Qudelix - 5K USB/Bluetooth Amplifier/DAC with LDAC, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, AAC (Dual ES9219-3.5mm unbalanced output; 2.5mm balanced output)

I absolutely love this DAC, paired it with a set of Ziigaat Oddessy 2 IEM's and this can drive them very well. Having the option of super high quality Bluetooth as well makes the listening experience amazing. Really impressed with the app, you can change the EQ to superior depths to match your hearing profile. The battery lasts ages, I've only charged it once since I've had it, and the fact it clips onto a belt is great. The multi function buttons on the side make controlling music and volume really easy too. Juat be careful not to turn it up too much or you could damage your hearing, this DAC can get very very loud. I paired it with a Samsung S26 Ultra and enabled Bluetooth LDAC, the change was absolutely immense in terms of quality, the compatibility with LDAC is just a game changer. Excellent value for money.

This is such a good, balanced product in terms of features and price. But if you want better sound you can find it if you pay more. - it has good sound quality - it has great bluetooth connectivity, I can use it in different rooms, different floors, outside my bt source - LDAC significantly better sound quality than other bluetooth codecs, if you connect to mac or iPhone, use wire, because other codecs are hurting sound quality - I have it connected to 3 devices at the same time! 2 by bluetooth and one by USB and it picks the one that playes quite well. - I switched it eventually to be connected to mac by USB, same mac by Bluetooth and am Android phone, because mac does not support LDAC it hurts sound, but sometimes I just disconnect usb and go somewhere, so it switches from usb source to bluetooth in matter of seconds Connectivity of it is so much better than any other bluetooth device I have. Bose 700 does not connect half the time and take a minute to connect if it does, Topping G5 take a bit. This connects in a second, click, connected. The way how buttons are setup takes a bit of getting used to, app is good for nerds and equalization if you want to push your headphone somewhere else, but don't to make a reference headphones a consumer (V frequency response) curve headphones usually can't do that and it would only increase distortion and loose control. Battery life is better than Topping G5 which is 5 times the size and weight.

Great little device, good quality dac and simple controls, small enough to fit in your pocket (like this lip balm for scale) or on a belt loop too. The app offers alot of tinkering options with good provided defaults. Battery life could be better but will certainly get you through a day if you're not maxing out every high battery usage setting, and you can always use the wired mode (which works seamlessly in my experience.) Overall good quality device, nothing quite like it at its price point.

While it is quite old compared to similar devices on the market, for my purposes this has to be one of the best designed personal hifi products available. Some quible about the construction but aside from the slightly loose buttons it is a very sturdy unit and the lightness is a feature not a bug (as much as I enjoy devices milled from solid blocks of aluminium and so on). I've come to appreciate the minimalistic milspec look and feel and the utility clip. I also like well thought out elements like the tiny nub on the Play/pause switch so it is easy to operate in your pocket by touch (the volume button is smooth by comparison). Other aspects I enjoy: - While not class leading the sound quality is very good indeed and the app allows you to tweak the EQ to your hearts desire to get the most from your IEMs and headphones. Sound is detailed and has pretty good separation and soundstage - all elements that can be tweaked via EQ. It's enjoyable enough that I don't find myself hankering after my other DAC amps when I'm listening to it. - Customisable - as with EQ most functional aspects of this device can be customised to your requirements. Both the phone and desktop apps are very comprehensive. You can upload EQ profiles via the Chrome app via the desktop app. - Rock solid and powerful Bluetooth connection - I can leave my phone on charge and move quite some distance from it without the connection breaking up. There's also something reassuring about how the Bluetooth light always blinks to confirm when you send any control instructions from your phone or other connected devices. - Powerful amplifier - you need to take care with volume settings as I've managed to blast my ears a couple of times - I recommend setting the volume up button to increments so you don't accidentally max out the volume while it's in your pocket. - Good battery life that seems to retain charge for many days while not in use. - Lightness and size - while wireless buds are more popular nowadays this tiny device is a great solution for turning your wired IEMs into lightweight and convenient Bluetooth earphones.

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.

This Bluetooth dac has so much software functionality, battery life and power in such a light package that it is worth the money and why there are never a large amount of them left in stock (hence the “no featured offers available”). Firstly, it has a clip and Bluetooth connectivity so you don’t need to reach into a pocket to adjust volume (though it is independent of the phone volume so you have to use the on-device volume control) Secondly, for those who want granular adjustments with the EQ, it has 10 band parametric EQ for both the speakers and for the user as well as an input for your headphone’s/iem’s impedance and sensitivity so that the output power is appropriate for what you use. Thirdly the battery life is very long and if you often use it wired as well as wireless regularly throughout the day, you don’t need to worry about battery life at all. As well as the additional availability of multi-user connections though Bluetooth and usb (with configurable connection priorities), after you’ve configured everything, it becomes as simple as turning it on, clipping it somewhere accessible on your person and just hitting play. My only gripes are the fact that I can’t use the LDAC Bluetooth connection and that if you use songs that are over 96kHz sample rate, the DAC is limited to 96kHz on all connections including wired so it may not always be usable for a bit-perfect playback. Another pressing issue is repairability. Unless you have a T5H (Torx 5 hole) screwdriver in one of those hundred-bit screwdriver kits, you can’t open it up. Overall, it’s not the endgame DAC for audiophiles, but it’s still punching well above its weight and price class with build quality to match and software to tweak it to your heart’s content.

I just got this gadget for my inear monitors from Westone. I am using a Sony Xperia 5ii, which does have a decent dac and headphone jack integrated. The reason for buying the Qudelix are - I am not using the inear only with this phone - having a small external thing to connect the headphones is not bad, with a short wire maybe, and why not balanced out - I loved the fact the Qudelix has a DSP which allows to tune the out around my inear monitors and the setting is applied no matter the app or where you have connected the Qudelix to,it will always sound the same and to your liking Ok, so a few impressions. The audio quality is brilliant, lets get that out of the way. The details are there, it sounds amazing and it has plenty of power for my Westone. Even playing unbalanced at 1V, I did set a bit of volume limiter, it works really well. The DSP is fantastic, as predicted, if not better. The equalization customization is brilliant and a little of colour changes the feeling of the music massively (see screen shot for an example of my setup). The buttons are definitely not intuitive, but honestly, I am not planning on using them, just powering on and off basically. I configured the light to be on so I know if the Qudelix is on, and I regognize the buttons. The device ia super small, so it is easy to just use! The clip is embedded and it is so light that it would be held by the cable easily if dropping by mistake Remember if you have a new generation phone, I disabled the aptx adaptive thing (see picture), so the LDAC become available straight away. To get it to 990kbps, go ro your blue tooth aettings and set the qudelix connection to maximise quality. Then check the app, it should show now 990kbps like mine does. If you love your music, even more if you do not have headphone jacks, you are going to love this little thing

This tiny little DAC / Dongle is an absolute revelation in the world of DAC dongles! I have owned and used many of these headphone DAC amps in the past ranging from all the Audioquest Dragonflys, Apogee groove, FiiOs, Hidiz, Ibasso, Hiby, Shanling etc etc and this little guy is the best by quite some margin. This has superb bluetooth range in which this will connect from the other side of my house with little effort a distance of several metres through walls and up stairs etc although I do use it mainly via USB C connection into my PC. The DAC chip used in this is not the most modern or up to date ESS Sabre chip but its not always about having the latest chip inside but how it is implemented and the technology in this little guy is pretty awesome with good engineering and thought processes in manufacture. What sets this device apart from the vast majority of dongles is the amazing software which you can use with it, I downloaded both the control app to my phone AND the superb Chrome extension on my PC to give you an incredible range of options like DAC filters, power range like high or normal to drive an impressive range of headphones. The app also gives you battery life and management etc etc etc there is simply too many functions to mention although I do have to give a very special shout out to the parametric equaliser function which you can search for your headphone in the drop down list and dial it in and save it (the dongle saves all your stored information in its built in flash drive and even if you switch it off it restores all of the settings you dialed in) this EQ function will give you the best possible sound to the Harman curve to basically optimise your headphones of choice or you can simply play with no EQ and completely flat just using the standard settings for sound which is also superb in standard mode. This level of control and flexibility is unheard of even with the FiiO control app you don't get offered half as much. You can just use this dongle as a simple plug and play device without using the app or PC chrome PC extension and it would still be worth the money on sound quality alone. I suppose if I had to nit pick then a 4.4mm balanced socket rather than the slightly dated 2.5mm one would be prefered but I do not used any of my headphones in balanced mode just the unbalanced 3.5mm supplied also, so to me that is not important. 6 stars all the way!

Lo utilizzo quotidianamente con le mie KZ e funziona divinamente. Il dispositivo è leggero e facilmente trasportabile, essendo principalmente in plastica, salvo per la clip in metallo. Lo uso quasi esclusivamente tramite bluetooth quando sono fuori casa. L'autonomia non è eccezionale a mio parere (>4 ore di riproduzione audio via bluetooth utilizzando Sony LDAP) ma non ho altri riferimenti per poter valutare la cosa (e non penso si possa fare molto di più per via delle dimensioni). L'applicazione è ottima sia da smartphone che da browser. Ti consente di monitorare costantemente i parametri e ti avvisa non appena è disponibile un nuovo update firmware (fatto l'ultimo oggi 30/04 e da quando lo ho acquistato è il 5, quindi molto supportato). L'unico aspetto "negativo" sul quale posso esprimermi, è in merito all'usabilità dei bottoni laterali. Non hanno icone e una forma differente perché siano distinguibili al tatto o alla vista, pertanto bisogna fare l'occhio e capire quale è uno o quale è l'altro dal verso del dispositivo (probabilmente acquisterò/stamperò degli sticker e li attaccherò sul dispositivo per risolvere questo aspetto). Il dispositivo inoltre non è configurabile in altro modo se non tramite applicazione. L'ho comprato principalmente per migliorare il mio ascolto e per imparare un po' di più sulla musica che ascolto quotidianamente. Il suo equalizzatore e il suo catalogo di preset (ce ne sono una vastità, ed è possibile inserire anche di custom) mi ha permesso di comprendere meglio come poter adattare la risposta delle cuffie a quelli che sono i miei gusti in fatto di ascolto. Il dispositivo possiede anche un microfono e da quello che mi è parso di capire dalle poche chiamate che ho fatto utilizzando questo, si sente discretamente bene (aggiunta molto gradita per chi ha cuffie prive di microfoni o che utilizza cavi custom per i proprie monitor, come il sottoscritto). Non ho cavi bilanciati con cui provare l'uscita bilanciata di cui il dispositivo è provvisto, quindi la mia valutazione per ora è solo in merito all'uscita sbilanciata. Aggiornerò ma mia recensione qualora dovessi acquistare un cavo/cuffia con cui testare l'uscita e non appena sarò un ascoltatore migliore. Consiglio quindi l'acquisto ai neofiti come me che vogliono esplorare un po' più a fondo il mondo dell'ascolto musicale, e vogliono imparare a capire i loro gusti in termini di ascolto. Il dispositivo è molto semplice da utilizzare, ed i preset già all'interno del dispositivo aiutano molto (funziona anche senza impostare questi). La copertura bluetooth è molto buona ed è possibile utilizzarlo anche connesso alla USB-C (2 cavi un confezione uno USB-C ed uno USB standard). Il costo è alto, ma penso sia un buon punto di partenza che non impone particolari limitazioni in merito di cuffie o dispositivi che ci vuole acquistare qualora si scegliesse di fare un upgrade in futuro.

Apple ist schuld. Seit Apple in Music Lossless Audio freigegeben hat, habe ich mal wieder angefangen etwas genauer hin zu hören. Deshalb habe ich mich in den letzten Wochen mit Kopfhörern und vor allem mit Digital-Analog-Wandlern beschäftigt….. Habe mir inzwischen auch noch ein Probeabo von TIDAL geholt.... Meine Anforderung war es einen DAC mit integriertem Kopfhörerverstärker zu haben. Vornehmlich für old school Blues, Rock und Hardrock. Da ich einen DT880 von Beyerdynamic mit 250 Ohm als Hauptkopfhörer betreibe sollte der Verstärker auch etwas Power haben. Abhörsituation: Wohnzimmersessel, nicht für Unterwegs. Bluetooth war mir zunächst nicht wichtig. (Das sollte sich aber noch ändern). Das Gerät sollte sich per Kabel an iPhone und Mac als USB-DAC betreiben lassen. Nach einigem Lesen bin ich auf Apogee Groove, ifi HIP DAC, FiiO BTR5 und eben den Qudelix 5k gestoßen. (Beim Groove hätte ich für den Betrieb am iPhone ein Powerpack benötigt. Da er vom Klang so gut bewertet war habe ich ihn dennoch mit getestet. Im Sessel hätten mich die Kabel auch nicht so gestört.) Ich habe die Geräte nicht messtechnisch verglichen. Da gibt es endlos viel Quellen. Meine Tests beschränkten sich auf viel Vergleichshören. In Kürze: der Groove klang spontan am "wärmsten“. Spontan, weil ich mit der Zeit gemerkt habe, dass es Immer einige Zeit benötigt, bis man die betonten Nuancen der Geräte wirklich erkennt. Denn die Unterschiede sind nicht sehr groß. Und es hängt natürlich sehr viel an der genutzten Abhöre. An einem anderen Kopfhörer ist sicher einiges anders. Gegenüber dem ifi HIP DAC empfand ich jedenfalls, dass es dem Apogee an Details mangelte. Der HIP DAC war nun mein Favorit. Allerdings bemerkte ich mit der Zeit, dass dieser -auch ohne die zuschaltbarem Bassanhebung- immer etwas zu viel Bass am DT990 erzeugte. Dennoch klingt das Teil sehr gut und sieht auch super aus. Der analoge Lautstärkeregler ist super cool. Nur würde mich der Bass nerven. Der BTR5 klang etwas analytischer und unten rum nicht so dick. Also noch ein paar Punkte mehr. Er war nun vom Klang meine Nummer eins. Hinzu kam die super kompakte Bauform und ein wesentlich niedrigerer Preis als die beiden erstgenannten. Die Verarbeitung finde ich auch die Beste der vier Kandidaten. Und er hatte Bluetooth. Das ist aber auch sein schwächster Punkt. Die Reichweite geht gegen Null (im Vergleich zu allen anderen Bluetooth-Geräten die ich so habe). Spätestens nach zwei Metern (ohne Hindernisse) kommt es zu Störungen. (Generell ist Bluetooth für mich -zumindest zum "richtigen" Musikhören nicht von Interesse, da zumindest am iPhone wegen des AAC-Codecs zu viel verloren geht. Habe auch mal mit einem Pixel 5 unter LDAC getestet. Das klingt schon toll. Hier höre ich keinen Unterschied zum Kabel). Und die App fand ich auch nicht so toll. Den EQ bekam ich nur im Bluetooth-Modus zum laufen. Nicht im DAC-Betrieb. Eventuell lag es an mir. Im USB-DAC-Betrieb konnte ich am iPhone die Lautstärke nur am BTR5 regeln, nicht am Gerät. Allerdings habe ich mal wieder meine alten Teufel-In-Ears ausgepackt. Seit dem bleiben die AirPod Pro im Schrank. Der Klangunterschied ist unglaublich. Nun zum Qudelix. Negativ: Es gibt für mich nur einen negativen Punkt. Den vorweg: er unterstützt "nur" 96kHz-Samplingrate. Die anderen Geräte 192 kHz oder gar 384 kHz. Das wundert mich vor allem im Vergleich zum BTR5, denn der Qudelix und der BTR5 haben meines Wissens den gleichen DAC an Bord, einen ESS 9218P. Ich weiß nicht, wie der Qudelix klingen würde, wenn er höhere Raten könnte. Zu dem Thema habe ich viel gelesen. Es gibt wohl mögliche Effekte. Aber wenn überhaupt für meine Ohren hörbar, dann vermutlich nur sehr marginal. Man müsste mal Qudelix fragen, weshalb z.B. der den gleichen DAC-Chip nutzende BTR5 192 kHz kann? Neutral: das Gehäuse wirkt nicht so hochwertig wie das des BTR5. Vor allem scheint die Oberfläche empfindlicher gegen Kratzer zu sein. Aber das ist Jammern auf hohem Niveau. Positiv: Nun aber zu den guten Dingen: Ich würde sagen, dass er vom Klang identisch mit dem BTR5 ist. Somit also parallel mit diesem auf Platz 1. Die iOS-App von Qudelix ist super aufgebaut. Man kann unheimlich viel auslesen und einstellen. Es ist gut strukturiert und verständlich. Sie funktioniert auch wenn der Qudelix mit einem anderen Gerät verbunden ist. Somit kann man auch dann Werte auslesen, wie z.B. welcher Codec aktiv ist, wenn das Gerät am PC hängt oder via Android einen Bluetooth-Stream per LDAC empfängt). Die für mich wichtige Integration in iOS ist super. Denn es kann in beiden Modi (Bluetooth und per USB) die native Lautstärkereglung des iPhone genutzt werden. (Auch am Mac funktioniert das sehr gut). Und: die Bluetooth-Reichweite ist sehr, sehr gut. Ich kann ohne Probleme in einen anderen Raum gehen, ohne dass es zu erkennbaren Störungen käme. So stelle ich mir das vor! Dadurch, dass die App viel besser aufgebaut ist, lässt er sich für mich besser anpassen. Grundsätzlich nutze ich keinen EQ. Aber…wenn man möchte... Der EQ kann neben dem, was man so kennt viel feiner getrimmt werden (Q-Faktor!). Es war ein leichtes den wärmeren Sound des HIP-DAC zu "emulieren“. Über Bluetooth (mit LDAC am Pixel) ist der Klang klasse. Am iPhone mindestens sehr gut (mehr geht halt hier leider nicht auf Grund des erwähnten Codecs). Zusammen mit meinen Teufel-In-Ears ist es aber in jedem Fall auch am iPhone um Längen besser als mit Apple-Ear-Pods oder Air Pods. Nebeneffekt: der Qudelix hat (wie der BTR5) Mikros eingebaut. Er kann auch für Telefonate genutzt werden. Hier muss ich allerdings sagen, dass er auf dem Kopfhörer gegenüber dem BTR5 (oder gegenüber Apple Headsets) etwas nasal klingt. Habe auch keine Anpassungsmöglichkeit dafür gefunden. Mein Gegenüber ist jedoch vom Klang begeistert. Der Qudelix kann integrierte "MEMS"-Mikros nutzen oder per TRRS-Stecker nach TIA Standard verbundene Kopfhörer mit Mikro. Und das Coole ist: auch während ich über USB-DAC Musik höre kann er per Bluetooth einen Anruf entgegen nehmen. Kein „schnell den Kopfhörer runter“, wenn man das denn so möchte. Einige schreiben ja von schlechter Akkuperformance. Das kann ich nicht nachvollziehen. Sollte sich im Laufe der Zeit etwas anderes zeigen würde ich das hier ergänzen. Zusammengefasst: ich bin begeistert vom Qudelix 5k. Er klingt hervorragend, ist durchdacht, super ausgestattet, winzig klein und leicht. Die Entwickler scheinen auch sehr umtriebig zu sein. Eine absolute Empfehlung. Ich habe gesehen, dass Qudelix sogar In-Ear-Kopfhörer mit aktiver Frequenzweiche für das Teil auf den Markt gebracht hat. Der Preis ist ein „no brainer“...Sind bereits bestellt….

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.

Fungerar mycket bra men kräver lite egen energi innan allt fungerar perfekt, själv använder jag den med TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero: RED, Sennheiser HD 480 Pro och AirPod Max 2 och IPhone 17 och har hittills inte upplevt något negativt.

I was on the hunt for a Bluetooth/USB Dongle DAC to use my Sennheiser IE600 at the gym when I stumbled upon the Qudelix 5K. I ordered it, and the moment I plugged it in, I was seriously impressed by the power and sound quality. It has plenty of juice to drive the HD600/660S2 and all my IEMs. I didn’t really use it as a Bluetooth receiver since I need ANC at the gym and honestly, the sound quality over Bluetooth isn't that great. But in wired mode? It’s a blast! I found an awesome application is to use it in my car by connecting it to my iPhone and plugging it into the AUX port. The sound in my car improved 10x! No joke. Just remember to turn off charging mode when you connect it to your iPhone. The battery life in wired mode is fantastic too—after two weeks on a driving trip and tons of listening, the battery only dropped to 70%! Plus, the app has a loads of adjustments and different EQ settings, including curaded EQ settings for a ton of headphones. I really like being able to drop the pre-gain, which helps keep things distortion-free while cranking up the bass in my headphones and car speakers. This device is a gem! I do wish it had a 4.4 mm balanced out instead of a 2.5 mm, but an adapter works fine. It's not quite as good and open sounding as a Mojo 2, but it still sounds amazing and is way more portable and customisable. Such a fantastic product, really blew me away! Just get one!