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The Quedelix-5K DAC/Amp is a marvel of engineering on a number of ranges. Probably the most spectacular of which is the true 10 and 20-band PEQ present in its companion app. Throw in Hello-Res Bluetooth audio, MEMs microphones for telephone calls, and each single-ended and Balanced outputs (2.5mm), and you’ve got some of the versatile cellular DACs available on the market.
Qudelix-5K: Value and availability
The Quedelix-5K is out there direct from Quedelix for $109, or from Amazon for $110. You possible received’t discover it on sale however for every part you get with the Quedelix-5K, and when in comparison with its competitors, $110 is a good value level.
Some people could have a difficulty with the plastic physique at this value, however it would not really feel low-cost, and there’s a cause for that construct resolution. We’ll get into that in a second.
Qudelix-5K: Construct and match
The Qudelix-5K feels very mild in hand, though it’s heavy in {hardware} and software program options. It has a plastic physique, which ensures you get a stable Bluetooth connection to your music supply. Steel our bodies are inclined to attenuate radio frequency alerts. Have a look at the construct of your house router, for instance. Steel or plastic? Internally, you get quite a bit for $110. The 5k is filled with a Qualcomm BT 5.0 chipset and twin ES9219 SABRE HiFi DAC, which helps single-ended and balanced outputs and high-sensitivity MEMs mics for telephone calls.
Externally, you’ll discover the lone microphone port on the highest of the unit subsequent to the three.5mm and a pair of.5mm ports. There’s a useful spring-loaded aluminum clip on the underside of the unit and two complicated buttons on the edges. Neither is labeled, and that’s the one ache level I’ve with the exterior setup. One button is the quantity rocker, and on the opposite aspect of the unit, you may have the ability button, which additionally controls Bluetooth capabilities: pairing, playback, observe skipping, and telephone calls. As soon as powered on, the buttons glow purple and blue when pressed, making them simpler to make use of. The blue-lit button controls the Bluetooth capabilities.
Moreover the button labeling, my solely different concern is the selection of a 2.5mm port as a substitute of a 4.4mm port. I’m certain this resolution was based mostly on unit measurement however I’d take a bigger 5k for the 4.4mm port. Studying on-line boards, a standard criticism is that fairly just a few individuals have snapped these tiny 2.5mm pins. Your mileage could range.
Qudelix-5K: Options
The Qudelix-5K presents nice codec help for Bluetooth streaming, which iPhones received’t be capable of reap the benefits of. Along with the usual SBC and AAC, you additionally get help for aptX Adaptive, LDAC, and aptX HD. This is a vital word as a result of app help for the system extends to your computer systems via a Chrome browser plug-in. Even with iOS’ lack of Hello-Res Bluetooth codec help, it is best to nonetheless obtain the app as a result of iOS and iPad OS don’t have EQ help that works throughout all of your apps. Quedelix app’s settings, although, are ubiquitous and saved on to the 5k’s inside storage. That is to say, after you have it configured to your liking, that sound profile can be persistent throughout each system you connect with it: automobile, telephone, pill, pc, and many others. That additionally means it’s persistent regardless of which music apps you utilize in your cellular units.
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The app’s most essential characteristic is the 20-band PEQ, which may also be set to a 10-band left/proper impartial PEQ. That is the place the 5k shines. As you dive into the world of “coloring” your audio to your liking, it is a nice method to hear how tremendous adjustments within the EQ curve have an effect on your audio in actual time. It is a welcomed characteristic for audiophiles and a superb instructing software for audiophile neophytes. Better of all, it can save you as much as 20 of your EQ settings, and there’s an exhaustive database of computerized EQ presets which you could entry within the DSP tab of the app.
Certain, different producers provide EQ help, however usually, it isn’t true PEQ. You usually get EQ presets or easy 3 or 5-band EQ help with no choice for issues like pre-gain, headroom, peak filters, excessive or low-shelf filters, and Q issue (frequency bandwidth) adjustment.
The app can even present you the state and stats on your present enter (BT or USB-C), present you essential battery/energy consumption stats, provide you with management over achieve, and each coarse and tremendous management over quantity with separate sliders for the telephone’s quantity and the 5k’s. Notice which you could additionally management quantity straight from the 5k itself.
Quedelix 5k: Sound high quality
By itself, the Qudelix-5K reproduces audio fantastically. It doesn’t have as massive a soundstage or that sparkle that my present fave iFi GO blu has, however that one doesn’t have the PEQ. However, once more, that’s the 5k’s power. I hooked Sennheiser’s $1500 IEMs, the IE900, as much as the Quedelix 5k, and the primary pay attention via the three.5mm cable was great. The sound is well-balanced and nuanced, a delight.
Subsequent, I related the two.5mm cable to get the balanced output energy, turned on the PEQ, and added some backside to the sub-bass and bass within the 31 and 63Hz frequencies and Candy Christmas, I grinned ear-to-ear just like the Cheshire cat once I performed “Begin a Riot” from the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack! It’s a scrumptious Dolby Atmos combine that exhibits what could be achieved when a producer is aware of easy methods to use these instruments successfully. The IE900s aren’t a bass head’s IEM in any respect. With the 5k’s PEQ, they turn into simply that, however the mid and high-end readability isn’t diminished. The bass on that observe turns into downright darkish and nasty and makes me wish to get within the ring and bang leather-based with one in all my Muay Thai buddies.
The proper PEQ settings can take pleasing music and make it transcendent. They’ll take you from having a listening session to having a listening expertise. With the appropriate headphones or IEMs, after all.
It is a final word on the Qudelix-5K. I threw just a few headphones and delicate, low, and high-impedance IEMs at it, and it drove every part with aplomb.
Quedelix 5k: Competiton
There are just a few different choices at $100, however none of them provide true PEQ just like the Qudelix-5K. For instance, choices from FiiO offers you EQ customization via their app, however the degree and number of customizations are better with the 5k.
The closest system is FiiO’s BTR15, which has MQA help and native DSD help for a similar $110. It additionally consists of an OLED show, which the 5K doesn’t have and it makes use of 4.4mm as a substitute of two.5mm balanced output. Shanling has their UP4 2022, which is bigger, has a bigger battery, and consists of codec help for LHDC. All of them characteristic single-ended and balanced outputs, however the app makes all of the distinction, so I’d select the Quedelix 5k over its competitors.
Qudelix-5K: Must you purchase it?
You should purchase the Qudelix-5K Bluetooth DAC/Amp if…
- You’re all for fine-tuning audio
- Value is a main think about your DAC buy
- You desire a DAC for nearly any supply
You should not purchase the Qudelix-5K Bluetooth DAC/Amp if…
- You don’t want Bluetooth connectivity
- You favor 4.4mm outputs
The Quedelix-5K is properly price the associated fee for the parametric EQ alone! When you think about the entire unit’s different options, I feel this system is a no brainer for individuals who wish to find out about crafting their supreme sound curve or those that already know easy methods to however desire a system they’ll take wherever and connect with virtually any audio supply. You’ll be able to even use the 5K as a preamp.
If true PEQ piques your curiosity, look no additional. That is the one.
