Introducing the Questyle M15 & the brand new Questyle Shop!

[Questyle]

@Mather Totally agreed with you... when I read that post on Reddit, that Exclusive Mode for mobile TIDAL might not come back, I couldn't truly believe it. MQA is really one of their biggest selling points, no way they are going to let that ship sail away that easily (and un-triumphantly.)

So let's wait until Dec 6 then. Hopefully by then @is2us you'll be able to use the M15 directly with TIDAL for playing MQA, without having to go through UAPP. Fingers crossed!

 

[Mather]

@Mather Totally agreed with you... when I read that post on Reddit, that Exclusive Mode for mobile TIDAL might not come back, I couldn't truly believe it. MQA is really one of their biggest selling points, no way they are going to let that ship sail away that easily (and un-triumphantly.) So let's wait until Dec 6 then. Hopefully by then @is2us you'll be able to use the M15 directly with TIDAL for playing MQA, without having to go through UAPP. Fingers crossed!

I could be wrong but also I believe "exclusive mode" is different than "bit perfect". Pretty sure exclusive just means that the app can defeat any other audio being played on the computer which is useful for desktop if you're running a system through it but a bit less useful for a phone where you can just manually go in and turn off all other audio on your own. I think there's some language here that's confusing people. Maybe I'm misunderstanding how "Tidal Exclusive" mode operates but I'm fairly certainly it really doesn't have anything to do with how bit perfect and MQA unfolds occur on Android.

 

[SlydZ]

My first impression is really positive. I don't believe that much in dacs and amps. I bought the Cayin RU6 and the Queststyle M15 for my 64Audio Tia Trio. The RU6 arrived first and in comparision to my Topping E30 and JDS Labs Atom+ combination there is not much difference with the Sennheiser IE300. The M15 with the Sennheiser IE300 cleans really the muddiness of the IE300 up. Its crisper and more clear.

I had already considered canceling the order because of the lack of the physical volume control, but in combination with the iPad or iPhone it's just right. Overall, I had no expectations, neither of the RU6 nor the M15, so I'm pleasantly surprised. Especially with an IEM like the IE300, the M15 provides clearer sound. I guess, that the RU6 would be a better fit with brighter (sharper) IEMs.

The only downside is the usb-c cable which is a little bit hard to connect and to release from the port, but not really worth mentioning.

Really good recommendation from Precog

 

[niron]

My first impression is really positive. I don't believe that much in dacs and amps. I bought the Cayin RU6 and the Queststyle M15 for my 64Audio Tia Trio. The RU6 arrived first and in comparision to my Topping E30 and JDS Labs Atom+ combination there is not much difference with the Sennheiser IE300. The M15 with the Sennheiser IE300 cleans really the muddiness of the IE300 up. Its crisper and more clear.

I had already considered canceling the order because of the lack of the physical volume control, but in combination with the iPad or iPhone it's just right. Overall, I had no expectations, neither of the RU6 nor the M15, so I'm pleasantly surprised. Especially with an IEM like the IE300, the M15 provides clearer sound. I guess, that the RU6 would be a better fit with brighter (sharper) IEMs.

The only downside is the usb-c cable which is a little bit hard to connect and to release from the port, but not really worth mentioning.

Really good recommendation from Precog

I am currently using the Shanling UA3 and am considering upgrading to either the Cayin RU6 or the Questyle M15. It's hard to decide and there's nowhere to try them out. Please let me know your thoughts if I mainly use IEMs and occasionally use overhead headphones. Would a Mojo 2 be worth the price or either one of these two?

THX.

 

[Questyle]

I could be wrong but also I believe "exclusive mode" is different than "bit perfect". Pretty sure exclusive just means that the app can defeat any other audio being played on the computer which is useful for desktop if you're running a system through it but a bit less useful for a phone where you can just manually go in and turn off all other audio on your own. I think there's some language here that's confusing people. Maybe I'm misunderstanding how "Tidal Exclusive" mode operates but I'm fairly certainly it really doesn't have anything to do with how bit perfect and MQA unfolds occur on Android.

I'm certainly not a Tidal expert either, I've only ever used it for a couple minutes total myself.

Certainly, "exclusive mode" and "bit perfect" on the surface don't seem to have any connection, at least to me. But from what I'm seeing online, you need both Exclusive Mode and Passthrough MQA enabled in order for an external DAC to do the final MQA unfolds. If Exclusive Mode is disabled (or, as of the most recent update to the app, missing entirely), then the DAC won't be able to reproduce or unfold the MQA stream properly. So I guess it seems that Exclusive Mode does have some sort of impact on the bit-perfect-ness... that's just my understanding though. Don't know enough about Tidal to say so with any firm certainty haha.

In any case, it's December 6th now... so hopefully that update will allow external DACs to unfold MQA again. @is2us Let us know if the update was released, and if things start working again!

 

[Mather]

I'm certainly not a Tidal expert either, I've only ever used it for a couple minutes total myself.

Certainly, "exclusive mode" and "bit perfect" on the surface don't seem to have any connection, at least to me. But from what I'm seeing online, you need both Exclusive Mode and Passthrough MQA enabled in order for an external DAC to do the final MQA unfolds. If Exclusive Mode is disabled (or, as of the most recent update to the app, missing entirely), then the DAC won't be able to reproduce or unfold the MQA stream properly. So I guess it seems that Exclusive Mode does have some sort of impact on the bit-perfect-ness... that's just my understanding though. Don't know enough about Tidal to say so with any firm certainty haha.

In any case, it's December 6th now... so hopefully that update will allow external DACs to unfold MQA again. @is2us Let us know if the update was released, and if things start working again!

New Tidal patch has been released and DAC is now being recognized and MQA unfolds are operating normally again.

I do find it amusing but not unsurprising that the patch notes mention nothing about them breaking the main selling point of their very expensive app for the better part of a month however.

Anyhow, it seems to be back to normal, although I'm sure I'll come across something else they broke in the process. I did have an audio hitch when I opened the Google Play store which was one of the things that you guys I think fixed in an earlier M15 firmware update. So that could be back.

EDIT-
And in fact this appears to be fully back again. Every time I open an app or a new setting the DAC clips and I lose audio for a second. And I can see the MQA light disengage and change back to green or red. If I'm streaming a non MQA file I still get the audio drop but the light does not change color. So yeah, this was fixed but it's fully back again, I'm on a Samsung Flip 4 running Android 13. I think it was originally a power issue with the DAC for some reason not getting enough power during these moments, if I recall correctly. It seems to happen more frequently with MQAs but it's also happening with standard and high res streams.

EDIT #2- I also appear to be getting the random clicks and pops during playback that used to occur prior to the last firmware update. Have to continue checking on that but I just had a bunch that I do not believe were RF interference, sounded like that same old issue, almost certain that is back as well.

EDIT #3- Yes the random clicks and pops are confirmed back on my Flip 4 on Android 13. In fact these are worse than they ever were before. Used to be a reset could mostly clear these. That is no longer working.

 

[Questyle]

@Mather Oh goodness... this is a big issue. Help me answer some of these questions to see what's going on here:

Did all of these issues appear after only updating the Tidal application? Or did you also update the OS / something else on your Samsung Flip 4?
Do these issues (pops, clicks, audio dropping if switching apps or new setting) persist if playing music from other sources (UAPP, YouTube, or any other audio file playback software on your phone)?

These details will help the engineers decipher where this issue is coming from. Sorry that this issue suddenly popped up for you Mather.

 

[Coucousalut]

Hey, just to let you know that the last december update on Pixel 7 pro solved any issue I had. The M15 firmware is Ver9399 (most recent afaik).
Before the Android update the M15 worked fine when using UAPP, but on Spotify and Youtube there was a brief and loud buzzing sound every 20 seconds. Also there was clicks and pops when using 4G.
Now it works perfectly (recognized instantly when plugged in, no more EMI with 4G) and sounds awesome : clear, detailed and vibrant.

 

[wizzman121]

Hey, just to let you know that the last december update on Pixel 7 pro solved any issue I had. The M15 firmware is Ver9399 (most recent afaik).
Before the Android update the M15 worked fine when using UAPP, but on Spotify and Youtube there was a brief and loud buzzing sound every 20 seconds. Also there was clicks and pops when using 4G.
Now it works perfectly (recognized instantly when plugged in, no more EMI with 4G) and sounds awesome : clear, detailed and vibrant.

My Pixel 6 just completed the December Android update. Google's December Pixel update does note:

Audio

• General improvements for USB audio support for various cables or accessories *[1]
• General improvements to support various audio codecs with certain devices or accessories *[4]

I have been sampling audio out of my Pixel 6 Android (not a direct audio path like in UAPP) for about 30 minutes and have not observed the very annoying clicks and pops I noted earlier in this thread. I have heard a random click maybe once but I am so happy that Google seems to have made some progress with this issue.

The new SA6 Ultras out of the M15 is just a fantastic combo! It is funny how skeptical I was of dropping $250 on the M15 but how blown away I am with how competitive the M15 is with higher end DAPs and desktop setups. I can't recommend this little power house enough.

 

[Mather]

@Mather Oh goodness... this is a big issue. Help me answer some of these questions to see what's going on here:

Did all of these issues appear after only updating the Tidal application? Or did you also update the OS / something else on your Samsung Flip 4?
Do these issues (pops, clicks, audio dropping if switching apps or new setting) persist if playing music from other sources (UAPP, YouTube, or any other audio file playback software on your phone)?

These details will help the engineers decipher where this issue is coming from. Sorry that this issue suddenly popped up for you Mather.

Okay so I was originally running on the April M15 firmware and Android 12 on my Samsung Flip 4 and I had all of the these problems constantly. The dropouts, the random pops and clicks and the EMI interference. Then last week I updated to the August firmware and the dropouts and the random clicks were gone (EMI interference still there). Then later last week my phone was updated to Android 13 and then yesterday the Tidal update went live. I barely used it between the time Android 13 was installed and the update went live so I honestly can't tell you which caused the issues. But I did not personally notice them prior to the Tidal update.

I have only ever heard the dropouts and the pops and clicks when using Tidal via the M15. I will try to test out other methods today to see if it appears anywhere else but my initial thoughts are no.

EDIT- I downloaded Spotify and Amazon Music and I am experiencing zero drop outs when streaming and opening apps and I am hearing zero pops and clicks.
But I think the main difference here is neither of those apps recognize the DAC and ask for permission to use. They simply play audio through the USB C whereas Tidal in order to unfold the MQAs and go "bit perfect" actually requires permission and recognizes the DAC. But it appears that both of these issues are only occurring when using Tidal. But my guess is it's related to that somehow.

Sooooo whatever the engineers did to fix the M15 Tidal dropout problem between the April and August firmware uhh.... do that again... but this time with Android 13 and the new Tidal version.

 

[SlydZ]

I am currently using the Shanling UA3 and am considering upgrading to either the Cayin RU6 or the Questyle M15. It's hard to decide and there's nowhere to try them out. Please let me know your thoughts if I mainly use IEMs and occasionally use overhead headphones. Would a Mojo 2 be worth the price or either one of these two?

THX.

I have the RU6 and Questyle M15 for 1-2 weeks. The M15 is much more impressive at the first impression. I would describe both:

M15: very clean, especially for "muddier" IEMs like the Sennheiser IE300 perfect. I really like the IE300 much more. For the Tia Trio the difference isn't so much noticable. Perfect for use with Smartphone/Tablet. In this case I don't miss volume buttons. Really bad for desktop use. Volume between 6-20 at low gain with IEMs. So it's difficult to adjust the volume. You can reduce the volume at Tidal for example and keep windows sound higher, but I'm afraid that other Programs do sounds which are much too loud in this case. In combination with my iPhone there are sometimes interferences. This is known problem.

RU6: more "analog sound". Piano sounds more soft/analog. I don't know how to describe. Much better volume control.

I can't/won't keep both, but they have both their purpose. I have no experience with the Mojo 2. I think the form factor is much better with both dac/amps. I can easily drive my Hifiman XS with the M15 at max 50/100 at low gain. Actual I tend to the M15.

btw: really good iPhone Lightning cable is the ddHifi MFi06S - works perfectly. With the Cayin CS-L2C cable I have problems with the M15 (disconnects from time to time).

​

 

[Mather]

Will also add that EMI noise seems far worse now after the Android 13 OS update and the newest Dec Tidal update. Seems odd but I'm guessing that's an OS thing.

After several days of listening I will note that the random pops and clicks did not continue after the first evening with the new OS and Tidal update so that's very odd but perhaps the apps/OS needed some time to sort themselves out. But there's still constant drop outs when opening apps and the RF interference is absolutely brutal now but hey, the random clicks APPEAR to be minimal to none so... that's good?

 

[Questyle]

@Coucousalut @wizzman121 So, so good to hear that these issues have been resolved with the most recent December update for Pixel! It's about time, eh. This is really good news!

@Tman007 Are you able to update your Pixel 6 with this new December release? You mentioned you also had some issues with noise/EMI, hopefully this will solve it for you. Fingers crossed!

@SlydZ Just so I can keep the engineers updated on this issue, what iPhone version are you using that has the interference problem? And out of curiosity, have you used it with other smartphones/tablets that did not exhibit any noise/EMI/interference issues? Thanks for your help here.

@Mather Again, very sorry that you're facing this issue. I've told the engineers about the Tidal issue as well as the increase EMI issue, and they are looking into it, hopefully they will come to a solution soon. If you notice any other changes, issues, or improvements, please do let us know. The more details, the better.

 

[SlydZ]

@SlydZ Just so I can keep the engineers updated on this issue, what iPhone version are you using that has the interference problem? And out of curiosity, have you used it with other smartphones/tablets that did not exhibit any noise/EMI/interference issues? Thanks for your help here.

Thank you for your post! I have the iPhone 13 Pro. With an iPad mini (6.Gen 2021) I hadn't any issues. I was within my wlan, but disabling the mobil data function helped. Beside this problem and the volume control via Windows I really like the M15.

 

[kmmbd]

Questyle M15 has managed to dethrone every other dongle in my collection.

Best dongle DAC-Amp in the current market IMO. However, I find it sounding a lot better (better dynamics, more natural tone) from my laptop than when connected to my phone.