Chord

[Steveh]

Qutest in da house!☺️

As the late Stanley Unwin would have said, " deep joy"

 

[jobseeker]

I was just listening to Stanley Unwin’s ‘Rotatey Diskers’ as I read that.

 

[Steveh]

An interesting find. There is for sale a Chord SPM900 power amplifier. Many of you might be unaware of the relevance of the SPM900. It was the first domestic power amplifier made by Chord(possible as early as 1989, more likely 1990-92) The serial number is 2JF0089. which I think means 2nd design -JF= John Franks(the founder of Chord Electronics) 89th amplifier made.
Amplifier is still working well, a tribute to the design and build.

 

[Fourlegs]

A new review of the TT2 and Mscaler combination which is perhaps light on technical stuff but then again all that stuff is available elsewhere anyway.

They give the combination 10 out of 10 and say that is even having heard the new £30k Linn which I get the impression comes off worse in these guys opinion.

 

[Steveh]

Qutest output settings.
I originally set this at 1V and was experiencing the superb detail, soundstage width/depth and instrument separation etc that this DAC endows on my system.
However, I recently increased the output to 2V. Initially the effect seemed to be as expected, that is to say a lower volume setting for a similar volume.
Now, after extended listening, I am experiencing even more detail and a (marginally) wider/deeper soundstage.
Has anyone else found this?
Suggestions as to why?

 

[Metatron]

Now, after extended listening, I am experiencing even more detail and a (marginally) wider/deeper soundstage.
Has anyone else found this?
Suggestions as to why?

Pretty much all DACs achieve their touted spec near to, or at, full output. You are likely hearing the benefit of increased signal to noise ratio compared to the lower voltage output.

 

[karlsushi]

The Chord DAVE has an output of 6V. Nuff said!

 

[Steveh]

Pretty much all DACs achieve their touted spec near to, or at, full output. You are likely hearing the benefit of increased signal to noise ratio compared to the lower voltage output.

Full output is 3V, so does this indicate that it will improve still further?

 

[Metatron]

Full output is 3V, so does this indicate that it will improve still further?

So long as it doesn't make your pre/power clip, then yes.

 

[norliss]

Pretty sure I read somewhere that the 3v setting on the Qutest is actually 2.5v and is likely fine providing the input sensitivity on your pre/ integrated isn't too high.

 

[Nopiano]

Full output is 3V, so does this indicate that it will improve still further?

I’ve a hunch it’s much more likely that one can’t actually set volume/loudness very accurately, so we perceive louder sources as sounding better. Even when we turn down our preamp.

When line outputs are above, say, one volt, I can’t think that SN ratio has any bearing. It often does with phono inputs, but that’s a different issue of course.

 

[Steveh]

Pretty sure I read somewhere that the 3v setting on the Qutest is actually 2.5v and is likely fine providing the input sensitivity on your pre/ integrated isn't too high.

My pre-amp is a Chord CPA2200 and I (and possibly others?) think that there is a synergy between Chord Dacs and their pre-amps/power amps.

 

[norliss]

My pre-amp is a Chord CPA2200 and I (and possibly others?) think that there is a synergy between Chord Dacs and their pre-amps/power amps.

Yeah, I'm sure there is. I'd imagine the input sensitivity of their pre-amps/ integrateds is a little lower than many if their source devices tend to have higher output levels. I know that Luxman DACs/ CD players tend to have 2.5v output and the input sensitivity of their pres and integrateds is a shade lower than you get from many other brands.

 

[ziggy]

The optimum output of the Qutest is dependent on the preamp. I found mine sounded best at 1v with my NVA P90SA. With the addition of the Mscaler 2v sounds best.

 

[Metatron]

When line outputs are above, say, one volt, I can’t think that SN ratio has any bearing

If the SNR is already beyond audibility thresholds, you are right. Not sure what the Qutest SNR is at 1v, 2v or higher.

IMD measurements improve at the higher output also, so there's various areas where sound quality objectively improves. The effect would be additive, and it's debatable whether the combined effect is subjectively heard.

Buy if you want the best quality output from a DAC with volume control, turn it up and use a good preamp anyway.

 

[Steveh]

So long as it doesn't make your pre/power clip, then yes.

Max input is 3.6V for all inputs(source: manual)

 

[simon g]

A year or so ago I posted in here about a Chord Etude, which I found to be an excellent performer and somewhat under rated in these parts. The slight fan noise eventually became a niggle too far for me, so it went. However, I still think that the Etude is an excellent buy as a power amp, given that that a good used one sells in the £2-£2.5k range.

Having had such a good experience with the Etude I'd been thinking for some while about the Ultima 6, which uses the new Chord amplification technology. A new one came up at a reasonable price so I've taken the plunge. This is certainly a step up from the Etude, good though that is. It's also quite a physical presence, but I do like its solid, purposeful look. It's early days, but I'm already thinking of adding the Ultima Pre 3! Currently, I'm using my Lyngdorf as a pre. Once the amp is settled in I'll post up a review/my thoughts on it.

 

[Camverton]

A year or so ago I posted in here about a Chord Etude, which I found to be an excellent performer and somewhat under rated in these parts. The slight fan noise eventually became a niggle too far for me, so it went. However, I still think that the Etude is an excellent buy as a power amp, given that that a good used one sells in the £2-£2.5k range.

Having had such a good experience with the Etude I'd been thinking for some while about the Ultima 6, which uses the new Chord amplification technology. A new one came up at a reasonable price so I've taken the plunge. This is certainly a step up from the Etude, good though that is. It's also quite a physical presence, but I do like its solid, purposeful look. It's early days, but I'm already thinking of adding the Ultima Pre 3! Currently, I'm using my Lyngdorf as a pre. Once the amp is settled in I'll post up a review/my thoughts on it.

Good buy! I bought a barely used exdem one a little over a year ago. The only problem was that I found it slightly “cold” sounding in comparison with my MBL integrated which admittedly is a somewhat flavoursome amp. Otherwise it was excellent and for a while I used it with the pre section of the MBL to get the best of both worlds. After a month or two I tried the Ultima without the MBL and found no trace of coldness. As a result I now have a power amp which drives my speakers and sounds commendably neutral in “tone”. Current setup is TT2 as DAC and pre into the Ultima.

One slight oddity of the Ultima which was identified in the Hifi World review is that there is a slight roll off when connecting via its RCA inputs compared to none with the balanced inputs. I have confirmed this with mine, which might be early production and lying about for a while, and with my speakers prefer using balanced from TT2. For other speakers and younger ears the RCA connection might be preferable.

 

[karlsushi]

A year or so ago I posted in here about a Chord Etude, which I found to be an excellent performer and somewhat under rated in these parts. The slight fan noise eventually became a niggle too far for me, so it went. However, I still think that the Etude is an excellent buy as a power amp, given that that a good used one sells in the £2-£2.5k range.

Having had such a good experience with the Etude I'd been thinking for some while about the Ultima 6, which uses the new Chord amplification technology. A new one came up at a reasonable price so I've taken the plunge. This is certainly a step up from the Etude, good though that is. It's also quite a physical presence, but I do like its solid, purposeful look. It's early days, but I'm already thinking of adding the Ultima Pre 3! Currently, I'm using my Lyngdorf as a pre. Once the amp is settled in I'll post up a review/my thoughts on it.

Having had to send back my amp due to some issues recently, I'm on the lookout for a new power amp. I'll have to admit, while Chord seem to spring immediately to mind for digital (I'm a very satisfied DAVE owner), for some reason I just don't think of them very early on under amp deliberations.

Maybe I should.

Interested in your more detailed thoughts on this, albeit it is probably a bit beyond the price I'm currently looking at for an amp.

I know Chord like to do things differently, but do you know which class their amplifier designs sit in?

 

[simon g]

Having had to send back my amp due to some issues recently, I'm on the lookout for a new power amp. I'll have to admit, while Chord seem to spring immediately to mind for digital (I'm a very satisfied DAVE owner), for some reason I just don't think of them very early on under amp deliberations.

Maybe I should.

Interested in your more detailed thoughts on this, albeit it is probably a bit beyond the price I'm currently looking at for an amp.

I know Chord like to do things differently, but do you know which class their amplifier designs sit in?

They are Class AB amps, but done differently than others. The power supplies are high speed switching designs, designed by Chord. A well implemented SMPS does have benefits, if well implemented. Quite common these days, but this type of technology has been used by Linn, Soulution, Sugden and many others for some while now. Multiple power MOSFET devices. It's worth having a read up about their designs; the Ultima range is a new implementation though and the amps definitely sound better, to my ears, than previous Chord amps, in that the 'brightness' and occasional harshness has now gone.