Chord Qutest——>No difference

No! Practically all of today's DAC's have achieved such low levels of noise and distortion that they are virtually indistinguishable! That's regardless of price! Let the rock throwing by the golden ear crowd begin!

If you want a DAC with a sonic signature get one with a tube output stage, like a Lampizator. Then you can tube roll to your heart's content!

The component with the higher output voltage will always sound better. That's a quirk of human hearing.

One of my biggest AHA moments was the first time I heard a friend's Qutest.  I have since bought DAVE. There is a huge difference.

Count your blessings and save your money if you don't sense a difference.

Jerry

@teh_chucksta 2v was the best setting in my system when I had the Qutest. 
I’d recommend to run and listen to the Qutest for at least 2-3 days with the DAC constantly on…do not unplug it. 
Once you get a hang of what it is doing, switch back to BS.