Chord – Qutest

Designed in the UK 3 Years ofWarranty Ideal forAudiophiles Ideal forIndoor Use FPGADAC Chip MetalBuild Pair with Laptop via USB Connect WithUSB, BNC & Optical The Chord Qutest is pretty much my favourite DAC. Period. For about a lakh, I don’t think I like any other DAC quite the same way. Sure, some might be technically better, some might have better test results. But music doesn’t sound the same on anything else. RAGHAV SOMANI Headphone Guru About Raghav Somani Raghav Somani is the Founder & CEO of Headphone Zone. An avid audiophile and musician since 2008, his choice of headphones include STAX Electrostats, Audeze LCD 3, and for music on the go, the JH Audio Roxanne + Astell&Kern SP1000 is never too far away. On his playlist, you’ll find A.R. Rahman, Michael Jackson, and the Eagles. DESCRIPTION UPGRADE YOUR HOME SET-UP’S SOUND Unlike other DACs by Chord Electronics, the Qutest does not have headphone amplification or rechargeable batteries. It is a pure DAC made to improve your home listening set-up. With its FPGA DAC, you get superior technical and sonic performance. With 49,152 taps, this DAC is able to support even Native DSD 512 (Octa-DSD). MULTIPLE CONNECTIVITY OPTIONS Connect to a wide variety of devices with the Qutest’s optical, 2 BNC Coax and USB Type-B digital inputs. These are galvanically isolated to give an instant performance upgrade as well as to modernise ageing digital source components. Connect to future Chord Electronics devices with Hi-Res dual-data digital inputs. RCA analogue outputs let you connect to headphone amps, preamps and integrated amps. SUPPORTS ALL YOUR CHOICES The Qutest lets you select from its four frequency-shaping filters and input selection controls. This can be done via the two fascia-mounted spheres. You can also choose whether you want the output voltage to be 1, 2 or 3 RMS for connecting to a range of devices. It supports a wide range of frequencies like 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, 358.8kHz, 384kHz, 717.6kHz and 768kHz. HIGH-QUALITY, DURABLE ALUMINIUM CASING The Qutest sports a show-off-worthy chassis. This all-new chassis has been precision-machined from solid aircraft-grade aluminium for better durability. The PCB has been kept in a shallow cavity in the casing for additional isolation and protection from external vibration. SPECS GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS DEVICE POWER SUPPLY 5v 2amp Micro USB DIMENSIONS 4.5cm (H) x 16cm (W) x 8.8cm (D) WEIGHT 770g CONNECTIVITY INPUT USB Type B (White): 44.1kHz to 768kHz – 16bit to 32bit 2x BNC Coax (Red): 44.1kHz – 384kHz – 16bit to 32bit 1x Dual data mode input (using both BNC coax inputs together): 44.1kHz to 768kHz – 16bit to 32bit Optical (Green): 44.1kHz to 96kHz – 16bit to 24bit OUTPUT 1x stereo pair of RCA (Left and Right) VARIABLE OUTPUT Fixed, but selectable between 3v (blue), 2v (green), and 1v (red) via dual press of ‘Filter’ + ‘Input’ upon startup AUDIO SPECIFICATIONS CHIPSET custom coded Xilinx Artix 7 (XC7A15T) FPGA FREQUENCY RESPONSE 20Hz – 20kHz +/- 0.2dB THD <0.0001% 1kHz 3v RMS 300Ω THD & NOISE 117dB at 1kHz 300ohms @3v RMS CHANNEL SEPARATION 138dB at 1kHz 300Ω TAP LENGTH 49,152 PULSE ARRAY 10 element pulse array design PCM SUPPORT 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, 358.8kHz, 384kHz, 717.6kHz, and 768kHz. DSD SUPPORT Native playback supported. DSD64 (Single) to DSD512 (Octa-DSD) DRIVER SUPPORT Driverless with Mac OS X and Linux, driver required for Windows OS IN THE BOX BOX CONTENTS 1. Chord Qutest DAC 2. 5V 2A Switching Micro USB power supply 3. Type-A USB to Type-B USB cable 4. Drawstring bag 5. Qutest user manual 6. Safety instructions FAQS What is a DAC? A DAC is a processor that converts digital audio information (consisting of a series of 0s and 1s) into an analogue audio signal. This gives you a better sound quality. Does the Qutest serve as an amp too? No, it doesn’t. The Qutest is a standalone DAC that is dedicated only to give you a great sound. Is it compatible with Mac and Windows? The Quetest has driverless support for Mac OS X and Linux. You will be required to install a supported driver to use it with your PC. User Guide Learn how to make the most out of your Chord Qutest with information on how to protect and clean your device from time to time. Get information on battery life indicators and configuring these with other devices. Read More Warranty & Media Reviews 3 Year Warranty Don’t sweat it, this Chord Qutest comes with a 3 year warranty from Chord that covers manufacturing defects. All products featured on Headphone Zone are backed by an original manufacturer’s warranty. Read more about Chord’s warranty in India. Best DAC £500 – £1200 What Hi-Fi? AwardsNov, 2019 Best DAC £500 – £1200 What Hi-Fi? AwardsNov, 2018 Best Product Award EISA AwardSep, 2019 Best Buy Winner AVForumsJuly, 2018 Stars of CES Winner What Hi-Fi?Jan, 2018 Editor’s Choice Winner Hi-Fi ChoiceFeb, 2018 Best DAC £500 – £1200 What Hi-Fi? AwardsOct, 2020 “What Hi-Fi? Awards 2019 winner. Chord has managed to do it again. The Qutest sets a new benchmark at this price. Clear, precise and subtle performer with stylish build.” Read More “The Chord Qutest is a perfect fusion of science and art.Capable of astounding clarity, Chord’s Qutest DAC cuts the cost of audiophile grade digital decoding.” Read More “Gosh, what is there not to like about the Qutest as a pure DAC? It gives resolutely detailed and fantastically natural sounding with just about any amp I can throw at it.” Read More “The Qutest was detailed, natural, very atmospheric with great 3D imaging. The Qutest is a cuddly, small aluminium box which is machined from a solid billet of aluminium and then black anodised.” Read More