Chord Electronics 2Qute DAC

WHAT HIFI AWARD WINNER 2016
'Best DAC £500-£1000' 

 Chord saw an astonishing level of success with the release of Hugo; their compact yet superlative-sounding DAC/headphone amplifier, which was designed for on-the-go use. Despite the key design factor being portability, the DAC chipset within the Hugo is said to rival many competitor models that are much larger in stature. We've had many customers purchase Hugos to replace the DAC in their static system, with essentially no intention to ever make use of the portability factor of the Hugo! Chord have decided to target this aspect of their customer base with their latest releases.

Chord claimed What Hifi's Best DAC over £1,000 with the HUGO, and saw the same award for its Qute EX DAC within the £700-£1000 category. Chord have therefore decided to effectively merge the two in order to offer a truly superlative DAC for 2015. The 2Qute utilises a similar chipset and decoding technology found within the Hugo, and sees this superlative engineering placed into the chassis of a Chordette product.

The 2Qute features a class 2 USB input, which has been isolated in order to offer a better sonic performance without compromise. This connection is capable of exceptionally high data transfer rates all the way up to 384kHz. No drivers are needed when using the 2Qute with an Apple or Android device, while the drivers needed for windows devices is included in the box.

Chord have utilised the latest FPGA DAC technology into the 2Qute, allowing for a more price-accessible alternative to the Hugo, at the compromise of the portability and Bluetooth features. Within the 2Qute is Chord's high-performance Spartan 6 FPGA which many credit as being the aspect of the Hugo that upped the game in the DAC market during the year of 2014.

The 2Qute provides support for up to 32-bit/384kHz audio via the units coaxial and USB ports, while allowing for a 24-bit/192kHz transfer through the optical connection. All inputs of the 2Qute support DSD64 audio, and DSD128 is supported when using the coaxial and USB inputs.