Quloos QH1 - impressions

[TheDecline01]

Portable? Well ok, I'm not so sure, but it does operate on batteries, so it can at least be transported around your house (or flat in my case). So yeah, Portable headphone amp it is.

Here is the thread for discussions about this behemoth of a portable amp. Is it desktop? Is it transportable? Well, that's all up to you considering its sheer size and the fact it is battery operated. The main and obvious advantages, are that you'll never care about the quality of your electricity (even though Quloos also sells the associated linear power supply which I haven't purchased) and size isn't an issue to cram into the case all the necessary elements to provide the cleanest and strongest amplification possible.

In its concept, it third-reminds me of the Lotoo Mjölnir - less the DAP and DAC sections. On battery, but humongous enough to not feel obligated to compromise on components due to size.

And it's been home for a couple of hours.
All I can say is that it treats the HE-6 well (mid gain and 66/100 is enough to my ears on extreme metal in a calm environment) and doesn't seem too far off right out of the box from a Bakoon HPA-01. So that bodes well for future developments.

And for true-life size comparison:



Up yours.

 

[TheDecline01]

Well, continuing the discovery, first time charging the amp. Battery life seems pretty solid for such a powerful device in a reasonnably compact package. I was able to reach 6-7 hours probably, without waiting for complete depletion and starting from around 85%.

Sonically, I'm keeping on adjusting my ears to it, but it does promise lots of good things based on listening sessions with an HE-6 from the XLR 4 pin plug and a Susvara from the 6.35mm output. Each times without breaking a sweat, impressive. It also doesn't seem to get hot, which is a relief compared to my Hiby R8 that gets hot whatever I throw at it.

 

[bahamot]

Are you getting LP EA4 too?

 

[TheDecline01]

Oh no, one financial disaster at a time (Susvara has been on its way home too).

 

[bahamot]

Portable? Well ok, I'm not so sure, but it does operate on batteries, so it can at least be transported around your house (or flat in my case). So yeah, Portable headphone amp it is.

Here is the thread for discussions about this behemoth of a portable amp. Is it desktop? Is it transportable? Well, that's all up to you considering its sheer size and the fact it is battery operated. The main and obvious advantages, are that you'll never care about the quality of your electricity (even though Quloos also sells the associated linear power supply which I haven't purchased) and size isn't an issue to cram into the case all the necessary elements to provide the cleanest and strongest amplification possible.

In its concept, it third-reminds me of the Lotoo Mjölnir - less the DAP and DAC sections. On battery, but humongous enough to not feel obligated to compromise on components due to size.

And it's been home for a couple of hours.
All I can say is that it treats the HE-6 well (mid gain and 66/100 is enough to my ears on extreme metal in a calm environment) and doesn't seem too far off right out of the box from a Bakoon HPA-01. So that bodes well for future developments.

And for true-life size comparison:



Up yours.

There are class A and AB modes available. Have you tried both settings?

 

[smallcaps]

Interesting that they chose to go with a MOSFET design. Curious to hear more impressions.

 

[TheDecline01]

There are class A and AB modes available. Have you tried both settings?

Nope, not tried yet. To be honest, I don't even know which mode I'm currently in, besides I remember from my experience with the C9 that I didn't hear anything dratsically different. I'll give it a try, but beware I'm simply not convinced there's any improvement between one or another, especially given that I tend not to overenjoy "organic" or "lush" sound that are generally associated with class A or even tubes.

I'd rather have my source transistor and dry as an AB, besides it saves battery life.

 

[TheDecline01]

Ok, about class A, I looked and learned it doesn't operate on battery, you need to plug the device to get the option (which I don't currently). To avoid sucking too much from the battery and doing so, to save it.

P.S.: i did give it a quick run on AC and thus got access to the class A mode. I wanna highlight that it was very brief since it's not my use case and that I don't have much interest in the thing. So I switched to class A on a Dimmu Borgir - Puritannical Euphoric Misanthropia session. A well-produced album even though way too loud. I didn't perceive a change, nada...

It may require spending more than a couple of minutes to get the ear accustomed or using a more adequate recording, but on the spot, I couldn't hear any difference.

 

[TheDecline01]

No love here...

Anyway, I'm still happy with my unit. So far it runs cool even under load, and except for its sheer mass and volume, the only thing I'd like to be better is its battery life, around 6-8 hours on a charge I'd say.

Otherwise, at low volume the Susvara is correctly driven at 37/100 on high gain, and when I need some more energy or the environment is noisier, 50/100 will do it. And when I do want to blow my ears, the devilish 66 suffice to feed my deepest sins.

Bass is authoritative and I do perceive the jump in quality between the Sus and the HE-6, as is the case for dynamics and staging. So I guess, while no Egoista-level, the QH1 on its own is already quite a nice option for the power-hungry headphones on-the-go. The one device I wish I could confront it to is the L&P EA4, but that's not gonna happen any time soon I fear.

 

[sajesak]

Portable? Well ok, I'm not so sure, but it does operate on batteries, so it can at least be transported around your house (or flat in my case). So yeah, Portable headphone amp it is.

Here is the thread for discussions about this behemoth of a portable amp. Is it desktop? Is it transportable? Well, that's all up to you considering its sheer size and the fact it is battery operated. The main and obvious advantages, are that you'll never care about the quality of your electricity (even though Quloos also sells the associated linear power supply which I haven't purchased) and size isn't an issue to cram into the case all the necessary elements to provide the cleanest and strongest amplification possible.

In its concept, it third-reminds me of the Lotoo Mjölnir - less the DAP and DAC sections. On battery, but humongous enough to not feel obligated to compromise on components due to size.

And it's been home for a couple of hours.
All I can say is that it treats the HE-6 well (mid gain and 66/100 is enough to my ears on extreme metal in a calm environment) and doesn't seem too far off right out of the box from a Bakoon HPA-01. So that bodes well for future developments long wolf cut.

And for true-life size comparison:



Up yours.

The device you're describing is a large, battery-operated headphone amp that offers transportability around the house but may not be considered fully portable due to its size. It provides strong amplification without compromising on components, similar to the Lotoo Mjölnir but without the DAP and DAC sections. It performs well with demanding headphones like the HE-6 and seems comparable to the Bakoon HPA-01, suggesting promising future performance. While its size may be an issue for true portability, it’s great for home use.

 

[mfgillia]

Nope, not tried yet. To be honest, I don't even know which mode I'm currently in, besides I remember from my experience with the C9 that I didn't hear anything dratsically different. I'll give it a try, but beware I'm simply not convinced there's any improvement between one or another, especially given that I tend not to overenjoy "organic" or "lush" sound that are generally associated with class A or even tubes.

I'd rather have my source transistor and dry as an AB, besides it saves battery life.

How would you compare it overall to the Cayin C9? Is the QH1 much more powerful and therefore just flat out better for hard to drive headphones?

 

[TheDecline01]

That's a tough one here. I had the C9 like this time of year, 1 year ago, so judging only by memory is a real hard thing. Furthermore, I don't even possess the same headphones as I used to, HE-6 back then, Susvara now.
All I can say is that the C9 was a good portable amp (no kidding ) doing a great job at giving sonic pleasures. I thought at the time it was marginally, yet for real, better than the Aroma A100TB which I kept in the end because noone wanted to buy it . It pushed a little bit further boundaries, was a little bit more resolving from what I remember, added to the fact it had more headroom when needing to push hard-to-drive cans such as the HE-6. However, it remained a close fight. But I got confused with the usefulness of all its options. Besides, and this is objective, it is "only" 2.6W @32ohms when the QH1 is rated 6.5W@32 ohms, going up as high as 8.5W when in DC mode.

I don't know if that's of any use to you, unfortunately I cannot elaborate more since I only own the QH1 now.

P.S.: I've just realized I haven't even tried to compare... Well, based from those fond memories, I would, and I want to highlight the would, say the QH1 goes further down the road to expand the soundstage and create dynamism (a bit, always just a bit). That might be just me doing wishful thinking though, but that's what I... feel.

 

[mfgillia]

That's a tough one here. I had the C9 like this time of year, 1 year ago, so judging only by memory is a real hard thing. Furthermore, I don't even possess the same headphones as I used to, HE-6 back then, Susvara now.
All I can say is that the C9 was a good portable amp (no kidding ) doing a great job at giving sonic pleasures. I thought at the time it was marginally, yet for real, better than the Aroma A100TB which I kept in the end because noone wanted to buy it . It pushed a little bit further boundaries, was a little bit more resolving from what I remember, added to the fact it had more headroom when needing to push hard-to-drive cans such as the HE-6. However, it remained a close fight. But I got confused with the usefulness of all its options. Besides, and this is objective, it is "only" 2.6W @32ohms when the QH1 is rated 6.5W@32 ohms, going up as high as 8.5W when in DC mode.

I don't know if that's of any use to you, unfortunately I cannot elaborate more since I only own the QH1 now.

P.S.: I've just realized I haven't even tried to compare... Well, based from those fond memories, I would, and I want to highlight the would, say the QH1 goes further down the road to expand the soundstage and create dynamism (a bit, always just a bit). That might be just me doing wishful thinking though, but that's what I... feel.

Thanks for the info. The QH1 is receiving some very favorable first impressions. One audio chat friend picked one up and now strongly prefers it over his Enleum RM, which is significantly more expensive.

He's also pairing it with the notoriously hard to drive Tungstens reporting very good results and lots of headroom. His max SPL tests showed about 10 db higher with the Quloos stack versus the LAiV, which is also quite impressive. Hopefully, a few reviews will come out soon with more comparisons.

 

[TheDecline01]

Well, call your friend and tell him/her to share here!
Besides, I'd be much interested in a contest with the new kid on the block, namely the L&P EA4, that one does seem to add something uncommon.

Anyway, Quloos has gained a small, but proven, history of making very competitive devices, not always beautiful or ergonomics, but sound-wise suffering little debate. Their first entry in this transportable realm was the QA390 which has been well received. That one had the DAC and, well let's call it DAP, parts. The QH1 is a stripped-down version focusing on amping only, and it does it real well.

 

[Stax 7]

Thought would share my impressions of the Quloos QH1 and also the Quloos LPS.I have no association with Quloos or paid for these comments

The QH1 and the LPS came in their own individual cardboard boxes packed with sturdy impact foam. They were then packed in a double cardboard box. It was pleasing to see this attention
The build and finish of both units is solid including the small remote control,no plastic remote here.
I have only double digit hours on the QH1 presently and what I 'am hearing is a detailed sound without being analytical. The sound stage width is impressive with good depth
The bass is tight and fast the mids and highs sound real and balanced.The one thing that immediately stood out is the decay in voices and instruments something I never heard on my other solid state amp and tube amp both which cost similar to the QH1.These sound impressions are using the switch mode supply in class AB.
Switching to battery power the sound remains the same maybe the noise floor drops from a already black background but more listening required in this mode. Going to class A mode using the switch mode supply the sound becomes bigger with more body.
Connecting the LPS enhances everything about the Quloos QH1 and shows you what it can really do. Using the LPS enables the QH1 to run cool in Class A mode compared to slightly warm when using the switch mode supply
What I like about the QH1 with or without the LPS is it doesn't sound completely solid state or tube,combination of both is what I hear.
If your considering a high end brand name headphone amp with a pre amp its worth considering the Quloos QH1/LPS combination