The Q5 is equipped with two of AKM's AK4490EN DAC chips - known for its smooth, pleasant yet detailed sound due to its high signal-to-noise ratio and low distortion. Audio up to 384kHz/32 bit sampling rates and bit-depths are supported as well as native DSD up to DSD256. When DSD audio is transmitted to the Q5 in USB DAC usage, a green indicator will light up.
The low-pass filter section of the Q5 employs Texas Instruments' high performance OPA1642, while the MSP432 microcontroller ensures that audio signals are precisely handled with lower power consumption for longer battery life. When these elements are combined with the AK4490 DAC chip, Panasonic film capacitors, and the NJW1195 volume control chip, what results is a wonderful, melodious sound that is just pure ecstasy for your ears.
The Q5 has also been officially certified by Apple to be "Made for iDevices", ensuring that it will flawlessly work with any of Apple's devices without fail.
The Q5 has been deemed by the Japan Audio Society, after having extensively evaluated it, to be truly "Hi-Res Audio" capable. The Q5 utilizes the Qualcomm CSR8670 Bluetooth chip, which has official support for aptX high-fidelity Bluetooth audio. In addition, the Q5's Bluetooth capabilities can be upgraded through USB firmware updates.
Dual independent micro-USB connectors
Traditionally, highly advanced DAC/amplifier combos have consumed lots of power in order to provide great quality sound. This means that due to the lack of current provided by a computer's USB port, your device's battery could actually drain even when not using it on the go. At the same time, whatever power provided by the USB port in this fashion is usually not clean, which has a great negative impact on the sound quality. Therefore, it is important that an audio device is powered by a clean, high quality power source. The Q5 is designed with two USB ports (one on the side and one on the bottom) for this very purpose.
The side USB port is for charging only while the bottom USB port is only for transmitting digital audio signals, so that the Q5's firmware can be updated when hooked up to a computer. This ensures that the Q5 has access to enough cleaner power as well as ensuring the battery doesn't drain in such scenarios. This same design is actually used among other well-renown portable audio products.
