Probably best price for these ever with the NOVFREE code (usually I seem them go for about $200), extremely good deal. Very highly reviewed DAC/amp that can drive most IEMs/headphones, and comes with parametric EQ presets. Can be used via either bluetooth or USB.
Referee receives $10 on a new signup with referral link. Referrer receives $10 credit upon the Referee completing a purchase.
Looking to get another one and I was waiting for the price to drop back to $89, so thanks for this, it’s even better!
Damn, that so cheap! Nice one OP
Crazy deal this is; got one from Amazon when it was ~190.
Amazing DAC for phones to cabled headphones; it's mainly stuck with my laptop though.
No sound interference ever with this.
Would this work with my Koss Porta Pros mic?
edit: watched some reviews and the answer is yes, it has microphone passthrough
Godamnit i want it but i dont want to spend money…
microphone is not that great though and very prone to wind and noise… there was a video review but i forgot which one
As the Mando say, Wired is the way.
this can be used as a wired dac amp btw
Buzzwords. Buzzwords Everywhere!
If you don't understand it then its not for you
nice find OP, i bought this in Sept when it was $190 and i thought it was a great deal compared to local price.
FYI, the instruction manual is very detailed and doesn't hold back at all in explaining to the techies:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z7sMD4v_8P1zYGW7-hrHvHVJRdm…
also, if anyone is using this with IEM, you can get shorter cable:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001175238015.html
So this will receive Bluetooth and output 3.5mm?
Because modern phones SUCK for not having 3.5mm
Yep
Yeah I use it like that quite often. Great for a laptop hooked up to a tv and you want to use your headphones on the couch
What do you use for a power source?
Wdym? The 5k has a battery.
How do you find the latency with these?
I had two bluetooth 5.0 dongles transmit/receiver to try utilise for something like this, but even with speech the audio sync was too distracting.
Because modern phones SUCK for not having 3.5mm
There are phones still being released with a 3.5mm.
In last 10 years, I've gone through about 6 or 7 phones, and they've all had the 3.5mm socket.
It's one of my main criteria when choosing a phone, but yes, it gets harder each year to find a phone with one.
Head over to gsmarena.com and use the 'Phone Finder' filters to narrow down on your phone of choice :-)
Wish this had a 4.4mm jack or just the 3.5mm to make it more compact. The 2.5mm is a rare-ish connection amongst audiophile devices these days.
It has a 3.5mm jack, and it’s already tiny. Smaller than a box of matches
It can be smaller
2.5mm is still relatively popular if you get the expensive "balanced" 2.5mm
For sure, subjectively I feel Astell&Kern are the main supporters for this connection. 4.4mm seems to be more popular amongst other brands.
I just got an adaptor off AliExpress. Can't link it lol but there's plenty of options. Works a charm with my Senny 660s.
Thanks. Gonna use with my new Whales :D
Really awesome and versatile little DAC/AMP. I picked one up used for $100 and it's been going strong for over a year now.
Pretty rare to see anyone selling theirs, lucky find! ;)
Yeah, was a real suprise! I think he had upgraded to some FiiO one and didn't need the portability. He had focals and some other really high-end gear, pretty cool guy.
The biggest thing this device has going for it is the EQ presets. Think your headphones already sound good? EQ literally transforms any set of headphones
Yeah it's a phenomenal feature - e.g. I can essentially get the ER2SE and XR in one IEM (and ofc EQ that as desired).
I thought my Sennheiser HD650’s sounded good out of the box. With EQ, holy shit…
Running my crappy Bose QC35II’s wired through this DAC with EQ actually makes them sound very pleasant. Perfect for long haul flights with active noise cancellation
I thought my Sennheiser HD650’s sounded good out of the box. With EQ, holy shit…
Here's an example 'AutoEQ' for the HD650.
I'm a bit confused about all the specs on this device. I have a Soundblaster XG6 and it sounds great but can I pair this with it.
After looking at the specs on Youtube I ' even more confused. Please help
Spec aside, this device is just really versatile due to the size, having balanced output, and PEQ built in. Not to mention that it works as bluetooth and wired USB C DAC.. Powers my HD6XX just fine too FWIW.
different use case…
this one has battery for when you're out and about.
Ok Cool Laptop and Mobile use moreso.Got it - Thanks
For anyone looking to use Apple (iOS iPadOS) device as a main music playback device, this might be the easiest and most reliable way of getting Parametric EQ. That in itself is enough reason for me to get it.
Non-audiophile here, just out of curiousty… what are these and can you give an example of how you use these to benefit your life?
Main use of this is for parametric EQ - essentially you can adjust your headphones to sound however you want (e.g. bass boost, treble boost, make it flat), but with much more precision than standard EQ settings in most apps like Spotify etc. They can also be used for some headphones that can be harder to drive (pretty much just audiophile headphones).
For what it's worth, if you're using bluetooth headphones or wired stuff you bought out of JB and are happy with your audio, there's pretty much zero need for these sort of devices and you can leave your wallet alone.
Not a these but a this.
Its a dac/amp for iems/headphones that connects to devicea via usb or bluetooth.
Allows you to use them with devices that dont have a headphone jack. Also allows for PEQ which is a great tool to change the sound to your liking
also to add, this one uses LDAC which gives you much better quality than the cheaper bluetooth dac amp out there..
xDuoo XP-2 Pro Bluetooth DAC/Amp $109 USD:
https://drop.com/buy/xduoo-xp-2-pro-bluetooth-dac-amp
Which is better?
Also Topping A50s Balanced Headphone Amplifier is $99 USD
https://drop.com/buy/topping-a50s-balanced-headphone-amplifi…
Topping is desktop so dofferent use case. Best if you check out videos of the Qudelix 5K. Its so small about the size of ipod shuffle.
how about the xDuoo? That one is portable.
Similar category but i never researched that brand, cannot comment on it.
This video made buy the Qudelix:
https://youtu.be/GTI1VBLGY4c?si=nIxljHA7uFeLmEi3
I've tried BTR3 and BTR5 at Addicted2Audio shop so i already had an indication of their size and performance.
Different use case I think. But if you mainly use desktop, then Topping plus a DAC..
This one has a balanced output too.
With this Qudelix, you can use AutoEQ :
AutoEQ profiles can also be used with iTunes, Moondrop DSP, Neutron Music Player, PowerAMP, Viper4Android, etc.
Yeah AutoEQ can be a great starting point. Oratory1990 also has EQ presets for a bunch of headphones too - he's done some really fantastic work.
I've been keeping my eyes on this for months on Amazon, hasn't dipped below $190 . Wish Amazon would price match
thanks, got one.
Awesome! Grabbed one for myself and a friend for christmas. Thankyou for posting, I was looking at DACs after work.
Code is showing “This discount has reached its usage limit”
Same
Ditto
It says discount code has reached its usage limit
Bugger. Missed it :( if anyone bought one on impulse and doesn't really want it then let me know
I'm seeing 79 USD without any coupon. Maybe worth checking the website.
(Edit: I realize that the coupon for free shipping, but it's probably expired).
Yeah still available for 99$USD total (~A$153), same as second best price previously. If you're a student you can also stack it with the 10% Drop student discount to bring it down to ~A$140.
They have the first time buyer referral bonus too. 10USD there.
The referral code also does the same 10USD off ;)
Hey mate - I'm checking it out on impulse and I'll know if it's something I'll use which I'll know right away. If it doesn't work out Ill let you know.
I just used the code and it still works for me
Thanks! I'm going to try again.
Edit: Worked!
Any thoughts on how this compares to the fiio BTR15? Pricing would be pretty much the same with the current AliExpress promos
I’ve never compared it against BTR15, but from previous experience with Fiio’s software, it’s no good. Tends to be glitchy and poor user experience in general, support is near nonexistent. Qudelix, on the other hand, is still being developed and updated.
I’ve owned both. Gave away the BTR15. The Qudelix has parametric EQ. The fiio app sucks.
Not waiting for Amazon to drop price, even if they do, it will never be this low. Picked one up to test out with the PS5.
How does this compare to the Moondrop Dawn Pro?
Also does this have USB A or C?
This has bluetooth so that definitely is already a differentiator. Q5k has USB C as shown in the picture, works wired too if you want to run it that way.
Thanks OP, got one, my first dac. Excited!
This is out of stock now. Seems they have over sensitive anti-fraud measures as my order was cancelled.
Just got the notification this has now shipped for anyone who has ordered - good to see they are well ahead of schedule (original shipping estimate was 25 Dec).
Thanks again OP.
Ordered on November 19, 2024, and it still hasn't shipped. I've submitted three support requests but have received no response. While my previous experiences with them have been positive, this experience has been disappointing.
great price, awesome little devices