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SMSL Q5

Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 10:26 am
by savvypaul
My purchase of a 2nd hand SMSL Q5 Dac / Amp has not worked out well, so far.

The Q5, rather unusually, has a female USB 2.0 input (unlike the later Q5 Pro, which has the more typical micro usb input) and I haven't been able to find a USB 2.0 female to female cable or a combination of adaptors that would do the job. The alternative, to get it up and running, is a £40 USB to SPDIF converter...so I might as well have ordered a new Q5 Pro in the first place.

Just a heads up to anyone looking at 2nd hand models of these and wanting USB connectivity.

We live and learn... :lol:

Re: SMSL Q5

Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 10:45 am
by Fretless
Have a look around for a 'USB Gender Changer', Amazon has a selection - they are adaptors that switch male or female USB sockets.

Re: SMSL Q5

Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 10:49 am
by savvypaul
:guiness; Cheers Fret

Re: SMSL Q5

Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 8:22 pm
by Ithilstone
why would you need usb female to female ?? what do you try to connect Q5 to?? I would assume that to some kind of PC or other transport then it would be female to male ( like most extenders )
an yes you can even find that female to female on ebay or aliexpress

Isnt that how it looks like from the back ??
https://cdn.shenzhenaudio.com/media/cat ... 5/q5-9.jpg

then you need male usb 2.0 full size on Q5 end... ;]

Re: SMSL Q5

Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 10:01 pm
by slinger
If you've got a USB 2 female socket then surely what you need is a cable with a male USB 2 plug on the Q5 end, or am I missing something?

Re: SMSL Q5

Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 10:26 pm
by Chunk McDaniel
Yeah I thought just a normal USB 2 cable would be required.

Re: SMSL Q5

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 9:55 am
by savvypaul
:doh:

When I grew up the cable had 2 phonos on one end and 2 phonos on the other end.

Now I can't tell the males from the females, the A from the B, the mini from the micro, the 2.0 from the 3.0... :lol:

Anyways, I think I have got it cracked. Cheers, everyone.

Will report more when music begins...

Re: SMSL Q5

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 11:03 am
by Chunk McDaniel
Next we will be hearing of your steam powered amplification Savvy. : :mrgreen:

Re: SMSL Q5

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 11:16 am
by savvypaul
The kids think my turntable belongs to that era...and I'm happy to keep 'em off it. They are, however, unerringly efficient at making their own playlists and changing all my squeezebox settings in the process. It's their revenge for my depriving them of the new wiffey code until they have decontaminated their bedrooms...

Re: SMSL Q5

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 1:33 pm
by slinger
Chunk McDaniel wrote: Tue Apr 17, 2018 11:03 am Next we will be hearing of your steam powered amplification Savvy. : :mrgreen:
The valves are dimming! Quick! Throw more coal on the recti-fire! :lol: