DAC UPGRADE QUESTION

OP,

sorry about all the noise you originally received.

Yes, it is very likely you can significantly improve your sound with a better DAC. Typically, if you carefully choose you will get a very significant improvement when doubling your investment up to the average cost of your components. Just a general guideline I have found true. So, you could budget to about the cost of your preamp or amp. Fully investigate (not using ASR as a source of info) DACs into that budget. Be cautious if you want detailed oriented or musical oriented because in this price range it is easy to get highly detailed fatiguing equipment.

Just a thought: you may be able to replace BOTH Lumin U2 Mini and Qtest (Chord) with a single Lumin DAC upper in the line. They are DACs with streamers built in. Such as the T3, P1 or X1, depending on your budget. Doing this will also simplify your system (one less box, one less power cord, interconnect...)

Oh.... don’t mind Jason Bourne. For some reason he is the first to post on each thread with the same stuff. Disregard / ignore him

There are lots of questions to ask here.  Are you happy with the Qutest?  Are you just seeking more?  Is anything missing?  Tonally, is they system good?

The obvious step would be a TT2 if everything is perfect and you just want more.  If something is off or you want some other difference or the system is too bright, etc… that would lead us down a different path.  
 

full disclosure, I am a dealer who focuses on DACs and have tested dozens.  The guys who say there is “no difference” in DACs are welcome to their opinions.  My experience is quite different and I do not believe I have golden ears.  There is a lot of compromise in what DACs do in terms of detail vs staging and the question is what is your priority and the tonal balance of your system. 

You might find some interesting differences/improvements by comparing R2R type DAC's versus chip based dacs. Increased price doesn't necessarily mean better performance. IMO.

OP, your thread is like so many others here: Help me choose a DAC. People ask because there are so many DACs and it’s impossible to audition them all. Many of the best ones, and best values, are sold directly and not through B&M dealers. They all seem to have the same ins and outs. They all seem to have their adherents. The critics say they all sound great.

The usual response is: buy the DAC I have. I really like it. And it’s a great value. I could say that, but why would anyone care. Then you will hear from dealers who write with certainty that, for the right price, they can set you straight.

My suggestion is that you stop writing and start reading . . .right here.

This is probably the best forum for the purpose. All important DACs are written of here at length by actual purchasers and users. They will tell you how they listen to music, what kind of music they listen to, what else in in their system. They will tell you what a particular DAC brought to their music that other DACs did not. Some have experience with many DACs (though sometimes it’s hard to figure out why--could simply be hobby-driven curiosity. It’s a treasure trove of information. They’re not like the critics; many will tell you that they sold a DAC because it didn’t measure up. Scroll down and see which DACs get a lot of attention--some for the right reasons and some for the wrong reasons.

Use the forum. It will serve you well. It’s kind of . . research, a bit of work.

I would simply add, without recommending a particular DAC that he actual digital to analog conversion, of which so much is made, is probably the least important component of a DAC.  Great DACs have been made with every type of conversion be they DS chips, R2R chips or discrete, and FGPA chips, which are chips individually programmed, usually partly DS.

As in every other audio component, the best quality comes from a great power supply and fine, discrete, analog output stages.