Qudelix-5K Bluetooth USB DAC AMP with LDAC, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, AAC (Dual ES9219 3.5mm Unbalanced & 2.5mm Balanced Output)

I really enjoy the Qudelix 5K both on the go and at home when plugged in. I use it with my Punch Audio Martilo IEMs on a Tripowin 2.5mm balanced cable, and my Hifiman Ananda Stealth V3 using a Meze Audio 2.5mm to 3.5 mono silver-plated copper cable. Both pairings work beautifully in wireless mode at 2 VRMS. I don’t really take the Anandas outside, but around the house the Qudelix makes them surprisingly versatile and easy to use without being tied to a desk setup. The Martilos are my travel set — great for store runs and general out-and-about use. Wired mode is where things really step up. Listening to lossless audio through USB with both headphones sounds wonderful. Some people say you can’t really hear the difference between lossless and Bluetooth, but in my experience you can — especially in clarity and separation. Bluetooth still sounds very good, but wired lossless has that extra clean edge. When it comes to PEQ, this is where the Qudelix 5K really shines. The parametric EQ system is one of the best features. You can build your own custom PEQ profiles or load presets from well-known audiophile sources. It makes it easy to fine-tune both the Martilos and the Anandas exactly how you want them. Battery life has been excellent in my use. With the IEMs I get over 10 hours consistently. With the Anandas it’s shorter — usually around 5–8 hours — but I solve that by using a low-charge battery pack (important — low charge mode). With that setup I can stretch runtime to around 14 hours with the Anandas and close to 24 hours with the Martilos. For anyone who needs something portable but still powerful and flexible, the Qudelix 5K delivers. The fact that all of this comes in such a small device makes it absolutely worth it.

The 5k is a one-of-kind, highly configurable, reliable, portable bluetooth dac, which you can fully manage via software, on mobile nonetheless, via its app. The app, as well as the dac itself, really, are just perfect. Fully-featered, contioniously updated, and from an obviously passionate team. What truly distinguishes the 5k from competitors, and seems seldom mentioned, is that this thing just f***ing works, always, just how you want it to, on pc AND mobile. If nothing else, know this. You will not be dissatissfied with the audio listening experience it provides. For Android, especially, it really is the best, dac available, full-stop. There are plenty of competiting products with better specs, but hardware isnt everything. Optimization is essential. Crysis made that clear for video games, and the 5k makes it evident for audio. Such an exquiste, universabaly-reliabile and steadfastly- cohesive listening experience, no matter the enviromment, is offered by none other dac. No matter what operating system, software, or hardware you use it with, it does not dissapoint. Additionally, its support is unrivaled. Built by truly passionate developers. Look at the app's update and dac's firmware update changelogs, really. Now look at those from similar products. Insane. No other competitors offer such frequent, high-quality improvements to the users experience at no extra charge. Just one purchase guarantees users will get years of dependable, optimal use out of their device. Thanks to the frequent, high-quality, and most importantly free, improvements, and fixes to all users experience over time provided by the qudelix team. *Highlights* -Equalizer Settings are stored on device, no need to ever even touch them again after the first time. You get the same sound signature always. No swapping devices and suddenly it changes. -Syncs audio volume PERFECTLY no matter what. Regardless, If you change it via hardware buttons or software bars, on PC or Mobile. ------------ *Important Note for PC users* *Desktop operating systems dont have native support for and need third-party software to unlock full ad2p bluetooth protocol compatbility/functionality. You Can't use ldac on Windows without it. (lookup: "AlternativeAD2P Driver")* *On a side note, using it, you can also force SBC audio/ connection settings, and I was able to get the 5k to maintain an overclocked SBC output bitrate of over ~1.1Mb/s. Sounded better than LDAC. Insane. That software really is a game changer for windows bluetooth listening.

I use it with big DJ headphones, and it has the power to get really loud when I listen to EDM. Bluetooth headphones usually won't get loud at all. I can get an experience with this. Great sound quality, lots of options for EQ and other configuration, and plenty of driving power for big headphones. Durable too. I've dropped it several times, and it's so small and light it didn't take any damage. There's a lot of DACs out there but this one is lightweight enough to keep in my pocket. It's really light even in a TPU case. Would buy again.

Absolutely solid all around. Measures well, sounds as good as it measures, has features that many more expensive and worse measuring portable DAC/amps don't have. Bluetooth worked well enough for me but I didn't stress test its range or stability. Likewise I haven't really stressed it for battery, it's been plenty good (especially if you're used to typical modern wireless earbuds like AirPods). I'd say only downside is the physical control functionality. It's not terrible and works fine once you learn it, but it could be improved. The physical buttons work fine as well but I'd prefer them to be flush mounted or even recessed with maybe a rotary knob of some sort for volume. Also, thankfully there's a good app that you can use instead which makes the physical buttons less necessary so it could be simplified. Maybe could use a more appealing aesthetic design but it's so compact while still offering so much capability, including an integrated clip, that I'm not gonna complain. But they could easily put the same internals in a more appealing enclosure and charge a lot more fore it. I'm considering upgrading to their 8 channel one so I can use it to playback multi-channel movie audio. I look forward to seeing what else Qudelix comes up with, but this is so good that I'd be waiting for proper next gen Bluetooth (lossless stereo, quality multi-channel) before I'd want to replace this for portable DAC. Hoping maybe they can even add some other options ("spatial" audio), and some noise cancellation.

I used the QUDELIX 5K for a few months, sold it to switch to similar Bluetooth devices only to buy it again. The 5K is superior, and here is why: • Exceptional proprietary app, with instantaneous response time, undoubtedly the best on the market. Extensive EQ capabilities and customisation, making the devise a miniaturised professional amp. • Elegant and discrete design, with customisable light so you don’t feel festively decorated all year round. • Despite the minute design, the 5K has great control buttons, easy to locate and operate. • Truly integrated clip, which does not add bulk to the slick design. • Discrete battery life, 8hrs. • The crisp and balanced sound of the ES9219C DAC chipset. • Seamless automatic switching from Bluetooth amp to Dongle amp function (many other similar DAC amps require manual switching). • Finally, size and weight. This is the smallest and lightest Bluetooth DAC amp available. Mine is paired with IE200s and, clipped to the original Sennheiser cable, or 2.5 balanced cables by OpenHearth wrapped around the neck, is virtually impossible to feel. Obviously, a personal consideration but, based on my experience, the QUDELIX 5K is unrivalled in the space of ultraportable DAC AMPs.

Deze bluetooth DAC overtreft mijn verwachtingen: heel detailrijke klank, mooie textuur en timbre. Ik gebruik hem voornamelijk met een Queen Of Audio Vesper IEM en een Sennheiser/Drop HD58X hoofdtelefoon. Voor geen van beiden heb ik EQ nodig met de DAC. Zelfs een 30 jaar oude Sennheiser HD480 II klinkt, met slechts een beetje lift in de lage tonen, beter dan ooit tevoren. Het belangrijkste verkoopsargument van de DAC is de EQ, maar die is voor mij minder belangrijk, de instellingen in de app zijn zeker zo interessant. Er zijn enorm veel mogelijkheden. Een raad voor nieuwe gebruikers: doorloop aandachtig alle instellingen. Zoniet zal je enkele cruciale functies over het hoofd zien, zoals de 2 volumeregelingen in cascade. Uiteraard zijn er beperkingen: een hoog-ohmige hoofdtelefoon zoals de Sennheiser HD250II (300 ohm) is weliswaar nog net aanstuurbaar, maar daarvoor is de DAC niet gemaakt en dan moet hij echt "zwoegen". De bediening is een beetje wennen omdat de knoppen geen labels hebben, maar daar is een oplossing voor: de Qudelix 5K sticker by Sproketz.

so happy to be able to keep using my Shure earphones on the go when I was forced to upgrade away from my 3.5mm jack equipped phone. The sound is absolutely just as good as when wired!

The Qudelix - 5K is really a wonderful small HIFI component, which I have now been using for one year. Its extremely compact and light weight, so one can easily clip it to a pair of open back headphones, the range of codecs supported and the stability of the connection are excellent, the companion app offers many settings and customization option, the EQ tool is great and easy to use, one can also use it as a desk dac/amp while preventing the (over)charging of the battery, etc, etc... Everything that Qudelix and other reviewers say about that product and its qualities and functions is true. Honestly, I can't think of anything negative to say about it. The best audio equipment purchase I have made in years !

Questa recensione è dedicata al DAC Bluetooth Qudelix, un dispositivo straordinario che offre un'esperienza audio superba. Questo DAC ha superato le mie aspettative sotto molti aspetti e merita sicuramente una valutazione di 5 stelle. Una delle caratteristiche che apprezzo maggiormente di questo DAC è la clip integrata, che consente di agganciarlo facilmente al bordo della maglietta o del pantalone. Questa funzione è incredibilmente pratica, poiché mi permette di avere il DAC sempre a portata di mano senza doverlo tenere in mano o cercarlo tra gli oggetti. La presenza di un jack da 2.5 e uno da 3.5 millimetri è un grande vantaggio. Questa versatilità consente di utilizzare il DAC con una vasta gamma di cuffie e dispositivi audio senza dover ricorrere a adattatori o cavi aggiuntivi. Sia che tu stia utilizzando cuffie di alta qualità o dispositivi audio di vario genere, questo DAC si adatta perfettamente alle tue esigenze. I due tastini laterali, uno per l'accensione e il pairing e l'altro per il controllo del volume, sono ben posizionati e facili da usare. La semplicità di queste funzioni garantisce un'esperienza di utilizzo senza intoppi e un controllo rapido e preciso sulle impostazioni audio. Un grande punto di forza del DAC Qudelix è l'app dedicata. L'applicazione Qudelix permette di configurare il profilo delle frequenze in base alle cuffie di cui si dispone, consentendo una personalizzazione ottimale dell'audio. Questa funzione mi ha permesso di sfruttare al massimo le mie cuffie (delle CHU della Moondrop), regalandomi un suono impeccabile e bilanciato. Un'altra caratteristica interessante è la possibilità di bloccare la carica della batteria all'80%. Questa funzione è estremamente utile per preservare la longevità della batteria nel tempo, evitando sovraccarichi che potrebbero influire sulla sua durata complessiva. Infine, le dimensioni molto ridotte del DAC sono un grande vantaggio. È incredibilmente compatto e leggero, occupando uno spazio minimo e risultando facile da trasportare ovunque. Questo lo rende l'accessorio audio ideale per gli spostamenti o per l'utilizzo quotidiano. In conclusione, il DAC Qudelix offre un'esperienza audio eccezionale con un'ampia gamma di funzioni utili. La clip per l'aggancio, la presenza dei jack da 2.5 e 3.5 millimetri, i tastini intuitivi, l'app di configurazione personalizzata, la funzione di blocco della carica e le dimensioni compatte sono solo alcuni dei punti di forza di questo dispositivo. Se stai cercando un DAC di alta qualità per migliorare la tua esperienza audio, consiglio vivamente il Qudelix.