[Duncan]

Something euphoric has happened, I really wish CanJam was this weekend as all of a sudden the great focus this player already had has just stepped up a notch, and I really want to share the experience...

Moe, did you find the same that after xx hours things just randomly improved? Bass texture is so, dangerous word here, perfect, that it has simply to be heard to be believed...

I'm a bit long in the tooth to wax lyrical these days, yet here I am gushing like a girl who has just won backstage passes to a one direction gig!

Happy days

 

[PinkyPowers]

I'm curious how it compares to my AK120ii. I got her for only a grand, so the price difference is practically zip. Would the QP1R have been the better deal?

Honestly, I'm so happy with my setup nothing anyone could say would make me feel cheated. But still.... I gotta know!

 

[moedawg140]

Something euphoric has happened, I really wish CanJam was this weekend as all of a sudden the great focus this player already had has just stepped up a notch, and I really want to share the experience...

Moe, did you find the same that after xx hours things just randomly improved? Bass texture is so, dangerous word here, perfect, that it has simply to be heard to be believed...

I'm a bit long in the tooth to wax lyrical these days, yet here I am gushing like a girl who has just won backstage passes to a one direction gig!

Happy days

 
I wouldn't necessarily say that things have randomly improved (through time, everything is that much more coherent) but what I will say is that as I am listening more to the QP1R with various headphones and earphones, I have come to appreciate the effortless and almost surreal presentation the QP1R graciously offers and bestows upon me (and the listener).

 

[longbowbbs]

I'm curious how it compares to my AK120ii. I got her for only a grand, so the price difference is practically zip. Would the QP1R have been the better deal?

Honestly, I'm so happy with my setup nothing anyone could say would make me feel cheated. But still.... I gotta know!

Dependent on which IEM's you use. My UE11's love the QP1R. My K10's prefer the AK120mkII

 

[PinkyPowers]

I would have thought it the other way round. Aren't UEs more analytical, and K10 warmer? Without hearing either, I know the 120mkII is warmer than the QP1R. In my experience you must never match warm with warm, you get dark.

 

[longbowbbs]

I would have thought it the other way round. Aren't UEs more analytical, and K10 warmer? Without hearing either, I know the 120mkII is warmer than the QP1R. In my experience you must never match warm with warm, you get dark.

That is the wonder of personal audio. I have a ton of time on each now and after all the switching around that is what I prefer. I will have more comments in my review on Headphone.guru coming up soon.

 

[PinkyPowers]

I look forward to it!

 

[longbowbbs]

BTW, here is the gear I have been using during the QP1R review creation. Not seen are the Alpha Prime, LCD-X and AudioQuest NightHawk.
 

 

[moedawg140]

  BTW, here is the gear I have been using during the QP1R review creation. Not seen are the Alpha Prime, LCD-X and AudioQuest NightHawk.
 

 
Nice!  The LCD-X has an amazing synergy with the QP1R!  

 

[PinkyPowers]

BTW, here is the gear I have been using during the QP1R review creation. Not seen are the Alpha Prime, LCD-X and AudioQuest NightHawk.

I thought you said you had the AK120mkII. That looks like my AK120ii.

 

[ksporry]

Guys,
I'm on the fence on this player.
I'm new to portable audio players, but not to audio high end stuff.
I tried it with k11i IEMs and Shure SE535s, comparing it against the AK100mk2.
I find the gui very unfriendly. Probably used to touch screens too much. The highs seems shrill with the IEMs I used. The ak100mk2 has better highs but the lows and mids are not anywhere near the qp1r.

I also tried the AR-M2 with audiofly 180 and with RHA T20s. It sounds nice and neutral, but lacks the details of the qp1r.
Now, I don't know if my problem with the qp1r trebble is with the se535 IEMs or if the unit is overemphasising the highs too much, resulting in shrill tones.
I also wonder if there are firmware updates, eg with equaliser that allow me to trim the highs a bit.
One other problem I had in store was that during frequently swapping earphones and players, the unit sometimes wouldn't play and sound. I had to reinsert the headphones several times before it would start playing again. It appeared to get worse throughout my trial. This did not happen with other players using the same headset. This worries me a bit.

Other than the headset problem, gui, and high tones, it sounds best if all players.

My main focus tends to be details in sound and control of bass. You know, how sometimes in a live concert the bass drums sound so tight and controlled? That kind if sound and accuracy. This is what I feel the qp1r has but most others in this league are missing. Correct me if I'm wrong and please make other suggestions for this type of drum sound and detail.

 

[Duncan]

I mentioned this (somewhere!) when I compared briefly the QP1R, ZX2 and ARM2 - it isn't that the highs are shrill, it is that they are clear / extended - it is quite like using the SE535 and also the SE846 with white filters, the extra detail / extension you can have is a bit of a surprise - but, if you can get used to it, it is very rewarding...

 

[goodvibes]

Guys,
I'm on the fence on this player.
I'm new to portable audio players, but not to audio high end stuff.
I tried it with k11i IEMs and Shure SE535s, comparing it against the AK100mk2.
I find the gui very unfriendly. Probably used to touch screens too much. The highs seems shrill with the IEMs I used. The ak100mk2 has better highs but the lows and mids are not anywhere near the qp1r.

I also tried the AR-M2 with audiofly 180 and with RHA T20s. It sounds nice and neutral, but lacks the details of the qp1r.
Now, I don't know if my problem with the qp1r trebble is with the se535 IEMs or if the unit is overemphasising the highs too much, resulting in shrill tones.
I also wonder if there are firmware updates, eg with equaliser that allow me to trim the highs a bit.
One other problem I had in store was that during frequently swapping earphones and players, the unit sometimes wouldn't play and sound. I had to reinsert the headphones several times before it would start playing again. It appeared to get worse throughout my trial. This did not happen with other players using the same headset. This worries me a bit.

Other than the headset problem, gui, and high tones, it sounds best if all players.

My main focus tends to be details in sound and control of bass. You know, how sometimes in a live concert the bass drums sound so tight and controlled? That kind if sound and accuracy. This is what I feel the qp1r has but most others in this league are missing. Correct me if I'm wrong and please make other suggestions for this type of drum sound and detail.

Try the higher gain settings and give it a bit of time to run in. M is less damped or tight and my fave so far with my personal IEMs, H is a touch rounder still. Has more to do with how much damping of the sound you want than frequency response. It's subtle, even on something this informative but just enough to affect a change. This sort of subtle change is very common in top electronics that's built to actually hear everything. Some phones will work better at different settings and any gain can be used with any ear/headphone without concern of bit integrity.
 
As for the ui, the wheel is supposed to loosen up after a bit. Wetting your finger gets it done for now and the cursors on the bottom are redundant to wheel functions for most things. 

 

[Duncan]

The above comment re gain setting is very true, and I believe, from my limited understanding fully relates to the driving principle of the amp section.

 

[ksporry]

Thanks for that advice guys! Can't believe how much I appreciate it!
I think the unit I tried hasn't done the hours for burn in yet.
As for controls, although generally I didn't have a significant problem with the controls, it's generally the GUI that just seems so outdated, and honestly, a bit slow. Scrolling then clicking will take time to navigate. It's like when I moved from my swipe keyboard on my Samsung phone to clicking buttons on my iPhone. Yeah, I get used to it, but it's just less efficient. I can live with it if the sound is the best ever.

Right, tomorrow back to the store and try some more!
I'll definitely let you guys know how I'm getting on and what the outcome is.