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The Quedelix-5K DAC/Amp is an engineering marvel on several levels. The most effective of these is the true 10- and 20-band PEQ found in its utility. Throw in Hi-Res Bluetooth audio, MEM microphones for phone calls, and single-ended 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 look cheap and there’s a reason for this construction decision. We’ll get into that in a moment.
Gudelix-5K: Dry and fit
While the Qudelix-5K is heavy on hardware and software features, it feels very light in the hand. It has a plastic housing that ensures you get a solid Bluetooth connection with your music source. Metal objects tend to attenuate radio frequency signals. look at set up your home routerfor example. Metal or plastic? Internally, you get a lot for $110. It’s packed with a Qualcomm BT 5.0 chipset and dual ES9219 SABER HiFi DACs that support 5k, single-ended and balanced outputs, and high-sensitivity MEM microphones for phone calls.
Externally, you’ll find a single microphone port on the top of the device next to the 3.5mm and 2.5mm ports. The unit has a convenient spring-loaded aluminum clip on the bottom and two puzzling buttons on the sides. None are labeled, and that’s my only pain point with the external setup. One button is the volume control, while the other side of the device has a power button that also controls Bluetooth functions: pairing, playback, track skipping, and phone calls. Once turned on, the buttons glow red and blue when pressed, making them easy to use. The blue-lit button controls Bluetooth functions.
Besides the button labeling, my only issue is the choice of a 2.5mm port instead of a 4.4mm port. I’m sure this decision was based on unit size, but I’d take the larger 5k for a 4.4mm port. A common complaint reading online forums is that several people have broken these tiny 2.5mm pins. Your mileage may vary.
Qudelix-5K: Features
The Qudelix-5K offers excellent codec support for Bluetooth streaming, which iPhones will not be able to benefit. In addition to standard SBC and AAC, you also get support for aptX Adaptive, LDAC and aptX HD. This is an important note because software support for the device is rolled out to your computers via a Chrome browser plug-in. Even if iOS doesn’t have Hi-Res Bluetooth codec support, you still need to download the app because iOS and iPad OS don’t have EQ support that works in all your apps. Quedelix application settings are available everywhere and stored directly in the 5k internal memory. This means that once you’ve configured it the way you want, that sound profile will be persistent on every device you connect to it: car, phone, tablet, computer, etc. It also means it’s durable, no matter what music apps you use on your mobile devices.
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The most important feature of the application is the 20-band PEQ, which can be set to a 10-band left/right independent PEQ. This is where the 5k shines. This is a great way to hear how subtle changes in the EQ curve affect your audio in real time as you dive into the world of “coloring” your sound however you like. It’s a feature loved by audiophiles and a brilliant teaching tool for audiophile neophytes. Best of all, you can save up to 20 of your EQ settings, and there’s a full database of automatic EQ presets that you can access in the DSP tab of the program.
Sure, other manufacturers offer EQ support, but often it’s not the right PEQ. You generally get EQ presets or simple 3- or 5-band EQ support, with no options for pre-gain, headroom, peak filters, high- or low-shelf filters, and Q-factor (frequency bandwidth) adjustment.
The app will also display status and stats for your current input (BT or USB-C), show you important battery/power consumption stats, provide control over gain, and both coarse and fine volume control with separate sliders for phone volume and 5k. Note that you can also control the volume directly from the 5k.
Quedelix 5k: Sound quality
By itself, the Gudelix-5K reproduces the sound beautifully. It doesn’t have that big of a soundstage or flash my current favorite iFi GO blu but that one doesn’t have PEQ. But then again, that’s the power of 5k. I connected Sennheiser’s $1500 IEMs, the IE900 to the Quedelix 5k, and the first listen through the 3.5mm cable was wonderful. The sound is well balanced and nuanced, pleasing.
Then, I plugged in the 2.5mm cable for a balanced output, turned on the PEQ, and added some sub-bass and bass at 31 and 63Hz, and I grinned from ear-to-ear like a Cheshire Cat when Sweet Christmas played “Start a Riot” from the Spider-Man: Into the soundtrack. It’s a delicious Dolby Atmos mix that shows what a producer can achieve when they know how to use those tools effectively. The IE900s are by no means a bass head IEM. With a PEQ of 5k, they become just that, but the mid- and high-end clarity is not diminished. The bass on this track is downright dark and nasty and makes me want to get in the ring and skin some of my Muay Thai buddies.
The right PEQ settings can take good music and make it transcendent. They can take you from listening session to listening experience. With the right headphones or IEMs of course.
This is the final note on the Qudelix-5K. I threw some headphones and sensitive, low and high impedance IEMs at it and it handled everything with care.
Quedelix 5k: The Race
There are several other options For $100, however, none of them offer true PEQ like the Gudelix-5K. For example, options from FiiO will give you EQ customization through their software, but the level and variety of customizations is greater with the 5k.
The closest device is FiiO’s BTR15, which has MQA support and native DSD support for the same $110. It also includes an OLED display that the 5K doesn’t have and uses a 4.4mm instead of a 2.5mm balanced output. Shanling has the UP4 2022 which is bigger, has a bigger battery and includes codec support for LHDC. They all have one-sided and balanced results, but the application makes all the difference, so I would choose Quedelix 5k over the competition.
Gudelix-5K: Should You Buy It?
You should buy the Qudelix-5K Bluetooth DAC/Amp if…
- Are you interested in audio fine-tuning?
- Price is a major factor in your DAC purchase
- A DAC is needed 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 for 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 the ideal sound curve, or who already know how, but want a device that they can take anywhere and connect to almost any audio source. You can even use the 5K as a preamp.
If genuine PEQ piques your interest, look no further. This is one.
