IS THE WEISS 204 A SUBSTANIAL UPGRADE FRON THE CHORD QUTEST

Weiss 501 on USAM

I have not dealt with this seller personally so looking at feedback, having an actual phone conversation, etc. is advisable when making a purchase like this. 
 

When it comes to 204 although I never heard it, the use of switch mode power supply is an immediate deal breaker for me. Having had the Qutest and the TT2 I am familiar witj how sensitive these DACs are to power. Yes you can get the upgraded Weiss linear power supply but why the need for two boxes?
Your $5,000 budget is good enough to get an excellent DAC. The 501 uses linear power supply and is a single box. Other DACs to consider in this price range - Bricasti, Meitner, Denafrips Terminator, Holo Audio May KTE, etc 

Looks like you’re in NY so this 501 may be a local pick up for you. 

Resolution is defined by the sample rate and bit depth. Both of those in turn are defined by your source. Any DAC that changes even a single bit in the bitstream is by definition, defective. So, no. The Weiss will not have, cannot have, better resolution. Nor is it likely to be meaningfully quieter, since the noise floor to peak output on both is far greater than dynamic range of your room noise floor to peak system SPL, which in most domestic systems is lucky if it hits 60dB.

That said, does it have noticeably better reconstruction filters or a better analog output? Those are things you may possibly determine through listening.

@panzrwagn you’re mostly correct. Weiss cannot have better resolution than the Chord Qutest. If we’re talking about the bitrate. Now…better power supply, better clock, isolated USB, better analog stage, etc. that’s what matters. You get lower noise floor that results in better resolution of detail, not better resolution in bitrate terms.

Can you make a recommendation or do all DACs sound the same?