Next Steps - Chord 2Qute?

[Stereolabb]

Hi all,

 

I'm looking to upgrade my digital setup on my system (Naim Supernait, Sonos ZP90, Rega DAC, Rega P7 + Dynavector 10x5, Dynavector P75, Quad 12L). My first thoughts are to replace the Rega Dac with a Chord Hugo, this would then act as the new cornerstone for the digital system. And probably give me the best bang for buck upfront.

 

My thoughts are to follow this quickly with a Auralic Aries, I don't like to buy to many things at the same time, so I'll see what the 2Qute does then add the Aries. Can't ever see myself being able to afford a PS Audio DirectStream or PS Audio DirectStream Junior. And my thoughts are if I went an all Naim route, i.e. a Naim ND5 XS, the Sonos/Hugo combo would sound better for less with greater flexibility. With DAC's like the Hugo & 2Qute, Naim does seem to be suffering a little in the space at the moment.

 

Also was wondering obviously ripped Redbook CD's will sound better from the better DAC, would I expect much of a lift from my streaming music services like Spotify or Apple Music? I've really been surprised by Apple Music, their Beats1 radio and curated playlists are really quite good.

 

Look forward to the forum members thoughts. Happy to hear creative thinking, there is as always a lot of ways to do this.

 

John

[MikeJazz]

Hi John,

before elaborate any further, what are the sonic attributes of your Rega DAC that you dislike or/and are trying to improve?

[Stereolabb]

Hi John,

before elaborate any further, what are the sonic attributes of your Rega DAC that you dislike or/and are trying to improve?

 

Hi Mike,

 

The Rega DAC is fine. And that's the problem it's "fine". Does everything well but it doesn't really pull any strings. My digital setup doesn't hold a candle to my analog rig so I'm after something a little more dynamic and resolving. The Chord has been described as analog like, as was the Rega DAC but I just want to go up the ladder a little and see what this hi-res scene is all about and how its sounds.

 

With a young family, now my time to upgrade the digital, not buy expensive easily broken cartridges

[MikeJazz]

Hi Mike,

 

The Rega DAC is fine. And that's the problem it's "fine". Does everything well but it doesn't really pull any strings. My digital setup doesn't hold a candle to my analog rig so I'm after something a little more dynamic and resolving. The Chord has been described as analog like, as was the Rega DAC but I just want to go up the ladder a little and see what this hi-res scene is all about and how its sounds.

 

I get it now...

OK, every time I heard Chord It sounding dynamic and resolving, where the Rega DAC was more laid back, if well balanced.

The best digital Rega I heard came from the old Saturn CD. I wonder if the new Saturn sounds like it or any of newer dac. I had a planet CD and was quite a difference.

 

Concerning the renderer to Chord, please be open the idea of checking the best inputs of chord, and don't assume automatically it is usb (we have experienced folks here to tell about it; I heard it with a digital transport on coax and thought it was very good).

 

Speaking of usb and Aries, I have tested it and found that spdif output is much better (more transparent, open and richer sounding) comparing to it's USB output. Several folks reported the same, but it's not the most followed route.

 

So I would be open to other streaming options, including the recent microrendu that packs "regen-like" isolation and re-clocking in the usb interface - important to cover this if you really go USB route.

 

We will have plenty of feedback sooner than later.

 

Of course all these integration considerations are solved if you go an integrated route (naim, or linn). I liked the linn akurate ds a lot, and now there is a dsm variant with very interesting options (pream, analog entries)...

It's rich sounding, and dynamic as well, and very very quiet. On my system it improved on harmonic richness, comparing to my Lyngdorf as dac.

 

Looking at your fine Rega P7, I hope you will find a digital system to match.

[Stereolabb]

Hi Mike,

 

In some ways I'm surprised Rega did not voice the DAC to be more like their turntables, thats what I was expecting, as you say its nice laid back but missing the details. Haven't made up my mind in USB vs spdif, I'll look into that further.

 

Integrated routes are fine and I'll look into that, but its more expensive and I was all for matching gear, however from what I've been reading at the Naim forum, they are all tacking Hugo's and 2Qute's onto ND5 XS, NDS & NDX's so that's not great when you've spent that much.

 

 

microrendu looks interesting, hard to work out what it is Is it a streamer when used with Roon?

[Norton]

I think you will find the Chord DAC to be a significant step up on the Rega.

I cut my teeth on Rega gear , but to me the Hugo was a game changer.

I second the sentiments above, Hugo is better on Coaxial than USB, and you should look in time into getting something like a Aries Mini, micro Rendu or simple PC (running JRiver for example) to feed your new DAC.

 

You might also want to consider the Chord Mojo. I get the idea that for £399 there's not that much to choose between it and Hugo SQ wise. As it is primarily a headphone dac/amp you will need a custom 3.5 Jack to RCA (or DIN?) cable (or 2nd best an adaptor)to link to your Naim amp though. My local dealer is big on Chord and reportedly sells quite a few Mojos as a main system DAC.

[Stereolabb]

I think you will find the Chord DAC to be a significant step up on the Rega.

You might also want to consider the Chord Mojo. I get the idea that for £399 there's not that much to choose between it and Hugo SQ wise.

 

Hard to believe it, I've read the same, and perhaps it's true. I'm sure there will be many (perhaps myself also) that will buy the more expensive Hugo still.

[hornytoad]

If you are looking to get an Aries , I would definitely look at a dac that has Aes input . Without question that is the

Aries best input . The 2 qute doesn't have an aes output so maybe the Yggdrasil or some other dac that has aes would be the most beneficial .

[MikeJazz]

Hi Mike,

 

In some ways I'm surprised Rega did not voice the DAC to be more like their turntables, thats what I was expecting, as you say its nice laid back but missing the details. Haven't made up my mind in USB vs spdif, I'll look into that further.

if can listen to the new Saturn, it's also a dac with external usb. I was very excited with the old one.

 

Integrated routes are fine and I'll look into that, but its more expensive and I was all for matching gear, however from what I've been reading at the Naim forum, they are all tacking Hugo's and 2Qute's onto ND5 XS, NDS & NDX's so that's not great when you've spent that much.

Just make sure you confirm it with your own experience. Only trust your ears.

 

microrendu looks interesting, hard to work out what it is Is it a streamer when used with Roon?

It's being discussed around here.

Yes, it enables you to stream with roon (and other modes) to a USB dac or converter.

It's got me interested as well, because I love flexibility, and there is tones of it on the OS they use.

[Stereolabb]

Mike I think there is some real innovation coming to the industry. Auralic and microrendu seem to be thinking outside the box. And all at reasonable prices. The big brands may need to look up a little

[kennyb123]

You might also want to consider the Chord Mojo. I get the idea that for £399 there's not that much to choose between it and Hugo SQ wise. As it is primarily a headphone dac/amp you will need a custom 3.5 Jack to RCA (or DIN?) cable (or 2nd best an adaptor)to link to your Naim amp though. My local dealer is big on Chord and reportedly sells quite a few Mojos as a main system DAC.

 

I got a Mojo a few nights ago. I'm quite stunned at how good it is. A big improvement over my Mytek Stereo 192 in most areas except maybe the bass.

 

I had to purchase two different adapters, one to allow me to use my USB cable and the other to allow me to use my RCA interconnects. The Audioquest adapters seem to be doing a good job.

[FIndingit]

Aries with 2qute (and a good psu) is a wonderful combination using usb. Not nearly as good with spdif.

[MrTHX]

Flndingit.... The 'good psu' do you mean with the 2Qute? Which sort have you used?

[hornytoad]

Flndingit.... The 'good psu' do you mean with the 2Qute? Which sort have you used?

 

Chord recommends using only the power supply included .

[ecwl]

For OP, sometimes it's better to plan for an entire system but sometimes it's better to upgrade a system component by component. It sounds like OP is not going to abandon vinyl so you'll always need a preamplifier or an integrated amplifier. So I think it's best to just get the 2Qute, enjoy the sonic upgrade and then slowly figure out which input works best and what the next UI or sonic upgrade lies.

[MrTHX]

Chord recommends using only the power supply included .

 

And Government guidelines recommends no more the 14 Units of alcohol per week ??

[hornytoad]

And Government guidelines recommends no more the 14 Units of alcohol per week [emoji15][emoji6]

 

I surpass that easy .

[MrTHX]

Me too [emoji856] per night sometimes [emoji85]

[hornytoad]

me too [emoji856] per night sometimes [emoji85]

 

+1 .lol

[25x]

Same situation for me. Think of an external DAC and 2Qute is my main interest. Always wanted a Chord and the 2Qute seems a really good choice for home systems. As other´s saying especially for Redbook the Chord DAC´s are the way to go. But I´m still looking for other stuff matching the 2Qute. Especially what´s the best linear power supply, there are a lot of choices but is there someone who tried more than one of them and could comment what´s best?

 

Yes a audio server/renderer would be another buy for me as well but I can´t decide which one. There is none what really does everything I would like. So will go with a Raspberry based in the beginning and try what´s capable.

[FIndingit]

Flndingit.... The 'good psu' do you mean with the 2Qute? Which sort have you used?

 

Yes, with the 2qute I use a Teddy Pardo psu with some extra power filtering in it. It's a fact that 2qute does not need any of the popular usb filters or regenerators. I use a quality usb cable though, JCAT.

[Rexp]

Hi Mike,

 

The Rega DAC is fine. And that's the problem it's "fine". Does everything well but it doesn't really pull any strings. My digital setup doesn't hold a candle to my analog rig so I'm after something a little more dynamic and resolving. The Chord has been described as analog like, as was the Rega DAC but I just want to go up the ladder a little and see what this hi-res scene is all about and how its sounds.

 

With a young family, now my time to upgrade the digital, not buy expensive easily broken cartridges

The last thing you should buy is a new DAC now IMO, there are some exciting developments around digital transports that could make your Rega DAC sound closer to your analog rig like this:http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f8-general-forum/ps-audio-lanrover-28397/

[Stereolabb]

The last thing you should buy is a new DAC now IMO, there are some exciting developments around digital transports that could make your Rega DAC sound closer to your analog rig like this:http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f8-general-forum/ps-audio-lanrover-28397/

 

Yes have seen a few of these wyred4sound have a couple different models as well, not sure if that is really going to elevate my digital system to where I want it though.

 

Tempted to swap my priorities a little though. Perhaps buy the Auralic Aries first and see what is does with the Rega DAC?

[ecwl]

Yes have seen a few of these wyred4sound have a couple different models as well, not sure if that is really going to elevate my digital system to where I want it though.

 

Tempted to swap my priorities a little though. Perhaps buy the Auralic Aries first and see what is does with the Rega DAC?

 

I would not recommend W4S for sources. But if you ask most people who have tried upgrading their sources and DACs, I think most would say you get more out of upgrading the DAC than the source. Obviously, how much you gain is also DAC dependent as some DACs are more source dependent than others, just as some DACs are more affected by the power supply.

 

My take is that sources are changing at a rapid pace, in terms of user interface and less so in terms of sonic quality. Some people might want a source with a specific user interface, others might want specific sonic improvements, some might want specific features, such as Roon support, file storage or room correction capability. The fact that you are asking a question on this forum means you're not sure what you want out of a source (except sonic upgrade). That's why you're probably better off getting a new DAC like 2Qute first, enjoy the sonic upgrade and then can plan on what to upgrade next.

[MikeJazz]

The last thing you should buy is a new DAC now IMO, there are some exciting developments around digital transports that could make your Rega DAC sound closer to your analog rig like this:http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f8-general-forum/ps-audio-lanrover-28397/

 

I don't want to jump conclusions, but this is the wrong way of networking.

 

Using a network to packet data and ethernet as an isolator, and use a renderer or something like the NAA is a more powerful architecture, more flexible and does not compromise sq.

 

Music needs to seat at the center of home network, and using NAA's or other renderes will make it more flexible to enjoy music at several places at home.