Qudelix 5K User manual

Copyright ©2021 by Qudelix, Inc. All rights reserved.
JULY 2021
Qudelix-5K
User Guide

Key Specification
•Bluetooth 5.0
•Class 2 (2.5mW 4dBm) up to 10m
•2.4GHz
•Qualcomm QCC5124 Bluetooth Chipset
•Dual ES9218P SABRE HiFi® DAC
•3.5mm output works with single DAC only.
•Dual DAC is available with 2.5mm output.
•High Precision MEMS Audio Clock
•aptX Adaptive, LDAC, AAC, aptX-HD, aptX, SBC
•High-Resolution USB DAC 96KHz / 24-bit
•USB Audio Class 1.0
•Windows/MacOS/Linux (No Device Driver)
•Android Device through C-to-C or OTG cable
•10-band Double Precision GEQ/PEQ
•High Sensitivity 3-D LDS (Laser Direct Structuring) Antenna
•Bluetooth Range more than 10 meters
•Qualcomm® cVc™ noise cancellation technology
•High Sensitivity MEMS Microphone
•Four Multi-functional Buttons & Two LEDs
•Over-the-Air firmware update
•Material
•Plastic Body (Black) with anti-scratch UV Coating
•Aluminium Clip (Dark Gray)
•52.8 x 26.7 x 15.6mm (including Clip)
•26 grams

Key Specification
•Output Power
•3.5mm 80mW per channel
•2.5mm 240mW per channel
•SNR (A-weighted)
•3.5mm -118dB
•2.5mm -122dB
•THD+N
•3.5mm 0.004%
•2.5mm 0.002%
•Separation
•3.5mm 79dB
•2.5mm 117dB (1KHz/32-ohm)
•Output Impedance
•Less than 1-ohm

Buttons (with BLUE LED)
Pairing Mode (long press 3 sec)
Play/Pause (Single Click)
Next Track (Double Click)
Answer Incoming Call (Single Click)
Power On/Off (long press 3 sec)
Previous Tack (Double Click)
BL(Blue Lower)
BU(Blue Upper)

Buttons (with RED LED)
RL(Red Lower)
RU(Red Upper)
Volume Down (-0.5dB)
Volume Up (+0.5dB)

Audio Output & Microphone
2.5mm Balanced Audio Output
Max. 4V RMS (240mWatt/Ch)
3.5mm Unbalanced Audio Output
Max. 2V RMS (80mWatt/Ch)
Built-In Microphone

Pairing with Android
1. Power On 5K
•Press BL(Blue Lower) button for more than 3 sec.
2. Enter Pairing Mode
•Press BU(Blue Upper) button for more than 3 sec.
•Red, Blue LED blink when pairing mode.
3. Go to your Android Bluetooth menu
•Scan Bluetooth devices.
•Select Qudelix-5K in the Available devices list.
4. Paired
•Once paired successfully, you will see Qudelix-5K in the Paired devices list.

Android - LDAC
•Android 8.0 or higher supports SONY LDAC, a high-quality audio codec.
•After pairing the device with an Android smartphone, please enable LDAC in the Android Bluetooth
menu.
•Go to Paired devices list
•Select option button for Qudelix-5K
*Enable Sony LDAC after pairing
Option Button

•Install Android Mobile App (requires Android 8.0 or higher)
•https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.qudelix.qudelix&hl=en_US
•The Qudelix App has nothing to do with Bluetooth Audio Streaming. You can get audio streaming over
Bluetooth without Qudelix App. However, we strongly recommend installing and using the app to
experience the feature-rich nature of Qudelix-5K fully.
•5K allows the APP connection with one device at a time.
•Android App uses the BR/EDR link. So, Android requires the 5K device paired to the system before
making the app connection.
Mobile App - Android
*The Red Bar indicates the app is connected to the device, gray otherwise.

1. Power On 5K
•Press BL(Blue Lower) button for more than 3 sec.
2. Enter Pairing Mode
•Press BU(Blue Upper) button for more than 3 sec.
•Red, Blue LED blink when pairing mode.
3. Go to your iOS Bluetooth menu
•Scan Bluetooth devices.
•Select Qudelix-5K in the Available devices list.
4. Paired
•Once paired successfully, you will see Qudelix-5K Connected ⓘ in the MY DEVICES list.
Pairing with iOS
Scan and select
Connected with ⓘ
Qudelix 5K Bluetooth Audio Connection

•Install iOS Mobile App
•https://apps.apple.com/kr/app/qudelix/id1515641059?l=en
•The Qudelix App has nothing to do with Bluetooth Audio Streaming. You can get audio streaming over
Bluetooth without Qudelix App. However, we strongly recommend installing and using the app to
experience the feature-rich nature of Qudelix-5K fully.
•5K allows the APP connection with one device at a time.
•iOS App uses the BLE(Bluetooth Low Energy) link.
•So, you will see Qudelix-5K Connected without ⓘ when the app is connected.
Mobile App - iOS
A2DP Audio
Connection
BLE App
Connection

•The app displays the current battery and charger status.
•Battery Log Graph
•Instantaneous battery level
•The battery voltage is just for reference.
•Use a standard 5V charger or PC USB only. (Do NOT use a high-speed charger)
•The 5K built-in charger will limit the maximum charging current to 200mA.
•500mA Battery / 2H 30MIN charging time from empty to full
BL(Blue Lower)
Battery

•Always remember that heat is the number one enemy of LiPo batteries. The hotter your batteries get,
the shorter their lifespan will be.
•Do not leave the battery in a hot temperature environment. Especially for the use case with car aux-in,
do not leave the 5K in a car. If the car is parked in the sun, the average temperature inside rises. It could
reach nearly 120 ~160 degrees Fahrenheit. It would kill not only the battery life but also cause the battery
in serious FIRE HAZARD.
•Please use 5V(1~2A) standard charger or PC USB port only for charging 5K. Do NOT use a high-speed
charger. It would cause permanent damage to the unit.
•Please note that, if improperly used, Rechargeable Lithium-ion polymer batteries are potentially
hazardous and can present a severe FIRE HAZARD, SERIOUS INJURY, and PROPERTY DAMAGE.
•Do not use a high-speed charger.
•Use a standard 5V charger or PC USB only.
•Warranty void for any permanent damage caused by using a high-speed charger.
BL(Blue Lower)
Battery - Safety Warning

•Please note that the battery times may differ across each use case.
•The battery time varies across the codec, sample rate, power profile, and the output mode.
•The sensitivity of the connected earphones/headphones and the output volume level also can make
the battery time longer or shorter.
Battery Time
AAC 44.1KHz
LDAC 44.1KHz @ 909Kbps
LDAC 96KHz @ 990Kbps

•User-selectable amp gain mode
•Normal 1V RMS
•High 2V RMS
•Both provide the same sound performance.
•They could sound a little different from each other. But, it doesn't mean that which one is better.
•Normal 1V RMS mode
•Recommended for the most IEMs
•Longer battery time and the lower noise floor
•High 2V RMS mode
•6dB higher maximum output level
•Recommended for headphones
•Auto Volume Correction
•The firmware adjusts the volume and keeps the current output level when switching the gain mode.
•You will experience no difference in loudness when switching the mode to 2VRMS. But you will have
the max volume extended by +6dB.
ES9218P DAC/AMP - Amplifier Gain

•Qudelix's proprietary software drives ES9218p DAC in two different ways to trade off the battery
time and sound quality.
•Standard Profile (ECO mode)
•Standard DAC Operating Clock
•Standard Output Bias Current
•Best Efficiency
•Best trade-off for battery time and sound quality
•Suitable for mobile and outdoor use cases
•Performance Profile (SPORT mode)
•Highest DAC Operating Clock
•High Output Bias Current
•Best Performance
•Best Sound Quality with lesser battery time
•USB powering to the device overrides the current profile and switches it to PERFORMANCE
automatically.
In addition to the output power mode option, 5K provides two different operating profiles, to trade
off the battery time and Sound Quality,
BL(Blue Lower)
ES9218P - DAC Operating Profile

UNBALANCED (Single-Ended) 3.5mm
•Works with Single ES9218p
•Max. 2V RMS output
•3-Wire Output from Source Device
•2 ch DAC/AMP for Stereo Audio
•1-pin Ground
•Common Ground
•Ground Pin goes to both Speaker-L and Speaker-R
•Ground ripple(noise) affects both L & R channel
•Both AMP_NOISE and GROUND_NOISE affects the Sound Quality
•VL = L + AMP_NOISE + GROUND_NOISE
•VR = R + AMP_NOISE + GROUND_NOISE
R
L
Ground
VL
VR

BALANCED (Full-Differential) 2.5mm
L+ Positive
•Works with Dual ES9218p
•Max. 4V RMS output
•4-Wire Output from Source Device
•4ch DAC/AMP required for Stereo Audio
•Original Signal (L+/R+) and Inverted(Negative) Signal (L-/R-)
•Free from Ground Noise
•Common Mode Noise Reduction
•Common AMP_NOISE is canceled out easily
•VL = (LP+ AMP_NOISE) - (LN+AMP_NOISE) = LP-LN = 2L
•VR = (RP+ AMP_NOISE) - (RN+AMP_NOISE) = RP-RN = 2R
•Relatively better Sound Quality
•Better Linearity
•Better Channel Separation
•2x more power and driving capability
VL
VR
L- Negative
R+ Positive
R- Positive
*With any given hardware device, supporting both UNABL and BAL, BAL always provides relatively
better performance than UNBAL.
R-
R+
L+
L-

ES9218P Built-In PGA (Programmable Gain Amp)
ES9218P DAC & HPAMP
with PGA(Programmable Gain Amplifier)
•Analog Volume Control
•Integrated PGA(Programmable Gain Amp)
•0dB ~ -24dB Range
•1dB Step
•Provides the best sound quality at any volume level
•Noise level gets lowered as the volume level gets reduced.

•5K offers 2-way associative volume control for optimal sound quality. It always keeps and guarantees the
full-scaled audio stream over Bluetooth or USB. In either way, you can control the loudness level via
smartphone source volume or 5K device volume without any loss.
Volume
Source
Volume
5K Device
Volume