Chord Electronics Owners & Discussion Thread

[Raksasa]

I have just read the February 2013 Hi Fi World group test of six DACs including the Chordette Qute.

The Qute did not rate very highly -"a matter of fact sound didn't convince"

 

The Audiolab M DAC was judged to be the best and it costs 60% of the price of the Qute.

 

Also of interest was the comment "The most expensive DACs weren't really able to demonstrate any clear superiority over the cheaper models"

 

Wow, that's weird. I found a link from Chord's site to a pdf of a March 2013 Hi Fi World review by Jon Myles on the QuteHD - they rave about it !!!!    

 

http://www.chordelectronics.co.uk/files/HFW_Mar13%20Chord%20QuteHD%20DAC.pdf

 

Loaded slowly for me.

 

What's going on ? Are there 2 Hi Fi World mags ?? How could they change their mind in one month ??

 

I haven't read Hi Fi World since the early 90s. No idea what it's like as a reputable review source these days.

 

Cheers,

 

Raksy

Edited March 18, 2013 by Raksasa

[SteveC]

 

What's going on ? Are there 2 Hi Fi World mags ?? How could they change their mind in one month ??

 

What's the problem? We change our mind weekly around here.

[Guest yamaha_man]

What's the problem? We change our mind weekly around here.

Daily.

[Audiobugged]

What's going on ? Are there 2 Hi Fi World mags ?? How could they change their mind in one month ??

What's the problem? We change our mind weekly around here.

A number of things happened between Feb and March @ Hifi World.

1) the chord has been run-in with more hours

2) they put in two-bhob's Duracell bunny battery pack..,

3) Different room, equipment, reviewers, and sighted vs unsighted (comparisons may be the latter, so the gleaming silver and multi-colored disco lights could not influence like in the later review)

4) the reviewers read and were influenced by some of the orgasmic ravings within this thread, and finally last but not least...

5) Chord advertised on Hifi world.

Any guesses whether all 5 happened? Or none?

AB

[wis97non]

Or between Feb and March they realized that there was a HD tag. ROTFLMAO

 

The problem here is with Hifi World (or is it Choice)....maybe Chord didnt patronize them enough...The MDac?? I dont think so.

 

Chord Electronics: Chordette Qute HD £990
This little box of tricks packs some unique technology, but does it deliver the sonic goods?
DETAILS

ORIGIN: UK

DIMENSIONS: (WxHxD) 160x70x40mm

WEIGHT: 0.4kg

FEATURES: • 4-element pulse array DAC

• 384kHz-capable

• USB input with DSD support

• BNC electrical input

DISTRIBUTOR: Chord Electronics

TELEPHONE: 01622 721444
WEBSITE: chordelectronics.co.uk

With DACs back on the radar for a wider audience, Chord has been using its expertise and applying it to more affordable products, and the Qute HD (part of the tiny Chordette Gem range) is the smallest unit here by a fair margin.

The Qute HD has two features that are unique to the group, and indeed most other DACs on the market. The first is that the S/PDIF input is able to handle frequencies up to 24-bit/384kHz, which is higher than anything else here. The second is that that USB input of the Chord, in addition to being fully 24/192kHz capable, can additionally handle DSD – the native format of SACD. These are interesting features, but will be academic to most people; there are no truly commercially available 24/384 recordings around (it’s hard enough finding 24/96!), and DSD is very much a niche pursuit at the moment.

The news isn’t all good though – the Chord (along with the Heed) has the smallest number of digital inputs in the group and the coaxial fitting is a BNC socket that will require an adaptor to work with a normal RCA cable. Input selection is automatic, so the Chord has no controls of any kind on the unit. Build quality is superb – as you might expect from something hewn from a block of aluminium and should you fancy, it’s available in a variety of colours.

Sound quality
Despite its clever design, the Chord never really brought all of its technical wizardry to bear, and failed to really inspire the panel during listening across a range of sources and music. The general consensus is that the Chord is technically accomplished in a number of areas, but doesn’t quite bring them all together in a musically convincing whole.

The most commented issue of the Chord’s performance was that it sounds rather ‘small scale’. Although matched to the same level as the other DACs in the test, it still seemed somewhat confined and ‘shut in’. With the Mozart, this left the piece lacking in the scale and space required to do it justice. The presentation was repeatedly described as accurate, but rather uninvolving – what was being produced was undoubtedly an accurate facsimile of the disc, but seemingly devoid of the spark of life needed to make you engage with it.

The other criticism raised by the panel was the tonal balance, which was perceived to be fractionally forward. The consensus was that the Qute HD would be less satisfying to listen to for long periods than some of the other designs here, certainly in the reference system. By the same token, the Chord received some praise for its handling of vocals with both Eleanor McEvoy and Nitin Sawhney, so this lightness has some advantages depending on the situation.

The Chord was an agile performer across the various pieces of music, and the soundstage was cohesive, the effect both side to side and front to back came over as convincing.

This is a very cleverly engineered design and clearly done in a unique way, but the little Chord Qute HD doesn’t manage to translate this into a class leading sonic performance. We’d still recommend you audition it if you can, as it may work better in the context of your own system.

ON TEST

Via S/PDIF, the QuteHD offers a high 3V maximum output, a low 65ohm source impedance, wide 111dB A-wtd S/N ratio and low 0.0007% distortion through its midrange. Distortion increases slightly at higher frequencies (an analogue rather than digital function) reaching 0.017% at 20kHz. The analogue stage is under less stress at lower outputs, so distortion falls to 0.002% at 20kHz/–20dBFs.

Jitter is very low at <10psec for all sample rates from 44.1kHz-192kHz via S/PDIF but is slightly higher at 135psec via USB. Indeed, its USB performance is identical to that via S/PDIF except for its S/N which falls back to a ‘16-bit’ 96dB. Low-level resolution is influenced, so S/PDIF is good to ±0.2dB over a 100dB range, USB ±1dB. Otherwise, its response is exceptionally flat (within ±0.01dB) with 44.1/48kHz media and drops by just –0.3dB/45kHz and –4.5dB/90kHz with 96kHz and 192kHz media. PM

OUR VERDICT

SOUND QUALITY: 3.5/5.0

VALUE FOR MONEY: 4.0/5.0

BUILD QUALITY: 5.0/5.0

FEATURES: 4.5/5.0

OVERALL: 4.0/5.0

LIKE: Impressive spec; superb build; detailed, clean sound

DISLIKE: Sounds somewhat small scale and uninvolving

WE SAY: Very clever DAC that doesn’t quite deliver on its technical promise in this context

Edited March 18, 2013 by wis97non

[firefly0071]

In April there will be another Dac of the Month and also intense debate.

 

I have had three DACs - all sold with a loss on average of 20 percent of the price I purchased.

 

I will buy another DAC when it comes off flavour of the month and loses 50 percent of the value secondhand. 

[THOMO]

Yes Hi Fi Choice not Hi Fi World.

Sorry for the confusion.

[wis97non]

In April there will be another Dac of the Month and also intense debate.

 

I have had three DACs - all sold with a loss on average of 20 percent of the price I purchased.

 

I will buy another DAC when it comes off flavour of the month and loses 50 percent of the value secondhand. 

Funny enuff, I bought my Qute for 20% off list. Ex-demo unit with full distrib guarantee.

Edited March 18, 2013 by wis97non

[bhobba]

I will buy another DAC when it comes off flavour of the month and loses 50 percent of the value secondhand. 

 

Seriously, that is a valid strategy.

 

Thanks

Bill

[Currawong]

I had a listen to a $5k DAC by an interesting small maker and....his prototype phono stage blew it away. I've had enough of digital I think. Maybe I'll see if I can't borrow the Qute HD when I'm in Tokyo next, but after that vinyl experience I'm going to stick with the Master 7. 

[Nada]

..... Maybe I'll see if I can't borrow the Qute HD when I'm in Tokyo next, but after that vinyl experience I'm going to stick with the Master 7. 

I dont undertsand why you would even think for a moment about wasting your time listening to a Chord when you can enjoy your Master7 at home.

I think all this hype about these mediocre new DAC's is absurd .

[A J]

..... Maybe I'll see if I can't borrow the Qute HD when I'm in Tokyo next, but after that vinyl experience I'm going to stick with the Master 7.

I dont undertsand why you would even think for a moment about wasting your time listening to a Chord when you can enjoy your Master7 at home.

I think all this hype about these mediocre new DAC's is absurd .

Come clean Nada - you're just grumpy you're in a waiting list !!

[Nada]

Come clean Nada - you're just grumpy you're in a waiting list !!

 

Im just grumpy. Humbug.

[wis97non]

I dont undertsand why you would even think for a moment about wasting your time listening to a Chord when you can enjoy your Master7 at home.

I think all this hype about these mediocre new DAC's is absurd .

Mediocre???

[bhobba]

Mediocre???

 

Until you have heard it its probably easy to think its all just humbug and we are getting carried away with the latest flash in the pan.  It's not really something that worries me personally.

 

We have heard it and know its more than that.  I was just chatting to the tech that's building my power supply - he has mine right now - he is impressed, very impressed.  For example he thinks its better than the AMR he has had in his shop to repair and plenty go ga ga over that DAC. 

 

Thanks

Bill 

Edited March 27, 2013 by bhobba

[Juicester]

fyi: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/MCRU-FULLY-REGULATED-LINEAR-POWER-SUPPLY-fits-Chord-QuteHD-USB-DAC-/350591199458?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_CDPlayerSeparates&hash=item51a0dd28e2

[Audiobugged]

Mediocre???

Until you have heard it its probably easy to think its all just humbug and we are getting carried away with the latest flash in the pan. It's not really something that worries me personally.

We have heard it and know its more than that. I was just chatting to the tech that's building my power supply - he has mine right now - he is impressed, very impressed. For example he thinks its better than the AMR he has had in his shop to repair and plenty go ga ga over that DAC.

Thanks

Bill

Really good to hear that you've finally found the dac that suits your own unique preferences/room and that your repairer is also "impressed, very impressed". It certainly was a long and interesting journey, and must be a bit of a relief that it's over. I know that there will be quite a few (not to mention those in the trade!) that will miss the next Bobba "flash in the pan" dac as you call it - the eager beaver-esque reviews I've found to have been most enjoyable and entertaining reads, and no doubt will be missed by many.

Would still be good to hear how the duracell batteries help bring it to the next level - to infinity and beyond I say!!!

Perhaps then the reviews could then be on music? I'm positive that they'll be equally entertaining reads - which band blows others away or just blows (figuratively speaking of course😳)

Again, well done mate!

AB

Edited March 27, 2013 by Audiobugged

[bhobba]

Again, well done mate!

 

Thanks mate. 

 

Its an impressive DAC all right - but the DAC at the end of my journey - probably not.

 

My Playback Designs for example to my ears is better on DSD.  What the go is with the new battery power supply remains to be seen.

 

It actually sounds a bit like the Killer DAC - it has the same full rich sort of sound - but is it better - only when I get my Killer will that be known.

 

The journey still continues - and it probably will be never ending - sort of reminds me of a movie title.

 

Thanks

Bill

[Juicester]

The journey still continues - and it probably will be never ending - sort of reminds me of a movie title.

 

ironic. all these lovely DACS you get to try reminds me of a movie title too....   a certain Tarantino trilogy..  

[acg]

'Never-ending Story' and 'Kill Bill' should never be used in the same sentence (yet I just did).  I am also envious of Bill's dac addiction; nice thoughts only Juicester.

 

Anthony

[sir sanders zingmore]

I was wondering if I'd missed the two follow ups to 'Pulp Fiction' .....

[Audiobugged]

The journey still continues - and it probably will be never ending - sort of reminds me of a movie title.

ironic. all these lovely DACS you get to try reminds me of a movie title too.... a certain Tarantino trilogy..

Tarantino's Kill Bill was a duology.

It was only later that someone resurrected Bill, and made him a doomed caricature of his Kung Fu days - having to wander the earth for eternity, seeking out and killing new DACs - that the trilogy was finally completed.

It is a fitting completion, and a Tarantino-esque tribute for anyone who appreciates how From Dusk till Dawn unexpectedly changes gear midway through.

[acg]

From Dusk to Dawn caught me completely by surprise.  Tarentino has put forward the idea of Kill Bill 3 alternatively known as Kill Beatrix so it may yet be a trilogy.

[HumanMedia]

Any more experiences with this DAC?

Who else has auditioned one?

Any resellers in Sydney with them in stock?

[rossb]

I have one. I am still running it in and comparing it with my Bel Canto Dac 3.5 VBSii (using single-ended output) and TeddyDac. So far it is smoother than the Bel Canto but not quite as three-dimensional as either the BC or Teddy. Also, tonally not quite as rich as the other two and seems to have a slightly emphasised - and possibly over-emphasised - treble. But I have only had it for a few days and it probably needs some more running in, although it has been playing continuously for over 100 hours. I am also using the wall-wart psu and will probably replace it with something else, probably a Teddy PSU, although my guess is that it will probably not make much difference.