The digital-to-analogue conversion process is absolutely critical, so make sure you enlist the help of a decent DAC.
Best DACs 2019: USB, portable and desktop DACs : Read more
Best DACs 2019: USB, portable and desktop DACs : Read more
The digital-to-analogue conversion process is absolutely critical, so make sure you enlist the help of a decent DAC.
Best DACs 2019: USB, portable and desktop DACs : Read more
Agree w aaadavid, huge miss excluding rme adi-2. Either the list is wildly out of date or whathifi is getting a kick back from chord. The rme costs less than the qutest, offers mind blowing options to dial in the sound, superior reproduction across the frequency range, balanced and unbalanced output, much quieter output (the qutest hiss is a thing folks), qutest might edge out the rme in regards to wider soundstage - it remains hotly contested which is the better DAC, but missing the rme entirely is unforgivable. Come on whathifi, its 2020, test a wider range of product please!
Welcome to the forum.The main actors, Chord Cambridge Audio, ifi, Audiolab et'al feature prominently on What Hi-Fi 's DAC Hall of Fame and well founded and excellent choice I'm sure.
However, the tsunami that is flooding the other audiophile forums seems to have by-passed the What Hi-fi editing desk.
My God, the DAC Chinese manufacturer Topping has been stirring up a storm in it's wake, how is that not featured in What Hi-Fi's top 5?
My Topping D50 USB DAC at a fraction of the price of it's British Competitors is absolutely sublime in terms of transparency, timber and rare emotion that allows you to transcend to another place.
Please What Hi-Fi do your due diligence, and give this little gem the spotlight it deserves.
I agree there is no point to “running-in” solid state electronics but, as they get old, electronic components do deteriorate."...t'll take a bit of running in time before the Qutest really starts to sing"
I totally disagree with this. What is really happening is that the listener's brain is learning how to hear the sound generated by the device. The electronic hardware does not change from the day it is manufactured until the day it dies.
Disagree? Please let me know.