Qudelix 5K Review and Comparison to ES100, FiiO BTR-5

General DAC/Amp/DAP Discussion
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Qudelix 5K Review and Comparison to ES100, BTR-5

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The Qudelix 5K is the latest entry in the Bluetooth DAC space from some of the folks behind the ES100 MK1.

The Qudelix 5K has far better build quality than the ES100. The (polycarbonate?) shell has zero give or creaking and feels very sturdy. The app of the Qudelix 5K is not as flexible as that of the ES100 just yet, but it is fairly new and rapidly improving. The filters on the Qudelix 5K make a definitely-audible difference.

The battery life of the Qudelix 5K is simply phenomenal, lasting me 12-13 hours of continuous listening with 10% remaining at the end (screenshot). I used the 3.5mm output, the balanced output would probably halve these numbers.

I find the Qudelix 5K to be superior to the BTR-5. In some edge-cases, the audio reproduction of the BTR-5 seems to be buggy. I went through two BTR-5s and still had an audio issue with the iPhone and Spotify on the BTR-5 that I didn’t have on the ES100 or Qudelix 5K. As such, I trust the audio reproduction of the Qudelix 5K/ES100 more than the FiiO BTR-5.

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Here is an overview of the DAC filters (source):

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I found Minimum Phase Fast Roll-Off to sound the most natural.

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I’m loving the Qudelix that I received for Christmas!

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  1. Tiny - not much bigger than a pack of gum, and lighter
  2. Clip - I clip it to my shirt and don’t even notice it’s there anymore
  3. Bluetooth - bluetooth keeps me untethered from phone and computer
  4. Multipoint Bluetooth - lets me stay connected to my phone and computer at the same time. This is pretty huge.
  5. LDAC - I can use LDAC with my phone, which sounds good enough that I can’t distinguish it from listening to FLACs straight off my phone.
  6. System-wide Parametric EQ - with my LG V20, I had to root it and install Viper4Android to get system-wide EQ. With the Qudelix, I can set up EQ using their handy Android app, then push the EQ settings to the device and use them for everything (from phone and computer)
  7. Selectable reconstruction filters - I’m not 100% convinced that I can hear the different, but it’s nice having the option to switch these
  8. Balanced - I haven’t used this yet, but the Qudelix includes a 2nd ES9218p for running in balanced, should I ever need the power
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How does the Qudelix do with harder to drive headphones?

And with extremely sensitive IEMs?

Basically both ends of the spectrum.

I am thinking about picking one of these up for travel as projects are slowly kicking off again.

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It depends on how you define “harder to drive”.

It can swing 4V via it’s 2.5mm balanced output in its high output mode, delivering unto 240mW. At 4V that’d be 80mA. Using its 3.5mm output, in high output mode, it’ll do 2V/80mW or 40mA at 2V.

You can use those numbers to see what’ll do with the headphones you have in mind.

There’s some audible noise floor, especially with hiss-prone IEMs (and/or if you’re particularly sensitive to hiss).

I liked it better than all of the other Bluetooth dongles I’ve tried. But it’s at its best in LDAC mode. aptX is a dogs dinner no matter how good the implementation of it simply due to the way it works.

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Thanks for the details, they are very helpful.

I don’t really have any specific headphones in mind, just whatever I am listening to when I travel.

The sensitive IEMs is because I seem to be trying and reviewing a lot of (cheap) IEMs lately, so something that I could use to review while travelling and saving space would be great.

I will probably pick one up to give it a whirl, if they are ever available at this side of the world.

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If you don’t need the Bluetooth part, then the Lotoo Paw S1 is my current favorite wired (USB-C or Lightning) dongle DAC/amp - and a much nicer listen (if less configurable).

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To be honest I don’t need the BT at all, although the PEQ was something that interested me.

I haven’t really looked into the Lotoo Paw S1 more than just a glance but I will check it out.

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I’m listening to my 2019 Andromeda with it right now. I’m in the low power mode on the single ended output, streaming with LDAC, and I don’t notice any hiss.

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For sensitive IEMs, the 5K is one of the few DACs that I’ve used that don’t hiss with the Andromedas.

Edit: looks like @pwjazz got there before me :wink:

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FYI - I just saw the recent 5K update has a new crossfeed feature.

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Okay yeah, the new crossfeed feature works! I think I like it better than the typical BS2B crossfeed, though it’s maybe not as good as 112dB Redline Monitor, but this works everywhere and not just on my desktop! I pretty much listen with my VK4 90% of the time, and one of its few weaknesses is that vocal’s aren’t always as intimate as I’d like them. Listening to artists like Adele and Joss Stone, dialing the crossfeed to around 12% brings the vocals forward just enough to solve that.

The 5K is proving to be the best 100 bucks I’ve spent in audio. It turns out to have just enough juice for my new Aeon RT Closed in balanced mode, is quiet enough for all my IEMs including the Andromeda, and it can easily handle my HD58X and my home-built headphones too.

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It’s amazing how much this little unit brings to the party.

Being able to eq on the go, having enough power for lots of headphones and adding wireless to headphones we already have can be game changing.

They seem to be really wanting to improve and add features.

I feel the same way, hard to think of $100 that brought more to the table.

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I would second the praise for the Lotoo Paw S1. I have tried many of the dongle-DACs, and this one definitely shines. I use it with a lightning to USB-C cable form my iPhone 12. A number of preset EQ settings is a plus. The combination convenience and reasonable sound has made me pass on getting a DAP.

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Got my Qudelix 5K today to compare it to my iFi hip-dac. I intend to use the Qudelix 5K mainly with USB, an Apple Camera Connector and an iPhone 12, just like I do with so all of my early comparisons are wired, not Bluetooth. It’s the only fair way to compare both.

– First, you can’t beat the size of the Qudelix. This thing is tiny. It’s not as small as the TempoTec Sonata HD Pro I recently sold, but it’s much smaller than my hip-dac.

– Solid construction. Buttons are solid. Decent cables. Can’t match the metal housing, metal buttons and brass volume dial of the hip-dac, though.

– I HATE the button layout on the Qudelix. Unintuitive as hell. Crap design. Tough to increase and decrease volume from the unit. I end up using the app more than anything. I know people say you get used to it, but a proper design wouldn’t require acclimation time. The simple buttons and brass volume knob on the hip-dac are MILES more intuitive and tactile.

– Is there some way to turn off the flashing lights on the buttons from within the app? God, I hope so. The thing looks like a cross between an ambulance and a volunteer fire vehicle when you use it. Annoying as hell.

– The Qudelix app is excellent. A tinkerer’s delight. So many options and measurements. The built-in parametric EQ is such a magical feature, making it easy to apply EQ measurements from Oratory or Crinacle.

– The Qudelix has less power than I expected. It has about the same output as the TempoTec Sonata HD Pro in low and high gain. I need to run my iPhone 12 at full volume and my HiFiMan HE-400se International at about 80 percent volume on the Qudelix to get sufficient volume. I have my Sennheiser HD 560s at about 70 percent on the Qudelix. I can run the HE-400se at 50 percent and the HD 560s at 40 percent on the hip-dac. The hip-dac clearly has more juice, which is good for the future if I get more power-hungry cans.

– Now for the big one: Sound. First I must divulge that I’m very treble-sensitive. I have pretty severe tinnitus, so I notice grainy and hot treble almost instantly. I’m far from a basshead, but I prefer a slightly warm sound signature with a bit of rolled-off treble because of my tinnitus. The treble of the Qudelix is just too piercing and hot for me without EQ. It’s just too fatiguing for my ears. With Oratory’s EQ for my HD 560s, it’s better, but it almost feels somewhat veiled and flat. The hip-dac definitely is warmer and a bit rolled off in the highs, but that’s perfect for me. There’s just a richness to the hip-dac sound that I prefer, too. It’s not bloated, as I don’t use the bass boost on it. But it’s more rich, more musical. The hip-dac pulls me more into my music. I think the imaging and soundstage on both units is very similar; I give a slight edge in detail to the Qudelix.

Very early days. I need to do more testing. I can see why so many people like the Qudelix. I think it blows away the Sonata HD Pro despite being twice the price because of the balanced and unbalanced connections, better build quality, Bluetooth and the great app. It’s a killer portable USB and Bluetooth DAC-amp for a lot of people.

But the hip-dac sounds better for me right now. It’s like the difference between Nike and Adidas. Both make damn good athletic shoes. But Nikes just fit some people’s feet better than Adidas, yet some people’s feet feel like they were made for Adidas. That’s how the hip-dac sounds for me right now – it’s made for me and my cans.

Again, early days. I still need to test the Qudelix with my Meze 99 Classics and Moondrop Starfield.

Maybe my ears will adjust to the hotter treble of the Qudelix. Maybe not. More impressions if my opinion or sonic analysis changes.

Holler with any questions! Thanks.

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OK, more testing complete. My ears are adjusting to the sound of the Qudelix 5K. It’s growing on me.

Plus I’m surprised how good the Bluetooth sounds on this, even with AAC through an iPhone. My old ears can’t tell a huge difference from wired. Yeah, the quality isn’t as good as wired. But it’s not a massive step backward.

Add this plus to all of the mega cool features in the app, such as DAC filters, and the decision between the Qudelix and the hip-dac is getting harder and harder by the song.

Nice problem to have!

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Nice writeup @pk500. It’s not on my radar but it does seem to get praise and has a decent feature set.

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I am not treble sensitive but burr brown dacs in ifi seem to make a smoother sound.

This here, is the single build/design flaw. However, any better buttons or knobs would require far more internal space. You do get used to it. But I still hit stuff when “grabbing it”. Gotta think of your fingers like toothpicks any time you touch it.

Yep! But when do they flash under normal use?

Even on balanced? It has about half of the hip dac I think. If you were pushing the hip dac, this isn’t gonna do it. You must be using the 2.5mm plug.

I honestly can’t tell with most music. In fact, if you touch the upper blue button while wired (play pause), it can switch to BT with a blip in the music. The physical controls only work in BT mode. (Also, I think BT initially defaults the dac to normal mode)

On harder to drive stuff, use balanced cables, max the qudelix in performance and high gain and volume and use the iphone to control volume.

This will reduce battery life significantly. But it drives lots of stuff. The cool thing about the qudelix is this doesn’t hurt the sound (it did on the btr5).

One more thing: wired, even with charging off, can cause that “device is drawing too much energy” message when you push to max volumes. Since I use it BT primarily, I don’t see this.

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Qudelix 5K = ESS Sabre 9218 chip
iFi Hip DAC = Burr-Brown DSD1793

The ESS Sabre family are sometimes considered the brightest mainstream DACs, while Burr-Brown the warmest. AKM falls somewhere in the middle, as they aim to present details with limited smoothing.

I can’t hear much difference between wired and wireless with compressed sources (e.g., Youtube), but can often hear Bluetooth’s limitations with uncompressed music.

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The app has settings for the lights. You can vary behavior and brightness, and turn them off.

There are various settings for power level and volume mode. The docs are not great so you probably have to read it carefully and experiment to get the settings you want. Also, the balanced out (smaller connector) has more power than the standard 3.5mm out.

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