jlbrach

My point is not that it would make lossy recordings worse just that it seems rather silly to spend all the money involved to listen to lossy material.....personally i listen to FLAC copies of my CD's,no MP3's for me


----------



## henriks

I have been viewing, Oppo ha-1 & Adl Stratos and if not going balanced i should mayby keep my setup small and add 2Qute to my violectric v200, source Tidal hifi..


----------



## argustimewas

Would someone please tell me what comes in the box on a UK spec 2Qute?
  
 Do you get a USB cable and if so how long?
  
 Are any other cables supplied and if so how long?
  
 Are people generally using the stock cables or upgrading?
  
 I'd be interested in UK available USB 1m and toslink optical 1.5 m recommendations both at under £100 each, preferably £100 for the pair, that would offer more than any Chord supplied cables?
  
 Many thanks.
  
 Great thread by the way - thanks to all contributors.


----------



## naimless

It just comes with a generic usb cable,usb thumb drive with Windows software on it and of course the psu and dac itself.
Personally I like chord cables(different company)so I use their budget usb and optical cables and a mid range analogue interconnect cable.


----------



## argustimewas

Thank you - how long is the supplied USB cable?


----------



## naimless

I think it's 1m.


----------



## argustimewas

Thank you.


----------



## andromeda1954

Does someone use the grounding ?does it have 
a affect on the sound ?


----------



## RubyTiger

I think it's for a phono?


----------



## andromeda1954

There is nothing on it in the Manuel.


----------



## andromeda1954

skampmeister said:


> My opinion is simply if Rob himself states you don't need another PSU, and from what we know of him, he would say it would benefit from another if it did, don't bother trying to change from the one supplied.


 
 See this . you have to translate it  by google http://artsexcellence.com/site/sbooster-botw-eco-review/


----------



## henriks

From their own site:


> This is what Max Delissen concludes about the SBooster BOTW ECO power supply with Ultra filer: _“The benefits of better and more stable power supplies for hi-fi equipment have been known to me for many years, also from experience with my own set. My Salisbury-built British amplifier really sounded better when I connected a regulated power supply to it, and my Squeezebox streamers also benefited audibly from the first generation Sbooster BoTWS power supplies. And even for all that, I was not prepared for the sonic improvement that was delivered by a new generation Sbooster power supply at a recent listening session. _
> _When connected to the Arcam irDAC the new Sbooster gave a remarkable increase in low-frequency transparency, the spatial image was quite a bit larger and the reproduction of small details went to a higher level of sophistication. When we connected it to the Chord 2Qute DAC the improvement was even greater. Again, the increased resolution in the lower frequencies was striking, but what really baffled me was the improvement in timing, quietness, smoothness and spatial imaging. The Sbooster Ultra filter (that is sold separately because it can not be used with every piece of hifi gear) gave an additional refinement that sounded almost 'analog' to my ears. _
> _The ratio between the relatively small extra cost and the improvement you get is quite spectacular, and this product deserves my warmest recommendation.” _


 
Sbooster Ultra:


> Sbooster, enjoy more music…
> Why? The Sbooster Ultra is based on active filter technique, which reduces the ripple & noise of the BOTW P&P ECO even further: to a negligible low level. A must have for every audiophile!
> 
> The Sbooster Ultra is designed for audio equipment that is sensitive to residual noise, such as digital to analog converters, music streamers, USB to S/PDIF converters, headphone-, pre- and phono amplifiers.
> ...


----------



## John Swe

Yeah I have been thinking about picking up an sbooster, because when I compare my mojo with the 2qute the 2qute is worse. Maybe it's the power that's the problem. Please report back if you buy it.


----------



## RubyTiger

How do I get an English version? It's confusing to see something's in English and everything else is un-readable to me. What is the price? Never mind; have to translate it .. grumble, grumble.


----------



## henriks

rubytiger said:


> How do I get an English version? It's confusing to see something's in English and everything else is un-readable to me. What is the price? Never mind; have to translate it .. grumble, grumble.


 
 http://artsexcellence.com/sbooster-botw-eco-12-13-2v.html
  
 Available april


----------



## Skampmeister

Rob heard zero difference when running the 2qute with a car battery, and I trust his ears more than anyone, after all, look at the DACs he's built!


----------



## John Swe

Well you're words would comfort and convince me if I was still rational when it came to sound.


----------



## Skampmeister

No, I just don't chase my tail


----------



## andromeda1954

How long does the burn in process take ? I have mine now constantly running for a week and find it still I little bit sharp in the upper end .


----------



## jlbrach

what is the difference between using a mojo or hugo to connect to an amp or the 2qute?....is the 2qute DAC better?Would the 2qute pair better with for instance a Liquid Carbon than the mojo or hugo?......


----------



## andromeda1954

jlbrach said:


> what is the difference between using a mojo or hugo to connect to an amp or the 2qute?....is the 2qute DAC better?Would the 2qute pair better with for instance a Liquid Carbon than the mojo or hugo?......


 
 try it out at home .


----------



## jlbrach

i have both the hugo and mojo but not the 2qute,thus the question


----------



## cladane

Hi @jlbrach,
The 2Qute will pair better with the LC since the USB input has improved with galvanic isolation.


----------



## cladane

@andromeda1954,
Chord devices like Hugo, Mojo, 2Qute seem sensitive to high frequencies.
What files do you read? HiRes ? Classical with a lot of strings? I pair my 2Qute with a warm amp like the Aurorasound HEADA.


----------



## andromeda1954

cladane said:


> @andromeda1954,
> Chord devices like Hugo, Mojo, 2Qute seem sensitive to high frequencies.
> What files do you read? HiRes ? Classical with a lot of strings? I pair my 2Qute with a warm amp like the Aurorasound HEADA.


 
 Hr files classical Jazz`and Opera.


----------



## andromeda1954

cladane said:


> @andromeda1954,
> Chord devices like Hugo, Mojo, 2Qute seem sensitive to high frequencies.
> What files do you read? HiRes ? Classical with a lot of strings? I pair my 2Qute with a warm amp like the Aurorasound HEADA.


 
 According to my supplier the sharpness wil disappear with further burn in. It will take at least 300 hours to  come to it's full potential .  I find it hard to believe .


----------



## Skampmeister

I've owned Hugo and currently the Mojo and the 2qute. My opinion the 2qute is the better DAC through a system.


----------



## Skampmeister

cladane said:


> @andromeda1954,
> Chord devices like Hugo, Mojo, 2Qute seem sensitive to high frequencies.
> What files do you read? HiRes ? Classical with a lot of strings? I pair my 2Qute with a warm amp like the Aurorasound HEADA.




Agree, my 2qute sounds exactly the same from opening till now, and it's not sensitive to high frequencies at all. Maybe peoples systems are to bright and a transparent DAC is exposing it.


----------



## cladane

Yes @andromeda1954 you could also wait 1000h, why not 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




 Look at a warmer amp with HiRes Classical.


----------



## michaelvv

Hi..
  
 Anyone having success playing from linux mpd over dop.
  
 I'm using an oDroid C1+ and running archphile with all new patches and every
 now and then the music paused for 1-2 secs.
  
 I can play any other sampling rates up to 354Khz without any problems.
  
 The Developer have asked my which USB chip the Chord 2qute is using,
  but I could not find any info.
  
 /Thanks Michael.


----------



## cladane

Hi @Michaelvv,

The 2Qute doesn't use any audio chip for the conversion but an FPGA which is a multiple programmable logic doors (like ALTERA is specialized in). Chord has programmed the logic with their own algorithms.
After the FPGA the data are converted to an analog signal by an output stage.
You find this kind of design in other DACs like TotalDAC for ex. Output stages are different.


----------



## michaelvv

cladane said:


> Hi @Michaelvv,
> 
> The 2Qute doesn't use any audio chip for the conversion but an FPGA which is a multiple programmable logic doors (like ALTERA is specialized in). Chord has programmed the logic with their own algorithms.
> After the FPGA the data are converted to an analog signal by an output stage.
> You find this kind of design in other DACs like TotalDAC for ex. Output stages are different.


 

 Yes I know the purpose of the FPGA.
  
 But I was thinking is the normal USB chip also implemented in the FPGA ???
  
 PS! When I play DOP with squeezelite from af logitech squeezeboxserver ver 7.9, I don't have any issues with DOP pauses.


----------



## andromeda1954

cladane said:


> Yes @andromeda1954
> you could also wait 1000h, why not :
> Look at a warmer amp with HiRes Classical.


 The sharpness is totally disappeared now .The sound is very smooth and open .I bought a Audioquest Diamond USB cable and the problem was over.


----------



## cladane

Very good, fine. I use myself an Audioquest 0,75m Forest USB A-B.


----------



## andromeda1954

john swe said:


> Yeah I have been thinking about picking up an sbooster, because when I compare my mojo with the 2qute the 2qute is worse. Maybe it's the power that's the problem. Please report back if you buy it.


 I Have the Sbootster for a week now and I can tell you I makes a huge difference. It is like I'm listening to a different DAC. The sound is very smooth and the soundstage more 3 dimensional deeper and wider and the bass is deeper more controlled


----------



## John Swe

You could have told be that yesterday before I ordered a ifi ipower (thinking I could get away much cheaper) . If you feel like providing more impressions through you're remaining time with sbooster, please do. When I receive my ipower I promise to do the same.


----------



## andromeda1954

john swe said:


> You could have told be that yesterday before I ordered a ifi ipower (thinking I could get away much cheaper)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 For me the Sbooster is a up grate from the Ipower which i had connected before to the 2Qute. The Ipower works also good, but the difference with the original power supply is minimal but you can hear it after the burnin time . The Sbootster is a other story, after the recommend 100 hours burn in , the difference with the original power supply is huge and simply amazing . It is also 5 times more expensive but for me it is worth every penny.


----------



## henriks

Is different better, don't get me wrong i want the best for my cute..


----------



## John Swe

Well that's good to hear, have you tried it with an sbooster ultra attached?


----------



## andromeda1954

henriks said:


> Is different better, don't get me wrong i want the best for my cute..


 
 I can only say for me it is better ,but you have to listen for your self


----------



## andromeda1954

john swe said:


> Well that's good to hear, have you tried it with an sbooster ultra attached?


 
 No i did not . I will try it later on maybe . For now i'm very satisfied.without


----------



## John Swe

So andromeda guess what, I have in my possession an sbooster and an sbooster ultra. Will try it out later this afternoon. Do you use it with the stock power cable, I have an spare isotek premier I could use. Maybe that's overkill and makes no sense.


----------



## andromeda1954

john swe said:


> So andromeda guess what, I have in my possession an sbooster and an sbooster ultra. Will try it out later this afternoon. Do you use it with the stock power cable, I have an spare isotek premier I could use. Maybe that's overkill and makes no sense.


 
 Yes  i think also that will be overkill and will maybe change the concept of the Sbootster . About the Sbootster ultra,  it depends on the DAC how it works out, I did read that it does have a negative effect when used with the 2Qute ,the sound will move as a whole a little bit backwards, and the soundstage will be a little bit smaller. But i'm curious to your findings.


----------



## John Swe

Ok discussion over, the sbooster even without any burn in makes a huge difference. I put on mad max: fury road, a movie I have seen many times on blue ray and also watch scenes from when I tweak and buy new products. The sbooster puts the movie in hyper-realism mode. Everything is super clear and spaced out without a hint of harshness. My pontiell bias is bypassed when the sound of trickling sand (when max rises after the crash), chains and explosions creates a sensation in the back of my neck(I have never felt from watching music och movies anywhere). Can it really get any better then this??


----------



## andromeda1954

john swe said:


> Ok discussion over, the sbooster even without any burn in makes a huge difference. I put on mad max: fury road, a movie I have seen many times on blue ray and also watch scenes from when I
> tweak and buy new products. The sbooster puts the movie in hyper-realism mode. Everything is super clear and spaced out without a hint of harshness. My pontiell bias is bypassed when the sound of trickling sand (when max rises after the crash), chains and explosions creates a sensation in the back of my neck(I have never felt from watching music och movies anywhere). Can it really get any better then this??



 Good to read .Is this with or without the ultra


----------



## John Swe

With the ultra. I have no sensation of the sound being more distant as of now. How much better did it get for you after the recommended burn in of 100 hours? I really want stress this to everyone reading, this thing is AMAZING. This is not an insubstantial nerdy tweak.


----------



## andromeda1954

john swe said:


> With the ultra. I have no sensation of the sound being more distant as of now. How much better did it get for you after the recommended burn in of 100 hours? I really want stress this to everyone reading, this thing is AMAZING. This is not an insubstantial nerdy tweak.



I it will still get better after 100 hours .According to my supplier it wil reach it's full potential after 300 hours burn in .How much better I don't know I think it will depend on your hearing cappisity


----------



## andromeda1954

john swe said:


> With the ultra. I have no sensation of the sound being more distant as of now. How much better did it get for you after the recommended burn in of 100 hours? I really want stress this to everyone reading, this thing is AMAZING. This is not an insubstantial nerdy tweak.


 
 Did you try it without the Ultra ? can you give me your impression what the difference is between with and without the ultra ? Thank you.


----------



## John Swe

No I have not, I think it's better to wait for the burn in to be done. I promise I will try it if you want to, butt atleast for now the negative effects you heard of is not there for me.


----------



## andromeda1954

john swe said:


> No I have not, I think it's better to wait for the burn in to be done. I promise I will try it if you want to, butt atleast for now the negative effects you heard of is not there for me.


 
 Okay i'll wait


----------



## VRDS

Hello everyone. Back at the forum after absence for maybe more than 10 years. Still have my old setup but want to do changes.
 Had several DACs for checking in the past but never was really pleased so stayed with the internal DAC of my Teac VRDS 25x CD.
  
 Now I want try a external DAC again and through searches found the Chord 2Qute what seems perfect for me.
 Rob Watts, the WTA filter etc. is not new to me, actually I read about that from his first DAC he made, before Chord DAC64.
  
 OK, some questions.
 The 2Qute was introduced last year but I have seen several other new or updated Chord Dacs through the last years, so someone knows if the 2Qute will stay or will be updated in the next months? Maybe different power supply, new software whatever? In that case I would prefere waiting for the new version.
  
 The 2Qute will be used with my VRDS 25x but I also plan to go with an additional audio player for FLAC files, but have no experience in this direction so far. Who owns a 2Qute and such audio player? Which audio player matches perfectly the 2Qute or other Chord DAC sound wise?
  
 An other idea is going with a Raspberry based audio player but I have no experience in this direction as well, talk about old school.
 Someone tried a Raspberry and does this make sense or is it too bad soundwise for using as source for a Chord DAC?
 I know you have to use a addon board so you could go with coax or optical cables but again which is best addon board?
 Hifiberry DAC+ or any other?
 Thanks.


----------



## henriks

Just got this cable, connecting my squeezebox with Tidal..


http://www.ebay.com/itm/261591386223?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=560466134396&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT


----------



## oldson

its a pity Chord did not make the 2qute quad dsd capable, as they did with mojo.


----------



## Joyce Tan

Keeping an eye out for products made by Chord Audio. Never cease to amaze me.


----------



## Joyce Tan

oldson said:


> its a pity Chord did not make the 2qute quad dsd capable, as they did with mojo.


 

 There isn't much downside to that actually.


----------



## Joyce Tan

john swe said:


> No I have not, I think it's better to wait for the burn in to be done. I promise I will try it if you want to, butt atleast for now the negative effects you heard of is not there for me.


 


 Let time do its thing, hahaha. People may question the burn-in process often but I feel that it somewhat does make a difference, be it psychologically or in reality.


----------



## oldson

> There isn't much downside to that actually.


 
 could you explain why? or is it just you are not a dsd fan


----------



## VRDS

joyce tan said:


> Keeping an eye out for products made by Chord Audio. Never cease to amaze me.


 
 Does this mean there is something in the pipeline?


----------



## Joyce Tan

vrds said:


> Does this mean there is something in the pipeline?


 

 Perhaps. I feel that there's something coming up soon - just a personal feeling.


----------



## Skampmeister

joyce tan said:


> Perhaps. I feel that there's something coming up soon - just a personal feeling.




Well considering whats available right now, waiting seems pointless.


----------



## VRDS

OK I decided going with a 2Qute now. But one decision still have to be made, should I go with silver ... or black ...


----------



## Frank I

I have the 2 Cute in the system now. The sound is really outstanding so far . Chord rocking with their DACs. Rob Watts really delivers digital sound at its finest!


----------



## RubyTiger

vrds said:


> OK I decided going with a 2Qute now. But one decision still have to be made, should I go with silver ... or black ...


 

 The black; it reveals my darker side. Both look good though, so it's just a matter of taste.
  
  
 On a different note: Has Chord updated the driver for the 2Qute? I have a problem with Jriver sometimes. I open the program and the first song I began to play is sped up or skewed in some way. I believe my setting's are right and maybe it's an issue with the driver. 
  
 My second system, which has the audiophilleo, operates without a glitch every time. I use the same Window's 7 pc and WASAPI mode for both. Rebooting the pc and 2Qute fixes the problem, so, I don't know if it's the software? Operating system? drivers? Or what??
  
 I also noted that it generally occurs after opening and closing the Jriver program a few times. I have also seen the screen turn white when coming back from listening to dsd's?


----------



## VRDS

Yes both are looking good. But as I have no silver hifi gear so far I ordered a black 2Qute in the morning. Can´t await checking out the little beauty.


----------



## cladane

Hello,

Just to warn, I received my 2Qute into a box onto which the picture was showing it black but opening the box the 2Qute was silver.


----------



## VRDS

I hope to receive my 2Qute on saturday and do some listening through the weekend. I think there will be a black Chord in the box.


----------



## martyn73

Is there any real advantage in a DAC with balanced output (e.g. MX-DAC and Gustard X20U) compared with a 2Qute which has only RCA when the cable run is quite short? I'll soon compare my MX-DAC with the Mojo and may decide to replace both with 2Qute.


----------



## VRDS

rob watts said:


> Unlike the original Qute, 2 Qute does not benefit sonically from having a different power supply. I compared the supplied PSU with a 12v 300A car battery and could hear no difference in SQ.
> 
> Some power supplies have damaged Qute as they do not output 12v but greater voltages - this will damage the protection circuitry.
> 
> ...


 
 What would be a safe maximum voltage?


----------



## JezR

vrds said:


> What would be a safe maximum voltage?


 
 12v


----------



## nicknj72

Just been reading all 47 pages of this discussion. I'm a newby to DACs and it's been very interesting - so much detail from everyone, helps me so much!!
  
 I have a question on partnering equipment. 
  
 I plan to play lossless music from my iMac to 2Qute, via USB. I have an old Arcam Alpha 8 integrated amp - is this completely past it now or will you think i'll be able to hear the benefit still? I'm open to putting my hand in my pocket to buy something else up to £1200
  
 Any advice on partnering speakers would be very much appreciated too, thanks. I've been weighing up PMC, B&W, KEF, etc. Budget probably up to about £1200 again.
  
 Thanks so much, there's so much choice out there it renders my ability to make my mind up, difficult! lol
  
 Nick


----------



## Frank I

nicknj72 said:


> Just been reading all 47 pages of this discussion. I'm a newby to DACs and it's been very interesting - so much detail from everyone, helps me so much!!
> 
> I have a question on partnering equipment.
> 
> ...


 
 The 2 Cute without a doubt will give you bette musicality with your amp. The bass is thunderous and the rest of 2 cute is very musical and will work well with your amp. Not many other DACs in this price range will do what this one does soundwise.


----------



## Peter Hyatt

frank i said:


> The 2 Cute without a doubt will give you bette musicality with your amp. The bass is thunderous and the rest of 2 cute is very musical and will work well with your amp. Not many other DACs in this price range will do what this one does soundwise.





Are there any detailed comparisons between the 2qute and Mojo?

I have the Mojo and found it to be superior to everything I've been able to compare it to but not 2qute. 

Thank you.


----------



## Frank I

peter hyatt said:


> Are there any detailed comparisons between the 2qute and Mojo?
> 
> I have the Mojo and found it to be superior to everything I've been able to compare it to but not 2qute.
> 
> Thank you.


 
 I dont have  a mojo in house to make a comparison but 2 cute is based on Chord Hugo DAC which when I heard the Mojo the Hugo was better. I think the difference ein Chord products result sin higher levels of transparency,


----------



## VRDS

I just bought a 2Qute yesterday and I´m more than impressed now. Started with 20 hours of burn in connected to my Raspberry 2 with Hifiberry Digi+ board, playing music nonstop through the night and morning with the Amp being off. Later played some music again with the old setup for compare. The old DAC also could do a wide and deep stage and showing a lot of details, if there was a very good recording. Mediocre recordings were not much fun. After that changed for the Chord.
  
 With the 2Qute it´s not just somewhat better sound, it´s a night and day difference. Surprising, stunning, hard to describe. Never heard something like this before in my or my friends stereo setup. Tonal balance is absolutely the same as before, very neutral to my ears.

 Played all sort of music MP3 and FLAC files through the day for maybe 12 hours, some FLAC were available as 44.1, 96 and 192 kHz.
 You could think FLAC 192 kHz sounds really good and it is for sure, but the 2Qute does the same magic also to 44.1.
 192 kHz was a little smoother but 44.1 was not that much behind and very enjoyable. I had also old MP3 files ripped just with Windows Media Player which were no joy at all with the old DAC. With the 2Qute they were very different, of course still no compare to really good FLAC files but you really could listen to them now.
 It´s really true what a lot of people tell you about Chord DAC´s. For Hires files there are a few other really good DAC´s as well, but for 44.1 there is no other choice.

 When people tell me something about musicality with stereo setups, this sounds too warm, too slow and narrow bandwidth to my ears usually. Yes the 2Qute also is real musical, but still lightning fast.
  
 So the 2Qute has just 30+ hours at the clock now, I can´t imagine what happens after 300 hours of burn in.

 For those guys who are not sure which DAC to go for, do yourself a favour and try the 2Qute, Hugo or Mojo. Maybe the shop will lend you one through the weekend. I also was not sure at all, but finally bought the 2Qute without trying before, and I just regret spending too much time with search for the perfect DAC. This was definitely one of my best buys ever.


----------



## miketlse

peter hyatt said:


> Are there any detailed comparisons between the 2qute and Mojo?
> 
> I have the Mojo and found it to be superior to everything I've been able to compare it to but not 2qute.
> 
> Thank you.


 
  
 I presume the risk is always that you are 'comparing apples with pears'.
  
 For the Mojo v Hugo, you are comparing the headphone out feed from both.
  
 In contrast Mojo v (2qute + headphone amp) means that there is always the risk that the headphone amp has added colouration or reduced transient response..... So you need to be already familiar with the headphone amp, to make allowance for any impact it has had on the output from the 2qute.


----------



## manifesto31

Hello, 
  
 I've noticed someone else asking about it on page 40 of this thread without getting an answer....Recently bought 2qute and noticed the light that indicates sample rate doesn't change when different types of files are played. I've tried playing files via different players foobar2000, vlc and deejaysytem software. Now the funny thing is that when I go to control panel/sounds console and enable different types of sampling rate capability for the 2qute specifically and click on the test button it actually changes colours according to specification everytime the sampling rate changes. But when i leave it set at for example 44100 it stays red even if I play a 192k file through foobar, vlc etc. It simply remains at that colour that is set in control panel all the time no matter the sampling rate later played through any player. Surely I'm missing something but I haven't got a clue what could be the reason. Can anyone help or explain? windows 7, via usb.


----------



## VRDS

Is it possible software downsamples everything to 44.1K?

 I don´t play by computer but use a Raspberry based player what plays anything to the 2Qute through coax and colors change correctly to files, up to 352K or DSD.


----------



## VRDS

Speaking of power supply for the 2Qute, somebody checked battery power vs really good LPS?

 I was completely unsure which LPS to go for as I didn´t want to spend money at wrong place so I tried a 12 volt battery maybe one week ago and never returned to the provided PS as the difference is huge, at least with my setup. So wonder now if the battery could outperform a really good LPS or if it still makes sense?

 If someone tried battery vs LPS please post your findings, especially those who own Teddy Pardo, Hynes or other really good LPS.


----------



## manifesto31

vrds said:


> Is it possible software downsamples everything to 44.1K?
> 
> I don´t play by computer but use a Raspberry based player what plays anything to the 2Qute through coax and colors change correctly to files, up to 352K or DSD.


 
 I wouldn't know if it downsamples or upsamples since the colour also stays blue all the time if I enable and test 192k in control panel and the play 44.1 files. I've been told that using jriver media centre solves the problem, but I've read in this thread that many people use foobar and I dont hear them complain about it (I don't know if they are pc or mac users). I'd like to make it work in the foobar player if possible and not be dependent on one specific software playing any other material from pc. I use other software for music and video editing and would realy like 2qute to be compatible with it playing any sample rate.... If it is not, the company producing it should let us know that and I haven't read anything about it in this thread nor anywhere else.


----------



## andromeda1954

vrds said:


> Speaking of power supply for the 2Qute, somebody checked battery power vs really good LPS?
> Try the S booster BOTW makes a huge difference in sound quality.
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## VRDS

manifesto31 said:


> I wouldn't know if it downsamples or upsamples since the colour also stays blue all the time if I enable and test 192k in control panel and the play 44.1 files. I've been told that using jriver media centre solves the problem, but I've read in this thread that many people use foobar and I dont hear them complain about it (I don't know if they are pc or mac users). I'd like to make it work in the foobar player if possible and not be dependent on one specific software playing any other material from pc. I use other software for music and video editing and would realy like 2qute to be compatible with it playing any sample rate.... If it is not, the company producing it should let us know that and I haven't read anything about it in this thread nor anywhere else.


 
 Did you install windows drivers for the 2Qute?


----------



## VRDS

andromeda1954 said:


>


 
 Yes I heard this is a very good LPS as well. Did you check S booster BOTW vs battery power? If so which battery?


----------



## manifesto31

vrds said:


> Did you install windows drivers for the 2Qute?


 
 Yes, the drivers from their website. The device is recognized in windows and the sound is actually amazing and I didn't even try dsd...It's just the sample rate light indicator that's confusing me.


----------



## andromeda1954

vrds said:


> Yes I heard this is a very good LPS as well. Did you check S booster BOTW vs battery power? If so which batteryNo i


 
 No i did not . I think the S Booster is a better option you don't have to charge or to change the battery al the time. The voltage of the s booster always is stable . That of a battery goes back during use. The  S booster is 1000 times more quite and cleaner  than a battery . The 2Qute sound amazing  with the S Bootster and is worth every penny .
  
 
   


  




Vertaling voor de spanning blijft altijd op *hetzelfde* niveau terwijl die van een batterij terug loopt door het gebruik . Vertaal in plaats daarvan naar de spanning blijft altijd op het zelfde niveau terwijl die van een batterij terug loopt door het gebruik .





 the voltage always remains at the same level






  
   <br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div id="inner-editor"></div>
 
 
   


  




Vertaling voor de spanning blijft altijd op *hetzelfde* niveau terwijl die van een batterij terug loopt door het gebruik . Vertaal in plaats daarvan naar de spanning blijft altijd op het zelfde niveau terwijl die van een batterij terug loopt door het gebruik .





 the voltage always remains at the same level


----------



## andromeda1954

Sorry something  went wrong .


----------



## Beolab

From my opinion and from my customers opinions, the 2Qute sounds richer and more musical than the Hugo for some reason i cant tell, but it does, maybe @Rob Watts have any idea? More floor noise from the 2Qute wall wart net adapter, that gives you the impression of more rishness maybe.


----------



## i019791

manifesto31 said:


> Hello,
> 
> I've noticed someone else asking about it on page 40 of this thread without getting an answer....Recently bought 2qute and noticed the light that indicates sample rate doesn't change when different types of files are played. I've tried playing files via different players foobar2000, vlc and deejaysytem software. Now the funny thing is that when I go to control panel/sounds console and enable different types of sampling rate capability for the 2qute specifically and click on the test button it actually changes colours according to specification everytime the sampling rate changes. But when i leave it set at for example 44100 it stays red even if I play a 192k file through foobar, vlc etc. It simply remains at that colour that is set in control panel all the time no matter the sampling rate later played through any player. Surely I'm missing something but I haven't got a clue what could be the reason. Can anyone help or explain? windows 7, via usb.


 
 In foobar2000, go to File\Preferences\Playback\Output\Device and choose anything than DS (whatever is available from ASIO, KS or WASAPI - if none is available you must download and activate the relevant foobar component). You thus bypass the Windows mixer and you output to the dac the original sampling rate of the file.


----------



## nicknj72

Since i posted a couple of pages ago, I've since bought some Linn Majik 109 speakers (love them).
  
 Very impressed with the 2Qute; however, i'm sure it could get better yet. The Arcam Alpha 8 amp will clearly be the weak link. Anybody got any ideas that would compliment the speakers and the 2qute?
  
 Rega/ Roksan, Cyrus?!?!?
  
 The source is lossless tracks on my iMac.
  
 thanks v much


----------



## John Swe

I have never heard Linn speakers but I use the 2qute with a rega elex-r and Dali speakers and its heaven. So musical that its impossible to do anythin g else than listen while being in the same room. The elex-r is probably my best value buy ever.


----------



## Frank I

I been listening non stop with the 2 cute and it is a big improvement in bass over my Oppo BDP 105.I will have comparison in detail when I finish my review of 2Cute but it is impressive/ Rob Watt's genius is all over this unit.   Fun paying electronic music and other genre's on the system as well as with headphones.


----------



## mtoc

rob watts said:


> It needs the 5V to power the USB decoder chip - this is how the galvanic isolation works, as the isolation is on the decoded I2S data post USB.
> 
> Rob


 
  
 Hi, about the galvanic isolation in 2Qute and Dave, is the isolation building in the FPGA? Some DAC products use isolator chips afaik.


----------



## Rob Watts

The isolation is via a separate isolation chip - so the I/O signals for the USB decoder device to the FPGA is via this isolation chip. All Chord products currently use the same device for galvanic isolation.
  
 Rob


----------



## Beolab

rob watts said:


> The isolation is via a separate isolation chip - so the I/O signals for the USB decoder device to the FPGA is via this isolation chip. All Chord products currently use the same device for galvanic isolation.
> 
> Rob




Besides the Hugo and Mojo 


Can not understand how the 2Qute sounds more and organic and closely in signature to the Dave vs the Hugo during my listening tests ( using Toslink ) ?


----------



## mtoc

rob watts said:


> The isolation is via a separate isolation chip - so the I/O signals for the USB decoder device to the FPGA is via this isolation chip. All Chord products currently use the same device for galvanic isolation.
> 
> Rob


 
  
 The best isolation chips nowadays such as the Silicon Labs ones only support 150Mbps, should we be worried about them? I hope some scary high speed iso chip is gonna appear in the near future...


----------



## Rob Watts

No worries about the isolation speed - its decoded data, so 6 lines in parallel, and is much faster than needed. And incoming data is re-timed within the FPGA as this is clock source.
  
 Rob


----------



## theveterans

> Can not understand how the 2Qute sounds more and organic and closely in signature to the Dave vs the Hugo during my listening tests ( using Toslink ) ?


 
  
 It would be too boring if Rob didn't tweak the 2Qute in a different way than the Hugo. You should try a comparison with Mojo and 2Qute and might find that Mojo is closer to 2Qute than Hugo is to 2Qute.


----------



## Beolab

theveterans said:


> It would be too boring if Rob didn't tweak the 2Qute in a different way than the Hugo. You should try a comparison with Mojo and 2Qute and might find that Mojo is closer to 2Qute than Hugo is to 2Qute.




Yes i have compared the DAVE to Mojo, and it does not sound as close as the 2Qute does to the DAVE, Mojo got its own signature almost. 

(I got an new DAVE , 2Qute , Hugo and a Mojo to compare with) 

Whats is your oppinion Rob ?


----------



## Frank I

I will have a comparison of the 2 Cute to the Dave when my 2 Cute review is done. Hopefully will have the full review done in the next month.


----------



## Panoyski

I'm eagerly waiting...that would be very interesting, Frank.


----------



## miketlse

frank i said:


> I will have a comparison of the 2 Cute to the Dave when my 2 Cute review is done. Hopefully will have the full review done in the next month.


 
  
 I'm also itching to hear it.


----------



## VRDS

The Dave doesn´t fit my budget but I´m really glad I found the 2Qute. Amazing DAC, especially at 44.1
 Of course highres and DSD sound very good as well but 44.1 is not much behind with the 2Qute.


----------



## fdhfdy

Anyone compared 2qute with Hugo TT? I am gonna grab one of the two for my speaker system but not sure which one sounds better as a DAC.


----------



## SpiggyTopes

Hi All,
  
  
 Sorry to drag this up again but I want to ask one more time.
  
 When I changed from Qute to 2Qute, I kept my Teddy Pardo linear power supply.
  
 I would now like to sell the Teddy Pardo.
  
 But, only if it makes no difference to the sound.
  
  
 I've read every thread on the subject here and am aware of Rob Watts' dictum but am still not sure.
  
 Any comments or advice welcome.
  
 Cheers.


----------



## andromeda1954

fdhfdy said:


> Anyone compared 2qute with Hugo TT? I am gonna grab one of the two for my speaker system but not sure which one sounds better as a DAC.


 I have both .Imo the 2Qute sounds equally good if not better than the Hugo TT especially in the lower end . So if you don't need a amplifier also go for the 2Qute ,it will save you a lot of money .


----------



## VRDS

spiggytopes said:


> Hi All,
> 
> 
> Sorry to drag this up again but I want to ask one more time.
> ...


 
 Why don´t you compare the supplied walwart with your Teddy Pardo. It could be different result depending on your stereo setup but I´m pretty sure the Teddy Pardo linear power supply will be better.
 I personally have no matching linear power supply at the moment but tried a 12V battery which makes a lot of difference.


----------



## miketlse

spiggytopes said:


> Hi All,
> 
> 
> Sorry to drag this up again but I want to ask one more time.
> ...


 
  
 I presume that you have read these posts:
  
http://www.head-fi.org/t/749582/chord-electronics-2qute-dac-announced/495#post_11788386
  
http://www.head-fi.org/t/749582/chord-electronics-2qute-dac-announced/450#post_11705657
  
http://www.head-fi.org/t/749582/chord-electronics-2qute-dac-announced/345#post_11606147
  
 So the advice is quite clear. *Don't use alternative power supplies because they make no difference, but if you do you will invalidate your warranty.*
  
 John Franks posted this on the Mojo thread yesterday:
  
http://www.head-fi.org/t/784602/chord-mojo-the-official-thread-please-read-the-3rd-post/20490#post_12746593
  
 So my advice is do not use your Teddy Pardo with your Chord kit.


----------



## VRDS

fdhfdy said:


> Anyone compared 2qute with Hugo TT? I am gonna grab one of the two for my speaker system but not sure which one sounds better as a DAC.


 
 The TT might use an improved internal power supply through the battery and caps but when going with the 2Qute you could buy a very good linear power supply as Teddy Pardo, Paul Hynes, SBooster or similar and still have saved a lot of money.
 This is if you don´t need headphone amp, remote or additional inputs.


----------



## miketlse

vrds said:


> The TT might use an improved internal power supply through the battery and caps but when going with the 2Qute you could buy a very good linear power supply as Teddy Pardo, Paul Hynes, SBooster or similar and still have saved a lot of money.
> This is if you don´t need headphone amp, remote or additional inputs.


 
  
The 2Qute and TT have identical source jitter correction
  
http://www.head-fi.org/t/766517/chord-electronics-dave/1440#post_12271004
  
The 2Qute and TT have source galvanic isolation
  
 Originally Posted by *Rob Watts* 


  
 The RF characteristics of the cable can change the RF noise that gets injected into Mojo's ground plane, and this is the mechanism for changes in smoothness. You may say why can't you make it insensitive to it; well I go to silly lengths to RF filter and decouple, and use dual solid ground planes on the PCB, but you can't remove the problem. *For Dave, Hugo TT and 2 Qute I have galvanic isolation, and this eliminates the problem (along with other SQ problems such as sound-stage depth).* But I can't do this with portable devices, as it draws power from the 'phone. That said it's less of an issue with portable electronics as they are less power hungry and create less noise.


----------



## SpiggyTopes

miketlse said:


> I presume that you have read these posts:
> 
> http://www.head-fi.org/t/749582/chord-electronics-2qute-dac-announced/495#post_11788386
> 
> ...


 
  
 Thanks for refreshing and taking the trouble to source the posts.
  
 I'm happier now and have reinstated the Chord power supply!!


----------



## miketlse

spiggytopes said:


> Thanks for refreshing and taking the trouble to source the posts.
> 
> I'm happier now and have reinstated the Chord power supply!!


 
  
 Glad to have been helpful. I tried not to sound officious, but the last thing i want is for someone to innocently damage their chord dac, and end up out of pocket. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 Enjoy your music.


----------



## fdhfdy

really doubt it until got chance to try them both with good quality cd transport at shop side by side today. I end up like cheaper 2 qute more than tt. even the sales man couldnt talk too much about it. thank you for the input which makes me more confident.
  
 another wired thing I have noticed was tt easily got confused with inputs controls. the remote control from the transport set the tt to Bluetooth while it was playing through coax.


----------



## Mark UX

I have a specific question regarding *Digital vs Analog volume control*, in my current setup with *2Qute*. Here is my setup:
  
 -OS: Windows 10
 -Software: Foobar2000, MusicBee v3, etc (currently experimenting) - Setup: "ASIO Chord Hugo 1.03" driver.
 -DAC: Chord 2Qute
 -KRK 6 Generation 3 - Powered Studio Monitors (read: studio monitors with built-in class A/B amplifier). Exactly these:
  
 http://www.krksys.com/krk-studio-monitor-speakers/rokit/rokit-6.html
  
 Since the 2Qute is a plain DAC without volume control built-in, I currently have 2 ways of controling the volume:
  

At the powered speakers themselves (they have a volume control each, in ts back),
In the software itself (foobar2000, musicbee, etc... both via "ASIO Chord Hugo 1.03" driver.
  
 So, the question is: which is the correct/proper way of archiving *Bit Perfect* audio with above setup? If I control volume via software (like foobar, musicbee) will it degrade the audio ouput and end not giving me Bit Perfect audio signals? Or I will get Bit Perfect audio by 2Qute, regarding where I control volume?
  
 I have started to worry when I read post # 399 in this link:

 http://superuser.com/questions/492281/from-a-quality-perspective-what-is-better-turning-volume-up-in-the-software-i
  
 Please give me as much technical info as possible, I am a bit confused here.
 Many thanks.


----------



## miketlse

mark ux said:


> I have a specific question regarding *Digital vs Analog volume control*, in my current setup with *2Qute*. Here is my setup:
> 
> -OS: Windows 10
> -Software: Foobar2000, MusicBee v3, etc (currently experimenting) - Setup: "ASIO Chord Hugo 1.03" driver.
> ...


 
  
 On the Mojo thread post #3 there is this info:
  
 Quote:


rob watts said:


> It is always better to give Mojo bit perfect files and let Mojo do the work, as the processing within Mojo is much more complex and sophisticated than a mobile or PC.
> 
> So when you have an app that has a volume control, and no bit perfect setting, then set it to full volume on the app on the assumption that this will keep the data closer to the original file.
> 
> ...





rob watts said:


> You can always do a listening test. If set to max against 50% say, and it hardens up (becomes brighter) with loud recordings then its clipping. If on the other hand the perception of sound-stage depth is reduced, then the volume control is degrading the sound.
> 
> If you do that test and can hear no difference then don't worry, its a good app volume control.
> 
> ...


 
  
 So for the Mojo, which can control the volume, the advice is set the source to 100%, and adjust the Mojo volume to suit.
  
 I think for 2Qute which has no volume control, the ideal is to set the source to 100%, and adjust the volume using the amplifier in your speakers.
 However if this means that the output from the 2Qute exceeds the max input voltage for your speakers (and results in clipping and distortion), then you will have to reduce the volume at the source (even though you will then not have a bitperfect signal), or use a passive preamp to reduce the voltage from the 2Qute, before you feed the signal to your speakers.
  
 You will have to perform some trial and error, to see which method works for you.


----------



## Mark UX

miketlse said:


> On the Mojo thread post #3 there is this info:
> 
> Quote:
> 
> ...


 
  
 Any good advise regarding a high-quality Passive preamp? I am a bit afrraid that—in order to reach bit perfect audio—I would need to add an extra device (passive preamp) to my audio chain, and this might degrade the pristine resolution of 2Qute.
  
 My audio setup would end being like this then:
  
 Laptop > 2Qute > (passive preamp) > Powered Studio Monitors.
  
 Without the passive preamp, the 3v output of 2Qute is simply too much, and I am forced to lower the volume digitally, in foobar2000, effectively, breaking perfect bit audio.
  
 Please let me know if by adding a passive preamp would be harmful for the excellent quality of 2Qute audio resolution. I would appreciate if @Rob Watts has some input on this.
  
 Many thanks.


----------



## Rob Watts

Hmm. We use 3v OP so that you can use passive pre-amps - but you are creating problems by adding a passive volume control.
  
 Its probably best to use a digital volume control with Foobar 2k. If you can try, evaluate both options.
  
 Rob


----------



## miketlse

rob watts said:


> Hmm. We use 3v OP so that you can use passive pre-amps - but you are creating problems by adding a passive volume control.
> 
> Its probably best to use a digital volume control with Foobar 2k. If you can try, evaluate both options.
> 
> Rob


 
  
 Rob,
  
 When I mentioned a passive preamp, I was thinking in terms of something simple to DIY, ie basically two variable potentiometers (one per channel), just two reduce the 2Qute output voltage.
 The only problems I can envisage, are shielding the wires and components from RFI, but surely a simple small metal case would be sufficient.
 Maybe passive preamp was the wrong term for me to use.
  
 You have made me concerned, that even a simple solution like this, still contains hidden problems.


----------



## Mark UX

miketlse said:


> Rob,
> 
> When I mentioned a passive preamp, I was thinking in terms of something simple to DIY, ie basically two variable potentiometers (one per channel), just two reduce the 2Qute output voltage.
> The only problems I can envisage, are shielding the wires and components from RFI, but surely a simple small metal case would be sufficient.
> ...


 
  
 Hello @miketlse. Yes, the term "pre-amp" I used is technically wrong, since the signal is not pre-amplified in any way, I think a more proper term would be "volume attenuator": a device that takes the output voltage from 2Qute DAC, and without any electronic power, attenuates it. I was researching yesterday about this. Here is one I really like it:
  
 http://www.tisburyaudio.co.uk/mini-passive-preamplifier
  
 Those Volume Attenuators are wrongly called "preamp" I think (signal is not amplified/pre-amplified in any way). So this Volume Attenuator responsibility would be to take the 3V ouput of 2Qute, and reduce it before reaches my powered monitors. Remember that all of this has one single objective: keep my music player (foobar2000 or others) at full volume, in order to be *bit perfect audio.*
  
 But @Rob Watts says above that "you are creating problems by adding a passive volume control.", and I infer from him this:
  
 1. 2Qute, due to its galvanic insolation, guarantees pristine audio with very low levels of noise, etc.
 2. Any device dropped *after* the DAC is outside 2Qute jurisdisction, then the DAC can do nothing about it before its signal reaches the powered studio monitors. Example: a Volume Attenuator (passive preamp) could somehow add RF, distortion etc and then directly trigger that into the speakers.
  
@Rob Watts, I swear you that I would have prefered to pay 60-100 USD more for the 2Qute, if it included a built-in volume attenuator: this has resulted extremelly important in my setup. (we shouldn't delegate volume control's reponsibility to any music player software, because then we would need to "trust" in the software volume control not degradding the bit depth.
  
 At this very moment, I discovered something that somehow is helping me out with volume control with the 2Qute:
  
 In foobar2000, go to: Preferences > Advanced > Playback: "Volume  step (db)" option. If it is set to something like 0.3 or so, I have a very precise/delicated volume control by software....... but I am sure I am not having bit perfect audio. (I really do not like this approach, since what is the point of having a USD 1,795 DAC if you will end not having perfect bit audio?)
  
 So I have two options right now: Keep using the  "Volume  step (db)" option in foobar2000, or add a passive volume attenuator *after* the DAC and *before* my powered speakers (at the high risk of degrading sound quality/adding noise, etc)


----------



## miketlse

mark ux said:


> So I have two options right now: Keep using the  "Volume  step (db)" option in foobar2000, or add a passive volume attenuator *after* the DAC and *before* my powered speakers (at the high risk of degrading sound quality/adding noise, etc)


 
  
 You do have a third option, of buying some speakers that can handle the 3V input signal, but i expect that this would the most expensive option.
  
 I think that the Tisbury solution is a low risk option, with little chance of discolouring your sound.


----------



## theveterans

IMO, even if the source isn't bit perfect before it goes to the DAC, I doubt you'll hear the difference on an a/b test since the WTA filter will upsample the signal before the DAC sees it


----------



## henriks

I want to know if any of you did find a solution for 2Qute with splitte/cable/box to 2 or more amps?


----------



## miketlse

henriks said:


> I want to know if any of you did find a solution for 2Qute with splitte/cable/box to 2 or more amps?


 
  
 Have a look at this post (and the following few related posts).
  
http://www.head-fi.org/t/717314/rca-y-splitter-box-1-in-2-out#post_10522672


----------



## martyn73

Is the 2Qute's lower dynamic range compared to the Mojo (119dB compared with 125dB) and DACs using the TI PCM1795 chip (dB123) noticeable in practice? I guess Mojo's warmer sound may hide some differences, but this difference in specification and price may be off-putting for those thinking of upgrading from Mojo to 2Qute for use solely as a desktop DAC.


----------



## Beolab

Regardless of spec, the 2Qute sounds like the TT if you are using a transparent pre amp with USB input on the 2Qute in my opinion, it does sound dam good.


----------



## martyn73

beolab said:


> Regardless of spec, the 2Qute sounds like the TT if you are using a transparent pre amp with USB input on the 2Qute in my opinion, it does sound dam good.


 
 Hi, I would use the 2Qute connected to my PC via USB with a Stax SRM-727II and SR-007A headphones.


----------



## Beolab

That sounds as a perfect synergi combo in my ears.


----------



## martyn73

Thanks, that may be so. I thought you didn't like the Hugo?


----------



## Beolab

The funny thing is that the 2Qute doesn't sound like the Hugo, it sounds much more organic and vivid with greater precision than the Hugo in my opinion through A-B testing. 
It sounding darn close to the TT in my opinion, and got the similar sound as the DAVE, on certen tracks, but on more advanced / complex music there is not even a competition.


----------



## Starcruncher

Received my 2Qute a few days ago. For various reasons, the only amp - besides my M-Audio AV40 monitors - that I can connect at the moment is this little Fiio. It totally works for my Savants. But it is just silly.
  
 In regards to the Chord sound, I have read, mostly on the Mojo thread, that Mojo is about 90% of the Hugo. I have never heard Hugo, but since 2Qute is essentially the same DAC (right??), I would, so far, not say there is just a 10% difference between the two devices. In these early stages, with admittedly subpar amp and speaker pairings, the 2Qute sound is more refined and leans more to my current detail-oriented tastes. Like at least 12% more 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 Once I am done moving, I believe the better gear I will set up will truly highlight 2Qute's character. Can't wait. 
  
 P.S. Mojo is still awesome in every respect. It goes above and beyond for portable use. I could have been happy with it at home, but a weak £ is enticing for an American expat


----------



## Beolab

starcruncher said:


> Received my 2Qute a few days ago. For various reasons, the only amp - besides my M-Audio AV40 monitors - that I can connect at the moment is this little Fiio. It totally works for my Savants. But it is just silly.
> 
> In regards to the Chord sound, I have read, mostly on the Mojo thread, that Mojo is about 90% of the Hugo. I have never heard Hugo, but since 2Qute is essentially the same DAC (right??), I would, so far, not say there is just a 10% difference between the two devices. In these early stages, with admittedly subpar amp and speaker pairings, the 2Qute sound is more refined and leans more to my current detail-oriented tastes. Like at least 12% more
> 
> ...




Read my above post of what i think about the 2Qute vs Hugo


----------



## Starcruncher

beolab said:


> Read my above post of what i think about the 2Qute vs Hugo


 
  
 I certainly did and really appreciate the comparisons to all three of Chord's high end DACs, especially the DAVE because there are far fewer of them in the wild than the others. The way you describe 2Qute, "organic" and "vivid", is exactly what I want in my sound. And that it's closer to the TT is nice to hear as well if we're talking about cost and performance value. I take comfort in your assessment. 
  
 Plus, I just really like Chord gear. Noob fanboy here.


----------



## AntonD

Hi
  
 Very interesting thread and sounds very promising regarding sound quality and USB connection.
  
 I am already using a Qute Ex in an office based system but with 2 channel speakers. Have to say fantastic sound and very resolving.
  
 So, since visiting CanJam I will now change the office to a headphone based system and the 2Qute will perform DAC duties.
  
 System will be as follows:
  
 iMac > JRiver 21 > USB > 2Qute > Cavalli LAu > Mr.Speakers Ether Flow Open
  
 I can't wait to hear this once its all setup. Looking forward to hearing the wonderful sound sent from the 2Qute into the LAu and through the Ether Flows! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 All the best.


----------



## fdhfdy

antond said:


> Hi
> 
> Very interesting thread and sounds very promising regarding sound quality and USB connection.
> 
> ...



You need a good quality USB filter or USB/coax converter for computer output


----------



## theveterans

2Qute's USB port has galvanic isolation so you won't need a fancy USB filter.


----------



## AntonD

Hi, yes reading Rob's notes on 2qute usb DAC filtering and galvanic isolation, I will run as commented above. I don't like to add additional boxes if not required. Keep it simple if you can IMO.

my current system with qute EX sounds wonderful and I think 2qute has additional or better implemented filtering so can't wait. 

All the best.


----------



## ufospls2

I've posted this in its own thread in the reccomendations forum, but thought someone here might have some insight. 
  
 I own a Mojo. I'm in the beginning stages of putting together a new desktop system for my headphones, and I'm a bit stuck with what DAC to get. I would like to go with Chord, but I'm not sure which product I should go for, or if there is one that is right for my needs at all. I can't afford DAVE. I don't need a headphone amp, but I would like XLR outputs if possible. the 2qute looks like a good little DAC, but it doesn't have XLR outputs. The Hugo TT has XLR outputs, but you are paying extra for the headphone amp, which I don't need. 
  
 I was looking at a QBD76 HDSD used, which would be less $ than the HUGO TT. The problem is, I use a Macbook Pro, which has El Capitan installed. I would have to go back to using Yosemite to be able to use the QBD76 HDSD and doing that is a pain, and would cause other problems. 
  
 I could just use my Mojo as my desktop DAC, but I really would like to buy a dedicated system DAC and keep my Mojo for portable/transportable use. 
  
 Should I just give up on the idea of using a Chord DAC? How much better does the Hugo TT sound vs. the 2Qute?
  
 Thanks for the help.


----------



## theveterans

2Qute sounds better than Hugo and Mojo in some setups. You ought to try them since synergy with amps is much of a greater deal than buying a far more expensive DAC IMO. Some users noted that 2Qute and Hugo TT sounds so close that you have to listen back and forth many times to find the difference on their system.


----------



## Beolab

The 2Qute is the undiscovered black pearl in Chords line up, that even playing along with DAVE in some music on Active Focal studio monitors, so yes it sound more organic and got great deapt. And i think it sounds better overall than the Hugo TT.


----------



## henriks

Got some splitter cables from ebay today, now i can split from 2Qute to Violectric and i am waiting for Felix Elise before testing


----------



## Miksu

Any new impressions on 2Qute vs Hugo TT, especially on USB connection?


----------



## John Swe

If there is anyone wondering about the ifi S/PDIF ipurifier benefits with the 2qute, I have picked one up and will try it out this weekend.


----------



## Smileyko

I just went to the HiFi show here in Saigon and came away with the 2Qute dac. This will go with the Violectric V220 and the new HD800S I got just 5 days ago. At first listen this dac right out of the box sounds great. I will burn in a few days then really see how this Chord dac sounds after burn in. Cheers.


----------



## Smileyko

I have one question for our friends of 2Qute: I am green newbie and just got the 2Qute yesterday. Now I am playing music from Powerbook new also this year with iTune. The Apple Audio MIDI set up just automatically but the sample rate at the top 384,000 position. None of my files are above 192K. I thought the 2Qute will adjust by itself to what ever files are coming in? How do I make this happen? I have bought so many albums from HDtracks this past 3 months. Thanks in advance. Sounds great, absolutely heaven in fact.


----------



## Starcruncher

smileyko said:


> I have one question for our friends of 2Qute: I am green newbie and just got the 2Qute yesterday. Now I am playing music from Powerbook new also this year with iTune. The Apple Audio MIDI set up just automatically but the sample rate at the top 384,000 position. None of my files are above 192K. I thought the 2Qute will adjust by itself to what ever files are coming in? How do I make this happen? I have bought so many albums from HDtracks this past 3 months. Thanks in advance. Sounds great, absolutely heaven in fact.




You need to manually adjust the sample rate in Audio MIDI Control. I don't know how to make iTunes automatically adjust. I suggest using a music player with bit-perfect playback such as Audirvana. No problem there regarding this issue.


----------



## Smileyko

starcruncher said:


> You need to manually adjust the sample rate in Audio MIDI Control. I don't know how to make iTunes automatically adjust. I suggest using a music player with bit-perfect playback such as Audirvana. No problem there regarding this issue.


 

 I am very thankful for your reply. I just tried the different sample rates and you know what? I can't hear anything different in sound at all. Hmmmmmm.......... The music I got is all over the map. I will try Audirvana soon. Cheers.


----------



## Starcruncher

smileyko said:


> I am very thankful for your reply. I just tried the different sample rates and you know what? I can't hear anything different in sound at all. Hmmmmmm.......... The music I got is all over the map. I will try Audirvana soon. Cheers.




Upsampling (or downsampling, I suppose) vs. bit-perfect is a funny business. To me, it is akin to hearing a differences between cables. Some people swear by it, others at it. I think there can be positive differences in keeping things bit-perfect, but like cables, it depends on the recording and the rest of your gear. 

I really like Audirvana, BTW. Good interface and stable program. If you're a nerd, you can get deep into technical customization. I am not so much, but I am allergic to iTunes.


----------



## Smileyko

starcruncher said:


> Upsampling (or downsampling, I suppose) vs. bit-perfect is a funny business. To me, it is akin to hearing a differences between cables. Some people swear by it, others at it. I think there can be positive differences in keeping things bit-perfect, but like cables, it depends on the recording and the rest of your gear.
> 
> I really like Audirvana, BTW. Good interface and stable program. If you're a nerd, you can get deep into technical customization. I am not so much, but I am allergic to iTunes.


 

 I see what you are saying, by reading here on Head Fi there are two camps. Some don't believe in burn in nor cables. I believe in BOTH. In the last 6 months I have spend over $4K on cables. I was out just now back at the Saigon HiFi show buying Nordost inter connects for the 2Qute to the Vio V220. Another $400 spend on cables. I am now on that ADV website now and I might have to jump on it soon. Now Tidal, that's not even available here in Vietnam I don't think. Thanks so much for your info.


----------



## Ian Origbo

Just got a 2Qute 4 days ago & first day was a wow day. Second day sounded as if everything is much clearer but not as full bodied. Am on my forth day now & the bass has really settled dwn with much more weight & body. Still not sure about the treble still sounding thin to my ears. Got music on it all the time hopefully things will get much better. Over all the most musical Hifi I have ever bought, its as simple as that.


----------



## Smileyko

john swe said:


> Ok discussion over, the sbooster even without any burn in makes a huge difference. I put on mad max: fury road, a movie I have seen many times on blue ray and also watch scenes from when I tweak and buy new products. The sbooster puts the movie in hyper-realism mode. Everything is super clear and spaced out without a hint of harshness. My pontiell bias is bypassed when the sound of trickling sand (when max rises after the crash), chains and explosions creates a sensation in the back of my neck(I have never felt from watching music och movies anywhere). Can it really get any better then this??


 

 I just look for this sBooster and it's in Hong Kong. I am headed for Taiwan in the morning so let me see how I can order one for my new 2Qute. I did pair the dac with the Woo WA7 yesterday to try it out and the sound is amazing. Even though I am now on day 4 of burn in. Thanks friend. Cheers!


----------



## digitallc

smileyko said:


> I just look for this sBooster and it's in Hong Kong. I am headed for Taiwan in the morning so let me see how I can order one for my new 2Qute. I did pair the dac with the Woo WA7 yesterday to try it out and the sound is amazing. Even though I am now on day 4 of burn in. Thanks friend. Cheers!


 
 I use an SBooster with SBooster Ultra on my 2Qute - it does make a difference.


----------



## Smileyko

digitallc said:


> I use an SBooster with SBooster Ultra on my 2Qute - it does make a difference.


 

 Yessss, thanks so much. The HK dealer did email me back and he will arrange the shipping to Vietnam. Love to hear the improvements.


----------



## Light - Man

smileyko said:


> Yessss, thanks so much. The HK dealer did email me back and he will arrange the shipping to Vietnam. Love to hear the improvements.


 
 Just to mention the alternative to a new psu that you mention, you could also use a good 12 volt car battery as a cheaper alternative and may even be better.
  
 I have had some PM's with others on this thread and they reckon a psu upgrade improves the SQ.
  
 I have recently got a car battery for my Musical fidelity V90 DAC and it does improve the SQ.
  
 Has anyone ever had both the* 2Qute and the V90?* if so it would be great if you could give us your opinion, on here or by PM?
  
 The only thing putting me off the 2Qute is the fixed 3 volt output which may be too much for my integrated amp.


----------



## Ian Origbo

light - man said:


> Just to mention the alternative to a new psu that you mention, you could also use a good 12 volt car battery as a cheaper alternative and may even be better.
> 
> I have had some PM's with others on this thread and they reckon a psu upgrade improves the SQ.
> 
> ...


 
 I do have the V90 & the 2Qute. The V90 is a very clean sounding dac that sounds quite neutral, also very musical, but think the 2Qute dac is just a bit more dynamic, this may just be the case of the 3v output. I think the 2Qute just digs a little more detail from the music & is a little more robust in the mids. Also may have a little more weight to the sound compared to the V90. I am still using the original power supplies for both. I got a PSU on order for the 2Qute & looking forward to see if this will improve the sound.
  
 Edit: Just listening to both dacs now, the 2Qute dac is by far the better dac, it gives you that live feeling as if you are there with the musicians,  also has much more definition to the sound & separation of instruments.


----------



## martyn73

digitallc said:


> I use an SBooster with SBooster Ultra on my 2Qute - it does make a difference.


 
 Is it truly worth invalidating the warranty by using a third party power supply? I think Chord has already poured cold water on the practice of using alternative power supplies. I don't know of any ABX study which confirms that an expensive power supply has any noticeable effect on sound quality.


----------



## Smileyko

martyn73 said:


> Is it truly worth invalidating the warranty by using a third party power supply? I think Chord has already poured cold water on the practice of using alternative power supplies. I don't know of any ABX study which confirms that an expensive power supply has any noticeable effect on sound quality.


 

 This is so true my Head Fi friends. Just like if you every get on the Woo Fireflies thread and lieten to all of them talk about tube rolling on the WA7 PSU you might really think it's voodoo. Now I got the WA7 from reading that thread unseen unheard with the stock SS PSU. Deep down I am still wondering if I should have gone the other way. What about power cables to the amp it self? I have now 3 after market power cables the last one from Black Sand Audio I think they are from Canada also from reading Head Fi. So this sBooster thing? I have got to try it, it's less money then the power cables I am buying. It's a sickness I know, they got me hooked up. Now the sound of the 2Qute with the Woo WA7, amazing. The details the timber and the weight of the music is just sublime. Cheers.


----------



## Light - Man

martyn73 said:


> Is it truly worth invalidating the warranty by using a third party power supply? I think Chord has already poured cold water on the practice of using alternative power supplies. I don't know of any ABX study which confirms that an expensive power supply has any noticeable effect on sound quality.


 
 We take your point but we are talking about using well respected psu's.
  
 I always check the voltage and polarity of any new psu before using it.
  
 If anyone is using a 12v battery, make sure your DAC is *switched off* while charging the battery as the charging voltage is usually higher than the normal voltage ( may be up to 14v) and therefore may damage your DAC.


----------



## miketlse

light - man said:


> Just to mention the alternative to a new psu that you mention, you could also use a good 12 volt car battery as a cheaper alternative and may even be better.
> 
> I have had some PM's with others on this thread and they reckon a psu upgrade improves the SQ.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Rob Watts is quite clear on this subject. He has tried using a car battery, and can detect no audible difference.
 He also réitérâtes that using an alternative power supply, will invalidate the warranty.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/749582/chord-electronics-2qute-dac-announced/495#post_11788386
  
 Still it is your money, and if anyone wants to pour it into the big hole in the ground called power supplies, they are free to do so.


----------



## Light - Man

miketlse said:
			
		

> Still it is your money, and if anyone wants to pour it into the big hole in the ground called power supplies, they are free to do so.


 
 Sorry Sir, I don't have one yet and don't have any money left - in fact I don't know why I am here on this thread? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 Some of the guys on the Dave thread are also convinced that upgrading the power cord improves the sound - who am I to argue when I don't have a Dave or a 2Qute yet.
  
 It will be good when Ian Origbo and others get back to us with their experience to shed more light on the subject.


----------



## miketlse

Rob Watts talking about power supplies in general.
  
http://www.head-fi.org/t/766517/chord-electronics-dave/4035#post_12770432


----------



## andromeda1954

martyn73 said:


> Is it truly worth invalidating the warranty by using a third party power supply? I think Chord has already poured cold water on the practice of using alternative power supplies. I don't know of any ABX study which confirms that an expensive power supply has any noticeable effect on sound quality.


 
   I have the Sbootster   to power my 2qute and I can tell you I makes a huge difference. It is like  listening to a different DAC. The sound is very smooth and the soundstage more 3 dimensional deeper and wider and the bass is deeper more controlled  It is not a simply Wallmart power supply. If you google Sbooster  you will find enough proof that  it works.
  
 http://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/audio-ramblings-the-auralic-aries-and-sbooster-linear-power-supply/
  
  

50% more output current
power saving design
2 characteristics in 1 product:
  - power for high current demanding equipment
  - precision for noise sensitive equipment
2 selectable output voltages
1 accessory setting
safety approvals
IEC 14 power inlet for high-end mains cables
high performance dual stage mains filter
earth line choke
overvoltage protection
custom made high efficient audio grade transformer
high quality polypropylene film capacitors
improved no-noise SBooster split current system
price about $300.


----------



## martyn73

Here's a quote from Positive Feedback regarding the Sbooster "Is the SBooster doing what they claim? Well it sure sounds like it but I have no way of measuring what is going on, nor am I sure I even give a crap." £300 for a fancy power supply? I'll get my coat...


----------



## Ian Origbo

MCRU are a well know mains & cable company in the uk.  They actually test the Linear Power supply for the product before it is sold to customers. Just got mine this morning & it made quite a substantial improvement to the sound of the 2Qute, almost in every aspect of the presentation of the music. One thing not taken into account, is how bad the mains in some areas may be prone to RFI than others. But from this thread seems most are getting good results from upgrading  the original power supply.


----------



## Smileyko

I am all new to the 2Qute. Love the sound although I only had it for 5 days before I had to go on the road for a week. It's on and playing music at home while I am away so it will be well burn in when I get back to Saigon in 4 days. I did pull the trigger on the sBooster yesterday online from a dealer in HK. Can't wait. I am also waiting for a power cord from Canada that will come soon to the house. I know, it's a racket but they got me hooked up on it...........


----------



## digitallc

ian origbo said:


> MCRU are a well know mains & cable company in the uk.  They actually test the Linear Power supply for the product before it is sold to customers. Just got mine this morning & it made quite a substantial improvement to the sound of the 2Qute, almost in every aspect of the presentation of the music. One thing not taken into account, is how bad the mains in some areas may be prone to RFI than others. But from this thread seems most are getting good results from upgrading  the original power supply.


 
 For some of us, the local power supply is not clean, is not stable and is not reliable.


----------



## Smileyko

andromeda1954 said:


> I Have the Sbootster for a week now and I can tell you I makes a huge difference. It is like I'm listening to a different DAC. The sound is very smooth and the soundstage more 3 dimensional deeper and wider and the bass is deeper more controlled


 

 Thanks friends of Head Fi, I was introduced to 2Qute from here and just now in Saigon took delivery of the sBooster with ultra. At first sound..... AMAZING!!! The bass on the HFM HEX is awesome. Most thankful. Cheers.


----------



## John Swe

Good for you! So now atleast 6 people have the sbooster for the 2qute, ALL have had positive resultat. Maybe the doubters needs more proof, maybe God coming down and from high above and slapping them over the head, saying -Buy it you idiot!!


----------



## martyn73

john swe said:


> Good for you! So now atleast 6 people have the sbooster for the 2qute, ALL have had positive resultat. Maybe the doubters needs more proof, maybe God coming down and from high above and slapping them over the head, saying -Buy it you idiot!!


 
 I (mistakenly) purchased a linear power supply for a well known headphone amplifier and did a blind comparison test with the AC adaptor. The AC adaptor was tied with the linear power supply. The twist was that I managed to sell the linear power supply for a slight profit. Unless there is audible noise from the mains supply, the DAC can safely accept third party power supplies and a super-duper power supply can measurably and persistently improve sound quality then there are better things to spend your money on. I think the attraction stems from the perceived stigma of a manufacturer supplied 'wall wart' and the feeling that a consumer may be missing out on the wonders promised by exotically named power supplies devised by clever marketing staff.


----------



## MLGrado

martyn73 said:


> I (mistakenly) purchased a linear power supply for a well known headphone amplifier and did a blind comparison test with the AC adaptor. The AC adaptor was tied with the linear power supply. The twist was that I managed to sell the linear power supply for a slight profit. Unless there is audible noise from the mains supply, the DAC can safely accept third party power supplies and a super-duper power supply can measurably and persistently improve sound quality then there are better things to spend your money on. I think the attraction stems from the perceived stigma of a manufacturer supplied 'wall wart' and the feeling that a consumer may be missing out on the wonders promised by exotically named power supplies devised by clever marketing staff.


 
  
 No need for 'exotically named power supplies.' No, not at all.  I find that a cheap, less than $100 non descript black box LPS from China with adjustable output voltage is sufficient for notable increase in fidelity over typical SMPS wall warts.


----------



## martyn73

mlgrado said:


> No need for 'exotically named power supplies.' No, not at all.  I find that a cheap, less than $100 non descript black box LPS from China with adjustable output voltage is sufficient for notable increase in fidelity over typical SMPS wall warts.


 
 Which one would you recommend?


----------



## GreenBow

I read (in the 2Qute manual) that the line-level on the 2Qute is 3V. Please is there any way to reduce that to 2V line-level.
  
 I am using a pair of active speakers which have 2V line level in. They max at 2.2V and clip at volume over that.
  
 Also, other integrated amplifiers that I have been thinking about buying, some will have 2V line level.
  
 If I bought a 2Qute, I either need:

to be able reduce line-level out. 
or choose an integrated amplifier that works at higher voltage, which means lots researching on amplifiers, and reduced choice of amplifiers.
  
 Thanks.


----------



## JezR

You need these or something similar,
http://www.rothwellaudioproducts.co.uk/html/attenuators.html


----------



## GreenBow

jezr said:


> You need these or something similar,
> http://www.rothwellaudioproducts.co.uk/html/attenuators.html


 
  
 It's an idea I did not know of. However I was hoping in vain that the 2Qute output could be controlled. With the 2Qute having no visible controls or remote, I believe the line level is set at 3V. (It's going to mean limited amplifier choice in the slightly budget end of integrated amplifiers. I think.)
  
 I went looking for the What Hi-Fi review but it doesn't show after a review search of those Rothwell.


----------



## JezR

greenbow said:


> It's an idea I did not know of. However I was hoping in vain that the 2Qute output could be controlled. With the 2Qute having no visible controls or remote, I believe the line level is set at 3V. (It's going to mean limited amplifier choice in the slightly budget end of integrated amplifiers. I think.)
> 
> I went looking for the What Hi-Fi review but it doesn't show after a review search of those Rothwell.




They are what's known as an L-pad I think, it's a single resistor going from Hot to Earth in each adaptor, if you know the value of the resistor that is needed? You could experiment yourself. Maybe someone else here could chime in as it's a DIY thing to try and I don't know the maths to work out the value need to drop from 3v to 2v.


----------



## miketlse

jezr said:


> They are what's known as an L-pad I think, it's a single resistor going from Hot to Earth in each adaptor, if you know the value of the resistor that is needed? You could experiment yourself. Maybe someone else here could chime in as it's a DIY thing to try and I don't know the maths to work out the value need to drop from 3v to 2v.


 
  
 I think I read a post, where someone detailed the components that would be required, but I cannot remember if it was on headfi or what hifi forum. It was in relation to someone suggesting Rothwell, so I suspect that 'Rothwell' would be a good search term to start with.


----------



## JezR

miketlse said:


> I think I read a post, where someone detailed the components that would be required, but I cannot remember if it was on headfi or what hifi forum. It was in relation to someone suggesting Rothwell, so I suspect that 'Rothwell' would be a good search term to start with.


 
 I think Google is your friend, also try DIY Audio forum, there are a lot of technical people over there that would be happy to answer any questions I'm sure. Just a correction to my last post, it is two resistors per plug/adaptor and not one,


----------



## GreenBow

I think my issue with more passive components in the chain, is it means loosing a little sound quality. Sadly that's how I see it. (It was interesting to read though, how some folk found sound improvement with those Rothwells. Basically because they were able to push their amps a bit more.)
  
 These are brilliant suggestions though and probably the only way forward. However I don't see how the 2Qute has a built line-out variable. Someone will say if it has though, I guess.


----------



## Mark UX

This afternoon, and by mistake I have discovered something that let me completely out of words... I own the Chord 2Qute, and the Mojo. Owing a Chord 2Qute, the last thing you would do is to try to listen to music by YouTube. Well, I did (by a recommendation) and it automatically blow out my head! Assuming you are listening by one of Chord DACs, please listen to this:
  
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6GJqvpRvwM
  
 This is a vinyl circa 1988 (argentinean rock). How is it possible to ear such clarity and dynamics? (I own the lossless version...... and by any chance it can compare to this "youtube" vinyl reproduction.
  
 I am serious, this is......... youtube, and it is increible more live than my not-streamed lossless version of the very same album.
  
 Another example could be:
  
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3py-HvQ5XCE
  
 .... I was wordless this afternoon when I listened to these albums by my 2Qute. No FLAC, or any other lossless format could match this SQ.
  
 Question:
  
 Have some of you experienced with ripping some of your vinyls to digital lossless format, and play them by one of Chord DACs? It would be very interesting to me to ear your experiences. I am seriously considering to buy one of those modern vinyl players.
  
 I also would be interesed in listen @Rob Watts opinion on this.
  
 Thanks,


----------



## Smileyko

@ Mark UX: Great sound. I even A/B the digital uploads that has half a million views and this one with 59 views sounds much better. I haven't had vinyl in 30 years don't plan to go back but I must say...... Youtube never sounded so good. Cheers.


----------



## miketlse

@ Mark UX
  
 There is quite a bit of interesting music on YouTube, that sounds very good through a Mojo, and I suspect would sound even better with a 2Qute.
  
 Have you visited the "Mojos greatest hits" thread, which contains plenty of suggestions/links provided by forum regulars?
  
http://www.head-fi.org/t/802832/mojos-greatest-hits#post_12450385


----------



## liquidsmoke

Apologies if this has been discussed before. But I just got my 2qute and I'm very pleased. However the USB doesn't sound as good as the optical. Now on my previous dac (musical fidelity m1 dac) I had the same issue, however I thought this would be solved with the 2qute galvanic isolation. It's a shame as I want to have a go with dsd and also my optical only works up to 172khz and not the full 192; prob the cable or source I suspect. I digress... I'm using an old Mac mini 2007 with Windows. Arcam alpha 10 bi amps, everything is hanging off a 3000va balanced power.

I've tried using a linear psu for the 2qute and also a linear injecting power to the USB line too. Not much difference really. 

Is there something I can do? From what I read it's most likely RF from the USB. Do any of these things work?
Audioquest jitterbug
Uptone regen
Hifime high speed USB isolator
Linear psu for the Mac mini

Maybe rob watts might lend me some advice?

Thanks


----------



## Smileyko

miketlse said:


> @ Mark UX
> 
> There is quite a bit of interesting music on YouTube, that sounds very good through a Mojo, and I suspect would sound even better with a 2Qute.
> 
> ...


 

 Thanks for this post. I have spend the last 3 days on Youtube. Wow, great sounding music with the 2Qute and the Vio V220. I will be in HK next week to pick up a Grado GS 2000e. Can't wait to hear it with Youtube music.


----------



## Restia

I am a chord 2qute user for about a year. Over all, I love this greatly designed dac very much


----------



## Restia

The only problem I get is that I need to buy a BNC-RCA converter and I have no idea why it is designed like that.


----------



## Restia

2qute from my point of view does not emphasize on its ability to decode, though it is a very good dac. What I mean is that 2qute attacks me because of it neutral balanced three frequencies. It is true hifi for me. I personally love this comfortable sound.


----------



## Restia

If you are considering 2Qute as your only dac, I suggest stealth cable for upgrade and if you don't have enough buget, nsp2 is also a good choice.


----------



## Restia

keces linear power supply is what I use right now.


----------



## Light - Man

restia said:


> The only problem I get is that I need to buy a *BNC-RCA converter* and I have no idea why it is designed like that.


 
  
 Then I presume that Chord do not include one in the box? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 Technically I believe BNC is supposed to be a better connection but RCA is much more popular and a widely available cable option.
  
 I would have had a 2Qute by now but the 3 volt output is just too much for my integrated amp even though it has a power amp direct option (which is no use in this case).
  
 In addition the BNC coaxial socket also puts me off as it makes things more cumbersome with the RCA adapter and likely to topple over the 2Qute (from my experience with the Musical Fidelity V90 DAC) this combined with the added stiffness of a good coaxial cable. So it seems the 2 Qute may likely need some type of weight on top to stop it tipping over.  
  
 The input switch at the back of the unit also seems a little user unfriendly.
  
 I recently tested (for about 1 second) my ageing Arcam Black Box 2 DAC with its 0.8 volt output option and it was far too loud for normal use as an input into my integrated amps power amp direct option. (the Arcam also has a standard 2 volt output - the V90 has one standard 2 volt output)
  
 I wonder if Chord could incorporate some sort of switch into their replacement model that would have both,  2 volt and 3 volt option (or even have one fixed 2 volt output) and thereby greatly increase their sales as I reckon their current model has put many people off from buying it including me.


----------



## liquidsmoke

Ah so thats why I have to turn my volume knob right down on my Arcam Alpha 10+10P. I was wondering that! Is it a problem as such then?


----------



## Light - Man

liquidsmoke said:


> Ah so thats why I have to turn my volume knob right down on my Arcam Alpha 10+10P. I was wondering that! Is it a problem as such then?


 
  
 Perhaps your pre-amp can handle a fixed 3 volt input but if it did not you may hear what they call clipping or some form of distortion or maybe some harshness.
  
 You can check the Arcam specs but if you are happy with the sound in your scenario then that is all that matters.


----------



## liquidsmoke

I do experience some clipping I think at higher volumes... hmm. I wonder if anything can be done?


----------



## Light - Man

liquidsmoke said:


> I do experience some clipping I think at higher volumes... hmm. I wonder if anything can be done?


 
  
 There you go! hopefully Chord and others can offer some suggestions for those people who may have this foreseeable problem.
  
 I know that Chord mentioned a generic passive pre-amp but nothing specific, we all have got used to having remote controlled volume control, so what passive pre-amps are available (and with remote)?
  
 The other option Chord mentioned was to use some form of generic digital volume control but again nothing specific.
  
 The way I see it is that Chord have created this self made scenario and therefore could be more proactive in providing solutions to overcome their fixed 3 volt output design.


----------



## Jawed

liquidsmoke said:


> Apologies if this has been discussed before. But I just got my 2qute and I'm very pleased. However the USB doesn't sound as good as the optical. Now on my previous dac (musical fidelity m1 dac) I had the same issue, however I thought this would be solved with the 2qute galvanic isolation. It's a shame as I want to have a go with dsd and also my optical only works up to 172khz and not the full 192; prob the cable or source I suspect. I digress... I'm using an old Mac mini 2007 with Windows. Arcam alpha 10 bi amps, everything is hanging off a 3000va balanced power.
> 
> I've tried using a linear psu for the 2qute and also a linear injecting power to the USB line too. Not much difference really.
> 
> ...



The Jitterbug:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00YTA78FW

is actually recommended by Rob Watts:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/766517/chord-electronics-dave/3435#post_12681548

This cable is well regarded:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008VOPCGY

It's available in longer lengths.

I use both of these products on my Hugo TT and I think it was money well spent.


----------



## liquidsmoke

Anyone tried one of these cheapo ones?
 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331883119394
  
 I presume the jitterbug is just a simple low pass filter?


----------



## Jawed

The item on eBay you linked isn't a clone of this:

http://www.audiostream.com/content/audioquest-jitterbug

It seems to me you're unlikely to get the same result.


----------



## liquidsmoke

Aren't they both just different implementations of a low pass filter? I'm no electrical genius but those kinds of hf filters aren't rocket science I don't think?

I'm not saying you're wrong. Just trying to understand why 1 filter is any better than the other given the reasoning that bob watts gave himself.


----------



## Jawed

I think you are entirely missing the point. Filtering to remove radio frequency signals is difficult. As Rob says, RFI is like fungus, really hard to get rid of.

Despite the galvanic isolation in his DACs, which filters out most RFI, Rob found that a specific product designed for filtering RFI does help.


----------



## Ian Origbo

jawed said:


> I think you are entirely missing the point. Filtering to remove radio frequency signals is difficult. As Rob says, RFI is like fungus, really hard to get rid of.
> 
> Despite the galvanic isolation in his DACs, which filters out most RFI, Rob found that a specific product designed for filtering RFI does help.


 
 Very rightly so. RFI can get to your system through so many ways. Either an optical cable, mains, associated HIFI equipment or home appliances. You have to do a step by step elimination to identify the corporate. Even in my case I had mulitiple corporates, but had to do the hard work.
 My tv set was one, which I had to find a way to plug into its own  mains plug. Plugged into a mains conditioner. The other corporate was my optical cables from my tv set to my amp. It was picking up RFI like no mans business. Changed that for shielded one.
  
 The difference its made is unbelievable. Even if you buy the most expensive system & don't treat it well you well not get the best performance from it.  Leads to exchange of boxes with same bad results.


----------



## GreenBow

ian origbo said:


> jawed said:
> 
> 
> > I think you are entirely missing the point. Filtering to remove radio frequency signals is difficult. As Rob says, RFI is like fungus, really hard to get rid of.
> ...


 
  
 I think you mean 'culprit'. However I thought optical cables were immune to EMI or RFI.
  
 I might be totally wrong so please forgive me if so. I do seem to recall Rob saying shielded cables help with USB and coaxial inputs. Again I might be wrong but I think that's what I settled into thinking.


----------



## Ian Origbo

greenbow said:


> ian origbo said:
> 
> 
> > jawed said:
> ...


 
 Oops. Yes I meant culprit.


----------



## theveterans

greenbow said:


> I think you mean 'culprit'. However I thought optical cables were immune to EMI or RFI.
> 
> I might be totally wrong so please forgive me if so. I do seem to recall Rob saying shielded cables help with USB and coaxial inputs. Again I might be wrong but I think that's what I settled into thinking.


 
  
 Mojo itself is not immune to EMI so if you're using optical and still get clicking noise, there's a nearfield electromagnetic field that is interfering with Mojo's analog stage.


----------



## boomtube

Anyone here have 2Qute and Hugo?...if so, what sound differences do you hear between the 2 and Hugo, and what amp do you use for the 2Qute?


----------



## andromeda1954

I have both and they sound a bit different for me the 2quto sounds better than the Hugo .
Møre body . Better and thighter Bass .deeper and wider soundstage . Better instrument seaparation . I use a Lehmann audio lineair SE as a amp and I'm very content with the sound quality ,they a perfect match with the 2qute The Hugo I use for traveling only and I also are very happy with the sound . I think it's the best portable DAC/Amp out there .I use as HP the Sennheisser 800S and the Sennheiser IE 800.


----------



## guerph

Just snagged what I believe to be a pretty decent deal http://r.ebay.com/KbWv0I
  
 I've had the Mojo for a month or so now and couldn't be happier with portable listening. I had also been enjoying (quite to my surprise) using it in my main system feeding a Hegel H160. Decided I wanted something more static. If the 2Qute can make me smile the way the Mojo has, then I will consider it money well spent. Anyway, will report back once I've had an opportunity to set it up. What I am looking for is interconnects recommendations. What are y'all using?


----------



## AntonD

Just unboxed mine. Have to say they are a thing of beauty!
  
 Powered up and playing on continuously now. The light through the window is great.
  
 Can wait for critical listening once she's burned in


----------



## hornytoad

guerph said:


> Just snagged what I believe to be a pretty decent deal http://r.ebay.com/KbWv0I
> 
> I've had the Mojo for a month or so now and couldn't be happier with portable listening. I had also been enjoying (quite to my surprise) using it in my main system feeding a Hegel H160. Decided I wanted something more static. If the 2Qute can make me smile the way the Mojo has, then I will consider it money well spent. Anyway, will report back once I've had an opportunity to set it up. What I am looking for is interconnects recommendations. What are y'all using?


 
 The 2qute is better than the Mojo. I have both. Not close in my opinion . And the Mojo may be the best dac under 1K imo.


----------



## JWahl

hornytoad said:


> The 2qute is better than the Mojo. I have both. Not close in my opinion . And the Mojo may be the best dac under 1K imo.




Looking at some of your other posts, you may share similar tastes. I've also owned the Yggdrasil and Gungnir MB, but the Mojo has impressed me for what it is. I also have wondered how much improved the 2Qute is over the Mojo. Or rather, how much of the improvement is due to galvanic isolation of the 2qute. I previously ran the Mojo from the iFi iUSB 3.0 which improved the Mojo, but I've since sold it (the iFi). Eventually, I may get a 2qute, since I like the performance of the Chord products in such a compact package. Compared to the Yggy which is massive in comparison. The Chord and Schiit MB DACs are the only ones I think are really standing out from the crowd these days. I just wish Chord's higher end stuff was at more accessible price points.


----------



## flargosa

I agree with hornytoad.  I have both Mojo and 2qute.  The sound signature is different and noticeable..  Both are great, but the 2qute is clearly better than the Mojo.   The Mojo was a step up from my uber Bifrost.


----------



## AlexB73

flargosa said:


> I agree with hornytoad.  I have both Mojo and 2qute.  The sound signature is different and noticeable..  Both are great, but the 2qute is clearly better than the Mojo.   The Mojo was a step up from my uber Bifrost.


 

 Does 2qute has stronger bus and mid-bus compared to Mojo?
 Does 2qute sound more analog and smooth?


----------



## flargosa

2qute is flat neutral. Mojo has a small mid bass bump and the treble slopes down earlier.  Both sound very smooth to me. The mojo is more musical sounding to me, the 2qute is more analytical, but with my Decware tube amp the 2qute sounds perfect.  If you switch back and forth between the two the difference is very obvious. Both sound great though.


----------



## GreenBow

flargosa said:


> 2qute is flat neutral. Mojo has a small mid bass bump and the treble slopes down earlier.  Both sound very smooth to me. The mojo is more musical sounding to me, the 2qute is more analytical, but with my Decware tube amp the 2qute sounds perfect.  If you switch back and forth between the two the difference is very obvious. Both sound great though.


 
  
 I have been wondering myself about the Mojo graphs and sound recently. It's said the Mojo is a bit warmer sounding. Generally a warm sound is done by increasing a bit of upper bass I think.
  
 However I recall seeing the graphs for the Mojo and no such thing on them. No treble roll off that you speak of either. All I ever saw were flat graphs. I went digging on the Mojo website (post #3) and found two links showing just that.
  
http://goldenears.net/board/GR_Amp_DAC/5904087
http://www.stereophile.com/content/chord-electronics-mojo-da-headphone-amplifier-measurements#uRjcKz54xVq7DZPD.97
  
It's left me wondering how Chord got a warm sound with a flat response with the Mojo. Then got a more neutral response from Hugo (and 2Qute), again with a flat response.


----------



## flargosa

Graphs definitely looks flat. What I'm hearing from the Mojo is not flat compared to the 2Qute.  The vocals on Mojo sounds more forward than the 2Qute as well.


----------



## JWahl

One thing I could think of, is the Stereophile link mentions the Mojo has a slightly higher output impedance at high frequency, which could alter frequency response when loaded with a headphone. If the 2qute has a flatter impedence curve, while driving an amplifier load, this could account for the perceived difference.


----------



## kydu

Chord 2qute is a beast!!!


----------



## kydu

jwahl said:


> One thing I could think of, is the Stereophile link mentions the Mojo has a slightly higher output impedance at high frequency, which could alter frequency response when loaded with a headphone. If the 2qute has a flatter impedence curve, while driving an amplifier load, this could account for the perceived difference.





Either way you're getting a lot more performance than your paying for with both mojo and 2qute. I love both equally


----------



## guerph

I'm looking at powering a 2Qute with the W4S PS-1:
https://wyred4sound.com/products/upgrades-mods-accessories/ps-1-modular-linear-power-supply
  
 The specs:

Up to four power zones can be operated independently​. User-selectable to 5v, 9v, 12v or 15v
2.1mm (inner), 5.5mm (outer diameter) male coaxial/barrel plug with positive center pin
Supports devices up to 1.2A
Physical dimensions: 8.25" x 6.25" x 3.25"
 



  
 I plan to power a couple different devices, which is why the PS-1 appealed to me specifically. I also just bought a SOtM sMS-200 network player, which I also plan to power with the PS-1.
  
 Is there anything in the specs that would suggest the 2Qute and PS-1 were incompatible with each other?


----------



## kydu

guerph said:


> I'm looking at powering a 2Qute with the W4S PS-1:
> https://wyred4sound.com/products/upgrades-mods-accessories/ps-1-modular-linear-power-supply
> 
> The specs:
> ...




I was thinking about doing the same, but I cannot fault the 12v ifi ipower for $48!


----------



## dmance

I could not afford a DAVE ... or rather, I could not rationalize that much money on a single device, no matter how good. So, on a whim, I purchased a 2Qute just to listen to a DAC with some of Rob Watts magic.  And with the basic power adapter it was probably the best of many DAC's ive heard ... not as amazing as the upper-mid level DACs (usual suspects) but there was something nice in the transients and good tonality.  So, yeah, not a DAVE but I'll keep it, I thought.

I had a Teddy Pardo 12v/2A PSU lying around from my old exaSound DAC but never considered putting it to use with the 2Qute since Rob Watts gave us all many proclamations about an external PSU being unneccesary ... or at least being a third order issue..  Such is my regard for this man that i chose to try to love the DAC with the factory PSU....rather than go against Rob's recommendations.

But in a fit of 'What the Heck', I rigged an adapter for the 2Qute 5.5mm/2.1mm power connector and gave the Teddy Pardo a go.

Well Lordy, OMG, Mother of All that is Good.  What an incredible difference.  All is better - everything is gorgeous, Details are just shining through ... and with more presence, more emotion. Snappier bass notes too!   I cant stop listening to my music.  Is this what a DAVE sounds like??  If so, I have the high end sound for 1/5 of the price !!

 
So ... sorry Rob, but at least for my 'reasonably' resolving system with a 2Qute, the benefits of a good external PSU are huge!  And now I am thinking, 'DARN' the DAVE has its PSU built in... with Rob Watts making the design decision likely based on the same notion of 2Qute quality.  So.. .how much better can the DAVE be with an external PSU design??

Dan


----------



## dmance

..and on the issue of 2Qute sound quality....
There is little to no forum comments nor Chord documentation on the 2Qute grounding post.  What is it for?  And when should I use it?  I'm tempted to wire my 2Qute to a copper stake in the ground just to see if it makes a sonic difference.

Dan


----------



## henriks

Good Reading (o:


----------



## guerph

dmance said:


> ..and on the issue of 2Qute sound quality....
> There is little to no forum comments nor Chord documentation on the 2Qute grounding post.  What is it for?  And when should I use it?  I'm tempted to wire my 2Qute to a copper stake in the ground just to see if it makes a sonic difference.
> 
> Dan


 
 I'm curious about his as well. I know that MCRU makes an LPS for the 2Qute that has an "earthing wire" to connect to the ground screw, though I'm not sure how it benefits from it...
 "We have also installed the new Oyaide audiophile quality DC power plug on this new PSU and we have incorporated an earth lead because the Chord DAC features an earthing tag on the rear to ground the DAC, useful for sound quality improvements."
http://www.mains-cables-r-us.co.uk/power-supplies/1119-chord-qutehd-linear-power-supply.html


----------



## boomtube

guerph said:


> I'm curious about his as well. I know that MCRU makes an LPS for the 2Qute that has an "earthing wire" to connect to the ground screw, though I'm not sure how it benefits from it...
> "We have also installed the new Oyaide audiophile quality DC power plug on this new PSU and we have incorporated an earth lead because the Chord DAC features an earthing tag on the rear to ground the DAC, useful for sound quality improvements."
> http://www.mains-cables-r-us.co.uk/power-supplies/1119-chord-qutehd-linear-power-supply.html


 
 +1
  
 I'm also quite interested in getting a power supply for my 2Qute. I was looking into Teddy Pardo and a couple others.


----------



## flargosa

boomtube said:


> +1
> 
> I'm also quite interested in getting a power supply for my 2Qute. I was looking into Teddy Pardo and a couple others.


 
 I thought I read somewhere Rob designed both the power supply and DAC to work together.  He may have also said there will not be much improvement upgrading the stock power supply.  You guys might want to try a ABX blind test to see if you are really hearing audible improvements.


----------



## digitallc

I have been running my 2Qute with a SBooster 12-13V, along with a SBooster Ultra for the last year. It has really taken the sound up a notch.


----------



## dmance

flargosa said:


> I thought I read somewhere Rob designed both the power supply and DAC to work together.  He may have also said there will not be much improvement upgrading the stock power supply.  You guys might want to try a ABX blind test to see if you are really hearing audible improvements.




I have the ultimate highest respect for Rob Watts and his team - the 2Qute may not have the budget of DAVE but he says they engineered it with all the same design principles. And I appreciate Rob says he used both objective signal testing as well as listening tests to get max quality.
To my ears (and brain), the difference is obvious. No, I did not do a blind test - just two back to back ...over a two day period. And then with family members who also noticed. And then ongoing ...just to further convince myself.
It's strange though, I'm sure the differences cannot be measured in any sense, nor rationalized by known physics - yet the sound is plainly 'better' and much more enjoyable.

Dan


----------



## boomtube

dmance said:


> I have the ultimate highest respect for Rob Watts and his team - the 2Qute may not have the budget of DAVE but he says they engineered it with all the same design principles. And I appreciate Rob says he used both objective signal testing as well as listening tests to get max quality.
> To my ears (and brain), the difference is obvious. No, I did not do a blind test - just two back to back ...over a two day period. And then with family members who also noticed. And then ongoing ...just to further convince myself.
> It's strange though, I'm sure the differences cannot be measured in any sense, nor rationalized by known physics - yet the sound is plainly 'better' and much more enjoyable.
> 
> Dan


 
 I feel the same way about cables.


----------



## kydu

flargosa said:


> I thought I read somewhere Rob designed both the power supply and DAC to work together.  He may have also said there will not be much improvement upgrading the stock power supply.  You guys might want to try a ABX blind test to see if you are really hearing audible improvements.




For $49 the ifi ipower 12v power supply is well worth it


----------



## Toolman

My 2Qute should be arriving in a couple of weeks time...not see the 2Qute's power supply so I cannot comment but the looked similar to those from Hugo. So my question is can I use my Hugo power adapter with my 2Qute? The Hugo power supply are made in China fwiw


----------



## boomtube

kydu said:


> For $49 the ifi ipower 12v power supply is well worth it


 
 Have you compared the iFi iPower to any LPS's?


----------



## angelsblood

Do you guys leave the 2qute connected to the computer (usb) after use? My 2qute frequency light (red) is still on even when I shut my computer off!


----------



## kydu

boomtube said:


> Have you compared the iFi iPower to any LPS's?




Refuse to drop over $300 on teddy pardo or sbooster when the ifi ipower, for $49, does everything right. It's even stereophile recommended. Reported to have a lower noise floor than lps as well. I use the ifi ipower with my wyred remedy and recovery too.


----------



## Starcruncher

angelsblood said:


> Do you guys leave the 2qute connected to the computer (usb) after use? My 2qute frequency light (red) is still on even when I shut my computer off!




I think the light stays on the last sample rate that went into 2Qute


----------



## angelsblood

starcruncher said:


> I think the light stays on the last sample rate that went into 2Qute


 
  
 I see! So is it ok to stay connected to the computer permanently?


----------



## Starcruncher

angelsblood said:


> I see! So is it ok to stay connected to the computer permanently?


 
  
 I have had no problems. But that light can be a bit bright at night :/


----------



## manifesto31

Would anyone care to comment on whether it is better for 2qute to be always connected to power or plugged off when not in use regarding products life expectancy? Thank you!


----------



## kydu

Is anyone else using the wyred4sound USB recovery with their chord 2qute?


----------



## flargosa

I found this by Rob Watts. Interesting read, I'm sure there is a difference with better power sources, but it has to be cleaner than battery power.  


> _The initial 2 Qute listening tests revealed the mains powered 2 Qute sounded very similar to a battery powered Hugo.
> 
> Battery power has enormous advantages over mains operation, principally very low noise, both in band and more importantly RF noise - much lower than SMPS or linear PSU. RF noise is a hobby horse of mine, as it creates noise floor modulation when random RF noise inter-modulates with the audio signal in the analog electronics. The brain is extremely sensitive to noise floor modulation, as it interferes with it's ability to separate sounds out into individual entities with placement data.
> 
> ...


----------



## Music Alchemist

'Sup, fellas. I noticed some of you use headphones that are quite a bit less expensive than the 2Qute.
  
 I have an interesting question...but first, a little background...
  
 Right now I'm using the Koss KTXPRO1 and actually like it more than technically superior headphones like the HD 700, HD 650, and HE400i. I had two STAX systems in the past, which were my favorites. I might upgrade to the L700 next.
  
 When imported to the US from the UK, the 2Qute is a little over $1,000. That's a lot lower than the $1,800 it was originally at in the US. And the STAX would be about $1,800 too with the cheapest amp option.
  
 So here's my question: *Which do you think would be better to get first, the 2Qute or STAX?* (And why?)
  
 Basically, at first, it would either be the KTXPRO1 and 2Qute or the SR-L700 and my laptop's onboard DAC. (Which sounds the same to me as the Schiit Modi 2.)
  
 I've never had a high-end DAC before, so this would be a leap of faith based on all the impressive things I've read.
  
 Oh, and if any of you 2Qute owners could purchase the KTXPRO1 (since it only costs ten bucks) and test how much of an improvement you hear going from an affordable DAC to the 2Qute with that headphone, that would be especially helpful!


----------



## kydu

music alchemist said:


> 'Sup, fellas. I noticed some of you use headphones that are quite a bit less expensive than the 2Qute.
> 
> I have an interesting question...but first, a little background...
> 
> ...




Having a good source is extremely necessary and 2qute will give you that hand over fist. I use it with a number of head amps etc and it has never failed me. It held its own against dacs in the $3k- $5k range. I paid $1200 for mine and it will be years until I worry about a better source/dac. Oh and my go to is the hd600 for the record. Also consider a Chord Hugo which are actually close to the same price now. 
The rest of your questions I cannot comment on since I don't have first hand experience with those models.


----------



## miketlse

music alchemist said:


> 'Sup, fellas. I noticed some of you use headphones that are quite a bit less expensive than the 2Qute.
> 
> I have an interesting question...but first, a little background...
> 
> ...


 
  
 You need to be clear in your own mind, what your requirements are, before deciding the solution to go for.
  

If you buy the 2Qute first, it will sit silent for a long time, because the 2Qute does not have a headphone amp. *You still need to add a headphone amp into your calculations*.
If instead you buy the stax headphones plus a headphone amp first, at least you can listen to music in the interim, until you buy the 2Qute later.
  
 From a pure functionality point of view, buying the stax plus headphone amp, is the only way to continue to listen to music in the short term.
 If you buy the 2Qute first, without a headphone amp, then you will have to plug your koss headphones into your laptop headphone socket. It becomes a waste of money to buy the 2Qute first, because you will not be able to use it.


----------



## Music Alchemist

miketlse said:


> You need to be clear in your own mind, what your requirements are, before deciding the solution to go for.
> 
> 
> If you buy the 2Qute first, it will sit silent for a long time, because the 2Qute does not have a headphone amp. *You still need to add a headphone amp into your calculations*.
> ...


 
  
 I never said I didn't have an amp. I already have a headphone amp, have had many others, and can get any other ones I need in the future. My question was about whether the 2Qute or STAX headphones would be better to get first. The amps are not relevant to the question since they would be taken care of either way.


----------



## miketlse

music alchemist said:


> I never said I didn't have an amp. I already have a headphone amp, have had many others, and can get any other ones I need in the future. My question was about whether the 2Qute or STAX headphones would be better to get first. The amps are not relevant to the question since they would be taken care of either way.


 
  
 OK, so that removes the main constraint then (apart from funds).
  
 I have thought about the 2Qute myself, but a bit undecided because of the 3V fixed level output.
  
 If you get the 2Qute first, then you guarantee a good analogue signal to your amp and headphones.
 Then you have total freedom to choose the headphones for the long term (stax or other).


----------



## Music Alchemist

miketlse said:


> OK, so that removes the main constraint then (apart from funds).
> 
> I have thought about the 2Qute myself, but a bit undecided because of the 3V fixed level output.
> 
> ...


 
  
 I read about the 3 volt output as well. STAX and Schiit amps are fine with that, so it's not an issue for me.
  
 I guess what I'm worried about is how much of an improvement the 2Qute would really make in the context. One of my buddies tested a DAC he has in that price range with various mid-priced headphones and mentioned that it barely made an improvement at all compared to an affordable DAC. But it wasn't the 2Qute, which could be considerably better. And he does use that more expensive DAC with headphones that cost four figures.


----------



## GreenBow

miketlse said:


> music alchemist said:
> 
> 
> > I never said I didn't have an amp. I already have a headphone amp, have had many others, and can get any other ones I need in the future. My question was about whether the 2Qute or STAX headphones would be better to get first. The amps are not relevant to the question since they would be taken care of either way.
> ...


 
  
 It depends what amp you are using. I looked into this a lot.
  
 Like the Arcam A19 FMJ takes up to 4V. I emailed Cambridge Audio about the CX60A and they said it takes up to 5V, (however I was not convinced.) The Rega Elex-R takes up to 10V.
  
 The lower end amp like the £400 Marantz PM6006 appears to be line level in 2.25V. That might clip sometimes. I mean, my Q Acoutics BT3 clip: they are 2V line-in, 2.2V is overload. They don't clip all the time though; just now and again. However of course I am not recommending use a 3V DAC on a 2V amp.
  
 I found all this out using the Mojo which defaults to 3V line-level. (Which I reduce the Vout = 2V, to pair with my BT3.)
  
 Rob Watts made a good suggestion to me though. In your music player you can set your gain lower. In the volume settings in e.g. JRiver we can set volume mode: to Internal Volume. Thus allowing for reduction in output volume (power) to amp, when using bit-perfect.
  
 I don't know what amps you are thinking of. All the Schitt I have no idea about. I only ever really look over stock hi-fi audio kit. Not specific headphone amp type gear.


----------



## JWahl

music alchemist said:


> 'Sup, fellas. I noticed some of you use headphones that are quite a bit less expensive than the 2Qute.
> 
> I have an interesting question...but first, a little background...
> 
> ...




In your case I'd say the Stax. If you don't feel an appreciable difference between the Modi and onboard sound, you will likely be disappointed spending the money on a higher end DAC. Or it could just those headphones aren't resolving enough. In any case, you could try the Mojo first with the Koss and see if you like it and the Chord house sound first.


----------



## Music Alchemist

jwahl said:


> In your case I'd say the Stax. If you don't feel an appreciable difference between the Modi and onboard sound, you will likely be disappointed spending the money on a higher end DAC. Or it could just those headphones aren't resolving enough. In any case, you could try the Mojo first with the Koss and see if you like it and the Chord house sound first.


 
  
 I think the Modi 2 is just at the same level as my laptop's DAC. (Not all computers have bad DACs.) I've used all sorts of headphones with them. So the fact that I didn't notice a difference between them doesn't really mean anything. I'm sure the 2Qute would sound a lot better, and already know I want it; I just don't know whether it would sound "better enough" to give it priority. But I see some 2Qute owners using it with headphones I've had (such as the Sennheisers I listed), and I like the Koss even more, so I figured if it makes a worthy improvement for them, it could for me too. And being seven or eight hundred dollars cheaper makes it appealing too.


----------



## theveterans

music alchemist said:


> I think the Modi 2 is just at the same level as my laptop's DAC. (Not all computers have bad DACs.) I've used all sorts of headphones with them. So the fact that I didn't notice a difference between them doesn't really mean anything. I'm sure the 2Qute would sound a lot better, and already know I want it; I just don't know whether it would sound "better enough" to give it priority. But I see some 2Qute owners using it with headphones I've had (such as the Sennheisers I listed), and I like the Koss even more, so I figured if it makes a worthy improvement for them, it could for me too. And being seven or eight hundred dollars cheaper makes it appealing too.


 
  
 I already notice a great improvement from Mojo against on-board. I'm sure you'll notice a great difference with 2Qute unless your headphone or speakers are not up to task. It's mostly imaging, depth and timbre improvements that you should be able to tell apart.
  
 E.g. just listen to music with lots of PRAT such as Muse and be amazed on how lots of little nuances are so easy to tell apart yet in perfect harmony in creating a realistic sound.


----------



## miketlse

theveterans said:


> I already notice a great improvement from Mojo against on-board. I'm sure you'll notice a great difference with 2Qute unless your headphone or speakers are not up to task. It's mostly imaging, depth and timbre improvements that you should be able to tell apart.


 
 +1, the chord dacs have 500 times the processing power of other dacs, so I an confident that you will notice a difference.


----------



## Music Alchemist

miketlse said:


> +1, the chord dacs have 500 times the processing power of other dacs, so I an confident that you will notice a difference.


 
  
 Thanks for the encouragement. I've read up on the technical stuff behind Chord DACs and was so intrigued that I decided to just be happy with what I have DAC-wise until I could get the 2Qute and eventually DAVE. The KTXPRO1 isn't _that_ far behind the STAX SR-207 (my current favorite that sounds better to me than any non-electrostat regardless of price), and I'm curious to see how far I can take its sound. Plus the idea of using a $1,000+ DAC with $10 headphones is pretty amusing to me.


----------



## miketlse

music alchemist said:


> Thanks for the encouragement. I've read up on the technical stuff behind Chord DACs and was so intrigued that I decided to just be happy with what I have DAC-wise until I could get the 2Qute and eventually DAVE. The KTXPRO1 isn't _that_ far behind the STAX SR-207 (my current favorite that sounds better to me than any non-electrostat regardless of price), and I'm curious to see how far I can take its sound. Plus the idea of using a $1,000+ DAC with $10 headphones is pretty amusing to me.


 
 The Mojo, Hugo, Hugo TT, 2Qute all use basically the same FPGA and DAC code, but differ in terms of inputs (galvanised or not) and headphone amp/preamp functionality.
  
 I have the Mojo and enjoy the increased resolution of music, so I think that you will find the same with 2Qute.
 The mojo thread contains many posts from people who hesitated, then demoed the Mojo, then said wow. I  am one of them.
  
 If you like the ktx, then they will be fine to start with - enjoy the journey you will soon start.


----------



## Music Alchemist

miketlse said:


> The Mojo, Hugo, Hugo TT, 2Qute all use basically the same FPGA and DAC code, but differ in terms of inputs (galvanised or not) and headphone amp/preamp functionality.
> 
> I have the Mojo and enjoy the increased resolution of music, so I think that you will find the same with 2Qute.
> The mojo thread contains many posts from people who hesitated, then demoed the Mojo, then said wow. I  am one of them.
> ...


 
  
 I've read about many differences in their design, but didn't bother remembering it all. It's something you can look into if it interests you. Rob Watts goes into great detail, but it's scattered throughout countless posts instead of organized in one place.
  
 What caught my attention with the 2Qute is that nearly everyone (out of dozens of comparisons I tracked down) preferred it over the Hugo and Mojo, and I even found a few who like it as much as or more than the Hugo TT!
  
 Forgot to mention that my Creative Sound Blaster E1 DAC/amp and onboard DAC (using the E1 as amp only) are easy to tell apart. It's significant enough to notice immediately, but not enough to know for sure which is better. I usually favor the latter because it sounds more natural to me. They both excel at different things, you could say.


----------



## Beolab

A late night recommendation: 

Connected different sensitive headphones direct to the RCA outlets on the 2Qute, and used my streamer with bit perfect digital vol, and it sounds very good!


----------



## Music Alchemist

beolab said:


> A late night recommendation:
> 
> Connected different sensitive headphones direct to the RCA outlets on the 2Qute, and used my streamer with bit perfect digital vol, and it sounds very good!


 
  
 I actually saw your post about the 2Qute being closer to the DAVE than to the Mojo!
  
 ...Got any cheapo headphones on hand to test?


----------



## Beolab

music alchemist said:


> I actually saw your post about the 2Qute being closer to the DAVE than to the Mojo!
> 
> ...Got any cheapo headphones on hand to test?




Hi yes i have plenty great sounding headphones to chose from, but i am prohibited from the admins here on HeadFi to name them , because i sell them, and it is the same brand as my nic name 

But i have tested it also with Focal Utopia and Ultrasone ED 12 , with great result, very composed and solid / dynamic / Weighty sound. 

I call 2Qute for my "mini Dave". 

Recomend you guys to try this!


----------



## Music Alchemist

beolab said:


> Recomend you guys to try this!


 
  
 So, to connect via RCA, would you just need a female 1/4" / 1/8" (depending on the headphone cable) to dual male RCA adapter cable (like this one) and digital volume control? (I'm assuming the volume control of any typical music player like foobar2000 could work, though it may not be ideal.)


----------



## Martin Arscott

As I'm having issues with my Hugo after only 19 months use that appear to be battery related, and never needed a portable DAC in the first place, I'm considering getting it repaired, selling it, and buying a 2Qute instead.
  
 Only thing is, my Hugo is currently connected directly to my dual Cyrus XPower power amps and I don't want the expense or hassle of trying to find a suitable pre-amp just to control the volume.
  
 So...could I also connect a 2Qute directly to my power amps and use the PC's volume control within Windows ?
  
 The PC is my sole sound source. Thanks.


----------



## dmance

martin arscott said:


> As I'm having issues with my Hugo after only 19 months use that appear to be battery related, and never needed a portable DAC in the first place, I'm considering getting it repaired, selling it, and buying a 2Qute instead.
> 
> Only thing is, my Hugo is currently connected directly to my dual Cyrus XPower power amps and I don't want the expense or hassle of trying to find a suitable pre-amp just to control the volume.
> 
> ...




Martin, no problems with 2qute direct to amp. And definitely no problem with PC volume. Since chord DACs support 32bit samples from the PC your volume attenuation in software is better than any pre. In addition, if you use jriver, set volume mode to 'internal', this will use 64 bits during volume processing for absolute accuracy.


----------



## Martin Arscott

​Awesome, thanks very much dmance


----------



## dmance

​For all those curious about the 2Qute grounding post ....
  
 HI Dan
  
 It is simply there just incase you do need to ground it to your other Hi-fi equipment (if there is a hum, else known as a ground loop) then it is there to help eliminate it. If you are not experiencing any problems then you can just ignore it. 
  
Kind Regards
Tom Vaughan
 Pro-Audio & Manufacturing
​


----------



## wswbd

dmance said:


> Martin, no problems with 2qute direct to amp. And definitely no problem with PC volume. Since chord DACs support 32bit samples from the PC your volume attenuation in software is better than any pre. In addition, if you use jriver, set volume mode to 'internal', this will use 64 bits during volume processing for absolute accuracy.




If 2qute is connected to a pre-amplifier or an integrated amplifier, which way will result in a better result? Using PC volume as mentioned, or use the volume control on the amplifier.


----------



## dmance

wswbd said:


> If 2qute is connected to a pre-amplifier or an integrated amplifier, which way will result in a better result? Using PC volume as mentioned, or use the volume control on the amplifier.




Re: volume
On the PC side, they use 64 bit precision doing volume and any equalization...this then gets converted to 32 bits for USB transfer to the DAC. This is hugely better than an analog resister control in a preamp. If you are jealous of a knob, check out the Microsoft Surface Dial...this will become the defacto volume control for all media players.

Re: transparency. The 2qute is much more transparent direct to AMP. Im trying to sell my preamp. IMO, an1 active preamp just clouds the audio presentation.

Dan


----------



## wswbd

How about the preamp part of Hugo TT? It colors the sound to an extent?


----------



## dmance

wswbd said:


> How about the preamp part of Hugo TT? It colors the sound to an extent?




Volume on TT is a Rob Watts integrated digital volume control..just like DAVE. The attenuation is done deep inside Robs engine (I've read) and is absolutely, fully transparent.


----------



## kydu

dmance said:


> Volume on TT is a Rob Watts integrated digital volume control..just like DAVE. The attenuation is done deep inside Robs engine (I've read) and is absolutely, fully transparent.




Using your computer as a preamp will end up being your weak link. For less than $200 you can get a Luminous audio Axios passive preamp, run 2qute to that, and you won't have to worry.


----------



## dmance

kydu said:


> Using your computer as a preamp will end up being your weak link. For less than $200 you can get a Luminous audio Axios passive preamp, run 2qute to that, and you won't have to worry.



Kydu,
If a person is 100% fully PC based (as the initial poster indicated), then he has no use for spdif inputs...and the need to attenuate in the analog domain. I agree that a passive is the way to go if you want another cable and device in the chain to your amp. Although once you are converted to doing everything from your laptop/tablet then it just feels old school otherwise.


----------



## kydu

dmance said:


> Kydu,
> If a person is 100% fully PC based (as the initial poster indicated), then he has no use for spdif inputs...and the need to attenuate in the analog domain. I agree that a passive is the way to go if you want another cable and device in the chain to your amp. Although once you are converted to doing everything from your laptop/tablet then it just feels old school otherwise.




If one is using a 2qute, I would highly recommend a well designed passive preamp, while PC is fixed output. Digital volume control, unless very well designed, will crash the soundstage compared to a well designed analog preamp for bwteeen amp and 2qute. Yes an extra pair of cables are involved, but PC based or not it's a huge upgrade


----------



## dmance

To update my posts regarding 2Qute directly diving amplifiers to maximise transparency. Well I did all my tests using low power tube amps (2W - 5W). These worked spectacularly well. Alas, when I tried a solid state low power Pass Labs F7, the sound was horrible. The F7 has a 10kOhm input impedance and goes max volume at 2.53V. I've read all I can from Rob Watts on this here in the forum and nothing I read seems to indicate the 2Qute could not drive it. But nope. It can't. When I insert a preamp into the chain...the sound is back to the typical spectacular I expect.


----------



## guerph

Just wanted to chime into say that I am now powering the 2Qute with the W4S PS-1 with module #1 set to 12v. I'm using module #2 set at 9v to power the SOtM sMS-200 network player. The results, in a word...brilliant! The PS-1 seems up to task (currently max output is 1.5a) for low power devices. But per W4S: "A note on device compatibility: The PS-1 is currently intended for low-power devices like our Recovery or Remedy (anything up to 15v and 1.2A max). Right now, it won't work with higher power devices like a computer, our music server and the like. _However_, we are currently developing higher current modules so that the PS-1 will be able to power those types of devices. ETA is early 2017 for those modules to become available. Stay tuned."


----------



## guerph

A few more pics of the PS-1


----------



## kydu

guerph said:


> Just wanted to chime into say that I am now powering the 2Qute with the W4S PS-1 with module #1 set to 12v. I'm using module #2 set at 9v to power the SOtM sMS-200 network player. The results, in a word...brilliant! The PS-1 seems up to task (currently max output is 1.5a) for low power devices. But per W4S: "A note on device compatibility: The PS-1 is currently intended for low-power devices like our Recovery or Remedy (anything up to 15v and 1.2A max). Right now, it won't work with higher power devices like a computer, our music server and the like. _However_, we are currently developing higher current modules so that the PS-1 will be able to power those types of devices. ETA is early 2017 for those modules to become available. Stay tuned."




Being a recovery fan, I definitely wanted to try these with that and my 2qute. But I noticed 2qute only requries 0.5a, and so I changed out my 12v LPS with the stock wall wart, and its by far the best the 2qute has sounded. I'm just glad I didn't do damage to the 2qute power protection circuit. I do see now why Rob Watts recommends only using the stock wall wart. Honestly I've ever see a 12v LPS which is only 0.5a.


----------



## wswbd

dmance said:


> To update my posts regarding 2Qute directly diving amplifiers to maximise transparency. Well I did all my tests using low power tube amps (2W - 5W). These worked spectacularly well. Alas, when I tried a solid state low power Pass Labs F7, the sound was horrible. The F7 has a 10kOhm input impedance and goes max volume at 2.53V. I've read all I can from Rob Watts on this here in the forum and nothing I read seems to indicate the 2Qute could not drive it. But nope. It can't. When I insert a preamp into the chain...the sound is back to the typical spectacular I expect.




Do Hugo and Hugo TT have the same problem?


----------



## miketlse

wswbd said:


> Do Hugo and Hugo TT have the same problem?


 

 The 2Qute is a fixed level output of 3V.
 If the F7 can only handle 2.53V as the input, I am not surprised that the 'sound was horrible'.


----------



## SpiggyTopes

miketlse said:


> The 2Qute is a fixed level output of 3V.
> If the F7 can only handle 2.53V as the input, I am not surprised that the 'sound was horrible'.


 

 The 2Qute will only give 3V when fully driven.
  
 My 2Qute drives two Quad IIs which need 1.4V for full output and present 1.5M Ohms input impedance.
  
 The sound is very full and detailed with no hint of clipping.


----------



## Dvdlucena

Hello music friends! I'm going to my a chord 2Qute but I'm having a hard time searching the accessories that come in the original box.
So I need to buy rca/rca cable and USB - USB b cables?
Or chord provides those itens into the factory box?
I was looking some moon audio cables, and man, those are expensive...

Thank you for your help

Cheers!!


----------



## Music Alchemist

dvdlucena said:


> Hello music friends! I'm going to my a chord 2Qute but I'm having a hard time searching the accessories that come in the original box.
> So I need to buy rca/rca cable and USB - USB b cables?
> Or chord provides those itens into the factory box?
> I was looking some moon audio cables, and man, those are expensive...
> ...


 
  
 http://www.chordelectronics.co.uk/product/2qute/
  




  
 All you need are a set of RCA cables. You can get some decent ones from Monoprice for next to nothing.


----------



## Music Alchemist

Argh. Looks like UK dealers are no longer shipping to the US.


----------



## Starcruncher

Does anyone know where I can find the wall wort for U.S. power outlets? I got 2Qute in a place with UK outlets, but am in the States for a while.


----------



## henriks

music alchemist said:


> Argh. Looks like UK dealers are no longer shipping to the US.


 
 I got mine from https://artsexcellence.com/audio/da-converters/chord-2qute.html


----------



## miketlse

henriks said:


> I got mine from https://artsexcellence.com/audio/da-converters/chord-2qute.html


 
  
 They are certainly competitive prices.


----------



## bikutoru

2Qute - I'm really in love with music this thing is able to reproduce! 
  
 I never thought I'd get that level of musicality out of equipment, but honestly, good recording through thins thing, sound like musicians are right there, in front of you.
 I know that if Chord Dave was half the price, it still would be out of my reach, unfortunately.
 So, 2Qute has been the best thing that happened to me this year.
 It helps me get even closer to this miracle in my life - music.
 I had 2Qute since June and every single day, since I got it, it helps me to get even closer to this miracle - *music*, Yeah, I love music!
  
 Thank you Chord!


----------



## Deftone

bikutoru said:


> 2Qute - I'm really in love with music this thing is able to reproduce!
> 
> I never thought I'd get that level of musicality out of equipment, but honestly, good recording through thins thing, sound like musicians are right there, in front of you.
> I know that if Chord Dave was half the price, it still would be out of my reach, unfortunately.
> ...




Same thing happened with me when I got chord mojo, good times ahead!


----------



## bikutoru

deftone said:


> Same thing happened with me when I got chord mojo, good times ahead!


 

 That how it went for me - after reading Rob Watts ideas about psychoacoustic, how our brain perceives music, I got the Mojo! After 6 month with it, had decided my main system deserves a dedicated Chord dac, and got the 2Qute. Now have both, no regrets or desire to look for anything better.
  
 I see lots of people immediately try to enhance something that is already perfect - http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/chord-2qute-24888/index12.html#post598335, to me it is like getting a high end BMW and immediately starting to look how to change all the stereo components and may be an alternator 
 I think I understand the intent, but it seem a bit misguided when it comes to Chord's dacs. Reading all the Rob Watts's posts, one learns to appreciate all the thing that he thought about and how much effort and love went into each one of his creations.
  
 2Qute is my 6th dac, my first one that cost that much and the first one that I just cannot see being bettered even if I lost it and spent three times its cost. So many people on Mojo's thread confess that it made them fall all over in love with their music - I agree 100%.
 Mojo and 2Qute - they are dacs, they are hardware, but they disappear by making music nothing short of sounding breathtaking!


----------



## kydu

The months past and the Chord 2qute continues to impress me daily. It's really hard for me to justify upgrading as well. Is anyone here using the MCRU power supply for it?


----------



## Deftone

That's the best thing about chord DACs, any of them can be considered end game, they are just that good imo.


----------



## boomtube

kydu said:


> The months past and the Chord 2qute continues to impress me daily. It's really hard for me to justify upgrading as well. Is anyone here using the MCRU power supply for it?



I'm also very interested in a power supply for my 2Qute...just can't settle on which one to get.


----------



## Brushane

bikutoru: Very nice posts, thanks for sharing your experiences. I have since a month or two back a Mojo working as a standalone DAC in my main system and I am completely blown away by its performance. There are some usability quirks though, which makes the Mojo less than ideal as main DAC in my situation. I am of course looking into saving up for a 2Qute instead, I think it would solve those usability issues.
  
 Something funny which has happened after the Mojo became a part of the system, is that my music shopping has shot through the roof! I haven't changed my listening habits much, I have always listened to a lot of music, but in favour for purchased CDs and downloads, streaming has become less and less part of my consumer pattern.
  
 The causality between the Mojo and music purchases is probably quite low, but one followed the other, which is a fact.


----------



## GreenBow

Really nice to see pictures of 2Qute all plugged in.


----------



## bikutoru

brushane said:


> bikutoru: Very nice posts, thanks for sharing your experiences. I have since a month or two back a Mojo working as a standalone DAC in my main system and I am completely blown away by its performance. There are some usability quirks though, which makes the Mojo less than ideal as main DAC in my situation. I am of course looking into saving up for a 2Qute instead, I think it would solve those usability issues.
> 
> Something funny which has happened after the Mojo became a part of the system, is that my music shopping has shot through the roof! I haven't changed my listening habits much, I have always listened to a lot of music, but in favour for purchased CDs and downloads, streaming has become less and less part of my consumer pattern.
> 
> The causality between the Mojo and music purchases is probably quite low, but one followed the other, which is a fact.


 
@Brushane:
 Since I listen to a lot of different music(http://www.last.fm/user/tudupka) I gave my family a gift of annual iTunes Music subscription. I know, it is not lossless,and one thing I feared with streaming was listening fatigue. Fortunately, I can listen to my system 24/7 - no listening fatigue!  
 If I do a critical comparison, yes lossless wins on really good recordings, but now my listening habits shifted to streaming, I'd say 80/20 ratio, because streaming though 2Qute is absolutely jaw-dropping to me and it is amazing to have so much music at my fingertips all the time.
  
 Mojo sounded way better then my previous dacs in my main system, but after connecting 2Qute, I had to put half-ball vibration dampeners on the bottom of my bookshelf speakers, because the bass became more present. I also can keep my Mojo at work during the week days.
  
 With the Mojo, 2Qute and streaming, I just listen and discover more


----------



## GreenBow

@miketlse 
@GRUMPYOLDGUY
  
 Yeah I have taken a look at the Asus support website. There are a couple of large-ish 1.5GB downloads that might be the later OS version. I don't have any hope they will work with Mojo though.


----------



## didierone

Good morning,
  
 I have a Mojo, and i use this for Hifi dac and Headphone dac 
 It's the Chord 2QUTE better than the MOJO...?
 The Mojo isn't easy to use for Home dac, but the quality is very nice... 
  
 Thank you in advance,
 Didier


----------



## JezR

didierone said:


> Good morning,
> 
> I have a Mojo, and i use this for Hifi dac and Headphone dac
> It's the Chord 2QUTE better than the MOJO...?
> ...


 
 Hi Didier,
  
 I have both Mojo and 2Qute, I used Mojo in my main system before I got the 2Qute, my subjective opinion is 2Qute is more 3D/neutral sounding, so yes I would say 2Qute is better in a main system, even though the Mojo is on battery and 2Qute on mains power.
  
 I do use a LPS for the 2Qute, but even using the wall wart that comes with the 2Qute, it will still be better than Mojo.
  
 Get a home demo 2Qute, you need to hear it for yourself really, or just buy it 
  
 Jez.


----------



## ryder78

Are there any leaks on a 2Qute v2 ? The Hugo 2 is already out. I hope the 2Qute v2 will be launched by the end of the year, with all the same features as the Hugo 2 excluding headphone functions. Features such as 49,152 taps, four filter options and other technical improvements.


----------



## boomtube

ryder78 said:


> Are there any leaks on a 2Qute v2 ? The Hugo 2 is already out. I hope the 2Qute v2 will be launched by the end of the year, with all the same features as the Hugo 2 excluding headphone functions. Features such as 49,152 taps, four filter options and other technical improvements.


 
 I'm very interested in this too.


----------



## AlexB73

Me too.


----------



## Music Alchemist

Instead of the 2Qute, I ended up buying a Mojo, HD 800, and NightHawk.
  
 I want to reinvest the rest of my money for now instead of blowing it...and will probably just stick with the Mojo until I can afford endgame stuff like the Blu Mk. 2 and DAVE.


----------



## Deftone

music alchemist said:


> Instead of the 2Qute, I ended up buying a Mojo, HD 800, and NightHawk.
> 
> I want to reinvest the rest of my money for now instead of blowing it...and will probably just stick with the Mojo until I can afford endgame stuff like the Blu Mk. 2 and DAVE.


 
  
 sensible words for a headfier lol


----------



## Nejiro

Good evening, I just bought a dac 2Qute and I can not make it work with Windows 10 64bit, I installed the drives on the site http://www.chordelectronics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/2Qute -Windows-Driver.zip but Foobar returns an error message saying "could not initialize the drivers' and on the Windows device manager 10 dac is seen but there is a yellow sticker that says that the device is not compatible, I tried several times to didinstallare and reinstall the drive, but there is nothing to do, it does not work, it states that it is not the first dac I install and I've never had problems of this tipo.Hope can help me. Sorry if I used a translator but I'm Italian and I do not speak English.
 Thank you


----------



## henriks

Same windows here, have you tried another device?


----------



## Nejiro

Thanks for the answer, I just put the 2Qute on another PC with Windows 10 64bit but I have the exact same problems, place some screen errors that I appear.
 Thank you


----------



## Nejiro

I just installed the dac on another PC with windows 10 and I have the exact same problems, I also posted the screen but I do put them because the forum says they are not authorized .... still same issues on two different PCs, i hope my dac does not have problems or that the drives on the site are not compatible with Windows 10 64bit.
 Thank you


----------



## Nejiro

I called the Italian importer Chord that it was aware of the problem, practically on site and chord drive does not match the pattern page, told me to download the drive for Mojo, I did just that and now works ..... I hope chord systems it in their site.
 Thank you


----------



## N15M0

Anyone know how can I connect the 2Qute to the new macbook pro which only consist of usb c ports. Thanks.


----------



## Mojo777

Apple USB-C to USB Adapter and any length USB cable with USB A on one side


----------



## AlexB73

Does new MacBook pro have optical output?


----------



## N15M0

mojo777 said:


> Apple USB-C to USB Adapter and any length USB cable with USB A on one side



 Won't that defeat the purpose of having an audiophile grade USB cable?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## N15M0

alexb73 said:


> Does new MacBook pro have optical output?




Nope it doesn't. Only 4 USB C. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## AlexB73

n15m0 said:


> Nope it doesn't. Only 4 USB C.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



But I know it has 3.5mm output. Is is analog only?


----------



## N15M0

alexb73 said:


> n15m0 said:
> 
> 
> > Nope it doesn't. Only 4 USB C.
> ...




That I'm not sure. But with the 2Qute, isn't USB the best input option?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## bikutoru

n15m0 said:


> That I'm not sure. But with the 2Qute, isn't USB the best input option?


 
 New MBP with USB-C ports have on optical, audio headphone jack is analog only.
 Yes, USB on 2Qute is the best option, even through optical it sounds great as well.


----------



## N15M0

So if I strictly want to use the USB, is there a USB C cable to connect to the 2Qute?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## bikutoru

n15m0 said:


> So if I strictly want to use the USB, is there a USB C cable to connect to the 2Qute?


 
 I have no way of verifying it, but something like this, should work:
  
 https://www.amazon.com/Belkin-USB-IF-Certified-Printer-Meters/dp/B00WJSPW6S/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1484972484&sr=8-13&keywords=usb-b+to+usb-c


----------



## AlexB73

bikutoru said:


> New MBP with USB-C ports have on optical, audio headphone jack is analog only.
> Yes, USB on 2Qute is the best option, even through optical it sounds great as well.



Does previous generation of MBP have optical output?
I'm planning to buy one and to use it with my Mojo.


----------



## bikutoru

alexb73 said:


> Does previous generation of MBP have optical output?
> I'm planning to buy one and to use it with my Mojo.


 

 Yes, it does. That's what I use.
 You can always check yourself, if you have access to a mac in "About this Mac/System Report"


----------



## N15M0

Just gotten my 2Qute, should I upgrade the power supply? Haha.


----------



## bikutoru

Absolutely, but it has to cost more then 2Qute itself 


n15m0 said:


> Just gotten my 2Qute, should I upgrade the power supply? Haha.


 
 Absolutely, but it has to cost, at least, more than 2Qute itself 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




 If you have a chance, re-solder all the internal circuits with *beryllium *solder
  
 May be it is a definition of an audiophile - as soon as one gets a really expensive piece of equipment, the first thing he thinks how to replace an *"X"* in it to make it sound better and actually never use it to listen to music?


----------



## musickid

can anyone give a comparison between the modi multibit and 2qute?
  
 also as the 2qute is galvanically isolated on the usb would using the intona industrial have beneficial effect.? i have not found much on this point.


----------



## sheldaze

musickid said:


> can anyone give a comparison between the modi multibit and 2qute?
> 
> also as the 2qute is galvanically isolated on the usb would using the intona industrial have beneficial effect.? i have not found much on this point.


 
 WARNING: Opinions to follow...
  
 Most threads I've read have people comparing Modi Multibit (Mimby) versus Chord Mojo, and rating the Mimby ahead. As close as these are, I still personally found the Mojo to remain a step ahead. The noise levels, due to what I assume are the power supply, kept the Mimby behind Mojo's clean battery source. When run into a Magni, the noise is a non-issue. But when run into more revealing amplifiers, particularly when using more revealing headphones, Mojo was my preference.
  
 Also in most threads, Hugo/2Qute are considered better than Mojo. They have a different tonal balance - slightly less bass presence, and slightly more air. But they do not, by any means, lack bass! To my ears, Hugo/2Qute are about as good as you need for headphones. And it is not until you upgrade to Bimby/Gumby that you start to hear the goodness that it is in Schiit DACs and great for speakers.
  
 TLDR (my opinion): Mimby (good), Mojo (better), 2Qute (best), but I still prefer the upper tier of Schiit DACs for speakers. Also you can throw anything you want into the USB chain. I have what I think is about the worst USB source possible, and it sounds great straight into the 2Qute.


----------



## musickid

Would the 2qute be worth the extra 700 pounds in terms of overall improvement in real sonic upgrade here as compared to modimulti. or does it become diminishing returns. if i went for the 2qute would i be able to put my intona to good use as 2qute is GAL.ISOL on usb.? i use an earmax pro tube amp. the qute would fit nicely on my desk. my other option would be to upgrade cans from dt880 600 but i really dont want to as synergy with otl tube is stunning and comfort is incredible. the only part of my chain i can upgrade is dac. schitt dacs too large for my desk and bulky. on comp audiophile ive been told modimulti holds its own against 2qute. im listening to greg porter tidal hifi its breathtaking how can it get better.


----------



## sheldaze

musickid said:


> Would the 2qute be worth the extra 700 pounds in terms of overall improvement in real sonic upgrade here as compared to modimulti. or does it become diminishing returns. if i went for the 2qute would i be able to put my intona to good use as 2qute is GAL.ISOL on usb.? i use an earmax pro tube amp. the qute would fit nicely on my desk. my other option would be to upgrade cans from dt880 600 but i really dont want to as synergy with otl tube is stunning and comfort is incredible. the only part of my chain i can upgrade is dac. schitt dacs too large for my desk and bulky. on comp audiophile ive been told modimulti holds its own against 2qute. im listening to greg porter tidal hifi its breathtaking how can it get better.


 

 I actually bought the 2Qute _specifically _for a tube amplifier - still waiting for the amplifier to be built. I figured the slight warmth of the tube would work quite well with the slightly cool nature of the 2Qute. I've yet to hear the two together, but that is my hope. So it seems you and I are both trying to do something quite similar. Though only you can say - is your tube warmish and could benefit from a lot of details, or it is fairly balanced, benefitting from the slight warmth of the Mojo?


----------



## musickid

rob has told me my 320 pound intona industrial would serve little purpose with a 2qute as its already galvanised. maybe now i will rethink. intona plus modimulti is very seductive even ive never heard 2qutes.


----------



## guerph

sheldaze said:


> TLDR (my opinion): Mimby (good), Mojo (better), 2Qute (best), but I still prefer the upper tier of Schiit DACs for speakers. Also you can throw anything you want into the USB chain. I have what I think is about the worst USB source possible, and it sounds great straight into the 2Qute.


 
  
 In my opinion, the 2Qute _IS_ better than the Mojo. But, I feel like your statement about the _source_ is unintentionally misleading and 2Qute owners (DAC owners in general) are not maximizing its true potential, feeding it an inadequate source. "You can throw anything you want into the USB chain..." This may be technically true. But, if you have a 2Qute being fed by PC, Mac or RPi...you don't know what you are missing. I think people, like myself, read through these posts and are being misled about the benefits of a decent source (including power source). You will find that the 2Qute will benefit significantly from a source like the microrendu or sms-200 (which is my personal preference and being fed by a decent linear PSU). I thought the 2Qute sounded really really good using MacBook and Raspberry Pi as sources. I was extremely skeptical about introducing an "audiophile network player" into the loop. But I was completely blown away. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I am going to repeat myself for emphasis...you don't know what you are missing! Please upgrade your source! Your 2Qute and ears will thank you.
  
 Listen...Chord brass aren't going to come on here and tell you that you need to spend another $1000+ to make the 2Qute really shine. They would never sell DACs this way. It makes business sense for them to tell you (or on a public forum like this one) that the 2Qute won't benefit from a better power supply or a better USB cable or an audiophile quality network player. What they, and other DAC manufacturers perhaps, aren't telling you (but should) is that the 2Qute has tremendous potential...but not fully realized out of the box.


----------



## hornytoad

guerph said:


> In my opinion, the 2Qute _IS_ better than the Mojo. But, I feel like your statement about the _source_ is unintentionally misleading and 2Qute owners (DAC owners in general) are not maximizing its true potential, feeding it an inadequate source. "You can throw anything you want into the USB chain..." This may be technically true. But, if you have a 2Qute being fed by PC, Mac or RPi...you don't know what you are missing. I think people, like myself, read through these posts and are being misled about the benefits of a decent source (including power source). You will find that the 2Qute will benefit significantly from a source like the microrendu or sms-200 (which is my personal preference and being fed by a decent linear PSU). I thought the 2Qute sounded really really good using MacBook and Raspberry Pi as sources. I was extremely skeptical about introducing an "audiophile network player" into the loop. But I was completely blown away. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I am going to repeat myself for emphasis...you don't know what you are missing! Please upgrade your source! Your 2Qute and ears will thank you.
> 
> Listen...Chord brass aren't going to come on here and tell you that you need to spend another $1000+ to make the 2Qute really shine. They would never sell DACs this way. It makes business sense for them to tell you (or on a public forum like this one) that the 2Qute won't benefit from a better power supply or a better USB cable or an audiophile quality network player. What they, and other DAC manufacturers perhaps, aren't telling you (but should) is that the 2Qute has tremendous potential...but not fully realized out of the box.



2qute is way better than the Mojo just like the Yggy is better than the MB Gungnir .


----------



## theveterans

sheldaze said:


> WARNING: Opinions to follow...
> 
> Most threads I've read have people comparing Modi Multibit (Mimby) versus Chord Mojo, and rating the Mimby ahead. As close as these are, I still personally found the Mojo to remain a step ahead. The noise levels, due to what I assume are the power supply, kept the Mimby behind Mojo's clean battery source. When run into a Magni, the noise is a non-issue. But when run into more revealing amplifiers, particularly when using more revealing headphones, Mojo was my preference.
> 
> ...


 
  
 On both but Mojo > Bimby ONLY in headphones, but Bimby > Mojo in 2 channel setup. Schiit's sound is more enjoyable than Mojo for speaker listening to my ears as Mojo is too warm and laid back for the Yamaha HS7 that I use. As for DAC quality IMO Mojo = Bimby/Mimby; DAVE & Hugo TT > Yggdrasil


----------



## musickid

can anyone who has listened to modimultibit and 2qute add to this by giving a detailed comparison of the two dacs. ultimately it will help me decide whether to upgrade or not. many thanks
  
I am running intona industrial to modi multibit to earmaxpro tube amp to dt880 600ohm. would i be better upgrading the dac here or the headphones? the earmax is keeps. slightly off topic but still learning.


----------



## N15M0

Anyone tired paring the 2Qute with the ifi iUSB 3.0?


----------



## musickid

HELP NEEDED.
  
 Im using an earmaxpro tube amp. like most amps as i understand it it is designed to accept a 2V line in from a cd player, dac etc. I would love to upgrade my dac from modimultibit to 2qute however i do not have the luxury of auditioning equipment. would i have any issues using 2qute with my earmaxpro which as far as i can tell was designed for a 2V line input or am i making a big deal from nothing here. i am in a state of limbo here not wanting to spend 1k then finding my tube amp can't cope with a 3V in. thanks to all.


----------



## AlexB73

No problem with 3 volts, because your amp has input volume control.
 3 volt output DAC will be even sound better compared 2 volt output DAC.


----------



## theveterans

alexb73 said:


> No problem with 3 volts, because your amp has input volume control.
> 3 volt output DAC will be even sound better compared 2 volt output DAC.




No true. If the amp can't take the 3V input, it will sound distorted due to clipping (too much gain on amp and not enough current to provide high spl at lower volume)


----------



## AlexB73

Input volume control of this amplifier is voltage divider. So input tube see 3volts only in case when volume control set on maximum. If volume control set to -12 dB that much lower then average volume the first tube will see 0.75 volts.
3volts doesn't work well for power amplifiers without input voltage regulator.


----------



## N15M0

Anyone had tried both the 2Qute and the Hugo TT? I've recently bought the 2Qute to replace the DAC of my headphone setup and I'm extremely happy with the purchase. Now I'm thinking of changing my speakers DAC to a chord as well and I'm considering whether to get another 2Qute or a Hugo TT. If I'm purely using it as a DAC, will the Hugo TT sound better than a 2Qute? Thanks. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## theveterans

n15m0 said:


> Anyone had tried both the 2Qute and the Hugo TT? I've recently bought the 2Qute to replace the DAC of my headphone setup and I'm extremely happy with the purchase. Now I'm thinking of changing my speakers DAC to a chord as well and I'm considering whether to get another 2Qute or a Hugo TT. If I'm purely using it as a DAC, will the Hugo TT sound better than a 2Qute? Thanks.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


 
  
 As pure DAC, IMO both are system dependent, but the advantage of the TT is the supercapacitors which makes the TT less prone to noise that degrades the SQ. TT also has variable line out and headphone out and these eliminate the need for a preamp which degrades transparency if you are a purist. For fun sounding budget system, 2Qute is a better buy since you can use a tube buffer in the preamp to color the sound to the way you want. Then again, it sounds like you want to simplify your system and want the absolute transparency that you seek. TT is the best DAC for this application at your current budget.


----------



## Mojo777

Waiting on the Hugo 2 with a remote control!!!!


----------



## theveterans

mojo777 said:


> Waiting on the Hugo 2 with a remote control!!!!


 
  
 It's a far better deal than both TT and 2Qute.


----------



## N15M0

I'm using it at home. I'll rather get the TT than a Hugo 2. And I'm connecting from my laptop I like prefer a better USB input from both the TT and the 2Qute. But if I already has a preamp and I'll only be using purely the DAC section, does it make sense for me to her the TT? Does the DAC from the TT sound better than the 2Qute?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## theveterans

n15m0 said:


> I'm using it at home. I'll rather get the TT than a Hugo 2. And I'm connecting from my laptop I like prefer a better USB input from both the TT and the 2Qute. But if I already has a preamp and I'll only be using purely the DAC section, does it make sense for me to her the TT? Does the DAC from the TT sound better than the 2Qute?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


 
  
 If you have a preamp, 2Qute will be a better deal. With TT, you still have a battery like the Hugo and will eventually fail. Both 2Qute and TT are galvanically isolated so the input is just equal. As a DAC, TT will be slightly better due to the supercapacitors. Whether the supercapacitors and headphone, variable line out is worth the extra cost is up to you. You can't go wrong with either at their price points.


----------



## GreenBow (Dec 2, 2017)

theveterans said:


> n15m0 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm using it at home. I'll rather get the TT than a Hugo 2. And I'm connecting from my laptop I like prefer a better USB input from both the TT and the 2Qute. But if I already has a preamp and I'll only be using purely the DAC section, does it make sense for me to her the TT? Does the DAC from the TT sound better than the 2Qute?
> ...


 

 I thought the 2Qute had a battery. Am I wrong? (I am googling now to see if I can find out.)


----------



## N15M0

theveterans said:


> n15m0 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm using it at home. I'll rather get the TT than a Hugo 2. And I'm connecting from my laptop I like prefer a better USB input from both the TT and the 2Qute. But if I already has a preamp and I'll only be using purely the DAC section, does it make sense for me to her the TT? Does the DAC from the TT sound better than the 2Qute?
> ...





So the super capacitor also apply to the DAC section? I always thought it's only for the headphone out section. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Music Alchemist

greenbow said:


> I though the 2Qute had a battery. Am I wrong? (I am googling now to see if I can find out.)


 
  
 No, it plugs into the wall or aftermarket power supplies.
  
 http://www.chordelectronics.co.uk/product/2qute/


----------



## GreenBow (Dec 2, 2017)

I don't know how I missed that the 2Qute was not fitted with batteries. I think I figured that there still might be some inside, even after having read the manual. (I even concluded it had no batteries before, but clean forgot.)

What I mean is, in the Mojo/Hugo/Hugo TT manuals, Chord state charge for a minimum of 'x' hours before use. The 2Qute manual does not say this....... However it's not like Chord in effect (apart from the DAVE) not to use a battery. They use it for clean power supply I thought. Thus I was probably assuming that the 2Qute still had a battery. Thus not being reliant on the adaptor only for power.

I mean I have not read any mention anywhere of the 2Qute PSU being designed noiselessly. Not that I am disputing that. It's just that Chord like to let us know why about things, but I can't remember anything on this. I do however recall Rob Watts telling us he saw no better sound quality in a particular test. When he hooked the 2Qute up to a car battery. .........I think somewhere along the line I must have assumed wrongly, and there is no battery. Or there is a battery and Chord don't require a pre-charge on it.


----------



## batracom

I would like some help if possible to decide whether a trade-in of the QuteEX for the 2Qute is worth it. I have the QuteEX connected to the HDVA600 and Schiit Valhalla 2 at present, feeding HD800S and HD800. The QuteEX is fine, but I have the major issue of it not being USB-compatible with new versions of OSX, thereby limiting me to 24/96 via Optical and no DSD. I was wondering whether the 2Qute, which does not have this shortcoming, would be a significant improvement in my chain, besides being USB-connectable. Also, is it that much better, in DAC-section, than the Mojo, which I also have? Many thanks!


----------



## sheldaze

batracom said:


> I would like some help if possible to decide whether a trade-in of the QuteEX for the 2Qute is worth it. I have the QuteEX connected to the HDVA600 and Schiit Valhalla 2 at present, feeding HD800S and HD800. The QuteEX is fine, but I have the major issue of it not being USB-compatible with new versions of OSX, thereby limiting me to 24/96 via Optical and no DSD. I was wondering whether the 2Qute, which does not have this shortcoming, would be a significant improvement in my chain, besides being USB-connectable. Also, is it that much better, in DAC-section, than the Mojo, which I also have? Many thanks!


 
 I do not have any experience with the QuteEX. But each time I compare 2Qute versus Mojo, I am surprised at how much more resolution there is in the 2Qute. And as I've previously mentioned in this thread, I love that I can simply plug this into my Mac source, via USB. Perhaps too, unless you have upgraded your power supply, the power chain improvements in the 2Qute will provide yet another level of upgrade versus your current QuteEX.
  
 I still very much enjoy the Mojo. But I am still surprised, each time I immediately switch, how much more sound there is in the 2Qute.


----------



## guerph

If anyone is interested, I have a LDA linear power supply (sold by MCRU) for sale. It is designed specifically for the 2Qute. Initially, I was supposed to get the LDA/MCRU in a package deal with a 2Qute, but package was stolen from my front door. Finally ended up getting reimbursed, but in the meantime ended up ordering another LDA/MCRU LPS and the W4S PS-1 (which was announced about the time all this went down). I was skeptical, but hopeful, that the modular W4S PS-1 would be able to power a 2Qute along with another device in my system. I ended up keeping the W4S PS-1 in my system, but not before lots of testing...comparing it to the LDA/MCRU LPS and the Chord supplied SMPS wall wart . 
For context, in a previous post, I said this about the 2Qute PS debate (so you know where I stand on the matter):


guerph said:


> I feel like your statement about the _source_ is unintentionally misleading and 2Qute owners (DAC owners in general) are not maximizing its true potential, feeding it an inadequate source. "You can throw anything you want into the USB chain..." This may be technically true. But, if you have a 2Qute being fed by PC, Mac or RPi...you don't know what you are missing. I think people, like myself, read through these posts and are being misled about the benefits of a decent source (including power source). You will find that the 2Qute will benefit significantly from a source like the microrendu or sms-200 (which is my personal preference and being fed by a decent linear PSU). I thought the 2Qute sounded really really good using MacBook and Raspberry Pi as sources. I was extremely skeptical about introducing an "audiophile network player" into the loop. But I was completely blown away. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I am going to repeat myself for emphasis...you don't know what you are missing! Please upgrade your source! Your 2Qute and ears will thank you.
> 
> Listen...Chord brass aren't going to come on here and tell you that you need to spend another $1000+ to make the 2Qute really shine. They would never sell DACs this way. It makes business sense for them to tell you (or on a public forum like this one) that the 2Qute won't benefit from a better power supply or a better USB cable or an audiophile quality network player. What they, and other DAC manufacturers perhaps, aren't telling you (but should) is that the 2Qute has tremendous potential...but not fully realized out of the box.



 

Anyway, the LDA/MCRU LPS worked brilliantly in my system, improving the 2Qute performance significantly. I started by going back and forth with it and the wall wart PS. Then compared the W4S PS-1 to the wall wart PS, going back and forth. I was quickly able to see that the wall wart PS was not cutting it, at least in my system. Once I tossed the wall wart PS back in the box it came in, I started doing comparisons between the LDA/MCRU LPS and the W4S PS-1. This was a long, painful and frustrating comparison. Why? Because I couldn't discern any difference between them. They both made the 2Qute shine. This is perhaps the best compliment I can provide for the LDA/MCRU. It held its own against the much more expensive W4S PS-1. In the end, I decided to hold on to the more expensive W4S PS-1, simply because of its expandability. I was able to power the 2Qute and up to four other low power devices using one LPS. Right now the W4S PS-1 powers the 2Qute and the sMS-200 by SOtM. I will add, that it was the sMS-200 that took my system to an entirely new level. Source matters folks! 
I plan to post the LDA/MCRU LPS in the classifieds (I already have it up on usaudiomart), but thought I'd mention it here first. If you're interested, let me know.


----------



## elviscaprice

theveterans said:


> If you have a preamp, 2Qute will be a better deal. With TT, you still have a battery like the Hugo and will eventually fail. Both 2Qute and TT are galvanically isolated so the input is just equal. As a DAC, TT will be slightly better due to the supercapacitors. Whether the supercapacitors and headphone, variable line out is worth the extra cost is up to you. You can't go wrong with either at their price points.


 

 ​Actually you can have the 2Qute and the supercapacitors.  Get two Uptone LPS-1's and run them in a series, one 5V, the other 7V, total 12V.  These will provide even better galvanic isolation from stray AC than the TT power supply because of switching power banks.  Of course the cost will be about $800.  I wouldn't worry too much about supercapacitors going dead.  They are built to last a long time.  But it doesn't hurt to have them separated in the LPS-1 instead.


----------



## hornytoad

I have a lightly used black 2qute  for sale if anyone is interested. PM me if interested. In the states.


----------



## chrisjepson

I'm interested, @HornyToad. Ran out of PMs. 

Read all 66 pgs of this and no one ever really did a thorough comparison of the 2qute versus the YGGDRASIL but I think enough praise has been given to this Chord that I will make the jump.


----------



## chrisjepson

hornytoad said:


> I have a lightly used black 2qute  for sale if anyone is interested. PM me if interested. In the states.




Sorry, did't quote you. Email or PM me. I'm in the States.

Thanks,
CJ


----------



## chrisjepson

Actually just found one for reasonable price. 

Going to get that and the MSRU LPS. 

Now get to see how it jives with my numerous SS and Tube amps.


----------



## theveterans

chrisjepson said:


> I'm interested, @HornyToad. Ran out of PMs.
> 
> Read all 66 pgs of this and no one ever really did a thorough comparison of the 2qute versus the YGGDRASIL but I think enough praise has been given to this Chord that I will make the jump.


 
  
 If you don't like neutral bright sound, you won't like Yggdrasil or any of Schiit DACs for that matter. Chord DACs are a shade warmer than Schiit DACs in my experience.


----------



## chrisjepson

theveterans said:


> If you don't like neutral bright sound, you won't like Yggdrasil or any of Schiit DACs for that matter. Chord DACs are a shade warmer than Schiit DACs in my experience.




Thanks... I don't tend to associate neutral and bright too often unless it's a harsh treble. I prefer neutral but I think since I may be pairing with the Liquid Audio it may be a nice pairing.


----------



## chrisjepson

Does anyone have experience in both versions of the MCRU LPS for the 2Qute? Wondering if the more expensive one is worth it. The base one is roughly 359 and the nicer is around 700. Just thinking may be overkill for the 700 one since I'm just trying to clean from the wall.


----------



## hornytoad

theveterans said:


> If you don't like neutral bright sound, you won't like Yggdrasil or any of Schiit DACs for that matter. Chord DACs are a shade warmer than Schiit DACs in my experience.


 
 This is the exact opposite of how I feel how the Schiit dacs. 
  
 I think the 2qute is bright on the treble side. The Yggy ,far from bright on the treble side. 
  
 I have a 2qute ,black for sale if you are interested. Pm me. 
  
 Maybe for are using an amp thats too bright?


----------



## chrisjepson

hornytoad said:


> This is the exact opposite of how I feel how the Schiit dacs.
> 
> I think the 2qute is bright on the treble side. The Yggy ,far from bright on the treble side.
> 
> ...




Thanks for the additional commentary. What are you shifting too? Also, I pm'd you.


----------



## theveterans

hornytoad said:


> This is the exact opposite of how I feel how the Schiit dacs.
> 
> I think the 2qute is bright on the treble side. The Yggy ,far from bright on the treble side.
> 
> ...


 
  
 I only use the Schiit DACs with speaker setup since it sounds better than the 2Qute, Hugo and Mojo to me. Chord is too polite with my HS7 speakers but Schiit brings more "attack" and dynamics which I prefer. With headphones, Schiit sounds a bit more fatiguing than Chords (Mojo, Hugo and 2Qute) thus I prefer Chord sound signature (neutral warm). I have used the Asgard 2 and Jotunheim for both Bifrost Multibit and 2Qute. Detail wise, Chord 2Qute, Hugo are slightly more detailed than Mojo and Bifrost, but Chord 2Qute is smoother overall, even a bit smoother than both Hugo and Mojo. With my setup, I decided to keep Mojo (returned the Hugo and 2Qute) for headphones/IEM (K712, XBA-1) and Bifrost for my HS7 speakers. I briefly heard the Yggy, but to me, the tonality sounds exactly like the Bifrost Multibit (neutral bright) except with ultra-detailed instrument layering/imaging and soundstage.


----------



## chrisjepson

theveterans said:


> I only use the Schiit DACs with speaker setup since it sounds better than the 2Qute, Hugo and Mojo to me. Chord is too polite with my HS7 speakers but Schiit brings more "attack" and dynamics which I prefer. With headphones, Schiit sounds a bit more fatiguing than Chords (Mojo, Hugo and 2Qute) thus I prefer Chord sound signature (neutral warm). I have used the Asgard 2 and Jotunheim for both Bifrost Multibit and 2Qute. Detail wise, Chord 2Qute, Hugo are slightly more detailed than Mojo and Bifrost, but Chord 2Qute is smoother overall, even a bit smoother than both Hugo and Mojo. With my setup, I decided to keep Mojo (returned the Hugo and 2Qute) for headphones/IEM (K712, XBA-1) and Bifrost for my HS7 speakers. I briefly heard the Yggy, but to me, the tonality sounds exactly like the Bifrost Multibit (neutral bright) except with ultra-detailed instrument layering/imaging and soundstage.




This makes sense and aligns with what I was guessing. I am just using it for my headphone setup so that's why I think the 2qute is a good choice since it will feed into my nice amps. If I was using it for my home theater i think I'd defer to something else. 

I can't imagine there being a ton of difference between the Bifrost multi and the other two more expensive ones.


----------



## Dvdlucena

Hello everybody!

Sorry to ask, I don't know if you already cover this matter, but I didn't had the time to read all the 63 pages.

MY QUESTION IS: DO YOU LEAVE YOUR CHORD 2Qute CONNECTED TO THE WALL OUTLET ALL THE TIME 24/7???

WOULD BE A PROBLEM TO CONNECT IT ONLY USING MY COMPUTER?

Thanks


----------



## Dvdlucena

chrisjepson said:


> Does anyone have experience in both versions of the MCRU LPS for the 2Qute? Wondering if the more expensive one is worth it. The base one is roughly 359 and the nicer is around 700. Just thinking may be overkill for the 700 one since I'm just trying to clean from the wall.




Do you have the link to those products?


----------



## sheldaze

dvdlucena said:


> Hello everybody!
> 
> Sorry to ask, I don't know if you already cover this matter, but I didn't had the time to read all the 63 pages.
> 
> ...


 
 24/7 is fine. You can also unplug to turn it off. Whatever works for you.
  
 Not sure what you mean by computer-only? USB input to 2Qute sounds great!


----------



## Dvdlucena

sheldaze said:


> 24/7 is fine. You can also unplug to turn it off. Whatever works for you.
> 
> Not sure what you mean by computer-only? USB input to 2Qute sounds great!




Thank you

I was really worried to leave it ON 24/7

I will be looking foward all your input about power suply
The store I bought 2Qute in Germany was using this one
Sbooster BOTW ECO 12-13.2V

I'm not in the mood to spend 400 dollars in this accessory right now...


----------



## sheldaze

dvdlucena said:


> I will be looking forward all your input about power suply
> The store I bought 2Qute in Germany was using this one
> Sbooster BOTW ECO 12-13.2V
> 
> I'm not in the mood to spend 400 dollars in this accessory right now...


 
 I'm not in the mood either 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 You'll have to wait for others to chime in on the power supply upgrades. I bought the 2Qute because it solved both the power supply and USB issues. I'm quite enjoying it as the simple, great-sounding little DAC it is!


----------



## AntonD

Just wanted to post this for current or potential 2Qute owners.
My system is in my signature. I do power the Qute with a custom 12v LPS from UK manufacturer.
But other than that it's a simple system as indicated below.
I'm listening as I type this and the system is really producing "goose bump" moments.
The instruments are been reproduced so accurately and the music is really flowing. I can listen for hours without fatigue 
It so far hasn't failed to put a smile on my face.
This is in context to listening to my main stereo rig in its current configuration for 2 years with many 100's hours passed. I have a Chord DSX1000 as my source. 
The headphone rig is certainly a similar experience to my ears. Is it better, I don't really know but it's bloody good.
The 2Qute is an amazing DAC and if possible you should demo it if you can 
All the best.


----------



## GreenBow

antond said:


> Just wanted to post this for current or potential 2Qute owners.
> My system is in my signature. I do power the Qute with a custom 12v LPS from UK manufacturer.
> But other than that it's a simple system as indicated below.
> I'm listening as I type this and the system is really producing "goose bump" moments.
> ...


 
  
 Why would you need a 2Qute with a Chord DSX1000. The Chord DSX1000 is a £7,500 network/steamer that has its own DAC.


----------



## AntonD

I thought this was clear in my post!
DSX1000 main stereo rig.
2QUTE headphone rig.


----------



## boomtube

Power supply question:
  
 I got my hands on an HDPLEX 100w LPS. It has  5v, 9v, 12v and 19v outputs. The 9v powers my reclocker,...but for some reason, the 2Qute wont respond to the 12v line plugged into it. The 12v works just fine as I've powered another 12v device with it. 
  
 Any suggestions on troubleshooting this would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## elviscaprice

boomtube said:


> Power supply question:
> 
> I got my hands on an HDPLEX 100w LPS. It has  5v, 9v, 12v and 19v outputs. The 9v powers my reclocker,...but for some reason, the 2Qute wont respond to the 12v line plugged into it. The 12v works just fine as I've powered another 12v device with it.
> 
> Any suggestions on troubleshooting this would be greatly appreciated.


 

 That's strange.  I don't have a 2Qute but I do have the HDPlex 100.  Should be ample enough amps, 2Qute only requires about .5 amp.  Could it be the connector your using isn't correct, too small?  Thus the ground isn't making contact?


----------



## AlexB73

Does anybody use 2Qute with TeraDak PSU?


----------



## boomtube

elviscaprice said:


> That's strange.  I don't have a 2Qute but I do have the HDPlex 100.  Should be ample enough amps, 2Qute only requires about .5 amp.  Could it be the connector your using isn't correct, too small?  Thus the ground isn't making contact?


the 12v cable is the only one that fits the socket on the plex (3 prong w/2.1mm connector) the thing that confuses me is that the same 12v cable powers another small amp just fine. I've read that the 2Qute is finicky about power supplies. I'm just stumped at this point.


----------



## elviscaprice

boomtube said:


> the 12v cable is the only one that fits the socket on the plex (3 prong w/2.1mm connector) the thing that confuses me is that the same 12v cable powers another small amp just fine. I've read that the 2Qute is finicky about power supplies. I'm just stumped at this point.


 

 ​My Uptone audio LPS-1  5.5mm with 2.1mm inside diameter connectors would not fit the connectors from HDPlex, is 2.5mm??.  Thus if your using this connector from HDPlex it may not be making proper contact on the inside of the barrel????
  
 or, the HDPlex is not always spec settings on the DC outputs and it's putting out too much over 12V for the 2Qute???
  
 Strange, I was looking at getting a 2Qute because the Hugo is so finnicky on it's power supply set up.  But if the 2Qute is also, then I think I have great pause.


----------



## fdhfdy

He needs "Dave"


----------



## AmusedToD

Ok, I would like to upgrade from Mojo to 2Qute as I found myself using the Mojo much more as a desktop DAC than a portable headphone amp. So what is the consensus here regarding the proper way to connect the 2Qute to an amp? Directly into a power amp (I know, no volume control)? 2Qute into a passive preamp then a power amp? Or 2Qute into an integrated amp? And finally, is 2Qute worth more than double the price of the Mojo?


----------



## kydu

amusedtod said:


> Ok, I would like to upgrade from Mojo to 2Qute as I found myself using the Mojo much more as a desktop DAC than a portable headphone amp. So what is the consensus here regarding the proper way to connect the 2Qute to an amp? Directly into a power amp (I know, no volume control)? 2Qute into a passive preamp then a power amp? Or 2Qute into an integrated amp? And finally, is 2Qute worth more than double the price of the Mojo?




Yes yes and yes. As a owner of Mojo and 2qute, mojo is barely half the performance of 2qute via USB inputs. Here's a pic


----------



## AlexB73

kydu said:


> Yes yes and yes. As a owner of Mojo and 2qute, mojo is barely half the performance of 2qute via USB inputs. Here's a pic


 
 I use my Mojo as standalong DAC too. And I use old Hi-End CD player as transport.
 It sounds much better compared to MacBook Pro with Amarra! (I did comparison with optical cable).
 I use both optical and coaxial inputs.
 What can you say about 2Qute optical and coaxial inputs?
 Is it a big difference compared to Mojo?


----------



## Dvdlucena

I have seen many senior people in forums saying that chord 2qute with the galvanic isolation and a good power source is way better than mojo, better than Hugo and almost equivalent with chord Hugo TT.
Mr watts recommends the USB input.


----------



## chrisjepson

dvdlucena said:


> I have seen many senior people in forums saying that chord 2qute with the galvanic isolation and a good power source is way better than mojo, better than Hugo and almost equivalent with chord Hugo TT.
> Mr watts recommends the USB input.




This is true. Also people have noticed a difference with certain power supplies even though the unit has its own power filtering. Tends to be people who have dirtier outlet.


----------



## AmusedToD

What is the consensus regarding the power source? Would a cheap Ifi Ipower do the trick?


----------



## chrisjepson

amusedtod said:


> What is the consensus regarding the power source? Would a cheap Ifi Ipower do the trick?




I read all the threads and chose the MCRU by LDA because of the 3v requirement of the 2qute.


----------



## chrisjepson

amusedtod said:


> What is the consensus regarding the power source? Would a cheap Ifi Ipower do the trick?




I had chosen mine based on using it as a headfi rig. I seem to remember something else trending for speakers.


----------



## OctavianH

Any problems on keeping it powered on 24/7? Since it does not have any on/off switch I expect it is normal to keep it like this.


----------



## andromeda1954

It is designed for powered on 24/7


----------



## Nejiro

Recommended to keep it always on?


----------



## RubyTiger

nejiro said:


> Recommended to keep it always on?


 
  
 Mine has been on since March 2015.


----------



## Smileyko

Had mine for 6 months now. I love the glow it puts out in the living room in the dark. I never turn it off. Just got the BMC PureUSB 1 cable connected to the Vioelctric V220. Hans Zimmer  never sounded so good. Cheers.


----------



## RubyTiger

What kind of difference does adding a power supply make? Also, recommendation's below $500? I figure that should be broad enough and anything more should be miraculous indeed.


----------



## sheldaze

Listening to a Teddy Pardo...
  
 Hard to say _definitively_ that it is doing anything. But here's the setup I had before: Chord 2Qute > Cavalli Liquid Carbon > Sennheiser HD800S. It was simply a little over the edge, for my preferred listening. I prefer a balanced to slightly warm signature. I could go back to Gumby or Mojo, and I was fine. But today, with the power supply in front of the 2Qute, I'm not having any issue with HD800S at the end of the chain.


----------



## henriks

smileyko said:


> Had mine for 6 months now. I love the glow it puts out in the living room in the dark. I never turn it off. Just got the BMC PureUSB 1 cable connected to the Vioelctric V220. Hans Zimmer  never sounded so good. Cheers.



From DAC to DAC?


----------



## Smileyko

2Qute to V220. I bought it without the dac. It was the only one I can get from Hong Kong at the time. Cheers brother.


----------



## AlexB73

Did anybody compare Teddy Pardo vs MCRU vs Teradak PSU with 2Qute?


----------



## chrisjepson

alexb73 said:


> Did anybody compare Teddy Pardo vs MCRU vs Teradak PSU with 2Qute?




Based on my reading of the thread, most people either went with the MCRU or Teddy. I went with the MCRU and have been happy


----------



## RubyTiger

chrisjepson said:


> Based on my reading of the thread, most people either went with the MCRU or Teddy. I went with the MCRU and have been happy


 

 What it does it do differently? Such as added clarity, or a smoother presentation, better bass, sweeter high's for example..
 Never mind I looked it up. I guess I could ask if it does what they say it does? Ahh, that sounds lame to, forget it and thanks anyway.


----------



## Dvdlucena

sheldaze said:


> Listening to a Teddy Pardo...
> 
> Hard to say _definitively_ that it is doing anything. But here's the setup I had before: Chord 2Qute > Cavalli Liquid Carbon > Sennheiser HD800S. It was simply a little over the edge, for my preferred listening. I prefer a balanced to slightly warm signature. I could go back to Gumby or Mojo, and I was fine. But today, with the power supply in front of the 2Qute, I'm not having any issue with HD800S at the end of the chain.




Hi Sheldaze

So, you did see an improvement with the teddy?
Can you give us the teddy pardo reference?

Thanks


----------



## sheldaze

dvdlucena said:


> Hi Sheldaze
> 
> So, you did see an improvement with the teddy?
> Can you give us the teddy pardo reference?
> ...


 
 It's his generic, 12 volt, with the 2.1mm connector on the DAC end:
  
https://www.teddypardo.com/powersupplies/generic/teddy12-2.html
  
 To my ears, it is still very slight. I'm hoping to later connect this back to my speakers, where I can much more easily hear small changes in sound. There are definitely some songs where certain sounds have more depth or clarity. But I would not say everything suddenly became more 3D. Very small change, thus far.


----------



## elviscaprice

Also try shortening the DC run as short as possible, even right next to the DAC.  I notice a SQ improvement with my LPS-1's using short runs or adapters.


----------



## elviscaprice

With the 2Qute's galvanic isolation, has anyone here tried different clean 5Vbus power to see if it effects SQ on the USB input?


----------



## RubyTiger

chrisjepson said:


> Based on my reading of the thread, most people either went with the MCRU or Teddy. I went with the MCRU and have been happy


 
  
 Is their a difference heard with the galvanic isolation also, or is it mainly the other inputs?


----------



## Dvdlucena

sheldaze said:


> It's his generic, 12 volt, with the 2.1mm connector on the DAC end:
> 
> https://www.teddypardo.com/powersupplies/generic/teddy12-2.html
> 
> To my ears, it is still very slight. I'm hoping to later connect this back to my speakers, where I can much more easily hear small changes in sound. There are definitely some songs where certain sounds have more depth or clarity. But I would not say everything suddenly became more 3D. Very small change, thus far.




Thank you. If you fell more chances in kind quality, please don't forget to
Share with us.

David


----------



## Dvdlucena

elviscaprice said:


> With the 2Qute's galvanic isolation, has anyone here tried different clean 5Vbus power to see if it effects SQ on the USB input?




I read somewhere else that there is no change in sound quality.
I use moon audio blue usb cable, but I already had it. There is no changes using a generic USB cable.
Well, in my opinion.


----------



## OctavianH

It seems it is almost impossible to buy this one within EU. I found only in UK and they do not ship to my country. Great job Chord! Soon Brexit comes and it will be harder...


----------



## 2qutehawk

I’m wondering of anyone would know if a 2qute works with a passive headphone amp? I have Nighthawks and they are not hard to drive. My thoughts are that the line out from my Mojo is just an volume setting, the same output level as my 2qute as far as I know, and is a higher volume than I use with my headphones, so I need to reduce and control the volume rather than amplify anything.


----------



## Brushane

octavianh said:


> It seems it is almost impossible to buy this one within EU. I found only in UK and they do not ship to my country. Great job Chord! Soon Brexit comes and it will be harder...


 
  
 Here you go, 2Qute: http://audiomagic.eu/en/chord-electronics-ltd-2/chord-2qute-dac?from=listing


----------



## Dvdlucena

brushane said:


> Here you go, 2Qute: http://audiomagic.eu/en/chord-electronics-ltd-2/chord-2qute-dac?from=listing


 
  
 I was reading some impressions about chord Hugo and 2qute in another forums, and it impressed me how Chord have a bad reputation in some groups.
 Maybe it is related to the price and difficulty to find their products?
  
 Then, i started to look after some explanation about this phenomenon.... it looks like Chord have expensive products that don't give the same premium audio experience. I really cannot speak about that as I am very new in this hobby. Other people disliked the way Chord explains their hardware function, and also dislike the GOD-like poser attitude of Chord CEO
  
 I know this is a little off topic, but if someone could chime in about this matter, I would appreciate.


----------



## dmance

Regarding better sources for 2Qute... I have never understood why I would need a better box to feed bits to an asynchronous USB interface. I mean, the 2Qute is clocking the input ... And the big beefy laptop is merely idling managing the feed of data. There is zero room for improvement in this case, IMHO...Yet people claim to hear it. I used 'Process Lasso' on my Lenovo thinkpad... Maximizing the priority of JRiver + the USB driver and it was all glorious.
However, I did use a Teddy Pardo and it did help.


----------



## GreenBow

dmance said:


> Regarding better sources for 2Qute... I have never understood why I would need a better box to feed bits to an asynchronous USB interface. I mean, the 2Qute is clocking the input ... And the big beefy laptop is merely idling managing the feed of data. There is zero room for improvement in this case, IMHO...Yet people claim to hear it. I used 'Process Lasso' on my Lenovo thinkpad... Maximizing the priority of JRiver + the USB driver and it was all glorious.
> However, I did use a Teddy Pardo and it did help.


 
  
 I have a passing interest in the 2Qute. Since I noticed the name Teddy Pardo pop up a few times, I just googled Teddy Pardo 12v.
  
 The first link is for Teddy Pardo 12V on Head-Fi. The four links next, on the Teddy Pardo website. However all four links are raising an internet security threat. The following.
  
 Threat Name:
Trojan.Gen.SMH
  Location:
 http://www.teddypardo.com/media/wysiwyg/TeddyPardoUSBAudioDriver_DriverSetup_v2.27.0.exe

   
 It's possibly a false positive, or the internet security see the driver launcher as unknown. However it is listed as a virus. (Trojan in nature.)


----------



## dracmos

greenbow said:


> I have a passing interest in the 2Qute. Since I noticed the name Teddy Pardo pop up a few times, I just googled Teddy Pardo 12v.
> 
> The first link is for Teddy Pardo 12V on Head-Fi. The four links next, on the Teddy Pardo website. However all four links are raising an internet security threat. The following.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Same to me. Trojan in the .exe file


----------



## AlexB73

Did anybody compare Teddy Pardo vs MCRU?


----------



## OctavianH

Can someone tell me the size of the "big box" of the MRCU Linear Power Supply for 2Qute? I ordered one and I try to plan things here to fit it nice near my other equipment. Unfortuantely nowhere we can find some specs of this PSU and size and cable length.


----------



## AlexB73

octavianh said:


> Can someone tell me the size of the "big box" of the MRCU Linear Power Supply for 2Qute? I ordered one and I try to plan things here to fit it nice near my other equipment. Unfortuantely nowhere we can find some specs of this PSU and size and cable length.


 
 I also ordered one...
 It takes 5 days to build and test the unit.
 I ordered MRCU LPS one week ago and still I'm waiting for shipping.


----------



## Nejiro

Good morning
 I was thinking of buying this power supply for my 2Qute, what do you think?
 http://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/accessory-ipower/


----------



## elviscaprice

The 3Qute,
 What would you like to see in this desktop version?
 I would like to see a stripped down version with a USB input only (galvanic isolation or powered by 5Vbus) and RCA output.  Volume control with remote (if possible with low power supply).  One 1/8th headphone jack.  Place the input jacks and output jacks on opposite sides of the DAC.  Keep the power input separated far enough away from the other jacks (if no 5Vbus power).  If separately powered, allow for a 5 - 7V LPS, no batteries.  Of course use the newest Hugo 2 internals.


----------



## OctavianH

*Qute does not have a headphone amp, so why a 1/8 jack?


----------



## elviscaprice

octavianh said:


> *Qute does not have a headphone amp, so why a 1/8 jack?


 

 ​It's optional, if volume control we're added, then it would make sense to add a headphone jack.  But this is definitely at the bottom of my wish list, more important is the ability to use a galvanically isolated power supply like the Uptone LPS-1.  Whether it's thru the 5Vbus or separate works for me.  Pricing close to 1K but no more than 2K.
 This is just a wish list, I know the 2Qute doesn't have some of these features, doesn't mean it can't in a future version or another DAC spinoff.  What do you wish in a Chord desktop DAC?


----------



## OctavianH

The MCRU power supply arrived and it really adds some audible improvement to the 2Qute. Recommended product. Shipping and handling was very good also.


----------



## welldonehd

Hi all,
 I'm owning a Chord 2qute. Can you guys tell me what is the best input on it? Some people said that Coxial input can bring a better SQ than USB. I'm quite confused about that.


----------



## bikutoru

welldonehd said:


> Hi all,
> I'm owning a Chord 2qute. Can you guys tell me what is the best input on it? Some people said that Coxial input can bring a better SQ than USB. I'm quite confused about that.


 

 I'd say, the one that sounds the best to you.
 I had used optical for months until one day I've decided to try USB and now it is my preferred input. Honestly, I have never tried the coaxial, I just do not have anything that has coaxial output.


----------



## AlexB73

octavianh said:


> The MCRU power supply arrived and it really adds some audible improvement to the 2Qute. Recommended product. Shipping and handling was very good also.



Can you explain the difference more detailed?


----------



## OctavianH

I will try: the bass is better defined and stronger, the overall sound has more body. For me there is no turning back, even for FLAC 16/44.1.


----------



## AlexB73

octavianh said:


> I will try: the bass is better defined and stronger, the overall sound has more body. For me there is no turning back, even for FLAC 16/44.1.


 
 Thank you.

 I listen only my Red Book CDs. I have more than 2K CDs at home.
 High defenition files don't always sound better. The quality of remastering is more important.

 I can say the same according to 45 RPM vinyl that is superior format compared to 33 RPM.
 Some of 45 RPM reissues sound inferior compared to 33 RPM reissues.


----------



## OctavianH

Strictly discussing about the effect of MCRU, the same FLAC file played with the linear power supply and without it (using the included AC plug) sounded differently. There was an audible improvement using the MCRU. I am not affiliated in any kind with the guys manufacturing and selling it, I just wanted to inform about the benefits of this product to my DAC.


----------



## dmance

I owned a 2Qute with Teddy Pardo PSU. Night and day difference to my ears. Sure..It was not a 'new' DAC but more music, more oompfh, all the good stuff. I knew in 30 seconds that the money I spent on the PSU was worth it.


----------



## SoupCampbell

Is it still available? What are you asking?


----------



## elviscaprice

dmance said:


> I could not afford a DAVE ... or rather, I could not rationalize that much money on a single device, no matter how good. So, on a whim, I purchased a 2Qute just to listen to a DAC with some of Rob Watts magic.  And with the basic power adapter it was probably the best of many DAC's ive heard ... not as amazing as the upper-mid level DACs (usual suspects) but there was something nice in the transients and good tonality.  So, yeah, not a DAVE but I'll keep it, I thought.
> 
> I had a Teddy Pardo 12v/2A PSU lying around from my old exaSound DAC but never considered putting it to use with the 2Qute since Rob Watts gave us all many proclamations about an external PSU being unneccesary ... or at least being a third order issue..  Such is my regard for this man that i chose to try to love the DAC with the factory PSU....rather than go against Rob's recommendations.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Bingo!!  I was reading thru some old threads since I picked up a 2Qute and I couldn't agree more with this observation.  This is what keeps me from buying into the Rob Watts design completely.  I love the sound signature of his work/DAC, but I wish Chord would allow a bit more versatility for external components to make the Chord DAC's shine.  Sometimes less in design is more.  Power supply being one of those.
 Thus my moving from the Hugo 1 to the 2Qute.  I think the batteries in the Hugo have a negative effect on the sound signature over a very good LPS.   So I'm going to give the 2Qute a go with 2 - LPS-1's from Uptone audio in a series.  
 I did consider the Hugo 2, which I'm sure will be a fantastic DAC, but due to the same limitations of battery power, I will decline at this time.  Hopefully we get a more component add on friendly 3 Qute with the same Hugo 2 internals.  To be seen, meanwhile 2Qute.


----------



## Shure or bust

The 2Qute blows away the es9018 dacs i've owned. Has anyone paired the 2qute with a chord toucan for amplification? I can't even get a hold of one.


----------



## Shure or bust

I am on the fence with these setups:
  
 CHord 2qute and meier classic /ff
  
 Chord 2qute and ATH HA-5000
  
 chord 2qute and chord toucan
  
 Meier Daccord /ff and Ath Ha-5000
  
 I can't decide honestly haha I don't need a lot of power at sub 100 ohm.
  
 Anyone compare the chord to meier audio ?


----------



## alota

Honestly i don´t understand one thing. on a side, we have Mr @Rob Watts, mind and designer of Chord´s dacs saying the switching power supply for 2qute is good.
 Jason Stoddard, in his blog last chapter, says that the switvhing power supply, if well engineered(and i think that in chord don´t play), is good like a normal or traditional power supply.
 I´m a fan of switching power supply because it´s not affected by variations in domestic line so works equal with differente voltages.
 In the other side we have some forumers that tried 2qute with traditional power supply that is, in most case, a toridal transfomer with filters etc. etc.
 i respect all opinions but i believe more in electronic designers
 So where is the truth?
 i thank you your opinions


----------



## AlexB73

In addition to regular AC noise from outlet,  switching power supply generate hi-frequency noise by itself.
 This noise is very difficult to filter. Despite Rob Watts did a very good job to filter power supply noise in 2Qute, this DAC sound much better with good external power supply.
 Also original 2Qute power supply has long and flimsy cable that has it own height resistance that may cause losse bass and some lost of dynamic.
 Look at different power supply noise graph in this artical:
 https://www.teddypardo.com/powersupplies/underthehood.html


----------



## OctavianH

Well guys, think simple about this: what do you trust more - your ears of Robb Watts? For me there was no turning back after I switched the original AC plug with the MCRU Linear power supply. I do not care about measurements and stuff, as long as I hear the difference and it is an improvement at 20% of the price of the 2Qute.


----------



## martyn73

Please can anyone advise? I have a 2Qute connected to my PC and randomly hear crackling sounds like a dusty vinyl record, especially when changing tracks in Tidal Hi-Fi. This also happens when listening to study music on YouTube. The crackling sounds occur when the 2Qute is connected to either my Lake People G100 FE with Sennheiser HD650 headphones or Stax SRM-727II and SR-007A MK2 headphones (both systems sound very, very similar in fact).
  
 I'm using Atlas Element Integra RCA cables and a Supra USB cable. Both look pretty but do not change the sound quality, but may add snap, crackle and pop. Or is the DAC misbehaving?
  
 I've changed the USB socket used on my PC, but not the cables.


----------



## sheldaze

The 2Qute is the only USB DAC for which I have zero concerns about the USB input. So your symptoms definitely concern me.
  
 Can you duplicate the issue with no other software running on your computer? Such as running only YouTube via just the web browser, with no other activity or other tabs open. Or run just Tidal, when no other applications are running. Also can you check CPU, memory usage, etc.


----------



## elviscaprice

Try driving headphones directly from the 2Qute and see if you can replicate the problem.  As mentioned, it's not the USB.  Can your headphone amps handle 3V input?


----------



## sheldaze

elviscaprice said:


> Try driving headphones directly from the 2Qute and see if you can replicate the problem.


 
 How are you suggesting the person connect their headphones to the 2Qute?


----------



## elviscaprice

sheldaze said:


> How are you suggesting the person connect their headphones to the 2Qute?


 

 Use an adapter/chord, RCA to female 1/4 or 1/8.


----------



## sheldaze

I would still be concerned running a DAC, at full volume, without something like a SYS in the loop, directly into headphones.


----------



## elviscaprice

sheldaze said:


> I would still be concerned running a DAC, at full volume, without something like a SYS in the loop, directly into headphones.


 

 3V is not an issue.  Can also control volume with a media player on your server.  This is just for testing, I've also used this direct method for headphone usage with no problems.  This way you can eliminate your headphone amps and chords as the possible culprits.


----------



## martyn73

sheldaze said:


> The 2Qute is the only USB DAC for which I have zero concerns about the USB input. So your symptoms definitely concern me.
> 
> Can you duplicate the issue with no other software running on your computer? Such as running only YouTube via just the web browser, with no other activity or other tabs open. Or run just Tidal, when no other applications are running. Also can you check CPU, memory usage, etc.


 
 Thanks for the reply. The issue is random and minutes can go by without any crackle. I'll try again with either YouTube or Tidal. When crackling occurs it's never in the same place.
  
 I'll also try my iPhone connected via CCK and USB, but my iPhone 7 doesn't work with my Starting Point Systems DAC 3 even with a powered hub.


----------



## miketlse

martyn73 said:


> Thanks for the reply. The issue is random and minutes can go by without any crackle. I'll try again with either YouTube or Tidal. When crackling occurs it's never in the same place.
> 
> I'll also try my iPhone connected via CCK and USB, but my iPhone 7 doesn't work with my Starting Point Systems DAC 3 even with a powered hub.


 
 If it is 'random' then it is probably due to temporary pauses in the music stream coming from the PC.
 Many users have experienced similar with phones, and sometimes with Pcs and other music sources.
  
 The pause is usually caused by the Pc (or phone) settings giving priority to a screen update, or other internal process.
 If the problem suddenly appears, it can be due to an android or windows update overwriting the user settings that were working well before.


----------



## elviscaprice

miketlse said:


> If it is 'random' then it is probably due to temporary pauses in the music stream coming from the PC.
> Many users have experienced similar with phones, and sometimes with Pcs and other music sources.
> 
> The pause is usually caused by the Pc (or phone) settings giving priority to a screen update, or other internal process.
> If the problem suddenly appears, it can be due to an android or windows update overwriting the user settings that were working well before.


 

 dropouts, yeah to what you describe.  But crackle?  Sounds like power related issues.


----------



## miketlse

elviscaprice said:


> dropouts, yeah to what you describe.  But crackle?  Sounds like power related issues.


 
  
 I occasionally get the odd bit of crackle when using computer USB, and I assume that it is some internal noise from the PC (maybe even with a mains power root cause) that travels via the USB cable, and into the Mojo (or the 2Qute in this case).
 I get no noise when using optical input, strongly suggesting that the crackle is USB input related.


----------



## martyn73

miketlse said:


> I occasionally get the odd bit of crackle when using computer USB, and I assume that it is some internal noise from the PC (maybe even with a mains power root cause) that travels via the USB cable, and into the Mojo (or the 2Qute in this case).
> I get no noise when using optical input, strongly suggesting that the crackle is USB input related.


 
 If it's USB, is it worth sending to Chord for investigation? The crackling is faint, like light dust on a record but not severe pops. The volume is set quite loud as I've lost some hearing on the left side so crackling is audible at the start of a track. 
  
 Is there a way of adding optical output to a PC?


----------



## elviscaprice

martyn73 said:


> If it's USB, is it worth sending to Chord for investigation? The crackling is faint, like light dust on a record but not severe pops. The volume is set quite loud as I've lost some hearing on the left side so crackling is audible at the start of a track.
> 
> Is there a way of adding optical output to a PC?


 
  
 Sounds like a vinyl or poor remastered analog drop?  Or a speaker/amp giving out?  You really need to pinpoint the problem in your system before putting the blame on the DAC.


----------



## miketlse

martyn73 said:


> If it's USB, is it worth sending to Chord for investigation? The crackling is faint, like light dust on a record but not severe pops. The volume is set quite loud as I've lost some hearing on the left side so crackling is audible at the start of a track.
> 
> Is there a way of adding optical output to a PC?


 
 My desktop PC has optical output, but it does use a 10 year old motherboard. I am hoping that the motherboard never fails.
  
 I think that there are USB to optical converters available
  
 Also http://www.head-fi.org/t/750562/how-to-convert-usb-to-optical-audio


----------



## martyn73

elviscaprice said:


> Sounds like a vinyl or poor remastered analog drop?  Or a speaker/amp giving out?  You really need to pinpoint the problem in your system before putting the blame on the DAC.


 
 I don't use vinyl, only CDs or other computer music. I've eliminated the amplifier and headphones as the problem occurs with both my Stax and Sennheiser equipment.


----------



## elviscaprice

martyn73 said:


> I don't use vinyl, only CDs or other computer music. I've eliminated the amplifier and headphones as the problem occurs with both my Stax and Sennheiser equipment.


 

 The interconnects?  Dirty power source?


----------



## martyn73

elviscaprice said:


> The interconnects?  Dirty power source?


 
  
 The 2Qute is plugged into a multi-point mains adapter with 5 other devices, but I thought that this DAC, unlike its predecessor, isn't affected by power issues. I'm in the UK and power supply is generally reliable. 
  
 The RCA cable is supposed to be good quality but it's worth trying another.


----------



## elviscaprice

martyn73 said:


> The 2Qute is plugged into a multi-point mains adapter with 5 other devices, but I thought that this DAC, unlike its predecessor, isn't affected by power issues. I'm in the UK and power supply is generally reliable.
> 
> The RCA cable is supposed to be good quality but it's worth trying another.


 

 Yeah, but that switching power supply could be affecting the other components.  Many are finding the 2Qute power supply can be improved upon.


----------



## martyn73

elviscaprice said:


> Yeah, but that switching power supply could be affecting the other components.  Many are finding the 2Qute power supply can be improved upon.


 
 I don't understand about switching power supplies. There are 6 pigs at the same trough so things may get messy. 
  
 Would a TeraDak DC-30W linear power supply as advertised on eBay be worth trying? An MCRU power supply is too expensive for me.


----------



## AlexB73

In my case MCRU power supply emphasizes uper mid and vocals sound less smooth and natural compared to wall power supply.
Does MCRU lps need very long break in?


----------



## elviscaprice

Finally had a chance to test out the dual Uptone LPS-1's in a series as the 2Qute power supply. 
 First off I added an isolation transformer 1kVA with a 20amp power strip no breaker.  This made a huge overall improvement in sound even with the switching power supply for the 2Qute.  But the overall bass was a bit heavy/muddy, until I switched out the power supply with the LPS-1's.  What a difference, beautiful black background, overall exact tempo and balance throughout the audio range.  Definitely a keeper.


----------



## Audio-Mark

This weekend I tried the Sbooster plus Ultra and the iFi Nano iUSB 3.0 on my system (Mac Mini, 2Qute, Violectric V280, HE1000 V2) and no matter how hard I tried or wanted that I would notice a difference: I didn't notice any change at all. I concluded that I don't have golden ears, but also that I could spend my money better on anything else (audio related of course).


----------



## Deftone

Some times i get weird little cracks and pops using Mojo through usb on Windows10 sometimes i wont even get sound i have to restart mulitple times to fix it, ill be permanently switching to a dap as a transport soon.
  
 Windows is horrible for audio, nasty really it needs a good update to bring it 40 years up to date.


----------



## elviscaprice

audio-mark said:


> This weekend I tried the Sbooster plus Ultra and the iFi Nano iUSB 3.0 on my system (Mac Mini, 2Qute, Violectric V280, HE1000 V2) and no matter how hard I tried or wanted that I would notice a difference: I didn't notice any change at all. I concluded that I don't have golden ears, but also that I could spend my money better on anything else (audio related of course).


 

 ​The 2Qute has a very good galvanic isolator, same as DAVE (read this somewhere so correct me if I'm wrong).  I am not surprised that any add on reclocker component with sub quality clocks did not help, in fact I'm surprised it didn't make it worse.   In the case of the 2Qute, less is more.  But as DAVE, better clocking components, added Ethernet isolation renderer, server clocks and component/software adjustments can all help.  Hard to upgrade the power supply on the DAVE.  Definitely a plus for the 2Qute, power supply upgrade, but of the best quality to ensure no DC leakage and low impedance.
  
 I'm going to wait a bit to make any further upgrades.  Have my eye on the SoTM sms-200 Ultra, to soon be released, or an upgraded USB PCIe card such as the new one with superior clocking from SoTM.  Problem is, these components are fairly expensive in their own right, let alone a proper power supply will be just as expensive.  I will test the Iso Regen, but I am not that confident it will improve SQ for the 2Qute???
 Whereas the sms-200 ultra plus power supply would, but at $2200 minimum is it worth it?  Also then one would be limited to audio formats.


----------



## AlexB73

I tested my 2Qute again with wall plug power supply and with MCRU linear power supply. Here my comparison between 2Qute with these two power supply and Mojo.
 Despite higher noise floor and a bit less dynamic, 2Qute with wall plug PS sound very natural with fair and well harmonized tonal balance.
 There are enough details and dynamic too. Compared to Mojo, 2Qute sounds much more detailed, with better separation and soundstage. Not just in high frequencies. For example, in low mids diapason much more detailed too. Men and woman vocals sound much more lively with 2Qute. Also with 2Qute I can listen piano soundboard vibration. 
 In comparison, Mojo sound has more tension. For me it sounds like transistor amplifier. 2Qute sounds more relaxed more like tube amplifier.
 Mojo bass is more firm and fast. 2Qute bass has more depth and volume.
 With MCRU linear power supply, 2Qute highlights upper mids and lower highs details. Sound is unnaturally hyper detail. Most of records difficult to listen with such curved tonal balance.
 So 2Qute with genuine power supply is excellent finished product.
 Great job Rob Watts!
 I tried to love 2Qute with MCRU LPS but I can't. I believe that 2Qute can sound excellent with other LPS. But this LPS should be not just have good measurements, but it should be very well tuned in term of tonal balance. For me the tonal balance fine tuning is essential!


----------



## GreenBow

deftone said:


> Some times i get weird little cracks and pops using Mojo through usb on Windows10 sometimes i wont even get sound i have to restart mulitple times to fix it, ill be permanently switching to a dap as a transport soon.
> 
> Windows is horrible for audio, nasty really it needs a good update to bring it 40 years up to date.


 
  
 I am not sure but I think the pop and cracks happen when using Direct Sound. Then they go away when using ASIO or WASAPI.
  
 I read someone say that was how it is. It did vaguely tie in with what I experienced too. I used to get there pops and cracks when I used a Direct Sound player. Then I noticed sometime that it seemed to have cured itself. However after reading it was down to Direct Sound or WASAPI, I concluded that must be right. I had bought JRiver and therefor started using bit-perfect with ASIO and WASAPI.
  
 I do however still get pops and cracks when PC gaming, when it's using Direct Sound.


----------



## Deftone

greenbow said:


> I am not sure but I think the pop and cracks happen when using Direct Sound. Then they go away when using ASIO or WASAPI.
> 
> I read someone say that was how it is. It did vaguely tie in with what I experienced too. I used to get there pops and cracks when I used a Direct Sound player. Then I noticed sometime that it seemed to have cured itself. However after reading it was down to Direct Sound or WASAPI, I concluded that must be right. I had bought JRiver and therefor started using bit-perfect with ASIO and WASAPI.
> 
> I do however still get pops and cracks when PC gaming, when it's using Direct Sound.


 
  
 Ive been using ASIO with Jriver for over a year. they are just random no matter what im doing.


----------



## elviscaprice

deftone said:


> Ive been using ASIO with Jriver for over a year. they are just random no matter what im doing.


 

 ​I only use ASIO w/ JRiver and I never get pops or cracks.  Something is definitely wrong.


----------



## GreenBow

deftone said:


> greenbow said:
> 
> 
> > I am not sure but I think the pop and cracks happen when using Direct Sound. Then they go away when using ASIO or WASAPI.
> ...


 
  
 I have only ever used WASAPI. Might be worth a try, for you. Wrong thread though; this is 2Qute thread.


----------



## Kalavere

Hello folks, I'm having a bit of a change around with my set-up. I've recently got the HE-1000's and I've paired them with a Trilogy Audio 931, which is fantastic, but, it sounds quite sterile with my Schiit Bifrost Multibit as a source. 
 I've got a Chord 2Qute on loan and wow, it's really, _really_ nice! However, I am getting cut-outs using Tidal. I'm wondering what my Windows settings should be at? I have a few 24bit 96khz and higher FLAC files, but honestly, I mostly use Tidal for my music.

 I read somewhere here that setting to 44.1Khz would be best for DAC and CPU, but is that 16/24 or 32 bit? Setting to 16/44 in Windows disables Tidal's MQA, so I can only listen to 16/44 and not the 24/96 that Tidal allows. 

 Where am I going wrong here? Any help would be much appreciated. 

 *edit* It seems that setting to 24/96 in Windows will allow me to play 'Tidal Masters' (24/96) at their native resolution, but now every Tidal track seems to be upsampled... I've yet to hear any cut outs thus far since changing my settings to this, however.

 *2nd edit* It's clicking whenever Tidal is being used, I've been gaming for an hour or so and there's no clicking. Web browser or app, makes no difference.


----------



## Dvdlucena

kalavere said:


> Hello folks, I'm having a bit of a change around with my set-up. I've recently got the HE-1000's and I've paired them with a Trilogy Audio 931, which is fantastic, but, it sounds quite sterile with my Schiit Bifrost Multibit as a source.
> I've got a Chord 2Qute on loan and wow, it's really, _really_ nice! However, I am getting cut-outs using Tidal. I'm wondering what my Windows settings should be at? I have a few 24bit 96khz and higher FLAC files, but honestly, I mostly use Tidal for my music.
> 
> 
> ...




I have 2Qute for 12
Months and never has those problems. Have you tried another programs?
Audirvana, VLC?


----------



## Kalavere

I forgot to mention I'm using USB for audio out. System specs are -
  
 4770k Intel Core i7
 32GB Kingston HyperX Savage RAM
 ASUS Maximus Formula VII motherboard
 MSI GeForce GTX 1070
 Corsair 860i PSU.
 Windows 10.
  
 Gaming, VLC & browser audio works okay, ish, (I've been running Tidal on the web browser while typing this on and off for the last 20 mins or so, and it's clicked 2-3 times, not nearly as much as it was doing yesterday). The only time Tidal _doesn't_ click is when the application has exclusive control of the sound. Which isn't ideal, as I can't pause a track in Tidal and say, open Chrome & watch a YouTube video, I have to close Tidal, close Chrome, re-open Chrome and go to said video to get Windows to free up the audio driver.

 I don't have this issue at all with my Bifrost, it'll play, a game, Tidal, VLC and YouTube at the same time with no issues. The 2Qute seems to  want priority of the sound the the exclusion of all others. If this was purely an audio set-up, it wouldn't bother me, but I use it for all sorts, mainly photo editing but I like to listen to music or watch a video on one on my monitors while I do so, the 2Qute doesn't seem to like me doing this. 

 Is it a driver issue, or my Windows 10 installation? 
  
 I've used ARCAM, iFi & Schiit DACs on this particular system before and neither of which have had any issues.


----------



## OctavianH

Maybe this sounds like Microsoft support, but have you tried to use other USB port? Maybe USB3 instead of USB2?
 I had a problem in the past with some ports of my motherboard, which were connected to a USB hub (found it later from MOBO user manual).
 Switching the USB port to another one helped me. If you tried this, ignore me.


----------



## Kalavere

octavianh said:


> Maybe this sounds like Microsoft support, but have you tried to use other USB port? Maybe USB3 instead of USB2?
> I had a problem in the past with some ports of my motherboard, which were connected to a USB hub (found it later from MOBO user manual).
> Switching the USB port to another one helped me. If you tried this, ignore me.


 
  
 That's actually the first thing I did this morning before turning on my PC. It seems to have eased the clicking, it's still clicked a few times when I first booted up, but it seems to be stable at the moment. I hope it calms down I _really_ want to buy this DAC.

 Strange how the Bifrost Multibit wasn't phased using the same port, yet the 2Qute is, well at least it's looking more like a system problem than a DAC problem.

 I am borrowing the 2Qute from my dealer, it's due to go back later today, hopefully I'll have sorted my issues out before then so I can purchase one with confidence.


----------



## Arniesb

kalavere said:


> That's actually the first thing I did this morning before turning on my PC. It seems to have eased the clicking, it's still clicked a few times when I first booted up, but it seems to be stable at the moment. I hope it calms down I _really_ want to buy this DAC.
> 
> 
> Strange how the Bifrost Multibit wasn't phased using the same port, yet the 2Qute is, well at least it's looking more like a system problem than a DAC problem.
> ...


Can you compare Bifrost multibit vs 2qute? Is 2qute is noticable step up over Schiit dac?


----------



## Kalavere

arniesb said:


> Can you compare Bifrost multibit vs 2qute? Is 2qute is noticable step up over Schiit dac?


 
  
 Hell. Yes.

 The Multibit sounds clinical, like it's been made for purpose and it serves it purpose well, like a robot. The 2Qute is smooth, organic & well textured in comparison. There is something about the 2Qute that just blows the Multibit out of the water.

 2Qute into the Trilogy 931 and on to the HE-1000 is just sublime.


----------



## Arniesb

kalavere said:


> Hell. Yes.
> 
> 
> The Multibit sounds clinical, like it's been made for purpose and it serves it purpose well, like a robot. The 2Qute is smooth, organic & well textured in comparison. There is something about the 2Qute that just blows the Multibit out of the water.
> ...


Oh thanks brother  After i buy either Violectric V280 or V281 im going to upgrade dac from Arcam IrDAC so thanks for answer


----------



## Dickeyn

I have the same problem when feeding the 2Qute from a Pi computer / digi+ via a coax cable. I am using a Cardas Parsec chord and have a brief drop out when the funace starts up. (even though it is on a separate circuit. Other chords have been tried with no success. I see you have had luck with a AudioQuest cable, Could I ask which of their 7 coax cable worked for you?


----------



## tunes

Does anyone think that the HUGO 2 would
Have overall better SQ than the 2Qute?  Assuming comparison without a dedicated HP amp.


----------



## elviscaprice

tunes said:


> Does anyone think that the HUGO 2 would
> Have overall better SQ than the 2Qute?  Assuming comparison without a dedicated HP amp.



Yes, depending on the source/server and whether galvanic isolation is provided for the Hugo 2.  Then by all means the Hugo 2 will be more resolving than the 2qute.  But your comparing a 1K DAC to a 2.5K DAC with needed add on.  The 3Qute should be much better as long as you don't need portability.  I just hope they add a better amp onto the 3Qute with remote.


----------



## guerph

elviscaprice said:


> Yes, depending on the source/server and whether galvanic isolation is provided for the Hugo 2.  Then by all means the Hugo 2 will be more resolving than the 2qute.  But your comparing a 1K DAC to a 2.5K DAC with needed add on.  The 3Qute should be much better as long as you don't need portability.  I just hope they add a better amp onto the 3Qute with remote.



I plan to compare the two as soon as I get hands on a Hugo 2. To say the Hugo 2 will be better, "more resolving," than the 2Qute is pretty speculative, no? Has anyone compared the two yet or am I missing something. Chord is careful not to compare one DAC to another, except to say that the more money you spend going up the line, the components used are of higher quality...whatever that means. Without having heard the Hugo 2, I would speculate that the 2Qute would be closer in performance to the Hugo 2 than the original Hugo. I will say that in my experience the 2Qute is miles ahead of the Mojo. I couldn't listen to the Mojo in my home rig after introducing the 2Qute. Mojo's been relegated to mobile usage.


----------



## miketlse

guerph said:


> I plan to compare the two as soon as I get hands on a Hugo 2. To say the Hugo 2 will be better, "more resolving," than the 2Qute is pretty speculative, no?



Speculative, but not 'pretty speculative'.

Chord initially marketed the 2Qute as the same electronics as the Hugo, minus the volume control and headphone out.
The Hugo 2 contains increased processing power (taps) compared to the Hugo, and some reviewers of the pre-production prototypes describe the Hugo 2 as a DAVE-lite. So there are valid reasons to expect the Hugo 2 to outperform the 2Qute - but until the two are compared side to side, any prediction made today will contain a level of speculation.

I think that there will be many people interested to read your views, after you get the chance to physically compare the two dacs.


----------



## Eldair (May 1, 2017)

Have anyone compare 2qute to Schiit Gungnir mb? I would like to know is there major differencies in sound.


----------



## theveterans

Eldair said:


> Have anyone compare 2qute to Schiit Gungnir mb? I would like to know is there major differencies in sound.



Some people swear by the 2Qute and some with Gungnir MB. IMO, 2Qute should be the more musical sounding of the two. Schiit's sound is usually brighter than Chord DACs.


----------



## SoupCampbell

I think the 2qute compared to the Schitt Yaggy ..........


----------



## elviscaprice

Reason I wouldn't purchase a top of the line Schitt DAC is the power supply.  It can't be modified for a top of the line LPS.  This is an automatic disqualification in my book.  Plus the fact that I'm enamored with the Chord sound signature via Rob Watts.  No contest, 2Qute.


----------



## theveterans

elviscaprice said:


> Reason I wouldn't purchase a top of the line Schitt DAC is the power supply.  It can't be modified for a top of the line LPS.  This is an automatic disqualification in my book.  Plus the fact that I'm enamored with the Chord sound signature via Rob Watts.  No contest, 2Qute.



Exactly. Schiit Yggdrasil or any other Schiit Multibit or R2R DACs in general impressions are all over the place due to their DACs being extremely sensitive to power supply. You need the cleanest of the power supply (through expensive regenerator/isolator etc.) just to get rid of the edge/harshness/digititis that comes with Schiit DACs on their stock power supply. Chord DACs are far more immune to this due to Rob's design and implementation


----------



## Music Alchemist (May 18, 2017)

theveterans said:


> Some people swear by the 2Qute and some with Gungnir MB. IMO, 2Qute should be the more musical sounding of the two. Schiit's sound is usually brighter than Chord DACs.



I haven't heard the Gungnir Multibit, but I own both the Modi Multibit and 2Qute.

The 2Qute is by far the most technically impressive and realistic-sounding DAC I've owned, and yes, it's more musical too in some ways, but it's brighter and leaner than the Modi Multibit, which is more tubey and euphoric in comparison.

I'm actually trying to figure out the best solution to make the 2Qute less bright, because it can be slightly irritating at times.


----------



## soundkist

Music Alchemist said:


> I haven't heard the Gungnir Multibit, but I own both the Modi Multibit and 2Qute.
> 
> The 2Qute is by far the most technically impressive and realistic-sounding DAC I've owned, and yes, it's more musical too in some ways, but it's brighter and leaner than the Modi Multibit, which is more tubey and euphoric in comparison.
> 
> I'm actually trying to figure out the best solution to make the 2Qute less bright, because it can be slightly irritating at times.



RCA IC's with a warmer signature perhaps?  Copper ones?


----------



## Music Alchemist

soundkist said:


> RCA IC's with a warmer signature perhaps?  Copper ones?



I'm using 22AWG copper RCA interconnects made of RG-59 75 ohm coaxial cable and shielded to prevent EMI/RFI interference.


----------



## soundkist

No experience myself with that cable, unfortunately; currently using the only thing I have laying around (monster interlink 400 mkii), but trying to decide what might be a better fit for it out to my amp.  Had some IC's made of mogami 2497 very briefly, and definitely thought those were brighter.


----------



## Music Alchemist (May 18, 2017)

soundkist said:


> No experience myself with that cable, unfortunately; currently using the only thing I have laying around (monster interlink 400 mkii), but trying to decide what might be a better fit for it out to my amp.  Had some IC's made of mogami 2497 very briefly, and definitely thought those were brighter.



I've read about all sorts of optimizations people have made to their systems with the 2Qute...but I'm not sure which ones would be suitable for me. Some are a little pricey. And others may not make enough of an improvement. (For example, I'm using a Schiit Wyrd USB power isolator, but the differences are so subtle I don't even care enough to compare extensively.)

I'd rather save the money for now and put it toward the 2Qute successor. (Which may come out later this year, based on what I've read.)

I see you have the Elear. That's my favorite dynamic driver open-back out of the ones I've owned.


----------



## Music Alchemist

Pics! (Taken yesterday.)




 



The 2Qute is larger than I expected. As you can see, it's quite a bit bigger than the Modi Multibit and Fulla 2.

In real life, the light/color in the window doesn't look anything like that. It's not pink (more of a subtle red) and doesn't color everything at that angle like it would appear. I guess you'd need nice photography equipment to accurately show what it looks like. (My nice cameras are in storage.)

I left it on last night, but it's too strong of a nightlight, so I put the Fulla 2 on top of the window. lol


----------



## soundkist

Music Alchemist said:


> I've read about all sorts of optimizations people have made to their systems with the 2Qute...but I'm not sure which ones would be suitable for me. Some are a little pricey. And others may not make enough of an improvement. (For example, I'm using a Schiit Wyrd USB power isolator, but the differences are so subtle I don't even care enough to compare extensively.)
> 
> I'd rather save the money for now and put it toward the 2Qute successor. (Which may come out later this year, based on what I've read.)
> 
> I see you have the Elear. That's my favorite dynamic driver open-back out of the ones I've owned.



Yeah, I hear ya; sifting through the online drudgery of impressions from this or that is taking me some time, lol; I got a Belkin gold usb on the way, and probably just end up trying a middle-of-the-road wireworld IC, and see how that goes. 

Yes!  After being an IEM-only user for a looooooong time, I got to audition several really nice cans at a local meet up; while I liked a lot of them, there was one that quietly kept whispering sweet nothings to me--the Utopia.  Those being out of my budget, I took a blind chance on the Elears based on a boatload of reading, and I'll have to say I couldn't be happier.  Particularly with the right track, they have a _serious _wow factor to them, more so than any of the cans I tried at the meet up--_including _the Utopia.  And so far that's only via SE with the stock cable--pretty excited to hear what they can do with an upgraded balanced cable!


----------



## elviscaprice (May 19, 2017)

Music Alchemist said:


> I haven't heard the Gungnir Multibit, but I own both the Modi Multibit and 2Qute.
> 
> The 2Qute is by far the most technically impressive and realistic-sounding DAC I've owned, and yes, it's more musical too in some ways, but it's brighter and leaner than the Modi Multibit, which is more tubey and euphoric in comparison.
> 
> I'm actually trying to figure out the best solution to make the 2Qute less bright, because it can be slightly irritating at times.




Quality power supplies for all components, especially the 2Qute.  Server can be tricky because of all the noise it can generate within the mobo, solution renderer.  Isolation transformer can be a cheap upgrade that gives the biggest bang for the money.
Can't stress enough the need for quality power.  If done right, can cost as much as the sum of your components.  But then you will always have them, they don't go out of fashion or expense.
  I'm in the process of adding a Paul Hynes SR7 multi rail 12V power supply to upgrade my supplies and get rid of the noisy, leaky HDPlex.  LPS-1 and VR mini are other good choices.


----------



## Music Alchemist

elviscaprice said:


> Quality power supplies for all components, especially the 2Qute.  Server can be tricky because of all the noise it can generate within the mobo, solution renderer.  Isolation transformer can be a cheap upgrade that gives the biggest bang for the money.
> Can't stress enough the need for quality power.  If done right, can cost as much as the sum of your components.  But then you will always have them, they don't go out of fashion or expense.
> I'm in the process of adding a Paul Hynes SR7 multi rail 12V power supply to upgrade my supplies and get rid of the noisy, leaky HDPlex.  LPS-1 and VR mini are other good choices.



Yeahhh...I probably won't even touch stuff like that until after I've upgraded to the DAVE & Blu MkII.

I knew of the Paul Hynes SR7 thanks to romaz. That's actually the LPS I had my eye on.


----------



## Music Alchemist (May 20, 2017)

So how many o' you guys are planning on getting the 2Qute successor (with Hugo 2 tech) whenever it's released?


----------



## elviscaprice (May 20, 2017)

Music Alchemist said:


> So how many o' you guys are planning on getting the 2Qute successor (with Hugo 2 tech) whenever it's released?



It all depends on what that exactly is.  If Rob adds a preamp with volume control and everything else the same (2Qute) with Hugo 2 guts, 12V with increased amperage, I will be all over it.  But if it doesn't have an updated stage amp, I'll probably wait it out.
These suggestions are not a deal breaker below.
Would also like to see a more friendly input output logistics.  Having the RCA outs and USB input right next to each other is a nightmare for using an adapter on the USB input.  Personally the Optical and the BMC can be dropped, only need the USB input.
Can have all those bells and whistle inputs outputs on the updated TT.  Keep cost down on the 3Qute.


----------



## Arniesb

For me amp and preamp is a minus cause its add to the price. Most of the 2qute buyers need it for dac operation only cause they have High end amps for amping. If they add unnecessary things  like amp and preamp they will loose lot of buyers for sure, cause it adds to the price. They should upgrade dac performance and thats it.


----------



## soundkist

Arniesb said:


> For me amp and preamp is a minus cause its add to the price. Most of the 2qute buyers need it for dac operation only cause they have High end amps for amping. If they add unnecessary things  like amp and preamp they will loose lot of buyers for sure, cause it adds to the price. They should upgrade dac performance and thats it.



^^^One of the main reasons I was attracted to the 2Qute over say, the Hugo, etc.--I felt like I wasn't paying for anything I didn't need or want.


----------



## elviscaprice (May 20, 2017)

Problem was, for many, that they couldn't adjust the 3V line level output *directly *(I know there is a passive solution) with a choosen preamp.  I think Chord would have sold far more 2Qutes if the line level was adjustable digitally within the DAC.
Personally I think the main thrust of the 2Qute was that it was a true desktop DAC and not Lipo battery operated.


----------



## miketlse

elviscaprice said:


> Problem was, for many, that they couldn't adjust the 3V line level output *directly *(I know there is a passive solution) with a choosen preamp.  I think Chord would have sold far more 2Qutes if the line level was adjustable digitally within the DAC.


Yes, the 3V issue caused me to change focus to the Hugo TT, and then the Hugo2.


----------



## soundkist

elviscaprice said:


> Problem was, for many, that they couldn't adjust the 3V line level output *directly *(I know there is a passive solution) with a choosen preamp.  I think Chord would have sold far more 2Qutes if the line level was adjustable digitally within the DAC.
> Personally I think the main thrust of the 2Qute was that it was a true desktop DAC and not Lipo battery operated.



Still working my way through this thread since acquiring my 2qute, so perhaps I haven't stumbled across it yet, but what exactly is the issue with the LO being 3V?  Thanks!


----------



## Sam Anv

wow


----------



## miketlse

soundkist said:


> Still working my way through this thread since acquiring my 2qute, so perhaps I haven't stumbled across it yet, but what exactly is the issue with the LO being 3V?  Thanks!


Go back 3 decades to the release of CD technology, and the standard input level for amplifiers was 2V.
Since then manufacturers have gradually introduced amps that can handle 5 or 6 V without any problems.
My amp can only handle 2.75V, so there was always a risk that a 2Qute could overload the amp input circuits and cause clipping. So if I bought a 2Qute, I would have been also looking to upgrade my amp as well.
I can feed my amp using my Mojo, because the Mojo has volume controls.

Overall some owners had amps that could not handle 3V, but others were fine. 
So a 2Qute with volume controls would have offered excellent sound quality, plus been compatible with all amps.


----------



## soundkist

miketlse said:


> Go back 3 decades to the release of CD technology, and the standard input level for amplifiers was 2V.
> Since then manufacturers have gradually introduced amps that can handle 5 or 6 V without any problems.
> My amp can only handle 2.75V, so there was always a risk that a 2Qute could overload the amp input circuits and cause clipping. So if I bought a 2Qute, I would have been also looking to upgrade my amp as well.
> I can feed my amp using my Mojo, because the Mojo has volume controls.
> ...



Makes perfect sense, and thank you kindly for the information and explanation--having just purchased my first headphone amp recently, I didn't even know this was a thing.  Would it be correct to say this is largely an issue isolated to older amps only?


----------



## Music Alchemist

Arniesb said:


> For me amp and preamp is a minus cause its add to the price. Most of the 2qute buyers need it for dac operation only cause they have High end amps for amping. If they add unnecessary things  like amp and preamp they will loose lot of buyers for sure, cause it adds to the price. They should upgrade dac performance and thats it.



I'm with ya there. I'm fine with it being the same as the 2Qute except with sound equal to or better than the Hugo 2 but at a lower price.

At the moment I'm just using active speakers and a passive preamp. This will probably be the case for the foreseeable future, as even the rather expensive speakers I want (a pair of ADAM S2V nearfields and an ADAM Sub12 subwoofer, collectively $5,500) are still active. If/when I add passive speakers, I'll make sure to get an amp that is compatible with anything.



soundkist said:


> Makes perfect sense, and thank you kindly for the information and explanation--having just purchased my first headphone amp recently, I didn't even know this was a thing.  Would it be correct to say this is largely an issue isolated to older amps only?



No, plenty of newer amps can also have issues with it. If in doubt, consult the manufacturer. FYI, Schiit Audio amps don't have a maximum input voltage spec and are fine with the 2Qute.


----------



## soundkist

Music Alchemist said:


> No, plenty of newer amps can also have issues with it. If in doubt, consult the manufacturer. FYI, Schiit Audio amps don't have a maximum input voltage spec and are fine with the 2Qute.



I perused their site, as well as the documentation that came with my Jotunheim, but didn't see any mention of input voltage restriction--thanks much for the info, sir!  Also, so far can confirm it pairs very nicely with the 2Qute, both for my headphones, as well as a preamp for my KEF X300A's.


----------



## Music Alchemist

soundkist said:


> I perused their site, as well as the documentation that came with my Jotunheim, but didn't see any mention of input voltage restriction--thanks much for the info, sir!  Also, so far can confirm it pairs very nicely with the 2Qute, both for my headphones, as well as a preamp for my KEF X300A's.



Many other amp manufacturers don't mention any maximum input voltage spec but may not be compatible with 3 volts. That's why I asked Schiit directly about it.


----------



## bikutoru (May 22, 2017)

When I read "may not", one might say - it just may, If you amp specifies less then 2 volts, there *might be* a reason for concern. I learned all about 3 volts after the fact. When I got my 2Qute I just plugged it in my NAD and now, 10 month later, still cannot bring myself to turn it off. My NAD doesn't seem to mind.


----------



## Music Alchemist

Here's an interesting tweak to take your 2Qute system to the next level!

https://www.highend-audiopc.com/audiophile-optimizer

Be warned that this is only for advanced hardcore neurotically obsessed digital audiophiles. This rabbit hole is too treacherous for most. (If you don't know what you're doing, you could end up messing up your computer.)

It involves, at the most extreme settings I use, installing an $882 operating system and $137 optimization software (both have trial versions available), loading the OS in dual boot mode, and having only a handful of computer services and processes running, with the music player as the system shell and nothing else accessible aside from resorting to Control-Alt-Delete.

When I want to have a listening session via this method, I can't do anything else on the computer, so it's a major pain, to say the least.

Why go to all this trouble? For better sound, of course! But even I'll admit it's only maybe a five or ten percent improvement.


----------



## theveterans

^ Crazy setup there. Seems not worth it to compromise functionality. Might as well get a dedicated streamer than compromising your primary PC like that IMO.


----------



## Music Alchemist

theveterans said:


> ^ Crazy setup there. Seems not worth it to compromise functionality. Might as well get a dedicated streamer than compromising your primary PC like that IMO.



What's cool is that it comes with five activation keys, so I can put it on whatever other stuff I want to in the future.

I'm definitely not going to stick with what I have now. I might just get a cheap laptop to use for audio, then do everything else on this one. (The network players and music servers I have my eye on are not very affordable and not something I would buy in the near future.)


----------



## soundkist

Speaking of cheaper routes, have you considered a dedicated Raspberry Pi setup for your music?  Been reading about this as an option lately, and imagine I'll give it a go at some point.  Apparently many people swear by it, from what I've read; might be better than the laptop route--just my .02!


----------



## Music Alchemist (May 22, 2017)

soundkist said:


> Speaking of cheaper routes, have you considered a dedicated Raspberry Pi setup for your music?  Been reading about this as an option lately, and imagine I'll give it a go at some point.  Apparently many people swear by it, from what I've read; might be better than the laptop route--just my .02!



As listed on my profile, I used a Raspberry Pi 2 Model B at one point. It was (perceived to be) slightly better than my stock laptop, but I felt it wasn't better enough to bother with. It can't compare to the laptop with the software tweaks I mentioned. (The fact that said tweaks normally cost over a thousand dollars should tell you something.) Pi's a good budget solution, though.

(When I said cheap laptop, I meant one to put the tweaks on.)

By the way, some high-end music servers (etc.) use the same software I mentioned.


----------



## soundkist

Apologies--I hadn't taken a gander at your profile.  Anyway, thanks for sharing those tweaks--very interesting stuff, indeed!


----------



## Music Alchemist (May 23, 2017)

Dunno if anyone else ever had this issue with the 2Qute, but in Windows 7 (at least on my computer), its light flashes each time there is a Windows sound. (Even when simply clicking into folders.) Disabling Windows sounds (which I have no use for anyway) fixed it.

(This laptop originally came with Windows 7. I got a free upgrade to Windows 10 in 2015 and had used it ever since, but the other day when I was tweaking things, I made a bad move and ended up making the computer unbootable, so I had to revert to Windows 7 with the backup disc. Fortunately there was no loss of data.)


----------



## elviscaprice (May 23, 2017)

Good news on the ISO Regen, a TT owner found that the ISO Regen galvanic isolation was an added benefit to SQ, along with the additional clocking and signal integrity.  Same should apply for 2Qute and DAVE.
For the non GI Chord DAC's, a definite must component will be the ISO Regen for USB streaming.
  I'll test out with 2Qute come beginning of June.


----------



## organ_donor

I just brought a brand new 2qute home and it plays crackling sound randomly..It's like soft artifacts but very audible and kind of annoying. 

Tried changing cables, plugged to different power socket, different USB ports..the issue still remains. Different USB port reduced the noise frequency though. But it shouldn't happen since 2qute has USB GI, if I'm not wrong..

 Anyone experienced the same as well?


----------



## elviscaprice (May 24, 2017)

organ_donor said:


> I just brought a brand new 2qute home and it plays crackling sound randomly..It's like soft artifacts but very audible and kind of annoying.
> 
> Tried changing cables, plugged to different power socket, different USB ports..the issue still remains. Different USB port reduced the noise frequency though. But it shouldn't happen since 2qute has USB GI, if I'm not wrong..
> 
> Anyone experienced the same as well?



Your going to have to tell us a whole lot more about your overall system.  From server, media player, to files used, preamp, amp, speakers.  A GI is not a cure all.  No GI is perfect and each can vary in effectiveness on what it's intended to do.

The only time I experienced anything like your saying is when my settings were not optimally set in JRiver.


----------



## organ_donor

I play my music through the following chain:-

Windows 10 > Spotify/Tidal/Jriver > 2qute > KGST > SR-L700

Windows Driver: WASAPI installed itself when I plugged in my 2qute

Windows Driver setting: priority mode. 32 bits, 384khz (The highest)

All the interconnect/cable are stocks.

All the music players exhibit the same problem, even after I changed the driver setting - the bit rate quality things.

I have a mojo with me now which working fine without issue at all.

Hopefully it is just software error so I can adjust it back myself..


----------



## soundkist

Did you install the driver provided by Chord on their website?  If not, might want to give that a shot?

http://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/2qute/  (downloads, right-hand side)


----------



## Music Alchemist (May 24, 2017)

Yes, try using ASIO as the output mode in your player after installing the Chord drivers. For your convenience, here are some links.

http://chordelectronics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Windows-Driver.zip
http://www.foobar2000.org/download
http://www.foobar2000.org/components/view/foo_out_asio

You could also load tracks into memory via foobar2000's advanced playback options.

...Windows 7 took my computer hostage for half a day installing over 200 updates. (I disabled updates as of today.) Had to connect my 2Qute to an old laptop (from 2005) and play the few audio files I had on it. Did the same thing the other day, when I made the blunder that forced me to revert from Windows 10 to Windows 7. The sound certainly seemed to be inferior from the old laptop.


----------



## Jawed

2Qute will need a driver - the driver for Mojo doesn't work with 2Qute (or Hugo or Hugo TT).

Also, you should not force the sample rate to 384KHz. WASAPI will send the music file to 2Qute at the correct sample rate - I'm not sure if you have forced it, but try setting to 44.1Khz to see what happens. The window should show as red when you play ordinary CD music, 44.1Khz sample rate.

The crackling you are getting seems to me to likely be the computer struggling to keep up with processing the music to send to the DAC.

Now playing: Half Man Half Biscuit - Christian Rock Concert


----------



## Music Alchemist

Based on my session tonight with the dedicated & optimized operating system (Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard in Core mode with AudiophileOptimizer in Ultimate mode), I have realized that the improvements in sound quality are more significant than my prior assessment.

In particular, I tested the Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni (When They Cry) soundtrack. (One of my favorites.) The differences are not so obvious with some recordings, but with these... Wow! It's a new dimension. Some tracks sound different enough now that I'm not even comfortable with it yet.

Naturally, all these things wouldn't be nearly as meaningful without the 2Qute in tow. (I think there's no point in such overkill tweaks without a high-end DAC.)


----------



## organ_donor

Thanks guy! 

The 2qute is playing music flawlessly now with the Chord driver which comes with the pendrive. 

I like the size of it so much so I can carry it along to travel far.


----------



## Maru10

Hello,
I am contemplating how to use 2qute similarly to original Hugo, but with headphones. My objective is to get the wonderful sound of 2Qute into headphones without much distortion of active headphone amplifier.
I am considering passive preamp as an alternative, getting the 2Qute's 3V output into preamp, regulate the volume to get the sound either into rca-jack adapter, or dedicated singleended output. 
Do you think this would be a good solution?


----------



## Music Alchemist

Maru10 said:


> Hello,
> I am contemplating how to use 2qute similarly to original Hugo, but with headphones. My objective is to get the wonderful sound of 2Qute into headphones without much distortion of active headphone amplifier.
> I am considering passive preamp as an alternative, getting the 2Qute's 3V output into preamp, regulate the volume to get the sound either into rca-jack adapter, or dedicated singleended output.
> Do you think this would be a good solution?



I mentioned this to @x RELIC x in a PM earlier this month. Here is his reply. (I hope he's okay with me sharing it.)



> Typically hooking up DACs directly to headphone's would be a terrible idea because DACs typically have a a very high output impedance to match an amps input impedance (we're talking hundreds to thousands of Ohms). This would alter the frequency response of the headphone significantly for dynamic drivers. For planar magnetic drivers, which are purely resistive, this isn't much of an issue. However, for planar magnetic transducers the line-out from most DACs has very little Current (Amperes) output so the planar magnetic headphone's sound would suffer greatly with very poor dynamics from a DACs line out. Sure, it may get loud, and people may like the sound, but again, it isn't an accurate reproduction.



I know that @Beolab drove his Abyss directly from a 2Qute. It's something you can try. But something like a Schiit Magni 2 Uber has under 0.002% THD.


----------



## elviscaprice (May 26, 2017)

If your main objective is a DAC directly driving headphones without a Headphone amp, then you chose the wrong DAC with the 2Qute.  Any of the other Chord DAC's are a better suited for this task.


----------



## Maru10

elviscaprice said:


> If your main objective is a DAC directly driving headphones without a Headphone amp, then you chose the wrong DAC with the 2Qute.  Any of the other Chord DAC's are a better suited for this task.



Thank you two for your reactions. I know that Chord offers every other dac with headphone out, but I believe rhat 2qute is best price/performance dac atm. As for my hesitation to headamps, I simply like my Mojo more without amplification than with. 

I am not very good with electric, but i understand that 2qute has way too high impedance, however would't preamp change the odds for headphones connected to rca?


----------



## Music Alchemist (May 26, 2017)

Maru10 said:


> I am not very good with electric, but i understand that 2qute has way too high impedance, however would't preamp change the odds for headphones connected to rca?



I have the Schiit SYS passive preamp and had thought of doing the experiment you proposed (with a dual RCA to 3.5 mm cable), but I almost never use headphones nowadays. A passive preamp (which has no electronics) isn't going to change the impedance, though; it's just going to lower the volume.


----------



## elviscaprice (May 26, 2017)

Maru10 said:


> Thank you two for your reactions. I know that Chord offers every other dac with headphone out, but I believe rhat 2qute is best price/performance dac atm. As for my hesitation to headamps, I simply like my Mojo more without amplification than with.
> 
> I am not very good with electric, but i understand that 2qute has way too high impedance, however would't preamp change the odds for headphones connected to rca?



Impedance has nothing to do with it.  The 2Qute has extremely low impedance output, .075 ohms, I believe.  I don't know why you couldn't hook your headphones up to the 2qute RCA outputs with an adapter to 1/8 or 1/4 female.  You could control volume with a media program on a PC.  I've done this for testing purposes, it works.  Probably won't have enough power to drive some inefficient headphones.  That's going to be as passive as you can get and you don't need any other components.


----------



## Music Alchemist

elviscaprice said:


> Impedance has nothing to do with it.  The 2Qute has extremely low impedance output, .075 ohms, I believe.  I don't know why you couldn't hook your headphones up to the 2qute RCA outputs with an adapter to 1/8 or 1/4 female.  You could control volume with a media program on a PC.  I've done this for testing purposes, it works.  Probably won't have enough power to drive some inefficient headphones.  That's going to be as passive as you can get and you don't need any other components.



Ah, here we are:



Rob Watts said:


> Yes its the same transistors but in smaller packages, and a smaller current limit (200mA). The OP impedance will be a bit larger than Hugo, but still fraction of an ohm. I have not tried it with headphones, it does not have a volume control - I just wanted the lower distortion and SQ that the OP stage from Hugo offered.
> 
> Rob



I should have thought of that. Its output impedance is just like the other Chord DACs; that is, far lower than conventional ones.


----------



## Maru10

Music Alchemist said:


> Ah, here we are:
> 
> 
> 
> I should have thought of that. Its output impedance is just like the other Chord DACs; that is, far lower than conventional ones.



Again, cheers both of you!

OK, so as this we have sorted out, and under the pretense that 2qute's output power should be the nearly same as MOJO's or Hugo's, it should be ok to hook up he1000 direcly to the output? I love he1000 via mojo, just looking for the Hugo quality without dependency on battery.


----------



## Music Alchemist

Maru10 said:


> Again, cheers both of you!
> 
> OK, so as this we have sorted out, and under the pretense that 2qute's output power should be the nearly same as MOJO's or Hugo's, it should be ok to hook up he1000 direcly to the output? I love he1000 via mojo, just looking for the Hugo quality without dependency on battery.



Are you going to use a passive preamp and adapter cable like you originally planned? If so, which one?

Anyway, it should work, but I can't tell you how it will sound compared to the Mojo or the 2Qute with an external headphone amp. (Actually, I used to own a Mojo, and I _could_ try this out myself with the 2Qute, albeit with different headphones...but like I said, I don't normally use headphones now, so it would be going out of my way.)


----------



## Maru10

Music Alchemist said:


> Are you going to use a passive preamp and adapter cable like you originally planned? If so, which one?



I was thinking about Tilbury's preamp http://www.tisburyaudio.co.uk/mini-passive-preamplifier. Heard only praise.

It's not that I do not want to invest into headamp, I have three of them incl. Gustards h10, little dot iv and Cayin iha6 (great amp for HE6 btw). The reason is that I like my hifimans straight from the mojo. Even Gustard add a teeny little veil and, I don't know how to explain, congested disconnection feeling into the chain. I simply love the sound of raw mojo, and I am  thinking how to upgrade dac without jumping to HugoTT. I have a rezervation for hugo2, but if i could get Hugo1 dac for cheaper and without reliance to battery for less....


----------



## Music Alchemist (May 27, 2017)

Tonight I upgraded my dedicated dual boot operating system to Windows Server 2016 Standard Core, activated the latest beta of AudiophileOptimizer, and switched my output mode to Kernel Streaming.






My system sounds freakishly real now.

I lost count of how many times my mouth gaped. The improvements I'm hearing are similar to the types of things the 2Qute does, though to a lesser extent. Each sound is more distinct. Details pop out with transient immediacy and make the music come alive. Everything is tighter and more textured, like you can physically feel the instruments in the room. Dynamics are more authoritative. And on and on... This is a classic "insert audiophile stereotype here" situation.

Before, with my prior setup (Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard Core, latest normal release of AudiophileOptimizer, ASIO), most of the differences I heard (compared to a normal Windows OS with no tweaks) with some tracks were more about subtle nuances, with no apparent difference at all on many tracks. Now, I instantly notice a major difference with practically every track.

In short, the improvement in sound quality went from slight to dramatic.

At first, I had misgivings about spending the $137 on AudiophileOptimizer and would only encourage the most hardcore audiophiles to bother with it. As of today, I have had a change of heart and would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is using a Windows computer and looking to get better sound out of their high-end DAC without spending considerably more on an audiophile-grade network player and/or music server. (Though you may want to get a separate cheap computer for functionality's sake.)

To those planning on trying these tweaks: definitely go for the latest versions!

Again, be warned that this is advanced stuff and you need to know what you are doing or at least read the manual.

To give you an idea of how cumbersome it is on a single PC, even compared to the older Windows server: To use core mode, you have to install the core version of the OS. You can't convert from GUI to core anymore. (Of course, you can always install the GUI version and not worry about core mode. But pretty much everyone who uses this software says core mode has the best sound.) In core mode, you normally have to do everything via Command Prompt. (If you don't know how to do that, then good luck.) The simple task of installing the Chord drivers, for example, turned into a ritual of typing in its exact location and name...being unable to load it as it was...restarting and going back to normal Windows to rename the file with an underscore instead of a space...then repeating the process. The Command Prompt system shell can be replaced with your music player, at which time it is the only thing accessible when you log on. You can still do other things via Control-Alt-Delete, but more or less only via Command Prompt. Oh, and to shut down the computer, I have to press Control-Alt-Delete, start Task Manager, click file and run new task, then open Command Prompt and type shutdown /s /t 0. Otherwise the only way to shut down is by holding the power button.

A headache for sure...but man...so worth it.



Maru10 said:


> I was thinking about Tilbury's preamp http://www.tisburyaudio.co.uk/mini-passive-preamplifier. Heard only praise.



Okay, cool. If you want something even more affordable, the Schiit SYS is just $49. (However, as with many affordable things, it makes a soft scratching sound through your speakers/headphones sometimes when you twist the volume knob.)


----------



## theveterans

^ You should give justice to your 2Qute by upgrading to Schiit Saga in passive mode (you can run it without the tube inserted). With Saga, you don't have that scratching sound as it uses a relay stepped attenuator instead of a pot.


----------



## Music Alchemist

theveterans said:


> ^ You should give justice to your 2Qute by upgrading to Schiit Saga in passive mode (you can run it without the tube inserted). With Saga, you don't have that scratching sound as it uses a relay stepped attenuator instead of a pot.



One step at a time, my friend. 

I've spent so much lately that I'm going to cool down for a bit. I hope to not buy anything else until I upgrade my speakers (probably the ADAM S2V & Sub12)...or perhaps I'll end up getting the 2Qute successor first if it comes out soon enough. I don't mind the slight scratching sound for the time being.


----------



## Dvdlucena

Sorry to ask, I didn't have the time to read all the pages... is there any rumors or dates about the new qute based in the hugo 2 tech?

Cheers


----------



## Music Alchemist

Dvdlucena said:


> Sorry to ask, I didn't have the time to read all the pages... is there any rumors or dates about the new qute based in the hugo 2 tech?
> 
> Cheers



I asked Rob Watts about it and he basically said he can't comment yet. But I believe it will come soon enough.


----------



## Aerosphere

It should come soon..


----------



## JWahl

No idea how far along they are in the development cycle for a presumable successor at this point, but here's my "wishlist".

I actually really like the aesthetic and features of the Hugo 2, but actually dislike batteries for long term reliability and I prefer to keep DACs on to keep them warmed up.  Having a 2qute successor that has a headphone out, remote and volume control would be nice.  

Alternatively (But understandably less likely):

Combining the Hugo TT and 2 Qute into a single offering that is in between the two, no more than around $2500.

-slightly larger chassis between Qute and Dave with xlr output.
-Headphone output.
-No crazy supercap supply/normal external PSU
-No special display, colored button indicators are fine.  
(The previous 2 to keep cost in check.)
-could do without Bluetooth, but I know some people like it. 
-Galvanic isolation.

That's pretty much my ideal Chord product right now. 

(As a bonus or to justify up to $3k cost, 75k taps with 16e pulse array, wishful thinking I know)


----------



## x RELIC x (Jun 17, 2017)

JWahl said:


> I actually really like the aesthetic and features of the Hugo 2, but actually dislike batteries for long term reliability and I prefer to keep DACs on to keep them warmed up. Having a 2qute successor that has a headphone out, remote and volume control would be nice.



If left plugged in for more than 24 hours the Hugo2 bypasses the batteries and runs of mains power. Your concern is a non-issue and it seems Rob has addressed it rather well IMO. However this won't address the other concerns like XLR out and built-in galvanic isolation.


----------



## Music Alchemist

x RELIC x said:


> If left plugged in for more than 24 hours the Hugo2 bypasses the batteries and runs of mains power.



Are you referring to some sort of USB to wall wart adapter? What do you need to do to have it stay on permanently? Most people turn off their computer, so having it charge from a computer's USB port permanently is not a viable option. With the mains power, would it have worse sound quality?


----------



## x RELIC x (Jun 17, 2017)

Music Alchemist said:


> Are you referring to some sort of USB to wall wart adapter? What do you need to do to have it stay on permanently? Most people turn off their computer, so having it charge from a computer's USB port permanently is not a viable option. With the mains power, would it have worse sound quality?



Hugo2 comes with a wall wart charger and the power USB input is separate from the data USB input, like Mojo. The mains power quality would depend, but Rob has extensively filtered the input and has said that there is little in the way of noise when plugged in. Of course YMMV.


----------



## Music Alchemist

x RELIC x said:


> Hugo2 comes with a wall wart charger



Can't believe I forgot that. Looking at the official page, I remember seeing that before.

...I feel bad letting go of my 2Qute, but I go through gear pretty quickly for the sake of trying all sorts of things.


----------



## Dvdlucena

x RELIC x said:


> Hugo2 comes with a wall wart charger and the power USB input is separate from the data USB input, like Mojo. The mains power quality would depend, but Rob has extensively filtered the input and has said that there is little in the way of noise when plugged in. Of course YMMV.


Does hugo2 power suply uses 12v or 5v?


----------



## x RELIC x

Dvdlucena said:


> Does hugo2 power suply uses 12v or 5v?



As per the manual it's 2A/5V.

http://chordelectronics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Hugo-2-User-Manual.pdf


----------



## elviscaprice (Jun 18, 2017)

x RELIC x said:


> If left plugged in for more than 24 hours the Hugo2 bypasses the batteries and runs of mains power. Your concern is a non-issue and it seems Rob has addressed it rather well IMO. However this won't address the other concerns like XLR out and built-in galvanic isolation.


I think it's a valid concern, batteries in the Hugo2 although my concerns are more to do with sound signature than the life of the battery in the Hugo2.  Remember when I questioned Rob on the bypassing of the Hugo2 batteries(remove them or they are dead), his reply was he had not tested the SQ of the Hugo2 for this and did not recommend it.   In other words the Hugo2 was designed for varied power that a Lipo battery could provide and not a linear source of 5V 2A.
As far as the mode in which the batteries remained topped off after 24 hours of being charged, my understanding is that this does not bypass the batteries and that the Hugo2 still operates under power by the batteries, just that the batteries are not topped off on charging but remain at an optimal charge for operation.

In conclusion, I have chosen to take Rob's words to heart and forgo purchasing the Hugo2, remain with the 2Qute, wait for the 3Qute.
https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/c...official-thread.831345/page-132#post-13359385
https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/c...official-thread.831345/page-133#post-13359564


----------



## GreenBow (Jun 19, 2017)

elviscaprice said:


> I think it's a valid concern, batteries in the Hugo2 although my concerns are more to do with sound signature than the life of the battery in the Hugo2.  Remember when I questioned Rob on the bypassing of the Hugo2 batteries(remove them or they are dead), his reply was he had not tested the SQ of the Hugo2 for this and did not recommend it.   In other words the Hugo2 was designed for varied power that a Lipo battery could provide and not a linear source of 5V 2A.
> As far as the mode in which the batteries remained topped off after 24 hours of being charged, my understanding is that this does not bypass the batteries and that the Hugo2 still operates under power by the batteries, just that the batteries are not topped off on charging but remain at an optimal charge for operation.
> 
> In conclusion, I have chosen to take Rob's words to heart and forgo purchasing the Hugo2, remain with the 2Qute, wait for the 3Qute.
> ...



I can't see any reason why you could not substitute the batteries with a linear power supply. There's no difference between 5V power supply and 5V battery that I know of. Ultimately the battery might be a cleaner power source, and possibly smoother. However if you buy a top notch power supply then it should be good enough, *I think*.

I have contemplated doing it with the Mojo. However I won't while it's under warranty. ... I suspect Chord might refuse a repair though, if you needed one in future. Meaning, if you changed the function of the DAC.

I am not recommending it, by the way. I just said I thought about doing it.


----------



## Music Alchemist

Last night I had a dream that I had _two_ 2Qutes.


----------



## miketlse

GreenBow said:


> I can't see any reason why you could not substitute the batteries with a linear power supply. There's no difference between 5V power supply and 5V battery that I know of. Ultimately the battery might be a cleaner power source, and possibly smoother. However if you buy a top notch power supply then it should be good enough, *I think*.
> 
> I have contemplated doing it with the Mojo. However I won't while it's under warranty. ... I suspect Chord might refuse a repair though, if you needed one in future. Meaning, if you changed the function of the DAC.
> 
> I am not recommending it, by the way. I just said I thought about doing it.


@Rob Watts has already posted several times about his tests using a battery https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/chord-electronics-2qute-dac-announced.749582/page-34#post-11788386


----------



## elviscaprice

miketlse said:


> @Rob Watts has already posted several times about his tests using a battery https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/chord-electronics-2qute-dac-announced.749582/page-34#post-11788386



Rob's a brilliant designer but he is dead wrong about the power supply not making a difference on the 2Qute.  It's not even close with a quality linear supply and it's not just me who have found this to be the case. 
Mike, I think we were referring to the Hugo2 concerning linear supply in place of the Lipo batteries, above


----------



## GreenBow (Jun 20, 2017)

elviscaprice said:


> Rob's a brilliant designer but he is dead wrong about the power supply not making a difference on the 2Qute.  It's not even close with a quality linear supply and it's not just me who have found this to be the case.
> Mike, I think we were referring to the Hugo2 concerning linear supply in place of the Lipo batteries, above



I am not convinced even the Mojo sounds no different with the power supply plugged in vs on battery alone. I think it might be better on battery alone. That could be me though as I have not paid any real close attention to it.

With reference to the 2Qute, I doubt the power block with it, can compete with clean linear power supplies. Thus upgrade should be possible. However, I do not know. Very possibly the 2Qute power block is OK. Yet folk are saying there is a noticeable and undeniable improvement with a linear power supply.

Whichever though, my only regret is I can not use the 2Qute as yet. My current desktop system of Q Acoustic BT3 speakers only takes 2V line in. Hopefully the 2Qute2 will be designed with 2V in mind.


----------



## Rob Watts

elviscaprice said:


> Rob's a brilliant designer but he is dead wrong about the power supply not making a difference on the 2Qute.  It's not even close with a quality linear supply and it's not just me who have found this to be the case.
> Mike, I think we were referring to the Hugo2 concerning linear supply in place of the Lipo batteries, above



No I am not dead wrong - 2 Qute is indeed categorically not sensitive to the PSU (unlike Qute which was sensitive). The best, lowest noise, lowest impedance, highest current capacity is a 12V car battery - and I can hear no consistent difference between that and the supplied charger.

This of course does not mean you are wrong in that changing the PSU will not make a difference to the SQ in your system - as your partnering electronics will be sensitive to local mains interference, as most audio analogue electronics are not designed with adequate RF filtering. But what you are hearing is not 2 Qute being sensitive to the change in PSU but your other electronics being sensitive to the change. Again, YMWV depending upon the rest of your system.


----------



## elviscaprice

Rob Watts said:


> No I am not dead wrong - 2 Qute is indeed categorically not sensitive to the PSU (unlike Qute which was sensitive). The best, lowest noise, lowest impedance, highest current capacity is a 12V car battery - and I can hear no consistent difference between that and the supplied charger.
> 
> This of course does not mean you are wrong in that changing the PSU will not make a difference to the SQ in your system - as your partnering electronics will be sensitive to local mains interference, as most audio analogue electronics are not designed with adequate RF filtering. But what you are hearing is not 2 Qute being sensitive to the change in PSU but your other electronics being sensitive to the change. Again, YMWV depending upon the rest of your system.



I don't disagree that partnering electronics will be sensitive to local mains interference and that a change in PSU can have an impact with those components power supply.  But when the only change is with the 2Qute power supply and I hear a significant uplift in SQ, especially on the lower end, then I have to conclude it's the mains affecting the 2Qute negatively with the supplied charger.  Note:  I am using the LPS-1 by Uptone power supply that is built off of super capacitors with switching banks, this allows no mains leakage into the DC feed. 
In order to completely take the analog components, amps, out of the equation, I will test again soon with the 2Qute driving my highly efficient speakers directly and report back.


----------



## Triode User

elviscaprice said:


> I don't disagree that partnering electronics will be sensitive to local mains interference and that a change in PSU can have an impact with those components power supply.  But when the only change is with the 2Qute power supply and I hear a significant uplift in SQ, especially on the lower end, then I have to conclude it's the mains affecting the 2Qute negatively with the supplied charger.  Note:  I am using the LPS-1 by Uptone power supply that is built off of super capacitors with switching banks, this allows no mains leakage into the DC feed.
> In order to completely take the analog components, amps, out of the equation, I will test again soon with the 2Qute driving my highly efficient speakers directly and report back.



Could you have both power supplies 'live' ie plugged in to the mains but alternate as to which one is powering the 2Qute. That way the mains interfence aspect will be constant and so can be eliminated as being the cause of the observed improvement?


----------



## dmance

I had a 2Qute that was transformed by adding a Teddy Pardo PSU.  This was totally against the recommendation of Rob Watts ....saying that he could discern no difference using a 12v car battery and the factory PSU.
Well to my ears (and wife and daughter) it was a new DAC with the better external PSU.
Could it be due to some spurious RF making its way to my amplifier from the factory PSU that is not there with the Teddy Pardo??  Not tested ...all components were on the same circuit. But if we are walking down that road it starts getting crazy.

I think even Rob does not really 'know'' what is going on.  Many posts on other forums show users demonstrating audible differences where he says there should be none - with RF noise seeping in through any physical conductance to his DACs.  Maybe another generation of two before it's all sorted 100%>


----------



## Rob Watts

I can only report on what I hear - and if you had been in the room at that time with me, you would have not been able to hear any difference with the stock PSU against a car battery too.


----------



## Milesian (Jun 30, 2017)

Rob Watts said:


> I can only report on what I hear - and if you had been in the room at that time with me, you would have not been able to hear any difference with the stock PSU against a car battery too.


 
2qute is a marvellous dac and I am enjoying it immensely. But after a few minutes of listening with a new mcru power supply, there is a significant improvement to my 67 year old ears on what was already a lovely and detailed sound. Soundstage is deeper, midrange more delicate, instrument separation more pronounced. Regardless of whether or not an LPS improves I'd still like to say many thanks Rob for creating an exquisite little gem.


----------



## ajreynol

Hey guys, I'm currently considering a 2Qute. I currently have a Schiit Lyr 2 as my dedicated amp and have been using (and now about to return) a Nuforce DAC-80 due to defects which was serving as my DAC. I don't use speakers, only headphones and I am using Denon D7000s and Kennerton Vali's as my daily drivers.

The 2Qute is quite a bit more expensive than any of my other components outside of the 2016 desktop PC that will be serving as the source, which is where I listen to my music 99.9% of the time. As such it would be quite the investment for me. For the record, I was also considering a Schiit Bifrost Multibit.

My questions are simple: 

1.) Is the 2Qute worth jumping up to from the $650 Bifrost Multibit I was looking at (or in general from that price range of DACs)?

2.) Is it a good time or a bad time to buy a 2Qute (reading about successors on the previous page makes me wonder if a replacement is on the way soon that would push down the price of the 2Qute)?

3.) Is this $1,300 DAC overkill for my modest $500 Lyr 2 amp?


I literally have both of these products in shopping carts on 2 different websites and don't know which direction to go in. Any insights at all will be greatly appreciated.


----------



## Music Alchemist (Jun 30, 2017)

ajreynol said:


> 1.) Is the 2Qute worth jumping up to from the $650 Bifrost Multibit I was looking at (or in general from that price range of DACs)?
> 
> 2.) Is it a good time or a bad time to buy a 2Qute (reading about successors on the previous page makes me wonder if a replacement is on the way soon that would push down the price of the 2Qute)?
> 
> 3.) Is this $1,300 DAC overkill for my modest $500 Lyr 2 amp?



I used to own both the 2Qute and Modi Multibit. (The Bifrost Multibit is the same aside from the power supply and ability to upgrade it in the future.) I think the 2Qute is a worthy upgrade if you can easily afford it. The person who has my 2Qute now also owns the Modi Multibit and feels the same way. Its US retail price is $500 lower than it used to be, so it's got that going for it as well.

However, differences between DACs are more subtle than transducers, as I'm sure you know. It's the type of thing to get once you've found headphones/speakers you love and want to focus on enhancing. To keep costs down, I temporarily downgraded to a $30 Behringer UCA202 audio interface. Although it's noticeably worse than high-end DACs, my system still sounds amazing, and I do think it's better to focus most of your budget on finding your ideal transducer before bothering with DAC upgrades. (For example, with some of the money I saved, I upgraded to a higher-end STAX system.)

The Hugo 2 had quite a few delays and it's likely that the 2Qute successor will too. It may not come out until next year. I'm certainly interested in it.

I don't think it's overkill. You should be thinking about whether you want to upgrade your transducers first.


----------



## GreenBow

Rob Watts said:


> I can only report on what I hear - and if you had been in the room at that time with me, you would have not been able to hear any difference with the stock PSU against a car battery too.



Rob, I am confused by all this. What you are saying is that you have created a perfect power supply, in the form of a wall-adapter. Or you have managed to remove noise completely inside your 2Qute.

However audio companies spend money developing better and better supplies. It's possible to spend hundreds of pounds and sometimes over a thousand on a PSU. (Naim for example.) Whereas you say you have cured the whole situation with a wall adapter, or internals of the 2Qute.

I am just 100% perplexed by all of this. (Worryingly so.)




ajreynol said:


> Hey guys, I'm currently considering a 2Qute. I currently have a Schiit Lyr 2 as my dedicated amp and have been using (and now about to return) a Nuforce DAC-80 due to defects which was serving as my DAC. I don't use speakers, only headphones and I am using Denon D7000s and Kennerton Vali's as my daily drivers.
> 
> The 2Qute is quite a bit more expensive than any of my other components outside of the 2016 desktop PC that will be serving as the source, which is where I listen to my music 99.9% of the time. As such it would be quite the investment for me. For the record, I was also considering a Schiit Bifrost Multibit.
> 
> ...



You might need to bear in mind that the 2 Qute output is at 3V. Check the specifications on your amp.


----------



## Rob Watts

The original Qute was indeed very sensitive to the PSU - with the car battery test it failed miserably. But with Hugo 1 I could not hear a difference with the charger connected or not, so I wanted to replicate that performance with 2 Qute. 

Now fundamentally I am an engineer, and will always go for the best solution I can get for the lowest cost. Now I knew exactly why Hugo 1 was insensitive to the PSU, and it was down to superior regulation and RF filtering. Now I could have kept the same strategy, then designed a better PSU, and Chord could charge customers more; once hooked, people would be obligated to spend more money (and create more profits). But this cynical approach is an anathema to me; I always want the best sound for the lowest cost and the most elegant way of engineering a solution. And spending $2 more on better RF filtering and regulation is a permanent fix to the power problem.


----------



## flargosa (Jul 4, 2017)

Any 3 Qute announcements coming out soon?  I hope it's next in line to get an upgrade.


----------



## ajreynol (Jul 9, 2017)

Hey guys, just got my new 2Qute set up. Any recommendations for music that stands out in your experience?

Recommended music players?

I'm currently using Foobar but am not 100% sure of the optimum configuration.

Bit and Hz setting recommendation for the default audio properties? 16/44?  32/192? Any advice is appreciated.


----------



## Music Alchemist

ajreynol said:


> Hey guys, just got my new 2Qute set up. Any recommendations for music that stands out in your experience?
> 
> Recommended music players?
> 
> ...



Pretty much all types of music sound great with the 2Qute. Just play what you like.

I use foobar2000 as well even though I have other "fancier" players like HQPlayer, Bug Head Emperor, and JPLAYmini.

I recommend using bit-perfect output, particularly ASIO. (WASAPI and KS are also bit-perfect.) This way, you send the unaltered data of the file to the DAC and let the DAC do the work, and the settings are automatically changed depending on the sample rate (etc.) of the file that is playing.

http://www.foobar2000.org/components/view/foo_out_asio


----------



## ajreynol

Will do. Thank you again for the help and insights.


----------



## Deftone

You are much better off testing with music you know well.


----------



## bigfatpaulie

Rob Watts said:


> The original Qute was indeed very sensitive to the PSU - with the car battery test it failed miserably. But with Hugo 1 I could not hear a difference with the charger connected or not, so I wanted to replicate that performance with 2 Qute.
> 
> Now fundamentally I am an engineer, and will always go for the best solution I can get for the lowest cost. Now I knew exactly why Hugo 1 was insensitive to the PSU, and it was down to superior regulation and RF filtering. Now I could have kept the same strategy, then designed a better PSU, and Chord could charge customers more; once hooked, people would be obligated to spend more money (and create more profits). But this cynical approach is an anathema to me; I always want the best sound for the lowest cost and the most elegant way of engineering a solution. And spending $2 more on better RF filtering and regulation is a permanent fix to the power problem.




I've only been skimming so I could be missing something, or this may also have been addressed.  It is possible that although the 2Qute is not affected by the new PSU, the lower noise output of a LPS is having a positive impact on the overall noise in the AC line making everything else sound better.


----------



## GreenBow (Dec 2, 2017)

Rob Watts said:


> The original Qute was indeed very sensitive to the PSU - with the car battery test it failed miserably. But with Hugo 1 I could not hear a difference with the charger connected or not, so I wanted to replicate that performance with 2 Qute.
> 
> Now fundamentally I am an engineer, and will always go for the best solution I can get for the lowest cost. Now I knew exactly why Hugo 1 was insensitive to the PSU, and it was down to superior regulation and RF filtering. Now I could have kept the same strategy, then designed a better PSU, and Chord could charge customers more; once hooked, people would be obligated to spend more money (and create more profits). But this cynical approach is an anathema to me; I always want the best sound for the lowest cost and the most elegant way of engineering a solution. And spending $2 more on better RF filtering and regulation is a permanent fix to the power problem.



I figured it could be something to do with filtering.

I also re-thought what I had written. I was thinking about  the hi-fi manufacturers that make high end power supplies like Naim for their amplifiers etc. There is a lot more power involved in making a power supply for a power amp, or integrated. Assuming more power means more noise to control.

Anyway I am no expert, and far from it. ... As I see it you have converted to DC outside the DAC. Therefor noise is already reduced. Your power requirements being lower too has to help I think. Then filtering off any rail noise in the DAC. ... I could go on but it's all speculation on my part anyway so no need. Thank you for replying so respectfully.


----------



## bikutoru

For people that discussed RMS and how it might be too much for some amps.
*Line level default 3.0 Volt RMS - finally experienced when it is too much first hand.*

I have an old Panasonic receiver in my basement that I use for movie watching audio surround. Decided to try connecting my Mojo to it, changed to 2 channel audio, set Mojo to line level and started playing. Because the receiver is digital in nature even _*analog in*_ can produce very digital looking messages like this:


I was confused, analog input, overflow, doesn't make sense, until it hit me - it is probably the high RMS. Few clicks to lower the output level and the message disappeared!
With Mojo it is possible to lower the level, not sure what would happen it if was 2Qute instead.
My 2Qute is connected permanently to my NAD and there no problem there, no messages, just blissful sound.


----------



## Music Alchemist (Jul 15, 2017)

mm. Got my second Mojo recently. On my speakers, it's about as enjoyable as the 2Qute. I'm sure the 2Qute is ultimately more accurate, but the Mojo has a unique magical sound.

Their sound signatures are more different than I was expecting. (I only used the first Mojo with headphones, and more or less only used the 2Qute with speakers, so I didn't have the best idea of how they compared until now.) Both utterly outclass the other DACs I've owned. (See profile.)

My chain looks like this at the moment: PC > USB > Behringer UCA202 audio interface > TOSLINK > Mojo > 3.5 mm to dual XLR cable > speakers

I like being able to use the Mojo as a digital preamp for the active speakers. Now I'm leaning more towards the Hugo 2 rather than the 2Qute successor.


----------



## Furch

@*Rob Watts*
I currently use 2qute and very happy with it but when 3qute launch, is it possible to have balance output with on/off switch? 
I'm newbie so I don't know it'll be better or not if 3qute possess both RCA & Balance output, but I've V281 so I want to give it a try, thank you. (•̀ᴗ•́)


----------



## fixated

Furch said:


> @*Rob Watts*
> I currently use 2qute and very happy with it but when 3qute launch, is it possible to have balance output with on/off switch?
> I'm newbie so I don't know it'll be better or not if 3qute possess both RCA & Balance output, but I've V281 so I want to give it a try, thank you. (•̀ᴗ•́)



+1, This would have been a great feature to add for the 2qute but alas since it didn't have a balanced out went ahead and got the Hugo TT instead to feed to my V281. Although that being said I don't believe there's a huge difference in SQ between the V281's balanced and RCA inputs.


----------



## Furch

lonerboy13 said:


> +1, This would have been a great feature to add for the 2qute but alas since it didn't have a balanced out went ahead and got the Hugo TT instead to feed to my V281. Although that being said I don't believe there's a huge difference in SQ between the V281's balanced and RCA inputs.



I didn't think it'll be huge different as well but want to test it with my own ears. 
I avoid using Hogo TT because soon it'll have battery problem like my old Hugo, Hugo's battery only last for 2 years + several months in my case.


----------



## fixated

Furch said:


> I didn't think it'll be huge different as well but want to test it with my own ears.
> I avoid using Hogo TT because soon it'll have battery problem like my old Hugo, Hugo's battery only last for 2 years + several months in my case.



The Hugo TT shouldn't have that much of a problem in terms of battery life that's what the super caps are there for, but usage wise I wouldn't count on the battery life lasting forever at the Hugo TT is meant to be used as a desktop unit and plugged in virtually most of the time.


----------



## elviscaprice

Furch said:


> I didn't think it'll be huge different as well but want to test it with my own ears.
> I avoid using Hugo TT because soon it'll have battery problem like my old Hugo, Hugo's battery only last for 2 years + several months in my case.



Your right about that.  Same Lipo batteries in the TT plus the super caps.  Batteries will fail.  Big reason I went with the 2Qute, let alone sound signature.  Which is the reason I won't buy a Hugo2.


----------



## Music Alchemist

elviscaprice said:


> Your right about that.  Same Lipo batteries in the TT plus the super caps.  Batteries will fail.  Big reason I went with the 2Qute, let alone sound signature.  Which is the reason I won't buy a Hugo2.



Does anyone have an idea when the Hugo 2 battery would die and need to be replaced?


----------



## elviscaprice (Jul 24, 2017)

Music Alchemist said:


> Does anyone have an idea when the Hugo 2 battery would die and need to be replaced?



Same battery, I believe, but the batteries are not hard wired in.  There is a connector in the wired line for easier replacement.  I would say the Hugo 2 lipo batteries may actually die sooner depending on use, bigger draw.  Definitely before 3 years are up, more likely within 2.


----------



## Music Alchemist

elviscaprice said:


> Same battery, I believe, but the batteries are not hard wired in.  There is a connector in the wired line for easier replacement.  I would say the Hugo 2 lipo batteries may actually die sooner depending on use.  Definitely before 3 years are up, more likely within 2.



Eek! Did not realize it could be so soon. May have to change my plans now...


----------



## elviscaprice

Music Alchemist said:


> Eek! Did not realize it could be so soon. May have to change my plans now...


But, Hugo 2 can operate without batteries, although not suggested by Rob.???  Whatever that means.


----------



## Music Alchemist (Jul 24, 2017)

elviscaprice said:


> But, Hugo 2 can operate without batteries, although not suggested by Rob.???  Whatever that means.



If I'm remembering correctly, I did read that you can plug it into the wall, and after 24 hours, it switches to operating without battery power. But I feel like I'm missing something there.

I've been using my Mojo permanently plugged into the wall via a 5V 2A charger.


----------



## elviscaprice (Jul 24, 2017)

Music Alchemist said:


> If I'm remembering correctly, I did read that you can plug it into the wall, and after 24 hours, it switches to operating without battery power. But I feel like I'm missing something there.



You are and so is everyone else.  I think what Rob means is that desktop mode on the Hugo 2 uses the batteries but keeps them at a narrow optimum range trickle charged.  Otherwise, we are back to his very heavy warning about not running the Hugo 2 without batteries, for best SQ, I would assume, but as he claims, never tested.


----------



## Music Alchemist

Furch said:


> I currently use 2qute and very happy with it but when 3qute launch, is it possible to have balance output with on/off switch?



That would be nice. When I had the 2Qute, I left it plugged in 24/7 (sometimes put something on top when going to bed so it wouldn't be a nightlight...lol) and used RCA cables to connect it to a passive preamp, then RCA to XLR cables to connect that to active speakers. But I do like the ability of Chord DAC/amps to be used as a digital preamp, which lets me, for example, connect the Mojo directly to the speakers via a 3.5 mm to dual XLR cable, as well as adjust the volume silently.

So now I'm faced with the dilemma of having digital preamp functionality (along with being able to drive headphones directly from it) with the Hugo 2, but the battery might die too soon...or not having to worry about batteries with the 2Qute successor, but I wouldn't have a digital preamp or be able to drive headphones without an external amp. The Schiit SYS passive preamp makes annoying scratching sounds when I adjust the volume. If I get another passive preamp, it would probably have to be significantly more expensive to be silent.

Knowing me, though, maybe I'd just be able to upgrade to the DAVE before the Hugo 2 battery would ever die. I mean, I did get five figures worth of headphones just this year.



elviscaprice said:


> You are and so is everyone else.  I think what Rob means is that desktop mode on the Hugo 2 uses the batteries but keeps them at a narrow optimum range trickle charged.  Otherwise, we are back to his very heavy warning about not running the Hugo 2 without batteries, for best SQ.



That sounds like the more likely scenario.


----------



## elviscaprice (Jul 24, 2017)

Music Alchemist said:


> So now I'm faced with the dilemma of having digital preamp functionality (along with being able to drive headphones directly from it) with the Hugo 2, but the battery might die too soon...or not having to worry about batteries with the 2Qute successor, but I wouldn't have a digital preamp or be able to drive headphones without an external amp. The Schiit SYS passive preamp makes annoying scratching sounds when I adjust the volume. If I get another passive preamp, it would probably have to be significantly more expensive to be silent


We don't yet know what the 3Qute features will be and if it will exist or be combined with a new TT desktop.  But I would imagine that, hope, that the a new 3Qute would have a digital volume control, preamp, remotely.  Currently I use my 2Qute to drive my highly efficient speakers directly.  Don't need a preamp or amp.  I control the volume with JRiver from my server.  The 2Qute does have a single op amp.  I get plenty of volume range for my nearfield/small room listening, it beats having any other preamp or amp for SQ.
 As far as having a balanced output, I hope not.  Makes no sense if your going to drive the speakers directly, short distance.  RCA works, even speaker posts.  A headphone output would also be nice.  Dump the optical or spdif.  USB only is sufficient.


----------



## miketlse

elviscaprice said:


> Same battery, I believe, but the batteries are not hard wired in.  There is a connector in the wired line for easier replacement.  I would say the Hugo 2 lipo batteries may actually die sooner depending on use, bigger draw.  Definitely before 3 years are up, more likely within 2.


You really are the most pessimistic person that I have come across regarding batteries. Do you have any hard evidence that would pass rigorous scientific and engineering scrutiny, for opining that the Hugo 2 batteries are likely to fail within 2 years?
If not, then you are posting unfounded claims, that will negatively impact the sales of Chord products, and causing Chord financial damage. 
I have read your pessimistic posts for 18 months now, and have yet to see any evidence of your oft forcasted mountains of Chord dacs needing to be returned, because of failed batteries. 
Please be understanding that given that track record of failed predictions, you should be more circumspect when you try to scare forum members away from buying chord products.


----------



## Music Alchemist

elviscaprice said:


> We don't yet know what the 3Qute features will be and if it will exist or be combined with a new TT desktop.  But I would imagine that, hope, that the a new 3Qute would have a digital volume control, preamp, remotely.  Currently I use my 2Qute to drive my highly efficient speakers directly.  Don't need a preamp or amp.  I control the volume with JRiver from my server.  The 2Qute does have a single op amp.  I get plenty of volume range for my nearfield/small room listening, it beats having any other preamp or amp for SQ.
> As far as having a balanced output, I hope not.  Makes no sense if your going to drive the speakers directly, short distance.  RCA works, even speaker posts.  A headphone output would also be nice.  Dump the optical or spdif.  USB only is sufficient.



I only use active speakers (the $10K+ Genelecs I want are still active), so XLR is what I use. It's pretty cool that Chord DACs can drive passive speakers! (Rob said even the Mojo can.) I wouldn't want to use the volume control in my player, though. Digital preamp functionality in a 2Qute successor would be a welcome feature. But some people have major problems with USB. It only makes sense for a high-end DAC to have other inputs for those who want them. I'm using TOSLINK for the first time via an audio interface connected to the Mojo.


----------



## elviscaprice (Jul 24, 2017)

miketlse said:


> You really are the most pessimistic person that I have come across regarding batteries. Do you have any hard evidence that would pass rigorous scientific and engineering scrutiny, for opining that the Hugo 2 batteries are likely to fail within 2 years?
> If not, then you are posting unfounded claims, that will negatively impact the sales of Chord products, and causing Chord financial damage.
> I have read your pessimistic posts for 18 months now, and have yet to see any evidence of your oft forcasted mountains of Chord dacs needing to be returned, because of failed batteries.
> Please be understanding that given that track record of failed predictions, you should be more circumspect when you try to scare forum members away from buying chord products.



And I can't understand your lack of understanding on this subject of lifespan of lipo batteries.  The internet is full of information concerning such.  If your using your DAC on a continuous basis, then that is heavy use.  There have been a large number of Lipo battery failures with the Hugo 1 depending on usage.  They don't all post here.

Here you go, direct from the RC folks who use these batteries all the time, as I do for other hobbies.

*Lifespan and factors*
lipo battery could be charged and discharged for 300-500 times,such as Gens ace *7.4v lipo battery*. It is better to partially discharge the lipo battery rather than fully discharge. *Once the battery is off the production line, the lifespan for battery begins to count down, no matter whether you use it or not. The increase of internal resistance, caused by the oxidation, gives rise to the decline of the capacity.* Finally, the electrolyzer will reach a point that though the batteries are fully charged, it cannot release the power.

here is the link http://www.genstattu.com/blog/a-few-factors-that-influence-the-lipo-battery-lifespan/

Here is the battery used, has about 2000 cycles, which is very good.
http://www.enix-energies.co.uk/li-ion-battery-1s1p-icr-18650-un38-3-3-75v-2-2ah-fils-mgl2811.html
So, heavy use, yeah, about 2-3 years.  Also having it fully charged in non use is not good for battery life.

I could find information online all day long on this subject.  No matter how you cut it, these batteries are going to fail sooner or later.  I think 2 to 3 years is a fair range to expect so.  In fact, here's audio sanctuary making a business of it.  https://www.audiosanctuary.co.uk/chord-hugo-version-1-replacement-battery-service.html
 Guess they wouldn't create a page for all those non Hugo 1 battery failures.

If you don't like my lifespan range then what would you give it?
I and Alchemist here it was between 2-3 years.  What makes you think the same batteries in the Hugo2 will perform differently?  or the TT?


----------



## miketlse

elviscaprice said:


> And I can't understand your lack of understanding on this subject of lifespan of lipo batteries.  The internet is full of information concerning such.  If your using your DAC on a continuous basis, then that is heavy use.  There have been a large number of Lipo battery failures with the Hugo 1 depending on usage.  They don't all post here.
> 
> Here you go, direct from the RC folks who use these batteries all the time, as I do for other hobbies.
> 
> ...


In post #1198 you state 'I would say the Hugo 2 lipo batteries may actually die sooner depending on use, bigger draw. Definitely before 3 years are up, *more likely within 2*'
Now that I have challenged you, you change your estimate to 'I think *2 to 3 years is a fair range* to expect so'.

The Gens ace battery that you have linked to, is not the same model that is used in Chord dacs, so why should the problems be the same?
It is quite clear from @Rob Watts posts, that he/Chord have put a lot of thought into the design of the intelligent charging circuit, so as to maximise the battery life - that gives me confidence that the Hugo 2 battery life will exceed your negative predictions.


----------



## elviscaprice (Jul 24, 2017)

miketlse said:


> In post #1198 you state 'I would say the Hugo 2 lipo batteries may actually die sooner depending on use, bigger draw. Definitely before 3 years are up, *more likely within 2*'
> Now that I have challenged you, you change your estimate to 'I think *2 to 3 years is a fair range* to expect so'.
> 
> The Gens ace battery that you have linked to, is not the same model that is used in Chord dacs, so why should the problems be the same?
> It is quite clear from @Rob Watts posts, that he/Chord have put a lot of thought into the design of the intelligent charging circuit, so as to maximise the battery life - that gives me confidence that the Hugo 2 battery life will exceed your negative predictions.



See additional information added to my post on the exact batteries of Chord.   The Gens ace info is just a case in point.  Guess you missed the important part about Lipo batteries life clock clicking down as soon as they are off the line, regardless of use.
LOL, okay, we are going to play semantics.  I still say closer to 2 than 3.  Guess we will find out in time.  How long do you think?


----------



## Music Alchemist

The Attack On Titan season 2 soundtrack sounds far more realistic with the 2Qute than the Mojo, though it still sounds amazing.

I think resolution and dynamics are the areas the 2Qute excels in most.


----------



## miketlse

elviscaprice said:


> See additional information added to my post on the exact batteries of Chord.   The Gens ace info is just a case in point.  Guess you missed the important part about Lipo batteries life clock clicking down as soon as they are off the line, regardless of use.
> LOL, okay, we are going to play semantics.  I still say closer to 2 than 3.  Guess we will find out in time.  How long do you think?


I think longer than you predict.
You laugh at semantics, but in the real world of engineering product development, if you change your estimate of battery life, every time that your prediction is challenged, then no-one will attach any credibility to what you say.
Anyway lets just shake hands, agree to disagree, and move on.


----------



## elviscaprice (Jul 24, 2017)

elviscaprice said:


> Same battery, I believe, but the batteries are not hard wired in.  There is a connector in the wired line for easier replacement.  I would say the Hugo 2 lipo batteries may actually die sooner depending on use, bigger draw.  *Definitely before 3 years are up, more likely within 2*.


No problem, Here is the exact posting your making a big fuss about.  Can't see how you can draw my prediction for 2 years only from it.   But hey, like you said, you work in engineering where being exact is necessary.  I'm over it, seeing as you can't even give an estimate on battery life.
I say my prediction will hold true as written above. Sure sounds like 2-3 years, closer to 2.  *What did you say for* *how long the batteries will last? *


----------



## Furch

Music Alchemist said:


> So now I'm faced with the dilemma of having digital preamp functionality (along with being able to drive headphones directly from it) with the Hugo 2, but the battery might die too soon...or not having to worry about batteries with the 2Qute successor, but I wouldn't have a digital preamp or be able to drive headphones without an external amp. The Schiit SYS passive preamp makes annoying scratching sounds when I adjust the volume. If I get another passive preamp, it would probably have to be significantly more expensive to be silent.
> 
> Knowing me, though, maybe I'd just be able to upgrade to the DAVE before the Hugo 2 battery would ever die. I mean, I did get five figures worth of headphones just this year.
> 
> That sounds like the more likely scenario.



I think you shouldn't worry about battery life that much (even I do), I use Hugo so heavily, 6 - 8 hours in workday and 14 - 16 hours in weekend almost every cycle day, it's no doubt why it die too soon for me.
Also if you can replace battery by yourself or get very good service from distributor then it's positive. I've negative experience with local distributor, just for replace Hugo's battery I've to wait for *3 MONTHS.* 

I end up buy 2Qute for replace after 2 months absence of Hugo while I believe Hugo TT will sound better but I don't want "3 MONTHS service" just for replace battery anymore so 2Qute is fit this case.
But some of my friend still use Hugo without problem even exceed 3 years and for battery I've ever read somewhere I can't remember but those guy can change Hugo's battery on their own within 15 mins.

For Dave it'll be the best choice IMO if you can afford the price, in my country Dave will cost around 10k+ GBP, it's way too expensive for me.

PS : Anyway Chord Electronics only provide 18 months warranty for battery, then we can assume they know how long it'll last if heavily use isn't it?


----------



## Peter Hyatt (Jul 25, 2017)

elviscaprice said:


> Your right about that.  Same Lipo batteries in the TT plus the super caps.  Batteries will fail.  Big reason I went with the 2Qute, let alone sound signature.  Which is the reason I won't buy a Hugo2.




Thanks for telling us what you are *not* doing.




Thus far, two road trips with H2 interrupting my norm of desk top battery mode. I had planned to use Mojo on the road trips, but after hearing H2, I could not resist. 

I am going to enjoy H2 home and in travel, and trust Chord's statement about battery.  If, years from now, I need battery replacement, so be it.

*The musicality and enjoyment are too much to miss.*


I've used lipo batteries for many years including high lumen flashlights (they get hot) and one pitching machine (8 years now with same battery).  "Semantics" is often code for, "uh oh, I can't answer you."
Warranty is standard.
Listen to John Franks talk about battery.  


My prediction for H2 battery replacement is* November 2028*.
It's this short because I intend lots of on the go use.  11 years of "hard" use.


----------



## Eldair

Have anyone compare Gungnir mb vs 2qute? My friend is selling 2qute and i´m not sure is it good deal. He ask 900€ about it.


----------



## JWahl

I think it's a reasonable concern.  And it's not really impacting the sales of Chord's products if somebody's considering buying a 2Qute over Hugo.

I do think however, that the overly defensive attitudes towards any constructive criticism turns off other potential customers to Chord's products because it suggest they can't stand on their own merits.  For me at least, $2,000 is a significant amount to drop on a DAC and any minor potential for battery failure is too risky.  With the Mojo It's not as bad a risk because it's less expensive.  Plus the 2qute over Hugo just offers better value for desktop only usage.

I'm actually considering a current gen 2qute to replace my Mojo.  I've typically been a Schiit guy, having owned the Yggdrasil and Gungnir Multibit previously.  I'm also considering just buying the Modi Multibit and Eitr and comparing it side by side to the Mojo as a sanity check to see of I want to move up the Chord Ladder.  I've enjoyed the Mojo for what it is.  The Hugo 2 version of 2qute would be ideal, but I have no idea of a timeframe.  Could be another year or more.  



miketlse said:


> You really are the most pessimistic person that I have come across regarding batteries. Do you have any hard evidence that would pass rigorous scientific and engineering scrutiny, for opining that the Hugo 2 batteries are likely to fail within 2 years?
> If not, then you are posting unfounded claims, that will negatively impact the sales of Chord products, and causing Chord financial damage.
> I have read your pessimistic posts for 18 months now, and have yet to see any evidence of your oft forcasted mountains of Chord dacs needing to be returned, because of failed batteries.
> Please be understanding that given that track record of failed predictions, you should be more circumspect when you try to scare forum members away from buying chord products.


----------



## x RELIC x

What I'm not sure some are aware of is that the Hugo 2 goes in to desktop mode when plugged in over 24 hours. I've seen too many reports of excessively shortened battery life from the Mojo being constantly plugged in and I'm glad that Rob has implemented the desktop mode in the Hugo 2.



Rob Watts said:


> It will be in desktop mode as long as the charger is connected. If you turn Hugo 2 off, then it will charge the battery to 100%, then turn off the charger. Normally, you would leave it on all the time in desktop mode, as it only consumes 2W, the battery voltage won't wear the battery out, and the battery is not being charged / discharged, as charger current matches Hugo 2 current draw. This strategy gives the maximum life possible; also the power supply is such that if the battery capacity falls to 0%, Hugo 2 will still function with the charger connected.



I have no idea of the audible difference between the 2Cute and Hugo 2, but from what I gather, for those that want to use the Hugo 2 as a desktop device it should be fine for battery life. Of course this isn't saying anything about regular charge/discharge cycles and the longevity of the batteries overall. I just thought it would be worth sharing for those considering options for a desktop DAC.


----------



## Music Alchemist

JWahl said:


> I'm actually considering a current gen 2qute to replace my Mojo.  I've typically been a Schiit guy, having owned the Yggdrasil and Gungnir Multibit previously.  I'm also considering just buying the Modi Multibit and Eitr and comparing it side by side to the Mojo as a sanity check to see of I want to move up the Chord Ladder.



My preference (based on owning them—multiple times for the Mojo and Modi Multibit) would be: 2Qute > Mojo > Modi Multibit

They all sound great, though, and you'd have to compare them yourself to see which you prefer.

Here's a brief excerpt from a post of mine that touched upon how they compared with one track:



Music Alchemist said:


> The attack and echo of the drums, the energy of the guitars, etc. are presented differently, for example. The Modi Multibit was tubey and emotional, the 2Qute was more resolving and aggressive, and the Mojo is somewhere in-between. (Though the MMB can be more aggressive than the Mojo, but in a way that I'd describe as crude.)


----------



## michaelvv (Jul 30, 2017)

Chord 2qute issues with MPD LMS Linux (DSD OVER PCM) DOP.

Have tried everything for solving these annoying 1-2 sec pause every 30-60 mins, so maybe it's
time to see If there is a solution to this.

When I play LMS (doing it right now) with the following settings for squeezelite

/usr/bin/squeezelite -o front:CARD=D2Qute,DEV=0 -n michael -a 80 4   -b 100000 80000 -D -p 95 -s 172.16.0.93

using either my Odroid C1+ , 4 different (x86_64) Laptops 1Gbit network, its just a matter of time before these
 annoying stops (1-2 secs) in the music comes.

MPD is more frequent but its also comes when using LMS , its just a matter of time , and I never have been more than 3 hours
before it happend.

I have had it once playing directly from SSD disk (MPD) and once playing from ffmpeg.

I have used virtual also different kinds of Linux bases OS'es (Debian,Ubuntu,Arch) all have these issues.

I hope Chord would look into these issues as it is a problem for us not using any proprietary OSES like Microsoft and Mac.

Just started this thread on diyaudio.com as I have some progress.

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/pc-based/310578-chord-2qute-dop-challenge.html


----------



## JohnM-73

Has there been any rumblings of a Chord 2Qute-2 yet? The Hugo2 is unfortunately out of my reach, but a sequel to the 2Qute would be perfect.
If released, I'm hoping Mr Watts might consider making the default output level 2V, to better match what the majority of amplifiers are designed for with CD/digital, and to allow more freedom of the volume control.
An on/off switch, and balanced outputs would be the cherry on the cake too.
Hope the form factor & design stays the same.
Fingers tightly crossed! 

John.


----------



## elviscaprice

JohnM-73 said:


> Has there been any rumblings of a Chord 2Qute-2 yet? The Hugo2 is unfortunately out of my reach, but a sequel to the 2Qute would be perfect.
> If released, I'm hoping Mr Watts might consider making the default output level 2V, to better match what the majority of amplifiers are designed for with CD/digital, and to allow more freedom of the volume control.
> An on/off switch, and balanced outputs would be the cherry on the cake too.
> Hope the form factor & design stays the same.
> ...



Hope not.  If I can't use the 3Qute's amp to drive my efficient speakers direct, as I do currently with the 2Qute, I won't be a buyer.


----------



## JohnM-73

And I won't be a buyer if it's 3V only.

Perhaps a simple High-Standard-Low output switch at the rear might be a good idea, and allow 2Qute-2 to fit in with a wide range of systems.


----------



## GreenBow

I randomly bought this weeks Hi-Fi Choice magazine. There was a readers question (not from me by the way), which said,

"The 2Qute is no good for me as I have red/green colour blindness".

The was a reply from Hi-Fi Choice, that went something like, Chord could think about this. However the cost of implementing a display might be higher, and take up more space changing the DAC shape.

Anyway Heads up that Hi-Fi Choice are producing their review of the Hugo 2, in next month's edition.


----------



## maxh22

GreenBow said:


> I randomly bought this weeks Hi-Fi Choice magazine. There was a readers question (not from me by the way), which said,
> 
> "The 2Qute is no good for me as I have red/green colour blindness".
> 
> ...



Looking forward to their review; So far my favorite review has been from avforums: https://www.avforums.com/review/chord-electronics-hugo-2-dac-review.13727

IMO it's one of the most neutral and highly detailed reviews I've yet read.


----------



## miketlse

maxh22 said:


> Looking forward to their review; So far my favorite review has been from avforums: https://www.avforums.com/review/chord-electronics-hugo-2-dac-review.13727
> 
> IMO it's one of the most neutral and highly detailed reviews I've yet read.


Rather more fact based than some of the discussion comments:

"Chord's products have a slight midrange boost"
"I haven't heard any of them yet,but if portability is not a priority,anyone shopping for a DAC in this price range should check out the offerings from Holo,Denafrips,Soekris,Schiit and others."
etc
@psikey comments being the honourable exception.


----------



## Michalmk6

I've been using an IPod (128gb) as a transport connected to a 2qute and Decware CSP3 apm for about 2 years but there have been some issues playing music recently. The IPod randomly stops playing songs. I'm on the iOS 11 public beta now but there is no improvement.  So, I'm thinking about buying a new DAP supporting USB audio out.  Has anyone tried to use different transports with 2Qute using via USB ?  If yes, does the source make any difference in sound quality?  I was thinking about buying an Astell & Kern Kann but I'm not sure if I need to spend $1000 if I can buy something much cheaper and still have the same sound quality.  I know that the digital source should not make any difference when connected to the external DAC but I just want to be sure.  Thanks.


----------



## Music Alchemist

Michalmk6 said:


> I've been using an IPod (128gb) as a transport connected to a 2qute and Decware CSP3 apm for about 2 years but there have been some issues playing music recently. The IPod randomly stops playing songs. I'm on the iOS 11 public beta now but there is no improvement.  So, I'm thinking about buying a new DAP supporting USB audio out.  Has anyone tried to use different transports with 2Qute using via USB ?  If yes, does the source make any difference in sound quality?  I was thinking about buying an Astell & Kern Kann but I'm not sure if I need to spend $1000 if I can buy something much cheaper and still have the same sound quality.  I know that the digital source should not make any difference when connected to the external DAC but I just want to be sure.  Thanks.



Why not just use a computer as your source? It's what most of us do.

Experienced audiophiles know that better digital sources can sound better. Check out this thread for lots of discussion on the topic:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/rev...r-auralic-aries-audiophile-vortex-box.787020/


----------



## Michalmk6

I'm looking for something more portable.  Actually, I've tried to use my Mac via usb but it sounded much worse than the IPod.


----------



## Music Alchemist

Michalmk6 said:


> I'm looking for something more portable.  Actually, I've tried to use my Mac via usb but it sounded much worse than the IPod.



It's more difficult to get bit-perfect output on a Mac, but it's something you should research and try. (It's easy to do on a Windows PC.) This could improve the sound.

Why do you need something portable? The 2Qute isn't exactly portable.


----------



## Michalmk6

Music Alchemist said:


> It's more difficult to get bit-perfect output on a Mac, but it's something you should research and try. (It's easy to do on a Windows PC.) This could improve the sound.
> 
> Why do you need something portable? The 2Qute isn't exactly portable.


Everything is standing on my bedside table.  Not too much space for more components.


----------



## Music Alchemist (Aug 26, 2017)

Michalmk6 said:


> Everything is standing on my bedside table.  Not too much space for more components.



Would it be possible to have some of the equipment elsewhere while controlling it from your bedside?

You can get better sound quality than a luxury DAP by using a network player and music server.

The person who started that thread I linked to discovered that the SOtM sMS-200 network player beat alternative products that cost five figures despite it only being $450. You can control it remotely with a smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc. There are also music servers you can pair it with and store your files on, such as the Small Green Computer sonicTransporter. Or you can just use hard drives for storage and a smartphone or tablet to control the network player. (You may need another device to function as the server in this case.) There are many possibilities.

I just wanted to bring this solution to your attention since it's a much better value in my eyes.


----------



## Michalmk6

Music Alchemist said:


> Would it be possible to have some of the equipment elsewhere while controlling it from your beside? You can get better sound quality than a luxury DAP by using a network player and music server.
> 
> The person who started that thread I linked to discovered that the SOtM sMS-200 network player beat alternative products that cost five figures despite it only being $450. You can control it remotely with a smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc. There are also music servers you can pair it with and store your files on, such as the Small Green Computer sonicTransporter. Or you can just use basic hard drives for storage and a smartphone or tablet to control the network player. There are many possibilities.
> 
> I just wanted to bring this solution to your attention since it's a much better value in my eyes.



Thank you for your advise and help.  I need to do more research. My current setup sounded great to me (Ipod-lighting to usb-usb heimdall 2-2qute powered by 2x uptone lps1 in series 5V+7V-Decware CSP3, and using ZMF Atticus HP.)  But I would definitely prefer more that 128gb space source.


----------



## sotto123

How does the 2Qute compare to the Gumby?

I see a used 2Qute going for around £700 this side of the pond while the Gumby with Gen 5 will be £1,200 when available. I'm not averse to paying more if the Gumby is a step up.

Would a usb spdif converter like the Eitr be necessary for the 2qute?


----------



## miketlse

sotto123 said:


> How does the 2Qute compare to the Gumby?
> 
> I see a used 2Qute going for around £700 this side of the pond while the Gumby with Gen 5 will be £1,200 when available. I'm not averse to paying more if the Gumby is a step up.
> 
> Would a usb spdif converter like the Eitr be necessary for the 2qute?


You don't tell us what your source would be, so we are left to assume/guess that it would be something with USB out.


----------



## nickosiris

sotto123 said:


> How does the 2Qute compare to the Gumby?
> 
> I see a used 2Qute going for around £700 this side of the pond while the Gumby with Gen 5 will be £1,200 when available. I'm not averse to paying more if the Gumby is a step up.
> 
> Would a usb spdif converter like the Eitr be necessary for the 2qute?



2qute is significantly better than Gungnir Multibit for me regardless of price. I would recommend the 2qute without question but just to confuse things further I would add that I thought the Gustard X20 also comfortably beat the Gungnir Multibit. 

You don't NEED spdif conversion or USB regeneration as such (and in fact when the 2qute came out much was made of the galvanic isolation on the USB input) but it certainly doesn't hurt if your digital signal's coming straight out of a regular computer. I use the UPTone Regen myself.


----------



## sotto123

miketlse said:


> You don't tell us what your source would be, so we are left to assume/guess that it would be something with USB out.



Source would be a laptop.


----------



## sotto123

nickosiris said:


> *2qute is significantly better than Gungnir Multibit for me regardless of price.* I would recommend the 2qute without question but just to confuse things further I would add that I thought the Gustard X20 also comfortably beat the Gungnir Multibit.
> 
> You don't NEED spdif conversion or USB regeneration as such (and in fact when the 2qute came out much was made of the galvanic isolation on the USB input) but it certainly doesn't hurt if your digital signal's coming straight out of a regular computer. I use the UPTone Regen myself.



Could you elaborate and be a bit more specific?


----------



## nickosiris

sotto123 said:


> Could you elaborate and be a bit more specific?


It sounded better to my ears. Sorry I don't really do HiFiReviewSpeak. OK: more musical, less digital, clearer, more out of the way of the music. How's that?


----------



## miketlse

nickosiris said:


> It sounded better to my ears. Sorry I don't really do HiFiReviewSpeak. OK: more musical, less digital, clearer, more out of the way of the music. How's that?


Thanks for the feedback - I realise that 'HiFi Review speak' can seem a bit daunting, but it is interesting to hear feedback in qualitative terms.


----------



## GreenBow

maxh22 said:


> Looking forward to their review; So far my favorite review has been from avforums: https://www.avforums.com/review/chord-electronics-hugo-2-dac-review.13727
> 
> IMO it's one of the most neutral and highly detailed reviews I've yet read.



I had not read the AVforums review.

I wonder how the 2Qute 2 will be. Like if it has four filters, and 3V / 2V switch on the line level out.

I am also curious to know if there would be a Hugo TT 2. Or a DAVE 2. (Heehee, a DAVE 2.)


----------



## sotto123

nickosiris said:


> It sounded better to my ears. Sorry I don't really do HiFiReviewSpeak. OK: more musical, less digital, clearer, more out of the way of the music. How's that?



At £500 cheaper it sounds like a winner.

Now to play the waiting game.


----------



## guerph

2Qute about to go up for sale. Let me know if you’re interested.


----------



## SearchOfSub (Sep 24, 2017)

Delte Maximo.


----------



## Music Alchemist

HeadphoneGuy101 said:


> People keep comparing Chord Products to Schiit Products. From my personal experience with both companies and their products, Chord is significantly better. It is shameful how much Schiit have hyped themselves up here on Head-fi. It is even more sad that people buy into it and purchase these products from Schiit. Their engineering is literally **** in my book. Next time, I suggest if there is a hype for a company also don't forget to look into reviews done by professionals.  If it fits BOTH the hype here on head-fi, along with them receiving yearly sound awards from multiple professional magazines, it is the most likely their excellent engineering talking and not done by some professional schills. It is almost not fair to compare Chord to Schiit-y engineering. Peace!



I agree with many of your points. (Though Chord seems to be hyped up on Head-Fi more than Schiit in the high-end audio category.) What irks me more is that a certain site (which shall remain unnamed) more or less hates Chord and worships Schiit.


----------



## SearchOfSub

Music Alchemist said:


> I agree with many of your points. (Though Chord seems to be hyped up on Head-Fi more than Schiit in the high-end audio category.) What irks me more is that a certain site (which shall remain unnamed) more or less hates Chord and worships Schiit.




Yes, It's just that Chord happen to win multiple awards from different audio professional reviewing companies year after year vs. Schiit barely having won 1 award in the past 10 years or so. So you know it's a Head-fi hype.


----------



## JWahl

HeadphoneGuy101 said:


> Yes, It's just that Chord happen to win multiple awards from different audio professional reviewing companies year after year vs. Schiit barely having won 1 award in the past 10 years or so. So you know it's a Head-fi hype.



In all fairness, a lot of people don't put too much weight in professional review awards. Also, Schiit doesn't send gear to professional reviewers as often.

Both make good products in their respective categories.  Chord has a dominance in transportable Dacs at the moment, resulting in inflated prices (except Mojo) due to lack of competition. Schiit products tend to offer excellent value with the absence of distributer/dealer markups.

For me at least, the main allure of the Chord products is the sound quality in a small footprint. Some times I just like to sit on the couch with my laptop and listen straight out of the Mojo, even though it sounds better out of my amp. 

The Hugo 2 would be tempting for the same reason if it were more affordable.  For now I either wait to see a 2qute successor and use my amp, or sell my amp and Mojo toward a Hugo 2, if the price comes down a bit.  I was really bummed when it went up higher after the launch.


----------



## Music Alchemist (Sep 30, 2017)

JWahl said:


> I was really bummed when it went up higher after the launch.



Never mind. The dealer I linked to does not ship outside the UK. But in case they let you buy online and then pick it up there, here's the link anyway:

http://www.analogueseduction.net/category-1630/hugo2.html


----------



## Kalavere

I'm still holding on for a 2Qute, successor. It'll no doubt be vastly more expensive than the 2Qute, but it is a lovely little thing.


----------



## Music Alchemist

Kalavere said:


> I'm still holding on for a 2Qute, successor. It'll no doubt be vastly more expensive than the 2Qute, but it is a lovely little thing.



If it follows the pattern of the original Hugo and 2Qute, it should be more affordable than the Hugo 2. Even now that the Hugo 2 is out, the Hugo is still sold for $2,000 in the US. Also notice how the 2Qute went from $1,795 to $1,295 in the US. Since the Hugo 2 is selling at a price that is actually lower than the original price the Hugo was at, perhaps the 2Qute successor's price won't differ too much from the original, and could even end up costing less if we're lucky.


----------



## Triode User

Music Alchemist said:


> If it follows the pattern of the original Hugo and 2Qute, it should be more affordable than the Hugo 2. Even now that the Hugo 2 is out, the Hugo is still sold for $2,000 in the US. Also notice how the 2Qute went from $1,795 to $1,295 in the US. Since the Hugo 2 is selling at a price that is actually lower than the original price the Hugo was at, perhaps the 2Qute successor's price won't differ too much from the original, and could even end up costing less if we're lucky.



I suspect that these pricing patterns owe more to the large recent currency swings than to any Chord pricing policy.


----------



## Music Alchemist

Triode User said:


> I suspect that these pricing patterns owe more to the large recent currency swings than to any Chord pricing policy.



Then consider the UK prices. (Listed in GBP with VAT.)

Hugo 2: 1,799
Hugo: 1,499
2Qute: 995

Unless the 2Qute successor gets new features (beside the better tech) that up the price, it should be well below $2,000 USD.


----------



## claud W

Ordered my 2Qute last night from my neighbor Drew @ Moon. I'll get it in a day or two. I have been wondering if I made a mistake in replacing my Schiit ModiMultibit. Some posts in this thread say I did not. This will be my end game puter system with my Liquid Carbon V2 amp and my Wywires USB and ICs.


----------



## sotto123

claud W said:


> Ordered my 2Qute last night from my neighbor Drew @ Moon. I'll get it in a day or two. I have been wondering if I made a mistake in replacing my Schiit ModiMultibit. Some posts in this thread say I did not. This will be my end game puter system with my Liquid Carbon V2 amp and my Wywires USB and ICs.



I upgraded from the Modi Multibit. The comparison isn't close. While I doubt you can beat the Mumby for the money, the 2Qute outshines it. The mumby sounded quite digital, it presented lots of detail but in a way that called attention to itself as if it was trying to impress you. The 2Qute is a lot more musical, natural, and never sounds congested. Everything just flows. You can also use it straight from USB with nothing in between just fine too.


----------



## Kalavere

sotto123 said:


> The mumby sounded quite digital, it presented lots of detail but in a way that called attention to itself as if it was trying to impress you. The 2Qute is a lot more musical, natural, and never sounds congested. Everything just flows.



This is the exact same way I'd describe Schiit vs Chord. Bifrost Vs 2Qute is exactly the same.


----------



## Dvdlucena (Oct 3, 2017)

Kalavere said:


> This is the exact same way I'd describe Schiit vs Chord. Bifrost Vs 2Qute is exactly the same.


I have  bimby, yggdrasil, Mojo and 2 qute and IMHO, chord can be in SOME tracks more musical, but i would choose bimby any day for a serious listen and acoustic music. just my 2 cents

My first DAC was a 2qute, although i'm a noob in electronics,  i play the trumpet professionally  since 1982. I enjoyed 2qute a lot, but the first time that a heard a trumpet piece in the BIMBY  I thought: man... this is how a trumpet and a orchestra  should sound!!!

this is a simple example. But indeed, with electronic music sometimes a prefer 2qute over yggdrasil.


----------



## sotto123

Dvdlucena said:


> I have  bimby, yggdrasil, Mojo and 2 qute and IMHO, chord can be in SOME tracks more musical, but i would choose bimby any day for a serious listen and acoustic music. just my 2 cents



I suppose which one is more musical is subjective depending on what you're looking for. Musical to me is how well the music flows. For me, the 2Qute wins. 

I was going ask you if you think the 2Qute or Mimby is clearer sounding. For me there was no contest between the two. The Mimby sounded congested whereas the 2Qute didn't with better separation. I see you were really talking about the Bimby as you've edited your post though. How does the Bimby compare to the 2Qute in this aspect? What about the Yggy?


----------



## Kalavere

I find the Bifrost Multibit more sterile than the 2Qute, I listen to a lot of jazz and the 2Qute is just more organic, it's more fun to listen to, it has a very pleasing character to my ear, far more so than the Bifrost Multibit.


----------



## Music Alchemist (Oct 3, 2017)

claud W said:


> Ordered my 2Qute last night from my neighbor Drew @ Moon. I'll get it in a day or two. I have been wondering if I made a mistake in replacing my Schiit ModiMultibit. Some posts in this thread say I did not. This will be my end game puter system with my Liquid Carbon V2 amp and my Wywires USB and ICs.



I had both DACs at the same time. The 2Qute is a worthy upgrade as long as you can easily afford it.



Dvdlucena said:


> I have  bimby, yggdrasil, Mojo and 2 qute and IMHO, chord can be in SOME tracks more musical, but i would choose bimby any day for a serious listen and acoustic music. just my 2 cents
> 
> My first DAC was a 2qute, although i'm a noob in electronics,  i play the trumpet professionally  since 1982. I enjoyed 2qute a lot, but the first time that a heard a trumpet piece in the BIMBY  I thought: man... this is how a trumpet and a orchestra  should sound!!!
> 
> this is a simple example. But indeed, with electronic music sometimes a prefer 2qute over yggdrasil.



Ah, I didn't know you were a fellow musician. (Or maybe I just forgot. I think I did come across one or two of your posts about that.)

I've done vocals and piano since the early '90s and guitar and trombone since the late '90s. Although I'm a mere amateur, I have experience performing in orchestras, wind ensembles, marching bands, a jazz band, metal band, etc. and have even performed alongside famous artists.

Anyway... I'm curious about a handful of DACs and stopped caring about any others. It's no secret that I'm a huge Chord fan, so the Hugo 2, DAVE, and Blu Mk2 are of prime interest to me. I'd like to get to know R2R DACs as well, namely, the Schiit Yggdrasil, Holo Spring DAC Level 3, and Audio-gd R2R 7. The only R2R I've had so far is the Modi Multibit, and Schiit's multibit DACs are hybrid R2R. Can't recall how it works.

During my DAC research, I came across many of the technical posts about how Chord DACs perform/measure better than most or even all DACs regardless of price in seemingly every area. (Timing accuracy, noise floor modulation, noise shaping, distortion, jitter, dynamic range, etc.) Despite this, there are plenty of people who think certain R2R DACs are better...so I want to find out which objective aspects of sound correlate to this. Are they actually higher fidelity? If so, in which areas? And if not, I guess it just comes down to preference.


----------



## SearchOfSub

JWahl said:


> In all fairness, a lot of people don't put too much weight in professional review awards. Also, Schiit doesn't send gear to professional reviewers as often.
> 
> Both make good products in their respective categories.  Chord has a dominance in transportable Dacs at the moment, resulting in inflated prices (except Mojo) due to lack of competition. Schiit products tend to offer excellent value with the absence of distributer/dealer markups.
> 
> ...






Schiit does send their products to professional reviewers in the past. Its just that they are not wining awards because there are others products far superior. You may not think about other peoples money because its not your money. But please dont say stuff like this.


----------



## claud W

I like my Schiit stack. Ragg and Yiggy are my high end system. I do not expect the same out of my puter system that will soon have the 2Qute. Thank you for the opinions guys. I may just keep the ModiMultibit for later comparison. What is a good breakin period for the 2Qute? Do I leave ir powered on like Schiit DACS?


----------



## Music Alchemist

claud W said:


> I like my Schiit stack. Ragg and Yiggy are my high end system. I do not expect the same out of my puter system that will soon have the 2Qute. Thank you for the opinions guys. I may just keep the ModiMultibit for later comparison. What is a good breakin period for the 2Qute? Do I leave ir powered on like Schiit DACS?



Oh, I didn't realize you had the Yggdrasil as well! (Should have glanced at your signature and profile.)

Once you've had time to compare, please let us know the differences you hear between the Yggdrasil and 2Qute, using your best speakers and headphones.

I don't believe in burn-in for the most part. However, it's well-known that Schiit's multibit DACs have to reach thermal equilibrium to operate to spec and are recommended to be left on permanently. The 2Qute does not have this issue. It's still designed to be left on, though. Notice how there's no on/off switch; just the power supply to plug in, which automatically turns it on.


----------



## Dvdlucena (Oct 4, 2017)

claud W said:


> I like my Schiit stack. Ragg and Yiggy are my high end system. I do not expect the same out of my puter system that will soon have the 2Qute. Thank you for the opinions guys. I may just keep the ModiMultibit for later comparison. What is a good breakin period for the 2Qute? Do I leave ir powered on like Schiit DACS?



THERE is no burn in in the 2qute.

I do believe 2qute is better in some music, most of them electronic. I listen a lot of psybient and 2qute is the way to go with my amp and headphone. with classic musics and acoustics, bimby is slight better (layering and separation) and yggdrasil is much much better IMHO.... this is very subjective, there is no doubt that chord tech when FULL implemented is marvelous .... see the DAVE exemple. (20 pulse array and 110.000 taps?) I just find a cheap attitude when people says that hugo is a portable DAVE. No way man! not to my ears! not even close! but hey.. this is a comercial word! and i can't afford a dave in their 10000 euros price.  I would if i had the money.
but chord little child 2qute and mojo can,t touch yggdrasil, principally with speakers and acoustic music. instruments timbre, sizes and places just sound wrong to me. But indeed they are very very musical for me... just a littlle bit odd.


----------



## Music Alchemist (Oct 4, 2017)

Dvdlucena said:


> see the DAVE exemple. (20 pulse array and 110.000 taps?)



164,000. 

(Add the Blu MkII to the DAVE or Hugo 2 and it's 1,015,808.)



Dvdlucena said:


> but chord little child 2qute and mojo can,t touch yggdrasil, principally with speakers and acoustic music. instruments timbre, sizes and places just sound wrong to me. But indeed they are very very musical for me... just a littlle bit odd.



Have you tried the Hugo 2? I know you posted about it, but don't recall if you heard it. I talk to a lot of audiophiles and know at least a handful who think the Hugo 2 is far better than the Yggdrasil after comparing them. But like you said, it's so subjective, and there are plenty who feel the opposite.


----------



## bikutoru (Oct 5, 2017)

In my experience leaving it powered on or off does not matter, I've done both for prolonged length of time with the same result. Breaking period was two days for me. First day it sounded weird, not even as good as Mojo, I decided to exercise patience and after two days it sounded WOW, still cannot believe it. Never went for Schiit, so I cannot compare.


----------



## claud W

bikutoru said:


> In my experience leaving it powered on or of does not matter, I've done both for prolonged length of time with the same result. Breaking period was two days for me. First day it sounded weird, not even as good as Mojo, I decided to exercise patience and after two days it sounded WOW, still cannot believe it. Never went for Schiit, so I cannot compare.



Thank You. I knew that like all electronic devices, it would have some break in before it did its best.


----------



## Music Alchemist

claud W said:


> I knew that like all electronic devices, it would have some break in before it did its best.



I didn't notice any change in sound with the 2Qute or any other DAC aside from the Schiit Modi Multibit, since that one changes depending on how warm the components are.


----------



## Arniesb

Guys can u describe how 2qute mids sound? It is smooth? Neutral or maybe it does have more bite? I feel i need more mid bite or more forwardness in the mids for my system.


----------



## Music Alchemist

Arniesb said:


> Guys can u describe how 2qute mids sound? It is smooth? Neutral or maybe it does have more bite? I feel i need more mid bite or more forwardness in the mids for my system.



The nice thing about the 2Qute is that it has a sound that is gorgeous, yet aggressive. Not overly smooth; not overly harsh. I'd be surprised if you didn't like it.

But the headphones/speakers you use are what will have frequency response aberrations, so if you want a different tonal balance, I'd use a parametric equalizer for that.


----------



## Arniesb

Would be nice if someone who had both irdac and 2qute to describe both


----------



## Arniesb

Ye aggressive would be nice now i feel my irdac is too laidback + my brand new v280 is also laidback. So i think i need some mid sparkle atleast from dac.


----------



## Starcruncher

I'm going to sell my black 2Qute. It's in excellent condition. I thought to put it on here before the For Sale Forums. PM me if you're interested. The deal will be good, but I'm not desperate to let it go.


----------



## claud W (Oct 8, 2017)

Damn, Starcruncher, I got my black 2Qute on Wednesday and you want to sell one on Thursday!! Why are you selling? Pics of my refurbished computer headphone system.


----------



## michaelvv

Hi.

As a person who find the 2qute better suited in my retro setup 4P1L-2A3-Tannoy HPD-385 (425 liter) than
the borrowed Hugo2, which I haven't used for 2 days, I'll just say welcome to the magic of this DAC.

I'm taking a insane stress test right now, playing all the Mahler Symphonies 1-9 in a row.

I haven't had anything to complain over, closely approaching the 10 hour playing time.

If you as I'm 100% on tubes, you definitely need the more "bite" is has compared to the Hugo2.

>>THERE is no burn in in the 2qute.

Not If you ask me. I'll give it at least 100+ hours, it might be your brains which really need it, but just to be sure.

a LPS PSU , would be a huge step up, even Rob Watts don't think so. 

Play some music which has a lot of complex music, You will notice the different to more conventional DACs.


----------



## Arniesb

michaelvv said:


> Hi.
> 
> As a person who find the 2qute better suited in my retro setup 4P1L-2A3-Tannoy HPD-385 (425 liter) than
> the borrowed Hugo2, which I haven't used for 2 days, I'll just say welcome to the magic of this DAC.
> ...


So hugo 2 have more bite in the mids right?


----------



## michaelvv

Hugo2 have more mids, but on my setup 100% tubes the mids and tops are too soft sounding.

Like you never get burned if you play with real fire. For instance violins (a lots in Mahler) is just to nice for me.

Will properly be different in Solid State setup but not on my tubes. I need to be a little burned if I play with fire


----------



## elviscaprice

michaelvv said:


> Hugo2 have more mids, but on my setup 100% tubes the mids and tops are too soft sounding.
> 
> Like you never get burned if you play with real fire. For instance violins (a lots in Mahler) is just to nice for me.
> 
> Will properly be different in Solid State setup but not on my tubes. I need to be a little burned if I play with fire



Can't read a whole lot into your observations without some indication of your entire system.  A simple flow chart in your signature would help.  Are you adding any galvanic isolator to the Hugo 2 when you make this comparison?


----------



## michaelvv

Okay.

LPS (PSU) -> Chord 2qute -> 4P1L (preamp) - 2A3 (amp) - Tannoy HPD 385 (speakers).

Pictures of Amps here.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...official-thread.831345/page-554#post-13770162

I haven't tried galvanic isolator on the Hugo2. Haven't had any myself.


----------



## miketlse

michaelvv said:


> Hi.
> 
> As a person who find the 2qute better suited in my retro setup 4P1L-2A3-Tannoy HPD-385 (425 liter) than
> the borrowed Hugo2, which I haven't used for 2 days, I'll just say welcome to the magic of this DAC.
> ...


Makes me wonder if you have recently read the new issue of HIFI News, because Mahler is the composer of the month.


----------



## elviscaprice (Oct 10, 2017)

michaelvv said:


> Okay.
> 
> LPS (PSU) -> Chord 2qute -> 4P1L (preamp) - 2A3 (amp) - Tannoy HPD 385 (speakers).
> 
> ...



What is steaming to the DAC is more important, thus your flow chart above still doesn't help. 

Hugo 2, being mobile, does not have galvanic isolation.  The 2Qute does. 

How clean of a stream with power and clocks can make a huge difference in SQ.


----------



## Music Alchemist

elviscaprice said:


> Hugo 2, being mobile, does not have galvanic isolation. The 2Qute does.



If you use the optical input (which should electrically isolate the DAC), it doesn't matter, right?


----------



## elviscaprice

Music Alchemist said:


> If you use the optical input (which should electrically isolate the DAC), it doesn't matter, right?


It would be a more fair comparison. 
Personally, I've always found USB done correct, sounds the best, plus more versatility in format playback, component choice.


----------



## Music Alchemist (Oct 10, 2017)

elviscaprice said:


> It would be a more fair comparison.
> Personally, I've always found USB done correct, sounds the best, plus more versatility in format playback, component choice.



Yes, some of the best network players (like the SOtM sMS-200ultra) do connect to the DAC via USB, so I know what you mean. (Though they use Ethernet etc. upstream.)

It's a shame I got rid of my 2Qute before upgrading to floorstanding speakers. I'll probably do another speaker upgrade before getting either the Hugo 2 or 2Qute successor.


----------



## GraveNoX (Oct 23, 2017)

edit.


----------



## Rob Watts

michaelvv said:


> Hi.
> 
> As a person who find the 2qute better suited in my retro setup 4P1L-2A3-Tannoy HPD-385 (425 liter) than
> the borrowed Hugo2, which I haven't used for 2 days, I'll just say welcome to the magic of this DAC.
> ...



Let's be clear about this - I have never said that replacing the SMPS supplied with 2 Qute will not make a difference in your system, as YMWV. I have said that 2 Qute is insensitive to the PSU, and this is true; when you hear an improvement it is because the amp is sensitive to the PSU not 2 Qute. A power amp that has very sophisticated RF filtering (like my power amps) is insensitive to local RF noise sources on the mains; unfortunately, most amps have no or inadequate RF filtering, and thus would be sensitive to any SMPS that is close to the amp. So again - YMWV depending upon the rest of the equipment 2 Qute is paired with.

Rob


----------



## michaelvv

I have made my own system a lot like https://www.daphile.com/

Streaming from a Laptop , ubuntu linux server 17.04 , squeezelite , LMS on the same system using USB.
Running on a Linux realtime compiled kernel (4.11.x). All unnecessary programs/services is either stopped or removed. 
Files is on a quite powerful server and streaming is over SMB ( Samba).

I have wrote my frontend in php, which communicate directly with the LMS. Have tried anything regards MPD but this setup
is less resource hungry and gives me a better performance when streaming DSD.

I have made a "stream from memory function", which moves the desired files from the Server (SMB) to Linux /dev/shm ramdisk.
Then I can play from Ram/Memory which is the most optimal solution I know of.

Next week I'll build a even more powerful computer 100% passive cooled, basen upon the Intel Kaby Lake i5-7600t 35watt TPD.

The Linux realtime kernel ensures low latency..


----------



## michaelvv

miketlse said:


> Makes me wonder if you have recently read the new issue of HIFI News, because Mahler is the composer of the month.


No actually not. But I really like him as a composer, never get tied of him.


----------



## michaelvv

Rob Watts said:


> Let's be clear about this - I have never said that replacing the SMPS supplied with 2 Qute will not make a difference in your system, as YMWV. I have said that 2 Qute is insensitive to the PSU, and this is true; when you hear an improvement it is because the amp is sensitive to the PSU not 2 Qute. A power amp that has very sophisticated RF filtering (like my power amps) is insensitive to local RF noise sources on the mains; unfortunately, most amps have no or inadequate RF filtering, and thus would be sensitive to any SMPS that is close to the amp. So again - YMWV depending upon the rest of the equipment 2 Qute is paired with.
> 
> Rob



Fair enough. As long as it help a tube guy as I'm. Again we have all different setups, and this makes thinks very complicated.

I also means that the 2qute is serving better in my setup than the Hugo2, and this should be completely insane.

So the next DAC I'll try from Chord, can not afford the DAVE so no point in trying it, might be 3qute.


----------



## claud W

I installed 2Qute on Sunday afternoon and listened to it a bit on Monday. Sounded nice, about as good as my Modimultibyte. Listened again late yesterday afternoon and its now more resolving and more musical than Mimby. There is a definite  break in period. Also I think it was designed to be left powered on all the time, or there would be a power switch. I am very pleased with this combo.


----------



## michaelvv

I have had mine on for 6 month. Sometimes I remember to switch it off, but mostly not.

Mine with my LPS PSU , consumps exactly 6 watt , so it's not a big deal.


----------



## paradoxper

.


----------



## ttimon

Any chance to see 2Qute 2 this year?

Does anyone compare it to LKS 004?


----------



## Arniesb

ttimon said:


> Any chance to see 2Qute 2 this year?
> 
> Does anyone compare it to LKS 004?


I very much doubt. Its their tradition to present new gear at CES, so i think they gonna release new qute and hugo 2 tt... Now there is no talk because any news about these products comming up would destroy sales of present gear.


----------



## elviscaprice

ttimon said:


> Any chance to see 2Qute 2 this year?
> 
> Does anyone compare it to LKS 004?





OK-Guy said:


> ​
> 
> *The all new Chord Chordette 2Qute DAC announced at CES... details to follow*​



As you can see the 2Qute was announced 1 year after the release of the Hugo @ CES.  But, considering the Hugo 2 was delayed so long this year, it may not happen in January?  Your guess is as good as mine.


----------



## gad1 (Oct 21, 2017)

I have a dream.....

Had a chance to test a mojo with my 2 channel system.  Liked what I heard.  With a
chord 3qute on the horizon I'm hoping for a thanksgiving day sale steal of a price for
the 2qute.  Best price new I've seen is $1,295.  A sale price of $1,000 would be
tempting...........


----------



## claud W

Scary!!!!!!
Got up this morning and decided to listen to some tunes on my computer system. Dug out some Sony IEMs I bought, but had not used yet. Cut on LC amp and plugged them in using a plug adapter. Crappiest Fuzziest sounds you ever heard. You could barely tell what song it was. Scared the everliving Schiit out of me !!!!!
Pulled IEMs and plugged in ETHER Cs and it was not better. As an old audiophile of advanced years I remembered that a DAC is a computer of sorts, SOoooo I unplugged the 2Qute, counted to 10 and plugged it back in. End of scary story. Lovely music again.


----------



## Arniesb

claud W said:


> Scary!!!!!!
> Got up this morning and decided to listen to some tunes on my computer system. Dug out some Sony IEMs I bought, but had not used yet. Cut on LC amp and plugged them in using a plug adapter. Crappiest Fuzziest sounds you ever heard. You could barely tell what song it was. Scared the everliving Schiit out of me !!!!!
> Pulled IEMs and plugged in ETHER Cs and it was not better. As an old audiophile of advanced years I remembered that a DAC is a computer of sorts, SOoooo I unplugged the 2Qute, counted to 10 and plugged it back in. End of scary story. Lovely music again.


Lol, good read. Thank god its up and running


----------



## dawktah2

I'm definitely in the market for a 2Qute 2 or 3Qute! Would adding balanced output make it a Dave Jr.?


----------



## gad1

3Qute might be close.   Amazon.com lists 2Qute as " currently unavailable,
don't know when or if this item will be available. "  Hmmmmmmmm.


----------



## dawktah2

How many others are interested in the possible 2Qute 2/3Qute? I was thinking about starting an anticipation thread.


----------



## michaelvv

Think we're all are interested, at least I would buy It, 14 days money back returns in Denmark, evaluate it carefully,
and hopefully find it a great upgrade ( from my 2Qute ).
It's hopefully out before 2020, in the meantime I'm listening to my 2Qute...


----------



## miketlse

dawktah2 said:


> How many others are interested in the possible 2Qute 2/3Qute? I was thinking about starting an anticipation thread.


I think there are quite a few forum members interested in the successor to the 2Qute, plus the 2Qute (and Hugo) proved quite popular on the Naim forum as well.

The 2Qute is based on the Chordette form factor, and was originally marketed as the Hugo dac internals + galvanic isolation - headphone output - volume control.
I am assuming that 3Qute will be designed with the same philosophy, but based on the Hugo 2.
I think Mojo ideas posted a few days ago, that after Poly and 2Go, the plan was to produce streamers for the other Chord dacs (several were listed, but I cannot find the post now). This probably means that 3Qute would not incorporate the components for streaming music, but I can visualise Chord producing a streamer within a Chordette form factor.
Overall this covers everything that I anticipate for the 3Qute.


----------



## elviscaprice

miketlse said:


> This probably means that 3Qute would not incorporate the components for streaming music, but I can visualise Chord producing a streamer within a Chordette form factor.



No loss.  For a desktop DAC, I don't anticipate many folks being interested in a Chord streamer.  If their going to do so, just make sure it's a separate component.  A mini Blu would be nice without the transport.  I'm still hoping for a digitally controlled amp section on the 3Qute with remote.  Be worth the extra cost.  Otherwise everything else can remain the same with the new added Hugo 2 guts.


----------



## gad1

The minimalist 2Qute feature set is perfect for my system.
Recently there have been used 2Qutes selling around
$835 usd; less than 1/2 the release date price with a not
too distant further price slash due when the 3 is announced.
Unless the 3 is a game changer, a 2Cheap 2Qute might
be in my future.


----------



## OctavianH

dawktah2 said:


> How many others are interested in the possible 2Qute 2/3Qute? I was thinking about starting an anticipation thread.



Honestly 2Qute is perfect for me. I do not really know what they can do better. I guess I will wait until I decide to change something.


----------



## dawktah2

OctavianH said:


> Honestly 2Qute is perfect for me. I do not really know what they can do better. I guess I will wait until I decide to change something.



Balanced output or is that not really what's it's chalked up to be? Some say output line volume is a little high at 3v?


----------



## soundkist

OctavianH said:


> Honestly 2Qute is perfect for me. I do not really know what they can do better. I guess I will wait until I decide to change something.



Ditto!


----------



## Starcruncher

dawktah2 said:


> Balanced output or is that not really what's it's chalked up to be? Some say output line volume is a little high at 3v?



3V being too much depends on your amp. The best thing to do is consult the manufacturer of your gear and ask if 3V is ok or not. I used 2Qute with iFi iCan Pro with no issues at all. iFi told me that the amp could handle 18V(!!) (I can't find my communication with them, but I believe that it was 18V.)


----------



## gad1

Greetings dreamers and schemers,

Anyone enjoying software upsampling to 2Qute?  If so, 
what software, what setting and what hardware?


----------



## Deftone

gad1 said:


> Greetings dreamers and schemers,
> 
> Anyone enjoying software upsampling to 2Qute?  If so,
> what software, what setting and what hardware?


 
No need, let robs code do the heavy lifting.


----------



## Music Alchemist (Nov 17, 2017)

gad1 said:


> Anyone enjoying software upsampling to 2Qute?





Deftone said:


> No need, let robs code do the heavy lifting.



Yes, in terms of fidelity, it's best to send bit-perfect data to Chord DACs. Upsampling on the software side will only mess things up since Chord already provides the most advanced upsampling available.

With other DACs, HQPlayer is the best DSP player I've used. It does things similar to Chord (oversampling, noise shaping, etc.) but nowhere near as advanced. Unfortunately, its interface is atrocious and it's not cheap. Bug Head Emperor / Infinity Blade is a free alternative. (Which also has a cumbersome interface.)


----------



## panditji

Hi, anyone found any difference in sound between using the 2Qute power supply wall wart or using the laptop's USB port to power it?


----------



## Music Alchemist

panditji said:


> Hi, anyone found any difference in sound between using the 2Qute power supply wall wart or using the laptop's USB port to power it?



The only way to power the 2Qute is with an external power supply connected to an outlet. It doesn't even have an on/off switch.


----------



## panditji

If the wall wart plug is not attached, the 2Qute takes the power from the USB input... Wanted to know if there is a difference in sound when using either of the 2 sources..


----------



## elviscaprice

panditji said:


> If the wall wart plug is not attached, the 2Qute takes the power from the USB input... Wanted to know if there is a difference in sound when using either of the 2 sources..


  The 2Qute needs a 12V DC source to power up.  Your thinking of the galvanic isolation which needs the 5V VBUS, which has nothing to do with powering the DAC itself.


----------



## dawktah2

Since the 2Qute doesn't have a power switch does it tolerate bring plugged into a switched outlet? Just curious. Also wondering whether it's replacement will have a switch?


----------



## elviscaprice

dawktah2 said:


> Since the 2Qute doesn't have a power switch does it tolerate bring plugged into a switched outlet? Just curious. Also wondering whether it's replacement will have a switch?



Why not?  2Qute receives power it's on, it doesn't, it's off.  We haven't even been told there will be a 3Qute, so no idea about added possible future features.  Pure speculation at this time until Chord/Rob confirm.


----------



## iAudio365

I just ordered a satin black chord 2qute today should be with me on Friday.

The funny part is I just sold my Hugo 2 and essentially downgraded? Haha, but here’s the thing, I never used the filters on the hugo 2 and to my ears they didn’t make that much of a change to anything I was ever listening to, I never used the remote, I never used the amp as I have a Mcintosh MHA100 which is just amazing, I never used the pre outs and I hated those stupid gawdy glowing rubber balls whether they be on or off.

I just cam to the realisation that most of what made up the Hugo 2 which added significant amounts to the cost I just never used and all I really ever needed was just a darn dac, no dac/amp combo with bells and whistles etc just a decent dac so a friend introduced me to the 2qute, I new they existed but never once looked into it as I fell on the hugo 2 hype train to fast and did not realise that for less than half the cost of a hugo 2 I could order one of these that did everything I needed so a local retailer gave me a very price and I jumped on it and I’m talking roughly just over a 500$ discount off retail. 

Now when I heard a 2qute for the first time I couldn’t tell the difference from the Hugo 2 apart from 2 key things, the sound stage if you want to call it that was wider on the 2qute and everytging seemed faster on the hugo 2 and thats it. These are just my very very initial impeasions that lead me to making my decission to dump the hugo 2 put some cash back in my pocket for other things whilst getting what I need out of a dac and still being in a position to have a beautifull chord product on my desk.

Oh and the fact that it has a dedicated built in power supply was a big plus for me as well over the hugo 2 as essentially the hugo 2 battery is portable/rechargable which I don’t like as that gives it a lifespan in my opinion shorter than that of a 2qute.

Anyway these are just my opinions take it for what it’s worth but I just don’t see the point in the hugo 2 tbh after finding out more about the 2qute unless your gonna use all its features or just love the asthetic of plastic glowing balls it just seems like a waste to me in comparison looking at price to performance.

I’m looking forward at pairing it with my Mcintosh MHA100 I really cant wait


----------



## iAudio365 (Nov 21, 2017)

Can anyone tell me if I will have access to Windows 10 Spatial settings when plugging a 2qute into my pc when I get it? I use dolby atmos for headphones when I game.

When I plugged my mcintosh mha100 into my pc via usb I lost all access to the spatial settings and couldn’t use dolby atmos as it wouldn’t even show up. Does it work with 2qute can someone tell me please?


----------



## Music Alchemist (Nov 21, 2017)

iAudio365 said:


> and I’m talking roughly just over a 500$ discount off retail.



Which retail price are you referring to? It was originally $1,795 in the US and is currently ~$1,345. In the UK it seems to have always been £995, which is roughly $1,300.



iAudio365 said:


> Now when I heard a 2qute for the first time I couldn’t tell the difference from the Hugo 2 apart from 2 key things, the sound stage if you want to call it that was wider on the 2qute and everytging seemed faster on the hugo 2 and thats it.



Thanks for sharing your impressions, however brief they may be.

May I ask which equipment you used in the comparison? (You don't have it listed on your profile or signature.)



iAudio365 said:


> Oh and the fact that it has a dedicated built in power supply was a big plus for me



The 2Qute has an external power supply. (The included wall wart.)



iAudio365 said:


> I just cam to the realisation that most of what made up the Hugo 2 which added significant amounts to the cost I just never used





iAudio365 said:


> I just don’t see the point in the hugo 2 tbh after finding out more about the 2qute unless your gonna use all its features or just love the asthetic of plastic glowing balls it just seems like a waste to me in comparison looking at price to performance.



Most of us are interested in the Hugo 2 due to the advances in digital technology that Rob Watts has made. (Such as nearly twice as many taps, which relate to timing accuracy and the precision of the interpolation filter.) Some of us want to wait until the 2Qute successor with Hugo 2 tech comes out.

I am torn between them because I like the ability to drive headphones directly from Chord DAC/amps (owned the Mojo twice in addition to the 2Qute) as well as use them as digital preamps for speakers. (They can even drive sensitive passive speakers with the right cable, though I haven't tried that.)



iAudio365 said:


> Can anyone tell me if I will have access to Windows 10 Spatial settings when plugging a 2qute into my pc when I get it? I use dolby atmos for headphones when I game.
> 
> When I plugged my mcintosh mha100 into my pc via usb I lost all access to the spatial settings and couldn’t use dolby atmos as it wouldn’t even show up. Does it work with 2qute can someone tell me please?



Were you using a bit-perfect output mode (such as ASIO, WASAPI, or KS) with the DAC that didn't work?

Since (I think) this is a Windows setting, you'll probably need to use DS (DirectSound; the Windows default) instead.


----------



## iAudio365

Were you using a bit-perfect output mode (such as ASIO, WASAPI, or KS) with the DAC that didn't work?

Since (I think) this is a Windows setting, you'll probably need to use DS (DirectSound; the Windows default) instead.[/QUOTE]

Hi mate, no I don't use any audio programs I stream directly from Google Play Music app on my pc. 

The MHA100 has a built in dac but for some reason I can't use the Windows 10 Spatial settings, dolby atmos doesn't even show up and Windows Sonic for Headphone surround 7.1 will not work it just says "something went wrong when trying to turn on spatial sound" when I try to apply/enable it.

It's like it detects my amp as a speaker system when the McIntosh MHA100 is a headphone amp with built in dac, it works fine and music plays and sounds great but for gaming where I use the Windows 10 spatial settings it will not work for dolby atmos or surround sound like my hugo 2 did etc.


----------



## Music Alchemist

iAudio365 said:


> Hi mate, no I don't use any audio programs I stream directly from Google Play Music app on my pc.
> 
> The MHA100 has a built in dac but for some reason I can't use the Windows 10 Spatial settings, dolby atmos doesn't even show up and Windows Sonic for Headphone surround 7.1 will not work it just says "something went wrong when trying to turn on spatial sound" when I try to apply/enable it.
> 
> It's like it detects my amp as a speaker system when the McIntosh MHA100 is a headphone amp with built in dac, it works fine and music plays and sounds great but for gaming where I use the Windows 10 spatial settings it will not work for dolby atmos or surround sound like my hugo 2 did etc.



Did you set the DAC as your default audio device in Windows and take a look at the other settings?


----------



## iAudio365

Maybe because it's desighned mostly as a amp as apposed to chord products where their a dac first and the amp whilst good is more of an after thought, same kind of situation with McIntosh I guess their an amp firs dac second if that makes any sense at all


----------



## iAudio365

Music Alchemist said:


> Did you set the DAC as your default audio device in Windows and take a look at the other settings?





Music Alchemist said:


> Did you set the DAC as your default audio device in Windows and take a look at the other settings?



Yeh, you just go to sound settings and it says right there "speakers Mcintosh USB Audio device" and thats whats enabled there is no dac option at all


----------



## iAudio365

and when you right click on the amp I have enabled it, then you can go through to properties > spatial sound> drop down box and dolby atmos has disappeared entirely and the only option left is windows sonic 7.1 sound for headphones but when you enable it you get that error message I mentioned just before. 

Just doesn't make any sense.


----------



## Music Alchemist

iAudio365 said:


> Maybe because it's desighned mostly as a amp as apposed to chord products where their a dac first and the amp whilst good is more of an after thought, same kind of situation with McIntosh I guess their an amp firs dac second if that makes any sense at all





iAudio365 said:


> Yeh, you just go to sound settings and it says right there "speakers Mcintosh USB Audio device" and thats whats enabled there is no dac option at all





iAudio365 said:


> and when you right click on the amp I have enabled it, then you can go through to properties > spatial sound> drop down box and dolby atmos has disappeared entirely and the only option left is windows sonic 7.1 sound for headphones but when you enable it you get that error message I mentioned just before.
> 
> Just doesn't make any sense.



Yeah, I'm not sure what the issue is, since I thought this was a Windows thing regardless of the DAC. But if it worked with the Hugo 2, it should also work with the 2Qute.

(By the way, it's generally a good idea to edit your post instead of making multiple ones when you want to update something you've said.)

Looks like you missed my question:



Music Alchemist said:


> May I ask which equipment you used in the comparison? (You don't have it listed on your profile or signature.)


----------



## iAudio365

Looks like you missed my question:[/QUOTE]

Equipment used was mcintosh mha 100 as the amp and Utopia, HD800S and AEON headphones, apart from the wider sound stage the 2qute offers vs the faster speed of the hugo 2, to my ears the difference wasn't worth me hanging on to the H2 and actually taking a step backward plus like I said it had all these bells an whistles I never used and never needed to use even the filters on the H2 made that much of a little difference to my ears I couldn't justify keeping it vs getting the 2qute and putting cash back in my pocket at the same time for other things.

Put it this way, I don't miss the hugo 2 at all haha.

But please keep in mind it's all how I heard things it's different for everyone, I just found my amp did far more of the heavy lifting so just having a dedicated dac without all the extras just suits me fine. 

Most of the time in life especially with tech I've always found less is more, but again that's just me


----------



## claud W

There is no argument that 2Qute is a sweet little DAC. Listening to mine right now thru Ether Flows.


----------



## Deftone

iAudio365 said:


> Maybe because it's desighned mostly as a amp as apposed to chord products where their a dac first and the amp whilst good is more of an after thought, same kind of situation with McIntosh I guess their an amp firs dac second if that makes any sense at all



The amp is not an afterthought because “there is no amp” you’re basically getting a pure output from the dac, whatever you like about the mcntosh added to the Hugo isn’t the extra power it’s the flavour your adding on top.


----------



## Music Alchemist (Nov 24, 2017)

Deftone said:


> The amp is not an afterthought because “there is no amp” you’re basically getting a pure output from the dac, whatever you like about the mcntosh added to the Hugo isn’t the extra power it’s the flavour your adding on top.



Chord DAC/amps do have amplification (such as transistors) that is adapted to drive headphones. (And sensitive passive speakers.)

It's just that it's in the DAC's analog output stage and is cleaner than even the output of conventional DACs.

(Technically speaking, pretty much all DACs have some sort of amplification to send the signal out, but most can't drive headphones.)


----------



## jayz

dawktah2 said:


> How many others are interested in the possible 2Qute 2/3Qute? I was thinking about starting an anticipation thread.



Do we have a separate thread for 2qute 2? Can't wait till CES 2018.

Would have been great if someone from Chord could confirm or deny. IMO can only be a positive thing for Chord either way if we talk about it here it is free advertising right?


----------



## GreenBow

jayz said:


> Do we have a separate thread for 2qute 2? Can't wait till CES 2018.
> 
> Would have been great if someone from Chord could confirm or deny. IMO can only be a positive thing for Chord either way if we talk about it here it is free advertising right?



Haha, 2Qute 2, buzz. That's what I'd be keen to know. (By the way I call it 2Qute 2, too, and not 3Qute as some call it. Lol.)


----------



## miketlse

Based on this post (and the immediately previous post), I wouldn't build up your hopes for a 2Qute 2 at CES. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...official-thread.831345/page-619#post-13900984
This post did feel a bit like trying to say 'not on our radar for CES2018, but could be on the radar sometime in the future'.
Either way, anyone who started a 2Qute 2 thread today, might end up with 18 months of occasional speculative posts, before anything was announced.


----------



## Deftone

I think it’s an extremely slim chance we will se any kind of new/updated DACs from chord at CES.

Hugo 2 hasn’t been in our hands for that long at all, Hugo 1 & 2qute selling for a great price used and Mojo still killing it for value under £1,000.


----------



## dawktah2

Deftone said:


> I think it’s an extremely slim chance we will se any kind of new/updated DACs from chord at CES.
> 
> Hugo 2 hasn’t been in our hands for that long at all, Hugo 1 & 2qute selling for a great price used and Mojo still killing it for value under £1,000.



I guess I am still confused on how that post affects 2Qute. Chord products are structured they have Reference, Choral, Chordette, Hugo and Mobile.  From looking at product release dates it doesn't appear one line affects the other.


----------



## GreenBow

Still think about the name of the next 2Qute, I always figured it would be a 2Qute2. However I only just now discovered there was a Qute HD. If the 2Qute was names 2 because it followed from Qute HD. Then it makes sense the next DAC would be 3Qute.


----------



## Music Alchemist

GreenBow said:


> Still think about the name of the next 2Qute, I always figured it would be a 2Qute2. However I only just now discovered there was a Qute HD. If the 2Qute was names 2 because it followed from Qute HD. Then it makes sense the next DAC would be 3Qute.



Perhaps, but then again, there have been other name schemes in this product range before the 2Qute. The links below are in chronological order.

https://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/qute-hd/
https://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/qx-dac-mxseries/
https://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/qute-ex/


----------



## miketlse

The 2Qute seems to be the only remaining member of the Chordette range still in production.
So you also have to consider that its' successor may not be restricted to the Chordette form factor - and that could release Chord from reusing the Qute name.


----------



## dawktah2 (Dec 11, 2017)

The QuteHD standalone DAC from the Chordette range was replaced by the QuteEX, which in turn was replaced by the 2Qute which came out around 2015ish? 

DAVE jr.?

I just don't want to buy the 2Qute and then successor comes out.


----------



## GreenBow

Haha, everyone, ace - top form.

2Qute2 it is for me then. (Smiley face on.)


----------



## Music Alchemist

dawktah2 said:


> I just don't want to buy the 2Qute and then successor comes out.



It won't be out for qu(i)te (get it? lol) some time now.

But I'd focus on getting the best headphones/speakers you can before bothering with it. I upgraded my speakers and downgraded to a cheap DAC (for now) but am getting far better sound than when I had the 2Qute since the transducer is going to make much more of a difference than the electronics.


----------



## dawktah2

Music Alchemist said:


> It won't be out for qu(i)te (get it? lol) some time now.
> 
> But I'd focus on getting the best headphones/speakers you can before bothering with it. I upgraded my speakers and downgraded to a cheap DAC (for now) but am getting far better sound than when I had the 2Qute since the transducer is going to make much more of a difference than the electronics.



I keep reading this and get to thinking...

"_2Qute takes the technology from the Chord Hugo and adds it to the previous model, Chord Qute EX. The result is a new super-DAC for 2015 with class-leading specifications, outstanding technical measurements and proven sonic performance. The 2Qute advances the award-winning Qute EX DAC into 2015 with the latest Hugo specifications." _​


----------



## Music Alchemist

dawktah2 said:


> I keep reading this and get to thinking...



Thinking what?


----------



## dawktah2

Music Alchemist said:


> Thinking what?



"Good things come to those who wait."


----------



## GraveNoX

iAudio365 said:


> Oh and the fact that it has a dedicated built in power supply was a big plus for me as well over the hugo 2 as essentially the hugo 2 battery is portable/rechargable which I don’t like as that gives it a lifespan in my opinion shorter than that of a 2qute.
> 
> Anyway these are just my opinions take it for what it’s worth but I just don’t see the point in the hugo 2 tbh after finding out more about the 2qute unless your gonna use all its features or just love the asthetic of plastic glowing balls it just seems like a waste to me in comparison looking at price to performance.
> 
> I’m looking forward at pairing it with my Mcintosh MHA100 I really cant wait


Hugo 2 after 24 hours plugged in, the power ball changes to pink because Desktop Mode is activated and it uses power straight from the wall and the battery will never, ever be used so it won't shorten its lifespan. You can have Hugo 2 for 1 year straight and never use the battery inside it.
2Qute is meant to be used only as a DAC for a hi-fi system. If you later want to add an amp to drive headphones, you will lose some transparency and details.
Chord equipment is meant to be used as it is, they already cut lots of signal paths just to have the cleanest sound out of them.


----------



## Deftone

If people are waiting for 3qute with Hugo2 spec why?

Just get Hugo 2, it can be used as a dac just like qute now because of the no battery usage after 24 hours feature and as an awesome bonus you get to take it on holidays and travels...


----------



## dawktah2 (Dec 11, 2017)

Deftone said:


> If people are waiting for 3qute with Hugo2 spec why?



$1,000 USD difference...   Buying Tube Amp...  Doesn't support DSD... Don't travel enough... Building wine/listening room...  Long term goal DAVE...


----------



## x RELIC x (Dec 11, 2017)

dawktah2 said:


> Doesn't support DSD.



What?! Where did you get this from? It uses the same DSD filter as DAVE.

Edit: see below...



Rob Watts said:


> OK this is a quick summary of the difficulties involved an having a DAC that has no measurable noise floor modulation, and there is a great deal more besides, as noise floor modulation occurs from a myriad of problems within DAC's.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## Music Alchemist (Dec 11, 2017)

GraveNoX said:


> 2Qute is meant to be used only as a DAC for a hi-fi system. If you later want to add an amp to drive headphones, you will lose some transparency and details.



Compared to what? In this case, an external amp would be used with both speakers and headphones.

(Though it _is_ possible to drive headphones directly from the 2Qute via the RCA outputs with adapters, but it wouldn't be the proper way.)



Deftone said:


> If people are waiting for 3qute with Hugo2 spec why?
> 
> Just get Hugo 2, it can be used as a dac just like qute now because of the no battery usage after 24 hours feature and as an awesome bonus you get to take it on holidays and travels...



General consensus is that the 2Qute sounds better than the Hugo. It makes sense that the 2Qute successor could sound better than the Hugo 2 as well. (Especially if it ends up having even better tech than the Hugo 2. Ya never know!) The Hugo 2 does not have galvanic isolation like the 2Qute does. And there are probably other reasons that haven't been listed yet.

There are, of course, some benefits the Hugo 2 would retain regardless...such as driving headphones (and some sensitive passive speakers, with the right cables) directly from it for potentially higher transparency...the ability to use it as a digital preamp with speaker systems for the highest accuracy...portability...possibly some features, etc.



dawktah2 said:


> $1,000 USD difference



Since the 2Qute successor has not been released, we don't know what the price will be.


----------



## gintamafans

Well as the one big reason why I wouldnt choose hugo2 is due to the lack of real RCA ports for amps, if it still has regular RCA out I would of have bought it. Already have very good RCA cables, and not using them is a waste, not to mention the price difference between hugo2 and next gen 2qute.


----------



## Music Alchemist

gintamafans said:


> Well as the one big reason why I wouldnt choose hugo2 is due to the lack of real RCA ports for amps, if it still has regular RCA out I would of have bought it. Already have very good RCA cables, and not using them is a waste, not to mention the price difference between hugo2 and next gen 2qute.



The RCA outputs of the Hugo 2 don't look very different to me than the ones on the 2Qute.

Have you read about people not being able to use certain RCA cables with the Hugo 2?

(I know this was an issue with older versions of the original Hugo, but I thought this was fixed for the most part.)

And again, we do not yet know what the 2Qute successor will cost.


----------



## gintamafans

Music Alchemist said:


> The RCA outputs of the Hugo 2 don't look very different to me than the ones on the 2Qute.
> 
> Have you read about people not being able to use certain RCA cables with the Hugo 2?
> 
> ...



Am I not  seeing it or misinformed? Hugo2 doesnt have RCA ports though? RCA is the left and right channel cable in white and red.


----------



## Music Alchemist

gintamafans said:


> Am I not  seeing it or misinformed? Hugo2 doesnt have RCA ports though? RCA is the left and right channel cable in white and red.






 

P.S. I'm actually watching Gintama!


----------



## gintamafans

Music Alchemist said:


> P.S. I'm actually watching Gintama!



OMG....first person encountered here to notice my name's meaning lol.

and secondly why do I have the interception that it comes with out 3.5 out....now that I see RCA I would definitely think about this! But still would wait after CES though.


----------



## Music Alchemist

gintamafans said:


> OMG....first person encountered here to notice my name's meaning lol.
> 
> and secondly why do I have the interception that it comes with out 3.5 out....now that I see RCA I would definitely think about this! But still would wait after CES though.








For future reference, you can go to the official page: https://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/hugo-2/

It has both 1/4" and 3.5 mm headphone outputs.


----------



## elviscaprice (Dec 12, 2017)

GraveNoX said:


> Hugo 2 after 24 hours plugged in, the power ball changes to pink because Desktop Mode is activated and it uses power straight from the wall and the battery will never, ever be used so it won't shorten its lifespan. You can have Hugo 2 for 1 year straight and never use the battery inside it.
> 2Qute is meant to be used only as a DAC for a hi-fi system. If you later want to add an amp to drive headphones, you will lose some transparency and details.
> Chord equipment is meant to be used as it is, they already cut lots of signal paths just to have the cleanest sound out of them.



I think you are misinformed.  Even in desktop mode, the Hugo 2 does utilize power from the batteries, it's just that the battery charging recycling is not topped off but maintained at a lower fixed optimum charge (trickle).  Otherwise if it was true that the Hugo 2 didn't utilize the batteries at all during desktop mode, why not just remove the batteries altogether?  Which Rob Watts recommends not to do.
Also I find LIPO batteries to impart a sound characteristic that I find undesirable.  The 2Qute solved that issue over the Hugo being powered by a quality linear power supply.

I will wait for the desktop version of Hugo 2.  Meanwhile I find the 2Qute more than satisfactory in my systems synergy.  I will never buy a LIPO powered audio component again.


----------



## Triode User

elviscaprice said:


> I think you are misinformed.  Even in desktop mode, the Hugo 2 does utilize power from the batteries, it's just that the battery charging recycling is not topped off but maintained at a lower fixed optimum charge (trickle).  Otherwise if it was true that the Hugo 2 didn't utilize the batteries at all during desktop mode, why not just remove the batteries altogether?  Which Rob Watts recommends not to do.
> Also I find LIPO batteries to impart a sound characteristic that I find undesirable.  The 2Qute solved that issue over the Hugo being powered by a quality linear power supply.
> 
> I will wait for the desktop version of Hugo 2.  Meanwhile I find the 2Qute more than satisfactory in my systems synergy.  I will never buy a LIPO powered audio component again.



I agree with what you say about Hugo2 in Desktop mode.

Your experience is an interesting take on the sound due to the batteries. I thought the common take was that the batteries give a benefit to the sound. I was not aware that the linear power supply of the 2Qute was in answer to a perceived sound issue with the batteries, more that the batteries were not needed so easier to have the power supply direct off the mains.


----------



## dawktah2 (Dec 12, 2017)

x RELIC x said:


> What?! Where did you get this from? It uses the same DSD filter as DAVE.
> 
> Edit: see below...



...sorry left out a word, " all "  I got a little click happy on super hi-rez...


----------



## GreenBow

I wonder if the gap between Hugo2 and 2Qute2 will be closer this time. (Than Hugo and 2Qute was.) The Hugo 2 can now run straight from wall adapter, and I *think* it can run without batteries installed. It operates in desktop mode running from adapter power. (Apparently the Hugo 2 taps a bit of battery power to accompany power from adapter, for required bursts in sonic performance. I suppose a little in the way that the Hugo TT used super-caps.)

USB galvanic isolation can be achieved with adding galvanic isolator to the system. Or optical could be used to side-step no galvanic isolation.

Anyway, all stuff that I am thinking about, and not necessarily correct.


----------



## Triode User

GreenBow said:


> I wonder if the gap between Hugo2 and 2Qute2 will be closer this time. (Than Hugo and 2Qute was.) The Hugo 2 can now run straight from wall adapter, and I *think* it can run without batteries installed. It operates in desktop mode running from adapter power. (Apparently the Hugo 2 taps a bit of battery power to accompany power from adapter, for required bursts in sonic performance. I suppose a little in the way that the Hugo TT used super-caps.)
> 
> USB galvanic isolation can be achieved with adding galvanic isolator to the system. Or optical could be used to side-step no galvanic isolation.
> 
> Anyway, all stuff that I am thinking about, and not necessarily correct.



See the posts above. Hugo 2 does NOT run straight from the wall adapter and does not run without the batteries installed (if it does at all it is not designed for this.)


----------



## x RELIC x

dawktah2 said:


> ...sorry left out a word, " all "  I got a little click happy on super hi-rez...



Not to beat a dead horse, but is there higher DSD rates than DSD 512 (which the Hugo2 supports natively)? I’m just curious why you think otherwise.


----------



## elviscaprice (Dec 12, 2017)

Triode User said:


> See the posts above. Hugo 2 does NOT run straight from the wall adapter and does not run without the batteries installed (if it does at all it is not designed for this.)



Actually, Rob Watts said that the Hugo 2 can run without the LIPO batteries, full suggested external power, in any mode, but he highly does not recommend doing so.  Why or what it would suffer in SQ????  I've not seen anyone test this?


----------



## GreenBow

Triode User said:


> See the posts above. Hugo 2 does NOT run straight from the wall adapter and does not run without the batteries installed (if it does at all it is not designed for this.)



Yes. I realise it can be irritating if someone writes something that was covered in posts above. However there were actually quite a few posts popped when I posted my last. I hit the 'post reply', and instantly there were quite a few new posts for me to read.

I wasn't actually stating that Hugo operates like that. It's just I was reading the Hugo 2 thread and either saw something like that written or asked. Plus it sort of would make sense, if the H2 could run without batteries, given it can run in wall powered mode. I actually need to understand a bit more about desktop mode, but whatever that's Hugo 2 thread. I was just speculating if the H2 would be closer to 2Qute2 this time. .............. Though, you know Rob, he'll pull something staggering out of the next gen 2Qute.


----------



## GreenBow

elviscaprice said:


> Actually, Rob Watts said that the Hugo 2 can run without the LIPO batteries, full suggested external power, in any mode, but he highly does not recommend doing so.  Why or what it would suffer in SQ????  I've not seen anyone test this?



I thought I saw something on it you know. (Same thing happened again. I was just typing that, and someone (you) replied before I could post.)

In the Mojo thread, Rob briefly explained that the battery in the Mojo offsets noise from charger. Explaining that running from battery or from power plugged in all the time, sounded no different.


----------



## Triode User

elviscaprice said:


> Actually, Rob Watts said that the Hugo 2 can run without the LIPO batteries, full suggested external power, in any mode, but he highly does not recommend doing so.  Why or what it would suffer in SQ????  I've not seen anyone test this?



I remember that post. The over riding message was not to do it.


----------



## elviscaprice

Triode User said:


> I remember that post. The over riding message was not to do it.


Correct, but now we have folks coming on the 2Qute thread trying to use the argument of not needing a Lipo battery for the Hugo 2 to operate as an argument for not needing a new 3Qute desktop.  NOT  
I took Rob's word to heart and did not buy the Hugo 2 due to his warning of not using the Hugo 2 without the Lipo batteries installed.  Thus I await for his new Hugo 2 desktop model, which I suspect will be sooner than some others have predicted.


----------



## dawktah2 (Dec 12, 2017)

x RELIC x said:


> Not to beat a dead horse, but is there higher DSD rates than DSD 512 (which the Hugo2 supports natively)? I’m just curious why you think otherwise.



I guess I am confused DSD 2.8Mhz/64fs is single rate, on the 2Qute literature it says: 2Qute offers support for up to 32-bit/384kHz audio via coax and USB, and 24-bit/192kHz over optical. DSD64 is supported on all inputs and DSD128 is supported via coax or USB. (all via DoP) So I thought that meant it cannot play QUAD rate or higher. You mention DSD 512, so you kinda are making my point as to why I am wanting to wait for the 3Qute. 2Qute is based on Hugo not Hugo 2.

Someone will have to explain how DoP isn't Native DSD, although NO ONE can hear it...


----------



## x RELIC x (Dec 12, 2017)

dawktah2 said:


> I guess I am confused DSD 2.8Mhz/64fs is single rate, on the 2Qute literature it says: 2Qute offers support for up to 32-bit/384kHz audio via coax and USB, and 24-bit/192kHz over optical. DSD64 is supported on all inputs and DSD128 is supported via coax or USB. (all via DoP) So I thought that meant it cannot play QUAD rate or higher. You mention DSD 512, so you kinda are making my point as to why I am wanting to wait for the 3Qute. 2Qute is based on Hugo not Hugo 2.
> 
> Someone will have to explain how DoP isn't Native DSD, although NO ONE can hear it...



I thought you were saying that the Hugo2 couldn’t do all DSD rates, but it can including octaDSD (DSD512) natively over USB. Looks like I read your post backwards. Anyway, if there is a next 2Qute (or whatever it’s called) I’m sure it would support the same rates as the Hugo2 as Chord/Rob have seemed to always include the current formats in their new releases. My apologies if I confused your meaning.

DoP stands for DSD *over* PCM, not DSD converted to PCM. It was a standard created because USB doesn’t recognize DSD as an audio format without drivers (unlike PCM) so the DSD bitstream is wrapped in a PCM container that fools USB to transmit the data as audio. When a DoP capable DAC sees the DoP marker then it extracts the DSD bitstream exactly as it should be, bit for bit and plays as native DSD. DoP is not in any way a degradation of the original DSD signal, but the industry refers to DSD over USB with drivers as ‘native’.

Conveniently DoP can also be used for transmitting DSD over S/PDiF (optical and coaxial), but the nature of S/PDiF limits the amount of data that can be transmitted and USB is the favoured protocol for high data rates. This is why coaxial and optical have lower DSD data rate capabilities with optical being the lowest data rate transmission format.


----------



## GraveNoX

elviscaprice said:


> I think you are misinformed.  Even in desktop mode, the Hugo 2 does utilize power from the batteries, it's just that the battery charging recycling is not topped off but maintained at a lower fixed optimum charge (trickle).  Otherwise if it was true that the Hugo 2 didn't utilize the batteries at all during desktop mode, why not just remove the batteries altogether?  Which Rob Watts recommends not to do.
> Also I find LIPO batteries to impart a sound characteristic that I find undesirable.  The 2Qute solved that issue over the Hugo being powered by a quality linear power supply.
> 
> I will wait for the desktop version of Hugo 2.  Meanwhile I find the 2Qute more than satisfactory in my systems synergy.  I will never buy a LIPO powered audio component again.


Manual says "After 24 hours on constant charge Hugo 2 will enter into Intelligent Desktop Mode where the battery is neither charged or discharged. Hugo's auto-shutdown is now disabled." so it says battery won't discharge in Intelligent Desktop Mode. The manual is wrong or I'm reading it wrong ?

If the quality power supply in 2Qute is so good, why adding an external LPS improves it ?


----------



## elviscaprice

GraveNoX said:


> Manual says "After 24 hours on constant charge Hugo 2 will enter into Intelligent Desktop Mode where the battery is neither charged or discharged. Hugo's auto-shutdown is now disabled." so it says battery won't discharge in Intelligent Desktop Mode. The manual is wrong or I'm reading it wrong ?
> 
> If the quality power supply in 2Qute is so good, why adding an external LPS improves it ?



The manual is definitely deceiving.
It's called trickle charge.  Go read Rob's posts on the matter in Hugo 2 thread.  
Who said the 2Qute has a quality power supply?  Any cheap 12V switching power supply with .5A minimum will work.  Rob has said that this is sufficient because of his filtering design in the 2Qute.  Others have found improvement in an added quality power supply, myself included.


----------



## agedbest

...because Rob Watts always declare Chord products own best power filtering and not need LPS...he told this for QuteEx and finally for Qute2.....he told LPS is not needed ...he also tested with a 12v 300A battery and he declared no different sound from a Chord wall power adapter.....many people till now bought a LPS because they find inprovement in sound...and all people said the same .... better with an LPS... also with a small 12v battery.
....so???....i am waiting new Chordette DAC ....and declaration.


----------



## Music Alchemist

I miss the 2Qute's pretty light. 



GraveNoX said:


> Manual says "After 24 hours on constant charge Hugo 2 will enter into Intelligent Desktop Mode where the battery is neither charged or discharged. Hugo's auto-shutdown is now disabled." so it says battery won't discharge in Intelligent Desktop Mode. The manual is wrong or I'm reading it wrong ?





elviscaprice said:


> It's called trickle charge. Go read Rob's posts on the matter in Hugo 2 thread.



I will add that when I trickle-charged the Mojo with a 5V 2A micro USB wall charger, the battery was definitely charging and discharging. Under heavier use, it would deplete to the extent that the light would change. I'd like to know how differently the Hugo 2 handles it.


----------



## GraveNoX

elviscaprice said:


> Who said the 2Qute has a quality power supply?  Any cheap 12V switching power supply with .5A minimum will work.  Rob has said that this is sufficient because of his filtering design in the 2Qute.  Others have found improvement in an added quality power supply, myself included.


You said it.


elviscaprice said:


> Also I find LIPO batteries to impart a sound characteristic that I find undesirable.  The 2Qute solved that issue over the Hugo being powered by a quality linear power supply.


----------



## OctavianH

I found a big improvement using a MCRU LPS even if I already knew Rob Watts statement. I plugged my 2Qute near my PC and maybe that was adding some more "interference" but after adding the linear power supply in the equations things improved big time.
I know some claim there is no improvement and money were thrown on the window, but I will never return to the original power plug and remove this power supply.


----------



## elviscaprice

GraveNoX said:


> If the quality power supply in 2Qute is so good, why adding an external LPS improves it ?



There is no power supply IN the 2Qute.  It comes with an external switching supply.  The 2Qute takes 12V DC.  My statement about a quality linear supply would replace that switching power supply.


----------



## GreenBow

I am sorry and regret writing that the Hugo 2 might have vaguely had the potential to run with no battery installed. I didn't mean to cause so much friction.

I did however say  that it was just what I was thinking and could well be wrong. It wasn't my intention to mislead, or be nasty. Glad that Head-Fi users corrected that. Thanks to Head-Fiers who said roughly what Rob Watts said about it.


----------



## crayons23

Anyone have any idea how it would sound to use the 2Qute as a dac in conjunction with the new Senn HDV 820 using primarily with HD800S?


----------



## Music Alchemist

crayons23 said:


> Anyone have any idea how it would sound to use the 2Qute as a dac in conjunction with the new Senn HDV 820 using primarily with HD800S?



I owned the 2Qute, Mojo, and HD 800, and auditioned the HDVD 800 and Simaudio MOON Neo 430HAD. I can't answer your question in a direct way, but I do know that the Mojo sounded about as good as the 430HAD when driving the HD 800 despite being more than eight times more affordable. By the time I got the 2Qute, I had transitioned to speakers and gotten rid of most of my headphones.


----------



## crayons23

I have been told the 2qute has the exact same dac as a hugo 2 without the headphone amp. any truth to that?


----------



## miketlse

crayons23 said:


> I have been told the 2qute has the exact same dac as a hugo 2 without the headphone amp. any truth to that?


No.
The 2Qute has the same dac as the Hugo, without the headphone out, volume control, or battery.


----------



## crayons23 (Dec 19, 2017)

is there a comparable stand alone dac that  could match the hugo 2's dac? basically i have the senn hdv 820 and i want to upgrade from the internal dac. I was looking at 2qute but open to other possibilities in that price range.


----------



## miketlse

crayons23 said:


> is there a comparable stand alone dac that  could match the hugo 2's dac? basically i have the senn hdv 820 and i want to upgrade from the internal dac. I was looking at 2qute but open to other possibilities in that price range.


I have a Hugo 2, and think that you will struggle to match the Hugo 2 music reproduction, if you are looking at spending 2Qute money.
Many owners on this thread love the 2Qute, and Chord have dropped the hint that a replacement is not on the short-term horizon, so you should demo the 2Qute, and see how it compares to your Senn.
My advice is to not rush and buy something for christmas, but wait until CES2018 in january, and see if chord release anything new of interest to you.


----------



## crayons23

miketlse said:


> I have a Hugo 2, and think that you will struggle to match the Hugo 2 music reproduction, if you are looking at spending 2Qute money.
> Many owners on this thread love the 2Qute, and Chord have dropped the hint that a replacement is not on the short-term horizon, so you should demo the 2Qute, and see how it compares to your Senn.
> My advice is to not rush and buy something for christmas, but wait until CES2018 in january, and see if chord release anything new of interest to you.


Sounds good i plan to demo the 2qute tomorrow at a dealer in my area. thanks for the reply/advice.


----------



## Music Alchemist

crayons23 said:


> is there a comparable stand alone dac that could match the hugo 2's dac?



Some people like the Audio-gd R2R 7 and Schiit Yggdrasil (both at the same price point as the Hugo 2) about as much as the much more expensive Chord DAVE. Opinions are all over the place when it comes to audio gear, though.


----------



## crayons23

Music Alchemist said:


> Some people like the Audio-gd R2R 7 and Schiit Yggdrasil (both at the same price point as the Hugo 2) about as much as the much more expensive Chord DAVE. Opinions are all over the place when it comes to audio gear, though.




I don't even celebrate xmas this just happens to be when i got the hdv 820 and now i am looking for a stand alone dac that would be an upgrade to the internal dac of the 820. i am only using headphones, primarily 800S. I would like to keep it under 1400$ hence the 2qute has been on my radar but open to other ideas at that price point that would be a noticeable upgrade.


----------



## Music Alchemist

crayons23 said:


> I don't even celebrate xmas this just happens to be when i got the hdv 820 and now i am looking for a stand alone dac that would be an upgrade to the internal dac of the 820. i am only using headphones, primarily 800S. I would like to keep it under 1400$ hence the 2qute has been on my radar but open to other ideas at that price point that would be a noticeable upgrade.



The 2Qute is the only four figure DAC I've owned. The Schiit Gungnir Multibit is another you could look into.


----------



## crayons23

Music Alchemist said:


> The 2Qute is the only four figure DAC I've owned. The Schiit Gungnir Multibit is another you could look into.


the people at schiit and i have not had the best of luck together. i am waiting on a refund from 3 items i got from them. 2 of the 3 items had technical problems within the initial 2 weeks. once i get my refund i won't be dealing with them again. i am sure the feeling is mutual. i was always leery of a company that refuses to talk on the telephone.


----------



## dawktah2

crayons23 said:


> is there a comparable stand alone dac that  could match the hugo 2's dac? basically i have the senn hdv 820 and i want to upgrade from the internal dac. I was looking at 2qute but open to other possibilities in that price range.



As a few and myself have alluded to: 3Qute or 2Qute2 which currently doesn't exist...


----------



## jayz (Dec 19, 2017)

miketlse said:


> and Chord have dropped the hint that a replacement is not on the short-term horizon



Can you please point me to where you saw this hint?

I am aware John F said some products were not even being considered at this point but that was in relation to someone asking about TT2, Digital Amp, etc.

I just don't like speculation and speculation about speculation turning into established fact.


----------



## crayons23

i can get the 2qute for a decent discount. will demo it, and go from there.


----------



## claud W

I think that if you demo it, you will buy it. I did not demo mine. I just bought it on Cord's rep. It is a very musical DAC and does not leave you wanting for more. Mine is combined with a Cavalli LC 2.0 to play HiRez music from my Apple computer.


----------



## miketlse

jayz said:


> Can you please point me to where you saw this hint?
> 
> I am aware John F said some products were not even being considered at this point but that was in relation to someone asking about TT2, Digital Amp, etc.
> 
> I just don't like speculation and speculation about speculation turning into established fact.






There is this exchange from the Chord Facebook page.


----------



## dawktah2

miketlse said:


> There is this exchange from the Chord Facebook page.



That's doesn't prove anything...


----------



## miketlse

crayons23 said:


> i can get the 2qute for a decent discount. will demo it, and go from there.


Did you manage to demo the 2Qute yesterday?


----------



## crayons23

miketlse said:


> Did you manage to demo the 2Qute yesterday?


I did and i decided to take the plunge. with my amp pairing it sounds 10 x better than what i had before. the guy
offered me the original hugo  or the 2qute for the same price. i was about to get the hugo  and then at the last min i said i would go
with 2qute. i am glad i did because the hugo does not have galvanic isolation and from what i have read the 2qute is a little more refined than hugo. this thing sounds incredible and i am less than 24 hours in. i had demo'd the bifrost mb and this blows it out of the water imo.


----------



## jayz

miketlse said:


> There is this exchange from the Chord Facebook page.



Was it that facebook post that led you to believe "Chord have dropped the hint that a replacement is not on the short-term horizon" ?


----------



## miketlse

jayz said:


> Was it that facebook post that led you to believe "Chord have dropped the hint that a replacement is not on the short-term horizon" ?


It was one of several sources. If you also consider the effort required, Chord have spent the past few months releasing the Poly (which still requires ongoing development of the software updates, plus app), plus JF has mentioned the planned release of 2Go at CES (although there is a slight ambiguity when he now talks about availability during spring 2018), plus presumably the ongoing work to get the digital amps ready for CES.
That does not leave many spare manhours to develop the 3Qute, so I honestly do not believe that it will be announced at CES2018.
However I cannot be 100% certain of this, and I realise that JF pulled a rabbit out of the hat, by announcing the Hugo2 at CES2017.
So my advice to everyone thinking of buying themselves any Chord kit is do not buy because it is Christmas, but wait two weeks until CES2018, and you can make a more informed decision.


----------



## Triode User

miketlse said:


> It was one of several sources. If you also consider the effort required, Chord have spent the past few months releasing the Poly (which still requires ongoing development of the software updates, plus app), plus JF has mentioned the planned release of 2Go at CES (although there is a slight ambiguity when he now talks about availability during spring 2018), plus presumably the ongoing work to get the digital amps ready for CES.
> That does not leave many spare manhours to develop the 3Qute, so I honestly do not believe that it will be announced at CES2018.
> However I cannot be 100% certain of this, and I realise that JF pulled a rabbit out of the hat, by announcing the Hugo2 at CES2017.
> So my advice to everyone thinking of buying themselves any Chord kit is do not buy because it is Christmas, but wait two weeks until CES2018, and you can make a more informed decision.



Also dont forget the eagerly waited digital amps that are being worked on.


----------



## Music Alchemist

Triode User said:


> Also dont forget the eagerly waited digital amps that are being worked on.



I've been looking forward to those for awhile!


----------



## dawktah2 (Dec 22, 2017)

jayz said:


> Was it that facebook post that led you to believe "Chord have dropped the hint that a replacement is not on the short-term horizon" ?



EXACTLY, if that post is based on that Facebook post... Its pure conjecture


----------



## panditji

Need some help here... I have been using a simple music only i3 laptop with Jriver as a source connected by USB to my 2Qute..  I have been reading about the the experiences of owners using external LPS with their 2Qute with varied results... Wanted to know if the LPS is used for the laptop, will it better the sound quality even though the 2Qute is galvanically isolated ? If an LPS can improve the performance of an Sotm sms 200 as claimed by their manufacturer, will it yield a substantial improvement to a laptop as well ?


----------



## jayz

I am waiting to get a 2qute myself so no prior experience with it but my view is just buy/borrow a good quality LPS and try it for yourself. Apart from any implications to warranty, I cannot think of anything negative in trying out. 

However, normal reasoning says if ever there is a proven definite confirmed improvement to the optimum functioning of 2qute itself, Chord would have been the first to revise the standard supply. After all, they would want their DAC to be even better right? On the other hand, if it is the rest of the system that benefits from a better supply then that is something each of us will have to find out on a case by case basis.


----------



## elviscaprice (Dec 25, 2017)

panditji said:


> Need some help here... I have been using a simple music only i3 laptop with Jriver as a source connected by USB to my 2Qute..  I have been reading about the the experiences of owners using external LPS with their 2Qute with varied results... Wanted to know if the LPS is used for the laptop, will it better the sound quality even though the 2Qute is galvanically isolated ? If an LPS can improve the performance of an Sotm sms 200 as claimed by their manufacturer, will it yield a substantial improvement to a laptop as well ?



Digital source quality from power and clocking can effect SQ streaming to the DAC.  In addition quality of clocking and power within a DAC can effect SQ.  The clocking on the 2 Qute is pre-determined by Chord.  But the 2Qute accepts an outside 12V DC source for power, which I can control.  I can also control the quality of the clocked signal and power used to stream the audio stream to the DAC.  I find that all these factors I can control will effect, if not dramatically, the SQ of my audio.


----------



## michaelvv

panditji said:


> Need some help here... I have been using a simple music only i3 laptop with Jriver as a source connected by USB to my 2Qute..  I have been reading about the the experiences of owners using external LPS with their 2Qute with varied results... Wanted to know if the LPS is used for the laptop, will it better the sound quality even though the 2Qute is galvanically isolated ? If an LPS can improve the performance of an Sotm sms 200 as claimed by their manufacturer, will it yield a substantial improvement to a laptop as well ?



I'm using Tube PreAmp (4PL1) and Tube Amp (2A3), and the difference using LPS on both Dac and Streamer (i5 PC) is massive. A friend of mine have the Hugo2, and it's the same for the Hugo2. Don't know if it's only because of the tube setup, it Might be different for transistor amps.


----------



## Matez

miketlse said:


> So my advice to everyone thinking of buying themselves any Chord kit is do not buy because it is Christmas, but wait two weeks until CES2018, and you can make a more informed decision.



One good advice this is.


----------



## panditji

michaelvv said:


> I'm using Tube PreAmp (4PL1) and Tube Amp (2A3), and the difference using LPS on both Dac and Streamer (i5 PC) is massive. A friend of mine have the Hugo2, and it's the same for the Hugo2. Don't know if it's only because of the tube setup, it Might be different for transistor amps.



Very helpful advice sir..  Can I ask which LPS you are using sir?


----------



## Music Alchemist

michaelvv said:


> the difference using LPS on both Dac and Streamer (i5 PC) is massive. A friend of mine have the Hugo2, and it's the same for the Hugo2.



How would a linear power supply work with the Hugo 2 when it's battery-powered?

I have high-end software (Windows Server 2016 and AudiophileOptimizer) on my Alienware M11x R2 laptop, and I perceive an improvement in sound from that, but I did not hear a difference between plugged and unplugged as far as the laptop power supply goes. Wouldn't this mean that getting an aftermarket power supply for the laptop would be pointless in my case?


----------



## michaelvv

Music Alchemist said:


> How would a linear power supply work with the Hugo 2 when it's battery-powered?
> 
> https://chordelectronics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Hugo-2-User-Manual.pdf
> 
> ...



I was refering to a PC not a laptop, so I can't tell about batteries vs LPS.


----------



## michaelvv

panditji said:


> Very helpful advice sir..  Can I ask which LPS you are using sir?



It's a home made one I'm using.


----------



## Music Alchemist

michaelvv said:


> I was refering to a PC not a laptop, so I can't tell about batteries vs LPS.



Desktop, laptop, tablet, Windows, Mac...they're all PC (personal computer), FYI.

What about the Hugo 2? How does a linear power supply have anything to do with it?


----------



## michaelvv

>>How would a linear power supply work with the Hugo 2 when it's battery-powered?

https://chordelectronics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Hugo-2-User-Manual.pdf

According to their manual, and a _*measure*_ of 8.4 watt on my LPS in desktop mode. Their goes current through my LPS.

"After 24hrs on constant charge Hugo
2 will enter into Intelligent Desktop
Mode where the battery is neither
charged nor discharged. Hugo’s auto-
shutdown feature is now disabled"


----------



## michaelvv

As I wrote before, It could be my Tubes which just don't like Switch Mode Power Supplies, but when I
change to LPS the sound just get significant better.
If it doesn't give you any difference It's just fine, You'll save a lot of trouble and money too..

Are you using the Hugo2 directly to your headphones ???


----------



## Music Alchemist

michaelvv said:


> >>How would a linear power supply work with the Hugo 2 when it's battery-powered?
> 
> https://chordelectronics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Hugo-2-User-Manual.pdf
> 
> ...



This has already been discussed here. (Read the previous pages.) It still uses the battery; it just puts it on trickle-charge. So I don't see how you could use an external linear power supply to power it. Could you elaborate on what you did with a linear power supply and the Hugo 2?



michaelvv said:


> Are you using the Hugo2 directly to your headphones ???



I used to own the 2Qute and Mojo and want to buy the Hugo 2 (or perhaps 2Qute successor with Hugo 2 tech), DAVE, and Blu MkII (or whatever Chord's best is when the time comes) in the future.


----------



## michaelvv

Right now I have the 2Qute and a friend of mine has the Hugo2, which I have borrowed until
the start of 2018. In my setup their is a difference, but I don't think it's enough to justify the upgrade.


----------



## crayons23

michaelvv said:


> Right now I have the 2Qute and a friend of mine has the Hugo2, which I have borrowed until
> the start of 2018. In my setup their is a difference, but I don't think it's enough to justify the upgrade.


How much of a difference is it on a scale of 1 to 10 1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest amount?


----------



## panditji

I too would be interested in knowing although a friend who bought the Hugo2 coming from a 2Qute says the difference is there although I feel he says that after buying the Hugo2 blindly..


----------



## michaelvv

As wrote before I never will use headphones and I don't need the portability of my Dac, so
these features on the Hugo2 is unnecessary for me.

If you only need a "Desktop" Dac, I think the price difference would be better spend on a
better streaming setup, And if it matters in my cause It did a lot LPS for both Dac and streaming device.
I have build my own so it will be a lot cheaper, but for my 2Qute is was a fine upgrade. 

The two Dacs is not night and Day experience at all. I have listening to Hugo2 for at least 300+ hours and my own
2Qute for 1000+ hours. What i found is Hugo2 has slightly more details, which I discovered on complex music.

I was playing a 1969 recording of Mahler 3 symphony and I thought it was recorded in the late eighties. The separation
of the instruments was quite amazing and I liked the huge dynamics and the fine timing. After that I was playing Frank
 Zappa "Sheik Yerbouti" from 1979, this really blow me away. These are both records which do not suffer from
the loudness compression which almost all new albums does.

Today I just repeated it on my 2Qute, and the switched back to the Hugo2 just too compare them again.

Timbre is a little bit more realistic better on the Hugo2, the 2Qute is more laid-back not as forward as the Hugo2. If you
like a "warmer" sound in my system i'll prefer the 2Qute, despite the filter settings on the Hugo2.

If I should rate them and this is just numbers I'll give a 10 to the Hugo2 and a 8.7 - 8.9 to the 2Qute, where a higher number
is better, just my humble opinion. 

PS! In previous posts I have rated the 2qute as better than Hugo2 , but it really changed after my LPS upgrade. And as a lot have
wrote before try the ferrites on your cables, I have 10 on my USB cable it makes a difference.


----------



## panditji

Thank you sir for your detailed comparison... You have saved me quite a bit of money and I now look forward to upgrading my DAC with the 4Qute...


----------



## Music Alchemist

michaelvv said:


> In previous posts I have rated the 2qute as better than Hugo2 , but it really changed after my LPS upgrade.



I would still like to know how you use a linear power supply with the Hugo 2, since it is always battery-powered.


----------



## crayons23

michaelvv said:


> As wrote before I never will use headphones and I don't need the portability of my Dac, so
> these features on the Hugo2 is unnecessary for me.
> 
> If you only need a "Desktop" Dac, I think the price difference would be better spend on a
> ...


how would your thoughts feel if you were only using headphones? i ask because this is the case for me.


----------



## crayons23 (Dec 29, 2017)

panditji said:


> Thank you sir for your detailed comparison... You have saved me quite a bit of money and I now look forward to upgrading my DAC with the 4Qute...


you mean the 3qute.. however i just bought the 2qute recently for several reasons. 1)it's marked down, 2) from what i have been told a replacement will not happen until at earliest summer 18.  3) the difference as our friend mentioned above is not night and day. Chord has said they view hugo 2 as primarily portable and the 2qute as the best desktop dac/static option in that range. Had micheal said hugo 2 was a 10 and 2qute was a 6 i would be a little more bummed. however a 10 vs a 8.9 is not worth the 1200$ difference.


----------



## jbarrentine

crayons23 said:


> from what i have been told a replacement will not happen until at earliest summer 18.



Now I'm antsy. I REALLY want a new dac, but can't afford to both get the 2qute now and a follow up later. Truth be told the 2qute probably offers more than I would possibly need, but that URGE for more is hard to keep bottled up. Currently on a mimby.


----------



## michaelvv

Music Alchemist said:


> I would still like to know how you use a linear power supply with the Hugo 2, since it is always battery-powered.



Could be the fact that I remove the Switch Mode Power Supply from the Power Outlet. Actually I haven't heard the Hugo2 yet without Power Supply. How can 10 ferrites on the USB cable
change the sound quality as much as It does ???.


----------



## michaelvv

crayons23 said:


> how would your thoughts feel if you were only using headphones? i ask because this is the case for me.



I really can't tell you. Hugo2 is a really fine Dac. I'm so lucky I can borrow it time to time. If I was a headphone guy I think this would be the Dac.


----------



## andromeda1954

michaelvv said:


> I really can't tell you. Hugo2 is a really fine Dac. I'm so lucky I can borrow it time to time. If I was a headphone guy I think this would be the Dac.





Music Alchemist said:


> I would still like to know how you use a linear power supply with the Hugo 2, since it is always battery-powered.


 Hi guys I had the Hugo2 almost for a week and I decided to send It back to my supplier and keep my Qute2. For me the qute2 with S Booster as power supply ,in my configuration , sounded  as good and maybe better as the the Hugo2  The Hugo sounds more forward  in the midrange , The Qute2  has more space (deeper) I tried also the S Booster on the Hugo 2 . In imo the Hugo2 didn’t have much profit of the Sbooster I did not hear a significant difference like it is the case with the Qute2 . I will wait for the successor of the Qute2.


----------



## crayons23

andromeda1954 said:


> Hi guys I had the Hugo2 almost for a week and I decided to send It back to my supplier and keep my Qute2. For me the qute2 with S Booster as power supply ,in my configuration , sounded  as good and maybe better as the the Hugo2  The Hugo sounds more forward  in the midrange , The Qute2  has more space (deeper) I tried also the S Booster on the Hugo 2 . In imo the Hugo2 didn’t have much profit of the Sbooster I did not hear a significant difference like it is the case with the Qute2 . I will wait for the successor of the Qute2.


Are you using headphones or speakers?


----------



## andromeda1954

crayons23 said:


> Are you using headphones or speakers?


I use headphone( Sennheisser HD800S)


----------



## panditji

crayons23 said:


> you mean the 3qute.. however i just bought the 2qute recently for several reasons. 1)it's marked down, 2) from what i have been told a replacement will not happen until at earliest summer 18.  3) the difference as our friend mentioned above is not night and day. Chord has said they view hugo 2 as primarily portable and the 2qute as the best desktop dac/static option in that range. Had micheal said hugo 2 was a 10 and 2qute was a 6 i would be a little more bummed. however a 10 vs a 8.9 is not worth the 1200$ difference.



I mean the one after the 3Qute (whenever Chord releases it) The difference won't be much to justify upgrading to the 3Qute... I would wait for another 3-4 years and buy the one after 3Qute...


----------



## crayons23

andromeda1954 said:


> I use headphone( Sennheisser HD800S)


The 800S is what i am using as well. can you post a link to the sbooster you are using and share what voltage it is please? How much of a difference does it make on a scale of 1 to 10?


----------



## andromeda1954

crayons23 said:


> The 800S is what i am using as well. can you post a link to the sbooster you are using and share what voltage it is please? How much of a difference does it make on a scale of 1 to 10?


ttps://www.sbooster.com.It  makes a huge difference, on a scale of 1 to 10  I would say 7 to 8


----------



## crayons23 (Dec 29, 2017)

andromeda1954 said:


> ttps://www.sbooster.com.It  makes a huge difference, on a scale of 1 to 10  I would say 7 to 8


Which model are using of sbooster for the 2qute? Never mind i see it says the 12V


----------



## crayons23

has anyone ever tried the isilencer usb 3.0 by ifi? it's only 50$US so a small investment. it has lots of positive reviews.


----------



## Music Alchemist

jbarrentine said:


> Now I'm antsy. I REALLY want a new dac, but can't afford to both get the 2qute now and a follow up later. Truth be told the 2qute probably offers more than I would possibly need, but that URGE for more is hard to keep bottled up. Currently on a mimby.



I compared the 2Qute and Modi Multibit directly when I owned them. To my ears, the 2Qute is faster, cleaner, even more dynamic, resolving, musical, etc.

As for affording things, you can always sell, trade, etc. in the future.



michaelvv said:


> Could be the fact that I remove the Switch Mode Power Supply from the Power Outlet. Actually I haven't heard the Hugo2 yet without Power Supply.



Oh, you made it seem like you were somehow powering the Hugo 2 with an LPS directly. As far as I know, you can only connect chargers to it.



michaelvv said:


> How can 10 ferrites on the USB cable
> change the sound quality as much as It does ???.



Read this post about how ferrite cores improve the performance of the DAVE: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/does-chord-dave-system-need-a-dcc.809287/#post-13799263


----------



## andromeda1954

crayons23 said:


> Which model are using of sbooster for the 2qute? Never mind i see it says the 12V


https://www.sbooster.com/botw-pp-eco-12v-132v/?language=en


----------



## crayons23

Music Alchemist said:


> I compared the 2Qute and Modi Multibit directly when I owned them. To my ears, the 2Qute is faster, cleaner, even more dynamic, resolving, musical, etc.
> 
> As for affording things, you can always sell, trade, etc. in the future.
> 
> ...




I think the 2qute is leaps and bounds ahead of both the modi uber and bifrost mb. i tried both.


----------



## MWSVette

crayons23 said:


> I think the 2qute is leaps and bounds ahead of both the modi uber and bifrost mb. i tried both.



Not sure I would compare the Schiit DACs at $149 and $399 to a $1300.00+ DAC.

And if I did, I would then expect the $1300 DAC to leaps and bounds ahead...


----------



## crayons23

MWSVette said:


> Not sure I would compare the Schiit DACs at $149 and $399 to a $1300.00+ DAC.
> 
> And if I did, I would then expect the $1300 DAC to leaps and bounds ahead...


I fully agree but people on this forum are so in love with schiit it could be easy for someone who
has not compared to think otherwise.


----------



## MWSVette

crayons23 said:


> I fully agree but people on this forum are so in love with schiit it could be easy for someone who
> has not compared to think otherwise.



There is a good reason a lot of people love Schiit.  They make great equipment at a great price.


----------



## crayons23

MWSVette said:


> There is a good reason a lot of people love Schiit.  They make great equipment at a great price.



I am not one of those people thus i have invested in the 2qute.


----------



## MWSVette

crayons23 said:


> I am not one of those people thus i have invested in the 2qute.



Congrats on your purchase.  Of course that's why there are lots of companies and makes and models from which to choose.

Its all about personal preference...


----------



## OctavianH

I use this one and the difference was quite...big:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0115NEVG4/
(maybe because before it I was using the 2Qute plugged directly near my PC...who knows)


----------



## OctavianH

Hello,

Anyone reinstalled recently the Win 10 1709 and had problems with the 2Qute driver like "windows cannot verify the signature of the driver"? Any solutions to this?


----------



## miketlse

OctavianH said:


> Hello,
> 
> Anyone reinstalled recently the Win 10 1709 and had problems with the 2Qute driver like "windows cannot verify the signature of the driver"? Any solutions to this?


I have read that this type of issue arises, because windows checks by default, whether the signature was registered with one of the big signature providers. If chord have used one of the smaller signature providers, windows by default will not be able to verify the driver. You can still use the driver, if you are happy that it is not corrupted by a virus.


----------



## OctavianH

I fixed it by installing the first win 10 driver they released (before the Creators Update ones). That one works perfectly, not like the ones I have downloaded today from the website. So if anyone has problems, I can upload the old one and share.


----------



## Music Alchemist

An alternative to Windows 10 (which can give you better sound quality anyway, believe it or not) is Windows Server 2016 Standard. It has a free 180 day trial that can be extended multiple times. Paired with AudiophileOptimizer, it sounds clearly better to me than normal Windows operating systems despite being bit-perfect. I used this software with the 2Qute and made a post about it before:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-2qute-dac-announced.749582/page-77#post-13513572


----------



## dawktah2

I was browsing the Chord site and the FPGA taps isn't listed for all of their DACs.  Why do they make this information hard to find?  Just trying to find a list of all of their DACs in order.


----------



## elviscaprice (Jan 5, 2018)

Or you could do your own optimization of Windows 10 Pro (free copy non licensed), as good or better than AO in Server 2016 core.   I do all my own optimization for free and use JRiver with my sCLK-EX server direct into the 2Qute.

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/...community-effort/?tab=comments#comment-448787

I never update Windows 10.  Been using the same version since it first came out.  Have it loaded to a key, ready for install anytime.


----------



## Music Alchemist (Jan 5, 2018)

dawktah2 said:


> I was browsing the Chord site and the FPGA taps isn't listed for all of their DACs.  Why do they make this information hard to find?  Just trying to find a list of all of their DACs in order.



Here ya go! (I already did the research for you.)

DAC 64: 1,024
QuteHD: 10,240
QBD76 HDSD: 18,432
Hugo, 2Qute, Hugo TT: 26,368 (The Mojo has about twice as many taps, but at half speed, so it's effectively the same.)
Hugo 2: 49,152
DAVE: 164,000
Blu MkII: 1,015,808 (Only when paired with a coax DAC that supports 768 kHz, such as the Hugo 2 and DAVE. The tap count decreases with lower sample rate DACs.)

Note that tap lengths are only one factor out of many. The power supply and pulse array elements are important, for example.



elviscaprice said:


> Or you could do your own optimization of Windows 10 Pro (free copy non licensed), as good or better than AO in Server 2016 core.   I do all my own optimization for free and use JRiver with my sCLK-EX server direct into the 2Qute.
> 
> https://www.computeraudiophile.com/...community-effort/?tab=comments#comment-448787
> 
> I never update Windows 10.  Been using the same version since it first came out.  Have it loaded to a key, ready for install anytime.



Did you compare them yourself? If so, what improvements do you hear beyond Windows Server 2016 Standard + AO?

By the way, I meant to ask you about something. You mentioned before that battery-powered Chord DAC/amps sound inferior to you. Could you elaborate on this? Like list the ones you compared, how they differ in sound, the systems you used, etc. Did you use the same external amp when comparing them?

I think I will end up going for the Hugo 2 even if the 2Qute successor ends up being even better, for the following reasons:


Ability to drive headphones and sensitive passive speakers directly from it for potentially higher transparency
Ability to use it as a digital preamp
Some say it sounds even better than all non-Chord DACs, including ones that cost six figures
Portability
It looks cool


----------



## dawktah2 (Jan 5, 2018)

Music Alchemist said:


> Here ya go! (I already did the research for you.)
> 
> DAC 64: 1,024
> QuteHD: 10,240
> ...



Awesome thanks!  The 2Qute or its successor suits me the best since I am planning on a Woo WA33 and want to use it exclusively as the headphone amp. I am just afraid of buyers remorse as soon as I buy a 2Qute its successor will come out. I also would like to avoid the presets that I'll be tempted to play around with on a Hugo 2


----------



## AndrewOld

dawktah2 said:


> Awesome thanks!  The 2Qute or its successor suits me the best since I am planning on a Woo WA33 and want to use it exclusively as the headphone amp. I am just afraid of buyers remorse as soon as I buy a 2Qute its successor will come out. I also would like to avoid the presets that I'll be tempted to play around with on a Hugo 2



In the UK new 2Qutes are being sold with a sizeable £200 discount (by Fanthorpes Audio). A reasonable person might speculate there is a replacement product soon to be launched. CES begins in a couple of days time. I’d wait!


----------



## Music Alchemist

AndrewOld said:


> In the UK new 2Qutes are being sold with a sizeable £200 discount (by Fanthorpes Audio). A reasonable person might speculate there is a replacement product soon to be launched. CES begins in a couple of days time. I’d wait!



On January 4th, Chord posted this on their Facebook page with the comment: "Something new..."







(Americans like myself would normally interpret the listed date as September 1st, but it obviously means January 9th.)

I highly doubt the 2Qute successor will be unveiled yet, though...


----------



## crayons23 (Jan 6, 2018)

If i were a betting man i would bet the next gen model will cost as much as a hugo 2 at least. i was also told that there will not be a successor until at least the summer. if i had to guess i would guess next will be a mojo 2...


----------



## AndrewOld

Music Alchemist said:


> On January 4th, Chord posted this on their Facebook page with the comment: "Something new..."
> 
> 
> 
> ...



If you look at the comments on that Facebook post you might find one new product ..


----------



## Music Alchemist

AndrewOld said:


> If you look at the comments on that Facebook post you might find one new product ..



I saw all the comments. Someone linked to a supposed photo of a "MoGo DAP"...but it just looks like someone Photoshopped pics of a Mojo and smartphone together. Seems fake to me. We won't know what the new product(s) is until an official announcement.


----------



## crayons23

I was told by two major audio retailers (that don't sell chord at all) that a 2qute successor
 would not come out until at least summer 18.. who knows..


----------



## panditji

I read about the discounted 2Qutes too...And that makes me want to believe that the successor to the 2Qute might be unveiled....We will find out in a couple of days...


----------



## panditji (Jan 6, 2018)

On another note, has anyone tried the Wyred 4 Sound Reclocker device with the 2Qute? Does it make any difference in SQ? 

Also if the new 2Qute is not unveiled, then I would like to experiment with an HDPlex linear power supply to use with the 2Qute as well as my music only Dell laptop source.. Any experience with the HDplex 200 LPS ? Have been told by the owner Larry that the new one even has an RFI/EMI filter ...


----------



## andromeda1954

panditji said:


> I read about the discounted 2Qutes too...And that makes me want to believe that the successor to the 2Qute might be unveiled....We will find out in a couple of days...


According my supplier (official importer of Chord  in the Netherlands )there would be no successor befor 2019


----------



## miketlse

crayons23 said:


> I was told by two major audio retailers (that don't sell chord at all) that a 2qute successor
> would not come out until at least summer 18.. who knows..


Your retailers may well be giving you the most up-to-date/realistic information that they have.
There is more than one product development strategy:

Apple are famous for developing products in great internal secrecy, then presenting the *finished* product at an Apple event, with the product available at their stores within hours/days
Chord use the opposite approach, of developing products with less secrecy (JF and RW do post occasional details on head-fi), and then presenting the *pre-production prototypes* at an event like CES, and then capturing feedback from dealers, beta-testers, headfiers, etc, to drive any last minute fine-tuning of the product design (eg adding USB input to Blu2, enhancements to the Poly code, etc). But this does mean that the *final production versions* of products are not available to ship for several months. 
So maybe what your audio retailers are trying to communicate, is that for 3Qute (or whatever it is called) the earliest scenario is a release to the press at CES2018, followed by shipping in the summer of 2018.
Another 3 days, and we will know for sure.


----------



## miketlse

AndrewOld said:


> In the UK new 2Qutes are being sold with a sizeable £200 discount (by Fanthorpes Audio). A reasonable person might speculate there is a replacement product soon to be launched. CES begins in a couple of days time. I’d wait!


Fanthorpes also have an ex-demo Chord One CD Player available at a discount of £1800, so the Chord One is also a candidate for an update at CES.


----------



## panditji

For the 2Qute DACs, they said they have a bunch of brand new units available at discounts which is different from selling a demo unit sir


----------



## miketlse

panditji said:


> For the 2Qute DACs, they said they have a bunch of brand new units available at discounts which is different from selling a demo unit sir


What point are you trying to make? I never claimed that the 2Qute units were ex-demo. Have you paused to wonder why their supplier suddenly has a batch of brand new units available at a discount?

If Fanthorpes have got wind of a Chord One update being announced in 3 days, they will appreciate that their current demo model is suddenly 'last years model', and less interesting for some prospective customers.
It makes sense to sell the current demo model at an attractive price, to clear the shelves, to make space for demo models of an updated Chord One.
Retailers have been adopting this strategy, for many years.


----------



## panditji

Got it..Misunderstood your post .... So we now wait eagerly for Chord to make the announcement...


----------



## miketlse

panditji said:


> Got it..Misunderstood your post .... So we now wait eagerly for Chord to make the announcement...


I thought that there might be some confusion, so it was best to clarify things. 
It is possible that the 2Qute discounts are simply normal during the UK January sales period.
Chord updated the Blu last January, so maybe it is the turn of the Chord One this year. I can't imagine them calling it the Chord One2, surely not. 
Another three days and we will know.


----------



## Music Alchemist

Here's a lesser-known Chord product: a DAC and integrated stereo amplifier in a Chordette chassis.

https://www.whathifi.com/chord-electronics/chordette-scamp/review
https://www.thecableco.com/chordette-scamp-power-amp-and-dac.html

I couldn't even find it on their website. It's from many years ago, so obviously the DAC isn't going to be as good as the 2Qute, but I'd still like to hear it.
















miketlse said:


> Apple are famous for developing products in great internal secrecy, then presenting the *finished* product at an Apple event, with the product available at their stores within hours/days



Or having videos leaked of their workers producing said product.


----------



## miketlse

Music Alchemist said:


> Here's a lesser-known Chord product: a DAC and integrated stereo amplifier in a Chordette chassis.
> 
> https://www.whathifi.com/chord-electronics/chordette-scamp/review
> https://www.thecableco.com/chordette-scamp-power-amp-and-dac.html
> ...


Son-Video have had this Scamp in their destocking webpage for many months. Only €514 if anyone is tempted.


----------



## Music Alchemist

miketlse said:


> Son-Video have had this Scamp in their destocking webpage for many months. Only €514 if anyone is tempted.



Thanks for the tip!

I'd just be worried how much better it would be (if at all) than my power amp. (Which is also class AB and has a ton more power.)


----------



## dawktah2 (Jan 6, 2018)

Well summer 2018 is perfect for me. I'm going to be checking Chord Instagram site  A new version of HugoTT could be tempting...


----------



## crayons23

any thoughts on this item? the price is right, that's for sure. https://www.ebay.com/i/322540321746?chn=ps


----------



## miketlse

crayons23 said:


> any thoughts on this item? the price is right, that's for sure. https://www.ebay.com/i/322540321746?chn=ps


Your link does not open correctly.
I presume that you mean this link https://www.ebay.com/i/322540321746
Maybe someone has used this power supply.


----------



## crayons23

miketlse said:


> Your link does not open correctly.
> I presume that you mean this link https://www.ebay.com/i/322540321746
> Maybe someone has used this power supply.


Correct that is what i was referring to, only 125$ US


----------



## miketlse

crayons23 said:


> Correct that is what i was referring to, only 125$ US


Only one other person has asked about that power supply on this thread, and it looks like no-one replied, so you may not get any response either.
However there are a few posts about the power supply on the wider forum.


----------



## Light - Man

I have copied and pasted some stuff from 2 previous posts of mine

Just to mention the alternative to a new upgraded *psu*, you could also use a good *12 volt car battery* as a cheaper alternative and which may even be better.

I have had some PM's with others on this thread and they reckon a *psu* upgrade improves the SQ on the 2 Qute.

I have recently (14 months ago now) got a car battery for my Musical fidelity V90 DAC and I reckon that it improve the SQ.

I always check the voltage and polarity of any new psu before using it.

If anyone is using a 12v battery, make sure your DAC is *switched off* while charging the battery as the charging voltage is usually higher than the normal voltage ( may be up to 14v) and therefore may damage your DAC

The only thing putting me off the 2Qute is the fixed *3 volt output* which may be too much for my integrated amp.


----------



## crayons23

Light - Man said:


> I have copied and pasted some stuff from 2 previous posts of mine
> 
> Just to mention the alternative to a new upgraded *psu*, you could also use a good *12 volt car battery* as a cheaper alternative and which may even be better.
> 
> ...


Since i don't have the electronic skills that you have, not being able to test polarity etc. what do you think
of the teradak battery i posted?


----------



## Light - Man

crayons23 said:


> Since i don't have the electronic skills that you have, not being able to test polarity etc. what do you think
> of the teradak battery i posted?



It would be a bad idea for me to comment on an item that I know nothing about.

It might have a benefit to the sound but it might not, it might be safe but it might not..................

Another option for you is to investigate a mains filtering device (with multiple socket outlets) that could benefit your other electronic equipment - like your amp, etc.

So you could plug your existing power supply (wall wart) that comes with your 2Qute and plug it into the mains filtering device.

I use the Weiduka ac8.8 but it does not appear to meet the electrical safety standards in the UK as it does not have the child friendly anti-tamper mechanism that is standard in sockets in the UK and Ireland.  

Another option is for you to use  some Snap on Ferrite Core Bead Choke Rings that fit onto power cords/cables and are supposed to be RFI EMI Noise Suppressor Filters, they come in various Diameters.


----------



## dawktah2 (Jan 8, 2018)

Just noticed moon-audio has HugoTT $800 off...

Nothing on 2Qute


----------



## Music Alchemist (Jan 8, 2018)

dawktah2 said:


> Just noticed moon-audio has HugoTT $800 off...
> 
> Nothing on 2Qute



It's been at $3,995 for a long time now, so I don't think of it as $800 off. Also, it has always been £2,995 (a little over $4,000 USD) in the UK. It's just the US that has these elevated prices.

The 2Qute was originally $1,795 in the US (but £995 in the UK) and is currently $1,345. You could think of it as $450 off in the same way, except not really because this is only the original US price being significantly higher than in the UK. The US price did increase a bit since I bought it from Moon Audio in April 2017 for $1,295.


----------



## dawktah2 (Jan 8, 2018)

Music Alchemist said:


> It's been at $3,995 for a long time now, so I don't think of it as $800 off. Also, it has always been £2,995 (a little over $4,000 USD) in the UK. It's just the US that has these elevated prices.
> 
> The 2Qute price actually increased (from $1,295 to $1,345) since I bought it from Moon Audio in May 2017. (At least it's not the $1,795 it was originally.)



I hope that price increase is related to decline of the dollar...

Ironically, watching a video interview with Rob Watts who CES 2016 said next big product is an A/V DAC....   

24 hours to go till announcement


----------



## Music Alchemist (Jan 8, 2018)

dawktah2 said:


> I hope that price increase is related to decline of the dollar...



I edited my post, so check it again.

Some of the US prices used to be higher because the US distributor made that decision. The UK prices have stayed the same. Now the US prices are closer to the UK prices.

I believe the reason for the reduction in US prices (roughly matched to the UK, unlike before) is due to an agreement between the US distributor and Chord themselves.

£995 is about $1,350 USD, so the prices are about the same in both places now for the 2Qute as well.


----------



## jayz

Will there be a Chord electronics CES live cast, is anyone aware of exact time? Eager to watch live even if that means getting up early hours in the UK.


----------



## panditji

Here we go...The Qutest is launched at CES 

https://www.speakershack.co.uk/articleResult.php?subject=2&record=2439


----------



## x RELIC x

M scaler input capability is the headline feature, IMO. NICE!


----------



## jayz (Jan 9, 2018)

The signs were there when dealers started dumping 2qutes for £735 ish on ebay - these are still great buys IMO if you don't want latest and greatest.

What we need now (next year?) is a digital player with integrated Mscaler and I will have reached my end-game setup.


----------



## dawktah2 (Jan 9, 2018)

https://www.speakershack.co.uk/articleResult.php?subject=2&record=2439[/QUOTE]

My browser doesn't like this URL


----------



## dawktah2

Found another article WHOOO HOOOO! Sign me up!


----------



## AndrewOld

Doesn’t look like there’s a volume control .. wonder what the output level is?


jayz said:


> The signs were there when dealers started dumping 2qutes for £735 ish on ebay - these are still great buys IMO if you don't want latest and greatest.
> 
> What we need now (next year?) is a digital player with integrated Mscaler and I will have reached my end-game setup.



This and the Hugo2 have M Scaler inputs - there has to be a straight M Scaler in the works.


----------



## x RELIC x

AndrewOld said:


> Doesn’t look like there’s a volume control .. wonder what the output level is?



3Vrms according to the article. Same as all Rob’s DACs line-out level.


----------



## Bulbsofpassion

"A further new feature is a user-selectable output voltage available in 1, 2 and 3V RMS outputs for flexible connectivity with partnering devices."


----------



## gad1

My inner child wants to place an advance order.  That nagging adult side
says cool it.  Pioneers sometimes get arrows in the back.


----------



## seeteeyou

Bulbsofpassion said:


> "A further new feature is a user-selectable output voltage available in 1, 2 and 3V RMS outputs for flexible connectivity with partnering devices."


Quick question for @Rob Watts , could that user-selectable output voltage enable RCA outputs of Quetest to drive headphones directly with the right adapters? No such luck with 2Qute because of its fixed line-out @ 3V, but I wonder if Quetest were having like this from Hugo by any chance?


----------



## Triode User

seeteeyou said:


> Quick question for @Rob Watts , could that user-selectable output voltage enable RCA outputs of Quetest to drive headphones directly with the right adapters? No such luck with 2Qute because of its fixed line-out @ 3V, but I wonder if Quetest were having like this from Hugo by any chance?



Of course Rob can reply, but just read the specs, it does not have a headphone amp and as such has no ability to output to any device, ie headphones, that requires current as well as volts. 

Otherwise people would already have been been using passive volume controls on other DACs and outputting to headphones. But they don't, because you can't.


----------



## Rob Watts

3 volume settings would not be enough - you would have to use a source volume control.


----------



## AndrewOld

Rob Watts said:


> 3 volume settings would not be enough - you would have to use a source volume control.



J River has a digital volume control using 64 bit arithmetic and a choice of dither, including TPDF. Might be useful.


----------



## seeteeyou

Rob Watts said:


> 3 volume settings would not be enough - you would have to use a source volume control.


Thanks @Rob Watts for the prompt reply.

This gentleman was driving his highly efficient Omega Super 8XRS speakers directly with 2Qute and he's running JRiver Media Center under Windows 10

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/...rd-2qute/?page=14&tab=comments#comment-667497


> With the limited one op-amp up to 3V (line level) and having to use JRiver for volume control, I find I need to convert DSD on the fly to PCM 192, in order to control volume digitally.


BTW, I understand that you might not be willing to spill the beans at this point but are you expecting that DAVINA or another standalone M-Scaler product with USB outputs would perform better than dual BNC coaxial outputs from Blu Mk. 2?


----------



## dmance

Qutest USB input is 32-bits ...which gives any software player lots of headroom to implement volume control right at the source.  I see no problem with this.  24-bits of music data, 8-bits of volume.  Maybe DAVE/Hugo2 volume control implemented deep in the pulse array would benefit from some noise shaping when down-interpolated from the WTA ...but i doubt that is audible.


----------



## dawktah2

Bulbsofpassion said:


> "A further new feature is a user-selectable output voltage available in 1, 2 and 3V RMS outputs for flexible connectivity with partnering devices."



This feature alone is what I was hoping for since the 3V was described in another thread as being too much for the amp I am selecting.


----------



## Music Alchemist (Jan 9, 2018)

I started a Qutest thread with info and photos!

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-qutest-the-successor-to-the-2qute-with-hugo-2-tech.869416/

Feel free to focus the Qutest discussion there to help keep the 2Qute thread on-topic.



jayz said:


> What we need now (next year?) is a digital player with integrated Mscaler and I will have reached my end-game setup.



Could you describe what you mean by digital player? Because the Blu MkII can already accept a digital source like a PC or music server; it just doesn't play digital files directly.



Triode User said:


> Of course Rob can reply, but just read the specs, it does not have a headphone amp and as such has no ability to output to any device, ie headphones, that requires current as well as volts.
> 
> Otherwise people would already have been been using passive volume controls on other DACs and outputting to headphones. But they don't, because you can't.



Actually, you can; it's just not what you're supposed to do. @Beolab drove headphones directly from the 2Qute. I lost the link to his post, but you should be able to find it easily enough. From what I recall, he mentioned that it sounded pretty good. And driving speakers directly from it was mentioned above.


----------



## jayz

Hey  can someone create a new thread for chord qutest? Guess it will have to be done as soon as it is officially announced.


----------



## Music Alchemist

jayz said:


> Hey  can someone create a new thread for chord qutest? Guess it will have to be done as soon as it is officially announced.



You haven't been reading this thread or browsing the dedicated source components forum. There are already two threads. I started one and then Chord made an official one soon after.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-qutest-the-successor-to-the-2qute-with-hugo-2-tech.869416/
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-qutest-dac-official-thread.869417/


----------



## crayons23

what is m scaler? excuse my ignorance..


----------



## Music Alchemist

crayons23 said:


> what is m scaler? excuse my ignorance..



The advanced tech in the Blu MkII that enables over one million taps. (Which relate to timing accuracy and how complex the interpolation filter is.)


----------



## crayons23

if i am just streaming from tidal is it even an upgrade from the 2qute?


----------



## Music Alchemist

crayons23 said:


> if i am just streaming from tidal is it even an upgrade from the 2qute?



By "it" do you mean the Qutest?

Just about everyone says the Hugo 2 sounds better than the 2Qute. But I have not seen Qutest impressions yet.

In my experience, when there is a significant improvement, it's very audible no matter what your source material is. And TIDAL is pretty high quality.


----------



## crayons23

Music Alchemist said:


> By "it" do you mean the Qutest?
> 
> Just about everyone says the Hugo 2 sounds better than the 2Qute. But I have not seen Qutest impressions yet.
> 
> In my experience, when there is a significant improvement, it's very audible no matter what your source material is. And TIDAL is pretty high quality.


yes i meant would qutest be a huge upgrade. i only recently got the 2 qute, and i am pretty happy with it. i was told the hugo 2 is a 10 out of 10 and the 2qute is a 9 so.. i guess it's all speculation because no one has compared the two yet.


----------



## Arniesb

I think qutest will be a notably better because i think wall wart is better power source than battery and better usb.


----------



## Music Alchemist

Arniesb said:


> I think qutest will be a notably better because i think wall wart is better power source than battery and better usb.



But the 2Qute has an external power supply too.


----------



## jbarrentine

Bought a used 2qute yesterday for 950. Was just told by moon audio the new ones return to 1495 at the end if the month. The qutest will almost certainly be 1800. 

I figure I did good at 950. Hell I only have an hd600 anyway 

Guess the hs800s is the next upgrade.


----------



## crayons23 (Jan 9, 2018)

jbarrentine said:


> Bought a used 2qute yesterday for 950. Was just told by moon audio the new ones return to 1495 at the end if the month. The qutest will almost certainly be 1800.
> 
> I figure I did good at 950. Hell I only have an hd600 anyway
> 
> Guess the hs800s is the next upgrade.


2qute sounds killer with the hd 800 S and a good amp. you did great at 950 BTW!! I am kinda irrated at moon audio because the guy told me there would be no upgrade to the 2 qute until summer at least.. guess that was poor advice.. oh well..


----------



## dawktah2

crayons23 said:


> 2qute sounds killer with the hd 800 S and a good amp. you did great at 950 BTW!! I am kinda irrated at moon audio because the guy told me there would be no upgrade to the 2 qute until summer at least.. guess that was poor advice.. oh well..



When I read that post I was a little taken aback since Hugo was followed by 2Qute so Hugo 2 followed by I said 3Qute now Qutest, made sense.


----------



## soundkist

gad1 said:


> My inner child wants to place an advance order.  That nagging adult side
> says cool it.  Pioneers sometimes get arrows in the back.



And almost always in the front, if you include your wallet in the target zone!


----------



## crayons23

Don't be surprised if they jack the price if the first run of sales are high.. that seems to be the norm these days.


----------



## GraveNoX

2Qute can be used with something like http://www.jblpro.com/www/products/recording-broadcast/monitor-controllers/nano-patch-plus or http://www.jblpro.com/www/products/recording-broadcast/monitor-controllers/m-patch-2 directly to headphones ?
For example I tried RCA from Hugo 2 directly to headphones and it sound a little better than 3.5mm
3 Volts should be enough for many headphones and it should sound better than adding a separate amp.


----------



## Triode User (Jan 10, 2018)

GraveNoX said:


> 2Qute can be used with something like http://www.jblpro.com/www/products/recording-broadcast/monitor-controllers/nano-patch-plus or http://www.jblpro.com/www/products/recording-broadcast/monitor-controllers/m-patch-2 directly to headphones ?
> For example I tried RCA from Hugo 2 directly to headphones and it sound a little better than 3.5mm
> 3 Volts should be enough for many headphones and it should sound better than adding a separate amp.



But voltage is one thing and power, ie ability to deliver current, is completely different. You cannot just say that 3v is enough if the device cannot deliver the power. 

It’s a bit like having a very thin hosepipe that has high water pressure in it but as soon as you open the end and try to get water out just a little dribble comes out because the hosepipe cannot deliver the volume of water because it is so narrow.


----------



## Danny86

2qute replacement announced:

https://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/qutest/

variable output voltage (3V,2V,1V). still no volume control unfortunately. also has strange micro usb power connector, restricting the use of LPSs.


----------



## michaelvv

Properly this would work for the Chord qutest. It does for the Hugo2.

https://www.tme.eu/gb/details/dc.red.0200.0020/dc-power-cords/bq-cable/


----------



## Music Alchemist

Danny86 said:


> 2qute replacement announced:



Um...this has only been what everyone has been talking about for the past day. I guess some people don't read the thread...


----------



## jbarrentine

Got my 2qute. It's wonderful.


----------



## soundkist

jbarrentine said:


> Got my 2qute. It's wonderful.



Congrats!  It's an excellent DAC...


----------



## jbarrentine

You know, it's better than my mimby, but not BETTER. It does everything well, especially that incredible black background but it sounds remarkably like the mimby in many ways. The difference is appreciable but not "omg" in any sense. More than being struck by how incredible the 2qute is when I got it I was struck by how awesome the mimby must be. I imagine between mimby and the higher end Schiit stuff there's not a lot of performance wiggle room. 

These opinions might change once I move up the headphone spectrum from hd600.


----------



## crayons23 (Jan 13, 2018)

jbarrentine said:


> You know, it's better than my mimby, but not BETTER. It does everything well, especially that incredible black background but it sounds remarkably like the mimby in many ways. The difference is appreciable but not "omg" in any sense. More than being struck by how incredible the 2qute is when I got it I was struck by how awesome the mimby must be. I imagine between mimby and the higher end Schiit stuff there's not a lot of performance wiggle room.
> 
> These opinions might change once I move up the headphone spectrum from hd600.


 In my opinion, the 2qute is significantly better than mimby as well as bifrost mb. i would venture to guess that it's better or on par with any dac schiit makes. I would upgrade to the hd 800 S and then get the best amp you can afford as well. you are on the right track!


----------



## soundkist (Jan 14, 2018)

Re-configuring my home listening setup, and somewhat confused... I want to free my 2qute from my computer, and connect it to my integrated amp via a short RCA interconnect.  Want to use coax/bnc connection for long run to 2qute because it says it accepts up to 384kHz, but can't for the life of me find a device(simple USB decoder preferred) that _outputs _384kHz via coax/bnc.  I'm guessing 192kHz is actually the max??  What then is the point of the 2qute's claimed capability in that regard??


----------



## Music Alchemist

soundkist said:


> Re-configuring my home listening setup, and somewhat confused... I want to free my 2qute from my computer, and connect it to my integrated amp via a short RCA interconnect.  Want to use coax/bnc connection for long run to 2qute because it says it accepts up to 384kHz, but can't for the life of me find a device(simple USB decoder preferred) that _outputs _384kHz via coax/bnc.  I'm guessing 192kHz is actually the max??  What then is the point of the 2qute's claimed capability in that regard??



The point is to support devices that can do that, whether now or in the future. But conversely, there's no point playing files higher than lossless 16-bit / 44.1 kHz (the PCM Red Book standard) because there's no audible benefit. (This is different from the advanced upsampling and other digital processing Chord DACs do.) Reference links below.

https://people.xiph.org/~xiphmont/demo/neil-young.html
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/24bit-vs-16bit-the-myth-exploded.415361/


----------



## soundkist

Music Alchemist said:


> The point is to support devices that can do that, whether now or in the future. But conversely, there's no point playing files higher than lossless 16-bit / 44.1 kHz (the PCM Red Book standard) because there's no audible benefit. (This is different from the advanced upsampling and other digital processing Chord DACs do.) Reference links below.
> 
> https://people.xiph.org/~xiphmont/demo/neil-young.html
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/24bit-vs-16bit-the-myth-exploded.415361/



Cool, thanks; *are* there any devices that can do that currently?


----------



## Music Alchemist

soundkist said:


> Cool, thanks; *are* there any devices that can do that currently?



I don't know, but why would you want or need it?


----------



## soundkist

Music Alchemist said:


> I don't know, but why would you want or need it?



Just curious, thanks!


----------



## crayons23

Music Alchemist said:


> The point is to support devices that can do that, whether now or in the future. But conversely, there's no point playing files higher than lossless 16-bit / 44.1 kHz (the PCM Red Book standard) because there's no audible benefit. (This is different from the advanced upsampling and other digital processing Chord DACs do.) Reference links below.
> 
> https://people.xiph.org/~xiphmont/demo/neil-young.html
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/24bit-vs-16bit-the-myth-exploded.415361/


what are your thoughts on upsampling with a roon based hq network player such as signalyst? i feel like i can hear a noticeable difference on classical music. however i am not sure i can justify the high cost of the hqplayer.


----------



## Music Alchemist

crayons23 said:


> what are your thoughts on upsampling with a roon based hq network player such as signalyst? i feel like i can hear a noticeable difference on classical music. however i am not sure i can justify the high cost of the hqplayer.



I posted about this before, including recently. Read this post:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...-official-thread.869417/page-11#post-13971064

Basically, doing extreme software upsampling (and noise shaping, etc.) can help most DACs, but with Chord DACs, it interferes with the much more advanced digital processing of the DAC and results in lower fidelity. Rob Watts has gone into depth about this, but I lost the links to his posts, so you'd have to track them down or ask him to get all the details.

If you bypass the digital processing of HQPlayer and use its Network Audio Adapter feature, it can have objective benefits when used with a network player, Roon, etc.

Which network player are you using? I'd like to eventually get this one: https://www.sotm-audio.com/sotmwp/english/portfolio-item/sms-200ultra/


----------



## dmance

Music Alchemist said:


> ...
> Basically, doing extreme software upsampling (and noise shaping, etc.) can help most DACs, but with Chord DACs, it interferes with the much more advanced digital processing of the DAC and results in lower fidelity. /



This does not make sense ...what is an external M-Scaler doing?  Basically just what a software upscaler is doing:  taking redbook CD resolution content and upscaling it to 705.6kHz.  So if there could be a software upscaler doing the same thing as M-Scaler  - "exactly the same processing" - then the sound would be the same.


----------



## crayons23 (Jan 14, 2018)

Music Alchemist said:


> I posted about this before, including recently. Read this post:
> 
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...-official-thread.869417/page-11#post-13971064
> 
> ...


I am on a trial version of this, https://www.signalyst.com/consumer.html

 but i will not purchase it for the retail price. it does lower fidelity on some songs but for example on Goulds Goldberg Variation (version 2) it makes the sound significantly better. SOTM makes a more inexpensive version as well i had looked at but not ready for this at this time.


----------



## Music Alchemist

dmance said:


> This does not make sense ...what is an external M-Scaler doing? Basically just what a software upscaler is doing: taking redbook CD resolution content and upscaling it to 705.6kHz.



Not even close. It's exponentially more complex than simply telling a software program to upsample the file to 705.6 kHz. Please research it, or better yet, talk to @Rob Watts about it.



dmance said:


> So if there could be a software upscaler doing the same thing as M-Scaler - "exactly the same processing" - then the sound would be the same.



"If" is a big word here.

The Blu MkII costs over $10K and has technology that has never been seen before. If a simple software program could do it, well...I'd love for that to happen, but I won't cross my fingers.


----------



## jbarrentine

Selling black 2Qute for 900 in the FS section. It's just too forward for headphones, regardless of how fantastic it sounds.


----------



## crayons23

jbarrentine said:


> Selling black 2Qute for 900 in the FS section. It's just too forward for headphones, regardless of how fantastic it sounds.


why not get some better headphones amd an amp like you had said?


----------



## jbarrentine

crayons23 said:


> why not get some better headphones amd an amp like you had said?



There's nothing wrong with my current amp. And the only headphone I would remotely consider moving too would be an hd800s, which would only accentuate the problem: the 2qute while sounding wonderful is too forward for me. I like laid back, and it's not laid back enough.


----------



## elviscaprice

jbarrentine said:


> There's nothing wrong with my current amp. And the only headphone I would remotely consider moving too would be an hd800s, which would only accentuate the problem: the 2qute while sounding wonderful is too forward for me. I like laid back, and it's not laid back enough.


Another way to coin what your trying to articulate in the sound signature of the 2Qute and Chord DAC's in general are that they are very resolute.  What you seek is something more colored, rounded on the edges.


----------



## Music Alchemist

Although the 2Qute is obviously a fast and resolving DAC, I thought it had a natural smoothness at the same time. It's not too forward; it's just not laid-back. I think it's a better idea to focus on a laid-back headphone if you want that type of sound. (Then again, if you're looking for a lower fidelity headphone, it makes a high fidelity DAC less important.)


----------



## x RELIC x

Music Alchemist said:


> (Then again, if you're looking for a lower fidelity headphone, it makes a high fidelity DAC less important.)



Well, not all smooth(er) headphones lack fidelity. The Nighthawk has remarkable distortion measurements and a very linear impedance curve (one of Rob’s favourite headphones by the way). The ETHER Flow sounds very smooth yet is very resolving to my ears. Bright headphones are just that, bright. It doesn’t always mean they have more transparency to the source, but it can certainly feel that way.


----------



## soundkist

x RELIC x said:


> Well, not all smooth(er) headphones lack fidelity. The Nighthawk has remarkable distortion measurements and a very linear impedance curve (one of Rob’s favourite headphones by the way). The ETHER Flow sounds very smooth yet is very resolving to my ears. Bright headphones are just that, bright. It doesn’t always mean they have more transparency to the source, but it can certainly feel that way.



Along these lines, the Stax SR-007 and 009 are some of the most resolving headphones I have ever heard; I would also squarely put them in the "laid back" realm.


----------



## Music Alchemist

x RELIC x said:


> Well, not all smooth(er) headphones lack fidelity. The Nighthawk has remarkable distortion measurements and a very linear impedance curve (one of Rob’s favourite headphones by the way). The ETHER Flow sounds very smooth yet is very resolving to my ears. Bright headphones are just that, bright. It doesn’t always mean they have more transparency to the source, but it can certainly feel that way.



The NightHawk is also so overly soft and smooth it's one of the _least_-realistic-sounding headphones I've owned. I'm guessing this is due to its slow impulse response / transient speed. (As well as its biocellulose drivers.) To my ears, it lacks resolution, is too rounded-off and disembodied, and can't reproduce dynamics, texture and so on properly, though it does sound very pretty with some recordings. It's also one of the least neutral headphones I've heard. (Click *here* to see how its stock FR has absurdly bloated bass, sucked-out upper mids / lower treble, and some treble peaks, which reflects what I heard.) It wasn't too difficult to equalize it to sound fairly neutral, but that can't fix the rest of the sound. From what I've read, Rob likes it because of how relaxing it sounds. When I listen to exciting recordings with solid, hard-hitting, dynamic sounds, I don't want it to sound like I'm getting attacked by feathers.

I never said anything about bright headphones being higher fidelity. In fact, I can't stand excess brightness.

When it comes to headphones, I tend to favor electrostats because they excel in all areas, not just some, and sound the closest to real instruments to me.



soundkist said:


> Along these lines, the Stax SR-007 and 009 are some of the most resolving headphones I have ever heard; I would also squarely put them in the "laid back" realm.



You need to drive those with amps that cost $4-10K or more (as well as use a high-end DAC) to tap into their potential. If you think STAX is laid-back, it could be due to not hearing it on a TOTL system.

I only owned entry-level STAX and think they outperform all non-electrostats I've heard. (Including ones that cost thousands.) I know I've said that everywhere, and many would disagree, but I can't deny what I've heard. I would not describe them as laid-back at all since I think they excel in all areas, as I mentioned.


----------



## soundkist

Music Alchemist said:


> You need to drive those with amps that cost $4-10K or more (as well as use a high-end DAC) to tap into their potential. If you think STAX is laid-back, it could be due to not hearing it on a TOTL system.



Can't remember the DAC used, but the amp was a HA Blue Hawaii... it was very much a TOTL setup.


----------



## Music Alchemist

soundkist said:


> Can't remember the DAC used, but the amp was a HA Blue Hawaii... it was very much a TOTL setup.



Just to clarify:

In which ways would you say they sounded laid-back to you?

In which ways did they sound "not right" to you?

Which genres of music did you test with?


----------



## soundkist

- Overall presentation.
- Really didn't find any faults with them, although I preferred the 007's.
- All kinds, classical to rock to hip-hop and electronica.


----------



## Music Alchemist (Jan 21, 2018)

soundkist said:


> Overall presentation.



"Everything" is just as specific as "nothing". When you say laid-back, do you mean more laid-back than it should be? What exactly sounded laid-back to you? Tonal balance? Dynamics?

When you listen to live instruments, does it sound laid-back to you? I ask this because you said you didn't find fault with them.


----------



## soundkist

Music Alchemist said:


> "Everything" is just as specific as "nothing". When you say laid-back, do you mean more laid-back than it should be? What exactly sounded laid-back to you? Tonal balance? Dynamics?
> 
> When you listen to live instruments, does it sound laid-back to you? I ask this because you said you didn't find fault with them.



I was being vague on purpose.  I shared my experience with them because it directly supported a point mentioned in the thread, not because I wanted to stand trial for why I thought that.  That being said, hoping you get the opportunity to hear them on a similar system--they are incredible cans.  Price no object, if I could only pick and have one OTE headphone, hands-down the 007 paired with the blue hawaii would be it; I don't believe I listened to any live music tracks during my time with them, FWIW.


----------



## Music Alchemist

soundkist said:


> I was being vague on purpose.  I shared my experience with them because it directly supported a point mentioned in the thread, not because I wanted to stand trial for why I thought that.  That being said, hoping you get the opportunity to hear them on a similar system--they are incredible cans.  Price no object, if I could only pick and have one OTE headphone, hands-down the 007 paired with the blue hawaii would be it; I don't believe I listened to any live music tracks during my time with them, FWIW.



Okay, but I have no idea what you meant by laid-back, especially since you said you found no fault with them.

When I think laid-back, I think of things that significantly deviate from what is on the recording, ie lower fidelity.

In that second line I was referring to actually being at a live acoustic performance, not playing a recording. I was getting at the fact that we can only compare to the original sounds.


----------



## soundkist (Jan 21, 2018)

Fair enough!  To me, being laid back means lacking that assaulting, aggressive, in-your-face presentation; perhaps in part a function of how "fatiguing" they are??

Yeah, totally different thoughts re: laid back for me, but that's interesting to hear.  I definitely don't think it is a negative, at least on its own.  Like I said, some of the most resolving cans I've ever heard--definitely not lacking in fidelity.  Just very... "pleasing" to listen to.  "Natural"??

Ahh, got it.  Hmm, tough question; hard to answer that accurately I feel because performance to performance can be so varied--whether the instruments, the acoustics of the space, the type of music, or the performers themselves.  I wanna say generally yes, though??  With a huge shruggie emoji attached, haha...


----------



## Music Alchemist (Jan 21, 2018)

Thanks for clarifying. But lacking excess aggressiveness doesn't make something laid-back, in my opinion.

The 2Qute strikes a good balance between aggressiveness and smoothness. I don't think it's too forward or too laid-back.

That's why I feel that choice of headphones (or speakers) plays a much more important role when it comes to synergy.

I used the 2Qute with speakers. (Only briefly trying it with headphones.) I did use the Mojo to drive the HD 600. (As well as many others.) The HD 600 is leaner and brighter than the HD 650 for sure, and more dynamic too IME. I can understand why some would want a less accurate chain there.

But the thing is, you can tweak the tonal balance to whatever you want with a parametric equalizer for free. That approach makes more sense than blaming your DAC for your headphone's problems.


----------



## Triode User

I think many people might be surprised just how many instruments are aggressive and 'in your face' when heard live. Of course, that is not to say one necessarily wants that when listening for enjoyment at home.


----------



## Music Alchemist

Triode User said:


> I think many people might be surprised just how many instruments are aggressive and 'in your face' when heard live. Of course, that is not to say one necessarily wants that when listening for enjoyment at home.



Yep, exactly. (I've been a musician since the early '90s.) So how aggressive a recording is supposed to sound when reproduced accurately comes down to how aggressive the original sound was and how the production process altered that.


----------



## x RELIC x

Music Alchemist said:


> I never said anything about bright headphones being higher fidelity. In fact, I can't stand excess brightness.



In the context of the conversation this is how it came across. My apologies.

As for the Nighthawk, I own them so there’s no need to describe the sound of them to me. Opposite ends of the spectrum regarding tuning compared to my Utopia or i4, but I have them precisely because of their tuning and smooth signature and low distortion.

‘Attacked with feathers’ was pretty funny.


----------



## Music Alchemist

The new look of the Qutest (inspired by the Hugo 2) is nice and all, but I liked how the 2Qute looked like a mini-DAVE. Gonna miss that...



x RELIC x said:


> As for the Nighthawk, I own them



I am aware...and have been since the beginning of time I first familiarized myself with all that is x RELIC x. 



x RELIC x said:


> so there’s no need to describe the sound of them to me.



It was more for anyone who came across my post...you know...for the enlightenment of humanity...or not. 



x RELIC x said:


> Opposite ends of the spectrum regarding tuning compared to my Utopia or i4, but I have them precisely because of their tuning and smooth signature and low distortion.



Fair enough. They're certainly one of the most unique headphones, and I do love them with some recordings. Who knows...I may let them ruffle my feathers again someday.


----------



## panditji

Guys, my Luxman amplifier is as below and I use a 2Qute since the last 4 years when it came out... Even though my amplifier runs fine, I have always wondered if the 3V is an impediment to better sound..

http://www.luxman.com/product.php?pid=2

Can anyone please confirm if my amp is ok with the 2Qute's 3V or if I need a new amp/Qutest for better sound? Sorry for the silly question but I am not good with technical specifications and finally decided to ask the question here...


----------



## Music Alchemist

panditji said:


> Guys, my Luxman amplifier is as below and I use a 2Qute since the last 4 years when it came out... Even though my amplifier runs fine, I have always wondered if the 3V is an impediment to better sound..
> 
> http://www.luxman.com/product.php?pid=2
> 
> Can anyone please confirm if my amp is ok with the 2Qute's 3V or if I need a new amp/Qutest for better sound? Sorry for the silly question but I am not good with technical specifications and finally decided to ask the question here...



Contact the manufacturer and ask what the maximum input voltage is.


----------



## BunnyNamedCraig

I don’t know about you all, but I feel like the marriage between the Hugo 2, (and suspecting the 2Qute) and tube amps are a great couple. I love the ultra detail I hear out of the Hugo 2, but I kind of want something added to it/taken away (however you look at it). This makes for near perfect sound for me. I am super excited to finally hear  the 2Qute at CanJam NY.


----------



## Hooster

MTMECraig said:


> I don’t know about you all, but I feel like the marriage between the Hugo 2, (and suspecting the 2Qute) and tube amps are a great couple. I love the ultra detail I hear out of the Hugo 2, but I kind of want something added to it/taken away (however you look at it). This makes for near perfect sound for me. I am super excited to finally hear  the 2Qute at CanJam NY.



I think the 2Qute is now obsolete, having been superseded by the Qutest.

https://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/qutest/


----------



## ra990

Anyone have issues with loose RCA connectors on the back? I have to tighten that ground screw next to them to tighten the RCA plugs up, but once I plug a cable in, they become loose again.


----------



## Hooster (Feb 8, 2018)

Double post, sorrry


----------



## Hooster (Feb 8, 2018)

ra990 said:


> Anyone have issues with loose RCA connectors on the back? I have to tighten that ground screw next to them to tighten the RCA plugs up, but once I plug a cable in, they become loose again.



looking at an internal photo my impression is that they are simply like that, i.e., loose. If I am wrong, then I am sure Chord will be happy to explain how solidly they are attached to the case and explain how your unit can be remedied. If I were you, then I would simply plug the RCA cables into your unit and avoid wear and tear by never unplugging them.


----------



## BunnyNamedCraig (Feb 8, 2018)

Hooster said:


> I think the 2Qute is now obsolete, having been superseded by the Qutest.
> 
> https://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/qutest/


Wow I’m dumb... I thought I was posting in the Qutest thread LOL. I meant Qutest the whole time, not 2Qute.

(Hence the comparison between Hugo 2 and it)


----------



## GreenBow

Hooster said:


> I think the 2Qute is now obsolete, having been superseded by the Qutest.
> 
> https://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/qutest/



Going by the performance of the Hugo 2, the Qutest is going to be incredible. However the 2Qute dropping in price will make an excellent option for budget purchases. The Qutest at £1400 will be worth every penny.


----------



## earChasm (Feb 23, 2018)

Music Alchemist said:


> The 2Qute is by far the most technically impressive and realistic-sounding DAC I've owned, and yes, it's more musical too in some ways, but it's brighter and leaner than the Modi Multibit, which is more tubey and euphoric in comparison.
> I'm actually trying to figure out the best solution to make the 2Qute less bright, because it can be slightly irritating at times.


I know this thread is near death but an extra personal opinion won’t hurt.

I recentaly bought the 2Qute as an upgrade to my Bifrost DAC because I couldnt pass on a really good deal. Besides I like the design, colourcodes and to be able to play DSD files. Unfortunately, in my system (and to my ears) the Bifrost beats the hack out of the 2Qute. The difference might not ne night and day but huge enough for me to keep my Bifrost.

The Chord is unnatural bright and fatiqing whereas the Bifrost is smooth and musical. I really want to love the 2Qute but I can’t. I do feel that the 2Qute handles complex music better but that’s not good enough for me. Tomorrow I get my Sbooster for the 2Qute and I really hope that wil change my opinion.

Whatever happens, I learned something today. A 1200€ DAC isn’t necessay better than one that cost 400€. And if I’m going to keep the Bifrost I will not have the desire anymore to replace it.

CAT7-Auralic Aries Le with Sbooster-coax/usb/optical-2Qute-[Loki mini]-HDVA600-balanced-HD800.


----------



## Music Alchemist (Feb 23, 2018)

earChasm said:


> The Chord is unnatural bright and fatiqing whereas the Bifrost is smooth and musical. I really want to love the 2Qute but I can’t. I do feel that the 2Qute handles complex music better but that’s not good enough for me. Tomorrow I get my Sbooster for the 2Qute and I really hope that wil change my opinion.
> 
> Whatever happens, I learned something today. A 1200€ DAC isn’t necessay better than one that cost 400€. And if I’m going to keep the Bifrost I will not have the desire anymore to replace it.
> 
> CAT7-Auralic Aries Le with Sbooster-coax/usb/optical-2Qute-[Loki mini]-HDVA600-balanced-HD800.



I think you're confusing your bright headphones with the sound of your DAC. 

The 2Qute sounds just fine with neutral(ish) speakers. It has far better measured performance than Schiit. It also sounds smooth and musical to me, but at the same time fast, dynamic, and resolving.


----------



## earChasm

Music Alchemist said:


> Don't blame your bright headphones for the sound of your DAC.
> 
> The 2Qute sounds just fine with neutral(ish) speakers. And it has far better measured performance than Schiit. It also sounds smooth and musical to me, but at the same time fast, dynamic, and technically impressive.


As a noob I am sure you are right, it still doesnt change the fact I am enjoying my music way more and longer with the Bifrost. Everything sounded very nice untill I changed my DAC so no, I won’t blame my headphones :.b

Grrr. Something about “a winning team”.... 
I still hope I change my mind tho....


----------



## earChasm

Music Alchemist said:


> I think you're confusing your bright headphones with the sound of your DAC. .


Nope, i’m not confused either (you changed your sentence) but I might need to give my ears some more time to learn to appreciated the sounds differences.


----------



## Music Alchemist (Feb 23, 2018)

earChasm said:


> Nope, i’m not confused either (you changed your sentence) but I might need to give my ears some more time to learn to appreciated the sounds differences.



What I'm saying is that the HD 800 is a bright headphone. (I owned it and drove it with a Chord Mojo and auditioned someone else's on much higher-end gear, and it sounded about the same. Check out those measurements I linked to as well showing the upper frequency peaks.)

Use more neutral headphones/speakers and you probably won't think the 2Qute is too bright. Either way, tonal balance is a moot point since EQ exists. Focus on the technical performance.


----------



## maxh22

earChasm said:


> I know this thread is near death but an extra personal opinion won’t hurt.
> 
> I recentaly bought the 2Qute as an upgrade to my Bifrost DAC because I couldnt pass on a really good deal. Besides I like the design, colourcodes and to be able to play DSD files. Unfortunately, in my system (and to my ears) the Bifrost beats the hack out of the 2Qute. The difference might not ne night and day but huge enough for me to keep my Bifrost.
> 
> ...



Does the Aries LE support EQ? You could boost the bass and lower the treble to match the smoothness of the Bifrost while still keeping all the technical improvements if it does support EQ.

Looking forward to also reading your impressions on the Sbooster powering the 2Qute as well.


----------



## earChasm

maxh22 said:


> Does the Aries LE support EQ? You could boost the bass and lower the treble to match the smoothness of the Bifrost while still keeping all the technical improvements if it does support EQ. Looking forward to also reading your impressions on the Sbooster powering the 2Qute as well.


I have a Loki mini (which is great) so yes, that could be a solution. In fact, the HD800 did sound too bright on my Schiit stack and the Loki solved that. Recently I replaced the Asgard 2 with the HDVA600 and I don’t need the Loki anymore but it is still in my chain.

I did not engage the Loki yet because I really want to like the 2Qute without it so I can sell the complete Schiit stack as a one package deal. But if the Loki makes it work I’m happy to keep it


----------



## maxh22

earChasm said:


> I have a Loki mini (which is great) so yes, that could be a solution. In fact, the HD800 did sound too bright on my Schiit stack and the Loki solved that. Recently I replaced the Asgard 2 with the HDVA600 and I don’t need the Loki anymore but it is still in my chain.
> 
> I did not engage the Loki yet because I really want to like the 2Qute without it so I can sell the complete Schiit stack as a one package deal. But if the Loki makes it work I’m happy to keep it



Nice setup man! Do try the Loki with the 2Qute and see if you can tune it to your preference, from what I read the HDVA600 has a high output impedance and pairs well with the Sennhesier line. I only heard it and its more expensive sibling as a whole so never with an external dac like the 2Qute.


----------



## earChasm

maxh22 said:


> Nice setup man! Do try the Loki with the 2Qute and see if you can tune it to your preference, from what I read the HDVA600 has a high output impedance and pairs well with the Sennhesier line. I only heard it and its more expensive sibling as a whole so never with an external dac like the 2Qute.


*cowabunga!*

Mission accomplished :.)
It needed four changes but problem solved. First I added the Sbooster. Could be expectation bias but I immediately thought the sharp edges were a little less nasty. Then I changed the input level on the HDVA600 from 2 to 1, which I thought changed the sound for the better. Next I tested the USB vs COAX connection and thought COAX was a little bit more gentle this time. And last but not least, the Loki with a little boost in the lower end completed it. I don't even need to temper the treble with the Loki so the last two knobs are on neutral.

Only two things left to do now, swap the position of the Auralic with the HDVA600 so the chain matches* (although reversed) and enjoy my music without worrying what to upgrade next.
* I could buy a longer RCA cable so I can place the Loki on the right side of the 2Qute but I kinda like the PYST kabels.

{whispering: I wonder how the Qutest sound}


----------



## elviscaprice

I would never color the sound from the 2Qute with an amp or pre-amp.  Your really missing out on the greatest feature of Chord DAC's, the fantastic soundstage and it's ability to bypass any amp/pre-amp.  Even the 2Qute with minimal power and no direct digital control.


----------



## earChasm

elviscaprice said:


> I would never color the sound from the 2Qute with an amp or pre-amp.  Your really missing out on the greatest feature of Chord DAC's, the fantastic soundstage and it's ability to bypass any amp/pre-amp.  Even the 2Qute with minimal power and no direct digital control.


I’m sure it will sound better, but I’m more than satisfied with my soundstage. More than a meter left and right, and about 30cm to the front and back (Bearing witness, Eliza Gilkyson) . The male singer (take off your old coat) is a bit scary tho, comming from behind .


----------



## Music Alchemist

elviscaprice said:


> I would never color the sound from the 2Qute with an amp or pre-amp.  Your really missing out on the greatest feature of Chord DAC's, the fantastic soundstage and it's ability to bypass any amp/pre-amp.  Even the 2Qute with minimal power and no direct digital control.



The transducers you use make a far more dramatic difference, though. High-end active Genelec monitors will beat most passive speakers (even when driven directly from Chord), for example. As for driving headphones, there are more than a few people who think external amps sound better than driving headphones directly from the DAVE and so on. (Though this depends on the headphone and personal preference. For what it's worth, I did prefer driving headphones from the Mojo over external amps.)


----------



## Triode User

elviscaprice said:


> I would never color the sound from the 2Qute with an amp or pre-amp.  Your really missing out on the greatest feature of Chord DAC's, the fantastic soundstage and it's ability to bypass any amp/pre-amp.  Even the 2Qute with minimal power and no direct digital control.



Yeah but there is, as I’m sure you will admit, a trade off here. No high efficiency single driver is capable of being driven to high levels in large rooms with complex large scale music. It’s really about one’s priorities and preferences. There may be downsides to connecting external amplifiers in order to power less efficient speakers but there are paybacks as well.


----------



## elviscaprice

Triode User said:


> Yeah but there is, as I’m sure you will admit, a trade off here. No high efficiency single driver is capable of being driven to high levels in large rooms with complex large scale music. It’s really about one’s priorities and preferences. There may be downsides to connecting external amplifiers in order to power less efficient speakers but there are paybacks as well.



If I needed more power in the Chord amp stage, I would buy a different more powerful Chord DAC.  I see no benefit in any external amp or preamp unless you like coloring your sound.


----------



## Triode User

elviscaprice said:


> If I needed more power in the Chord amp stage, I would buy a different more powerful Chord DAC.  I see no benefit in any external amp or preamp unless you like coloring your sound.



Your claims would have more credibility if you acknowledged that single drivers do have their limitations. To pretend otherwise reduces the extent to which one can accept your assessment.


----------



## TomWoB (Mar 3, 2018)

Hi all,

I'm new in this forum and I'm wondering that nobody was talking so far about a very good (cheap) S/PDIF Player for the 2Qute ... so, here comes my recommendation:

*Raspberry Pi together with an Allo DigiOne board and moOde Software !*

*https://www.allo.com/sparky/digione.html*
*http://moodeaudio.org/*
*http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/pc-based/271811-moode-audio-player-raspberry-pi.html*
(sorry, Monster Forum Thread)
The interesting thing is, that there is a galvanic isolation on the DigiOne:

S/PDIF transceiver WM8805 is "still on the dirt side" (=Raspberry Pi)
than a galvanic isolation and
there are only some Flipflop on the "clean side" to have an extrem low jitter of < 1 ps (picosecond!)
Together with "a good BNC-BNC connection", I use a Canare C5F cable (https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/cabl...-coaxial-cable-75-ohm-bnc-bnc-2m-p-12302.html) which is very similar to the well known Belden 1694A, it sounds incredible! Give them a try, doesn't cost so much ...

Both (Raspberry Pi and 2Qute) are powered by a sBooster LPS, the 3V Output goes into a Lehmannaudio Linear headphone amplifier, which accepts up to 6V (see https://www.lehmannaudio.com/de/ass...EN_review_hifi_news_10_2009_BCL_screen_01.pdf). The Linear drives my HD800s headphones ... WAU ... fantastic sound, I'm absolute happy with this rig !

Again: give a Raspberry Pi together with a Allo DigiOne a chance on your 2Qute !!!
And: maybe it makes more sense to use a "second hand 2Qute" together with a Lehmannaudio Linear instead of buying a new Qutest (nearly same money)

BTW: you can use the Lehmannaudio Linear as a pre-amp too ... with volume regulation !


----------



## miketlse

TomWoB said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I'm new in this forum and I'm wondering that nobody was talking so far about a very good (cheap) S/PDIF Player for the 2Qute ... so, here comes my recommendation:
> 
> ...


Raspberry Pi based kit does get mentioned on some of the Chord threads, for example:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...n-3rd-post-◄★☆.784602/page-2105#post-13401379

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...-on-1st-page-◄★☆.831347/page-98#post-13363358

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...official-thread.831345/page-474#post-13660547

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-2qute-dac-announced.749582/page-7#post-11471711

Any such system that provides a very good optical signal for one of the Dacs, would do the same for the others as well.
Just search the threads using the term raspberry, and you will find quite a few raspberry sources described - but I have no idea which one is the best one.


----------



## TomWoB

Hi miketise,
oh ... thanks for the info, as I'm said: I'm new in this forum  

One comment: 
I prefer "electrical signal" before "optical signal", because optical has much more jitter! That's why I think DigiOne is the "best solution for a Raspberry Pi" (my opinion). I already tried BOSS DAC, Hifiberry boards, ... But DigiOne is the best ... so far !


----------



## miketlse

TomWoB said:


> Hi miketise,
> oh ... thanks for the info, as I'm said: I'm new in this forum
> 
> One comment:
> I prefer "electrical signal" before "optical signal", because optical has much more jitter! That's why I think DigiOne is the "best solution for a Raspberry Pi" (my opinion). I already tried BOSS DAC, Hifiberry boards, ... But DigiOne is the best ... so far !


Rob Watts designs his Dacs to be immune to jitter.
Regarding the 2Qute, he does slightly prefer USB input, but not because of jitter. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-2qute-dac-announced.749582/page-3#post-11259796


----------



## crayons23

not to be too off topic but i recently sold the 2qute and some other gear to a friend to acquire the qutest. however after yet another delay on it being released for sale to the usa i got
a too good to pass up offer on a hugo 2 and decided to go for it. i have to say the difference btwn hugo 2 and 2qute is not small. it's quite a big gap to my ears with the hugo 2 pretty far ahead. having said that i never tried using a lps on the 2 qute and perhaps that would have
made a difference?


----------



## GreenBow

earChasm said:


> I know this thread is near death but an extra personal opinion won’t hurt.
> 
> I recentaly bought the 2Qute as an upgrade to my Bifrost DAC because I couldnt pass on a really good deal. Besides I like the design, colourcodes and to be able to play DSD files. Unfortunately, in my system (and to my ears) the Bifrost beats the hack out of the 2Qute. The difference might not ne night and day but huge enough for me to keep my Bifrost.
> 
> ...



Can I ask, how long ago did you buy your 2Qute. Only because I initially found the Mojo thin and metallic sounding. (This was compared to my previous DAC, the Meridian Explorer.) However after about ten days I realised that I was wrong. It was all uphill from then on. Mojo was just so smooth.

After time I came to understand that at first I was comparing the DACs, rather than just listening to the Mojo. I would hear what was similar between the DACs. Then find other details to be sort of tacked on, and sounding out of place. Once I was hearing it as a whole I could hear how much better than the Meridian Explorer, it was.


----------



## Zowie1 (May 15, 2018)

Has anyone paired their 2Qute with ifi Micro iDSD? If you have, how were the results compared to just using Micro iDSD? My current chain goes like this: iDefender 3.0 > Mercury 3.0 cable > iPurifier2 > Micro iDSD BL > HE1000 with iSilencer 3.0 and ISO Regen added soon. I was wondering if adding a separate DAC would improve the sound even further.


----------



## panditji

Hi, does the driver for the Qutest support Windows 7? I am running the 2Qute through a Windows 7 laptop...


----------



## Jawed

The Mojo driver should work. Chord now only seems to offer Windows 10 drivers on its other products. But all of them will work with the Mojo Windows 7 driver on a Windows 7 computer:

http://www.chordmojo.com/support/#driver

The key here is that all the newest DACs (DAVE, Mojo, Hugo 2, Qutest) support the same music formats: PCM 32-bit at 768KHz and down as well as all DSD versions.

Now playing: Liza Anne - Closest To Me


----------



## GreenBow

panditji said:


> Hi, does the driver for the Qutest support Windows 7? I am running the 2Qute through a Windows 7 laptop...



The driver for the Mojo and Hugo 2 both work on Win 7.


----------



## betula

The 2Qute is better than I expected. 
I have owned a Mojo for a very long time and lived with the Hugo2 as well.
Now I connected the 2Qute to my Questyle CMA600i and they just sound sublime together. 
The 600i's neutral but liquid smooth and sweet yet powerful sound is a great combination with Chord's DAC technology. 
The 2Qute tightens up the picture and brings so much clarity and soundstage depth! I haven't heard better DAC's yet than Chord's. 
This combo reminds me to the Hugo2 a lot, but I think I like this one even more. (Working from memory here.)
As a bonus what I paid was much less than the price of the Hugo2.
The benefits of the 2Qute is not just clarity and tightness but perfect timing (attack and decay), amazing separation and control. 
When you can even hear and visualize the studio, the exact space where the recordig was made... Just loving it.


----------



## nickosiris

Everything betula said. 

And I guess now would be a really really good time to go shopping for one, given that its successor has only recently been released.


----------



## betula

nickosiris said:


> Everything betula said.
> 
> And I guess now would be a really really good time to go shopping for one, given that its successor has only recently been released.


You are right, now it is the time. I got mine for £500, but you can find new as well just under £700.


----------



## BunnyNamedCraig

crayons23 said:


> not to be too off topic but i recently sold the 2qute and some other gear to a friend to acquire the qutest. however after yet another delay on it being released for sale to the usa i got
> a too good to pass up offer on a hugo 2 and decided to go for it. i have to say the difference btwn hugo 2 and 2qute is not small. it's quite a big gap to my ears with the hugo 2 pretty far ahead. having said that i never tried using a lps on the 2 qute and perhaps that would have
> made a difference?


What amp are you using with the Cutest? And excuse my ignorance but what’s an “lps”? Lol


----------



## miketlse

MTMECraig said:


> What amp are you using with the Cutest? And excuse my ignorance but what’s an “lps”? Lol


Linear Power Supply.


----------



## crayons23

I ended up getting a Hugo 2 because the cutest was impossible to acquire for many months in the US. I ended up having a problem with the Hugo and the company resulted in ship me a new unit. So I'm using the Hue go with the Rogue rh5.


----------



## betula

One of my best value for money purchases this year. A secondhand 2Qute for 40% of the price of the Qutest. Joy of the budged conscious audiophile. How could I live without galvanic isolation this long?


----------



## BunnyNamedCraig

crayons23 said:


> I ended up getting a Hugo 2 because the cutest was impossible to acquire for many months in the US. I ended up having a problem with the Hugo and the company resulted in ship me a new unit. So I'm using the Hue go with the Rogue rh5.


Love the combo of the Hugo 2 and Rogue RH5!! Good choice. a lot of people like the Hugo 2 straight up with the Utopia, but for me adding the Rogue took some bite off of it and made it perfect combo for me


----------



## crayons23

MTMECraig said:


> Love the combo of the Hugo 2 and Rogue RH5!! Good choice. a lot of people like the Hugo 2 straight up with the Utopia, but for me adding the Rogue took some bite off of it and made it perfect combo for me


Yes this is end game for me. I think the only thing I would possibly consider doing in terms of an upgrade would be getting a better cable for the 800s. Outside of that I think I'm done.


----------



## BunnyNamedCraig

crayons23 said:


> Yes this is end game for me. I think the only thing I would possibly consider doing in terms of an upgrade would be getting a better cable for the 800s. Outside of that I think I'm done.


Good for you! I would also try rolling the RH5 to see what variety I could get from it. You have a very very under rated headphone amp. Enjoy it.


----------



## betula

I have the same experience with the 2Qute what I had with other Chord DACs (Mojo and Hugo2) to different extent: they just sound like a fully blown up balloon.

Imagine, you draw a picture with a marker on a deflated balloon. This is how most DACs sound. When you start to use a Chord DAC, you inflate the balloon and the picture suddenly becomes _much_ tighter, more detailed, with more space around the instruments and better detail, soundstage depth. 

I do think, Mr Watt's FPGA technology is industry leading. Thank you!


----------



## crayons23

MTMECraig said:


> Good for you! I would also try rolling the RH5 to see what variety I could get from it. You have a very very under rated headphone amp. Enjoy it.


I rolled in some gold lions and I'm enjoying them do you recommend anything else?


----------



## Scutey

Just purchased a 2qute and am very impressed with it, I had been using a Musical Fidelity V DAC II but the 2qute is far superior, the amount of extra detail, space and air around instruments is incredible, and although slightly warm is also wonderfully clear and transparent, also pairs very well with my Feliks Elise tube amp, in all a fantastic piece of kit.


----------



## Scutey

I wonder if someone might be able to help me. As you can tell from my previous post I'm enjoying the 2Qute, which is giving fantastic sound, there is one thing that puzzles me though, it's regarding the sample rate frequency rates, no matter what the frequency rate of the music I'm playing it always has the orange coloured light for 48 KHz, and never changes, my player is Foobar2000, latest version, and Windows 10, also I use the RCA cables to connect, can anyone help?.


----------



## miketlse (Jul 24, 2018)

Scutey said:


> I wonder if someone might be able to help me. As you can tell from my previous post I'm enjoying the 2Qute, which is giving fantastic sound, there is one thing that puzzles me though, it's regarding the sample rate frequency rates, no matter what the frequency rate of the music I'm playing it always has the orange coloured light for 48 KHz, and never changes, my player is Foobar2000, latest version, and Windows 10, also I use the RCA cables to connect, can anyone help?.


Check the FAQ in post #3 of the chord mojo thread. I think your windows/foobar settings may need changing.
This is a similar question, from the FAQ.


----------



## Scutey

miketlse said:


> Check the FAQ in post #3 of the chord mojo thread. I think your windows settings may need changing.


Thanks for the tip, I'll check it out.


----------



## Scutey

miketlse said:


> Check the FAQ in post #3 of the chord mojo thread. I think your windows/foobar settings may need changing.
> This is a similar question, from the FAQ.


It worked a treat, now working fine, thanks!.


----------



## ChasingDopamine

Is 2qute still a good buy today? Trying to decide between this and qutest, however I can get a used 2qute for nearly half the price.

I'm assuming both are better than a mojo (correct me if I'm wrong), but is there a notable sonic difference to justify the price difference?

Also would I have any trouble feeding data via from my android phone? With the right cables/adaptors and usb audio player pro?

I'm also not sure if the optical would receive input from my TV, or if I'd need an adaptor for this?


----------



## miketlse

ChasingDopamine said:


> Is 2qute still a good buy today? Trying to decide between this and qutest, however I can get a used 2qute for nearly half the price.
> 
> I'm assuming both are better than a mojo (correct me if I'm wrong), but is there a notable sonic difference to justify the price difference?
> 
> ...


I did post a list of dealers selling new 2Qute, for as low as £650/750, so try and find the list, before you buy a used 2Qute for the same price.


----------



## ChasingDopamine

miketlse said:


> I did post a list of dealers selling new 2Qute, for as low as £650/750, so try and find the list, before you buy a used 2Qute for the same price.



Thanks I'll have a look for it, are the dealers in the UK?


----------



## miketlse

ChasingDopamine said:


> Thanks I'll have a look for it, are the dealers in the UK?


Some were from memory.


----------



## ChasingDopamine

Thanks,

I had found an ex demo one for ~£630 with full warranty etc, but might be worth shopping around


----------



## miketlse

ChasingDopamine said:


> Thanks,
> 
> I had found an ex demo one for ~£630 with full warranty etc, but might be worth shopping around


Here is the list that I posted. It is a month old, so maybe they are all sold now.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...n-3rd-post-◄★☆.784602/page-2458#post-14350223


----------



## Scutey

ChasingDopamine said:


> Thanks,
> 
> I had found an ex demo one for ~£630 with full warranty etc, but might be worth shopping around


Have you tried Peter Tyson ?, I  bought a brand new 2Qute from them for £639, arrived just 24 hours after ordering.


----------



## ChasingDopamine

Scutey said:


> Have you tried Peter Tyson ?, I  bought a brand new 2Qute from them for £639, arrived just 24 hours after ordering.



Yes I have. They quoted me the same but I spoke with them on the phone and they said it was ex demo


----------



## Scutey

There doesn't seem to be many new one's left, most seem to be over £700, I  think that might be as good as you'll get.


----------



## miketlse

Scutey said:


> There doesn't seem to be many new one's left, most seem to be over £700, I  think that might be as good as you'll get.


Not surprising now, but for individuals who want to try something better than the Mojo, but not spend Hugo 2 or Qutest money, then these last few new 2Qutes are a bargain.


----------



## Scutey

miketlse said:


> Not surprising now, but for individuals who want to try something better than the Mojo, but not spend Hugo 2 or Qutest money, then these last few new 2Qutes are a bargain.


Exactly, that was my reason for buying one, a year or two ago I  would not have been able to afford it, Thanks to it being phased out, I 'm now able to have the best sound I've ever heard from my system.


----------



## broadey

Best £690 I've spent. Sold my Naim Nds and don't miss it one bit. There was enough chat on the Naim forum comparing the Hugo/2qute to the Nds that I knew I wouldn't regret selling it (and pocket the massive difference ).
I imagine Chord will bring out a new version of the quetest in 2-3 years time. I'll happily live with the 2qute until then and hopefully pick up a bargain quetest.
Great synergy with my Auris ha2-se headphone amp.


----------



## ChasingDopamine

Yeah it seems like a great buy. Might pull the trigger even though I'm still reeling from four figure damage this week.

Does anyone know of the optical input would work for a smart TV, or only for Android,iOS, Mac and Windows with driver?


----------



## Scutey

Thats


broadey said:


> Best £690 I've spent. Sold my Naim Nds and don't miss it one bit. There was enough chat on the Naim forum comparing the Hugo/2qute to the Nds that I knew I wouldn't regret selling it (and pocket the massive difference ).
> I imagine Chord will bring out a new version of the quetest in 2-3 years time. I'll happily live with the 2qute until then and hopefully pick up a bargain quetest.
> Great synergy with my Auris ha2-se headphone amp.


That's probably what I'll do, the 2Qute is so good I'm happy to wait for the qutest to drop in price, at the moment I  don't feel like I'm losing out.


----------



## Jawed

ChasingDopamine said:


> Does anyone know of the optical input would work for a smart TV, or only for Android,iOS, Mac and Windows with driver?


Optical doesn't need a driver. Any TOSLink output on any device will work.


----------



## betula

I am wondering why not more audio enthusiasts jump on the discounted 2Qute. There are 50.000+ Mojo owners out there. I was one of them. 
2Qute is available for £6-700 new. I bought mine for £500 secondhand. 
IMO it sounds better than Mojo. I am 100% sure this is the best stand alone DAC under £1000. Paired with a good amp you are punching way above what the price would suggest. 
For enthusiasts who don't have thousands to burn, this is the deal of the year.


----------



## ChasingDopamine

betula said:


> I am wondering why not more audio enthusiasts jump on the discounted 2Qute. There are 50.000+ Mojo owners out there. I was one of them.
> 2Qute is available for £6-700 new. I bought mine for £500 secondhand.
> IMO it sounds better than Mojo. I am 100% sure this is the best stand alone DAC under £1000. Paired with a good amp you are punching way above what the price would suggest.
> For enthusiasts who don't have thousands to burn, this is the deal of the year.




Yes it seems like a great deal. Even better than mojo considering the extended warranty and no battery issues to worry about. It seems most of what I could find left at a discounted price in the UK is exdemo. Not many new ones knocking around


----------



## ChasingDopamine

Does Anyone know if the 2qute  will accept usb from an android (eg galaxy note 8) with an otg cable? Planning to use usb  audio player pro to stream tidal without up sampling (works for mojo)
In regards to the couple mentions I've hear of dropouts or clicks/pops, is this a major or unrectifiable issue with many devices? Is it related to the input connection mode or the device itself? Are there any other issues?

Would it be acceptable to keep the 2qute in operation constantly or would this significantly shorten the lifespan (e.g if used in general round the clock for all sounds from a computer or TV)? In this case would it be better to use it just for music?


----------



## betula

ChasingDopamine said:


> Does Anyone know if the 2qute  will accept usb from an android (eg galaxy note 8) with an otg cable? Planning to use usb  audio player pro to stream tidal without up sampling (works for mojo)
> In regards to the couple mentions I've hear of dropouts or clicks/pops, is this a major or unrectifiable issue with many devices? Is it related to the input connection mode or the device itself? Are there any other issues?
> 
> Would it be acceptable to keep the 2qute in operation constantly or would this significantly shorten the lifespan (e.g if used in general round the clock for all sounds from a computer or TV)? In this case would it be better to use it just for music?


2Qute is designed to be always on. It doesn't even have a power switch.
I can't see why it wouldn't work from Android OTG with the proper usb cables.


----------



## ChasingDopamine

Does anyone know how much of an issue the 3v output would be compared to a standard 2v ? I'm planning to use with with a Cyrus One Amplifier to drive Kef LS50 speakers. I have emailed the amp manufacturer as the manual doesn't state the max input voltage, but I wanted to ask if anyone had a general idea of how it would fare?

Would there be noticeable distortion or clipping if the amp is only rated to 2v maximum line level input ?


----------



## ChasingDopamine

And perhaps also the most difficult question of all... Black or Silver?


----------



## Scutey

I think it looks pretty cool in black, matches the amp I pair it with.


----------



## ChasingDopamine

So the manufacturer of my speaker amp responded saying that the amp "is designed to take a maximum input voltage of 2.5V RMS (+/-3.5V peak)."
They didn't comment wether or not the 3v input would be appropriate or not.

Would the 2qute constant 3v output be too much as it's 2.5v RMS maximum input voltage or would the (+/-3.5V peak) mean it's okay? Any help would be much appreciated


----------



## Rob Watts (Aug 28, 2018)

Don't post when having a few beers! I initially thought it was the qutest thread... You can of course set your media player to say 85% volume, then you would always be ok.


----------



## ChasingDopamine

Rob Watts said:


> Don't post when having a few beers! I initially thought it was the qutest thread... You can of course set your media player to say 85% volume, then you would always be ok.



Thanks for your reply Rob,

My amp manufacturer has advice me that a constant 3v would cause clipping, although I'm still going to arrange a demo to be sure.

So as long as I am willing to sacrifice bitperfect data then lowering the volume on the playback device should avoid clipping? Would the 2qute output drop to below 3v in this case?

Would an attenuator or something else in-between be advisable or would this degrade the sound quality moreso than digital volume control before the 2qute?


----------



## Rob Watts

When I have used the volume control on my source, it does degrade SQ a bit - but my guess it would be smaller than using an in line attenuator.

Set the volume to 83% or smaller and it will be below 2.5v in all cases.


----------



## ChasingDopamine

Rob Watts said:


> When I have used the volume control on my source, it does degrade SQ a bit - but my guess it would be smaller than using an in line attenuator.
> 
> Set the volume to 83% or smaller and it will be below 2.5v in all cases.



Thanks alot Rob, I will give it a go.

I may also try a -10db rothwell attenuator at some point. Some mixed reviews but I figure it's only around £40 so could be worth an A/B comparison.


----------



## miketlse

ChasingDopamine said:


> Thanks alot Rob, I will give it a go.
> 
> I may also try a -10db rothwell attenuator at some point. Some mixed reviews but I figure it's only around £40 so could be worth an A/B comparison.


I think some owners discussed attenuators, possibly in terms of driving headphones from the 2Qute outputs. One thing ponted out is that adding an impedance into the signal path, can affect the damping factor, and consequently the sound signature.


----------



## ChasingDopamine

miketlse said:


> I think some owners discussed attenuators, possibly in terms of driving headphones from the 2Qute outputs. One thing ponted out is that adding an impedance into the signal path, can affect the damping factor, and consequently the sound signature.



Yes from what I read it's not an ideal workaround. More just looking for a short term solution until i can upgrade my amp.


----------



## ChasingDopamine

Just placed my order with nintronics, went for black in the end. Looking forward to the unboxing, will post listening impressions soon.


----------



## raindogtrombone

I picked up a 2Qute a few weeks ago in a trade, and have really really enjoyed it - it's a definite step up for me from the Gustard X20 Pro and Chord Mojo (my recent Mojo purchase was kind of why I thought that the move to 2Qute made sense).   I store all of my music on an Onkyo DPX1A DAP, since I'm sometimes elsewhere from my main rig, or on the subway. It runs Android and I have an Amazon USB cable and OTG cable. When I first started to listen for a little while, I heard some crackling, which I figured was possibly interference from the Onkyo's wifi or bluetooth, so I turned them off. The crackling went way down, but was still intermittent. I picked up a Schiit Eitr (USB to Coax), and have had no crackles/issues using the Coax input. Perusing back in this thread though, based on the Chord rep mentioning that USB is the preferred input (someone linked it from early in the thread). Is it possible I was getting that crackling noise (not frequently, but still audible) because of a subpar USB cable? Is it a power issue? I don't have any issues now with the Eitr, but I wonder if it was a useless purchase if I should have spent that money on a good USB cable.


----------



## betula

raindogtrombone said:


> I picked up a 2Qute a few weeks ago in a trade, and have really really enjoyed it - it's a definite step up for me from the Gustard X20 Pro and Chord Mojo (my recent Mojo purchase was kind of why I thought that the move to 2Qute made sense).   I store all of my music on an Onkyo DPX1A DAP, since I'm sometimes elsewhere from my main rig, or on the subway. It runs Android and I have an Amazon USB cable and OTG cable. When I first started to listen for a little while, I heard some crackling, which I figured was possibly interference from the Onkyo's wifi or bluetooth, so I turned them off. The crackling went way down, but was still intermittent. I picked up a Schiit Eitr (USB to Coax), and have had no crackles/issues using the Coax input. Perusing back in this thread though, based on the Chord rep mentioning that USB is the preferred input (someone linked it from early in the thread). Is it possible I was getting that crackling noise (not frequently, but still audible) because of a subpar USB cable? Is it a power issue? I don't have any issues now with the Eitr, but I wonder if it was a useless purchase if I should have spent that money on a good USB cable.


Most likely a cable issue. I have just bought a cheap usb-c to A adapter to test if I can use my phone instead of laptop as a source, but it doesn't work. Most likely the cable's fault. 
I also used Mojo before the 2Qute. It is an immense improvement. Exceeds my expectations.


----------



## ChasingDopamine

My 2qute arrived today. enjoyed the unboxing and looking forward to giving it a listen soon.  one thing i did notice is that there is a rattle when its shaken or moved in a certain way. is this normal? it was delivered so im hoping it wasnt damaged in transit. does anyone else have this issue or it is just me?


----------



## betula

ChasingDopamine said:


> My 2qute arrived today. enjoyed the unboxing and looking forward to giving it a listen soon.  one thing i did notice is that there is a rattle when its shaken or moved in a certain way. is this normal? it was delivered so im hoping it wasnt damaged in transit. does anyone else have this issue or it is just me?


That's definitely not normal. My 2Qute is dead silent even if I shake it.  
Cable connection issue?


----------



## ChasingDopamine

betula said:


> That's definitely not normal. My 2Qute is dead silent even if I shake it.
> Cable connection issue?



i havn't even connected a cable yet. literally just took it out of the box. unfortunarley the rest of my gear is in another location so i wont be able to test it for a couple of days


----------



## betula

ChasingDopamine said:


> i havn't even connected a cable yet. literally just took it out of the box. unfortunarley the rest of my gear is in another location so i wont be able to test it for a couple of days


If it actually works I wouldn't worry too much.


----------



## ChasingDopamine

betula said:


> That's definitely not normal. My 2Qute is dead silent even if I shake it.
> Cable connection issue?



Actually i think you were right mate.  I put in a pair of RCA cables and the rattling dropped significantly. I then also removed the plastic cap for the toslink input and it disappeared completely.


----------



## betula

I am still amazed how not more people jump on the 2Qute. £695 is an insane price performance ratio for a new unit. It sounds much better than the Mojo and pretty much kills every other DAC up to £1200 where you can buy the more advanced Qutest.
2Qute for this price is just amazing. Chord DACs are the best. Thanks Rob!


----------



## ChasingDopamine

betula said:


> I am still amazed how not more people jump on the 2Qute. £695 is an insane price performance ratio for a new unit. It sounds much better than the Mojo and pretty much kills every other DAC up to £1200 where you can buy the more advanced Qutest.
> 2Qute for this price is just amazing. Chord DACs are the best. Thanks Rob!




Definity in agreement.  I'm a big fan of the chord house sound signature and was torn between the 2qute for £700 or the qutest for £1200 for my speaker system. Ive had mine for just under a day now and it's insanely good. An incredible steal for under 700. It sounds much better than a mojo (which already is a fantastic dac) and blows away anything else I've heard anywhere near its price bracket. I would wholeheartedly recommend it for anyone looking for a mojo upgrade for desktop use, the last remaining units will probably be snapped up soon.


----------



## betula

I think we should raise awareness how much a DAC improves one's life. Or at least one's listening experience. All focus seem to go on headphones and amps only; DACs seem to be left out. I do think DACs are responsible for at least 33% of your overall listening experience.
2Qute for £5-700 is an exceptional bargain. (Best DAC under £1200.) One of my best audio investments ever, hence I am keen to share my discovery.


----------



## miketlse

betula said:


> I think we should raise awareness how much a DAC improves one's life. Or at least one's listening experience. All focus seem to go on headphones and amps only; DACs seem to be left out. I do think DACs are responsible for at least 33% of your overall listening experience.
> 2Qute for £5-700 is an exceptional bargain. (Best DAC under £1200.) One of my best audio investments ever, hence I am keen to share my discovery.


Definitely UK house styles in your photo.
Back to 2Qute - the 2Qute thread had been quiet for many months, but has burst into life again now that the 2Qute is available new/ex-demo at such a bargain price.
I am happy to keep promoting these end-of-line 2Qutes to anyone considering stepping onto the Chord experience, because after the Mojo, these 2Qutes represent the best sound quality per buck, that most people could hope to achieve.


----------



## ChasingDopamine

I second that. Loving my new DAC a week in, very happy with my investment. Its making me want to upgrade the rest of my chain to get the most out of it.


----------



## Scutey

betula said:


> I think we should raise awareness how much a DAC improves one's life. Or at least one's listening experience. All focus seem to go on headphones and amps only; DACs seem to be left out. I do think DACs are responsible for at least 33% of your overall listening experience.
> 2Qute for £5-700 is an exceptional bargain. (Best DAC under £1200.) One of my best audio investments ever, hence I am keen to share my discovery.


You've nailed it regarding DAC's, and in particular the 2Qute, mine was a significant upgrade in sound from my previous Musical Fidelity V DACII, and in terms of my whole system every bit as important as my Elise tube amp and my Beyer DT 1990 hp's, I'll certainly be keeping mine for some time and when I do eventually change it will be for another Chord.


----------



## raindogtrombone

So a few weeks ago I wrote about having intermittent crackling (quiet and not frequent, but definitely noticeable) using the 2Qute along with my DAP as source (it's an Onkyo DP-X1A, which runs Android and sends the source files via USB and OTG cable). I picked up a Schiit Eitr (USB to SPDIF) and found that with Coax, I had no issues whatsoever. The Eitr is limited to 192, which is fine since I don't think I have any music any higher at this point. But either way, I was reading earlier in this thread about how the USB uses Galvanic Isolation (still don't fully understand that, but early on someone from Chord mentioned that USB was the preferred/most ideal input), and so I wondered whether my USB cable or USB OTG cable might be the cause. 

I picked up an Audioquest Cinnamon USB and Audioquest Dragontail OTG cable to connect to my DAP. Now, I hear less crackling, but definitely still some here and there. I have two DSD albums on my DAP and when I play them, I get long dropouts, some crackling/noise, and they are basically unplayable.

I've tested this DAP as source with my Mojo, as well as two other DACs, I've had the headphone amp for a while with multiple sources, and I have come to the conclusion that the 2Qute really doesn't like the Android DAP (I've turned wifi and bluetooth off since I got the 2Qute - initial considerable crackling disappeared). 

I'm thinking that when the 2Qute came out, most people were using non-Android DAPs or computers for USB audio, so maybe there's just an unfriendliness? I'm going to go back to the Eitr because the sound is totally crackle-less, but I honestly didn't think I'd have any issues with the 2Qute and this DAP. Any ideas I haven't tried yet? I _love_ the sound of this DAC. I had a Gustard X20 Pro before, which I liked, but there's something about this DAC that makes it stand apart. Just wish I didn't have the occasional crackle...


----------



## miketlse

raindogtrombone said:


> So a few weeks ago I wrote about having intermittent crackling (quiet and not frequent, but definitely noticeable) using the 2Qute along with my DAP as source (it's an Onkyo DP-X1A, which runs Android and sends the source files via USB and OTG cable). I picked up a Schiit Eitr (USB to SPDIF) and found that with Coax, I had no issues whatsoever. The Eitr is limited to 192, which is fine since I don't think I have any music any higher at this point. But either way, I was reading earlier in this thread about how the USB uses Galvanic Isolation (still don't fully understand that, but early on someone from Chord mentioned that USB was the preferred/most ideal input), and so I wondered whether my USB cable or USB OTG cable might be the cause.
> 
> I picked up an Audioquest Cinnamon USB and Audioquest Dragontail OTG cable to connect to my DAP. Now, I hear less crackling, but definitely still some here and there. I have two DSD albums on my DAP and when I play them, I get long dropouts, some crackling/noise, and they are basically unplayable.
> 
> ...



There aren't many reports of faulty 2Qutes about, but have you tried contacting 
_*Chord Electronics Help Desk *_for their view?


----------



## raindogtrombone

Thanks - I might connect with them. I should add I don't think it's faulty - when I used USB from a computer source, it worked fine. The issue is that my laptop can't be placed very close to the 2Qute for logistics, and my music is all on my DAP at this point.


----------



## miketlse

raindogtrombone said:


> Thanks - I might connect with them. I should add I don't think it's faulty - when I used USB from a computer source, it worked fine. The issue is that my laptop can't be placed very close to the 2Qute for logistics, and my music is all on my DAP at this point.


The Mojo came out before the 2Qute, and most posters seemed to be using Android phones as a source. Most problems seemed to occur with iPhones, but even here the issues seemed to be concentrated on certain models, or when using iPhones on certain radio bands.
Either way that would not explain why your dap works ok with the Mojo, but not the 2Qute.
Do you experience the issues only when trying to play DSD files?
I thought that normally chord dacs handle DOP files, but don't like DSD. Just floating a thought.


----------



## raindogtrombone

miketlse said:


> The Mojo came out before the 2Qute, and most posters seemed to be using Android phones as a source. Most problems seemed to occur with iPhones, but even here the issues seemed to be concentrated on certain models, or when using iPhones on certain radio bands.
> Either way that would not explain why your dap works ok with the Mojo, but not the 2Qute.
> Do you experience the issues only when trying to play DSD files?
> I thought that normally chord dacs handle DOP files, but don't like DSD. Just floating a thought.


Most of the issues are with regular FLAC files of various bitrates. Doesn't seem to be specific to any filetype or bitrate, and like I said, has become more intermittent with better USB cables. It's just odd, and was curious to see if anyone else has used an Android as source with the 2Qute.


----------



## ksorota

raindogtrombone said:


> Most of the issues are with regular FLAC files of various bitrates. Doesn't seem to be specific to any filetype or bitrate, and like I said, has become more intermittent with better USB cables. It's just odd, and was curious to see if anyone else has used an Android as source with the 2Qute.



My curiosity got the better of me and i plugged my essential phone, via cheap OTG adapter to a Silver Dragon USB cable and played a few tracks.  

I hear clicking in most, but not all tracks that I have played through Google Play music. This is with wifi on and mobile data off. 

Not sure what that means, as I do not get the clicking when using the same source on my Mojo.

I do not get the clicking when running through the 2qute with my pc as a source either. 

Good luck finding the solution.


----------



## billqs

betula said:


> I am still amazed how not more people jump on the 2Qute. £695 is an insane price performance ratio for a new unit. It sounds much better than the Mojo and pretty much kills every other DAC up to £1200 where you can buy the more advanced Qutest.
> 2Qute for this price is just amazing. Chord DACs are the best. Thanks Rob!



I attempted to purchase a 2Qute from Amazon uk, from the link provided a couple of pages ago, but it wouldn't let me complete the sale (I'm in the US). Does anyone know of a seller that will ship to US... preferably at the discounted clearance price?


----------



## betula

billqs said:


> I attempted to purchase a 2Qute from Amazon uk, from the link provided a couple of pages ago, but it wouldn't let me complete the sale (I'm in the US). Does anyone know of a seller that will ship to US... preferably at the discounted clearance price?


Try this. They definitely ship all around Europe...


----------



## ChasingDopamine (Sep 22, 2018)

Just some observations and notes from some A/B testing I've done the last few days.

*Reference:*
KEF LS50 Speakers <- Cyrus One Integrated Stereo Amplifier <- Chord 2Qute DAC <- {*variable input*} <- Tidal Hifi via {Android app direct/UAPP/BubbleUPnP/Amazon Firestick app)

*Regarding the use of attenuators,*
I was initially concerned as my Cyrus One amp is rated to max 2.5v input Vs the 2Qutes 3v output. I found that despite this mismatch to there isn't too much audible clipping in most tracks. In all cases it was better to use digital volume control than use a -10db Rothwell in-line RCA attenuator. The attenuator did work very well to increase volume control and even things out a bit, however it absolutley butchered the dynamics, detail and emotional essence of the music. So much so that the 2Qute with the attenuator was comparable in music enjoyment to not using the 2Qute at all and instead using the onboard DAC of my TV/Samsung Galaxy Note 8. I am currently using either bitperfect accepting the chance of clipping or using digital volume control. I hope to treat myself to an amp upgrade soon as the 2Qute is just too good to be bottlenecked in this way.

*Regarding digital inputs,*
When testing usb input (UAPP, fed bitperfect via Samsung Galaxy Note 8) the is a very very slight improvement versus optical (Chromecast Audio Optical, fed bitperfect(?) via BubbleUPnP<--Tidal Hifi or the Tidal app). Perhaps a tiny loss of dynamics by using optical in this way, although a cleaner signal with less audible 'clicking' compared to USB. Overall the usb may be ever so slightly better sonically, however the difference is so small in direct A/B that I am content using the Chromecast Audio for all streaming activities.

The USB is the go to with higher resolution files. Playing 384kHZ PCM was no problem via UAPP on Galaxy Note 8. Still trying to work out how to play DSD this way.

Optical from my TV running Tidal app on an Amazon Firestick was noticably worse than optical from Chromecast Audio or USB. The 2Qute LEDs show Tidals 44.kHz is being upsampled to 48kHz. The volume is also about 50% that of a bitperfect USB playing the same file source. My TV doesn't have a way to control this volume so obviously a limitation of my TV. Nonetheless pretty good for music videos.


Tinkering is half the fun


----------



## betula

ChasingDopamine said:


> Just some observations and notes from some A/B testing I've done the last few days.
> 
> *Reference:*
> KEF LS50 Speakers <- Cyrus One Integrated Stereo Amplifier <- Chord 2Qute DAC <- {*variable input*} <- Tidal Hifi via {Android app direct/UAPP/BubbleUPnP/Amazon Firestick app)
> ...


Thanks for sharing your experience. I upgraded to 2Qute after Mojo and still surprised how much better it sounds. Didn't expect this.


----------



## sonci

Has anyone compared this to the new RME Adi2 Dac? I don't need that headamp but its not bad to have, unless Chord SQ is superior.


----------



## betula

sonci said:


> Has anyone compared this to the new RME Adi2 Dac? I don't need that headamp but its not bad to have, unless Chord SQ is superior.


IMO Chord DACs are unbeatable. Buy the best Chord DAC you can afford and you'll be happy for a long time.


----------



## ChasingDopamine

Does anyone have any expirence running the 2qute via a stereo amp and speakers with high input sensitivity?

I'm currently running 200mv sensitivity (max input 2.5v) and looking at a rega mp which is 164mv (max input 10v). It's a trade-off of extra sensitivity Vs increased maximum input.  Would the useable volume range be even smaller?


----------



## betula

There are some really decent DACs out there. And unless you A/B compare them with a Chord DAC most likely you will be satisfied with them and that's fine. The DAC section of my Questyle CMA600i for example is pretty decent. Smooth, quite detailed. Pretty much enough for happiness. But the clarity and definition the 2Qute brings to the picture is very impressive. Everything is just so much sharper and clearer. This clarity enhances the perception of soundstage depth and gives the impression of a blacker background. I love it. 
With certain music genres these improvements are more obvious. Electronic ambient music which I really like is one of them. Thanks Mr Watts.


----------



## John Willson (Sep 26, 2018)

Hi,I am new to this forum,but I have read the Mojo one extensively.Now I have a small problem that some of you fellows can help me solve.Today I got a new 2qute and it's really fantastic 5h after I downloaded the drivers and started listening to it.Now the problem!!!  I have a TIDAL connection which I used with the Mojo,and they worked fine,but now that I am using the 2qute the light stays red even when I listen to Master files.Is that  normal?With the Mojo it changed colour according to what file I was playing.Please HELP!


----------



## betula

John Willson said:


> Hi,I am new to this forum,but I have read the Mojo one extensively.Now I have asmall problem that some of you fellows can help me solve.Today I got a new 2qute and it's really fantastic 5h after I downloaded the drivers and started listening to it.Now the problem!!!  I have a TIDAL connection which I used with the Mojo,and they worked fine,but now that I am using the 2qute the light stays red even when I listen to Master files.Is tha normal?With the Mojo it changed colour according to what file I was playing.Please HELP!


It should change colours but unfortunately I can't help more since I use Foobar not Tidal.


----------



## John Willson

Thanks!! I use Foobar2k too and it works fine up to now.Only the TIDAL has this problem!!


----------



## miketlse

John Willson said:


> Thanks!! I use Foobar2k too and it works fine up to now.Only the TIDAL has this problem!!


The 2Qute thread doesn't have a lot of posters these days, so maybe not many Tidal users will see your question.
You may stand a better chance asking on the H2 or Poly threads.
https://www.head-fi.org/search/14931464/?q=tidal&t=post&o=relevance&c[thread]=831345
https://www.head-fi.org/search/14931570/?q=tidal&t=post&o=relevance&c[thread]=831347


----------



## ChasingDopamine

John Willson said:


> Hi,I am new to this forum,but I have read the Mojo one extensively.Now I have a small problem that some of you fellows can help me solve.Today I got a new 2qute and it's really fantastic 5h after I downloaded the drivers and started listening to it.Now the problem!!!  I have a TIDAL connection which I used with the Mojo,and they worked fine,but now that I am using the 2qute the light stays red even when I listen to Master files.Is that  normal?With the Mojo it changed colour according to what file I was playing.Please HELP!



Have you made sure your settings (I think under account or use) are set to 'exclusive mode'?


----------



## Eylrik (Sep 26, 2018)

betula said:


> Try this. They definitely ship all around Europe...


I wish I saw that earlier...just bought a second hand 2Qute for £500...
Not a bad deal I guess, but no warranty.

That said, for the money spent,
this dac is my best purchase in years...what a performance! Great improvement in resolution, clarity and depth (pretty much everywhere actually) compared to my Questyle CMA400i's dac section.

Also much better performance at lower volume.


----------



## John Willson

Thanks to all ._It seems I have to allow TIDAL to operate it exlusively  in order to get a green light,which unfortunately means I have to operate the volume manually .A bit of a bother._


----------



## Eylrik

I just want to add some humble feedback regarding the use of an mcru linear power supply.
I have tested and blind tested it for about an hour this morning and I cannot deny there is a radical positive change. What is instantly discernible is the additional weight to every single note. Tightened bass and crisper highs.
As for the why, I understand Mr Watts' explanations and I happily believe this improvement might not be driven by the 2Qute power section per say. However, in my system and under my listening conditions, the lps is a definite overall improvement.

Here are 2 tracks where I found the impact extremely audible:
- "Come together" from "Musica Nuda" album (Petra Magoni)
- "Gold to me" from "Fight for your mind" album (Ben Harper)


----------



## OctavianH

I had exactly the same feeling when switching to MCRU LPS and I've done the same after the upgrade to Qutest. I was not very happy that the old LPS was not compatible, but that's life, I bought a new one for the new DAC.


----------



## Eylrik

OctavianH said:


> I had exactly the same feeling when switching to MCRU LPS and I've done the same after the upgrade to Qutest. I was not very happy that the old LPS was not compatible, but that's life, I bought a new one for the new DAC.


Oh and I see you also have an Elise Amp, nice! I wonder how it sounds with a Beyer T1. I use it mostly with a Senn HD6xx...


----------



## OctavianH (Sep 27, 2018)

2Qute and also Qutest are a very good match for Elise and T1. The only difference is that 2Qute is a little bit warmer than the Qutest, the latest has a better resolution being a newer DAC. Depending on what generation of T1 you have you might like more the 2Qute instead Qutest. T1.2 are somehow warmer than T1.1 in my opinion so might work better with Qutest. Original T1 might work better with 2Qute.


----------



## Eylrik

Interesting, thanks for the advice!


----------



## Light - Man (Oct 22, 2018)

Sure is quiet here!

I got the 2Qute recently.

I used it for about 3 days with the stock power supply before using the 12 volt car battery (that I had for my previous DAC). I am convinced that the battery supply gives a better sound like others have previously mentioned (regarding upgraded power supplies).

I believe that the 2Qute sounds noticeably better than the Mojo (which I found was disappointing in a speaker system) but of course the 2Qute is way more expensive, etc.

*Guys any headphone Amps that you would recommend that pairs well with the 2Qute that does the 2Qute justice without spending big bucks?*

*Any more comparisons with the new Qutest would be welcome?*


----------



## Eylrik

Hi,

Well, I find my 2Qute to pair very well with my Feliks Audio Elise. 
Tube amp + 2Qute might be something of great interest from my perspective.
I am also using the 2Qute with a Kinki THR-1 amp and it is a fantastic match.
I think you migh want either:
- an OTL tube amp and 2Qute will behave wonderfully in terms of resolution or
- a neutral transistor amp so you can benefit from the typical Chord sound signature


----------



## Scutey

I use my 2Qute with an Feliks Elise as well and the sound is wonderfull, others worth a look are Little Dot mk III, Darkvoice 336 SE, or in solid state a Schiit Magni 3.


----------



## ChasingDopamine

Light - Man said:


> Sure is quiet here!
> 
> I got this little cutie last week at a price 2Qute to pass (new).
> 
> ...




Welcome to the club! Ive had my 2qute for about 6 weeks now and still loving it. I agree it is in a different league to the mojo. There is still something about the mojos tonality and amp section I love with headphones, but it has no place in my speaker system anymore. 

As for headphone amps, is a bit hard to know what to recommend without a price range, but if your talking cheap then I've had great results running HD650s with the 2qute using a Little Dot MK2 tube amp (~£150). The 2qute sounds fantastic through tubes, and if you can get a better tube amp you will be satisfied.

The 3v thing did worry me at first too, but I just used it to rationalise an stereo amp upgrade. Moved from a Cyrus One (which clips at 2.5v RMS) to a Naim Nait 5si (which uses a passive preamp). That upgrade cost more than the 2qute itself, but I realised I was just holding the 2qute back. I would advise if possible to not cheap out too much on what you pair it with, as I found that I wasnt hearing the 2qute at its full potential and layers of detail were masked and the rythmn was offset.

Although it would still be better if it was 2v as there is still alot of gain in my system for fine volume control, but if it doesn't clip keep it as is and don't use an attenuator.

I have not heard the qutest yet (by choice, I had lots of opportunities but what you don't know can't hurt your wallet). I will likley get one when it's been discontinued and at a similar % discount to the 2qute right now. You would need a pretty dialed in system for the difference in price to not be better served elsewhere in the chain since you already got a 2qute (wild speculation, but still).

Let us know how you get on and enjoy it in good health!


----------



## betula

I quite like my 2Qute with the CMA600i. I agree with all the comments above. You either want some nice tube amp or a better quality neutral SS. What you want to avoid is bright sounding amps or cheaper colored SS amps. 
I also agree that 2Qute is great improvement over Mojo.


----------



## rhern213

Anybody with more technical knowledge can advise about this LPSU for the 2Qute:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Accubassto...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

I wanted to try it out but not sure if it's worth it based on the components used?

Thanks!


----------



## betula

To colour this thread a little bit:


----------



## Eylrik

Very good idea !


----------



## Scutey

How about a nice shade of green


----------



## betula

Scutey said:


> How about a nice shade of green





Eylrik said:


> Very good idea !



Is that the same amp you have got there guys? Feliks Audio?


----------



## Scutey

betula said:


> Is that the same amp you have got there guys? Feliks Audio?


Yes they are, it's the Elise, and it's a fantastic amp.


----------



## Eylrik

Scutey said:


> Yes they are, it's the Elise, and it's a fantastic amp.


Haha yes it is a great amp indeed and also very nice for tube rolling.


----------



## Scutey

Eylrik said:


> Haha yes it is a great amp indeed and also very nice for tube rolling.


You're right, best amp I've had for tube rolling, the different tube combinations you can use with this amp are almost endless, and it pairs really well with the 2Qute.


----------



## Eylrik

Scutey said:


> You're right, best amp I've had for tube rolling, the different tube combinations you can use with this amp are almost endless, and it pairs really well with the 2Qute.


The 2Qute brings the Elise some great dynamics & resolution, I love the combo.
What tubes are you using with your Elise?


----------



## Scutey (Nov 7, 2018)

I use quite a few, at the moment I'm using EL32/CV1052 as a quad, same tubes in the pic, also EL3N, as drivers, with Tung Sol 5998 for powers, Mullard 6080, or even the Svetlana, also TS 5998 and Psvane CV 181-T, other driver tubes that are very nice are Ken Rad 6F8G, sometimes RCA 6sn7 gt, but the best I have ever heard is the quad of the CV1052, the sound is glorious. I see you have some nice tubes in your Elise.


----------



## Eylrik

Scutey said:


> I use quite a few, at the moment I'm using EL32/CV1052 as a quad, same tubes in the pic, also EL3N, as drivers, with Tung Sol 5998 for powers, Mullard 6080, or even the Svetlana, also TS 5998 and Psvane CV 181-T, other driver tubes that are very nice are Ken Rad 6F8G, sometimes RCA 6sn7 gt, but the best I have ever heard is the quad of the CV1052, the sound is glorious. I see you have some nice tubes in your Elise.


Nice ! I've never tried the quad el32 set-up.
Now I am using 5998 and psvanes.
But we digress from the 2Qute topic .
in conclusion... a "2Qute Elise" is highly recommended !


----------



## Scutey

I'll second that!, btw have you had a look at the Elise thread?, if not here's the link. Back on topic!, after Getting the Elise, my single best buy has definitely been the 2Qute.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fel...rt-please-read-first-post-for-summary.813488/


----------



## Eylrik (Nov 8, 2018)

Scutey said:


> I'll second that!, btw have you had a look at the Elise thread?, if not here's the link. Back on topic!, after Getting the Elise, my single best buy has definitely been the 2Qute.
> 
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fel...rt-please-read-first-post-for-summary.813488/


What source do you use with the 2Qute?


----------



## Scutey

Eylrik said:


> What source do you use with the 2Qute?


I use Foobar2000


----------



## sebbaan

Hope someone can help me with this:

Got a 2qute to use with my Burson ha160, but get a terrible hum from the headphones. Have tried a Mac connected via USB and a streamer connected via toslink, same with both. 

However if I connect the 2qute to a different amp, a Cambridge audio amp, I get no hum or noise whatsoever.

How can this be?


----------



## ChasingDopamine

sebbaan said:


> Hope someone can help me with this:
> 
> Got a 2qute to use with my Burson ha160, but get a terrible hum from the headphones. Have tried a Mac connected via USB and a streamer connected via toslink, same with both.
> 
> ...




Might be something to do with your amps transformer. My Naim Nait 5si hums like a hornets nest sometimes (with and without my 2Qute. It might be a ground loop or some kind of issue relating to your electricity supply. Perhaps try a different socket or circuit and see if that has any impact? It could also be that something else plugged in elsewhere is having some influence.


----------



## sebbaan

I removed the ground from the Burson and that got rid of the problem. Question is, is the chord grounded so that the the Burson doesn't has to be?


----------



## Furch

I need some advice for my 2Qute, recently I bought Wywires Platinum USB for my 2Qute but no matter what I try with every usb slot of my PC & office PC, 2Qute can't be detect with Wywires but no problem with stock cable. At first I thought problem come from Wywires but after I bring it to test with other DAC such Myteck Manhattan & Brooklyn, it's work perfectly fine then it's mean problem may occur from 2Qute...
so how can I solve this problem? if someone know how to solve, please educate me, thank you. 

PS : I ever use JPS Superconductor V long time ago with 2Qute without problem though.


----------



## JezR (Dec 24, 2018)

Have you installed the 2Qute driver for PC? I don't use a PC myself, just a thought. 

https://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/2qute/


----------



## Jawed

Furch said:


> I need some advice for my 2Qute, recently I bought Wywires Platinum USB for my 2Qute but no matter what I try with every usb slot of my PC & office PC, 2Qute can't be detect with Wywires but no problem with stock cable. At first I thought problem come from Wywires but after I bring it to test with other DAC such Myteck Manhattan & Brooklyn, it's work perfectly fine then it's mean problem may occur from 2Qute...
> so how can I solve this problem? if someone know how to solve, please educate me, thank you.
> 
> PS : I ever use JPS Superconductor V long time ago with 2Qute without problem though.


Does Wywires Platinum USB allow the USB power signal to reach 2Qute? Some USB cables made for hi-fi prevent the USB power signal from reaching the DAC. 2Qute requires the power from the USB cable to power the circuit that interprets the digital data.

The optical input is the reference for sound quality with 2Qute, so distrust a USB cable if it sounds different.


----------



## John Willson

JezR said:


> Have you installed the 2Qute driver for PC? I don't use a PC myself, just a thought.
> 
> https://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/2qute/


Merry X-mass.Of course you don't need the drivers if you are content with music files up to 96 khz and a pc is not a must, but if you don't use the usb port the 2qute can only be used as a DAC fed from a cd player.It's a bit of a waste to use such a fantastic player as a CD dac only.Nevertheless it improves CD playing enormously.


https://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/2qute/[/QUOTE]


----------



## Furch

JezR said:


> Have you installed the 2Qute driver for PC? I don't use a PC myself, just a thought.



I already did installed driver, if I remember correctly even when I didn't install driver, PC still detect 2Qute with stock cable though.



Jawed said:


> Does Wywires Platinum USB allow the USB power signal to reach 2Qute? Some USB cables made for hi-fi prevent the USB power signal from reaching the DAC. 2Qute requires the power from the USB cable to power the circuit that interprets the digital data. The optical input is the reference for sound quality with 2Qute, so distrust a USB cable if it sounds different.



I don't know technical design of 2Qute & Wywires but maybe you're right... if it's true then I've to change 1 of these 2. Thank you.


----------



## michaelvv

Hi.

Anyone tried to have a DDC , USB=>Spdif on the 2qute. I was wondering if it gets better than just using the USB.

I have done a great deal on LPS, so now I have absolute no SMPS on my HIFI outlet.
Running switch, 2Qute and PC Endpoint on LPS.

I'm really happy with the improvements so far, but if another tweak makes is better I'm always interested.


----------



## Sayed2020

I received a great experience from Chord Electronics Ltd, a special mention to Colin Pratt.
Chord create great DACs and have great service too.
Thank you so much guys, I really appreciate it.


----------



## miketlse

zellous said:


> I received a great experience from Chord Electronics Ltd, a special mention to Colin Pratt.
> Chord create great DACs and have great service too.
> Thank you so much guys, I really appreciate it.


Pleased for you, and well done Colin.


----------



## Eylrik

Hi,

I’ve got a slight issue when I connect my 2qute to the my Kef LS50 wireless speakers, using the 2qute as a dac.
My source is an Aries Mini hence connected via usb to the 2qute then linked to the auxiliary rca input of the Kef ls50 wireless.
My problem is that for a few songs only, the music saturates. This is annoying even though it happens only with a few songs (also not hi-res files) but mostly noticeable on voices.
Could it be that the high output voltage of the 2qute might cause some issue with the rca sensitivity of my Kef LS50 wireless?

Thanks for your help and thinking here !


----------



## miketlse

Eylrik said:


> Hi,
> 
> I’ve got a slight issue when I connect my 2qute to the my Kef LS50 wireless speakers, using the 2qute as a dac.
> My source is an Aries Mini hence connected via usb to the 2qute then linked to the auxiliary rca input of the Kef ls50 wireless.
> ...


This is possibly bad news for you.

I could not find any reference to the sensitivity of the Aux input, so you are best contacting KEF for that information.
This review implies, but does not definitively state that the Aux input is provided for turntables. If so then it is possible that RIAA equalisation is applied to the input, which conceivably make the audio sound strange. Also maybe a turntable input could have a relatively low sensitivity.
Finally the review states "Purists should be made aware that all incoming analogue signals are instantly digitised to 24bit/192kHz PCM; how else would the signal be split and the left channel handed over to the other loudspeaker via Ethernet?". This means that your 2Qute is wasted in this system. The analogue output from the 2Qute, is concerted back to digital by the speakers, before potentially some DSP, followed by conversion back to analogue by the DACs inside the speakers. You should be feeding the signal from the Aries Mini, straight to the LS50


----------



## Triode User

miketlse said:


> This is possibly bad news for you.
> 
> I could not find any reference to the sensitivity of the Aux input, so you are best contacting KEF for that information.
> This review implies, but does not definitively state that the Aux input is provided for turntables. If so then it is possible that RIAA equalisation is applied to the input, which conceivably make the audio sound strange. Also maybe a turntable input could have a relatively low sensitivity.
> Finally the review states "Purists should be made aware that all incoming analogue signals are instantly digitised to 24bit/192kHz PCM; how else would the signal be split and the left channel handed over to the other loudspeaker via Ethernet?". This means that your 2Qute is wasted in this system. The analogue output from the 2Qute, is concerted back to digital by the speakers, before potentially some DSP, followed by conversion back to analogue by the DACs inside the speakers. You should be feeding the signal from the Aries Mini, straight to the LS50



Just on your item 3, I had an interesting conversation today with a dealer who sells some very clever digital speakers (ie digital source in) who says that he finds that often the output is better when fed an analogue supply from a good dac rather than a direct digital stream direct from the source. I know that this does not make sense but I trust this dealers ear.


----------



## miketlse

Triode User said:


> Just on your item 3, I had an interesting conversation today with a dealer who sells some very clever digital speakers (ie digital source in) who says that he finds that often the output is better when fed an analogue supply from a good dac rather than a direct digital stream direct from the source. I know that this does not make sense but I trust this dealers ear.


You are right that it does not make sense.
It would be interesting to hear Robs views on the matter.


----------



## DarkMatter1 (May 16, 2019)

Hi folks.I haven't been on here in a while.I have been enjoying my Mojo for a while and I am looking to upgrade my DAC duties for my Atoll IN200 Signature integrated amp.So I just bought a used 2Qute and my intial impressions so far are,that it has beautiful treble and great imaging like my Mojo.It seems that the 2Qute's treble is way better than Mojo's with better extension,resolution,detail.The imaging seems on par.But i think at least the midrange bass goes to 2Qute again but not by much.And 2Qute's low end bass extension beats Mojos.I want the right DAC for my system which includes Buchardt S400s.I don't think the 2Qute has that thicker meatier sound that I want for my speakers.It still does sound great in my system.And like i said that I love the highs with this DAC.And i would say its more neutral than my Mojo.I will give it some more time.Does changing the power supply do anything?


----------



## Hooster

If you like it, enjoy it. There is always something better out there, but who cares?


----------



## pamararaj

Iam looking to buy the stock wallwart for my 2Qute (not after market ones, but the one that came with 2qute).
Is anyone willing to sell theirs, pls let me know.


----------



## miketlse

Maybe of interest to a 2Qute owner in europe.
There is an ex-demo chordette stand for sale at 815 euros.
https://www.son-video.com/article/a...electronics/stand-3-units-destock-20140618003


----------



## claud W

Does the 2Qute do DSD? If so, which ones?


----------



## nickosiris

It can go up to DSD128 through the USB and coax inputs only, not the optical though.


----------



## malenak

I would like to add a little of my experience with 2Qute. I bought it second-handed more than a year ago. I was thinking about some nice DAC and there was RME-ADI2 on sight. Then I found a quite nice offer online and I decided to try. If I will not like it, I will sell it. But, here we are. After more than year I am not even thinking about DAC upgrade. It sounds just amazing. I had quite a turbulent year in head-fi and I changed almost everything in my rig, but 2Qute is still with me. With no plans to go anywhere. It sounds amazing! This piece of equipment holds me in single ended audio. I actually think, that if single ended is built on top level, there is no need to go balanced. 2Qute is extremely detailed with great separation and what amazes me most is, that otherwise it is technically very good, it is not dry or boring. This is joy to listen to. It is fun. It is addicting. Keeping that crazy amount of technical qualities. I really liked R2R dacs for their fun factor, but 2Qute is on another level. Comparing other DAC`s which I tried, it is like there is a plenty of good cola drinks. Some are delightful, but light because of sweeteners. You can enjoy them, but then, you will taste the 2Qute which is like the original sweet Cola with that full taste, perfect temperature, with right amount of sparkling. With original sugar! Just right. So tasty, delightfull! And then, try to imagine, you add tubes. Here we are - Perfect Cherry Cola! Addicting!

I have also one scary story. I was experimenting with cheap amps and I bought JDS Atom. Unfortunately, I plugged Atom power source into 2Qute and it died immediately with a smoke coming from inside the 2Qute. I was like, I killed it. But, I wrote an email to Chord customer service, they gave me instructions, I packed it and sent to them. They proceed with all the medicine and it was not killed, just some diode was dead. Changed, repaired. And for not a huge amount of money. And it arrives to me and it makes me happy again. This is extremely nice piece of gear. It`s pure joy!

I love it! I know, if I will buy sometimes another DAC in future, it will be Chord!


----------



## miketlse

malenak said:


> I would like to add a little of my experience with 2Qute. I bought it second-handed more than a year ago. I was thinking about some nice DAC and there was RME-ADI2 on sight. Then I found a quite nice offer online and I decided to try. If I will not like it, I will sell it. But, here we are. After more than year I am not even thinking about DAC upgrade. It sounds just amazing. I had quite a turbulent year in head-fi and I changed almost everything in my rig, but 2Qute is still with me. With no plans to go anywhere. It sounds amazing! This piece of equipment holds me in single ended audio. I actually think, that if single ended is built on top level, there is no need to go balanced. 2Qute is extremely detailed with great separation and what amazes me most is, that otherwise it is technically very good, it is not dry or boring. This is joy to listen to. It is fun. It is addicting. Keeping that crazy amount of technical qualities. I really liked R2R dacs for their fun factor, but 2Qute is on another level. Comparing other DAC`s which I tried, it is like there is a plenty of good cola drinks. Some are delightful, but light because of sweeteners. You can enjoy them, but then, you will taste the 2Qute which is like the original sweet Cola with that full taste, perfect temperature, with right amount of sparkling. With original sugar! Just right. So tasty, delightfull! And then, try to imagine, you add tubes. Here we are - Perfect Cherry Cola! Addicting!
> 
> I have also one scary story. I was experimenting with cheap amps and I bought JDS Atom. Unfortunately, I plugged Atom power source into 2Qute and it died immediately with a smoke coming from inside the 2Qute. I was like, I killed it. But, I wrote an email to Chord customer service, they gave me instructions, I packed it and sent to them. They proceed with all the medicine and it was not killed, just some diode was dead. Changed, repaired. And for not a huge amount of money. And it arrives to me and it makes me happy again. This is extremely nice piece of gear. It`s pure joy!
> 
> I love it! I know, if I will buy sometimes another DAC in future, it will be Chord!


Glad you are enjoying your 2Qute.
This dac was also popular on the Naim forum. Owners often replaced their Naim dacs with a 2Qute, and used it as the input source for their Naim amplifiers or systems.


----------



## musickid

It's nice to come across happy people.


----------



## nickosiris

What malenak said. Amongst all the uncertainties and doubts in my life, changing my DAC isn't even up for discussion. Not sure about the cola analogy but thumbs up for 'you add tubes'! Imagine how good a Dave/Blu MkII is. Frightening.


----------



## malenak

nickosiris said:


> What malenak said. Amongst all the uncertainties and doubts in my life, changing my DAC isn't even up for discussion. Not sure about the cola analogy but thumbs up for 'you add tubes'! Imagine how good a Dave/Blu MkII is. Frightening.


Ouch! Don`t tell me anything good about Dave! It can be dangerous! For my wallet!


----------



## musickid

Tread carefully.....


----------



## wormsdriver

hi guys, I accidentally plugged in the power chord of my amp (Drop THX789) into my 2Qute and now it doesn't turn on at all. 
What can I do to fix it? Have you guys heard of anybody else doing this? Is there anybody on the forums that does repairs such as this? 
Any help would be greatly appreciated!


----------



## Baten

malenak said:


> I have also one scary story. I was experimenting with cheap amps and I bought JDS Atom. Unfortunately, I plugged Atom power source into 2Qute and it died immediately with a smoke coming from inside the 2Qute. I was like, I killed it. But, I wrote an email to Chord customer service, they gave me instructions, I packed it and sent to them. They proceed with all the medicine and it was not killed, just some diode was dead. Changed, repaired. And for not a huge amount of money. And it arrives to me and it makes me happy again. This is extremely nice piece of gear. It`s pure joy!





wormsdriver said:


> hi guys, I accidentally plugged in the power chord of my amp (Drop THX789) into my 2Qute and now it doesn't turn on at all.
> What can I do to fix it? Have you guys heard of anybody else doing this? Is there anybody on the forums that does repairs such as this?
> Any help would be greatly appreciated!



Serious question, what are you guys thinking when you're using a totally different power supply with *different voltage rating* on a device as expensive as chord ???

The THX is 12 volt, more than twice what qutest needs. The Atom is 16 volt DC, not even AC!!!

Please consider these things before trying this seemingly very random stuff guys. I really don't understand.....


----------



## wormsdriver

Baten said:


> Serious question, what are you guys thinking when you're using a totally different power supply with *different voltage rating* on a device as expensive as chord ???
> 
> The THX is 12 volt, more than twice what qutest needs. The Atom is 16 volt DC, not even AC!!!
> 
> Please consider these things before trying this seemingly very random stuff guys. I really don't understand.....


Haha, it was literally an accident. I wasn't trying to get more out of my dac by plugging in random power bricks.


----------



## Baten

wormsdriver said:


> Haha, it was literally an accident. I wasn't trying to get more out of my dac by plugging in random power bricks.


OK 

like the other user said above. he contacted Chord, to get it fixed. I advice to try the same.


----------



## wormsdriver

I just got a response from Chord. They told me to contact a couple of service places here in the states, I'll see what they say. At over $100 an hour, looks like it's gonna be pricey


----------



## Rob Watts (Jan 28, 2020)

wormsdriver said:


> hi guys, I accidentally plugged in the power chord of my amp (Drop THX789) into my 2Qute and now it doesn't turn on at all.
> What can I do to fix it? Have you guys heard of anybody else doing this? Is there anybody on the forums that does repairs such as this?
> Any help would be greatly appreciated!



Yes a 24v PSU will destroy the protect diode.
Its D4 a BZV55C15 zener diode. If you have a local service guy it's easy to replace. Make sure you solder it in the correct way round.


----------



## wormsdriver

Rob Watts said:


> Yes a 24v PSU will destroy the protect diode.
> Its D4 a BZV55C15 zener diode. If you have a local service guy it's easy to replace. Make sure you solder it in the correct way round.


Thank you so much for the info, this should make things much easier, faster and cheaper if I can find here locally. Again, thank you, much appreciated!


----------



## malenak

Baten said:


> Serious question, what are you guys thinking when you're using a totally different power supply with *different voltage rating* on a device as expensive as chord ???
> 
> The THX is 12 volt, more than twice what qutest needs. The Atom is 16 volt DC, not even AC!!!
> 
> Please consider these things before trying this seemingly very random stuff guys. I really don't understand.....


You know what? We are people. And nobody is infallible? No one is always 100% correct in everything what he is doing. And crap happens sometimes. What else to say. I paid for my mistake, let it be the lesson for others.


----------



## Deolum

Anyone heard 2 or more of those: 2qute, qutest, Mojo, ADI 2 Dac, and can give his impressions in comparison?


----------



## Deolum

So i bought a 2qute. I have seen this question many times but unanswered: is it better when i turn off my power strip when i don't use it or should it be constantly on thus the light of the 2qute constantly on?


----------



## bikutoru (Apr 3, 2020)

Deolum said:


> So i bought a 2qute. I have seen this question many times but unanswered: is it better when i turn off my power strip when i don't use it or should it be constantly on thus the light of the 2qute constantly on?


Up to you, I used both methods, it is fine either way.

BTW, while it is discontinued, it is still ahead of many dacs from other companies. 
WARNING! Audiophile's Voodoo: After listening to it for about 6 month your brain rewires itself, and your other equipment and even dacs from other companies sound better.


----------



## dfarina

Digging up a fairly old thread,I picked one of these up for $500.I highly doubt anything new in that price range could equal it?


----------



## OctavianH

2Qute is a very good DAC. For 500 USD it will be, for sure, much above similar products.


----------



## ajreynol

dfarina said:


> Digging up a fairly old thread,I picked one of these up for $500.I highly doubt anything new in that price range could equal it?


You will not, no. Grats on the great deal.


----------



## dfarina

Thanks guys,I wasn't familiar with this DAC,had to cram in some research quickly before buying online.


----------



## bikutoru

dfarina said:


> Thanks guys,I wasn't familiar with this DAC,had to cram in some research quickly before buying online.


It is unbelievable price, I still own one and even if I was drunk out of my mind, wouldn't sell it that low.


----------



## Hooster (Nov 5, 2020)

Nm.


----------



## wormsdriver

Hooster said:


> Would you guys mind posting in this thread instead?
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-qutest-dac-official-thread.869417/


Why post about the 2qute on the qutest thread?


----------



## Hooster

wormsdriver said:


> Why post about the 2qute on the qutest thread?



Sorry, I got them mixed up.


----------



## arjuna93

malenak said:


> I would like to add a little of my experience with 2Qute. I bought it second-handed more than a year ago. I was thinking about some nice DAC and there was RME-ADI2 on sight. Then I found a quite nice offer online and I decided to try. If I will not like it, I will sell it. But, here we are. After more than year I am not even thinking about DAC upgrade. It sounds just amazing. I had quite a turbulent year in head-fi and I changed almost everything in my rig, but 2Qute is still with me.



Have you compared 2Qute to RME?


----------



## arjuna93

johndean said:


> Well here's guessing a good Usb cable with the 2qute with galvanic isolation will sound better than coax.



I have tried USB finally and it seems to me Optical sounds better or at least no worse. (I use a glass toslink cable.)


----------



## arjuna93

wisnon said:


> No Wyrd is like iFi IPurifier/Larry Moore's aubique filter and the new Audioquest Jitterbug. Empirical's Shortblocks is sorta similar as well. All are passive, Regen is actively powered with its own Power supply.
> 
> REGEN is different. Its based on new discoveries from Swenson's experiments. He is rebuilding the USB signal from scratch to have high signal integrity just before it enters the Dac and so reduce/eliminate propogated packet noise.
> 
> I own Aubisque and iPurifier and neither has the immediately obvious impact as Regen.



What about Saec SUI-01SX?


----------



## Zaiden

Anyone know how the 2Qute compares to the IFi Neo IDSD?


----------



## surfgeorge

Zaiden said:


> Anyone know how the 2Qute compares to the IFi Neo IDSD?


Well, IMO they are totally different products.
the NEO IDSD uses conventional DAC technology, includes a headphone amplifier (conventional) and has more input/output options. As such it's much more versatile.

The 2qute is just a DAC with fixed output, but using Rob Watts' proprietary FPGA DAC it's got the "special sauce" of Chord DACs.
I am personally done with conventional DACs after hearing Rob's designs. I really like his approach to design a DAC that addresses the shortcomings of conventional designs, and I hear that it works. The 2qute replaced a $4000, 10kg conventional DAC in my 2 channel system, and I never looked back.

IMO there is simply no way a $700 universal DAC/Amp such as the NEO IDSD would have any chance to get even close to a used 2Qute in performance. So if you value SQ over flexibility and can find a used 2qute for a reasonable price, go for it.


----------



## miketlse

Zaiden said:


> Anyone know how the 2Qute compares to the IFi Neo IDSD?


The 2Qute was popular with owners of Naim systems - they replaced their Naim dacs by a 2Qute.
So the 2Qute was obviously no slouch, but I don't recall seeing any posts comparing it to a IFi Neo IDSD.


----------



## iFi audio

surfgeorge said:


> Well, IMO they are totally different products.



That's true


----------



## Jingle525

I'm a current user of 2qute and looking to upgrade my dac. Any suggestions for Dacs that have a similar tonality as 2qute?


----------



## musickid

qutest?


----------



## Metron

With the establishment of Qutest (and its very steep price), the 2Qute has been sitting in the background for years but even today remains an excellent - if not somewhat unique - choice, depending on used price, in the class of upper mid-tier DAC units.


----------



## ajreynol

sure by why the thread bump just to say that?


----------



## Metron

ajreynol said:


> sure by why the thread bump just to say that?


Because it's relevant and timely, this DAC deserves mention and perhaps more discussion, if it's still of interest to people. I don't think about forum 'bumps', that's an afterthought.


----------

