So I recently picked one up, and it’s a much larger difference than I experienced at a show demo, imo pretty worthwhile being that you can find them around the 1.2k open box sometimes. Even though it’s not super powerful on paper, it’s surprising what it can push (my guess is because you can set it to high bias class a which is very good at delivering current), I actually have no qualms power wise with the qpm for iems and easier to drive headphones (but harder to drive ones might be something I like more on other players). At 2k I hesitate to call it worthwhile because of the lack of features, but for what you can sometimes find them for it’s really a high performer imo (it def competes in the 2k range sound wise). Some sonic differences from the qp2r is that it’s a more neutral player that has a bit less smoothness, better impact and drive, more detail, and also a more spatious sound. It does still have the questyle smoother neutral house sound but it’s a bit less colored and more technically capable than the qp2r
Interesting! Yeah I’m much more interested in the SQ than Android or crazy features. Android players just seem slow and cluttered. Honestly I wouldn’t care about EQ but it is absolutely necessary with my i4s sadly. I’ll have to check out the QPM then, especially for 1.2k open box. I know the QPM is behind the P6, but what player do you think is second behind the P6 for SQ?
Agree for sure, I don’t need all the bells and whistles lol, I just want something focused, simple, and solid lol
I agree for sure
Yeah there are some out there in that price but idk about the regular price yet
Man that’s a hard one, since it’s hard to say without a specific iem in mind (and I don’t have much experience with the i4 outside of store demos)
Cool cool. A lot of the DAPs out there right now are so gimmicky, they feel like they’ll be here today gone tomorrow. I’m pretty sure the QPM also has USB DAC and EQ for me if I can find one on the cheap.
Oh absolutely
So a note on the qpm as a usb dac, if you use high bias mode while in usb dac mode, the unit won’t charge, just something to note (and for the lcd you might want high bias on)
Will it discharge? It’s not too much of a problem if it just holds its charge
Yes it will actively loose battery. I find that I don’t really need to use high bias with any of my iems besides my obravos (and even then it’s only a slight sq improvement), with more full size headphones it makes a more significant difference
Yikes. I just surprisingly found someone on the QPM thread on Headfi who used LCD i4. He said he needed high gain high bias. So considering that, it looks like it might not be the best option. Who wants to drain battery while plugged in??
Sounds about right, I would assume with those being a bit more demanding than a normal iem
Lol I assume the answer would be nobody lol. But it’s manageable if you let it stop and charge from time to time, but that’s kinda a pain (and regarding the qpm I mainly only use that on the go and not on the desk)
I really don’t know why the i4s require so much power considering they are 32 ohm 110dB. Maybe that means I should only be looking at 800mW+ players like the Cayin N3 Pro and Kann. I demoed the DX220 Max and was unimpressed, plus it’s not really portable at all.
Keep in mind that the way that’s measured doesn’t correlate to actual demands, planar typically need a lot of current to really get moving and sound correct, so typically it’s going to be harder to push than it would look on paper
Interesting, so far it’s mainly impressed me with headphones but hasn’t really done it for me with iems, but I would agree that it’s not really that portable lol. I will say though the ui isn’t great and the lack of buttons is killing me
So I need something with a high Vrms? If so then Kann Alpha would be a good choice. I might still give the QPM a chance, I asked the individual how much headroom he had with the i4s on it. I haven’t seen power figures for the P6, is it as strong or stronger than the QPM?
No, you would want to look for something with high current delivery, since you want voltage for higher impedance, and current for lower impedance. Planar also favor current delivery over voltage. That being said I have heard the kann cube with an audeze in ear and it drove them really well
I recall seeing like 700mw @ 32 ohms balanced but that may have been max power. The P6 is def stronger than the qpm for sure from my experiences with it, drives every iem I have with great control, and even with some of my headphones it’s still really good. Luxury & precision also make the LP6 which is more designed for driving headphones, and has a custom eq from what I know, so perhaps look into that, but I haven’t heard that one
I believe the LP6 uses an R2R chip instead of a resistor ladder. Still, I will take a look! How do I tell which devices have a high current delivery?
That is correct, but it’s still a ladder dac lol, I would assume it would be at least as good as the p6 but can’t say for sure
Sometimes manufactures will give ratings but for the most part it’s just been kinda guess and check for me lol. I know there is a way you can take the rated output power in mw and the voltage at the same impedance and figure out current, but not all companies give you both specs. In full size amps, you want to see the power double when you half impedance load (if it doesn’t, there’s a good chance the amp can be current limited), I guess also pay attention to psu design and the topology of how the amp is designed, but at least from my experience there isn’t a surefire way to tell right off the bat.
Huh, yeah I figured it wouldn’t be easy to tell. Well, the research continues. Thank yoy for your help M0N!
Yeah lots of things out there for sure. The safest bet from a power perspective is prob the kann if you weren’t a fan of the 220 max, other options might offer better sq but power or lack of eq would be concerns
I don’t know if I really helped here lol
No you did, I now know the few options I have to look at and save for.
FWIW, DAP EQ is something I’ve been digging into for some time. Here are my notes:
A&K : 20-band quasi-PEQ. Gain and Q are adjustable, frequency must be selected from 20 pre-sets, at the 1/2 octave points (30, 45, 60, 90 Hz, etc.). There is an old thread on Head-Fi claiming the Q adjustment didn’t actually do anything either (AK300 model). If true, has this been fixed? More recently, Oratory1990 does a 20-band A&K EQ for the Aeon Flow headphone. It has the same 2.5 Q for each FR despite that producing sub-optimal results, why? Whether the Q adjustment works is easy to test, would love someone with an A&K DAP from the past few years to do so.
Questyle : 10-band GEQ setting allowing up to + or – 6dB adjustment in each frequency band. Only 2 EQs can be saved.
Lotoo Paw Gold: full-function 5-band PEQ each with 3 filter options, high-pass, low-pass or band-pass, 3 EQs can be saved.
iBasso (at least DX200 models): 10-band GEQ + 6-band PEQ, at least 4 EQ saves, 8 filter tyoes,
All other manufacturers I know of if they have EQ at all have 10-band GEQ, some with only presets, no customs.
Gotcha, so it looks like Lotoo or iBasso is it. I was looking at the N3pro but the tube output will be too weak for my i4’s (130mW).
That’s a shame, I’m not super interested in either company’s DAPs. The Lotoo is nice for no Android but I feel like the 6000 will be a tad weak and the Paw Touch will be too expensive considering it’s coming up on two years old I think.