2Qute

About the 2Qute

The Chord Electronics 2Qute is a standalone digital-to-analogue converter for high-fidelity two-channel home audio systems. Using the same Spartan-6 FPGA DAC technology as the original Hugo, it implements Chord's WTA filter with a 26,368-tap length to achieve very low distortion of 0.0003% and a dynamic range of 119dB. It supports PCM up to 32-bit/384kHz via coaxial and USB, and up to 24-bit/192kHz via optical, plus DSD64 on all inputs and DSD128 via coaxial or USB using DoP. The rear panel provides coaxial (BNC), optical (TOSLINK) and Class 2 USB-B digital inputs with an input selector, while analogue output is via single-ended RCA at 3V RMS. The USB input is galvanically isolated and class-compliant, operating driverless with Apple and Android devices, with dedicated Windows drivers including ASIO supplied. The 2Qute is housed in a compact, robust brushed aluminium chassis with front-panel illumination indicating input selection and sample rate, powered by an included 12V/0.5A external supply. Designed as a straight DAC without a headphone amplifier or battery, it is widely regarded for its high resolution, timing, and rhythmic precision.