Qudelix-5K Bluetooth DAC & Headphone Amp

[Berwhale]

Question to those who can remember being without an external solution and forced to use the internal audio of a cheap smartphone:

Was it worth to buy an external DAC/AMP with respect to better sound quality?

How I actually listen to music:

• I ripped all my CDs to 44.1kHz, 16bit Flac files
• Storing them on my Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 4g (entry level smartphone with a 3.5 mm jack)
• Player is UAPP-Pro set to use internal direct driver and Bit-Perfect Mode (direct driver works but it might be, that internally it is not really used because the phone does not have a dedicated hires DAC)
• Attached is a Bowers&Wilkins P7 cable headphone (the only higher level product in the chain )

It works and it is fun to listen to the music, but:

• Some albums are orchestral with high pitched instruments like tin whistles or intensly played trumpets. The issue is that those parts are not that pleasent to listen to because they get a bit distorted
• Then I have some albums with louder female voices and without excessive pop music compression (example: "Bowmboi" from Rokia Traore). Those albums are not hardrock or so, but the singers sometimes sing loud and high in an attack like style. There I also get some noticeable distortion
• On some Jazz albums (for example dynamic Bebop) when they play the piano hard and fast and adding a deep intense double bass to the mix the whole sound gets somehow uncontrolled - base gets muddy and highs again get distorted

It is not totally unusable, I can still listen to those pieces, but it is a bit exhausting to do so.

I tried to use UAPP's EQ to tame the highs down but for the EQ to work I had to disable Bit-Perfect Mode first. Unfortunately that makes the sound a bit worse altogether.

So, therefore my initial question. Is an external DAC/AMP a way to get a substantially better sound in the above described situation?

Why I asking here in the K5 thread. After reading a lot of reviews, forum threads and background information I think the K5 could be the right device. It seems it is one of the few devices that

• handles EQ well (I have read about several FIIO devices with various limitations or simply bugs regarding EQ)
• does USB wired and Bluetooth audio well
• has a solid APP
• is supported by UAPP-Pro
• has enough power on the 3.5 output (the B&W P7 is only 22 ohms and sensitivity is 111dB/V at 1kHz - as I understood it that means they are easy to drive)

And most important the current offer on Amazon.com is not more than 100 € when purchased from Europe. It seems to be the first time that a device in this class reaches this price point.

But because 100 € is still a relevant amount of money I am interested in your opinion.

Welcome to ASR, you may want to ditch the P7's...

Bowers & Wilkins P7

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Bowers & Wilkins P7. It was kindly donated by a member. It is discontinued by was launched at $400 (on ebay for half now). The feel and look are unique. The cups are small for my use and for measurements. On the latter, it was highly sensitive...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[cgidesign]

Thanks for your replies.

I have now tested with a Yamaha HPH-MT8 and a Sony MDR 7506. Guess what, in a specific track I got distortion with all of them.
So I attached an old RME Babyface to a notebook and listened to that one -> distortion.
Then I remembered that I bought a license of iZotope RX8 years ago.

After understanding how spectral analyzing works, I can say the distortion is in the recording and not caused by the HPs or the dac/amp.

So I can now proceed to listen via the babyface with those three headphones and find out if there is a relevant improvement compared to playing music with the smartphone

Its really cool, one can select a frequency range and let RX play only that one. It was easy to isolate the range in which the female chior is most prominent and notice how badly it was recorded and/or mixed.

 

[bilifen]

Have my Qudelix 5k for ~2.5 years, do we have any idea about the price? 200€? 250€? We'll see, but honestly I don't need to upgrade at all, battery is fine, only charging to 80%.

Thinking about getting it anyway, the Qudelix 5k is just such a great tool, kinda want to support these people. Software is great. There could be more documentation imo, but thats ok.
The additional button is cool, never used the clip so don't care at all about that.
Display... Don't really need it but why not.
4.4mm is great, want to retire my 2.5mm cable for my Sennheiser HD800, hate the 2.5mm jack.

Using the 3.5mm anyway with my Punch Audio Martilo, don't need more power, using 3.5mm foe the microphone cable I bought (some nicehck cable).