Reviews by noplsestar
This is my review of the Questyle CMA18P that I got sent from Questyle in exchange for an honest review.
Well, where to begin? The design!
It´s gorgeous. I don´t have to tell you that. When you are holding it in your hands, it is even more obvious that the Questyle team did a wonderful job here. And it is not only beautiful to behold, it is light enough too for portable use and the size is perfect for stacking it with my iPhone 15 (I ordered this one: https://amzn.eu/d/4vPymbW for attaching it on the mobile phone´s back and it works perfectly). Yes, the CMA18P gets warm, but not hot by any means, so I never had problems putting these into my pocket together with my iPhone.
A quick look into the manual is sufficient. In fact it is very intuitive to switch between Bluetooth or USB etc.
I am loving the orange lights (there is also a red light for high gain). The “Hold” button comes in handy, too. I use it almost daily, because I won´t need the other buttons to change anything.
Why? I maxed out the volume on the Questyle and use my source for changing the volume, because the CMA18P does only have 32 volume steps. So few steps are not sufficient for finetuning the sound intensity. At least for me. I would have liked to see at least 100 volume steps (120 septs to 150 steps would even be better). So now I always have to activate my iPhone to change the volume. It would have been much nicer to just use those volume buttons. Also there is no play/pause or skip track button. In my view, the device would have been big enough to implement those buttons. But this is all nitpicking, because you will see, when we get to the description of the sound, those little troubles are all forgotten.
So let´s dive into the sound characteristics of the CMA18P!
I listened to the CMA18P with the flagship Austrian Audio “The Composer” headphones. And the first thing I immediately heard in combination with the CMA18P was the grandness of its presentation. The stage is holographic and huge. Both in width and depth. Layering is as good as it gets with a portable DAC/amp with pinpoint accuracy in the stereo image and a pitch-black background. So the technicalities are all together top notch.
The sound characteristics? Overall I would say the CMA18P (besides the intrinsic grandness) has a kind of winning sweetness to its sound. Both male and female vocals shine. I don´t hear an exaggeration of any frequency band. No added colour. The vocals stand in the middle of the stereo panorama. Beautifully rendered and clean. Not too near but also not too far away either. An engaging portrayal of the recorded music.
Bass is very nicely rendered. Plenty of power down below. But not overdone in any way. Very good extension in the sub-bass region. Bass hits hard if needed but don´t get me wrong: this is a neutral presentation that won´t bleed into the lower mids. As it should be in this price range!
The mids, as I told you above, seem to have a kind of sweetness. Certainly they are not “in your face”. But not smoothed out either. Just right. A linear interpretation. A vast stage for the most important frequency band, where the vocals shine on the stage (as well as the instruments).
The highs are nicely extended but not overdone. This device by no means is a treble heavy or harsh sounding DAC. You have all the sound information you need. But the CMA18P does not need that upper mids/ lower treble bump of some other DACs for its resolution. Quality over quantity. Extension!
What about driving power? Well, I am quite confident the CMA18P will drive every IEM you throw at it with ease. But what about over the ear headphones? It drives my Austrian Audio Composer to very loud levels. And as I know from an audiophile friend, it also drives all the similarly easy to drive FOCAL headphones without taking a sweat. But you have to know that the CMA18P won´t drive harder to drive headphones to very loud levels (talking about the DCA models Stealth, E3, Expance; but also Susvara etc.). If you are a quiet listener, then it should work. But if you, like me, love to crank up the volume from time to time, then be warned not to pair them with the beforementioned headphones that need even more juice to shine.
So if I would use the CMA18P only with the SE output, it wouldn´t have enough power to drive my Composer. When connected through the 4.4mm balanced port, there is plenty of juice. Though I do have to say that when listening to older, not as loud mastered albums, I am getting near the 100% volume on my iPhone. But those albums are rare. Most of the time I am at about 50-75% on my iPhone with the Composer (when maxed out the volume at the CMA18P and in High-Gain mode) and so I have got plenty of headroom.
That being said, I guess it wouldn´t have hurt if the CMA18P would have had more power (or a super gain button) for really hard to drive over the ear headphones like the DCA models etc.
What else? I hear no interference with my iPhone at all! And that´s really great. No matter if paired via USB or Bluetooth. This device is solidly grounded and dead silent which is quite an achievement (compared to other dongle DACs).
As I was talking about Bluetooth: This is perfectly implemented. Sounds fantastic and to be honest, on the go I probably wouldn´t even be hearing that much of a difference compared to the USB connection. When listening critically I hear a slightly warmer presentation with a touch less dynamics when paired via Bluetooth. But as you guys probably know, the iPhone only has an AAC Bluetooth connection, so AptX and L-DAC will without much doubt sound even better.
But if you want to pair the CMA18P via USB, then at this point I recommend you guys to upgrade the short USB cable. Not that there is any problem with the cables that came with the CMA18P. In fact they are really nicely crafted and you have got everything in this beautifully, minimalistic packaging you´d need (USB-C to USB-C, lightning to USB-C, long charging cable etc.). That being said, I highly recommend the (alas rather pricey) ddHifi TC09S cable or the lightning equivalent MFI09S. There shouldn’t be a difference because it’s a digital cable, I know I know, haha, but maybe there is one because of the separated cable for the power supply? Twister6 also came to the same conclusion when he reviewed this short USB cable. Just buy a ddHifi cable online, test it with your system in comparison with other cables and if you don’t think you hear a difference, just return it and get your money back. But if you (like me) hear an even more expanded soundstage, then it´s a win win situation not only with the CMA18P but with any DAC!
Oh, and I also got this really nice leather case (see pics below) for the CMA18P (a screen protector for the glass front would also have been great! You know, I do love that faceplate but it will get scratched somewhere down the road). Anyway, the CMA18P fits perfectly into the case. The buttons work through the leather as they should. I would recommend getting this case so that your beauty stays save when you are travelling from A to B. https://questyleshop.com/products/questyle-cma18-portable-leather-case
For instructions concerning simultaneous charging and audio playback, I´d like to refer to the following post from Questyle: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/que...dphone-amplifier.969449/page-13#post-17961864
And now let´s move on to the DAC comparisons:
How does the CMA18P stack up against the Quloos MUB1?
For starters, the MUB1 does have much more power. I don´t even need the super gain mode to drive my headphones to earbleeding levels. Also the volume buttons of the MUB1 have 100 steps so I used them a lot! In addition it has a play/pause button and skip track buttons and some filters and and and … But - and this is a big BUT – it doesn´t sound as good as the CMA18P. You immediately hear a loss of dynamics, the stage gets smaller, it loses on the holographic portrayal, it sounds a bit flat and also a touch too warm in comparison to the CMA18P. So that´s that. I think I won´t need to dig deeper
How does the CMA18P stack up against the (somewhat exotic) Calyx K?
Well, the Calyx K does have no buttons at all. A plug and play DAC. Very high-quality for not even half the price of the CMA18P. No Blutooth, no balanced out, interference with the iPhone, way too less power etc. But concerning its sound alone this is not as easy as with the MUB1 above. Because as the technicians of the Calyx K opted for a touch of elevated mids, you do get with this device a very touching vicinity to the singer. This DAC excels with singer/songwriter music or small chamber music where you won´t need a vast presentation and more intimacy. As said above, because of the pronounced mids you can hear the guitar strokes even better and the voices move very close to the listener. You can hear the tiniest stroke of the violin. This can be too much (and most of the time it is). But for some occasions this is very touching, too. All in all of course I do prefer the sound of the CMA18P by quite a margin (for Pop, Rock, Jazz, orchestral music, electronic, well, in fact for ANYTHING!)
Did I forget something? Oh, yes, the battery is what it is. Could be better (could also be worse). But 10 hours is more than enough for me to get through the day
Also you can use the CMA18P (with the 3,5 mm and 4,4mm inputs) to record music but I didn´t test that. Of course the device supports every possible music format you throw at it!
Edit: Of course the CMA18P has much more power when connected to my MacBook Pro! There I wouldn’t even need the balanced cable. Also not the „high gain“ mode. Gobbles of juice available here for driving my Composer.
So, I think that´s it. I would like to thank the Questyle team, especially Zach! And I congratulate you guys (and especially your technicians) for designing such a gorgeous, portable DAC. I didn´t hear a better sounding yet!
And finally here are some pics:
Well, where to begin? The design!
It´s gorgeous. I don´t have to tell you that. When you are holding it in your hands, it is even more obvious that the Questyle team did a wonderful job here. And it is not only beautiful to behold, it is light enough too for portable use and the size is perfect for stacking it with my iPhone 15 (I ordered this one: https://amzn.eu/d/4vPymbW for attaching it on the mobile phone´s back and it works perfectly). Yes, the CMA18P gets warm, but not hot by any means, so I never had problems putting these into my pocket together with my iPhone.
A quick look into the manual is sufficient. In fact it is very intuitive to switch between Bluetooth or USB etc.
I am loving the orange lights (there is also a red light for high gain). The “Hold” button comes in handy, too. I use it almost daily, because I won´t need the other buttons to change anything.
Why? I maxed out the volume on the Questyle and use my source for changing the volume, because the CMA18P does only have 32 volume steps. So few steps are not sufficient for finetuning the sound intensity. At least for me. I would have liked to see at least 100 volume steps (120 septs to 150 steps would even be better). So now I always have to activate my iPhone to change the volume. It would have been much nicer to just use those volume buttons. Also there is no play/pause or skip track button. In my view, the device would have been big enough to implement those buttons. But this is all nitpicking, because you will see, when we get to the description of the sound, those little troubles are all forgotten.
So let´s dive into the sound characteristics of the CMA18P!
I listened to the CMA18P with the flagship Austrian Audio “The Composer” headphones. And the first thing I immediately heard in combination with the CMA18P was the grandness of its presentation. The stage is holographic and huge. Both in width and depth. Layering is as good as it gets with a portable DAC/amp with pinpoint accuracy in the stereo image and a pitch-black background. So the technicalities are all together top notch.
The sound characteristics? Overall I would say the CMA18P (besides the intrinsic grandness) has a kind of winning sweetness to its sound. Both male and female vocals shine. I don´t hear an exaggeration of any frequency band. No added colour. The vocals stand in the middle of the stereo panorama. Beautifully rendered and clean. Not too near but also not too far away either. An engaging portrayal of the recorded music.
Bass is very nicely rendered. Plenty of power down below. But not overdone in any way. Very good extension in the sub-bass region. Bass hits hard if needed but don´t get me wrong: this is a neutral presentation that won´t bleed into the lower mids. As it should be in this price range!
The mids, as I told you above, seem to have a kind of sweetness. Certainly they are not “in your face”. But not smoothed out either. Just right. A linear interpretation. A vast stage for the most important frequency band, where the vocals shine on the stage (as well as the instruments).
The highs are nicely extended but not overdone. This device by no means is a treble heavy or harsh sounding DAC. You have all the sound information you need. But the CMA18P does not need that upper mids/ lower treble bump of some other DACs for its resolution. Quality over quantity. Extension!
What about driving power? Well, I am quite confident the CMA18P will drive every IEM you throw at it with ease. But what about over the ear headphones? It drives my Austrian Audio Composer to very loud levels. And as I know from an audiophile friend, it also drives all the similarly easy to drive FOCAL headphones without taking a sweat. But you have to know that the CMA18P won´t drive harder to drive headphones to very loud levels (talking about the DCA models Stealth, E3, Expance; but also Susvara etc.). If you are a quiet listener, then it should work. But if you, like me, love to crank up the volume from time to time, then be warned not to pair them with the beforementioned headphones that need even more juice to shine.
So if I would use the CMA18P only with the SE output, it wouldn´t have enough power to drive my Composer. When connected through the 4.4mm balanced port, there is plenty of juice. Though I do have to say that when listening to older, not as loud mastered albums, I am getting near the 100% volume on my iPhone. But those albums are rare. Most of the time I am at about 50-75% on my iPhone with the Composer (when maxed out the volume at the CMA18P and in High-Gain mode) and so I have got plenty of headroom.
That being said, I guess it wouldn´t have hurt if the CMA18P would have had more power (or a super gain button) for really hard to drive over the ear headphones like the DCA models etc.
What else? I hear no interference with my iPhone at all! And that´s really great. No matter if paired via USB or Bluetooth. This device is solidly grounded and dead silent which is quite an achievement (compared to other dongle DACs).
As I was talking about Bluetooth: This is perfectly implemented. Sounds fantastic and to be honest, on the go I probably wouldn´t even be hearing that much of a difference compared to the USB connection. When listening critically I hear a slightly warmer presentation with a touch less dynamics when paired via Bluetooth. But as you guys probably know, the iPhone only has an AAC Bluetooth connection, so AptX and L-DAC will without much doubt sound even better.
But if you want to pair the CMA18P via USB, then at this point I recommend you guys to upgrade the short USB cable. Not that there is any problem with the cables that came with the CMA18P. In fact they are really nicely crafted and you have got everything in this beautifully, minimalistic packaging you´d need (USB-C to USB-C, lightning to USB-C, long charging cable etc.). That being said, I highly recommend the (alas rather pricey) ddHifi TC09S cable or the lightning equivalent MFI09S. There shouldn’t be a difference because it’s a digital cable, I know I know, haha, but maybe there is one because of the separated cable for the power supply? Twister6 also came to the same conclusion when he reviewed this short USB cable. Just buy a ddHifi cable online, test it with your system in comparison with other cables and if you don’t think you hear a difference, just return it and get your money back. But if you (like me) hear an even more expanded soundstage, then it´s a win win situation not only with the CMA18P but with any DAC!
Oh, and I also got this really nice leather case (see pics below) for the CMA18P (a screen protector for the glass front would also have been great! You know, I do love that faceplate but it will get scratched somewhere down the road). Anyway, the CMA18P fits perfectly into the case. The buttons work through the leather as they should. I would recommend getting this case so that your beauty stays save when you are travelling from A to B. https://questyleshop.com/products/questyle-cma18-portable-leather-case
For instructions concerning simultaneous charging and audio playback, I´d like to refer to the following post from Questyle: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/que...dphone-amplifier.969449/page-13#post-17961864
And now let´s move on to the DAC comparisons:
How does the CMA18P stack up against the Quloos MUB1?
For starters, the MUB1 does have much more power. I don´t even need the super gain mode to drive my headphones to earbleeding levels. Also the volume buttons of the MUB1 have 100 steps so I used them a lot! In addition it has a play/pause button and skip track buttons and some filters and and and … But - and this is a big BUT – it doesn´t sound as good as the CMA18P. You immediately hear a loss of dynamics, the stage gets smaller, it loses on the holographic portrayal, it sounds a bit flat and also a touch too warm in comparison to the CMA18P. So that´s that. I think I won´t need to dig deeper
How does the CMA18P stack up against the (somewhat exotic) Calyx K?
Well, the Calyx K does have no buttons at all. A plug and play DAC. Very high-quality for not even half the price of the CMA18P. No Blutooth, no balanced out, interference with the iPhone, way too less power etc. But concerning its sound alone this is not as easy as with the MUB1 above. Because as the technicians of the Calyx K opted for a touch of elevated mids, you do get with this device a very touching vicinity to the singer. This DAC excels with singer/songwriter music or small chamber music where you won´t need a vast presentation and more intimacy. As said above, because of the pronounced mids you can hear the guitar strokes even better and the voices move very close to the listener. You can hear the tiniest stroke of the violin. This can be too much (and most of the time it is). But for some occasions this is very touching, too. All in all of course I do prefer the sound of the CMA18P by quite a margin (for Pop, Rock, Jazz, orchestral music, electronic, well, in fact for ANYTHING!)
Did I forget something? Oh, yes, the battery is what it is. Could be better (could also be worse). But 10 hours is more than enough for me to get through the day
Also you can use the CMA18P (with the 3,5 mm and 4,4mm inputs) to record music but I didn´t test that. Of course the device supports every possible music format you throw at it!
Edit: Of course the CMA18P has much more power when connected to my MacBook Pro! There I wouldn’t even need the balanced cable. Also not the „high gain“ mode. Gobbles of juice available here for driving my Composer.
So, I think that´s it. I would like to thank the Questyle team, especially Zach! And I congratulate you guys (and especially your technicians) for designing such a gorgeous, portable DAC. I didn´t hear a better sounding yet!
And finally here are some pics:
noplsestar
Hmmm, yeah, that´s something to think about. I never used my DACs (with battery) that much so that it died. But of course it could happen.
Today I want to take a closer look at the Calyx K Dac/Amp. I got my unit from the South Korean Calyx-audio company in exchange for an honest review.
Maybe I should begin my review with the information that I was a Calyx M DAP user for many years. I most probably wouldn’t have sold my Calyx M units (I had 4 units in the past, two of them modded, but I always came back to the original one). But there was a time when I decided to go the streaming route (Qobuz High-Res) and as the Calyx M was not able to do that, I had to move on. That being said, I never forgot the special sound of that device. I also had the LPGT Ti for a year or so, but came back to the Calyx M (LPGT Ti did cost nearly 4k Euros back then, the Calyx M did cost 400 Euros when I bought them … so you see that „sound“ doesn’t always correlate with „money“). LPGT Ti sounded somewhat artificial. Calyx M sounded real, alive.
Anyways, when a good audiophile friend of mine posted the news of the portable Calyx K in the dedicated Calyx thread here on head-fi, I was instantly intrigued.
The Calyx K comes in a tiny black box as you can see in the pics below, the only accessory is a short USB-A to USB-C cable. This cable works just fine when connected to the laptop (though I need a further USB-A to USB-C cable in order to plug it into my Macbook), so here I would have liked to see at least a USB-C to USB-C cable also for the usage with a mobile phone. An Apple lightning to USB-C cable would have been great, too of course.
When you take the „K“ into your hand for the first time, you immediately feel its „worth“, in other words: It is quite heavy. But a nice kind of heavy if you know what I mean. No plastic parts. Except the nice thick rubber layer beneath the device that sticks nicely to the desktop surface. Very high build quality overall! 142g. 86mm x 52mm x 18mm. So you see it is not a small Dongle DAC. I had the Questyle M12 and M15 back then and they were small, at least the M12 was. The K is bigger and heavier. But its sound!! … well, let’s just dive into that:
Sound impressions:
From my memory I can tell you that the K at least is on par with the (holy) Calyx M DAP. Everything is there. Nice, deep, clean, articulated bass that is not overdone; transparent mids with no exaggeration of the upper mids, smooth but nicely extended highs. An analogue sound that one wouldn’t expect coming from a „dongle“ DAC. Listening to this device was like coming home again. You wouldn’t want to change anything here soundwise. Just pure music streaming through, everything laid out before you. But mind you, this isn’t a „warm“ sounding DAP at all. In my view it is neutral/natural but without any harshness, maybe that’s why I used the word „analogue“. The stage is wide. I didn’t detect any hiss (though sometimes, when the device is on top of the mobile phone I hear a quiet sound like crackling when there’s no music playing).
It is a plug and play dongle. Nothing to install for android phones either and it works flawlessly with my iPhone 15. There are no volume buttons on the K, no filters, no skip tracks or play/pause buttons … and well, in fact nothing else. A minimalistic device that concentrates on the music quality alone!
There is a rather loud „plop“ sound when connecting the mobile phone to the K. So you maybe want to wait putting on the headphones and firstly connect it to the mobile phone or the laptop.
The small blue light stands for „connected“ as well as PCM audio, and supposedly a red light for DSD audio (didn’t test DSD files). If it was for me, I wouldn’t need a light at all. As you can see: I like a minimalistic approach.
As with the Calyx M, the Calyx K has its caveats: For starters, it isn’t the most powerful device out there. You won’t have any problems at all concerning driving power when listening to IEMs connected to the K, BUT with demanding over the ear headphones there is a limit. I am happy that my AKG headphones work well (but I have to crank up the volume on the iPhone 15 for about 95% of the possible volume). So almost no headroom here. Older albums that were not mastered as loud as today’s recordings are too quiet. So you have to know: Focal headphones with low impedance or the new Austrian Audio Composer will work nicely but the DCA Stealth or Susvara or Senn HD800 etc. won´t be a good match, at least not if you like to listen to louder volumes.
You also have to know that the K just has a 3.5mm out. So no balanced 4.4mm out. It would have been convenient to implement a 4.4mm out even if it wasn’t a „truly balanced“ output, so one doesn’t need to swap the cables all the time which might be a hassle especially with IEMs. But of course there are 4.4mm to 3.5mm adapters from different companies, too. So that would be the best solution if you don’t use a 3.5mm plug.
In addition I would have liked to see the USB-C port and the 3.5mm port on the same side. I don’t have any problems putting the device into my pocket when connected to the mobile phone but it would have been nicer and more convenient if the cables would be on one side only, also for the longevity of the cable´s plug.
I reviewed the Quloos MUB1 recently that costs twice as much. And that device has an additional 4.4mm out as well as volume buttons, skip/track/play/pause buttons, it has different filters, a built in battery, a „desktop mode“ etc. and all those things to play with as well as a very nice bluetooth implementation. It also has many gain settings and enough power for demanding headphones. But - and this is a big BUT - it doesn’t sound as good as the Calyx K!! Not even when used in balanced mode. MUB1 is just too warm in comparison with a bass that bleeds into the mids and so the mids won’t be as transparent and the vocals won’t be as present as with the mids out of the K. Also the highs are not as extended as with the K. So if you listen to IEMs as well as not so power demanding headphones and you don’t need bluetooth but just want the purest (analogue) possible sound from a portable DAC/amp, just grab a unit of the Calyx K, especially for that price! For me sound is always the most important thing, that’s why I did stick to the Calyx M for so long (although it also had some caveats.) I also tested the Astell&Kern SP2000 Copper edition back then parallel to the LPGT Ti. I still did prefer the Calyx M for sound alone. And what applies to the M (soundwise) also applies to the K.
If you plan to listen to the device on the desktop table, the USB cable that came with the Calyx K is completely sufficient. But if you plan to listen on the go with the mobile phone or you need a USB-C out from your laptop, then I highly recommend the (alas rather pricey) ddHifi TC09S cable or the lightning equivalent MFI09S. Because I tested the Calyx K connected to the USB-C to USB-C cable that came with the Quloos MUB1 (they had those cables in the box as it should be!), but I came to the surprising conclusion that the Calyx K sounds even better with the ddHifi cable. There shouldn’t be a difference because it’s a digital cable but maybe there is one because of the separated cable for the power supply? I don’t know. Just buy a ddHifi cable online, test it with your system in comparison with other cables and if you don’t think you hear a difference, just send it back and get you money back. But if you (like me) hear a more expanded soundstage and a somehow more powerful and clearer sound, then it´s a win win situation not only with the Calyx K but with any DAC!
The unit costs USD 300.- // EUR 300.- (edit: new price) including shipping. You can order it via their official Calyx Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/calyxaudio/) or direct order via ask@calyx.kr and payment through Paypal via order@calyx.kr
One thing is clear: You will hardly find such a small device with such an extraordinary sound for that price.
Thanks for sticking with me, guys! And concluding here are some pics of this beautiful device:
Maybe I should begin my review with the information that I was a Calyx M DAP user for many years. I most probably wouldn’t have sold my Calyx M units (I had 4 units in the past, two of them modded, but I always came back to the original one). But there was a time when I decided to go the streaming route (Qobuz High-Res) and as the Calyx M was not able to do that, I had to move on. That being said, I never forgot the special sound of that device. I also had the LPGT Ti for a year or so, but came back to the Calyx M (LPGT Ti did cost nearly 4k Euros back then, the Calyx M did cost 400 Euros when I bought them … so you see that „sound“ doesn’t always correlate with „money“). LPGT Ti sounded somewhat artificial. Calyx M sounded real, alive.
Anyways, when a good audiophile friend of mine posted the news of the portable Calyx K in the dedicated Calyx thread here on head-fi, I was instantly intrigued.
The Calyx K comes in a tiny black box as you can see in the pics below, the only accessory is a short USB-A to USB-C cable. This cable works just fine when connected to the laptop (though I need a further USB-A to USB-C cable in order to plug it into my Macbook), so here I would have liked to see at least a USB-C to USB-C cable also for the usage with a mobile phone. An Apple lightning to USB-C cable would have been great, too of course.
When you take the „K“ into your hand for the first time, you immediately feel its „worth“, in other words: It is quite heavy. But a nice kind of heavy if you know what I mean. No plastic parts. Except the nice thick rubber layer beneath the device that sticks nicely to the desktop surface. Very high build quality overall! 142g. 86mm x 52mm x 18mm. So you see it is not a small Dongle DAC. I had the Questyle M12 and M15 back then and they were small, at least the M12 was. The K is bigger and heavier. But its sound!! … well, let’s just dive into that:
Sound impressions:
From my memory I can tell you that the K at least is on par with the (holy) Calyx M DAP. Everything is there. Nice, deep, clean, articulated bass that is not overdone; transparent mids with no exaggeration of the upper mids, smooth but nicely extended highs. An analogue sound that one wouldn’t expect coming from a „dongle“ DAC. Listening to this device was like coming home again. You wouldn’t want to change anything here soundwise. Just pure music streaming through, everything laid out before you. But mind you, this isn’t a „warm“ sounding DAP at all. In my view it is neutral/natural but without any harshness, maybe that’s why I used the word „analogue“. The stage is wide. I didn’t detect any hiss (though sometimes, when the device is on top of the mobile phone I hear a quiet sound like crackling when there’s no music playing).
It is a plug and play dongle. Nothing to install for android phones either and it works flawlessly with my iPhone 15. There are no volume buttons on the K, no filters, no skip tracks or play/pause buttons … and well, in fact nothing else. A minimalistic device that concentrates on the music quality alone!
There is a rather loud „plop“ sound when connecting the mobile phone to the K. So you maybe want to wait putting on the headphones and firstly connect it to the mobile phone or the laptop.
The small blue light stands for „connected“ as well as PCM audio, and supposedly a red light for DSD audio (didn’t test DSD files). If it was for me, I wouldn’t need a light at all. As you can see: I like a minimalistic approach.
As with the Calyx M, the Calyx K has its caveats: For starters, it isn’t the most powerful device out there. You won’t have any problems at all concerning driving power when listening to IEMs connected to the K, BUT with demanding over the ear headphones there is a limit. I am happy that my AKG headphones work well (but I have to crank up the volume on the iPhone 15 for about 95% of the possible volume). So almost no headroom here. Older albums that were not mastered as loud as today’s recordings are too quiet. So you have to know: Focal headphones with low impedance or the new Austrian Audio Composer will work nicely but the DCA Stealth or Susvara or Senn HD800 etc. won´t be a good match, at least not if you like to listen to louder volumes.
You also have to know that the K just has a 3.5mm out. So no balanced 4.4mm out. It would have been convenient to implement a 4.4mm out even if it wasn’t a „truly balanced“ output, so one doesn’t need to swap the cables all the time which might be a hassle especially with IEMs. But of course there are 4.4mm to 3.5mm adapters from different companies, too. So that would be the best solution if you don’t use a 3.5mm plug.
In addition I would have liked to see the USB-C port and the 3.5mm port on the same side. I don’t have any problems putting the device into my pocket when connected to the mobile phone but it would have been nicer and more convenient if the cables would be on one side only, also for the longevity of the cable´s plug.
I reviewed the Quloos MUB1 recently that costs twice as much. And that device has an additional 4.4mm out as well as volume buttons, skip/track/play/pause buttons, it has different filters, a built in battery, a „desktop mode“ etc. and all those things to play with as well as a very nice bluetooth implementation. It also has many gain settings and enough power for demanding headphones. But - and this is a big BUT - it doesn’t sound as good as the Calyx K!! Not even when used in balanced mode. MUB1 is just too warm in comparison with a bass that bleeds into the mids and so the mids won’t be as transparent and the vocals won’t be as present as with the mids out of the K. Also the highs are not as extended as with the K. So if you listen to IEMs as well as not so power demanding headphones and you don’t need bluetooth but just want the purest (analogue) possible sound from a portable DAC/amp, just grab a unit of the Calyx K, especially for that price! For me sound is always the most important thing, that’s why I did stick to the Calyx M for so long (although it also had some caveats.) I also tested the Astell&Kern SP2000 Copper edition back then parallel to the LPGT Ti. I still did prefer the Calyx M for sound alone. And what applies to the M (soundwise) also applies to the K.
If you plan to listen to the device on the desktop table, the USB cable that came with the Calyx K is completely sufficient. But if you plan to listen on the go with the mobile phone or you need a USB-C out from your laptop, then I highly recommend the (alas rather pricey) ddHifi TC09S cable or the lightning equivalent MFI09S. Because I tested the Calyx K connected to the USB-C to USB-C cable that came with the Quloos MUB1 (they had those cables in the box as it should be!), but I came to the surprising conclusion that the Calyx K sounds even better with the ddHifi cable. There shouldn’t be a difference because it’s a digital cable but maybe there is one because of the separated cable for the power supply? I don’t know. Just buy a ddHifi cable online, test it with your system in comparison with other cables and if you don’t think you hear a difference, just send it back and get you money back. But if you (like me) hear a more expanded soundstage and a somehow more powerful and clearer sound, then it´s a win win situation not only with the Calyx K but with any DAC!
The unit costs USD 300.- // EUR 300.- (edit: new price) including shipping. You can order it via their official Calyx Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/calyxaudio/) or direct order via ask@calyx.kr and payment through Paypal via order@calyx.kr
One thing is clear: You will hardly find such a small device with such an extraordinary sound for that price.
Thanks for sticking with me, guys! And concluding here are some pics of this beautiful device:
joydivisionnewdawnfades
Could you precise the exact dimensions of the K?I can't find them (even on the FB page) Thanks a lot
F700
@joydivisionnewdawnfades 86mmx52mmx18mm (written on the product description).
joydivisionnewdawnfades
Thank you @F700 ! Sorry ,i might buy new glasses instead of Calyx M 
Hi there, this is my review of the Quloos MUB1 portable DAC/amp amplifier that I did get from QLS in exchange for an honest review.
First of all when unboxing the device, it was great to see that all the needed cables as well as adapters were included. No need to spend extra money for additional lightning cables. This is not usual and therefore most welcome. Also a silicon case is included as well as a screen protector. They have clearly done their homework with that accessory!
Secondly what I really liked: The design of the MUB1. It has both a retro and futuristic, but in fact a very minimalistic design that speaks to my heart. No sharp edges, no fancy patterns on the surface but a clean design-language. Thanks for that!
When powering it up, you have everything you need on the small screen: Connection mode, loudness, gain setting, filter, battery. The menu and the handling overall is very intuitive. No need to look at the instruction manual. It is all there and easy to use. When taking it into the hand, the weight is nice, not too high, not too low. You immediately feel that this device is built like a tank. It gets a little warm when listening extensively to music, but it´s not unnaturally hot.
When I made the listening tests with my beloved AKG N700NC M2 (that follows the harman curve quite nicely), and with the Focal Bathys, I was pleasantly surprised that the Bluetooth connection is THAT good (with Samsung Galaxy s10e with LDAC as well as with my iPhone 12 with AAC). In fact the sound when connected to Bluetooth is so good that I found myself - more often than expected - using the MUB1 with Bluetooth rather than connected via USB cable. It´s just so convenient to connect the MUB1 with the headphones, put the MUB1 in the right bag of my jacket and having my mobile phone in my left trouser pocket. Yes, the soundstage might be a tiny bit smaller in BT mode and here and there there might be more micro details to be heard when connected to USB cables BUT in fact this would only be heard when listening very focused and without walking around from A to B. So that’s a very big plus for the MUB1. Everything works smoothly, no matter what connection you choose!
But what about the sound?
Well, overall I would say the MUB1 offers a natural presentation.
Beginning with the bass: Plenty of sub bass available! Mid bass is nicely present, but thankfully not so much that it would bleed into the mids. So enough rumble and power down below. Nothing to complain here, in the contrary: Very well done!
The mids are present, but I wouldn’t describe them as dead neutral. They give the voices a nice body. They are palpable and beautifully rendered so that they kind of invite me to listen to the whole tracks instead of only listening to the first thirty seconds and then skip to the next track, if you know what I mean. It is a presentation to sink into. Naturalness is the key here.
The Highs are smooth but not recessed. They are nicely extended but never too much so that it would bother you when listening to louder volumes. It reminds me a bit of my good old Calyx M DAP I head years ago. Everything is there, but not exaggerated to the point where you would only listen to the cymbals and nothing else. It offers an analogue and lifelike presentation of the higher frequencies.
Plenty of dynamics (macro as well as micro) to be heard with the MUB1! The soundstage is surprisingly big, where I hear a bit more width than depth. Those technicalities improve again a tiny bit when connected to USB, but as said above: This would only matter when sitting in a quiet room at the desk at home where the MUB1 can also be listened to by bypassing the battery (desktop mode), which might push the technicalities another small bit forward.
The gain modes have a very good constancy, no matter which one you choose for your headphones/IEMs. Super gain is extremely powerful (though I don’t know if they would drive a DCA Stealth to a decent level). Anyways, it drives my headphones with plenty of headroom and only in Super gain (which for me is too loud anyway) I could hear the noise floor a tiny bit. But I used „high“ gain mainly and here the noise floor is pitch black!
What about the filters? Well, the NOS didn’t sound that appealing to me, so I stayed with „fast“ or „LL fast“ most of the time. But to be honest, I couldn’t hear big (or even small) differences here with the filters, so I guess you would have to listen to very revealing IEMs to detect audible differences here.
What I also like: The ability to fine tuning the loudness in the menu. Furthermore: Bluetooth pairing is as simple as it gets. The ability to skip the tracks and pause them … well, this is nothing very special but I use those buttons quite often because I don’t want to fetch my mobile phone for that reason every time out of my pockets. So this is very useful!
The Volume steps (100 volume steps) are good, but I would have liked to see even more steps (like at least 120 or 150). Because I feel that the steps may be 2 dB or 2.5 dB steps. Most of the time this is enough. But sometimes I would have liked a tiny bit more control. This is the point where the volume fine tuning I spoke above, is great. But for that reason you have to go into the menu. So it´s a bit of a hassle. But that is nitpicking.
This is such a great device. 500 Dollars are not nothing, I know. But in my opinion this device delivers in about every possible direction. And I didn’t even talk about the very good battery life and all the connection possibilities (3.5mm can be set to line out, 3.5 optical or coaxial SPDIF digital output, balanced 4.4mm output, USB charging with a separate usb-C port in addition to the USB-C „in“ port). The sampling rate goes up to 32Bit and 384kHz as well as DSD256) and and and ...
To Finish my writeup, here are some pics. I hope you enjoyed reading my impressions and hopefully you will be able to listen to this gem in the near future!
First of all when unboxing the device, it was great to see that all the needed cables as well as adapters were included. No need to spend extra money for additional lightning cables. This is not usual and therefore most welcome. Also a silicon case is included as well as a screen protector. They have clearly done their homework with that accessory!
Secondly what I really liked: The design of the MUB1. It has both a retro and futuristic, but in fact a very minimalistic design that speaks to my heart. No sharp edges, no fancy patterns on the surface but a clean design-language. Thanks for that!
When powering it up, you have everything you need on the small screen: Connection mode, loudness, gain setting, filter, battery. The menu and the handling overall is very intuitive. No need to look at the instruction manual. It is all there and easy to use. When taking it into the hand, the weight is nice, not too high, not too low. You immediately feel that this device is built like a tank. It gets a little warm when listening extensively to music, but it´s not unnaturally hot.
When I made the listening tests with my beloved AKG N700NC M2 (that follows the harman curve quite nicely), and with the Focal Bathys, I was pleasantly surprised that the Bluetooth connection is THAT good (with Samsung Galaxy s10e with LDAC as well as with my iPhone 12 with AAC). In fact the sound when connected to Bluetooth is so good that I found myself - more often than expected - using the MUB1 with Bluetooth rather than connected via USB cable. It´s just so convenient to connect the MUB1 with the headphones, put the MUB1 in the right bag of my jacket and having my mobile phone in my left trouser pocket. Yes, the soundstage might be a tiny bit smaller in BT mode and here and there there might be more micro details to be heard when connected to USB cables BUT in fact this would only be heard when listening very focused and without walking around from A to B. So that’s a very big plus for the MUB1. Everything works smoothly, no matter what connection you choose!
But what about the sound?
Well, overall I would say the MUB1 offers a natural presentation.
Beginning with the bass: Plenty of sub bass available! Mid bass is nicely present, but thankfully not so much that it would bleed into the mids. So enough rumble and power down below. Nothing to complain here, in the contrary: Very well done!
The mids are present, but I wouldn’t describe them as dead neutral. They give the voices a nice body. They are palpable and beautifully rendered so that they kind of invite me to listen to the whole tracks instead of only listening to the first thirty seconds and then skip to the next track, if you know what I mean. It is a presentation to sink into. Naturalness is the key here.
The Highs are smooth but not recessed. They are nicely extended but never too much so that it would bother you when listening to louder volumes. It reminds me a bit of my good old Calyx M DAP I head years ago. Everything is there, but not exaggerated to the point where you would only listen to the cymbals and nothing else. It offers an analogue and lifelike presentation of the higher frequencies.
Plenty of dynamics (macro as well as micro) to be heard with the MUB1! The soundstage is surprisingly big, where I hear a bit more width than depth. Those technicalities improve again a tiny bit when connected to USB, but as said above: This would only matter when sitting in a quiet room at the desk at home where the MUB1 can also be listened to by bypassing the battery (desktop mode), which might push the technicalities another small bit forward.
The gain modes have a very good constancy, no matter which one you choose for your headphones/IEMs. Super gain is extremely powerful (though I don’t know if they would drive a DCA Stealth to a decent level). Anyways, it drives my headphones with plenty of headroom and only in Super gain (which for me is too loud anyway) I could hear the noise floor a tiny bit. But I used „high“ gain mainly and here the noise floor is pitch black!
What about the filters? Well, the NOS didn’t sound that appealing to me, so I stayed with „fast“ or „LL fast“ most of the time. But to be honest, I couldn’t hear big (or even small) differences here with the filters, so I guess you would have to listen to very revealing IEMs to detect audible differences here.
What I also like: The ability to fine tuning the loudness in the menu. Furthermore: Bluetooth pairing is as simple as it gets. The ability to skip the tracks and pause them … well, this is nothing very special but I use those buttons quite often because I don’t want to fetch my mobile phone for that reason every time out of my pockets. So this is very useful!
The Volume steps (100 volume steps) are good, but I would have liked to see even more steps (like at least 120 or 150). Because I feel that the steps may be 2 dB or 2.5 dB steps. Most of the time this is enough. But sometimes I would have liked a tiny bit more control. This is the point where the volume fine tuning I spoke above, is great. But for that reason you have to go into the menu. So it´s a bit of a hassle. But that is nitpicking.
This is such a great device. 500 Dollars are not nothing, I know. But in my opinion this device delivers in about every possible direction. And I didn’t even talk about the very good battery life and all the connection possibilities (3.5mm can be set to line out, 3.5 optical or coaxial SPDIF digital output, balanced 4.4mm output, USB charging with a separate usb-C port in addition to the USB-C „in“ port). The sampling rate goes up to 32Bit and 384kHz as well as DSD256) and and and ...
To Finish my writeup, here are some pics. I hope you enjoyed reading my impressions and hopefully you will be able to listen to this gem in the near future!
I would buy it immediately but as it seems not to bypass the battery when connected to a laptop, it might die in about 2-3 yrs with my heavy usage.