Bluesound Vault 2i and a Qutest DAC

Well, contrary to most of the posts here, my experience has been quite different. I set up both this past weekend and I cannot discern any difference in sound quality between the Vault by itself or when connected to the Qutest DAC. If anyone out there can offer suggestions… Here are my setups:
> Krell KAV 300i Integrated amp
> Thiel CS 2.2 speakers
> AudioQuest Cinnamon Optical Cable between Vault and DAC
> LAT International’s Interconnect RCA audio cables (2 sets)

My Test setup:
On Input 2 of the Krell is the Vault by itself with a pair of LAT interconnects
On input 3 of the Krell is the DAC (connected to the Vault via the Optical cable) using a 2nd pair of LAT interconnects.
On the Qutest, I’m using the “optical input” for the input and i’ve tried all the “selectable” options.

When I switch between the Krell inputs (2 & 3) while playing the same album/song, I do not hear a difference. There is, to my ears, maybe a very slightly warmer sound using the DAC, but no game changer.

And, neither setup compares any where near the sound quality of my Theta Miles CD player.

So, anyone?

An update to my November 10 posting: Some very interesting findings!

> Comparing the sound of the vault alone against the vault thru the Qutest DAC and both against the Theta Miles cd player. I used eight different people in my test. I used 2 Jazz tracks from Dave Brubeck’s album “young lions and old tigers“ One track was just piano and voice, the other track was the full band.

I did blind testing of all 3 scenarios. No one knew which device they were listening to. The results: 2 of the 8 heard no difference In quality between the three. 3 of the 8 felt the Vault alone was just slightly better than both the DAC or the CD player. 2 of the 8 said the CD player was the best of all three options. Another 2 of the 8 chose the Vault with the DAC as the best sound of the 3 options when listening to the track of just the piano and voice but they chose the Vault alone when listening to the full band track. 

I do believe I set up the DAC correctly, there wasn’t much set up to do. Their various tone controls did little to change the outcome.

My conclusions: use the vault to replace the CD player and all the CDs. NO need whatsoever to spend $1000 on a DAC (at least the one I was using, the Chord electronics Qutest DAC.)  

So, for now, I’m returning the DAC and living with the Vault alone until such time, in the near future, I’ll try a different DAC. 

llary..  Great way to start and finish the post.  I have a Vault 2 and I am very pleased with it.  Your double-blind report is priceless to me.

The Vault 2 is 2GB mass storage device that integrates a CD drive.  The CD drive’s only purpose is to rip CDs to FLAC. No buttons to push.  Just insert the CD, then wait for a rip and the subsequent repeat.  Don’t forget to clean the CD first.
The write goes to an easily understood filing system. Because the Node is connected to the Internet, it can access names and cover art.  The best way to make revisions to files or filing is via a PC or Mac.
The Vault incorporates the guts of a Node 2 without Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.  When not ripping, it’s the equivalent of a Node with attached storage.  You can control the Vault in play mode with a $60 accessory remote, with Mac or PC software, or via an app for iOS or Android.  BluOS functionality is built into the Vault.

I may consider an off board DAC, but it’s now a low priority.

The Qutest is very good at rejecting jitter so it pairs really well with the Node2i. It's a pretty transparent setup.

Update to the update: after 2+ months of loading all my CDs into the vault (over 1,000), I finally finished. According to the vaults statistics, I have only used up 12% of the hard drive, which sounds a bit too incredible to me. It displayed a total of 10,100 “songs” occupying 245 GB of disc space.

Be that as it may, it has changed my listening life completely! I now listen to CDs in my collection a good 20 times more than I used to. The ability to lie on the couch (or anywhere around the house) and play any CD, or multiple CDs, I want, in an instant, is fantastic. The ease of which I can now search for a CD, a song, a title is simply amazing. Combining albums, songs, etc. is a piece of cake. And the clarity I get through my stereo system is superb; even when using the Internet streaming services, like Amazon HD, Spotify or Radio Paradise (which is a station I highly recommend to anyone.)

Now my biggest problem is what to do with my CD collection. I have put my Theta Miles CD player on eBay and I will keep my NAD CD player as a backup in case the Vault breaks down and I sell the Miles. 

And, The Bluesound Node 2 that I have on my bedroom stereo, talks seamlessly with the Vault, giving me the best of both worlds. I cannot be happier!