The Qudelix-5K thread

[povidlo]

Is there an LDAC transmitter that pairs well with the 5K? Was looking into the BTA30, but apparently doesn’t do LDAC through USB.

Fiio M7 can transmit LDAC in USB DAC mode. Haven't tried it with 5K in practice, but in theory it should work well. (Used M7 to connect to Amiron Wireless through APTX-hd while in USB DAC mode, no problem.)

 

[charlescc2]

You can, e.g., enter EQ settings from ORATORY1990 to get a Harman response on your ’phones:
https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/wiki/index/list_of_presets

I don’t know any other portable amp that offers such a flexible EQ to use that option.
IMO the EQ makes worlds more of a difference than the tiny sound variations you find between (non-EQ’d) DACs/Amps.

After doing a lot of level matched blind A/B-ing of different DACs and amps personally, I‘m very skeptical about the opinions you read all over the internet.
The sound differences usually are so minor, often hard to hear at all, opposed the the idea you can get by reading the “reviews”, that makes you think those are worlds apart.

BTW: without exact level matching every comparison is pointless, it’s always the louder unit that seems to sound better.

Had to come back and thank you for this. I was already happy with my HD58Xs on the Q5K and found it to be an improvement over the ES100, but the Harman response EQ has taken the sound to a whole new level.

I've done a bit of comparing using flat EQ with the same preamp to get a good volume match, and it's a world of difference. I'm getting more detail and much more depth on the low end. I'm genuinely shocked at how good everything sounds now.

I've always liked my HD58Xs but also felt like others might be getting a slightly better experience than me, and now I feel like I'm much closer to getting the most out of these headphones.

 

[vsg28]

Here's the QX-Over as-is vs. with the Oratory1990 EQ preset. I would say try both, and there are a couple of other presets in the app too, since just going to the Harman curve doesn't mean it is automatically better with these, even if you prefer the Harman target to begin with:

 

[arar]

Ordered this just now because screw it, why not, it looks like I'm getting into IEMs so something a bit better than the Apple lightning-to-3.5mm dongle and a bit smaller than the iFi BL would be nice.

I wonder if it would be worth it to get a cheap Android phone just for the LDAC support. Probably not right now, since I'm just streaming Spotify currently? Has anyone gone from iPhone's AAC to Android's LDAC recently (specifically with Qudelix 5k or another similar BT DAC-amp)?

 

[mhoopes]

By the way, I haven't seen any comment on the addition of the huge "AUTO EQ PRESET" PEQ database in the app. I think this is a very helpful bonus that at least gives us a good starting point for tweaking EQ, and/or evaluating the differences, while avoiding manual entry. It also gives some of the more questionably-tuned IEMs a fighting chance to not be lazily converted into B-stock, while EQ-hesitant Goldilocks is blithely shopping off-the-rack in search of that magical "synergy."

 

[mhoopes]

To follow up, I tried out a number of old earphones gathering dust in a drawer. All of them were *significantly* improved by their bespoke PEQ presets.
Koss Porta Pro, FiiO F9, FiiO FH1, JAYS d-JAYS.
My current FiiO FA7, and the old FH1, were notable for their egregiously poor factory tuning (bass, in particular), and showed the most improvement.

5K users will have little excuse not to at least try them out before proclaiming EQ immunity.

As far as I'm concerned, this feature is a game-changer, for those that are willing to try it; far more useful than "Rock" or "Jazz" presets.

 

[mhoopes]

Ordered this just now because screw it, why not, it looks like I'm getting into IEMs so something a bit better than the Apple lightning-to-3.5mm dongle and a bit smaller than the iFi BL would be nice.

I wonder if it would be worth it to get a cheap Android phone just for the LDAC support. Probably not right now, since I'm just streaming Spotify currently? Has anyone gone from iPhone's AAC to Android's LDAC recently (specifically with Qudelix 5k or another similar BT DAC-amp)?

I haven’t done that (Android LDAC), but I can say that I defy anyone to tell the difference between AAC 256 and lossless on a portable setup, much less AAC/LDAC over Bluetooth. Tuning/volume are likely large factors in any back-to-back listening test; other fidelity parameters will take a back seat.

I was able to tell the difference between LDAC 990 and SBC for movie watching on my Sony Blu-Ray player, but it was still pretty subtle to my ears, to be honest. Music listening is probably more critically approached.

AAC has the potential downside of being more processor-intensive than LDAC, but I haven’t had a problem with AAC/Bluetooth latency on my Apple devices, with regards to sync with video.

So I’d say no. Get a nice bottle of wine instead, and enjoy it with your current audio chain, along with the requisite EQ, as mentioned above.

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

I haven’t done that (Android LDAC), but I can say that I defy anyone to tell the difference between AAC 256 and lossless on a portable setup, much less AAC/LDAC over Bluetooth. Tuning/volume are likely large factors in any back-to-back listening test; other fidelity parameters will take a back seat.

I was able to tell the difference between LDAC 990 and SBC for movie watching on my Sony Blu-Ray player, but it was still pretty subtle to my ears, to be honest. Music listening is probably more critically approached.

AAC has the potential downside of being more processor-intensive than LDAC, but I haven’t had a problem with AAC/Bluetooth latency on my Apple devices, with regards to sync with video.

So I’d say no. Get a nice bottle of wine instead, and enjoy it with your current audio chain, along with the requisite EQ, as mentioned above.

Implementation, implementation, implementation. I have dealt with some really sub-par AAC setups on Android phones and phenomenal ones on Apple devices. Conversely, I've heard aptX done well and done with heaping gobs of compression artifacting. Seeing the supported codec only tells you a fraction of the story. Birate debates between wired and wireless don't make for a very apples-to-apples comparison. There's more to it than that:

https://www.soundguys.com/understanding-bluetooth-codecs-15352

Sparing a trip through the weeds, I'll say I don't bother with AAC on Android if I can help it. Not optimized.

 

[mhoopes]

Implementation, implementation, implementation. I have dealt with some really sub-par AAC setups on Android phones and phenomenal ones on Apple devices. Conversely, I've heard aptX done well and done with heaping gobs of compression artifacting. Seeing the supported codec only tells you a fraction of the story. Birate debates between wired and wireless don't make for a very apples-to-apples comparison. There's more to it than that:

https://www.soundguys.com/understanding-bluetooth-codecs-15352

Sparing a trip through the weeds, I'll say I don't bother with AAC on Android if I can help it. Not optimized.

Agreed - I posited the lossless example as a testable non-compressed USB comparison point., if one was concerned with compression artifacts. I'd go aptX or LDAC if my DAP was on Android. Pretty safe to assume arar is on Apple hardware - and I'd recommend taking the path of least resistance there (AAC) and stay with his device, except for the low-end Apple earphones. There are a lot of good starter IEMs from other vendors hovering around ~$100+ that would respond nicely to Q5 PEQ presets. The QX-over is intriguing, and good value, but I'd recommend something with quicker bass, such as the FiiO FA1 (out of those I actually own). Hopefully the shipping to 01100110 01110101 01100011 01101011 isn't too expensive.

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

Agreed - I posited the lossless example as a non-compressed USB comparison point., if one was concerned with compression artifacts. I'd go aptX or LDAC if my DAP was on Android. Pretty safe to assume arar is on Apple hardware - and I'd recommend taking the path of least resistance there (AAC) and stay with his device, except for the low-end Apple earphones. There are a lot of good starter IEMs from other vendors hovering around ~$100+ that would respond nicely to Q5 PEQ presets. The QX-over is intriguing, and good value, but I'd recommend something with quicker bass, such as the FiiO FA1 (out of those I actually own). Hopefully the shipping to 01100110 01110101 01100011 01101011 isn't too expensive.

Moreover, all of these codecs can turn out to sound like hot garbage if not implemented properly. I've heard compression artifacting on $200+ aptX HD adapters and $300+ TWS using the latest and greatest chipsets. I somewhat tapped into AAC usage on Android devices (sub-optimal). I was hoping it was a stack issue, but switching to Gabeldorsche doesn't provide much of a relief. Folks are just going to keep having to code efficiencies into their hardware for the time being.

Qudelix seems to have a significant leg up over the competition as is, though, and it's a little funny to watch market disruptors like Qudelix and E1DA showing the big guys that one or two-man outfits can develop better-performing gear with bargain-bin silicon.

I had my eye on the QX-Over as well and, as a proof of concept, I may still order. Just have so many earbuds and IEMs here that haven't gotten enough love lately, I couldn't bear to add another one to the stable at the moment. The FA1's a good suggestion, though.

 

[Musicoflife]

To follow up, I tried out a number of old earphones gathering dust in a drawer. All of them were *significantly* improved by their bespoke PEQ presets.
Koss Porta Pro, FiiO F9, FiiO FH1, JAYS d-JAYS.
My current FiiO FA7, and the old FH1, were notable for their egregiously poor factory tuning (bass, in particular), and showed the most improvement.

5K users will have little excuse not to at least try them out before proclaiming EQ immunity.

As far as I'm concerned, this feature is a game-changer, for those that are willing to try it; far more useful than "Rock" or "Jazz" presets.

I agree that EQ has the potential to improve just about every IEM's tonality, if done judiciously.
The AutoEq feature is indeed a good starting point for further tweaking the filters to sound best, at least to my ears.

 

[Bimbleton]

Two questions:

1) Do you think Qudelix could implement a harmonic distortion filter such as the ones in SMSL DACs? (perhaps to simulate a ‘tubey’ sound, etc)

2) Genuine question - those with a higher end headphones and a desktop setup, how much better is your desktop setup (sound wise)?

 

[arar]

I haven’t done that (Android LDAC), but I can say that I defy anyone to tell the difference between AAC 256 and lossless on a portable setup, much less AAC/LDAC over Bluetooth. Tuning/volume are likely large factors in any back-to-back listening test; other fidelity parameters will take a back seat.

I was able to tell the difference between LDAC 990 and SBC for movie watching on my Sony Blu-Ray player, but it was still pretty subtle to my ears, to be honest. Music listening is probably more critically approached.

AAC has the potential downside of being more processor-intensive than LDAC, but I haven’t had a problem with AAC/Bluetooth latency on my Apple devices, with regards to sync with video.

So I’d say no. Get a nice bottle of wine instead, and enjoy it with your current audio chain, along with the requisite EQ, as mentioned above.

Thanks for the response (and all the conversation that followed, interesting stuff)!

Honestly, I'm just not gonna stress about it right now, then. I could absolutely see myself belonging in the "can't tell a difference" group, I'm not an analytical listener in any way and I've always had difficulties with those tests where you have to discern between a FLAC and a low-bitrate MP3 file, for example.

I mean, now that the thought has popped to my mind, I'll have to give it a try some day, just maybe not right now. I'll focus on the more important stuff for now and return to this train of thought at a later date if I feel like something is missing.

Hopefully the shipping to 01100110 01110101 01100011 01101011 isn't too expensive.

Usually it's fine but sometimes it can definitely be a bit too much!

 

[charlescc2]

Tried the Harman EQ for the FiiO FH3 and felt it was doing way too much with the highs.

Just noticed an auto EQ preset tab (how long has this been there?) and found a preset for the FH3 (crinacle) and have to say it's greatly improving the sound for me. Creates better vocal separation without going overboard like the Harman EQ. I've been sticking with flat EQ over the Harman and felt things sound sightly muddied, but this crinacle EQ completely opens things up. Absolutely loving the FH3 now.

Still blown away every day by how much value the Q5K is for the price.

 

[dw1narso]

Ordered this just now because screw it, why not, it looks like I'm getting into IEMs so something a bit better than the Apple lightning-to-3.5mm dongle and a bit smaller than the iFi BL would be nice.

I wonder if it would be worth it to get a cheap Android phone just for the LDAC support. Probably not right now, since I'm just streaming Spotify currently? Has anyone gone from iPhone's AAC to Android's LDAC recently (specifically with Qudelix 5k or another similar BT DAC-amp)?

You need to make sure that that cheap android phone support LDAC.

Yes, LDAC is built in on Android since 11. But cheap phones probably don't want to pay the license and disable it.

My own example: Xiaomi Redmi 9T, which is a very solid cheap phone. It does not support LDAC.

Try it on mobile phone store first if possible.