[SashimiWu]

So upon reading this whole thread, it seems that this player can only do Folder Browsing?  And this folder browsing is only 2 levels deep?  Does this mean I can only have something like ROOT -> Artist/Album -> Song?

 

[jamato8]

  So upon reading this whole thread, it seems that this player can only do Folder Browsing?  And this folder browsing is only 2 levels deep?  Does this mean I can only have something like ROOT -> Artist/Album -> Song?

Yes. It is a pain but the player does sound good but I wish they could do something about the way it works regarding the album implementation. 

 

[SashimiWu]

 
Yes. It is a pain but the player does sound good but I wish they could do something about the way it works regarding the album implementation. 

 
So does this mean if I want to shuffle all of my songs, I will need a folder that has all of my songs on it?
 
Honestly I am not too picky about bad UI since I used the original X3 extensively in the past.  Just wanted to know what I was getting into before committing.  I really love how the CS4398 chip sounded in the AK100II and initial impressions seems like it sounds mostly the same.  Very deep soundstage with a smooth sound that is very detailed and engaging.  If this is the case then I believe I would be fine with the basic UI since the build seems much more rugged (no touch screen and volume knob) at a much cheaper price. 

 

[andi16]

 
Yes. It is a pain but the player does sound good but I wish they could do something about the way it works regarding the album implementation. 

 
I would go even further, it sounds so good that if the company put half "involvement/creativity" of Fiio - result would be in top 5 of dap category.
Right now it has great SQ but missing "essentials" in UI and functionalities (like usb).
 
I have to confess, I switched to other device (amp+dac) not because of QA360 SQ, but because usb-dac (+android) gives me best options in any direction (unlimited storage by android + sd/usb-hdd, software/apps "freedom", same device for mobile and home audio use (pc/android + line-out)).
 
At the same time, I still enjoy listening QA360 from time to time.

 

[MikePortnoy]

 
 
I did a quick comparison between Lotoo Paw 5000 and QLS QA360. At first P5000 is physically very small compared to QA360. Easy to carry easy to use.
 
In terms of SQ, both have their own strengths. 360 has blacker and more stable background with slightly weightier notes overall. P5000 has significantly better transparency and slightly better resolution. 360 has a bit deeper sub bass with a better texture and emotion, while P5000 midbass is more resolved; subbass is faster, a bit lighter and tighter.  Both have similar amount of treble, P5000 is a bit more alive in this range.
 
360 has a deeper stage with better layering, while both have similar dimension of width.In addition, P5000 has a forward mid presentation by a hair than QA360. 

 

[SashimiWu]

 
 
 
I did a quick comparison between Lotoo Paw 5000 and QLS QA360. At first P5000 is physically very small compared to QA360. Easy to carry easy to use.
 
In terms of SQ, both have their own strengths. 360 has blacker and more stable background with slightly weightier notes overall. P5000 has significantly better transparency and slightly better resolution. 360 has a bit deeper sub bass with a better texture and emotion, while P5000 midbass is more resolved; subbass is faster, a bit lighter and tighter.  Both have similar amount of treble, P5000 is a bit more alive in this range.
 
360 has a deeper stage with better layering, while both have similar dimension of width.In addition, P5000 has a forward mid presentation by a hair than QA360. 

 
Interesting!  Where did you order your P5000 from if you don't mind me asking?
 
It seems like the 360 is the more dynamic and musical player.  The the deeper soundstage probably contributes to this.  Is it safe to say you enjoy the QA360 more?  The sound quality of the QA360 seems very desirable but the size and the limited UI are a bit of a downside.

 

[MikePortnoy]

   
Interesting!  Where did you order your P5000 from if you don't mind me asking?
 
It seems like the 360 is the more dynamic and musical player.  The the deeper soundstage probably contributes to this.  Is it safe to say you enjoy the QA360 more?  The sound quality of the QA360 seems very desirable but the size and the limited UI are a bit of a downside.

 
This a demo unit from Lotoo. I didn't buy it , but I heard that the stock is limited at the moment. 
 
Well, QA360 is a bit more dynamic and smooth (it doesn't mean that P5000 is piercing). I enjoy P5000's resolution and transparency more, while I enjoy thicker notes and background of QLS. Both are musical from different perspective, but most people would find QA360 more organic. 
 
Apart from SQ, QA360 has the fastest UI that I have ever seen. Faster than Lotoo PAW GOLD, but yes, it is a bit bulky. 

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

Hasn't been a new firmware for nearly 6 months, hopefully next firmware will come soon and be a game changer. QLS at least acknowledges both current firmwares have different short comings, so they know what needs improving.

 

[andi16]

Sadly, I wouldn't count on it.
Firmware "size" is hardware limited (was it 256kB?), so there is no way to implement new features (other then "very simple" features).
But... I think getting closer to SQ of wav-only firmware with "regular" firmare - that is what QLS can do.

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

Yea Im only talking about SQ, the lack of features doesnt bother me. I just want the depth and density of fw 1.4.02 combined with the width and air of fw 1.4.05. The QA360 has such a great foundation with its black back round and effortless detail, just needs slight fine tuning imo, it has the potential for flawless SQ.

 

[Letuchkin]

IMHO DSD even now sounds flawless. QA360 worth to have DSD only firmware, just as alternative. I am sure that new WAV only firmware won't be able to outperform DSD capability of QA360. But at the same time restrictions of portable devices don't allow QA360 plays DSD better than standalone DSD DACs (even built upon the same DAC chip like  KORG DS-DAC-100 for example).

 

[bahamot]

  So upon reading this whole thread, it seems that this player can only do Folder Browsing?  And this folder browsing is only 2 levels deep?  Does this mean I can only have something like ROOT -> Artist/Album -> Song?

You can have: ROOT->artist->album->song.

 

[SashimiWu]

  You can have: ROOT->artist->album->song.

 
Awesome.  This way I can have Root -> (A-Z) -> (Arist - Album) -> (Songs) to make it much easier to browse.
 
Still a shame about the lack of all shuffle however.

 

[Letuchkin]

   
Awesome.  This way I can have Root -> (A-Z) -> (Arist - Album) -> (Songs) to make it much easier to browse.
 
Still a shame about the lack of all shuffle however.

There is all shuffle mode. You just need to set PLAY MODE = RANDOM and PLAY RANGE = ALL.
But unfurtunatly you can't change track just shaking QA360

.

 

[SashimiWu]

 
There is all shuffle mode. You just need to set PLAY MODE = RANDOM and PLAY RANGE = ALL.
But unfurtunatly you can't change track just shaking QA360

.

 
Great to know!
 
Makes this player really enticing.