DAC contest: Border Patrol Sei or Chord Qutest?

Those who are familiar with TDA 1541 chip and its use in many popular CD players 30 years ago made by Philips, Marantz, Rotel, Sony, Naim, Arcam, Sudgen and Cambridge probably know the SQ of this DAC chip better than I am. As with all DACs, the SQ is mainly determined by design and implementation but the quality of DAC chip matters too. TDA 1543 used in SE-I is the relatively lesser quality chip to its much more popular brother 1541 especially the double crown version. I had Rotel RCD 855 for a while that uses 1541. It sounds very musical, rich, laid back and has no digital glare and hence no listening fatique. I really enjoy it. But just like Steve mention, the modern DAC like Denafrips Ares (even being a R2R) will sound "definintely" more clear, transparent and vivid but less soulful and solid as one listens to the live music. My experience with Rotel 855 confirms that. So, how one likes the TDA 1541/1543 based DAC really depends on your taste and preference. Techinically, SEi only supports 24 bits PCM up to 96 khz and no DSD that limits its practicality. To me it is a deal breaker but YMMV.

@jjss49, there was nothing wrong with your response. Your assessment of the OP is spot on. He’s just trying to start some s#!+ and deserves to be ignored.

Troidelover1499 I had a similar experience as the setup used to demo a pair of speakers I bought used border patrol SEi. It was my foray back into hifi a couple of years ago. At the time I hadn’t heard other DACs so I didn’t know any better and bought one. Someone loaned me an Ayre codex and the difference was striking. While a little rough, the codex had much more detail. From there I moved on to the Ayre QB9 Twenty - another move up in SQ. My latest iteration is a DAC built into a SS integrated amp which, with my current cable setup, sounds even better to my old ears. Sometimes wish I could experiment with more DACs and cables because I believe that’s where the most sound variation exists. It’s an expensive hobby!!

@decooney

i totally agree... the bp is built for a certain kind of presentation, that is valued and appreciated for certain listeners and certain systems needing the ’calm’ and ’musicality’, whereas the chord and others of its ilk is for those on the opposite end of the sonic spectrum seeking zip, spice, attack and so on

one is not better than other, synergy and subjective preference always rules - rich creamy mashed potatoes versus a spicy caesar

in this op’s case, i mentioned the other extreme for dac presentation as he was looking for ’next level’, whatever that means

@hysteve i.e. "the difference was striking...". "Sometimes wish I could experiment with more DACs and cables because I believe that’s where the most sound variation exists. It’s an expensive hobby!!"

It’s been a surprise to me how various dacs can sound so different from one to the next. Using @jjjsss’s example, how much salt/pepper/spice should someone add to food starts with tasting and describing the taste before adding anything at all.

Until someone like the OP can actually describe what they are hearing or missing (in great detail - with comparison examples) the whole idea of anyone asking which daca vs. dacb is better, or what to buy, is kinda pointless and difficult to answer to.