IS THE WEISS 204 A SUBSTANIAL UPGRADE FRON THE CHORD QUTEST


My system is as follows:

  1. Martin Logan 11A Impressions loudspeakers
  2. SVS SB-4000 pair of subwoofers 
  3. Chord Qutest Dac
  4. Lumin U2 mini streamer
  5. Bryston 4B3 cubed power amp-500/ channel into 4 ohms.
  6. Rogue Audio RP-1 preamp, Bryston BP-19 preamp on order.
  7. Seeking a DAC with higher resolution than my Chord Qutest. maximum budget is $5000.00
  8. Question: Would the Weiss 204 be a substantial upgrade over the Qutest? The Weiss would come in at $3500.00 plus $1000 for
  9. Modright Linear Power supply addition.  Not looking to go sideways or only receive a small improvement. The Weiss all in is three times the price of the Chord.
  10. Thank you  in advance for any guidance you can offer. 

 

 

 

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Showing 1 response by sirnui

My 205 WAS the DAC on sale for 1600. It was on sale because it was exactly leaner than I desired although it was detailed, open, and clean. But I pulled the ad because of some changes. Let me explain.

I had made some improvements to the upstream DDC the Singxer SU-6 and I bought some DC purifier/booster devices from AliExpress to use on various components including the other DAC I was using. I heard a sizeable improvement in the system with these improvements. Being the curious tinkering audiophile that I am, I decided to take the 205 out if its box and try the DC purifier/booster on the 205.

With the 205 back in the system with the enhancements, the 205 is not lacking in bass/punch/dynamics. If anything, I’m getting more of these things with the 205 over the other respectable DAC I am using. The bass is full and has weight. This weight is also not limited to the bass. For example, snare drum and higher frequency sounds now have more impact/attack. I sense more "elasticity" than before with the sound. In other words, the fun factor has made a comeback. The other DAC will now go on sale. This is the most fun my system has sounded since I’ve gone all DC. And I dare say this is the second best system I’ve put together and that’s saying something because I’ve gone through a lot of gear and have done a lot of tinkering over the years.

One note to anyone new to the 204/205: do play with 10dB and 20dB output attenuators. I found I had both inadvertently set on. In my system, I preferred only the 10dB attenuator on to match my headphone amp/preamp.