Review on 🎧 Qudelix-5K Bluetooth USB DAC AMP LDAC aptX Adaptive aptX HD AAC Dual ES9218p 3.5mm Unbalanced & 2.5mm Balanced Output by Melissa Gonzalez

After switching from the LG V30 to a phone without a headphone jack (thanks Samsung -.-) I needed a DAC that could drive the planar magnetic HifiMan HE-560 v4 that I use every day and it seemed to fit the bill as it had the power output needed to drive those power hungry headphones (it also works well with my higher impedance Sennheiser HD 650). I also saw the FiiO BTR5 and my first impression was how much lighter and smaller the 5K is; feels like twice as much. You miss premium glass and a nice display, but 5K still looks well built. It also sounds great on both 3.5mm and 2.5mm TRRS; One of the best features in my opinion is that you have two digital volume controls; Basically, you can set the "volume limit" to 5K yourself and then use the Android volume controls to enter that zone. The levels on the device are each 0.5 dB, so that the "ideal" volume is easy to find. One caveat is that controlling the device is a little awkward to get used to. When I first got it in the box I struggled to figure out how to even turn it on and off since you only have two keys, a red LED on one side and a blue LED on the other. If you open the app and go to the "MISC" section, you can see what actions the buttons are bound to and make a little adjustment. I don't touch them often except to pause/skip, adjust volume, or power on/off, so it works well enough for that. Speaking of the app, I find it really useful - it allows you to change the volume. and adjust the equalizer, but it also allows you to configure many things within the firmware, such as it will play sound from each of them at once and not mix). All of the default settings are fine, but it's clear a lot of engineering has gone into displaying these settings to the user, which I appreciate. The LDAC bitrate display was particularly helpful when trying to figure out why my tablet was sometimes sounding worse (it seemed to drop to 330 kbps). with features for those who want to tinker with how it sounds. PS For those looking for a 2.5mm pinout these are (base to tip) L-, L+, R+, R-. Can't find it anywhere, not even in the docs.