Name: Questyle M15 | Portable DAC and Amp
Brand: Questyle
SKU: M15
Price: 249.0 USD
Availability: InStock

Questyle M15 | Portable DAC and Amp-Bloom Audio

$249.00

Condition

New

In this complex world, we pursue simplicity.

The era of 5G has brought music streaming from smart devices fully into the mainstream. As more and more music platforms launch lossless audio streaming services, mobile hi-res audio has changed from a neat gimmick into a real and growingly popular way to enjoy high-fidelity music. However, it’s often impractical to use traditional HiFi audio equipment with your smartphone on-the-go, due to size and power consumption. To solve this problem, the M15 was born: it distills all of Questyle’s expertise and technologies into an amazingly powerful yet compact mobile DAC & amp.

Don’t be fooled by its small size. The M15 offers uncompromising performance and best-in class fidelity, giving you the ultimate portable audio experience.
Welcome to the world of truly mobile HiFi.

Questyle M15

Two independent CMA SiP modules
Four total amplification circuits
Greater dynamics, richer details

The M15 contains two of Questyle’s patented CMA (Current Mode Amplification) SiP modules, for a total of four CMA amp engines. This quadruple drive amplification circuitry gives an outstandingly strong output that can drive almost any headphone. Questyle’s Current Mode Amplifiers are characterized by their small footprint, low voltage operation, and minimal power consumption. Current Mode amplification has a naturally low impedance, affording the M15 a bandwidth up to 1MHz, distortion as low as 0.0003%, and the ability to reproduce every detail hidden deep within any track.

Compatible with even more headphones

With its four CMA amp circuits, the M15 supports both unbalanced (3.5mm TRS) and balanced (4.4mm TRRS) outputs. It also has manual gain adjustment via the slider on the side, which makes it easy to choose high/low gain depending on the connected headphone, speaker, or HiFi system.

Purest sound, anytime, anywhere

Only a black background can reflect rich color. With its incredibly low noise floor, the M15 allows all the details of your music faithfully ring true. In testing, the M15 was able to achieve a noise floor of -130dB.

When playing audio, the data status indicator will illuminate one of the following colors:

Green: indicates the audio sample rate is 48kHz or less.
Red: indicates hi-res lossless playback.(Hi-res lossless refers to PCM 88.2kHz~384 kHz, or DSD64~DSD256.)
Magenta: indicates the M15 is performing the final unfold of an MQA Core stream.

ESS Technology

World-class digital to analog conversion ESS ES9281AC DAC offers top-of-the-line decoding. The M15 features the highly acclaimed ESS ES9281AC flagship DAC, which can handle up to PCM384kHz/32bit and DSD256. It’s almost inconceivable that something as small as the M15 can process and reproduce such demanding audio formats.

DAC Capability
Low power consumption, no overheating
Long battery life, longer playback
Unparalleled ease of use
Plug-and-play, no drivers needed
Your HiFi, anytime, anywhere
Metal housing, transparent cover
Minimalist on the outside, stunning on the inside

M15 Connects You to the Streaming Era

The easiest way to enjoy any hi-res lossless library, the M15 supports almost all music streaming platforms worldwide, including Apple Music, Tidal, QQ Music, among others. It fully supports and decodes ALAC, FLAC, MQA, and other lossless formats.

Specs

Questyle M15 Specs

Operating System Required

Android phone and pad: Android 5.0 and above
PC: Win10 1803 and above
Apple cellphone: iOS (You need to buy an OTG cable for Lightning to Type-C.)
Apple computer: mac OS

DAC Capability

PCM: PCM: 32kHz – 384kHz (16/24/32Bit)
DSD: DSD64(1Bit 2.8MHz) , DSD128(1Bit 5.6MHz), DSD256(1Bit 11.2MHz)

Output Interface

3.5mm standard headphone jack x1
4.4mm balanced headphone jack x1

Output Power

3.5mm:RL=300Ω,Po=11.97mW, Vout(Max)=1.895Vrms,THD+N=0.00045%
4.4mm:RL=300Ω,Po=22.60mW, Vout(Max)=2.624Vrms,THD+N=0.00057%

Frequency Response &THD

Frequency Response: ±0.1dB(20Hz-20kHz)
THD + N：0.0003%
DAC：ESS flagship USB DAC chip ES9281AC

Appearance

Material：CNC machined aluminum
– Color：Black
– Size：61.8[L] X 27.2[W] X 12[D](mm)

Just Fantastic!

I have had a few of these dongle amp/dacs, the M-15 is the best so far! Clean power no noise and a fabulous Dac! The total solution for anyone who is an audiophile on a budget. For less than 300.00 you can not beat this ONE!

Very happy

Great

Excellent device with the power to drive a surprising array of different headphones. Everything from IEMS, Hifiman XS, HD 660s, etc.

Works great. Occasional static

Huge improvement in quality for JH Lola compared with HiBy FC5. Plenty of power on high gain for Audeze LCD-2

But the iFi xDSD Gryphon I bought from Bloom is vastly superior

The Questyle M15 is an Easy Recommendation

I bought the Questyle M15 Portable DAC and Amp after going through a suitable mourning period for the passing of my LG V40 smartphone (which had a great DAC) but LG abandoned that market. My new phone has a run-of-the-mill DAC and gives decent sound through a pair of 1More Quad-Driver IEMs. When I heard about the Questyle M15 and read the reviews, the price seemed right and I found it on b\oom audio's website.
After a few weeks listening to my music with this DAC I am very satisfied--especially considering its solid build and how easy it is to use. You get one option: low or high output. That's it for the button complement. I am using my IEMs on the low setting and there is plenty of output to the 3.5mm jack. Using the Poweramp Android app and flat EQ to play music, I used to set the volume around 60% to 65%. With the Questyle M15 the volume ends up usually no higher than 55%. These values are relative, I know, but they may be somewhat useful for you.
The M15 offers 3.5mm and 4.4mm balanced outputs. I don't yet have any headphones or IEMs I can use in balanced mode other than my Meze Elite's and the two cables are terminated in XLR and 1/4 inch connectors. My other cans--Sennheiser HD650 and Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro--are terminated in 1/4 inch plugs. So I am now shopping for an IEM that works in balanced mode with a 4.4mm connector.
I can't really fault anything about the M15 sound; in fact, quite the opposite. Bass is full and deeper than produced by my phone's DAC (Motorola One 5g Ace). Mid-range is nicely done; just a bit forward and not harsh at all. Vocals are rendered as they should be with nice definition. Tracy Chapman, Diana Krall, and all the other audiophile standards sound very realistic and the M15 hangs their voices dead-center with a bit of a glow around them. The highs seem just a bit rolled-off, but that could also be the IEMs. Either way, the M15 produces the airy and delicate highs I'd hoped for with no bite or fatigue.
Soundstage seems much wider, though there is a bit of the "in your head" sense. I can't hear any height cues but maybe they'll show up when I upgrade the IEMs.
I know the DAC dongle/outboard processor market has several very good options--and I haven't heard any of them, so if another new processor beats the M15 in reviews or real life, then so be it. I am, however, very pleased with the Questyle M15 and enjoy my music more than before. Since it has no internal battery the M15 draws power from the phone, and battery life is excellent.
Shout out to b\oom audio for getting my new toy to me very quickly and in perfect condition! Great folks to do business with.

Questyle M15 | Portable DAC and Amp