Qudelix-5K Bluetooth DAC & Headphone Amp

[Yorkshire Mouth]

Was someone trying to?

No, but no one else was pointing it out.

Anyone reading the thread, and being tempted to buy into Roon, but whose main source is Amazon Music, may make a poor, uninformed decision if its not pointed out.

 

[Jimbob54]

I think I'm right in saying you can't use Roon with Amazon Music.

You are

 

[Phoney]

The high gain option doesn't matter at all, unless full volume doesn't get loud enough, right?

 

[Phoney]

Does this unit drain less battery from the 3.5mm output considering the lower power output?

 

[Jimbob54]

Does this unit drain less battery from the 3.5mm output considering the lower power output?

I guess that depends on how much power you are drawing to power the cans connected. I imagine the same cans plugged in either socket but playing at the same SPL would draw very similar power. 2.5mm at full output vs 3.5mm at full output, yes.

People who actually know these things will tell me I'm wrong

 

[Phoney]

So I have a friend who want to connect this to XLR inputs on the Jotunheim 2. I've heard that just using a single 2.5mm to dual XLR will cause ground loop? Someone that I know use this solution:

He says the 3.5mm takes care of the grounding. Is this a good solution, and if so, can I buy this somewhere? Do I just need to buy a 3.5mm to xlr and a 2.5mm to xlr, and then plug them both?

 

[Zenek73]

Q5k will work as usb dac for raspberrypi with picoreplayer installed?

 

[staticV3]

Q5k will work as usb dac for raspberrypi with picoreplayer installed?

I don't see why it wouldn't:

 

[Vik]

The DAC performance of the Qudelix 5K is not very good and indeed would get a failing score if it were compared to desktop products. But test the unit in its intended domain which is driving headphones and it comes way on top. There is plenty of power here no doubt due to use of internal battery rather than relying on USB. And wattage here speaks and speaks loudly. Noise is quite low indicating very good design.

Support for LDAC Bluetooth enables much more transparent music playback (objectively anyway -- I have yet to listen to it), which is important here.

Build quality and the App with its tweaking ability completed the package.

So overall, I am happy to recommend the Qudelix 5K.

Can someone who owns the Quedelix 5k (or @amirm) please elaborate on this?

"Not very good" DAC performance doesn't usually go well along with "happy to recommend". I know 'not very good' refers to a comparison to desktop products, but there are portable DACs that in these reviews are considered to be comparable to desktop products, for instance the Hidizs S9: "...a tiny device that delivers desktop class performance".

 

[maverickronin]

Can someone who owns the Quedelix 5k (or @amirm) please elaborate on this?

The short answer is that the feature set is unbeatable by any other device on the market.

 

[staticV3]

Good output power and competent DSP will enhance your listening experience more than better SINAD ever could.
That's what the 5K brings to the table and what makes it worth the asking price.

 

[Eneko]

Hi Vik, as a Qudelix user, I think that if you consider the system as a whole, it is unlikely that the the Qudelix is the bottleneck. Probably the headphones have greater distortion than the little dac/amp. At least in my case, I value more its EQ ability than a probably inaudible benefit on SINAD. That been said, I would love to see a Qudelix + Topping collaboration xD

 

[Vik]

Thanks for you replies. I still wonder why, in this and other threads, why something is described as 'bad' (in this case, bad DAC performance) in cases where the bad stuff isn't audible.

That been said, I would love to see a Qudelix + Topping collaboration xD

Sure. It would also be interesting to see a direct comparison between the Qudelix and some of the closest rivals – which , for me, includes Hidizs S9 and some Toppings units (EX5, DX3 Pro +, E30+D30 and NX7)

 

[Jimbob54]

Thanks for you replies. I still wonder why, in this and other threads, why something is described as 'bad' (in this case, bad DAC performance) in cases where the bad stuff isn't audible.

Sure. It would also be interesting to see a direct comparison between the Qudelix and some of the closest rivals – which , for me, includes Hidizs S9 and some Toppings units (EX5, DX3 Pro +, E30+D30 and NX7)

You can compare most of those units right on here but I have a feeling you want someone to tell you how they all "sound".

Less than great measurements do not equal "sound bad". You seem to be trying to square a circle.

 

[MayaTlab]

Does this unit drain less battery from the 3.5mm output considering the lower power output?

It does, but the main reason is that the 3.5mm output uses only one of the two DACs, while the 2.5mm uses both.
For the same headphones (ex : HD58x), it roughly cuts the battery life in half.

Battery

5K has a 500mA Li-Polymer Battery. Manufacturer: VDL (http://www.gdvdl.com/) Please note that the battery times may differ across each use case. The battery time varies across the codec, sample rate, power profile, and output mode. The sensitivity of the earphones/headphones and the output...

www.qudelix.com

So the TLDR is : if the 3.5mm output is enough (take into account negative pre-gain if you EQ), try to favour it over the 2.5mm output if you want to use it on battery.

 

[Phoney]

It does, but the main reason is that the 3.5mm output uses only one of the two DACs, while the 2.5mm uses both.
For the same headphones (ex : HD58x), it roughly cuts the battery life in half.

Battery

5K has a 500mA Li-Polymer Battery. Manufacturer: VDL (http://www.gdvdl.com/) Please note that the battery times may differ across each use case. The battery time varies across the codec, sample rate, power profile, and output mode. The sensitivity of the earphones/headphones and the output...

www.qudelix.com

So the TLDR is : if the 3.5mm output is enough (take into account negative pre-gain if you EQ), try to favour it over the 2.5mm output if you want to use it on battery.

Thanks! Yes I was wondering why the battery life seemed much worse after getting 2.5mm cable, than from when I first got it. This makes sense.

 

[caseten]

I've created a Quick Start Guide for the Qudelix-5K. Any suggestions on where to post it?

 

[ShaunieFay]

Thanks for you replies. I still wonder why, in this and other threads, why something is described as 'bad' (in this case, bad DAC performance) in cases where the bad stuff isn't audible.

Sure. It would also be interesting to see a direct comparison between the Qudelix and some of the closest rivals – which , for me, includes Hidizs S9 and some Toppings units (EX5, DX3 Pro +, E30+D30 and NX7)

Here's a brief review of the 5K comparing it to some other "rivals," though not the ones you mention: Headphone Show review.

I've created a Quick Start Guide for the Qudelix-5K. Any suggestions on where to post it?

Here: Official Qudelix Forum

 

[caseten]

@ShaunieFay Thanks for the suggestion. I've posted it at the Official Qudelix Forum and on The Headphone Community.

 

[groot]

May 1, 2022 : Just a heads-up: the Qudelix-5K is back in stock at Amazon US

and in case it wasn't noted elsewhere, from the manufacturer

ESS discontinued ES9218. From Nov 2021, 5K DAC/AMP is manufactured with ES9219C, which is pin-to-pin compatible with ES9218P.

So the current units are slightly different from the one tested by ASR. But one would expect the ES9219 to be at least as good the ES9218. The biggest difference I noted would be the power consumption, so the ES9219 units may show better battery life in practice. The audio specs look the same.