Chord Qutest——>No difference

@sudnh i ordered a couple of new digital cables (BNC to RCA terminated) coax cables that should arrive any day now. Let me break them in for a week or so and I’ll post my findings.

As I prefer a warm sound, I went with Arcam early on, though down the line I may swap out my preamp for tube-based Rogue Audio.

@jetter I considered your proposal but it’s just not feasible in my home.

@fuzztone @ddude003 @theo @jasonbourne71 @carlsbad2 @audphile1 @milo0812 @audioguy85 @sudnh @jetter 

Hello everyone, I arrived at the sound I desired, and thought I’d share my findings.
So to begin, the problem -from the outset- was power. Though I own a pair of 175W/channel (@8 ohms) Arcam P1 monoblocks, they aren’t enough.
As suggested, I toyed with Qutest’s 1-3 voltage settings but still was unsatisfied until…I integrated an external power supply! The LPS is set to 5v3amps, with the Qutest @ 2vRMS, and that resolved everything. The Qutest now has sufficient power to give the resolution & soundstage I expected.  My current preferred filter setting is warm with HF rolloff.
During all my tweaking, I also eliminated my Hydra 4 from the system, with the pre/amps now going directly into the wall, and everything else into my Furman power strip. I find this eliminated a dampening sound, making the audio experience cleaner & brighter.

Per @jetter ’s recommendation, I bought Cullen digital cables but am using my Chord USB until burn-in (using the free Tara Labs cascade burn-in recording).

A special thanks to @jetter btw who went above & beyond helping me get some curve balls sorted out.

Thanks to everyone who participated.

Charlie

Charlie, it is always good to hear that a fellow music lover has reached a level of satisfaction with a new component. I am sure you will get years of enjoyment from your Cutest, as did I. 
Regards

Theo