[gylyf]

I received mine on Monday and have been listening to it exclusively since then. I love everything about the sound - I haven’t come across many sources that combine this amount of technical prowess with sheer enjoyability. Everything I listen to just sounds “right.” I’ve been using it with a 180ohm earbud and it has no problems driving the set to its full potential. I find it more enjoyable than my Mojo2 and my DC-Elite, both of which are phenomenal units in their own right. It makes me want to keep listening and to revisit songs, which is the sign of a keeper. If the CMA18 is representative of Questyle’s house sound, then I’m intrigued.

A few downsides, though. On low gain, using balanced out, I’m getting average battery life at best (maybe 6 hours). I’m also a little concerned about how hot this thing gets on high gain (around 47-48°C) and the impact on the battery in the long-term. Volume control could be a little more granular. Like some others have reported, the hold switch on mine rattles, which detracts somewhat from the otherwise stellar build quality. Would also be nice to have separate USB ports.

 

[gylyf]

Worth upgrading from Gryphon?

In my opinion, yes, if all you’re looking for is sound quality. I used to own the Gryphon and while I thought it was solid, I think the CMA18 easily outperforms it technically, while maintaining what I liked about the Gryphon (its enjoyability and “musicality,” for lack of a better word). The Gryphon offers more functionality, however (line out, line in, choice of filters, X-Bass and X-Space).