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The Quedelix-5K DAC/Amp is a marvel of technology on several levels. The most impressive of these is the true 10 and 20-band PEQ found in the companion app. Add Hi-Res Bluetooth audio, MEM microphones for phone calls, and single and balanced outputs (2.5mm) and you have one of the most versatile mobile DACs on the market.
Qudelix-5K: Price and Availability
The Quedelix-5K is available directly from Quedelix for $109 or from Amazon for $110. You probably won’t find it on sale, but for everything you get with the Quedelix-5K, and compared to its competition, $110 is a fair price point.
Some people may have an issue with the plastic body at this price, but it doesn’t sound cheap and there is a reason for this build decision. We’ll get into that in a moment.
Qudelix-5K: Build and Customize
The Qudelix-5K is very light in the hand, even though it is heavy in terms of hardware and software. It has a plastic body that ensures a solid Bluetooth connection to the music source. Metal bodies tend to attenuate high-frequency signals. For example, look at the build of your home router. Metal or plastic? You get a lot internally for $110. The 5k features a Qualcomm BT 5.0 chipset and dual ES9219 SABER HiFi DACs that support single-ended and balanced outputs and high-sensitivity MEM microphones for phone calls.
Externally, you’ll find a separate microphone port on the top of the unit alongside the 3.5mm and 2.5mm ports. There’s a handy spring-loaded aluminum clip on the bottom of the unit and two confusing buttons on the sides. Neither is marked, and that’s the only problem I have with the external setup. One button is the volume rocker, and on the other side of the unit is the power button, which also controls Bluetooth functions: pairing, playback, track skipping, and phone calls. When turned on, the buttons light up red and blue when pressed, making them easy to use. The blue backlit button controls the Bluetooth function.
Aside from the button labels, my only other gripe is the choice of a 2.5mm port instead of a 4.4mm port. I’m sure this decision was based on drive size, but I’d take the larger 5k for a 4.4mm port. Reading online forums we often complain that quite a few people have bent these little 2.5mm pins. Your mileage may vary.
Qudelix-5K: Features
The Qudelix-5K offers great codec support for Bluetooth streaming, which iPhones won’t be able to take advantage of. In addition to standard SBC and AAC, you also get support for aptX Adaptive, LDAC and aptX HD. This is an important note because device app support extends to your computers through a Chrome browser plug-in. Even though iOS doesn’t support Hi-Res Bluetooth codec, you should download the app because iOS and iPad OS don’t have EQ support that works in all your apps. However, Quedelix app settings are ubiquitous and are saved directly to the 5k internal storage. This means that once you’ve configured it to your liking, that sound profile will be permanent across all devices you connect to it: car, phone, tablet, computer, etc. It also means it’s permanent no matter what music apps you use on your mobile devices.
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The most important feature of the application is 20-band PEQ, which can also be set to 10-band left/right independent PEQ. 5k shines here. As you dive into the world of “coloring” the sound to your heart’s content, it’s a great way to hear in real time how subtle changes to the EQ curve affect your sound. This is a welcome feature for audiophiles and a great learning tool for audiophile beginners. Best of all, you can save up to 20 of your EQ settings, and there’s an exhaustive database of automatic EQ presets that you can access from the DSP tab in the app.
Sure, other manufacturers offer EQ support, but often it’s not true PEQ. Generally you get EQ presets or simple 3 or 5 band EQ support with no options for things like pre-gain, headroom, peak filters, high or low shelf filters and Q factor (frequency bandwidth) settings.
The app will also show you status and stats for your current input (BT or USB-C), show you important battery/power consumption stats, give you gain control and coarse and fine volume controls with separate phone and 5k volume sliders. Note that you can also control the volume directly from the 5k itself.
Quedelix 5k: Sound quality
The Qudelix-5K itself reproduces sound beautifully. It doesn’t have the big soundstage or the sparkle of my current favorite iFi GO blu, but it doesn’t have PEQ. But again, that’s the power of 5k. I connected a $1500 IEM from Sennheiser, the IE900, to the Quedelix 5k and the first listen through the 3.5mm cable was amazing. The sound is well balanced and smooth, a pleasure.
Next, I plugged in a 2.5mm cable to get a balanced output, turned on the PEQ and added some bottom end to the subs and bass at 31 and 63Hz and Sweet Christmas, I was grinning from ear to ear like a Cheshire Cat when I played “Start a Riot” from the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack! It’s a delicious Dolby Atmos mix that shows what can be achieved when a producer knows how to use these tools effectively. The IE900s are not IEM bass heads at all. With PEQ 5k they become exactly that, but the mid and high purity is not reduced. The bass on that track is downright dark and nasty and makes me want to get in the ring and bang one of my Muay Thai buddies.
A proper PEQ setting can bring pleasant music and make it transcendental. They can take you from listening to listening experience. Of course with the right headphones or IEMs.
This is the final note on the Qudelix-5K. I threw in a pair of headphones and sensitive, low and high impedance IEMs and it handled everything with confidence.
Quedelix 5k: Competition
There are several other options under $100, but none offer the true PEQ of the Qudelix-5K. For example, the options from FiiO will give you EQ customization through their app, but the level and variety of customization is greater with the 5k.
The closest device is the FiiO BTR15, which has MQA support and native DSD support for the same $110. It also features an OLED display, which the 5K doesn’t have, and uses a 4.4mm instead of a 2.5mm balanced output. Shanling has their UP4 2022 which is bigger, has a bigger battery and includes codec support for LHDC. They all have single-ended and balanced outputs, but the difference is in the application, so I’d choose the Quedelix 5k over its competition.
Qudelix-5K: Should You Buy It?
You should buy the Qudelix-5K Bluetooth DAC/Amp if…
- Are you interested in fine-tuning your sound?
- Price is the primary factor when purchasing a DAC
- You want a DAC for almost any source
You should not buy the Qudelix-5K Bluetooth DAC/Amp if…
- You don’t need a Bluetooth connection
- You prefer 4.4mm outputs
The Quedelix-5K is worth the price of the parametric EQ alone! When you consider all the other features of the unit, I think this device is a no-brainer for those who want to learn how to create their ideal sound curve, or for those who already know how, but want a device that they can take anywhere and connect to almost any sound source. You can even use the 5K as a preamp.
If real PEQ interests you, look no further. This is the one.
