The Qudelix-5K thread

[Benaudio]

I'll admit that cold, hard, and metallic are not adjectives I'm looking for. Think I might have been barking up the wrong tree. I do like how the market for these little devices is big enough that it's possible to hunt around.

I would say transparent myself. I like to tweak my sound with headphones and EQ, not DAC

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I’m really under-selling it though
But it’s a $100 device, while it punches above its price point as a BT receiver it is still a step behind an amp 4 times as large and expensive on pure SQ.

Oh I'm sure it's high quality, it's more a question of character. Like if one were to compare it to the BTR5 or something like the xDuoo XP-2 Pro I think I'd prefer the one that's more dynamic and impactful over the one that's clinical and precise.

 

[Mouseman]

I'm not sure where the reviews are that view the 5k as metallic, cold or clinical are coming from. To each their own opinion, but I find the 5k to have great sound, and I don't have to do a lot of EQ tweaking to most of my IEMs - they're all fairly flat with a bump at the bottom and a bit up top. Is it a tube amp? No, but between the PEQ and the crosfeed you can adjust the heck out of if. I have the regular XP-2 as well, and other than it seeming to have more unbalanced power, I prefer the 5k.

 

[TK33]

I'm not sure where the reviews are that view the 5k as metallic, cold or clinical are coming from. To each their own opinion, but I find the 5k to have great sound, and I don't have to do a lot of EQ tweaking to most of my IEMs - they're all fairly flat with a bump at the bottom and a bit up top. Is it a tube amp? No, but between the PEQ and the crosfeed you can adjust the heck out of if. I have the regular XP-2 as well, and other than it seeming to have more unbalanced power, I prefer the 5k.

I agree. I dont find them metallic, cold or clinical and if it doesnt match your tastes, the PEQ is fantastic.

 

[Rattle]

I don't even EQ with UM 3DT, 5k is a banging little gadget. I don't enjoy steel metallic or cold sounding things. Also really picky with highs and cymbals. 5k does an amazing job even with full size cans.

 

[monsieurfromag3]

My other sources have tubes in the preamp stage. While not sirupy, they exhibit a distinct flavor and tonal character. This is probably why I seem to consider the 5K colder than most in this thread. Transparent is indeed a good word to describe the 5K’s output. EQ doesn’t change that.

It also engages me a bit less than my V30 did for instance, which is why I don’t know whether @SomeGuyDude would enjoy it, but what do I know? Such a great device for $100 is a win-win gamble anyway.

 

[Nolbert0]

So... Terms like 'cold' or 'warm' to describe sound are to do with frequency response, right? Which is exactly how things like MSEB from HiByOS work, if I'm not mistaken. This thing has PEQ...

 

[SomeGuyDude]

My other sources have tubes in the preamp stage. While not sirupy, they exhibit a distinct flavor and tonal character. This is probably why I seem to consider the 5K colder than most in this thread. Transparent is indeed a good word to describe the 5K’s output. EQ doesn’t change that.

It also engages me a bit less than my V30 did for instance, which is why I don’t know whether @SomeGuyDude would enjoy it, but what do I know? Such a great device for $100 is a win-win gamble anyway.

Transparent I'd call a good thing. I might prefer a touch of "flavor" but transparent is better than leaning towards the "cold" side.

I might give it a go just for the hell of it though. Return policies and all that.

 

[monsieurfromag3]

So... Terms like 'cold' or 'warm' to describe sound are to do with frequency response, right? Which is exactly how things like MSEB from HiByOS work, if I'm not mistaken. This thing has PEQ...

I’d include other things beside frequency response. Decay, fullness/leanness of the notes, also various complicated ringing properties that I don’t understand. Hiby’s EQ system manipulates weird audio variables, I believe it goes beyond shelving particular points of the curve.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I think the hardest part of this hobby is how wishy washy a lot of our terms can be, and how they're mostly in relation to our preferences in some ways lol. Like what sounds really warm to someone who's a treblehead would sound cold to a basshead.

 

[Apex Eight]

All of this sounds a bit overthought to me. If you don't need BT, use an Apple dongle. If you need BT but not 2.5mm balanced power, get a BTR3K. If you need it all, get a Q5K. Drives my IEMs well and is convenient for what I use it for. My IEMs and even some headphones still sound great on it. Nice to give them more power in the small form factor.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

It's about having enough oomph for whatever you throw at them, and amps do have their own characteristics. Synergy is a thing, after all. Is it a huge factor? No, but I think when we're talking in the ~$100 area it's not a big issue to be a little picky about.

 

[Rattle]

All my other amps are full tube, hybrid or class A SS and I think in comparison 5k is great sounding for the money.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

All my other amps are full tube, hybrid or class A SS and I think in comparison 5k is great sounding for the money.

Sold!

 

[Luhar]

I’ve got an issue when using my 5K with my laptop + playing PC games. There is sound up until the menu, then no sound at all - anyone experienced something like this? It’s as if it loses connection or something, but it’s not the case because if I alt+tab out and into another application that plays sound, it works fine. It’s just games.

Playing Doom Eternal, if that helps. 2.5mm out.