Beyond that, don't be too worried, I can't imagine people could detect the difference between apt X and LDAC. The bit rate of apt X is already transparent to the user which I believe is 352. I used blind listening, multiple subject, multiple trial per subject tests at a head-fi meet I hosted and when comparing a 320mp3 with the lossless master it was made from not one of the 7 subjects could tell the files apart, not one. This result is the norm when people conduct well controlled, blind listening tests so if a 320mp3 file is transparent to the user really well implemented Bluetooth with apt X such as is the case with the FiiO Q5 should also be transparent to the user.
Beyond that, don't be too worried, I can't imagine people could detect the difference between apt X and LDAC. The bit rate of apt X is already transparent to the user which I believe is 352. I used blind listening, multiple subject, multiple trial per subject tests at a head-fi meet I hosted and when comparing a 320mp3 with the lossless master it was made from not one of the 7 subjects could tell the files apart, not one. This result is the norm when people conduct well controlled, blind listening tests so if a 320mp3 file is transparent to the user really well implemented Bluetooth with apt X such as is the case with the FiiO Q5 should also be transparent to the user.
That's interesting to know, thanks. Given the obtuse nature of Bluetooth codecs I was imagining it being a bit of a case of "You don't know what you don't know", when Apt-X is "good enough" are you going to be perfectly happy with it until suddenly gaining an (ostensibly) superior codec which actually does produce noticeably better audio, especially in this sort of case when you aren't dealing with the rubbish amps built into most Bluetooth headphones.
That said, I'm by and large pretty happy with my MB660's in most cases, and they are "only" Apt-X. Maybe it's a case of ignorance being bliss.
How is Q5 sound signature compared to Oppo HA -2SE?
Although Oppo sounds nice, I find it not quite emotionally engaging, if that makes any sense at all.
Anybody has experienced with both?
Since the BTR3 has now been announced with outstanding support for Bluetooth codecs, will there be an updated version of the Q5, which uses the same Bluetooth chip as the BTR3?
This together with USB-C plugs and the updated amp modules would really turn the Q5 into a beast that leaves no wishes to be desired.
An unrelated question regarding the Q5/X7 amp modules: I'm a fan of my Multi-BA IEMs and "it is known" that they deliver the most neutral frequency response on headphone outputs with an output impedance of near-zero. So I've been looking what module is closest to zero according to the specs. And to my surprise, it's not the AM1 (＜0.5 Ω（32Ω load）), though that is still a very good value, but the new AM2A (<0,3Ω (32Ω load) ). The AM2 has the same value as the AM1, so the AM2A was an improvement in this regard (I'm not talking about all the other values or overall quality, just the output impedance), while the AM3A has an increased value above the 1 Ohm mark (Unbalanced: < 1,2 Ω （32 Ω load), Balanced: < 1,7 Ω （32 Ω load）), which is not ideal for IEMs at all (yes, I know, the AM3A is not made specifically for IEMs), compared to its predecessor AM3 (＜0.3 Ω（32Ω load）), which is even as good as the AM2A.
What do you guys make of this? First of all, did anybody ever verifiy the specs stated by FiiO? (Not that I don't trust their specs, it would just be nice to have a second source with maybe even more detailed measurements than the standard measurement with a 32 Ohm load)
And more interestingly, has anybody made any RMAA measurements with "difficult" IEMs like the good old UE triple.fi 10 or customs with many drivers or any of the higher Westone models? I'm not looking for a subjective "sounds better"/"sounds worse" comparison, but simple hard facts that can be measured. My aim is to have a "reference amp" that's driving any IEMs as neutral as possible, without changing the frequency response due to higher output impedances. With such an amp it would be easier to compare different IEMs, no matter how many drivers they have, because the amp doesn't influence the IEMs' own characteristics, at least not the frequency response.
I remember a guy called BadRobot, who posted on the German HiFi-Forum. He made a lot of exactly this kind of measurements, but unfortunately his posts are outdated, the graphs were hosted on his own site, which is now dead and not in the Internet Archive, sadly, but of course, because of the age, he didn't compare modern models of amps. It would have been a nice demonstration, though, for how extremely the output impedance can influence the frequency response of a complex Multi-BA IEM.
Ooh, actually I just found a post of his, where the images/graphs are still intact, and the IEMs are still relevant, especially as a general example for higher-end IEMs with multiple drivers! http://www.hifi-forum.de/viewthread-211-590.html
I'm pretty sure he wouldn't mind, if I re-post his findings here. In this post he wanted to demonstrate that it isn't easy to find a player that drives his SE846s (and as comparison the TF10, which are known to be hard to drive) with as little influence to the near-linear frequency response of the players caused by the frequency dependent impedance of the complex IEMs. So these are no acoustic measurements, they're RMAA measurements of the players' frequency responses with the IEMs plugged in.
TF10 @ Hifiman HM801
SE846 @ Hifiman HM801
At this point he's apologizing about his setup for taking the measurements, because he didn't have the time yet to eradicate the problem causing the difference in the L/R channels, so this can be ignored.
He's pointing out an example of players like the that do have an output impedance near-zero, but still have an impedance dependent drop-off in the bass range, possibly caused by too small electrolyte coupling capacitors (I hope the translation of "Koppelelkos" is correct): The "Cowon" and "Colorfly".
TF10 @ Colorfly
SE846 @ Colorfly
SE846 @ iBasso DX100
SE846 @ Astell & Kern AK120 with a FiiO E17 in between as "additional damping factor"
SE846 @ Hifiman HM901 with IEM amp board
SE846 @ iBasso DX50
SE846 @ Astell&Kern AK240
If you want translations from the original post where Google translate doesn't make sense, I can try my best to translate.
Since the BTR3 has now been announced with outstanding support for Bluetooth codecs, will there be an updated version of the Q5, which uses the same Bluetooth chip as the BTR3?
Sorry if this has been asked here before, but what is the difference between the regular AK4490 and the AK4490EN? Anything audible? I was trying to interpret some spec sheets, but they went a little over my head lol.
@FiiO sorry if it has been asked or discussed before, Fiio Q5 is draining my phone battery and my Onkyo DP-X1 battery when connected. Is there any way to disable charging from the bottom USB port?
USB port setting is default. Thanks!
@FiiO sorry if it has been asked or discussed before, Fiio Q5 is draining my phone battery and my Onkyo DP-X1 battery when connected. Is there any way to disable charging from the bottom USB port?
USB port setting is default. Thanks!
The phone should have an option from the drop down notification that lets you select the USB behavior so you can change it to something other than "charge other device". I don't recall if you need to enable the developer settings to make this available or not though.
Sorry if this has been asked here before, but what is the difference between the regular AK4490 and the AK4490EN? Anything audible? I was trying to interpret some spec sheets, but they went a little over my head lol.
The phone should have an option from the drop down notification that lets you select the USB behavior so you can change it to something other than "charge other device". I don't recall if you need to enable the developer settings to make this available or not though.
I went through developer options with my LG G6 Oreo Android and I don't see any indication at all of this type of functionality. Where did you hear about this? Do you have it yourself and if so, what phone and Android version? Thanks.
Not going to hear a difference in my opinion. Measureable stuff, not audible.
I went through developer options with my LG G6 Oreo Android and I don't see any indication at all of this type of functionality. Where did you hear about this? Do you have it yourself and if so, what phone and Android version? Thanks.
Can't find it anywhere on my G6. Bummer. Can you look in your developer options and tell me if you find it there, or the switch that makes it available elsewhere? Thanks.
The phone should have an option from the drop down notification that lets you select the USB behavior so you can change it to something other than "charge other device". I don't recall if you need to enable the developer settings to make this available or not though.
I couldn't find that option on my old Samsung S7 and Onkyo DP-X1.
I don't understand the logic behind the implementation of the 2 USB ports on Q5. To me the way Chord Mojo separate the data and charging port is more make sense.
When we use it as USB DAC with PC or any laptop, we actually don't really need battery as PC USB port usually has enough power to power USB DAC, so battery is not necessary.
We need the battery when we use Q5 with portable device like smartphone, tablet, DAP, or Bluetooth. With those devices we want Q5 to use its own battery so it doesn't drain the smartphone / DAP battery. So the logic with 2 USB ports should be either the following:
A. 1 port for data only (no charging) and the 2nd port for charging only, just like Chord Mojo.
B. 1 port for data only (no charging), and the 2nd port for both data and charging. So when we connect to smartphone or DAP we use the Data only port.
Now with Q5, 1 port for charging only, and the 2nd port for both data and charging. What could be the logic behind this implementation? What kind of application would benefit from it? I definitely cannot use it with my DAP because it drains my DAP battery.
Please enlighten me, thanks!
@FiiO sorry if it has been asked or discussed before, Fiio Q5 is draining my phone battery and my Onkyo DP-X1 battery when connected. Is there any way to disable charging from the bottom USB port?
USB port setting is default. Thanks!
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
