Make an enquiry

Chord Qutest The Qutest Digital to Analogue Convertor

Chord Qutest The Qutest Digital to Analogue Convertor

$2,800.00

Enquiry Submitted!

Thank you for your enquiry! We've received your submission and will review it shortly. We'll get back to you within 24 hours.

Make an Offer

Chord Qutest The Qutest Digital to Analogue Convertor

Chord Qutest The Qutest Digital to Analogue Convertor

$2,800.00
$

Offer Submitted!

Thank you for your offer! We've received your submission and will review it shortly. We'll get back to you within 24 hours.
Chord Qutest The Qutest Digital to Analogue Convertor
Chord Qutest The Qutest Digital to Analogue Convertor
Chord Qutest The Qutest Digital to Analogue Convertor
Chord Qutest The Qutest Digital to Analogue Convertor
Chord Qutest The Qutest Digital to Analogue Convertor
Chord Qutest The Qutest Digital to Analogue Convertor
Chord Qutest The Qutest Digital to Analogue Convertor

Chord Electronics

Country of origin: United Kingdom

Chord Qutest The Qutest Digital to Analogue Convertor
SKU: 5060295370122
$2,800.00

Includes GST. 🚚 Free shipping on orders over $100 Australia wide at checkout.

Converts digital audio with outstanding precision, transparency, and timing accuracy. Utilizes advanced FPGA technology to achieve exceptional resolution and low distortion. Reveals fine detail and spatial depth while preserving a natural, engaging musical presentation.

In stock
Colour:Black
We accept:
American Express Apple Pay Google Pay Mastercard PayPal Shop Pay Union Pay Visa Zip

Every order ships free to any address in Australia via fully tracked, insured delivery. You’ll receive a tracking link once your order is dispatched so you can follow it the whole way. Estimated delivery is 1-4 business days.

We handle your warranty so you don’t have to. If something isn’t right, simply get in touch and we will coordinate directly with the Australian importer on your behalf. Find out more. click here to lodge a warranty claim.

Whether you’re browsing or already unboxing, Geoff is your friendly hi-fi guide available 7 days a week. From choosing the right system to setting up your new purchase, expert advice is always within reach. Contact Geoff today.

Price is important, but building the right system synergy is equally so. If you’ve found a better price on one of our products or listings, simply get in touch with Geoff. Don’t let price stand in the way of working with HeyNow Hi-Fi to find the right result for your system.
Description

Qutest

The Qutest digital to analogue convertor

Qutest is a standalone DAC whose performance belies its compact dimensions. With DAC architecture based on the award-winning Hugo 2, Qutest offers class-leading digital conversion.

Qutest is our ‘pure’ DAC (it does not contain headphone amplification or rechargeable batteries like some of its range stablemates) and is designed to improve sound quality in the home. It is the latest evolution of our most affordable standalone DAC, the multi-award-winning 2Qute, which it directly replaces.

Qutest, which is a What Hi-Fi? Star of CES 2018, is based on our award-winning proprietary FPGA technology developed for the class-leading Hugo 2 DAC/headphone amp, giving it proven class-leading 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.

Features

Materials: Precision machined aluminium casing with polycarbonate buttons and glass viewing portal. Available only in Jett Black.

Device power supply: 5v 2amp Micro USB

Tap length filter: 49,152 – 10 element Pulse Array design

Connectivity (input): USB Type B (White): 44.1kHz to 768kHz – 16bit to 32bit

2x BNC Coax (Red): 44.1kHz – 384kHz – 16bit to 32bit

1x Dual data mode input (using both BNC coax inputs together): 44.1kHz to 768kHz – 16bit to 32bit

Optical (Green): 44.1kHz to 96kHz – 16bit to 24bit

Connectivity (output): 1x stereo pair of RCA (Left and Right)

PCM support: 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, 352.8kHz, 384kHz, 717.6kHz, and 768kHz. 16 – 32bit

DSD support: Native playback supported. DSD64 (Single) to DSD512 (Octa-DSD)

Variable output: Fixed, but selectable between 3v (blue), 2v (green), and 1v (red) via dual press of ‘Filter’ + ‘Input’ upon startup

Driver support: Driverless with Mac OS X and Linux, driver required for Windows OS

Digital designer: Rob Watts

Mechanical designer: John Franks

Country of manufacture: England

Key Features

  • Chord Custom FPGA DAC
  • 49,152 Taps
  • 4x Selectable Filters
  • Selectable Output Voltage
  • 768kHz USB Type B Input
  • 96kHz Optical Input
  • USB Galvanic Isolation
  • 2x 384kHz BNC Coax Input
  • 1x 768kHz Dual Data Mode Input
  • 1x Stereo RCA Outputs
  • Supports up to 768kHz PCM
  • Native DSD 512 (8x) Capable
  • Solid Aluminium Chassis

Included Accessories

  • Qutest user manual
  • Safety instructions
  • Drawstring bag
  • 5V 2A Switching Micro USB power supply
  • Type-A USB to Type-B USB cable


Awards

Compatible with

  • Android
  • Ios
  • Windows
  • Osx
  • Linux
Tech Specs

Chipset:

 Chord Electronics custom coded Xilinx Artix 7 (XC7A15T) FPGA

Tap-length:

 49,152

Pulse array:

 10 element pulse array design

Frequency response:

 20Hz – 20kHz +/- 0.2dB

Output stage:

 Class A

THD:

 <0.0001% 1kHz 3v RMS 300Ω

THD and noise at 3v RMS:

 117dB at 1kHz 300ohms ‘A’ weighted (reference 2.5v)

Noise 2.6 uV ‘A’ weighted: 

No measurable noise floor modulation

Channel separation:

 138dB at 1kHz 300Ω

Weight: 

770g

Dimensions:

 4.5cm (H) 16cm (W) 8.8cm (D)

Boxed Weight:

 1.5kg

Customer Reviews

User Reviews

Warranty Information
warranty shield 3 Years Warranty

We care about your experience with HeyNow Hi-Fi, and we’re here to make the warranty process as smooth as possible.

Your warranty is handled directly by the Australian importer. By submitting this form, we’ll coordinate the process for you and keep you updated every step of the way. Important: Shipping fees are not included as part of your warranty coverage.

If your HeyNow Hi-Fi purchase isn’t working as it should, click here to lodge a warranty claim.

Should you have any questions, feel free to contact us https://www.heynowhifi.com.au//pages/contact

Why Choose Chord Electronics

Chord Electronics is a British digital audio manufacturer renowned for producing some of the most technically ambitious and uniquely engineered DAC technology in high-end audio today. Designed and manufactured in the United Kingdom by founder John Franks and legendary digital designer Rob Watts, Chord products have developed a strong worldwide following through their highly individual approach to digital conversion, FPGA processing, and advanced filtering technologies.

What makes Chord Electronics particularly distinctive is that the company does not rely on conventional off-the-shelf DAC chipsets. Instead, Chord products are built around proprietary FPGA-based DAC architectures programmed directly by Rob Watts, allowing complete control over digital filtering, timing accuracy, interpolation, and transient reconstruction. This gives Chord Electronics products a very different design philosophy compared with many traditional DAC manufacturers.

At HeyNow Hi-Fi, Chord Electronics products appeal strongly to listeners seeking exceptional detail retrieval, speed, transparency, and spatial precision from digital playback. There is an immediacy and articulation to the presentation that can reveal extraordinary low-level information and dynamic nuance within high-resolution systems.

Signature Design and Sound

Manufactured in England, Chord Electronics DACs are built around proprietary FPGA processing platforms rather than commercially available DAC chips. Central to the company’s philosophy is Rob Watts’ extensive research into transient timing accuracy and digital filter design, leading to the development of Chord’s highly advanced WTA (Watts Transient Aligned) filtering technology.

Products including the Mojo 2, Hugo TT 2, DAVE, and M Scaler have become especially respected for their ability to reconstruct digital signals with remarkable timing precision and spatial accuracy. The M Scaler in particular operates as an advanced upscaling platform designed to dramatically increase interpolation performance before digital conversion occurs, contributing to improved image focus, depth layering, and overall realism when partnered with compatible Chord DACs.

Sonically, Chord Electronics products are known for their speed, transparency, and highly resolving presentation. The sound feels exceptionally clean and dynamically expressive, with impressive image precision and low-level detail retrieval. Within well-matched systems, Chord DACs can create an expansive and highly holographic soundstage with remarkable separation between instruments and vocals.

The Mojo 2 remains one of the most accessible entry points into the Chord philosophy, combining portability with genuinely high-end digital performance, while products such as the Hugo TT 2 and DAVE move further into reference-level digital playback territory.

Chord Electronics Product Range

The Chord Electronics range available through HeyNow Hi-Fi focuses primarily on DAC and digital playback technologies including the Mojo 2, Hugo TT 2, M Scaler, and selected flagship digital products including DAVE and BLU. Across the range, the emphasis remains firmly on proprietary digital processing, advanced FPGA design, and preserving timing integrity throughout the playback chain.

Chord Electronics products are particularly appealing for listeners seeking a highly revealing and technically sophisticated approach to digital music playback. Their unique engineering philosophy and strong focus on transient accuracy have helped establish the brand as one of the most recognised names in modern high-performance DAC design.

At HeyNow Hi-Fi, Geoff and his experienced system setup team provide assistance with digital system matching, streamer integration, DAC configuration, and optimisation to ensure Chord Electronics products perform at their full potential within each customer’s listening environment.

Explore the Chord range:

DAC's

Streamers

Phono Pre-Amplifiers

Power Amplifiers

Pre Amplifiers

Equipment Rack

Headphone Amplifiers

Explore Chord Electronics

Featured Categories

AMPLIFIERS

Speakers

Turntables

CABLES

WHY CHOOSE HEYNOW HI-FI?

At HeyNow Hi-Fi, it's not just about the gear - it's about how it all comes together. With over 30 years of experience, Geoff provides personalised, expert advice to help you build a system that suits your music, your space, and listening style.

Whether you're starting from scratch, refining your set up, or upgrading your gear, Geoff is always happy to have a chat. Call or book a private consultation directly with Geoff today.

GET IN TOUCH