I still remember the year I graduated from university I bought a pair of what I personally considered the best monitoring earphones as my graduation gift the qdc 4Studio When I first told Mr Huang how much I loved the 4Studio there was a gleam in his eyes as if to say the earphones you appreciate are also my proudest work For confidentiality reasons I cannot reveal the level of the tuning team behind the 4Studio but what I can confirm is that it was top tier musicians at the national level It also possesses the rigorous detail imaging and spatial shaping of the qdc 8Studio but with a bit less of that razor sharp clarity and angularity presenting instead in a more relaxed and expansive manner especially with bass that is more musically engaging for enthusiasts This is why the 4Studio was not only my primary custom IEM but also a sufficiently capable monitoring tool Over time although qdc later released products like the qdc V14 and 8Pro none of them brought back the flavour I loved from the 4Studio until the Crave arrived That midrange texture is the essence of the Crave making it the qdc model that best balances raw power and musical enjoyment in the brand s history
The packaging of the Crave follows a new design language introduced for the 10th anniversary including a matching carrying case with a brushed gold metal nameplate on the front The interior is spacious enough to accommodate a small dongle DAC as well as eartips and interchangeable plugs all in one go The stock cable uses a copper silver plated hybrid with a black outer sheath The cable is soft and resistant to tangling and the connectors have been revised from the previous recessed pin design to a standard 0.78mm two pin configuration compatible with the vast majority of aftermarket cables It also comes standard with three L shaped interchangeable plugs 3.5mm 4.4mm and 2.5mm
qdc has always demonstrated excellent taste when it comes to faceplate design for their universal fit models often setting trends for custom DIY designs in the community for brief periods This time they have chosen a black and white colour scheme for the shells complemented by high gloss silver foil accents The semi transparent shell allows a faint view of the neatly arranged internal driver layout And after years of experience in monitor earphone development qdc s ergonomic design has matured significantly offering a secure fit and strong passive isolation The only drawback is that the shell is relatively thick which may not be ideal for users with smaller concha cavities
In terms of development direction qdc had a clear goal this time starting from the core hardware all the way through to the frequency response tuning and the refinement of the actual listening experience Every step reveals deep thought and deliberation The end result is a sound that is extremely balanced calm and versatile First regarding driver selection qdc s Dmagic dynamic driver technology which began with the Fusion and Mo Quan models laid the groundwork for future hybrid designs combining dynamics with balanced armatures This was not only for sound quality but also to ensure consistent performance for custom monitor users while maintaining high sensitivity For the midrange qdc developed an entirely new balanced armature driver specifically for this project The integration of this midrange driver not only enhances vocal performance but also enriches the fullness of the bass and the refinement of high frequency strings After all the midrange is often called the soul of HiFi because it covers not only the vocal range but also the fundamental frequencies of instruments making it the absolute core of the entire sound reproduction chain
As a hybrid configuration of one dynamic driver ten balanced armature drivers and four electrostatic drivers qdc has achieved near perfect phase coherence with the Crave From a technical standpoint it employs patented adjacent band crosstalk suppression and phase compensation technology and I can reasonably guess that it features exceptionally smooth phase and Group Delay curves The transient response decay speed delay reverb and imaging body across the entire frequency range are as fluid smooth and natural as a single driver system It is no exaggeration to say that when switching from the Crave to the V14 or 8Pro the drop in imaging quality is immediately noticeable particularly in the bass region The Crave delivers bass response that is precise and clean without the overly thick imaging of the V14 Maintaining restrained quantity it achieves deep sub bass extension excellent elasticity and rich textural detail Although the Crave uses a dynamic driver for the low frequencies it delivers density transient response and low frequency resolution comparable to large balanced armature drivers like the 22955 Or perhaps more accurately dynamic drivers today have long surpassed most balanced armature drivers in physical performance but the challenge of design and crossover integration makes it difficult to achieve seamless dynamic balanced armature synergy like the Crave There are probably only a handful of models in the industry that can accomplish this Some manufacturers attempt to improve driver cohesion by setting the crossover point relatively high or using the balanced armature only for the harmonic range as seen in models like the K3003 and ME500 to avoid tonal abruptness But qdc has implemented an exceptionally clean crossover design with no low frequency resonance bleeding into the upper range or tonal cross contamination between the low and midrange The transparency and imaging precision are on a surgical level of accuracy
What I love about the Crave s vocal presentation is the same as what I loved about the 4Studio It delivers a relaxed and natural sound that does not rely on coloration to make vocals sound pleasing I also need to retract my initial assessment after my first listen when I called the Crave an upgraded V14 The V14 s vocals are nowhere near the same league To draw a comparison it perfectly inherits all the vocal strengths of both the 4Studio and the 8Pro combining the natural vocal imaging and relaxed quality of the 4Studio with the solid density and the abundant vocal details from the 8Pro s Live mode The articulation of lip sounds breath and throat texture is all fully rendered without ever being overbearing I have said before that monitoring earphones should have enjoyable vocals because from the perspective of playback and faithful reproduction if a singer genuinely sounds good then should not the accurate representation of their voice also sound good Products like the qdc 8Studio from the early days did not fully achieve this but the Crave does it perfectly It brings out the inherently beautiful qualities of vocal textures the husky richness of Shibata Jun the grain of Koji Tamaki the breathiness of Sandy Lam and the sinus resonance and metallic core of Na Ying Yet when these qualities are presented you never feel that qdc has added any artificial coloration This is exactly why I was so devoted to the 4Studio back then and now qdc has delivered this same characteristic in a more technically accomplished and higher end manner However I must offer a perhaps pessimistic conclusion I do not believe the Crave s vocal character will be a widely popular direction in the mainstream flagship IEM market But after all this is qdc with their authority and professional background and many audiophiles tend to think there must be a reason why qdc tunes things this way I have even said that if any other brand attempted this style other than qdc it would likely fail miserably
Both from my personal experience and from years of conversations with R&D personnel I have come to feel that the treble is the most difficult frequency range to tune well and it is also the most sensitive to subtle changes that can significantly alter the tonal character qdc has long been skilled at adding coloration to the treble as seen in models like the Folk and Fusion which feature smooth light and lively treble characteristics Even the 8Pro manages to deliver a sense of openness along with excellent harmonics and fine instrumental detail while maintaining a neutral foundation With the Crave however I feel they have taken a more subtractive approach According to qdc s official promotional materials the Crave was designed with a strong emphasis on treble smoothness at high listening volumes This is particularly relevant given that A K has significantly increased output power in recent years which can reduce the softness of the treble and cause overdriving when paired with balanced armature drivers Overdriving can result in harshness tonal distortion floating imaging or even channel imbalance in severe cases To address this qdc aimed for a flatter frequency response in the treble and ultra high frequency regions with the Crave though it is not purely monitor oriented Compared to the V14 the Crave s treble is not only smoother at high volumes but also maintains instrumental detail and density without any degradation While the ultra high frequency response has not been attenuated or abruptly cut at a specific peak it is noticeably more precise and restrained than more pop oriented models such as the Emperor Overall in terms of tonal character the Crave still carries the familiar qdc house sound but its relaxed liveliness and more linear energy delivery are superior to the 8Pro while also being more accommodating in terms of amplifier power requirements and pairing flexibility
In terms of soundstage I was quite clear about my stance at the exhibition I understand that some might say the Crave s soundstage is not particularly large but that is because its soundstage adapts to the source material and the reverb character follows suit You will find that when listening to chamber music large orchestral works regular pop or jazz club recordings the Crave faithfully reflects the spatial expression of the music itself grand when it should be grand and intimate when it should be intimate I have not been able to identify any inherent soundstage signature of the Crave itself whether it is widened whether the reverb is generous whether it is diffuse or whether the edges of the soundstage are clearly defined None of these descriptions seem to fit the Crave Its baseline scale may not be particularly large but once you play a live jazz or classical recording its openness immediately expands Yet with regular pop tracks and chamber music the soundstage becomes more contained and well organised with slightly more defined edges In this regard it also differs notably from the 8Pro and V14 Its scale is clearly larger than the 8Pro yet it is more capable than the V14 of conveying the original recording characteristics of the source material
When a manufacturer develops an earphone they make countless choices and trade offs much like taking an exam during our student days where there is such a thing as a reference answer The reference answer is not necessarily the only answer but it is certainly the correct one The Crave essentially achieves reference answer level performance in nearly every minor detail If we imagine that earlier monitor oriented models like the V14 and 8Pro might have reached reference level in 80 to 90 out of 100 criteria then the Crave likely exceeds 95 heading towards a perfect score Although I have often said that ultra flagship models are typically sold on aesthetic resonance requiring the manufacturer to express their own musical philosophy qdc s Crave is the exception to that rule It helps users better resonate with the music itself If you are unsure what a sound should be that is both technically accurate and musically engaging the Crave is it If you are wondering which ultra flagship in the 20,000 yuan price bracket is the safest blind buy and which achieves absolute versatility and balance I can confidently say that currently only the Crave has reached that level
Source: Li Ling Jia Qi
