INTRODUCTION
To begin, I would like to thank Questyle Audio, specifically Bruce, for his help with purchasing the QP1R. I "pre-ordered" the DAP for my birthday and got it a few months later when it was finally released. Since then, I have always carried my QP1R wherever I go. As a student programmer, I find listening to music increases my workflow speed and has made this QP1R a valuable edition to my EDC (everyday carry).I have used 3 IEMs with the QP1R: Westone UM Pro 50, W60, and Campfire Audio Jupiter. Therefore, my review will revolve around these IEMs and the DAP and their associated experiences. While I have owned these IEMs, which are counted as the TOTL of their respective companies' lineup, I have never owned a "high-end DAP". However, I have demoed several DAPs as I have a Best Buy about 30 minutes away which has audiophile "stuffs". As such, judge my review with your experiences with products you are familiar with in my review as they may vary from mine.
BUILD QUALITY
When I first obtained the QP1R, I was amazed at the build quality and heft of the device. I have never felt something as nice as this DAP. Well, not exactly never but the build is nothing to scoff at. Sure, I own a Dell XPS 13 9343 and several high-end phones but very few of my devices can hold a candle to the QP1R. The only two devices I own with the same quality feel is my Samsung Galaxy S7 and iPhone 5S with an Element Case Titanium/G10 Ronin case. The volume knob at the top of the device has an extremely satisfying click for each step up in volume. The 3.5mm jack and LO outputs feels solid and definitely built to last. All the buttons are tactile and respond very well. Solely on the build quality aspect, the QP1R gains full points for its tight tolerances and solid build quality. I'm very impressed.SOUND QUALITY
By now, you might be bored from listening me go on and on about the build quality and my life experiences. Either way, you've finally arrived to the sound quality portion. My audio library contains many various genres, from classical to pop to metal to blues and jazz. The QP1R plays them all wonderfully. Since I have both microSD card slots with two 128GB Sandisk Ultra, I have no lack of space. Starting with classical, when equipped with my Jupiters, it makes the music come alive and believable. To begin with, the Jupiter has a wonderful soundstage. When used with the QP1R, the 360o space is even more beautiful. Not only is the sound immersive, the sound is clear and extremely resolving. Even for the darker UM Pro 50s, the sound is wonderful and realistic.Switch to crazy tracks, like Metal, and the QP1R retains all its clarity. Listening to CROW'SCLAW, I fell to the floor. Never had I heard such definition of the rifts from their music. As a guitar player, I was surprised to hear all the notes, each defined and detailed. All three of my IEMs had the same clarity. To simply say, the sound is true unrestrained music. No matter the format, so long as the quality is good, the sound is unworldly beautiful.
With the right IEMs or headphones, the layering is out of this world. I mean, quite literally. Music which has high amounts of layering and depth, the QP1R reproduces and makes the music sound 3D. One of these is the Jupiter, whose prowess is the superior soundstage and layering. I could go on and on about the sound quality. So to summarize the whole experience of the QP1R, I would describe the sound to be very 3-D with full unrestricted frequency response and power to produce those sounds.
I tried the Sony ZX2 and was unable to get the same emotional attachment to the music as the QP1R. Something about the sound from the QP1R makes me "feel" the emotions and sound of the music, the instruments, the voices. I have yet to have an experience as this with any other audio device. I have let my buddy try my equipment out and has completely ruined his experience with music out of his devices. Another buddy makes EDM and he loves listening to his tracks and other artists out of the QP1R. Just as its build quality is solid, the sound quality retains the same feelings and produces a sound to remember.
LAST COMMENTS AND IMPRESSIONS
As you can assume, I love the QP1R. Seeing as I carry it everyday, I find it as irreplaceable as my smartphone. While there are a few nick-picks about the device, they are completely removed when I begin my listening session. Battery life sits between 8 to 10 hours with my experiences normally sitting around 9 hours with combination of high bitrate lossy and lossless tracks. And while I feel there needs to be more polish on the wording and UI, the QP1R has ran wonderfully. Problems I see with the polish is capitalizations and spelling issues in the settings menu and overall wording of certain functions. Since these are all software problems, they can be easily fixed with little effort. Overall, I enjoy my time listening to the QP1R.Another thing is the cheaper version, QP1, is an excellent price to performance. While moving up to the reference model, QP1R, you gain better quality parts and its "on-paper" performance is much better. For those with a limited amount of money who are interested in a cheaper DAP, the QP1 will destroy many DAPs within the same price bracket and then some above it. I definitely would not scratch the QP1 off the "affordable DAP" list. In my eyes, the QP1 might make it the best price to performance DAP, with its affordable price tag and powerhouse sound quality.
