It's not often I go looking at portable DAC/amps, yet I have managed to put myself into a position of covering a few of these. The Qudelix-5K is the third of these outside of the Creative SXFI Amp that is a thing of its own, which allows for some retrospective comparisons to the FiiO BTR5 and EarMen Sparrow. Things have changed so much over the years with such portable devices now almost assuredly supporting wireless playback in the absence of 3.5 mm stereo jacks on phones, which created a market for digital audio players (DAPs), but it is a hard sell unless you absolutely want a standalone music player on the go. Qudelix clearly saw a market to make Bluetooth receivers for music streaming in addition to local storage, which also makes for one less device to carry around.

I won't beat around the bush, but unless you need the integrated display on the BTR5, there is no reason to go with any other. The Qudelix-5K has a more accurate response, comes with an unbelievably good app, and has an integrated clip in addition to offering other features, such as EQ over LDAC and all the EQ presets. The QX-Over is also basically a complete package without any thought spent on what to pair it with when purchased with the Qudelix-5K, a package costing almost the same as the Qudelix-5K would shipped worldwide by itself. The 5K basically performs the same as the higher-end EarMen Sparrow when it comes to the DAC, and has higher power output, too. Did I mention that it is less expensive than either of those? I was originally going to have this covered before the EarMen Sparrow, but the re-tests delayed things to where the Sparrow got away with more than it would have. If you need MQA, the EarMen offering does it while the other two can't, but I suspect the vast majority of people will be absolutely fine with the Qudelix-5K anyway.

To be clear, this is a Bluetooth receiver first, but has a nice USB DAC mode, too. As such, it takes wired headphones and earphones and is not a transmitter you connect wireless headphones or earphones to. IEMs with the cable going around your back and into the Qudelix-5K clipped to your belt or pant pocket make for a nice wireless set. Clipping the 5K to your collar also allows you to use the integrated microphones, effectively making for a headset combined with your IEMs/headphones in an emergency. Connecting a headset works as well, but online telephony is going to be the big equalizer in taking away these benefits. Qudelix has gone from strength to strength with its features, showing off its technical prowess, being an official LDAC partner with Sony, to where the latest feature drop on the mobile app was just the icing on an already very delicious cake. If you are in the market for a portable DAC/amp, look no further than the Qudelix-5K, and grab the active crossover QX-Over earphones while you are at it, too!