You may all the time belief iMore.
Our group of Apple specialists have years of expertise testing every kind of tech and devices, so that you will be positive our suggestions and criticisms are correct and useful. Discover out extra about how we check.
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 telephone calls, and each single-ended and Balanced outputs (2.5mm), and you’ve got one of the versatile cell DACs in the marketplace.
Qudelix-5K: Value and availability
The Quedelix-5K is out there direct from Quedelix for $109, or from Amazon for $110. You probably 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 might have a problem with the plastic physique at this value, but it surely does not really feel low-cost, and there’s a purpose for that construct choice. 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 strong Bluetooth connection to your music supply. Steel our bodies are likely to attenuate radio frequency indicators. Have a look at the construct of your own home router, for instance. Steel or plastic? Internally, you get rather a lot 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 facet of the unit, you may have the ability button, which additionally controls Bluetooth features: 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 features.
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 positive this choice was based mostly on unit dimension however I’d take a bigger 5k for the 4.4mm port. Studying on-line boards, a typical grievance is that fairly a number of individuals have snapped these tiny 2.5mm pins. Your mileage might differ.
Qudelix-5K: Options
The Qudelix-5K provides nice codec help for Bluetooth streaming, which iPhones gained’t be capable to make the most of. Along with the usual SBC and AAC, you additionally get help for aptX Adaptive, LDAC, and aptX HD. This is a crucial be aware as a result of app help for the gadget extends to your computer systems by means of a Chrome browser plug-in. Even with iOS’ lack of Hello-Res Bluetooth codec help, you must 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 getting it configured to your liking, that sound profile will likely be persistent throughout each gadget you connect with it: automobile, telephone, pill, laptop, and so on. That additionally means it’s persistent irrespective of which music apps you employ in your cell gadgets.
Picture 1 of 9
The app’s most vital function is the 20-band PEQ, which will 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, this can be a nice solution to hear how effective adjustments within the EQ curve have an effect on your audio in actual time. This can be a welcomed function for audiophiles and an excellent instructing instrument 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 you can entry within the DSP tab of the app.
Positive, different producers supply EQ help, however usually, it isn’t true PEQ. You typically get EQ presets or easy 3 or 5-band EQ help 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 vital battery/energy consumption stats, offer you management over acquire, and each coarse and effective management over quantity with separate sliders for the telephone’s quantity and the 5k’s. Word you can 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 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 once I performed “Begin a Riot” from the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack! It’s a scrumptious Dolby Atmos combine that reveals what will be achieved when a producer is aware of how you can 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 shouldn’t 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 considered one of my Muay Thai buddies.
The appropriate 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 be aware 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 supply true PEQ just like the Qudelix-5K. For instance, choices from FiiO offers you EQ customization by means of their app, however the stage and number of customizations are higher with the 5k.
The closest gadget is FiiO’s BTR15, which has MQA help and native DSD help for a similar $110. It additionally contains 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 contains codec help for LHDC. All of them function 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 can purchase the Qudelix-5K Bluetooth DAC/Amp if…
- You’re interested by 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 effectively price the associated fee for the parametric EQ alone! When you think about all the unit’s different options, I believe this gadget is a no brainer for individuals who wish to find out about crafting their very best sound curve or those that already know how you can however desire a gadget they’ll take wherever and connect with nearly any audio supply. You may even use the 5K as a preamp.
If true PEQ piques your curiosity, look no additional. That is the one.
