QLS is no stranger to the market for high-quality audiophile players. Their first models, both portable and stationary, were highly appreciated by lovers of high-quality sound, but the large size of portable models and the support of only the WAV format limited their wide distribution. The new model of their production QA360 is devoid of most of the shortcomings and is a mega-interesting proposal.
QA360 waited long enough, the first rumors about it date back to almost 2013, but in widespread sale and began to gain popularity. This is primarily due to the extensive experience gained by the QLS over the years.
The main feature of this player is native support for DSD format. What it is? Initially, this digital audio storage format was developed by Sony to transfer their archives from analog form to digital media. DSD refers to the storage of a signal using density-pulse modulation. The signal is stored with a depth of 1 bit and a sampling frequency of 2,822.4 kHz. This storage format allows you to achieve a dynamic range of 120 dB in the frequency range from 20 Hz to 20 KHz. It is also easier to convert to analog format and is better protected from decoding errors. The joint development of Sony and Philips led to the fact that this format formed the basis of the standard Super Audio CD.
High-resolution recordings in DSD format are gaining popularity lately, therefore, one way or another, many players have the support (the same Fiio X5, not to go far behind the example), but they all convert it to regular PCM and then transfer it to DAC. QLS360, on the other hand, loses this format without conversion, thus, reproduction does not depend on software firmware algorithms, which is a benefit to quality (which is nice separately - ISO images SACD are supported). Also, the player can act as a transport, transmitting a DSD signal through a digital output to an external DAC. Thus, the QA360 is in some way a universal solution that can be used both as a portable player and as a stationary vehicle. By the way, the company offers for $ 30 a remote control for it, which simplifies the use of QA360 as a hospital.
The player’s stuffing is more than serious, QLS tried to achieve quality rather than save, so they used a good CS4398 DAC from Cirus Logic, the AD8620 performed as a low-pass filter. For the 150-step volume control, the PGA2311 meets, and the amplifier, according to the manufacturer, is built on OPA chips and transistors. The player uses two separate boards, the power for the digital and analog parts is divided and quality filtered. The circuit uses three separate crystal oscillators: for frequencies that are multiples of 44.1 KHz, multiples of 48 KHz, and for DSD. Naturally, such an advanced circuitry could not be cheap (and we must also take into account the great design, about which below), but the QLS did not bully the price tag excessively, the player costs $ 530 plus shipping. In our stores, the prices for it are about the same, so ordering it from abroad makes little sense. But the main question - how does all this sound?
Specifications
- DAC IC : CS4398
- Signal to noise ratio (linear output): 116 dB
- Distortion (linear output): 0.0006%
- Output voltage (line output): 2 V (RMS)
- Frequency range: 0 Hz - 20 KHz
- Power (headphone output): 490 mW @ 16Ω, 245 mW @ 32Ω, 55 mW @ 300Ω
- Impedance (headphone output): 0.075Ω
- Digital outputs: 3.5 mm coaxial, optical
- Digital output formats: PCM, Dolby, DTS, DSD (DSD over PCM V1.0)
- Analog Outputs: Linear 3.5 mm TRS, Headphone 3.5 mm TRS
- Supported HiRez formats: WAV, AIFF. Up to 24 bit / 192 kHz
- Supported lossless formats: FLAC (16/24 bits, 44.1 / 48 kHz), APE and ALAC 16 bits / 44.1 kHz
- Supported lossy formats: MP3
- Supported DSD64 formats: DIFF, DSF, SACD ISO
- CUE support: ANSI / UNICODE / UTF-8
- Memory Cards: SD up to 128 GB
- Battery: Li-Pol, 3.7V, 3120 mA / h
- Single charge time: 10–11 hours for PCM, 7–8 hours for DSD
- Weight: 260 grams
- Dimensions: 117 mm x 72 mm x 27 mm
Package and Delivery
This item can be started as standard: the device came in a black box made of durable cardboard. For Chinese devices, this is already the default option. Black thick cardboard, on top of it - "dust jacket". There is a player in the box on top that is sealed in plastic film for reliability (I have never seen it before), and under it is a considerable package. QLS did our best, so besides the QA360 itself you will receive:
- 16 GB SD card
- Card reader
- Power supply for charging
- USB charging cable
- Silicone Case (added in recent shipments)
- Screen Protectors (one already glued to the screen, the second spare)
- Microfiber cloth
- Various papers with instructions and guarantors
In general, the package is just great, for the money more and no desire.
Design and management
The appearance of the player is the best of all that I have seen, here QLS has already clearly surpassed themselves in order to evoke a maximum of positive emotions among users. The build quality of the QA360 surpasses almost all other Chinese players on its head, leaving a pleasant feeling of high-class stuff.
The size of the player is large enough for this class of devices. In terms of dimensions, it is comparable to the largest Chinese "bricks" in the face of HiFiMan 901 and iBasso DX100, but unlike them, it is made entirely of aluminum. The player is made in two colors: silver and black, both are good in their own way, the quality of painting is great, but I chose the silver version for more harmony with the rest of my technique.
The shape of the case is unusual, but it looks interesting. All controls are made with buttons and switches, no twists or touch panels. All mechanical controls are very pleasant to the touch, pressing and switching are accompanied by great clicks, which creates the very feeling of an expensive thing.
On the front panel there is a screen (very good by the standards of the players and, which is especially nice, allowing you to see the image even in the sun) and seven main control buttons. Five of them are responsible for navigating and confirming the choice, one brings up the system menu with settings, another one serves to go back and go to the selection of tracks. Management is understandable on an intuitive level and does not cause the slightest difficulty in mastering, although a couple of unobvious tricks still exist. By pressing the return button, you can delete the current track (after confirmation), and by holding the central control button, add the track being played to your favorites.
QLS programmers developed the firmware so that all the code works without using any multithreading. This allows you to completely avoid possible problems with the incorrect allocation of processor resources, which, in turn, can affect the sound. Because of this limitation, the interface is quite simple. No cover display, no graphic menus, everything is built on clear text. In general, this kind of asceticism is beneficial for the player: all the necessary information is displayed on the screen, the menu is very simple, and switching on is almost lightning-fast, it only takes a couple of seconds to click the switch to start playback. For fans, the developers of the firmware left it possible to tweak something like the ability to twist the parameters such as the interface color, text scroll rate, and the speed of repetition of the pressed buttons. The speed of the player’s response to the user's actions brings back to memory the experience of using devices like the first CD players: no lags, no delays, everything happens instantly.
The player at startup scans the contents of the memory card, and collects a list of all available artists and albums. Only two levels of nesting folders are supported, great depth will be ignored. In my collection there were a couple of albums in the FLAC format, the addition of which to the card caused the player to freeze at launch, but judging by the reviews on the Internet, this problem is not typical for most users. Having experimented with my records, I gave up and gave up everything I wanted to upload to the player in WAV format, so that they could “read” for sure. By the way, the developers offer firmware that only supports this format, according to them, removing support from other formats from the code allowed us to better optimize the part responsible for playback and to achieve a better sound.
All the albums that are on the memory card are displayed by the player as a two-level list with folders on the first level and individual tracks on the second, so it’s better to sort the card contents by artist and album right away, then the items in this list will be correctly sorted.
On the left side there is a slot for full-size SD cards. Since the player does not have its memory, QLS added a 16 GB card to the package. On the right - there are two volume buttons, a lock switch and a power switch. In the menu, you can configure whether the lock with the hold switch is complete, or whether you can control the volume.
On the top panel there is a jack for connecting an infrared remote control receiver. On the bottom - all the other output connectors: headphone, linear and digital, as well as a connector for charging. There was no room for a USB connector in the player’s design, so the player cannot be used as a DAC or as an external drive. Therefore, the cable for charging the player from USB is unique, and it is worth treating it carefully. To simplify uploading tracks to a memory card, a small USB card reader was added to the package.
Sound
The following headphones were used to listen to the player:
- HiFiMan Re600
- HiFiMan HE560
- Philips Fidelio X1
- Dunu DN-2000
- Lear LUF-4F
- Rhapsodio RTi1
If I needed to characterize the sound of the QA360 in one word, it would be the word “volume”. The player draws (if you can put it that way) sound canvases that are monumental in size, creating a full effect of immersion in the composition, if, of course, the quality of the recording and the headphones allow it. Most often, this effect is achieved due to high detail and emphasis on the HF, but not in the case of QA360. This player manages to stay very musical and please with a solid, not tiring feed, without turning the music into a set of separate sounds.
Low frequencies are detailed and well tuned. To users who are more energetic in the field of bass players, at first it may seem that the QA360 has few bass, but this is definitely not the case; the player honestly plays low frequencies as much as there are in the track without adding a single gram of it. A good amplification circuit provided the right punch and power, and superb bass control makes listening to many tracks an enjoyable experience. As an example, you can take the Imperfect Lock track from the Interstellar soundtrack, closer to its end, the music is accompanied by rolling beats, and the QLS360 paired with Rhapsodio RTi1 plays the piece so that it just takes your breath away. Also, thanks to the LF control, the recordings with various loud beats sound realistic: thunder, shots and other special effects are transmitted very vitally. Another pleasant impression of the player is the sound of low-frequency stringed (and not only) instruments. The same Apocalyptica live recordings are beyond praise. Naturally, these are just a few examples; the player is equally well suited for most recordings.
The mid-frequency range is distinguished by incredible musicality. The player simply forcibly involves in listening to the material, revealing all the emotions embedded in the track when recording. The virtual scene that QA360 builds is not the most huge, but still very large, besides, it is very reliable in terms of the location of the sound sources. This is well heard on large-scale and dynamic recordings such as metal with a symphony orchestra, large choirs, etc. The high-quality recordings of small groups such as emotional unplugged concerts are also interesting.
HF, of course, also deserve all praise, they are enough in quantity, they are good in quality. Taking into account the price, I would probably like a little more separation, sometimes the highest-frequency sounds mix up a little bit, but this is not heard on all tracks. In addition, I think that a greater separation of the HF could have a negative impact on the overall pitch of the player.
QLS QA360 in my memory is the first player in which switching a digital filter really affects the sound and you can listen to both versions without disgust. In the Fast version, the sound of the player becomes a little brighter, and the treble more caustic and outlined, in the Slow mode, the sound is darker and more accented on the low frequencies. Of course, the changes are not great, more at the level of subtle nuances, but they are, and depending on the genres and musical material, you can choose one of them.
The amplifier part of the player is very good. He surprisingly well copes even with a complex load of the type of isodynamic headphones. No joke, even with TDS-7, modified Snorry and HiFiMan HE-560, which have recently been in my hands, the 360th copes if not perfectly, but not bad enough. Load simpler does not constitute a problem for him. Very sensitive low-impedance headphones with a player may sound slightly harsh, but fortunately, there are practically no such good headphones.
I am glad and the genre versatility of the player. By virtue of a neutral presentation, he is equally well at work with any musical genres, from classical to brutal metal. Sensitivity to the quality of musical material QA360 is high, due to the high reliability of playback, you will clearly hear all the flaws of information and mastering, so the media library may have to be reconsidered, but this is probably the very trouble that can be considered pleasant. This player is one of the few that clearly shows the difference between different remasters of the same album. By the way, I recommend the remasters (or, more precisely, even remixes) of classic rock from Stephen Wilson, what he did with Jethro Tull, King Crimson and Yes - deserves a long applause.
findings
We have to admit that the QLS player was a success. Despite the very large size, the presence of some problems with the software and a tangible price tag, its positive aspects fall in love with him immediately. A very musical sound, an incredible speed of work and an extraordinary level of performance give the feeling of using the HiEnd-thing, so the player will long please the lover of high-quality sound, who decided to buy.
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