The Qutest DAC is designed to improve system
sound quality, instantly. It is the latest evolution of our most
affordable ‘standalone’ DAC, in other words, one that does not contain a
built-in headphone amplifier, like the Mojo 2 and Hugo 2.
The Qutest is What Hi-Fi?’s ‘Best DAC’
2023 £1,000+ and a What Hi-Fi? ‘Best DAC’ winner every year its
inception (2018-2022). It is a proven class-leader and is based on our
award-winning proprietary FPGA technology giving it unrivalled technical
and sonic performance.
Perfectly equipped to bring the benefits our 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 modernise ageing digital source components.
The Qutest chassis is all-new, too. It has significantly greater mass
than its predecessor and has been precision-machined from solid
aircraft-grade aluminium billet. The Qutest PCB nestles within a shallow
cavity in the solid aluminium chassis, giving the circuit board greater
protection within the casework and additional isolation from external
vibration compared to previous designs.
Qutest 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 analogue
outputs for connection to integrated amplifiers, preamps and headphone
amps, plus high-resolution dual-data digital inputs for connection to future Chord Electronics products.
A 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.
The What Hi-Fi? ‘Best DAC’ 2023/24 Qutest is the definitive small audiophile DA convertor.
For more information, please visit this product's webpage.
