@drlou77 The M3 is in a different league from the Qutest. Top to bottom much more refined. Lower noise floor, more effortless sound and more detailed without being harsh. Treble is pretty sweet on it.
About the MDx board…all Bricasti M3 DACs have the MDx board. I asked Joe (Bricasti support) if I should upgrade my MDx1.09 to the latest version firmware. He replied to my email saying it won’t do anything. The one firmware upgrade was to address a concern with the M21 and the latest was to accommodate for the new display. So if I were you, reach out to them, Joe usually answers the phone.