{"product_id":"chord-electronics-qutest","title":"Chord Electronics Qutest | Standalone DAC","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 55%;\" alt=\"Chord Electronics logo\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0023\/9255\/5595\/files\/chord-logo.jpg?v=1686770418\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eChord Electronics Qutest: the Award Winning Standalone DAC Whose Performance Belies its Compact Size\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClass-leading digital conversion based on Chord's award-winning proprietary FPGA technology\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePrecision machined aluminum casing with polycarbonate buttons and glass viewing portal\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUser-selectable variable output voltage (1, 2, and 3V RMS) for flexible connectivity with a wide range of partnering devices\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTap length filter of 49,152\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFull PCM support of 44.1 to 768kHz, and DSD support up to DSD512\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"float: none;\" alt=\"Chord electronics qutest dac standing on wooden table front view\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0023\/9255\/5595\/files\/chord-qutest-lifestyle.jpg?v=1723062399\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ctable bgcolor=\"”#f6f6f6”\" width=\"90%\"\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #a30e0b;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBloom's Take\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Chord Qutest is a pure DAC designed to improve sound quality in the home, and it’s easily our top choice for a DAC under five grand. The Qutest has retained its \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.whathifi.com\/chord\/qutest\/review\" title=\"What Hi-Fi? Chord Qutest Review\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eWhat Hi-Fi? Best DAC\u003c\/a\u003e status every year since its inception (2018-2022) and is a proven class-leader of its kind. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Qutest is effortlessly cohesive and musical, yielding a soundstage full of crisp, detailed instruments. It uses the same DAC architecture and coding as the more feature-rich and portable \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/bloomaudio.mom\/products\/chord-electronics-hugo-2\" title=\"Chord Electronics Hugo 2 DAC and Amp Product Page\"\u003eHugo 2\u003c\/a\u003e, but without batteries, Bluetooth, or amplification. Until you reach the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/bloomaudio.mom\/products\/chord-electronics-hugo-tt-2\" title=\"Chord Electronics Hugo TT 2 DAC and Amp Product Page\"\u003eHugo TT 2\u003c\/a\u003e level, you simply cannot find a better DAC. Pair this with a high-quality headphone amp, or use it in your 2-channel setup - we promise you will be absolutely floored by its performance. And if you \u003cem\u003ereally\u003c\/em\u003e want to transcend to absolute digital audio nirvana, pair your Qutest with a \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/bloomaudio.mom\/products\/chord-electronics-hugo-m-scaler-endgame-1m-tap-digital-upscaling-device\"\u003eHugo M Scaler\u003c\/a\u003e, and you may never leave your house again.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eFrom Chord Electronics\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eQutest is based on Chord's home-grown technology developed for the \u003ca title=\"Chord Electronics Hugo 2 DAC and Amp Product Page\" href=\"https:\/\/bloomaudio.mom\/products\/chord-electronics-hugo-2\"\u003eHugo 2 DAC\/headphone amp\u003c\/a\u003e, giving it \u003ci\u003eproven\u003c\/i\u003e class-leading technical and sonic performance. Perfectly equipped to bring the benefits of Chord's digital technology to a wide range of connected devices, it features a galvanically isolated USB-B, optical, and coaxial digital input, giving an instant performance upgrade, plus the ability to modernize aging digital source components.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eUnder the Hood\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Qutest chassis is all-new as well. It has significantly greater mass than its predecessor and has been precision-machined from solid aircraft-grade aluminum billet. The Qutest PCB nestles within a shallow cavity in the solid aluminum chassis, giving the circuit board greater protection within the casework and additional isolation from external vibration compared to previous designs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Chord Qutest DAC and Anni amp stacked with Audio-Technica headphones\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0023\/9255\/5595\/files\/chord-qutest-anni-bloom-lifestyle.jpg?v=1686944546\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eQutest offers Hugo 2’s proprietary user-selectable frequency-shaping filters and input selection controls, available via two fascia-mounted spheres, introducing useful flexibility. It also features RCA analog outputs for connection to integrated amplifiers, preamps, and headphone amps, plus high-resolution dual-data digital inputs for connection to future Chord Electronics products.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA further new feature is a user-selectable output voltage available in 1, 2 and 3V RMS outputs for flexible connectivity with a wide range of partnering devices.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chord Electronics","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":41796148297803,"sku":"QUTEST","price":1795.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Open Box","offer_id":41796148330571,"sku":"QUTEST-OB","price":1795.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0023\/9255\/5595\/products\/Chord-Electronics-Qutest-Standalone-DAC_cfa4cda1-c2c3-44ca-98f0-79f97b1a0398.jpg?v=1673384697","url":"https:\/\/bloomaudio.mom\/products\/chord-electronics-qutest","provider":"Bloom Audio","version":"1.0","type":"link"}