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The Quartet represents the most significant advancement in digital audio technology in Chord Electronics’ history. A reference-class digital upscaler, the Quarter addresses a fundamental flaw inherent in standard digital playback: the subtle but critical mistiming of transients.
At the core of the Quartet’s performance is the all-new Blackbird WTA (Watts Transient Aligned) filter. Representing the culmination of 46 years of specialised research, the Blackbird filter utilises a staggering four million filter ‘taps’—the technical measure of interpolation complexity. The Blackbird WTA represents a tenfold increase over previous WTA designs, achieving a tenfold improvement in transient timing accuracy, plus it has even more ‘taps’ at its disposal for even better performance.
To process this complex interpolation algorithm without compromise, the Quartet utilises five (5x) Xilinx FPGAs, (five times the processing power of the reference DAVE DAC).
Technically, nearly 100 per cent of the filter’s mathematical coefficients reach the theoretical ideal ‘sinc function,’ in other words, the ‘gold standard’ for perfect waveform reconstruction. Crucially, all filtering is executed directly within the hardware architecture. By avoiding the software-industry shortcut of FFT convolution, which converts audio to frequency data and back, introducing further timing errors, the Quartet preserves pure signal integrity, delivering unmatched transient fidelity.
For the first time in a Chord Electronics upscaler, the Quartet integrates a proprietary Pulse Array ADC (analogue-to-digital converter). This allows analogue sources, including high-end turntables, to benefit directly from the device’s upscaling power. By employing advanced decimation filtering, the integrated ADC eliminates traditional aliasing distortion, outperforming even dedicated studio-grade conversion hardware.
To protect the digital signal from interference, the Quartet benefits from a two-box configuration. The sensitive audio circuitry is isolated from an independent, Rob-Watts-designed power supply that incorporates a proprietary pinch-off RF filter architecture, achieving the exceptional sonic purity of a battery-powered device from a mains-connected unit.
The rear panel features comprehensive, isolated connectivity, including USB-B, optical, and dual BNC outputs capable of supporting maximum resolution up to 768 kHz. The Quartet is compatible with all Chord Electronics DACs and is capable of unlocking the full potential of the DAVE DAC.
Note: Pictured Choral Ensemble Stand sold separately.
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Full Power consumption: 130 W
Standby power consumption: 20W
Dimensions: 7.8 cm (H) 33.5 cm (W) 15.2 cm (D) (Also applied to the power supply)
Weight: 3 kg; PSU 3.2 kg (Optional Ensemble Stand [sold separately]) 5.1 kg (small leg); 6.25 kg (medium leg)
Digital inputs
2x BNC (or dual BNC)
2x Optical
1x USB-B (galvanically isolated)Digital outputs
1x Optical 192 kHz
1x S/PDIF
2x Dual BNC 768 kHz outputAnalogue inputs
2x RCA
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Please contact us for pricing information.
On Demo !
DAC0.1x converter uses a Philips TDA1543 stereo D/A converter chip and features a 6111WA valve zero feedback output stage.
Interesting read: Digital-to-Analogue Converting