The Quedelix-5K DAC/Amp is a marvel of engineering on a number of ranges. Essentially 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 cellphone calls, and each single-ended and Balanced outputs (2.5mm), and you’ve got one of the crucial versatile cellular DACs in the marketplace.
Qudelix-5K: Worth and availability
The Quedelix-5K is out there direct from Quedelix for $109, or from Amazon for $110. You possible gained’t discover it on sale however for every thing you get with the Quedelix-5K, and when in comparison with its competitors, $110 is a good value level.
Some people might have a problem with the plastic physique at this value, but it surely does not really feel low-cost, and there’s a motive 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. Metallic our bodies are likely to attenuate radio frequency alerts. Have a look at the construct of your private home router, for instance. Metallic or plastic? Internally, you get lots 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 cellphone calls.
Externally, you’ll discover the lone microphone port on the highest of the unit subsequent to the three.5mm and a couple of.5mm ports. There’s a useful spring-loaded aluminum clip on the underside of the unit and two complicated buttons on the perimeters. Neither is labeled, and that’s the one ache level I’ve with the exterior setup. One button is the amount rocker, and on the opposite facet of the unit, you will have the facility button, which additionally controls Bluetooth capabilities: pairing, playback, observe skipping, and cellphone calls. As soon as powered on, the buttons glow pink and blue when pressed, making them simpler to make use of. The blue-lit button controls the Bluetooth capabilities.
Apart from the button labeling, my solely different concern is the selection of a 2.5mm port as an alternative 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 a couple of individuals have snapped these tiny 2.5mm pins. Your mileage might range.
Qudelix-5K: Options
The Qudelix-5K affords nice codec assist for Bluetooth streaming, which iPhones gained’t have the ability to benefit from. Along with the usual SBC and AAC, you additionally get assist for aptX Adaptive, LDAC, and aptX HD. This is a crucial observe as a result of app assist for the machine extends to your computer systems by a Chrome browser plug-in. Even with iOS’ lack of Hello-Res Bluetooth codec assist, it is best to nonetheless obtain the app as a result of iOS and iPad OS don’t have EQ assist 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 shall be persistent throughout each machine you connect with it: automotive, cellphone, pill, laptop, and so forth. That additionally means it’s persistent irrespective of which music apps you utilize in your cellular gadgets.
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The app’s most vital characteristic is the 20-band PEQ, which can be set to a 10-band left/proper unbiased 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 solution to hear how high-quality modifications within the EQ curve have an effect on your audio in actual time. It is a welcomed characteristic for audiophiles and a superb instructing device 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 that you could entry within the DSP tab of the app.
Positive, different producers supply EQ assist, however usually, it isn’t true PEQ. You typically get EQ presets or easy 3 or 5-band EQ assist with no possibility for issues like pre-gain, headroom, peak filters, excessive or low-shelf filters, and Q issue (frequency bandwidth) adjustment.
The app will even present you the state and stats in your present enter (BT or USB-C), present you vital battery/energy consumption stats, provide you with management over acquire, and each coarse and high-quality management over quantity with separate sliders for the cellphone’s quantity and the 5k’s. Observe that you could additionally management quantity instantly from the 5k itself.
Quedelix 5k: Sound high quality
By itself, the Qudelix-5K reproduces audio superbly. 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 by the three.5mm cable was fantastic. The sound is well-balanced and nuanced, a delight.
Subsequent, I linked 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 after I performed “Begin a Riot” from the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack! It’s a scrumptious Dolby Atmos combine that reveals what may be achieved when a producer is aware of tips on how to use these instruments successfully. The IE900s aren’t a bass head’s IEM in any respect. With the 5k’s PEQ, they grow to be 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 every of my Muay Thai buddies.
The precise PEQ settings can take pleasant music and make it transcendent. They’ll take you from having a listening session to having a listening expertise. With the proper headphones or IEMs, after all.
It is a final observe on the Qudelix-5K. I threw a couple of headphones and delicate, low, and high-impedance IEMs at it, and it drove every thing with aplomb.
Quedelix 5k: Competiton
There are a couple of different choices at $100, however none of them supply true PEQ just like the Qudelix-5K. For instance, choices from FiiO offers you EQ customization by their app, however the degree and number of customizations are better with the 5k.
The closest machine is FiiO’s BTR15, which has MQA assist and native DSD assist 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 an alternative of two.5mm balanced output. Shanling has their UP4 2022, which is bigger, has a bigger battery, and consists of codec assist 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: Do you have to purchase it?
You should purchase the Qudelix-5K Bluetooth DAC/Amp if…
- You’re fascinated with fine-tuning audio
- Value is a major consider 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 nicely price the associated fee for the parametric EQ alone! When you think about the entire unit’s different options, I feel this machine is a no brainer for many who wish to study crafting their preferrred sound curve or those that already know tips on how to however desire a machine they will 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.
