You did it, Derrek!
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Yep! Of course, with my luck it will die tomorrow. 
Actually, I need to issue a correction.
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So, pausing/playing doesn’t actually work with wired. What’s really happening is it is very smoothly switching to BT instead of wired.
What’s great is the BT SQ is so good, I don’t immediately notice (with most music).
Anyway, it’s an exceptional device. Everyone should own this.
And many of you know how high my standards are when I say that…
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Great you found your match! As for me, no compromise. I will always carry a brick of a DAP with wired IEMs in my pocket. 
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I was willing to carry the brick! But the buttons on the brick have to work…
There were a lot of things I enjoyed about having the DAP. Yeah, inconvenience was annoying, but it was much nicer when not constantly interrupted. The phone interruptions were gone. Browsing for music was focused. Etc.
I see the appeal. But I definitely can’t live with the flaws of the dx300.
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So what’s the issues with DX300? Would you mind putting it into the usability blog? 
Thanks.
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Magnificent review, Derek. I want a Qudelix badly now!
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Hell, yes. Thanks, Derek!
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Welcome to the forum! And thank you!
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I bought the Tempotec Sonata HD Pro today to drive my Sennheiser HD 560s (120 ohm impedance, 110 db sensitivity), and I must admit I’m underwhelmed so far.
I know this is a dongle and not a nuclear substation for power, but it seems like the Sonata HD Pro only gives me about two more clicks of volume than driving the 560s straight from my iPhone 12 and the Apple Lightning DAC dongle. The sound isn’t really cleaned up THAT much, either. I expected more considering the praise here and other audiophile lairs online.
Am I doing anything wrong? Or were my expectations too high? Or does this prove again that the Apple Lightning DAC dongle is the best $9 bargain in hi-fi?
The Qudelix 5K is sold out at Amazon. Maybe I need to order one of those straight from Qudelix. For those in America who did that, how long did it take to arrive?
Thanks.
I did not document my sonata hd pro experience. Hang on, let me do that now:
ahem. You are probably better off with the apple dongle.
Ok, done documenting.
Seriously, most of what I wanted to drive needed more than the apple dongle at the time as well. The Sonata simply doesn’t offer much that is worth the size/hassle over apple dongle. The sonata wasn’t bad per se, and if I listened hard enough, maybe I could hear something? Maybe not. But it couldn’t drive any of my planars well (neither could the apple dongle).
Keep in mind, my BTR5 and Qudelix usage is exclusively with IEMs. Either should drive the 560s ok based on those specs, I am not confident they can do it well. I am one that likes a good bit of headroom and dynamic range in my amps. This leads to wanting more power than is strictly necessary.
As you increase volume, the need for power basically increases exponentially. It’s like every 3db you have to double the power supplied. I want a headphone to be exceedingly loud before the amp is at the point where turning the knob does very little to volume. This creates headroom. You may not get much of that on the BTR5 or the Qudelix on the 560s. But it doesn’t really matter if you get the volume you want.
Also, the Qudelix has a smarter volume setup in either DAC or BT mode. On BTR5 you will probably end up maxing volume in BT mode and then increasing your phone volume to get there.
iPhones have a non-defeatable volume reduction system when it thinks you are listening too loud. So, I set the amp how I want it so the iPhone is at half to 2/3 volume when playing REALLY REALLY LOUD. That way apple won’t bug me if I have a louder session once in a while.
I don’t guarantee I have all my terminology correct, I am self taught. “You can’t sail!?!?!?!”
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And, I didn’t clarify the actual problem: The tempotec sonata hd pro has no internal power supply. It’s feeding from the phone. So, it can’t do much more than the phone.
Get something with a battery that needs charging.
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There is a trick here that a very helpful dude at Audio Science Review just pointed out to me that transformed this thing.
The Tempotec Sonata HD Pro recognizes the HD 560s as low impedance cans and switches automatically to its low gain mode. You need to follow these steps to fool the Sonata HD Pro into thinking the HD 560s need max power:
- Connect the 3.5-mm adapter that comes with the HD 560s into the Sonata unit. (The HD 560s come stock with a 6.35-mm plug)
- Connect the Sonata with the 3.5-mm adapter to your source (phone or laptop) with the provided cable so the source recognizes the connected HD Sonata.
- Connect your headphone cable into the 3.5 mm adapter connected to the Sonata and your source.
Wonky as hell, part of the charm and frustration of Chi-fi devices. But damn if it didn’t work. I’m listening comfortably to my 560s from my iPhone 12 at half-volume, with better fidelity because of the additional power.
One of the reasons I like the Tempotec is that it comes with a MiFi (Apple)-certified adapter. No need for the Apple USB Camera Connector. I wish the Tempotec cable was sturdier, but that’s the price of a $58 Chi-fi device, I guess.
I checked specs, and the Qudelix 5K offers about 33 percent more power than the Tempotec. It’s also $50 more and isn’t available at Amazon.
I still want a Qudelix. But I don’t want to deal with the hassle of waiting for shipping from, I presume, China and also dealing with the hassles of international returns. Amazon Prime spoils the living hell out of you.
Did you get your Qudelix from the manufacturer or Amazon, Dynamic? If from the manufacturer, how long did shipping take? The extra $50 may be worth it to me because of the parametric equalizer, Bluetooth and balanced output.
Thanks!
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Amazon. It was a longer delivery time but still prime in all other ways.
FYI: the qudelix runs at way more than 33% more power. I exclusively use the 2.5mm port which is rated at 240mW at 32 ohms.
You may need a new cable to do that on your 560s. I recommend hart audio cables. But anything from amazon is fine.
Using balanced on headphones that scale can make a sizable difference.
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Yeah, I was just comparing the unbalanced milliwatt output of the Tempotec to the unbalanced milliwatt output of the Qudelix since the Tempotec doesn’t do balanced. Apples to apples.
I definitely want to explore balanced. Hope Amazon gets more Qudelix soon. I asked the question on Qudelix’s forum and hope to get an answer.
Thanks! You’re a top dude. 
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Happy to help!
That tempotec workaround is nuts. Might explain some of my wonky issues with it as well.
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The charm and angst of Chi-fi, all in one product!
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Ugh. Charm. Could do with a bit less charm around here.
Ifi hip dac should be on your radar if you don’t mind wiring. The smaller CCK can plug directly into it.
I can’t deal with wires on my phone during the day, so it doesn’t work for me. But I have the iDSD signature for nighttime listening. And that is great. Hip dac is like a scaled down signature.
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Saw the hip DAC. Intriguing, but does it offer that much more power than dongles or portable Bluetooth units?
I’m starting to think I may just get a desktop amp for $100-150, as I do most of my listening in front of my laptops, and save the Tempotec for mobile use.
Not in a massive hurry right now, as the 560s is my only headphone that all but requires amplification. My Meze 99 Classics and Moondrop Starfields get to adequate volume straight from my iPhone 12, as they’re both easy to drive.
Thanks again.
In a word, yes. But it depends on your headphone. The Zen doesn’t need anything more than the qudelix.
It’s not just raw power. I haven’t figured out how it all interrelates yet. Things like voltage peak to peak and how the power is delivered matter. Ohm’s law is like a rubiks cube of possibilities.
One of the few cases I have heard sonic differences was switching to/from balanced chains. The smsl sp200 has a switch that moves it between rca and xlr. I set it up so I could flip instantly and something actually changed. I always use balanced all the way through because of that.
On top of that, high ohm headphones need plenty of volts to power. Planars are often low impedance but need more current. (This is literally just ohm’s law).
The hip dac will be able to drive more headphones with authority than the qudelix. But if the qudelix can drive what you have, their is no reason to get more power. (You may like the synergy of other amps/dacs more. I have become partial to the chips used in many ifi products.)
Properly powered headphones create better dynamic range with deeper black background. This is why I stopped using the apple dongle as often.
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