Yamaha wxc-50 vs chord 2qute

[newlash09]

Thought I'd share my impressions between the inbuilt dac of the Yamaha wxc-50 and the chord 2qute.

With my cotton ears I couldn't really pin point the differences. However the chord 2qute seems to time better, has a better grasp of rythm. There is a sense that the bass starts and stops on a dime. And the biggest difference I felt is that the Yamaha's sounds is slightly leaner in comparison to the chord's richer presentation.
Vocals seen to be slightly more realistic.

But I really had to listen through my backside to make up those differences. I will be listening through the chord from now on, because I paid for it. Otherwise the difference's are subtle. But there is no denying that music sounds more enjoyable through the chord, though I can't exactly put a finger on the reason for the same.

If I hear the same track twice through the chord and the wxc-50, then I can make out which is which. However if I hear a new track for the first time through any one of them, I can't make out which is playing. It is so close to my ears atleast.

Actually, the increments in sound that I have observed going from the combination of powernode +. QA concept 40's to my present setup is slightly more than subtle. I wouldn't rate it as a night and day difference. In a blind test, I can make out which is which. But that is mainly because of the bass reproduction of the PMC's, and not because of the amp or the dac. So after all my small experiments, I agree with what has been said so many times here. The maximum difference in sound quality comes from the speakers.

Thanks for reading

 

[newlash09]

Hi all...

I didn't want a headphone amp or preamp functionality. I wanted to maximize my performance per pound equation by going for a straight dac without the bells and whistles. And the chords 3V output swung the decision in its favour. The max I could go on the parasound amp was 11 o'clock previously, now with the chord in the chain. It gets plenty loud at 9 o'clock position.

Let me add as a disclaimer that I have tested both the DAC's on normal tidal tracks and HD tracks downloads at 192 khz. I haven't tried out dsd download's , though I have them on my NAS, as I only have a optical cable so far. And optical input on the chord is limited to 192 khz. And iam using some normal bell wire as speaker cables. Haven't tried out the supra cables yet . And after so many changes giving such small differences,
I don't expect any miracles by changing the speaker cables. Thanks for reading again

 

[insider9]

That helps a lot. I've only compared the Yamaha to Chord Mojo (from Chord DACs). Yes, the Mojo is a better DAC so 2Qute would be a step up. You have described what I found with Yamaha vs Mojo quite well. Considering the package it's great piece of kit. If I was to be critical it lacks a little bit of attack.

Couple of things about the Yamaha. First I'd suggest to set it to Streamer mode. Otherwise it passes everything at the same bitrate via optical or Coax. Especially important if you've got any high res material. This is due to internal preamp processing operating at 48 kHz (I believe). Secondly and I hate to do this but don't believe DSD can be passed on via optical out you'll need to use an inbuilt dac.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

I am wondering whether the sound difference between the 2 are down to output level whether the 2qute is 3db louder making you think it’s better then the Yamaha DAC is the Yamaha’s output level the same as the 2qute ?

 

[insider9]

I am wondering whether the sound difference between the 2 are down to output level whether the 2qute is 3db louder making you think it’s better then the Yamaha DAC is the Yamaha’s output level the same as the 2qute ?

Good point Sabbath!

I can't speak for Newlash09 but I've done my testing under level matched conditions. Used my Umik-1 to set levels so no difference in volume. My findings mirror that of Newlash09.

However Mojo is a little rich in lower midrange and bass. This is what ultimately didn't work for me. This reportedly isn't an issue with 2Qute and Hugo.

I'm currently using Minidsp as a DAC which itself is very good sounding and when used with some room correction excellent indeed.

 

[jonathanRD]

Hi all...

I didn't want a headphone amp or preamp functionality. I wanted to maximize my performance per pound equation by going for a straight dac without the bells and whistles. And the chords 3V output swung the decision in its favour. The max I could go on the parasound amp was 11 o'clock previously, now with the chord in the chain. It gets plenty loud at 9 o'clock position.

Let me add as a disclaimer that I have tested both the DAC's on normal tidal tracks and HD tracks downloads at 192 khz. I haven't tried out dsd download's , though I have them on my NAS, as I only have a optical cable so far. And optical input on the chord is limited to 192 khz. And iam using some normal bell wire as speaker cables. Haven't tried out the supra cables yet . And after so many changes giving such small differences, I don't expect any miracles by changing the speaker cables. Thanks for reading again

I thought your Parasound Halo amp has an inbuilt dac - have you used that and how does it compare to the other dacs? Or am I missing something?

 

[newlash09]

@ Insider9 - Yeah, Iam using the wxc-50 in player mode. And in the equaliser settings, I've set it to 'bypass', and sound mode is set to 'direct'. Hope these are the best settings to use the yamaha as a digital streamer only.

@Blacksabbath25 - No the levels are not matched. But as soon as I start the track, I adjust the volume on the amp to match my ususal listening level. However, Iam quiet certain that music sounds richer through the chord. And also I noticed today, that the chord sounds a bit forward, and this helps on most EDM tracks that I usually listen. When I play 'Giorgio by Moroder' from Daftpunk, Giorgio's voice sounds more life like through the chord. But as I mentioned in my first post, these differences are really small. Maybe I will notice a greater difference once I start playing higher sample rates, once I get a new co-axial cable.

@JonathanRD - Yes, the parasound also has a inbuilt dac. And it sounds very similar to the yamaha's. I could'nt make out any difference between these two dac's on numerous tracks. However, considering the difference between the yamaha and the chord, I expect that the same difference should be there between the parasound and the chord also.