Review: Questyle Audio QP1R - With Multiple Headphone and IEM Pairings

[CraftyClown]

Someone else had that problem mine works just fine just not on Dsd or 24 bit as per design. I have the latest firmware also so I don't know you might want to contact Questyle on that one. I know it's a stupid question but you did turn the eq to the eq1 or eq2 that you changed?

 
Yeah I definitely had the EQ on so it was showing in the taskbar. I tried making major changes as well, just to hear a difference, but no joy

 

[buke9]

Yeah I definitely had the EQ on so it was showing in the taskbar. I tried making major changes as well, just to hear a difference, but no joy

Had to ask sorry. I think you need to contact Questyle then.

 

[Dithyrambes]

Well an immediate advantage I can think of would be track forwards and backwards, without having to take the QP1R out of your pocket. The lack of hardware play, pause, forward and backwards buttons is probably my only real gripe about the Questyle device.

really what i think i will feel like after zx2. Waiting for the mail to come...should be within the hour!

 

[CraftyClown]

really what i think i will feel like after zx2. Waiting for the mail to come...should be within the hour!

 
The great thing is that once you hear it, the buttons become such a non issue.
 
I'm currently pairing the QP1R with the new Etymotic ER4 SRs. They take that resolution to the next level. Simply stunning 

 

[CraftyClown]

Had to ask sorry. I think you need to contact Questyle then.

 
EQ seems to be working again now. Device must have been glitching out there.

 

[mwhals]

Just ordered a ZMF Cherry Eikon to pair with the QP1R.

 

[JerryLeeds]

Me too and a padauk Atticus... I will gift one of them to my brother who isn't as fussy as myself

 

[RPB65]

@Dithyrambes  well? Your postman been yet? Sound?

 

[CraftyClown]

  @Dithyrambes  well? Your postman been yet? Sound?

 
Don't distract him... He's in the zone

 

[514077]

 

 
Just asking: is that really a bad thing?  One mightn't want to use the buttons when the screen is off.  Or is there something I haven't thought of?

 
Well an immediate advantage I can think of would be track forwards and backwards, without having to take the QP1R out of your pocket. The lack of hardware play, pause, forward and backwards buttons is probably my only real gripe about the Questyle device.

There's another function that could be requested.  The old X5 ended up having three lock choices, one being use of the bottom buttons to move tracks, locking the rest of the player.  @Questyle, I hereby request a couple of different lock choices.

 

[buke9]

EQ seems to be working again now. Device must have been glitching out there.

Good to hear that enjoy.

 

[Dithyrambes]

Been a very long day of listening, I will post some thoughts on the qp1r. I will go against the grain and say I really don't enjoy the sound coming from this dap. Listening was done with Campfire andromeda, he1000, LCD-4. I don't really know what it is, but to me it sounds sterile and boring. Others may call this neutral/uncolored and transparent, but this for me is the weak point of this dap. This does allow the sound to put out a sense of extra clarity but for me, inner detailing was lacking. It seems detailed, but its akin to hearing the piano notes strike the notes with great clarity. The strike is fast and strong(so you think you hear the detail clearly) but the spaces in between the notes and decay always sound the same. This makes it sound not so great at microdynamics and shadings. Also makes the bass also sounds a bit flabby and a bit one note. This becomes a bit of a problem for me because it makes the sound feel very empty(not that I like warm and lush) and for me it really feels empty because the already thin noted sound the player makes. It became especially very problematic with string instrument music(I play one for gods sake), and piano music. The timbre just does not sound right. To me the player plays the sounds, but doesn't create musicality/feeling of ambience. I don't mean environmental cues or space, but like the ambience you feel when you hear a performer play live music in front of you(musicality). I'm not a fan of the soundstaging/imaging as well. It must do with the thinness of the notes, as i don't get very good perceived depth, much like the hugo, and it does not sound very cohesive. Again the note thinness makes things sound shouty when dynamics go up instead of overwhelming you with emotion(Dark Knight Rises, Why do we fall is an example).
 
For all people say about the build quality of this player, I found it very disappointing. The metal finish on top looks like plastic. The player is actually thicker than I anticipated and looks more like a brick with a volume knob on top. Despite being so big, it feels very light which I don't like(Lighter than AK320 or ZX2). The volume knob is lose and fiddly, but I can clearly feel the clicks, and it does its job. I know its been mentioned a thousand times, but really I cannot recommend this player to anyone because the wheel. It really is terrible and I missed my selection so much, I resorted to using the touch key and center button to make selections. The screen is very small and also the ui does not look polished. I do give it a plus for booting up very quickly and scanning sd cards very quickly. 
 
I also took it to the New York Audio Show today and listened to many high end setups. I tried the new Mytek Manhattan II, Mytek Brooklyn, Holo Spring Kitsune Level 3....etc....with high end headphones and my andros. None of these Hi-end Dacs shared the tonality and presentation of the QP1R. I really came impressed from the Holo Spring Kitsune Level 3(really that r2r sound....and that's how I like my cymbals to sound.....). Definitely sounded better than the mytek dacs right next to it(for me YMMV). I think this will be my future dac after I save up. The tonality for these dacs sound closer to that of the Sony ZX2(only in balanced trrs), though its even silly to compare a dap to a full high end desktop setup as they completely obliderate the DAPS.
 
They even had an AK320 there and I prefered it over the QP1R.  Why did I prefer it? Even though it was a bit thicker and midcentric with slightly less detail, I enjoyed the sound more. The details are there to enhance the feeling of music, not become the highlight. Also I think its a better pairing with the Andromeda with its Z-output. The UI functions much easier, and aesthetically, I'm sorry to say but the QP1r is seriously behind and looks like a brick. Also less hiss than the QP1R. The QP1R hissed so audibly, I was distracted by it.
 
For me Strictly for IEMS, i would put it as ZX2(trrs balanced)>Geekout V2+(Balanced)>Mojo>AK320>QP1R
(I was also with a friend and he had Customart H8.2 and he liked the AK320 much better)(He's a fantastic pianist, and we will record some stuff and share it with you maybe mid Nov).
 
I will try to listen more and see if I change my mind, but I don't think my mind will change. To sum up the qp1r tried to give a sharp, lively, detailed, euphonic sound but to me it felt flat(not neutral but boring), unengaging, and thin(really sounds like paper...especialy with instruments I know and play). I really wanted to like this dap because it could have been my all in one because of its amplification/usb/dac functionality, but I cannot as I do not like its sound. Everything else I can deal with, but if the sound isn't what I like, I shouldn't think twice. 
 
I will be happy to sell it on Head-fi to someone who would be happy with its unique presentation of sound.
 
For anyone going to the New York Audio Show, The AVM and PMC Fact.12 in Room 701....was the most impressive, and nothing else I heard came close to it.
 
People may question which tracks I listened to so I listed some tracks/albums I listened from
 
Adele 21(16/44.1), Adele 25(16/44.1), Kate Perry Prism(24/44.1), Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life, Justin Bieber Purpose
 
Star Wars The Force Awakens(24/96), Batman Vs Superman(24/96), The Dark Knight Rises(24/192)
 
Norah Jones Come Away with me(DSD), Norah Jones Feels Like Home(24/96), Keith Jarrett(Melodies at Night with you), Super Nova (The Gonzalo Rubalcaba Trio)
 
Rostropovich Dutilleux Cello Concerto, Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone, David Geringas(Mutiple Tracks from Different albums), Chopin Piano Concertos Martha Argerich, Krystian Zimerman Lizst Piano Sonata in B minor.
 
AS ALWAYS this is my opinion and YMMV.......so if you enjoy your QP1R, please by all means enjoy it.

 

[RPB65]

  Been a very long day of listening, I will post some thoughts on the qp1r. I will go against the grain and say I really don't enjoy the sound coming from this dap. Listening was done with Campfire andromeda, he1000, LCD-4. I don't really know what it is, but to me it sounds sterile and boring. Others may call this neutral/uncolored and transparent, but this for me is the weak point of this dap. This does allow the sound to put out a sense of extra clarity but for me, inner detailing was lacking. It seems detailed, but its akin to hearing the piano notes strike the notes with great clarity. The strike is fast and strong(so you think you hear the detail clearly) but the spaces in between the notes and decay always sound the same. This makes it sound not so great at microdynamics and shadings. Also makes the bass also sounds a bit flabby and a bit one note. This becomes a bit of a problem for me because it makes the sound feel very empty(not that I like warm and lush) and for me it really feels empty because the already thin noted sound the player makes. It became especially very problematic for with string instrument music(I play one for gods sake), and piano music. The timbre just does not sound right. To me the player plays the sounds, but doesn't create musicality/feeling of ambience. I don't mean environmental cues or space, but like the ambience you feel when you hear a performer play live music in front of you(musicality). I'm not a fan of the soundstaging/imaging as well. It must do with the thinness of the notes, as i don't get very good perceived depth, much like the hugo, and it does not sound very cohesive. Again the note thinness makes things sound shouty when dynamics go up instead of overwhelming you with emotion(Dark Knight Rises, Why do we fall is an example).
 
For all people say about the build quality of this player, I found it very disappointing. The metal finish on top looks like plastic. The player is actually thicker than I anticipated and looks more like a brick with a volume knob on top. Despite being so big, it feels very light which I don't like(Lighter than AK320 or ZX2). The volume knob is lose and fiddly, but I can clearly feel the clicks, and it does its job. I know its been mentioned a thousand times, but really I cannot recommend this player to anyone because the wheel. It really is terrible and I missed my selection so much, I resorted to using the touch key and center button to make selections. The screen is very small and also the ui does not look polished. I do give it a plus for booting up very quickly and scanning sd cards very quickly. 
 
I also took it to the New York Audio Show today and listened to many high end setups. I tried the new Mytek Manhattan II, Mytek Brooklyn, Holo Spring Kitsune Level 3....etc....with high end headphones and my andros. None of these Hi-end Dacs shared the tonality and presentation of the QP1R. I really came impressed from the Holo Spring Kitsune Level 3(really that r2r sound....and that's how I like my cymbals to sound.....). Definitely sounded better than the mytek dacs right next to it(for me YMMV). I think this will be my future dac after I save up. The tonality for these dacs sound closer to that of the Sony ZX2(only in balanced trrs), though its even silly to compare a dac to a full high end desktop setup as they completely obliderate the DAPS.
 
They even had an AK320 there and I prefered it over the QP1R.  Why did I prefer it? Even though it was a bit thicker and midcentric with slightly less detail, I enjoyed the sound more. The details are there to enhance the feeling of music, not become the highlight. Also I think its a better pairing with the Andromeda with its Z-output. The UI functions much easier, and aesthetically, I'm sorry to say but the QP1r is seriously behind and looks like a brick. Also less hiss than the QP1R. The QP1R hissed so audibly, I was distracted by it.
 
For me Strictly for IEMS, i would put it as ZX2(trrs balanced)>Geekout V2+(Balanced)>Mojo>AK320>QP1R
(I was also with a friend and he had Customart H8.2 and he liked the AK320 much better)(He's a fantastic pianist, and we will record some stuff and share it with you maybe mid Nov).
 
I will try to listen more and see if I change my mind, but I don't think my mind will change. To sum up the qp1r tried to give a sharp, lively, detailed, euphonic sound but to me it felt flat(not neutral but boring), unengaging, and thin(really sounds like paper...especialy with instruments I know and play). I really wanted to like this dap because it could have been my all in one because of its amplification/usb/dac functionality, but I cannot as I do not like its sound. Everything else I can deal with, but if the sound isn't what I like, I shouldn't think twice. 
 
I will be happy to sell it on Head-fi to someone who would be happy with its unique presentation of sound.
 
For anyone going to the New York Audio Show, The AVM and PMC Fact.12 in Room 701....was the most impressive, and nothing else I heard came close to it.
 
People may question which tracks I listened to so I listed some tracks/albums I listened from
 
Adele 21(16/44.1), Adele 25(16/44.1), Kate Perry Prism(24/44.1), Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life, Justin Bieber Purpose
 
Star Wars The Force Awakens(24/96), Batman Vs Superman(24/96), The Dark Knight Rises(24/192)
 
Norah Jones Come Away with me(DSD), Norah Jones, Keith Jarrett(Melodies at Night with you), Super Nova (The Gonzalo Rubalcaba Trio)
 
Rostropovich Dutilleux Cello Concerto, Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone, David Geringas(Mutiple Tracks from Different albums), Chopin Piano Concertos Martha Argerich, Krystian Zimerman Lizst Piano Sonata in B minor.
 
AS ALWAYS this is my opinion and YMMV.......so if you enjoy your QP1R, please by all means enjoy it.

Wow. A very long and detailed review, thanks for that. I have only one 'simple' question. Do you think your opinion may change if you gave the QP1R time to burn in? After all, it is a brand new unit with only your days play on it.
As above, thx for the info'.

 

[Dithyrambes]

 
Wow. A very long and detailed review, thanks for that. I have only one 'simple' question. Do you think your opinion may change if you gave the QP1R time to burn in? After all, it is a brand new unit with only your days play on it.
As above, thx for the info'.

I bought it used.....but in perfect condition. It is significantly burned in I'm sure.

 

[buke9]

Wow. A very long and detailed review, thanks for that. I have only one 'simple' question. Do you think your opinion may change if you gave the QP1R time to burn in? After all, it is a brand new unit with only your days play on it.
As above, thx for the info'.

They don't like it fine with me. Billet aluminum is like plastic don't know what to say about that but fine with me.