New Chord QuteHD DSD and 384/32 Capable DAC

[wisnon]

I guess that seals it then!

[Melvin]

Just placed an order for the QuteHD in silver. I thought it was time for an upgrade and this DAC really peeked my interest. Hope to have it next week.

[Fritsveer]

Seems like interesting gear. Having the superuniti as my main DAC/amp, this QutehD would do the DSD material (which I still have to get )

 

Anyone had a listen to the QuteHD and compared it? (I have seen test on the internet but am interested what U people think as well)

[Mihnea]

Seems like interesting gear. Having the superuniti as my main DAC/amp, this QutehD would do the DSD material (which I still have to get )

 

Anyone had a listen to the QuteHD and compared it? (I have seen test on the internet but am interested what U people think as well)

 

I've listen to it this weekend and to me it sounded quite transparent, a bit to the bright side. I only compared it to a DAC board in an integrated amp which could only do 48K on USB, so not much of a comparison. My dealer praises QuteHD a lot for its price range. As always, you need to hear it in your own system to see if it makes for good match.

 

Mihnea

[wisnon]

New review:

Chord Electronics Chordette QuteHD (DSD) DAC | AudioStream

[Mihnea]

The QuteHD has also won the 2012 DAC of the year for under 1200 GBP:

Chord Electronics QuteHD review from the experts at whathifi.com

 

I tend to agree with their opinion regarding the tightness, although overall the DAC sounded very nice. Also agree with the heating part, in minutes after powering on the DAC gets pretty hot, which makes me a bit worried since my TimeCapsule died over overheating last month.

 

I am seriously considering it.

[Melvin]

I'm happy to say the QuteHD arrived at my door Saturday morning giving me a chance to listen this DAC quite a bit in the past 2 days. I thought I'd share my initial impressions. I'm sure you're well aware of the design, and I must say it doesn't disappoint. The look is unique, understated, and high quality. My music collection contains no DSD at this time so this initial evaluation is only with PCM. Although I did some listening with the SOtM converter in the mix, I mostly listened via USB directly to the DAC and at the usual Redbook through 24/192. I had several holy sh*t moments, the first concerning the bass. There is simply more bass .. tight, full, and deep .. simply more, and not in an artificial way either. This has been mentioned in a couple of the reviews I read too, and my experience is the same. The DAC seems to reveal more of what's already there. IMO it presents a neutral, detailed, delicate, and smooth sound. Very nuanced with a wonderful soundstage. Another holy sh*t moment was when listening to Kenny Barron .. my eyes were closed just taking it all in and I could clearly " see" his hands gliding across the piano. It was startling.

 

Thus far I'd say the QuteHD is a wonderful upgrade for me. It's almost 4 times the cost of the Bifrost I was using prior, so it should be. It costs only slightly more than what I paid for my Tranquility DAC (which is known for its "analogue" sound) and I'll just say the QuteHD will be staying.

 

A couple of things to note .. it runs hot, especially for hi-res. I've not owned another solid state component that runs this hot. Tubes yes, but not solid state. There is no physical on/off switch so I assumed there would be an auto sensing on/off function. Nope. I'm one of those people that like to power everything down when I'm out for hours at a time, like when at work. Even when not in use it's quite warm. I've been unplugging it til I come up with something else. I've considered using my SOtM battery supply to power the DAC (not sure if it's even compatible) and it has an on/off switch. Otherwise I may look for an alternative. Just my own craziness.

[Mihnea]

A couple of things to note .. it runs hot, especially for hi-res.

 

Could be due to the external aluminum case being used as passive heat radiator. Might be worth a question to Chord technical support, they are extremely responsive.

[Melvin]

Could be due to the external aluminum case being used as passive heat radiator. Might be worth a question to Chord technical support, they are extremely responsive.

 

I assume as much.

[Robert Hutton]

I assume as much.

 

Chord say that the heat is normal and well within safe tolerances for the internal components.

 

As to the earlier comment about the Chordette being a bit "bright", as an owner I can say that it is nothing of the sort, although it has an nice high end that is not rolled off at all and has a beautiful shimmer to it. In many cases, I might actually be inclined to say the Chordette is slightly dark, but that I suspect is mostly a matter of how totally black the background is in a good system.

[Melvin]

Chord say that the heat is normal and well within safe tolerances for the internal components.

 

As to the earlier comment about the Chordette being a bit "bright", as an owner I can say that it is nothing of the sort, although it has an nice high end that is not rolled off at all and has a beautiful shimmer to it. In many cases, I might actually be inclined to say the Chordette is slightly dark, but that I suspect is mostly a matter of how totally black the background is in a good system.

 

Thanks for the info Robert. I agree with you, I don't find it bright either. System synergy is key I'm sure.

[KE_Houston]

"

Thus far I'd say the QuteHD is a wonderful upgrade for me. It's almost 4 times the cost of the Bifrost I was using prior, so it should be. It costs only slightly more than what I paid for my Tranquility DAC (which is known for its "analogue" sound) and I'll just say the QuteHD will be staying."

 

Hi Melvin,

Thank You !!!!

From the time you made the announcement that you placed an order on Dec 24th, i have been checking this post for your review. Thanks for review on your initial impressions. All positive. Before I stumbled across QuteHD, I was looking at Bifrost or its bigger brother gungnair. The more I read about Chord as a company and reviews ( reviews are far and apart ), on QuteHD, I postponed my decision till I read/hear hear from someone like you who has lived with Schitt product and now with QuteHD. How do they compare, agree Bifrost is 4 times less expensive. Can't wait to hear on your impression after QuteHD has some burn in time ( if you believe in that "burn in" ).

[Melvin]

Before I stumbled across QuteHD, I was looking at Bifrost or its bigger brother gungnair. The more I read about Chord as a company and reviews ( reviews are far and apart ), on QuteHD, I postponed my decision till I read/hear hear from someone like you who has lived with Schitt product and now with QuteHD. How do they compare, agree Bifrost is 4 times less expensive. Can't wait to hear on your impression after QuteHD has some burn in time ( if you believe in that "burn in" ).

 

I had my eye on the Gungnir when I decided to upgrade. The Bifrost is a terrific DAC in its price range, very enjoyable and I could have lived with it much longer, in fact I'm keeping in for a 2nd system. The Gungnir has garnered some great reviews and was very tempting, as were others in this price range (and there is quite a few out there) but the QuteHD appealed to me the most. I've experienced "burn-in" with other products so I will give it some time before saying more about the DAC. Keep us updated on what you decide and welcome to the forum!

[PJ03029174]

Hi

I've recently purchased this DAC and upgraded the power supply to one called "Best of Two worlds" Havnt done any A to B testing but initial impressions are really good. Very detailed and Melvins right about the bass (even on my Quad 57 speakers)

I plan to do some A to B on the weekend against my old DAC (Cary Xciter) to see which one i keep, i really like the Cary and just want to test soundstage and presentation against the two. The QuteHD is much more convenient for me because it can do everything over usb where the Cary needs BNC or Optical to get to 24/196. I have tried a DSD ISO through the QuteHD and Jriver and was very impressed, not quite sure about the soundstage yet but its a new dac and think i need to adjust or allow abit more burn-in, i've had it a week

[Melvin]

I have tried a DSD ISO through the QuteHD and Jriver and was very impressed, not quite sure about the soundstage yet but its a new dac and think i need to adjust or allow abit more burn-in, i've had it a week

 

I just listened to my 1st DSD download a short while ago. I downloaded Jenna Mammina & John R. Burr which is available for free on DSD-Guide. I imported it into iTunes via Pure Music and played it using both Pure Music and Audirvana Plus. While I was quite impressed with the SQ, I'm completely unfamiliar with these artists and have yet to find anything available for download that I am familiar with. I'm not much of a classical music guy and it seems other genres are non-existant. Am I mistaken? Any suggestions in the rock or jazz genres?

[PJ03029174]

I downloaded Meat Loafs Bat out of hell, v good

[wisnon]

Melvin,

 

Tons of Jazz on SACD that can be extracted to DSD files, via PS3. If you dont have a suitable old PS3 device, you can send the disks (and storage device) to guys at audiocircle who have volunteered to rip for others for free.

[KE_Houston]

Keep us updated on what you decide and welcome to the forum!

 

Thanks Melvin.

Just placed an order for QuteHD with Acoustic Sounds (1.7K shipped ). My 1st buy of any audio equipment without auditioning. The reviews and the company background was more than enough to make the decision.

[Melvin]

I downloaded Meat Loafs Bat out of hell, v good

 

Melvin,

 

Tons of Jazz on SACD that can be extracted to DSD files, via PS3. If you dont have a suitable old PS3 device, you can send the disks (and storage device) to guys at audiocircle who have volunteered to rip for others for free.

 

Thanks guys.

 

Thanks Melvin.

Just placed an order for QuteHD with Acoustic Sounds (1.7K shipped ). My 1st buy of any audio equipment without auditioning. The reviews and the company background was more than enough to make the decision.

 

Nice .. and hopefully you will let us know what you think after a bit.

[KE_Houston]

Interesting Post :

 

Chord Chordette QuteHD USB DSD DAC | Stereophile.com

[mstulken]

A couple of things to note .. it runs hot, especially for hi-res. I've not owned another solid state component that runs this hot. Tubes yes, but not solid state. There is no physical on/off switch so I assumed there would be an auto sensing on/off function. Nope. I'm one of those people that like to power everything down when I'm out for hours at a time, like when at work. Even when not in use it's quite warm. I've been unplugging it til I come up with something else. I've considered using my SOtM battery supply to power the DAC (not sure if it's even compatible) and it has an on/off switch. Otherwise I may look for an alternative. Just my own craziness.

 

 

I've had one of these for two weeks now and I am completely pleased with it. I replace an Audiolab MDAC which I had for a year and didn't like the limitation on 96khz over USB. Also, found the SQ a bit bright and digital relative to the chordette. I also wasn't a fan of all the different filters. The chordette gives me no choices to worry about optimizing the sound quality which is just fine by me as simpler is better in my mind - I want to enjoy the music and not worry about fiddling with features. It does run hot and I asked Chord about it and they have no concerns. Just in case I unplug the unit when not in use. Also the wall wart was not an issue according to Chord as the unit regulates power in its circuitry.

I don't find it bright, but rather dynamic, detailed and with good sound stage. I really like how small and unobtrusive it is and like its physical design. As Phil Gold remarked and Michael Lavorgna, it really enhances the sound of redbook CD's. I've been playing lots of 24/192 files and it sounds remarkably good. I haven't accessed any DSD files yet, but hope to in the near future.

All around I find this DAC to have a natural flow to the music, making it easier to listen to than the MDAC. I really like it and believe I am going to be content with this DAC for a long time.

[Melvin]

I've had one of these for two weeks now and I am completely pleased with it. I replace an Audiolab MDAC which I had for a year and didn't like the limitation on 96khz over USB. Also, found the SQ a bit bright and digital relative to the chordette. I also wasn't a fan of all the different filters. The chordette gives me no choices to worry about optimizing the sound quality which is just fine by me as simpler is better in my mind - I want to enjoy the music and not worry about fiddling with features. It does run hot and I asked Chord about it and they have no concerns. Just in case I unplug the unit when not in use. Also the wall wart was not an issue according to Chord as the unit regulates power in its circuitry.

I don't find it bright, but rather dynamic, detailed and with good sound stage. I really like how small and unobtrusive it is and like its physical design. As Phil Gold remarked and Michael Lavorgna, it really enhances the sound of redbook CD's. I've been playing lots of 24/192 files and it sounds remarkably good. I haven't accessed any DSD files yet, but hope to in the near future.

All around I find this DAC to have a natural flow to the music, making it easier to listen to than the MDAC. I really like it and believe I am going to be content with this DAC for a long time.

 

Thanks for sharing. Mine has been in place for 3 weeks and I can honestly say I haven't heard any changes in SQ due to burn-in. Like you, I enjoy the elegant simplicity of the design. With no switches to flip or buttons to press and only a glowing, color-changing port-hole, it's easy to forget about and just enjoy the music. Instead of gushing more about this DAC, I'll just say my initial impressions remain. I love what the QuteHD has done for my system and believe I'm now off the DAC merry-go-round.

[Melvin]

Almost forgot .. as to the DAC running hot, I have no concerns after Chord addressed this. Also, my solution for turning the unit off while not in use was simple. I use a BrickWall surge protector with 2 switched outlets (which I forgot about) for my gear and now use one of them for this purpose.

[wisnon]

Melvin,

 

Can you give us some more DSD specific feedback?

[Melvin]

Melvin,

 

Can you give us some more DSD specific feedback?

 

Well, I hesitate only because of the limited amount of DSDs in my library. The QuteHD handles DSD64 without issue via Audirvana+ and thus far I've been impressed. The SQ is simply wonderful. Piano comes to mind here .. just gorgeous, natural. It's hard to describe actually! Of course this leads to that inevitable question, "Is DSD better than hires PCM?". I certainly can't say at this point. I do like what I hear and I'm very excited to hear more.