I'm very enthusiastic of the future of Qudelix 5K and how they're going to improve their USB AMP DAC. First, as a Bluetooth receiver/headset amplifier: in this case it will be necessary to connect to a Bluetooth source. To enhance the PCB reliability and durability, Qudelix are using epoxy underfills on the sensitive BGA parts, although having additional cost increase.

Here is a quick visual comparison of the Qudelix-5K alongside other portable DAC/amps I have on hand, including the two we saw before. As a declaimer, I'am not very experienced in the world of external DACs, therefore my view might be a bit limited. I want to thank Qudelix and especially the support staff for giving me the opportunity to try this product.I often open the app just for the volume to avoid pressing the button multiple times, so having a volume widget would be really handy. To me, it feels very solid, like the rest of the build, with good strength, but it could become a problem to replace if broken. There are multiple minor improvements in sound quality, overall improving the SQ a great deal from a simple smartphone.

If you like to equalize your earphones and have full control of the DAC functionality then the Qudelix 5K is the one to have.In conclusion, at around USD110, this is a solid performer among the currently available BT dongle option. This platform, besides offering the best quality codec for Bluetooth audio, has an ultra low power consumption. On the left side, there is another button, with the difference that it has a bulge at the top, to make it easier to identify by touch. When connected to my PC via USB C (I do recommend getting a magnetic plug for it, makes your life whole much easier) it immediately starts working as a main audio device. It should be noted, of course, that the 5K is the first LDAC receiver to display the active LDAC bit rate.

I've been using it for almost two months on a daily basis, and yet - every time I want to press a button, I need to stop for a while, think, make sure it's the correct one, because it's so easy to mistake them. It lets you adjust how much sound to let through, and is VERY useful when going for a run, on the bike, or even in airports when listening for announcements (this is complemented by the fact that it's light-weight with in-built clasp and can easily be clamped to the t-shirt collar or such, even when doing sports).The Performance mode gives priority to sound quality as opposed to battery consumption, which may be shorter. Besides the sound quality, the primary advantage of ESS9218p is that the built-in amplifier delivers the maximum output voltage up to 2V RMS. With USB priority enabled on the 5k and UAPP connected and playing on the phone and taking control of the USB DAC I cant switch to Bluetooth input from UAPP. In addition to the sound quality and the maximum output power, we also need to consider the battery time as well, concerning the nature of the device.