Review: qdc Anole VX – Chameleon

qdc Anole VX

In this review we’re taking a closer look at the qdc Anole VX. It’s a ten driver flagship IEM from the Chinese company qdc. Will it impress us? Let’s find out!

 

Disclaimer: qdc provided the Anole VX at no cost. I only had to pay for shipping my impressions to China and to import the final product. qdc is not affiliated with Headfonia and not a site advertiser. Many thanks for the generosity and opportunity.

About qdc:

The parent company of qdc, Shenzhen Qili Industrial Co Ltd, has been around since 2005. It might surprise you, but this company has been making military communication equipment since then. It was only after some years that they have shifted their focus also on high end audio products for regular consumers.

The name qdc has been flying under the radar for a while, but now the Western market seems to have adopted them. Their first bigger hit was the Gemini, an eight-driver IEM with high sound performance.

qdc splits their line-up in three categories. The Live line for musicians, the Studio line for professional sound engineers and the HiFi line for their consumers. Additionally to them, there are also the Anole line, the Neptune line and the Hybrid line. With their Fusion IEM they have just recently released their very first hybrid monitor.

Last year qdc has announced their new flagship, the Anole VX. Today we are taking a look at how it performs and holds up against the big names of the West.

qdc Anole VX

qdc Anole VX

About Anole VX:

The Anole VX is one of the last remaining all-BA flagships. It uses ten balanced armatures in a three-way crossover system. There are no specifications on the exact driver configuration on qdc’s website. Luckily qdc has provided that on request though. Anole VX uses four balanced armatures for lows, two for mids and a quad setup for highs.

Like all Anole monitors, VX also comes with dip-switches to adjust the sound. It’s the first one to use three of them though. You can alter bass, mids and treble separately or in combination. Its impedance varies from 15 to 19 Ohms, depending on the chosen setting. The same goes for the sensitivity, which has a range of 110 to 113 decibels per Milliwatt.

The Anole VX can be purchased in universal for $ 2,436 and in custom form for $ 2,670 directly from qdc or one of their retailers around the world.

Custom Build Choices (Personalization):

For designing a new CIEM a good visual tool always helps in the process. qdc does have a designer on their website that shows you almost all available options for your new custom. You get a wide selection of different shell and face plate colours.

All in all you have 16 translucent and 15 opaque face plate options, as well shell colours. To top that you get the choice between Wood, Mica and Jewelry face plates as well as silver and gold powder elements and what looks to be 3D printed textures.

qdc Anole VX

qdc Anole VX

qdc has one option in their Jewelry selection that truly stands out from the competition. The option to have 3D printed sculls as your face plate. That’s absolutely extraordinary and unique, but has to fit your taste of course.

I have been going back and forth about my unit. During the design process qdc has helped me a lot in finding something that really suits me. I have tried different colour combinations and wood face plates. They even sent me pictures of available pieces of wood to pick from. But in the end, I landed at their standard design from their universal version.

It features a transparent shell with silver foil inlays and a “spun silver” face plate with the VX model logo and qdc logo in silver on them. After 20 custom IEMs it’s getting more and more difficult to come up with good designs, and I am very happy with the one qdc provided.

The current build-time for one set is two to four weeks from the point when they receive your impressions. Mine were done in a little over two weeks.

The review continues on the next page.

4.6/5 - (171 votes)
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A daytime code monkey with a passion for audio and his kids, Linus tends to look at gear with a technical approach, trying to understand why certain things sound the way they do. When there is no music around, Linus goes the extra mile and annoys the hell out of his colleagues with low level beatboxing.

6 Comments

  • Reply August 13, 2019

    Frankie D

    Like you please compare the QDC Anole VX to the Vision Ears VE-8. I also have the VX and was wondering what the VE-8 is like in comparison. Thank you.

    • Reply August 13, 2019

      Linus

      Hi Frankie,

      can’t comment. I had the VE8 last year for demo, but I don’t have it in my inventory. I don’t do comparisons based on memory, those are not accurate in my opinion. Sorry.

  • Reply October 15, 2019

    Daniel Vigil

    How do the qdc VX compare to their predecessor, qdc Gemini? I’ve heard their sound signature is very similar.

    • Reply October 18, 2019

      Linus

      Hi Daniel,
      thanks for your comment.
      Can’t say really, as I haven’t heard the Gemini. There’s also no chance I can try it anywhere here, as qdc is not very well spread in Europe. No chance to audition it.
      Sorry.

  • Reply February 22, 2020

    Mark C

    Do you think Fiio FH7 or Anole VX will pair better with Chord mojo?

  • Reply July 13, 2020

    Luis

    Mojo is no match for an Anole VX. Get an Hugo 2 or a FiiO M15.

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