Precog's IEM Reviews & Impressions

[HiFiHawaii808]

Thanks. This is why I don’t use “for the price” when reviewing or rating IEM. Almost impossible to make any meaningful comparison if the rating or opinion is normalised by price, which is a changing factor. Kind of disappointing that those new planar IEMs do not punch that high, though. I’m trying to find a “perfect” signature without DSP so LCD i4 is out of question. I guess the search continues (until I cave in and buy a Trio one day)


Well, it’s not like there are some magic hardware inside IEM that you need to pay, say $1000, to get that would make an IEM better than anything below it.


I’m quite interested about this one. Did they have universal demo? If CFA manage to sell me yet another IEM, I would be very surprised given how I actively avoid their stuffs

Yes. It was a universal demo as i had to put tips on it. Its pretty good.

 

[Precogvision]

The Qudelix 5K is such a great little device. I borrowed one from @MRSallee a while back and it immediately stood out to me over the other Bluetooth DAC/AMPs I've used in the past. The combination of hands-free listening (which wasn't enough to convince me of these devices' usefulness before) and PEQ was enough to sway me into buying my own. It's a decent workaround to the lack of native EQ and apps like PowerAmp in iOS.

And now I have a nice little portable setup with my A3t after correcting the treble

 

[InvisibleInk]

The Qudelix 5K is such a great little device. I borrowed one from @MRSallee a while back and it immediately stood out to me over the other Bluetooth DAC/AMPs I've used in the past. The combination of hands-free listening (which wasn't enough to convince me of these devices' usefulness before) and PEQ was enough to sway me into buying my own. It's a decent workaround to the lack of native EQ and apps like PowerAmp in iOS.

And now I have a nice little portable setup with my A3t after correcting the treble

This good guy on reddit put in the work to add visual button indicators and published them so people could make their own stickers:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V4WG9zrHwmW4hJFwkDX2dqPENQPvCbJ2/view

 

[DynamicEars]

The Qudelix 5K is such a great little device. I borrowed one from @MRSallee a while back and it immediately stood out to me over the other Bluetooth DAC/AMPs I've used in the past. The combination of hands-free listening (which wasn't enough to convince me of these devices' usefulness before) and PEQ was enough to sway me into buying my own. It's a decent workaround to the lack of native EQ and apps like PowerAmp in iOS.

And now I have a nice little portable setup with my A3t after correcting the treble

How is the performances if compared to mid / high tier DAP? Is it comparably good or there is noticeable differences? too bad it lacks 4.4 which is important for me

 

[InvisibleInk]

How is the performances if compared to mid / high tier DAP?

You have to think in terms of whether parametric EQ is a feature you care about. This can transform the sound of your IEMs and headphones into something approximating the Harman target with all the autoEQ presets available. DSP is a fun feature to play with if you want to do EQ yourself.

 

[Samuelueluel]

The Qudelix 5K is such a great little device. I borrowed one from @MRSallee a while back and it immediately stood out to me over the other Bluetooth DAC/AMPs I've used in the past. The combination of hands-free listening (which wasn't enough to convince me of these devices' usefulness before) and PEQ was enough to sway me into buying my own. It's a decent workaround to the lack of native EQ and apps like PowerAmp in iOS.

And now I have a nice little portable setup with my A3t after correcting the treble

In addition to powering my IEMs, the Q5K has completely replaced my Schitt stack I use for my HD6XX. They get loud enough, unbalanced, even with -12 pregain for EQ. If you don't believe in source memes, there is no reason not to use this as your main amp/dac...

 

[Precogvision]

How is the performances if compared to mid / high tier DAP? Is it comparably good or there is noticeable differences? too bad it lacks 4.4 which is important for me

Hmm, in terms of pure SQ? I think it sounds fine. At least on iOS, the real limitation is that the quality maxes out at AAC 256kbps. It doesn't sound quite as good as lossless from the Apple dongle in sighted A/B, and it's inherently going to have that disadvantage against any DAP with lossless files. But that type of difference in file quality is certainly not something I would be able to tell on the fly or without A/B. That limitation aside, and to enter more wishy-washy territory, I don't think it sounds as good as mid or high-end DAPs like my DX300. But I don't mind using the Q5K at all over my DX300 or iPhone for reasons of sound quality. If anything, it would be having to charge another device that most dissuades me from using it. I agree that the lack of 4.4mm is a shame, though!

Is the Kagen most expensive single DD IEM to date?

I think the Dita Perpetua might be the most expensive single-DD at $3K USD, but I don't really keep track of, or put much stock in, pricing these days haha.

The upper midrange looks like A4000 more than A8000, doesn't it? It's kind of a shame when I think about A4000. Great technical performance but deadly tuning.

Surprised that you don't like A8000 that much though. I personally find that that IEM sounds beautiful despite having lots of upper mid.

Yes, perhaps a bit like the A4K although it's been a long time since I've heard that IEM. The upper-midrange actually reminds me more of something like the CRA and Dita's other IEMs, though. Also been a long time since I've heard the A8K, but in general, I would say that I am not really a fan of Final Audio's IEMs. I think their cheapest IEM, the E500, is legitimately the best tuned in their lineup

 

[jlemaster1957]

You have to think in terms of whether parametric EQ is a feature you care about. This can transform the sound of your IEMs and headphones into something approximating the Harman target with all the autoEQ presets available. DSP is a fun feature to play with if you want to do EQ yourself.

Agree re DSP- I don’t have Quedelix but find DSP/PEQ not difficult on Roon. It is important to realize that changes in one part of the FR affect tone in other parts.

 

[podnosimyszafe]

Can Qudelix 5k be used wired (with PEQ)?

 

[nymz]

Can Qudelix 5k be used wired (with PEQ)?

Yes! You can even connect it to you PC and use the BT on your phone to control it (including PEQ) , as long as you use the usb priority in the app.

 

[firesign]

Yes! You can even connect it to you PC and use the BT on your phone to control it (including PEQ) , as long as you use the usb priority in the app.

You have a Chrome extension for PC. You don't have to use your phone for anything if you don't want to.

 

[logiatype]

Yes! You can even connect it to you PC and use the BT on your phone to control it (including PEQ) , as long as you use the usb priority in the app.

Or just use the amazing Chrome web store app.

 

[nymz]

You have a Chrome extension for PC. You don't have to use your phone for anything if you don't want to.

Or just use the amazing Chrome web store app.

Ans I just learned something today. Thanks

 

[GrBm]

Thanks for the info regarding the Qudelix 5K. According to the Amazon listing it has a 2.5mm balanced output, incase that’s useful information for anyone.

~$100 is a lot just to add PEQ to a device (in my case a DAP),… but,… if it’s a proper parametric EQ,… I see a lot of googling in my future.

 

[firesign]

Thanks for the info regarding the Qudelix 5K. According to the Amazon listing it has a 2.5mm balanced output, incase that’s useful information for anyone.

~$100 is a lot just to add PEQ to a device (in my case a DAP),… but,… if it’s a proper parametric EQ,… I see a lot of googling in my future.

You can use the qudelix and sell your DAP. Sure you make money with the change