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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 one of the crucial versatile cellular DACs in the marketplace.
Qudelix-5K: Value and availability
The Quedelix-5K is on the market direct from Quedelix for $109, or from Amazon for $110. You possible gained’t discover it on sale however for all the pieces you get with the Quedelix-5K, and when in comparison with its competitors, $110 is a good value level.
Some of us could have a problem with the plastic physique at this value, however it does not really feel low-cost, and there’s a cause for that construct choice. We’ll get into that in a second.
Qudelix-5K: Construct and match
The Qudelix-5K feels very gentle in hand, though it’s heavy in {hardware} and software program options. It has a plastic physique, which ensures you get a strong Bluetooth connection to your music supply. Steel our bodies are likely to attenuate radio frequency alerts. Take a look at the construct of your own home 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 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 quantity rocker, and on the opposite facet of the unit, you could have the ability button, which additionally controls Bluetooth capabilities: pairing, playback, monitor 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.
Apart from the button labeling, my solely different challenge is the selection of a 2.5mm port as a substitute of a 4.4mm port. I’m certain this choice was based mostly on unit measurement however I’d take a bigger 5k for the 4.4mm port. Studying on-line boards, a typical criticism is that fairly a number of individuals have snapped these tiny 2.5mm pins. Your mileage could fluctuate.
Qudelix-5K: Options
The Qudelix-5K gives nice codec assist for Bluetooth streaming, which iPhones gained’t be capable to benefit from. Along with the usual SBC and AAC, you additionally get assist for aptX Adaptive, LDAC, and aptX HD. This is a vital notice as a result of app assist for the machine extends to your computer systems by means of a Chrome browser plug-in. Even with iOS’ lack of Hello-Res Bluetooth codec assist, it’s 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 will likely be persistent throughout each machine you hook up with it: automobile, telephone, pill, laptop, and so on. That additionally means it’s persistent regardless of which music apps you employ in your cellular units.
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The app’s most necessary characteristic is the 20-band PEQ, which can 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, this can be a nice technique to hear how wonderful modifications within the EQ curve have an effect on your audio in actual time. This can be a welcomed characteristic for audiophiles and an excellent 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 that you could entry within the DSP tab of the app.
Positive, different producers provide EQ assist, however usually, it isn’t true PEQ. You usually 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 may also present you the state and stats on your present enter (BT or USB-C), present you necessary battery/energy consumption stats, offer you management over achieve, and each coarse and wonderful management over quantity with separate sliders for the telephone’s quantity and the 5k’s. Observe that 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 energy. I hooked Sennheiser’s $1500 IEMs, the IE900, as much as the Quedelix 5k, and the primary pay attention by means of 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 might 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 will not be diminished. The bass on that monitor turns into downright darkish and nasty and makes me wish to get within the ring and bang leather-based with certainly one of my Muay Thai buddies.
The proper PEQ settings can take gratifying music and make it transcendent. They’ll take you from having a listening session to having a listening expertise. With the best headphones or IEMs, in fact.
This can be a final notice on the Qudelix-5K. I threw a number of headphones and delicate, low, and high-impedance IEMs at it, and it drove all the pieces with aplomb.
Quedelix 5k: Competiton
There are a number of different choices at $100, however none of them provide true PEQ just like the Qudelix-5K. For instance, choices from FiiO gives you EQ customization by means of their app, however the stage 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 a substitute 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: Must you purchase it?
You should purchase the Qudelix-5K Bluetooth DAC/Amp if…
- You’re thinking about fine-tuning audio
- Price is a major consider your DAC buy
- You need 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 all the unit’s different options, I feel this machine is a no brainer for individuals who wish to study crafting their very best sound curve or those that already know easy methods to however need a machine they will take anyplace and hook up with virtually any audio supply. You possibly can even use the 5K as a preamp.
If true PEQ piques your curiosity, look no additional. That is the one.
