[actorlife]

11 posts before (on this same page) I gave link to this same review ))

https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/obscure-chinese-daps.720512/page-184#post-13441137

Oh haha was it a positive review? 55hrs damn even it was 20hrs a steal for the price. So it has pretty much the same as the Z2 had a feeling most of it was. If it had Bluetooth it would give some great DAP a run for the money. Wonder if it has the AKM4490 like quality?

 

[CoiL]

I gotta get this IQQ C18 ...damn this low-budget-chi-fi

 

[crabdog]

Just received the C18 today. Feels good in the hand and sounds pretty good so far. Will post more in depth impressions in a few days. If anyone has any specific questions about it hit me up.

 

[actorlife]

Well alright Crabdog. Congrats waiting for a preview.

 

[Apputty]

Crabdog, waiting for your review.
Also can you post some comparison with nintaus X10 and cayin n3...
Also will it be able to drive planars like Fostex t50rp mk3.

 

[crabdog]

Crabdog, waiting for your review.
Also can you post some comparison with nintaus X10 and cayin n3...
Also will it be able to drive planars like Fostex t50rp mk3.

I didn't spend enough time with the N3 to make any comparisons but I will certainly compare with the X10 in my review. Will it drive the t50rp? I don't know but for reference when using my DT990 250ohms I basically have to turn up the volume to 100% and then it's 'almost' there. With IEMs though this thing sounds excellent. From memory I'd say the sound is better than the X10 but I'll have to A/B test them together to be certain.

 

[Apputty]

Thanks crabdog...
T50RP has got 50ohms, but definitely sounds much better with some amplification.
Also do you hear any background hiss or noise.

 

[actorlife]

Crab I was told no custom eq is this correct? Is there a rock eq setting? Which eq are you using and sounds best to you? Does it have a HIFI logo if yes is it easy to take off?

 

[crabdog]

Thanks crabdog...
T50RP has got 50ohms, but definitely sounds much better with some amplification.
Also do you hear any background hiss or noise.

50ohms should be fine unless the T50RP is really inefficient. No audible background noise with the IEMs I've tried so far.

Crab I was told no custom eq is this correct? Is there a rock eq setting? Which eq are you using and sounds best to you? Does it have a HIFI logo if yes is it easy to take off?

There is a custom 5 band EQ actually. It's just hard to find because it's called "Equaliser" and is mixed in with the other presets (Normal, Bass, Heavy, Pop, Jazz, Unique). I'm using Normal/Off which I always do while reviewing DAPs, otherwise it's too hard for me to try to get an idea of the players default sound signature. The custom EQ works really well and you should be able to get the sound you're looking for.

There is HIFI printed under the screen, not sure if that's what you mean? I think that would be difficult to remove

 

[actorlife]

That picture shows the player off Nicely. Fantastic this looks like the player I need wish there was a BT of course that would Increase the price. Clip is no more. So far this looks like a Sleeper DAP. THANKS CRAB.

 

[Maglev]

Lurker here. Made an account because I'm really interested in the IQQ C18.
If it's really just a Nintaus X10 with volume buttons it would be a really great device. The only thing I'm worried about is the scrollwheel. It needs to be really durable and accurate.
Crabdog, could you describe in the review how good that scrollwheel is? It seems to me that it's a thing that's not so easy to get right, like with the Fiio X1 devices having problems in the past.

I hope it comes in different colors soon though, gold is just meh.

 

[crabdog]

Lurker here. Made an account because I'm really interested in the IQQ C18.
If it's really just a Nintaus X10 with volume buttons it would be a really great device. The only thing I'm worried about is the scrollwheel. It needs to be really durable and accurate.
Crabdog, could you describe in the review how good that scrollwheel is? It seems to me that it's a thing that's not so easy to get right, like with the Fiio X1 devices having problems in the past.

I hope it comes in different colors soon though, gold is just meh.

Will do. One thing I should mention is that breakpoint resume is only supported when playing from the onboard memory. If playing from the SD card last played song and position are lost when you turn off the DAP.

 

[actorlife]

Does the player have replay gain? Is there anything missing that is a concern besides the resume on playback on sd? You seem to like it so far that's a good sign we hope. Oh Yeah haha can you use the player as a DAC if yes how is the sq? Any idea if those HI RES Stickers are sold separately?

 

[crabdog]

Does the player have replay gain? Is there anything missing that is a concern besides the resume on playback on sd? You seem to like it so far that's a good sign we hope. Oh Yeah haha can you use the player as a DAC if yes how is the sq? Any idea if those HI RES Stickers are sold separately?

It cannot be used as a separate DAC. No, there isn't a replay gain setting. You can set the default startup volume to custom or memory.

 

[actorlife]

Thanks crab. One more question can another firmware be used to get more functions? I've seen other threads where they can use firmware from another player that has the same UI. Just curious.