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Qudelix-5K Bluetooth DAC & Headphone Amp

ZolaIII

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Comparisons should be with similar products (tiny Bluetooth receivers using the ES9218P), i.e. one of these: Hiby W5, Shanling UP2, FiiO BTR5, Shanling UP4 (based on info here).
You have the measurements for LG G7 hire & that's still the best one mesured (106 - 107 dB SINAD), there are others which go around 100~103 dB (TempoTec Sonata iDSD & iDSD Pro for instance) they are small devices & comparable. I would like to see the HiBy R3Pro which is a small DAP because it uses CS43131 and so far all the products based on it mesured rather good (SBX G6, Meizu HiFi & Pro, Hidizs/TempoTec Sonata HD Pro...) as it should have a good performance advantage (10+ dB SINAD).
 

Asylum Seeker

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AptX-HD is
A problem is that changing the setting in Android Developer Options is only active for the current Bluetooth session. The next time you reconnect on Bluetooth, LDAC will be reset to its default setting (Best Effort — Adaptive Bit Rate). ...
This is phone UI dependent.
 

bobbooo

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Thanks for the review. Was the Samsung S8+ used as the source for the wired measurements? If so, what mobile app was used to play the test file? And was the PEQ enabled on the Qudelix 5K for these measurements?
 
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Severian

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Looks like a solid upgrade to the Radsone ES100, which I have found to be an excellent option as a Bluetooth DAC for my office headphone setup. Lack of PEQ and the low output voltage have been the only downsides and this adds both. Of course, not going to the office has obviated the need for a such a device for the time being.
 

Billy Budapest

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I’ve been anticipating a review of this unit. Looks good!
 

quantum_wave

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One greet capability of the Qudelix-5K is its bluetooth reception range (in LDAC). I find it has about twice the range of the Fiio BTR5 receiving from the same transmitter. The Qudelix will work across a garage full of metal shelving and metal items while the Fiio isn't even close.
 

vkvedam

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Panther being too generous I suppose, apart from the Bluetooth ability why would anyone pick this over something like NX4DSD, am I missing something here :rolleyes:
 
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amirm

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Panther being too generous I suppose, apart from the Bluetooth ability why would anyone pick this over something like NX4DSD, am I missing something here :rolleyes:
It is tiny. It is a fraction of the size and weight of the NX4DSD.
 

bobbooo

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Couldn't see an output impedance reading, unless I missed it? This can be very important for a portable device that many will use with IEMs with low, sometimes wildly varying impedance with frequency (e.g. multi-driver balanced armatures).
 
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PeteL

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Would very much like to see the W5 as they offer their own codec which supposedly bests LDAC. Have to use UAPP if I recall correctly, though. I would be happy to have one sent to you , @amirm ? But I'm not sure if your testing hardware would work under such obscure conditions...
It’s own CODEC? How useful could that be? By definition, a Bluetooth CODEC must be supported by both the source and the sink. Do you have any info on what sources support this?
 

bobbooo

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This was Qudelix's response when I asked on their forum what the output impedance of the 5K is:
Sorry but, we can't mention the exact figure since it would mislead users.

Hmm...the only reason I can think of why they would flat out refuse to publish a figure is that it isn't very low. Without knowing that figure there's a risk this device could have high output impedance and so adversely affect the frequency response of headphones/IEMs with large impedance swings.
 

ZolaIII

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It’s own CODEC? How useful could that be? By definition, a Bluetooth CODEC must be supported by both the source and the sink. Do you have any info on what sources support this?
It's all about OS software support for codecs. HiBy has their own UAT but they also support LDAC (HWA) on the client side (HiBy music app) naturally recipient device also needs to suport it. Among useful goodis under the client software thers MSEB DSP & recipient playback (content selection, browsing & control's) via the BT...
 

Navid

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What a great review Amir, thanks for bringing this to us and providing the chance to enjoy our music even more. Also enjoyed reading your Technical Background (1) and your great achievements.

I'm looking to buy a Bluetooth DAC/AMP with 10 band eq. that has enough juice to power my Drop HE4XX (which as you know was designed based on HE400i). I'm using my Galaxy Note 9 as the music player on the go.

Reading the review of Qudelix-5k, which was done using Bluetooth makes it difficult to compare it against ES100 (2) which was reviewed as a USB DAC as you mentioned yourself: "Testing Bluetooth devices is challenging since my analyzer cannot control them directly. Fortunately the ES100 also acts as a USB DAC on Windows". "All the tests including this dashboard were conducted by using the ES100 on Windows. With phones depending on the software you use and especially with Bluetooth, you may get degraded performance".

So, In your understanding and considering my setup, is there a benefit in getting the 5k instead of ES100? Would you pls elaborate ?
 
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amirm

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So, In your understanding and considering my setup, is there a benefit in getting the 5k instead of ES100? Would you pls elaborate ?
Strictly speaking, no. They are both powerful enough to drive your headphone well. That said, I always like to go for the latest version of things and the 5K is it. It has even more power just in case you get a less sensitive headphone. Its buttons are easier to press and see.
 

Veri

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This was Qudelix's response when I asked on their forum what the output impedance of the 5K is:


Hmm...the only reason I can think of why they would flat out refuse to publish a figure is that it isn't very low. Without knowing that figure there's a risk this device could have high output impedance and so adversely affect the frequency response of headphones/IEMs with large impedance swings.
@amirm any chance you could check if the output impedance is sane? Sorry to bother :D
 

tifune

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It’s own CODEC? How useful could that be? By definition, a Bluetooth CODEC must be supported by both the source and the sink. Do you have any info on what sources support this?

Only their marketing materials; I haven't checked lately for exactly the reason you state. Unless I want to go all-in on their fledging ecosystem it's not relevant to me. It's merely the curiosity of: did they pull it off and does it actually matter/is it audible?
 
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