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Chord Cutest or Wadia 321

Has anyone here had a chance or spent some time with either of these DACs? I currently have the Chord Cutest and have the opportunity to trade for the Wadia 321 which I haven’t heard. The Wadia is an older DAC released in 2014 vs the Chord which I believe was released 2018. The Wadia does not support DSD. However, most of what I listen to is 24/192 or lower. I’m curious if the older Wadia might out perform the new Chord. Or, should I stick with the Chord? I am currently using Magnepan LRS Plus or Martin Logan CLS depending on the mood. Thank you for any input or advice.

I am using a Ifi Zen Stream to the Chord DAC using a Audioquest Diamond USB. 

rick_hilton
carlsbad2's avatar
carlsbad2
1,358 posts
 

cutest.  

audiotroy's avatar
audiotroy
3,588 posts
 

wadias futureis tenous at best

rick_hilton OP
46 posts
 

Thank you for the advice. Do you feel the DAC will sound poorly, or is it more of a concern of getting the DAC repaired if it has an issue? 

cio52
121 posts
 

I'm using the Qutest with the M-Scaler.  If you want to expand your system look into a Chord M-Scaler new or used it is fantastic and allows you to upscale to 705.6 and 768khz and native DSD512 using dual BNC cables (supplied with the M-Scaler).  Then get a Lumin U2 or U2 mini and you'll be set for a long time.  Happy listening. 

rylanjake
2 posts
 

In terms of features, the Chord Cutest supports DSD playback, while the Wadia 321 does not. However, since you mention that you mostly listen to 24/192 or lower, this may not be a significant factor for you.

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