The Qutest boasts Chord's trademark colour-denoting buttons which tell you which source it's drawing on: they glow white for USB-Type-B (capable of accepting 32-bit/768kHz PCM/DSD512) yellow for the first BNC coaxial and red for the second (24-bit/384kHz) and green for the optical (24-bit/192kHz/DSD64). But when it does you're in for a treat: songs are imbued with a great sense of scope, and there's warmth and texture in abundance. The DAC delivers a crisp, clean and concise sound, with Chord's now familiar neutral tonal balance.Īs with all decent hi-fi gear, it'll take a bit of running in time before the Qutest really starts to sing. It's the product that lesser rivals look up to at this price point. Chord continues to light up the premium market for DACs and the Qutest is the proof.
