The Qudelix-5K thread

[Green Golden Retriver]

PEQ = Parametric EQualizer, an equalizer where every band can be individually tuned by Gain, Frequency and Bandwidth "Q-factor".
Way superior to the usual fixed band equalizer, where every setting is only a compromise and never achieves perfect results.

Thank you . Very clear and good explanation

 

[DBaldock9]

I seem to remember seeing it mentioned (somewhere in this thread) that the specific hardware being used in the Qudelix-5K was changed from what's described in the first few posts on Page 1.
.
If that's true - could the opening posts be updated to show what's actually being shipped - so that the info is available, without having to read the whole thread?
.
Thanks!

 

[peter123]

I seem to remember seeing it mentioned (somewhere in this thread) that the specific hardware being used in the Qudelix-5K was changed from what's described in the first few posts on Page 1.
.
If that's true - could the opening posts be updated to show what's actually being shipped - so that the info is available, without having to read the whole thread?
.
Thanks!

You're correct! I thought I've done it already, will fix it first thing tomorrow (I'm not at home tonight).

 

[LostInDaSauce]

Hello fellow Qudelix peeps. Currently loving my 5k with iems but I have a couple questions.

I plan on expanding my hifi game by grabbing a couple over ear cans.. but I want to be price conscious about it. Probably end up grabbing hd6xx and hifiman 400i. I believe the hd 6xx needs more amps to drive since it's higher impedence? Wondering if anyone knows if the Qudelix 5k should be able to drive both of these cans or should I go with something like jds labs amp? Would I be able to use the 5k as a standalone dac and hook it up to an external amp if I needed more power for like a hd800s?

Also does anyone know a good online source to understand all the variables that needs to be known to calculate sufficient power for future use?

TIA

 

[Green Golden Retriver]

Hello fellow Qudelix peeps. Currently loving my 5k with iems but I have a couple questions.

I plan on expanding my hifi game by grabbing a couple over ear cans.. but I want to be price conscious about it. Probably end up grabbing hd6xx and hifiman 400i. I believe the hd 6xx needs more amps to drive since it's higher impedence? Wondering if anyone knows if the Qudelix 5k should be able to drive both of these cans or should I go with something like jds labs amp? Would I be able to use the 5k as a standalone dac and hook it up to an external amp if I needed more power for like a hd800s?

Also does anyone know a good online source to understand all the variables that needs to be known to calculate sufficient power for future use?

TIA

I don’t have the q5k but I have tried using the hd6xx with btr5 which is similiar to the q5k in some ways. I felt they were ok much better than running off the iPhone with the dongle. Jds labs amp would be better. But I feel that desktop amp still is the best.

Hello fellow Qudelix peeps. Currently loving my 5k with iems but I have a couple questions.

I plan on expanding my hifi game by grabbing a couple over ear cans.. but I want to be price conscious about it. Probably end up grabbing hd6xx and hifiman 400i. I believe the hd 6xx needs more amps to drive since it's higher impedence? Wondering if anyone knows if the Qudelix 5k should be able to drive both of these cans or should I go with something like jds labs amp? Would I be able to use the 5k as a standalone dac and hook it up to an external amp if I needed more power for like a hd800s?

Also does anyone know a good online source to understand all the variables that needs to be known to calculate sufficient power for future use?

TIA

From my experience, the more powerful amp the better for full size especially the hd6xx.

 

[peter123]

Hello fellow Qudelix peeps. Currently loving my 5k with iems but I have a couple questions.

I plan on expanding my hifi game by grabbing a couple over ear cans.. but I want to be price conscious about it. Probably end up grabbing hd6xx and hifiman 400i. I believe the hd 6xx needs more amps to drive since it's higher impedence? Wondering if anyone knows if the Qudelix 5k should be able to drive both of these cans or should I go with something like jds labs amp? Would I be able to use the 5k as a standalone dac and hook it up to an external amp if I needed more power for like a hd800s?

Also does anyone know a good online source to understand all the variables that needs to be known to calculate sufficient power for future use?

TIA

Audibot9000.com used to be a good source for calculations on what amps that have enough power for which headphones. Haven't used it in some quite a while but might be worth checking out.

In my experience the HE400i needs more power than the HD650 but the HD650 is more picky on the matching.

 

[KaiSc]

Probably end up grabbing hd6xx and hifiman 400i. I believe the hd 6xx needs more amps to drive since it's higher impedence? Wondering if anyone knows if the Qudelix 5k should be able to drive both of these cans or should I go with something like jds labs amp? Would I be able to use the 5k as a standalone dac and hook it up to an external amp if I needed more power for like a hd800s?

Here's a comparison between Sennheiser HD-800S, HD-6XX, HIFIMAN HE-4XX @ the same voltage level of 0.5V Pink Noise.

The difference is small, balanced Qudelix 5K can drive both Sennheisers to full 4V.
The HE4XX to 3.6 V, 1dB lower, due to it's lower impedance of 43.5 Ohms (values corrected after measurement on real specimen) it needs more current, see here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1q_jWA9v-NKCsPc9Rm08au_TlqEsEgUeckeSoaVGfSRM/htmlview

All three can be sufficiently driven with full dynamics to earkilling sound levels.

If you need more level you need to see your audiologist now, or soon



With all three my personal listening level is set way below maximum, even with softer recordings.

Watch out for the fine scale of 1 dB/line, which makes the (small) differences very obvious:

 

[LostInDaSauce]

Here's a comparison between Sennheiser HD-800S, HD-6XX, HIFIMAN HE-4XX @ the same voltage level of 0.5V Pink Noise.

The difference is small, balanced Qudelix 5K can drive both Sennheisers to full 4V.
The HE4XX to 2.9 V, 3 dB lower, due to it's lower impedance of 50 Ohms it needs more current, see here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1q_jWA9v-NKCsPc9Rm08au_TlqEsEgUeckeSoaVGfSRM/htmlview

All three can be sufficiently driven with full dynamics to earkilling sound levels.

If you need more level you need to see your audiologist now, or soon



With all three my personal listening level is set way below maximum, even with softer recordings.

Watch out for the fine scale of 1 dB/line, which makes the (small) differences very obvious:

Thank you for your response,

Im getting bits of your explanation like the 2/4V, but confused on what your graph is showing and what formula you used to calculate db spl levels for the he4xx so I can try calculating maximum db levels for the sennheisers. Also isn't the he4xx rated at 35ohms?

 

[IEMusic]

Just got my 5K, and am loving how it sounds! The UM MEST sounds amazing on it, both balanced and unbalanced. It is a lot smaller than I though it would be.

 

[peter123]

Here's a comparison between Sennheiser HD-800S, HD-6XX, HIFIMAN HE-4XX @ the same voltage level of 0.5V Pink Noise.

The difference is small, balanced Qudelix 5K can drive both Sennheisers to full 4V.
The HE4XX to 2.9 V, 3 dB lower, due to it's lower impedance of 50 Ohms it needs more current, see here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1q_jWA9v-NKCsPc9Rm08au_TlqEsEgUeckeSoaVGfSRM/htmlview

All three can be sufficiently driven with full dynamics to earkilling sound levels.

If you need more level you need to see your audiologist now, or soon



With all three my personal listening level is set way below maximum, even with softer recordings.

Watch out for the fine scale of 1 dB/line, which makes the (small) differences very obvious:

Interesting, what settings are you using on the 5K when listening to the HD800S?

For me I have to push the volume close to 90% even with music recorded with nornal gain. Although the volume is fine for me (and I'm not a loud listener) there's a noticeable lack of bass impact compared to all three desktop amps I've got easily available next to me. The separation is also considerably worse than with more easy to drive headphones and IEM's on the 5K. There's no doubt to my ears that the 5K (in all its greatness) are struggling with this load. People who listen to classical music where the recording is often low in volume and has a lot of dynamics would definitely not be happy with this pairing...

 

[rlw6534]

Hello fellow Qudelix peeps. Currently loving my 5k with iems but I have a couple questions.

I plan on expanding my hifi game by grabbing a couple over ear cans.. but I want to be price conscious about it. Probably end up grabbing hd6xx and hifiman 400i. I believe the hd 6xx needs more amps to drive since it's higher impedence? Wondering if anyone knows if the Qudelix 5k should be able to drive both of these cans or should I go with something like jds labs amp? Would I be able to use the 5k as a standalone dac and hook it up to an external amp if I needed more power for like a hd800s?

Also does anyone know a good online source to understand all the variables that needs to be known to calculate sufficient power for future use?

TIA

High impedance cans require more voltage to push the current (amps) through the transducers. Voltage * current (amps) = power (watts).
Think of the amps as volume as the current is what actually causes the transducer motion to generate sound.

 

[KaiSc]

Thank you for your response,

Im getting bits of your explanation like the 2/4V, but confused on what your graph is showing and what formula you used to calculate db spl levels for the he4xx so I can try calculating maximum db levels for the sennheisers. Also isn't the he4xx rated at 35ohms?

I just measured my HE-4xx, it's 43.5 Ohms in fact.
This means Qudelix 5K can drive the HIFIMAN HE-4xx to 3.6 volts, only 1 dB lower then the 300 Ohms Sennheiser HD-800S and HD-6XX.


The graph shows the frequency responses of the three mentioned headphones, with an absolute same input voltage.
The Frequency Response is the sensitivity at various frequencies.

Out of this you can estimate the loudness that can be expected.
The higher the curve, the louder, as you can see they are quite close.


Factory specs relate to a sine wave of 1 kHz, which doesn't say much, as sensitivity is different over the frequency range.
So there is not much senseful to calculate out of factory specs.

To answer your primary question:
If you take the Sennheiser HD-800S as reference:
the HD-6xx (HD-650) will give you 1dB less,
the HIFIMAN HE-4XX 2dB less loudness,
so to say: more or less the same!


This means, you can make your decision out of the sound quality, loudness difference is not something you should consider.
I can assure you, Qudelix 5K can drive them louder than is healthy.

 

[KaiSc]

Interesting, what settings are you using on the 5K when listening to the HD800S?

For me I have to push the volume close to 90% even with music recorded with nornal gain. Although the volume is fine for me (and I'm not a loud listener) there's a noticeable lack of bass impact compared to all three desktop amps I've got easily available next to me. The separation is also considerably worse than with more easy to drive headphones and IEM's on the 5K. There's no doubt to my ears that the 5K (in all its greatness) are struggling with this load. People who listen to classical music where the recording is often low in volume and has a lot of dynamics would definitely not be happy with this pairing...

For your perspective:
I am a professional audio engineer for several decades now, are used to listen a bit above what an average person would find comfortable during my all day work.
My audiologist says I have ears like an owl

I am currently listening to the Sennheiser HD-800S, connected balanced to the Qudelix 5K.

My settings:
iPhone6Plus iOS12.4.8 Tidal Master, Standard Loudness: Off
-> USB
-> Qudelix 5K, Firmware 1.3.2
-> 2.5mm balanced connection
-> Sennheiser HD-800S

Qudelix 5K:
EQ Options:
EQ TYPE: PEQ
HEADROOM: -12dB

EQUALIZER:
LSHELV, 115Hz, +4dB, Q: 0.700
PEAK, 220Hz, -1.0dB, Q: 0.350
(insert damping is -0.3dB @ 1kHz)

VOLUME OPTIONS:
Absolute Volume: On
Volume Protection: Off

VOLUME MAIN:
0.00dB / -17.5dB (max. = +6dB!)
PERFORMANCE 4V

This setting of 35.8dB total attenuation, on my calibrated Bruel&Kjaer Artificial Ear 4153 measurement system, results in:
79.0dB SPL @1 kHz
90,8 dB SPL @ 6.6kHz.

With PEQ off, Volume to +6dB
(= maximum, 35.8dB above my listening level),
I get a clean, undistorted:
114.8dB SPL @ 1kHz,
126.5 dB SPL @ 6.6kHz


I'm listening to some softer chamber music Jazz from Tidal Master right now, and the resulting loudness equals about the loudness of a normal talking voice.

Hard to believe someone can stand 35.8dB more level without hearing damage.
Headphones can be dangerous to your ears, people tend to miss the tactile "feel of sound" and listen way too loud to compensate.

126dB SPL PERMANENTLY damages your ears within minutes!
This is no joke:
https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/noisehearingconservation/loud.html
"At 100 dBA, NIOSH recommends less than 15 minutes of exposure per day."

They don't even give a recommended exposure time above 100dB SPL level, probably because there is non.

 

[peter123]

I am currently listening to the Sennheiser HD-800S, connected balanced to the Qudelix 5K.

My settings:
iPhone6Plus iOS12.4.8 Tidal Master, Standard Loudness: Off
-> USB
-> Qudelix 5K, Firmware 1.3.2
-> 2.5mm balanced connection
-> Sennheiser HD-800S

Qudelix 5K:
EQ Options:
EQ TYPE: PEQ
HEADROOM: -12dB

EQUALIZER:
LSHELV, 115Hz, +4dB, Q: 0.700
PEAK, 220Hz, -1.0dB, Q: 0.350
(insert damping is -0.3dB @ 1kHz)

VOLUME OPTIONS:
Absolute Volume: On
Volume Protection: Off

VOLUME MAIN:
0.00dB / -17.5dB (max. = +6dB!)
PERFORMANCE 4V

This setting of 35.8dB total attenuation, on my calibrated Bruel&Kjaer Artificial Ear 4153 measurement system, results in:
79.0dB SPL @1 kHz
90,8 dB SPL @ 6.6kHz.

With PEQ off, Volume to +6dB
(= maximum, 35.8dB above my listening level),
I get a clean, undistorted:
114.8dB SPL @ 1kHz,
126.5 dB SPL @ 6.6kHz


I'm listening to some softer chamber music Jazz from Tidal Master right now, and the resulting loudness equals about the loudness of a normal talking voice.

Hard to believe someone can stand 35.8dB more level without hearing damage.
Headphones can be dangerous to your ears, people tend to miss the tactile "feel of sound" and listen way too loud to compensate.

126dB SPL PERMANENTLY damages your ears within minutes!
This is no joke:
https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/noisehearingconservation/loud.html
"At 100 dBA, NIOSH recommends less than 15 minutes of exposure per day."

They don't even give a recommended exposure time above that SPL level, probably because there is non.

OK, I'll set my settings when I'm at home. Only differences I notice from memory is that I've got an Android and Spotify plus my FW is 1.4. I also don't use eq.

And please spare me all the red and bold writing, like I said I do not listen to particularly high volume. This is why I'm asking about other people's settings.

 

[slex]

Arrived today, nice work done by Quedelix. Please ask Samsung to include Aptx adaptive since your are Korean .

For now, Ldac will do. Awaiting your next MKll or higher series if there any to come.

I hope there a comparison between non bluetooth like Fiio Q3 for sound quality.