Questyle CMA Twelve | DAC and Headphone Amp
Questyle CMA Twelve Flagship Desktop DAC, Headphone Amp, and Pre-Amp Out
- Available in Standard or Master Edition (uses ceramic circuit boards and optimized components for higher performance level)
- Pure Class A amp with Balanced 4.4mm and XLR + 6.3mm headphone jacks
- Includes USB-B and SPDIF/Optical/AES/EBU inputs
- Delivers strong technical performance with valuable versatility
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Bloom's Take The Questyle CMA Twelve is a stylish, technically refined masterpiece of hi-fi engineering. It provides levels of detail and resolution that are simply out of this world in a unit with a high degree of versatility. The Master Edition is a refined upgrade over the standard which offers a higher level of performance with the adoption of Rogers ceramic circuit boards and optimized components and includes a 'Master' laser etching. Ceramic boards provide superior thermal stability, electrical insulation, and low dielectric loss, and they are quieter, better-isolated and more stable over time, delivering a more dynamic performance for the long haul. |
From Questyle
CMA Twelve, the new flagship DAC / Headphone Amp from Questyle inherits their classic desktop design format and outperforms its peers once again. It marks the anniversary of Questyle’s revolutionary Current Mode Amplification technology, invented 12 years ago.
Design
The elegant lines and laser etched text for status and volume echo the professional “genes” of the Questyle family. Serious thought for every detail is revealed with the amber glow of each LED indicator against the black sandblasted chassis.
Distinctive Questyle Design
Only when you see it will you truly understand the exquisite finish and design detail achieved between Questyle and their manufacturing partner, Foxconn, setting new benchmarks in technological standards. The chassis of the CMA Twelve has very high efficiency for heat dissipation, which ensures it will work with absolute stability in pure Class A, keeping the temperature at 45 degrees.
Resonance Control
Mechanical vibration will affect audio signal processing and the resulting sound. To avoid resonance, the CMA Twelve chassis is formed from 10mm-thick aircraft-grade Aluminum 6063, with high precision machining techniques of ±0.02mm.
Full Headphone Performance
CMA Twelve is designed with 4 groups of Current Mode amps, exhibiting forceful driving power and an ultra-low distortion level of a mere 0.0005%. And with the BIAS Control System, CMA Twelve will give full performance to your headphone or speaker systems while bringing an exceptional listening experience.
Additionally, CMA Twelve is Questyle’s first device to feature the now-common Balanced 4.4mm jack.
Studio Digital Monitoring
In addition to SPDIF and Optical inputs, the CMA Twelve supports a professional AES input and XLR output. Live recordings can be monitored in real time via the 6.3mm headphone output. Output level matching is user switchable between Studio and Standard mode. In the Studio mode, the power level will increase from 14dBu up to 20dBu instantly, matching it with studio-level professional equipment.
Sound Quality of Streaming
Digital audio signals from your PC, music server, CD or Blu-ray can be sent to the CMA Twelve via AES, SPDIF, Optical or USB. The core patented technologies of Current Mode Amplification, True DSD, and 3x Clock Asynchronous Transmission allow the CMA Twelve to offer outstanding performance from its DAC and pre-amp. The specially designed ADJ/FIX switch is used to match with power amps and active speakers.
Specifications
Device
- Finish: Black
- Chassis Materials: special CNC-tooled Aluminum
- Dimension: 13” x 7.87" x 1.38" (330mm x 200mm x 55mm)
- Working Status: Pure Class A
- Voltage: 100-120V or 220-240V, switchable
- Power Consumption: 17W
DAC+Headphone Amplifier Section
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Outputs
- 4.4mm Balanced headphone
- 4-pin XLR Balanced headphone
- 6.3mm headphone
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Max Output Power
- 247mW @ 300Ω | 900mW @ 32Ω(6.3mm)
- 825mW @ 300Ω | 2W @ 32Ω (4.4mm and XLR)
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THD+N
- 0.00070% @Po=100mW, 300Ω
- 0.00167% @ Po=50mW, 32Ω
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Frequency Response
- DC-20kHz(+0, -0.4dB)@0dBFS, 24Bit, 192kHz
- DC-80kHz(+0, -3dB)@0dBFS, 24Bit, 192kHz
- SNR: 112dB, non-weighting
DAC + Pre-Amp Output Section
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USB-B Input
- Supports 44.1kHz-384kHz/16Bit-32Bit PCM and DSD Native DSD64, DSD128, DSD256, as well as DSD64, DSD128, DSD256 of DoP format
- Supports Win XP, Vista, Win7, Win8, Win10 and Mac OS
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Digital Input & Output
- SPDIF input and output, Optical input, AES/EBU input
- Support 44.1kHz-192kHz/16Bit-24Bit PCM
- Pre-Amp & DAC
- (x1) Pair BAL XLR | (x1) Pair UnBAL RCA
- STANDARD 14dBu: XLR: 5.084V | RCA: 2.549V
- STUDIO 20dBu: XLR: 8.887V | RCA: 4.475V
- THD+N@STUDIO 20dBu: XLR: minimum at 0.00085% | RCA: minimum at 0.00115%
- SNR: XLR: >112dB | RCA: > 109dB (non-weighting)
- Note: FIX/ADJ: Fixed Output Mode or Adjustable Output Mode of the pre-amp
