Precog's IEM Reviews & Impressions
Jul 12, 2022 at 1:01 AM Post #2,461 of 3,636
Questyle M15 Impressions

Price: $250
Unit kindly provided for review courtesy of @Questyle.


IMG_2695.JPG


Admittedly, I've never been too enthusiastic about dongles; Apple's dongle mostly equating to "it's good enough, case closed" for my purposes. But then in Singapore, I had the opportunity to demo a couple of higher-end dongles, and this was followed by Headphones.com sending me some more to review in a round-up. In both instances, the dongle that's stood out to me like none other is Questyle's M15.

I will disclaim that differences between sources tend to be quite subtle to my ears (and I am prone to exaggerating to better illustrate nuances); however, the M15 is one of the few portable sources that makes a more noticeable difference in a good way to me. Its presentation will likewise appeal to listeners who are looking for a more musical but Hi-Fi sound. And by this, I am implying that the M15's presentation is no doubt colored; however, it's not skewed to the extent of something like iFi's GoBar which has a pronounced V-shaped coloration to my ears. By comparison, while the GoBar comes off as somewhat artificially boosted in the bass and lower-treble, the M15 hits the sweet spot of sounding mostly authentic it terms of its timbre. Bass is perhaps a hair boosted, although not to the degree of the inflated quality the Apple dongle exhibits in the bass. Midrange is more or less neutral with exemplary texturing characteristics; enough texturing to make even a higher-end DAP, like my DX300, sound smoothed over in decay. Now, I wrote "mostly authentic" because a possible point of contention that becomes apparent with closer listening is the M15's treble response. It seems to have a slightly excessive bump from around 10-15kHz. Cymbals have a splashy characteristic to the way they crash and decay, albeit with a good sense of weight behind their transients (thus circumventing the "crushed" quality to dynamic range or "etch" to timbre that plagues lesser sources). This is opposed to say, the DX300, which puts more emphasis on the 15kHz+ frequencies for a more airy, ambient treble presentation. Or as opposed to the Apple dongle which generally is quite reserved if not smooth throughout the entire treble. The M15's brightness in these regions is more or less an "I can live with it" ordeal, as I often associate presence in these regions with an increased sense of dynamics - which, make no mistake, the M15 has in spades.

Indeed, the dynamics and the detailing on the M15 are quite commendable. There is some minor bass blurriness and upper-treble splashiness (at least in comparison to my DX300), but the midrange of the M15 really shines true for a general sense of fidelity. And for dynamics specifically, the M15 actually makes most other dongles I have on hand right now sound flat; heck, even the DX300 to some degree. Imaging would probably be where the M15's biggest weakness lies. Its center imaging is fairly standard; ironically, the Apple dongle probably has a more pleasing (albeit blobby) center image to me, especially with my U12t where vocals seem to pop outwardly by an inch or two on Apple's dongles for whatever reason. Layering on the M15 is likewise mostly average; certainly better than the Apple dongle, but by no means something that catches my attention like with the DX300.

Now, the elephant in the room: is the M15 worth its steep $250 MSRP? Well, to be frank, I don't think any of the high-end dongles that I've tried are "worth it". It must be noted that the M15's practicality is, well...not ideal. It's quite literally an elephant of a dongle, and I struggle to see myself using it on the go (which, it just so happens, is mostly the point when you're pairing one of these dongles with your phone). I'd probably use it at home from the comfort of my desk or in bed. But as close as you can come to the "worth it" metric in terms of raw sound quality, the M15 delivers as one of the most impressive devices within its niche that I've heard. In fact, it handily outperforms a lot of lower-tier DAPs for sound quality (and I've stacked it against my much more expensive DX300 repeatedly as testament to the M15's performance), so I think it's definitely worth giving a listen if what I've described seems to be up your alley.

All critical listening was done out of the 3.5mm jack with the Symphonium Helios and 64A U12t, as they have flat impedance curves.
 
Jul 12, 2022 at 1:14 AM Post #2,462 of 3,636
Source matching just makes the already saturated IEM hobby even more convoluted that it should be.

Why do some dongles add coloration to the sound?
 
Jul 12, 2022 at 1:19 AM Post #2,463 of 3,636
is the M15 worth its steep $250 MSRP? Well, to be frank, I don't think any of the high-end dongles that I've tried are "worth it".

I would buy a DAP instead. I have Fiio KA3, which is quite outstanding in both noise floor and power output and detail, but it drains battery like crazy. And with my short attention span, I can't quite listen to music if YouTube and head-fi are just one touch away.
 
Jul 12, 2022 at 1:39 AM Post #2,464 of 3,636
Questyle M15 Impressions

Price: $250
Unit kindly provided for review courtesy of @Questyle.


IMG_2695.JPG

Admittedly, I've never been too enthusiastic about dongles; Apple's dongle mostly equating to "it's good enough, case closed" for my purposes. But then in Singapore, I had the opportunity to demo a couple of higher-end dongles, and this was followed by Headphones.com sending me some more to review in a round-up. In both instances, the dongle that's stood out to me like none other is Questyle's M15.

I will disclaim that differences between sources tend to be quite subtle to my ears (and I am prone to exaggerating to better illustrate nuances); however, the M15 is one of the few portable sources that makes a more noticeable difference in a good way to me. Its presentation will likewise appeal to listeners who are looking for a more musical but Hi-Fi sound. And by this, I am implying that the M15's presentation is no doubt colored; however, it's not skewed to the extent of something like iFi's GoBar which has a pronounced V-shaped coloration to my ears. By comparison, while the GoBar comes off as somewhat artificially boosted in the bass and lower-treble, the M15 hits the sweet spot of sounding mostly authentic it terms of its timbre. Bass is perhaps a hair boosted, although not to the degree of the inflated quality the Apple dongle exhibits in the bass. Midrange is more or less neutral with exemplary texturing characteristics; enough texturing to make even a higher-end DAP, like my DX300, sound smoothed over in decay. Now, I wrote "mostly authentic" because a possible point of contention that becomes apparent with closer listening is the M15's treble response. It seems to have a slightly excessive bump from around 10-15kHz. Cymbals have a splashy characteristic to the way they crash and decay, albeit with a good sense of weight behind their transients (thus circumventing the "crushed" quality to dynamic range or "etch" to timbre that plagues lesser sources). This is opposed to say, the DX300, which puts more emphasis on the 15kHz+ frequencies for a more airy, ambient treble presentation. Or as opposed to the Apple dongle which generally is quite reserved if not smooth throughout the entire treble. The M15's brightness in these regions is more or less an "I can live with it" ordeal, as I often associate presence in these regions with an increased sense of dynamics - which, make no mistake, the M15 has in spades.

Indeed, the dynamics and the detailing on the M15 are quite commendable. There is some minor bass blurriness and upper-treble splashiness (at least in comparison to my DX300), but the midrange of the M15 really shines true for a general sense of fidelity. And for dynamics specifically, the M15 actually makes most other dongles I have on hand right now sound flat; heck, even the DX300 to some degree. Imaging would probably be where the M15's biggest weakness lies. Its center imaging is fairly standard; ironically, the Apple dongle probably has a more pleasing (albeit blobby) center image to me, especially with my U12t where vocals seem to pop outwardly by an inch or two on Apple's dongles for whatever reason. Layering on the M15 is likewise mostly average; certainly better than the Apple dongle, but by no means something that catches my attention like with the DX300.

Now, the elephant in the room: is the M15 worth its steep $250 MSRP? Well, to be frank, I don't think any of the high-end dongles that I've tried are "worth it". It must be noted that the M15's practicality is, well...not ideal. It's quite literally an elephant of a dongle, and I struggle to see myself using it on the go (which, it just so happens, is mostly the point when you're pairing one of these dongles with your phone). I'd probably use it at home from the comfort of my desk or in bed. But as close as you can come to the "worth it" metric in terms of raw sound quality, the M15 delivers as one of the most impressive devices within its niche that I've heard. In fact, it handily outperforms a lot of lower-tier DAPs for sound quality (and I've stacked it against my much more expensive DX300 repeatedly as testament to the M15's performance), so I think it's definitely worth giving a listen if what I've described seems to be up your alley.

All critical listening was done out of the 3.5mm jack with the Symphonium Helios and 64A U12t, as they have flat impedance curves.
Can you review the Cayin RU6 dongle? The only R-2R dongle dac in the market?
 
Jul 12, 2022 at 9:12 AM Post #2,465 of 3,636
Honestly, M15's description seems alot like dongles using the same lowered powered ESS chips. Dongles using the ES9218C DAC/ES9219/ ES9281/ ES9280.

I feel the ESS lower power DAC chips contribute to lot of the sound.

My ASUS RoG 5S phone with the same lineup dac chip sounds quite similar as well.

My Dunu dtc-100 dongle also sounds similar.

My Shanling UA1 dongle is also similar.

Qudelix 5k as well. Pleasantly warm & intimate. Intimately small staging with a center stage focus.

I somehow ended up with a lot of experience with these low power line of ESS chips. These low power draw ESS chips (or atleast the standard implementation of them) are very different than would you'd expect to associate with desktop ESS dacs......

These power efficient ESS line of DACs are usually quite warm, with rounded polite top end presentation. With all the things I tried above.

But that warmth actually has a really clean bass. Too bad it isn't a textured strongly like for the subbass & imaging (I can imagine some people finding this dull depending on their iem/headphone).

.
The low-powered ESS chips are the complete opposite of the power-efficient Cirrus DAC chips sound. The Cirrus DAC stuff remind me more of the presentation of desktop ESS dac stuff than the low-powered ESS stuff. Lots of layered imaging with nice dynamic swings and a very slammy but a lil dry bass.
(though the Cirrus stuff have more presence/treble etch than desktop ESS).


I am curious if anyone else observed this?
 
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Jul 12, 2022 at 10:47 AM Post #2,466 of 3,636
Ya sure, I A/B-d them briefly!

For timbre specifically, I think the Dioko doesn't fare as well. The lack of warmth exacerbates the "planar timbre" in the bass, and the leaner bass and midrange brings more attention to the 8kHz peak in the treble. So I generally don't find the Dioko is as accurate in terms of timbre production as its frequency response might suggest. Staging on the Dioko might be better than the Timeless. It does sound more open than the Timeless does to me, although I don't really hear most IEMs as having much depth (if at all, unfortunately). Generally, I think I prefer the Timeless overall, especially for its tonality (the Dioko is really just too lean for me), but you are getting comparable technicalities with the Dioko at less than half the price.
My concern looking at the graph was that the bass may be underdamped which will make it sound less rhythmic/solid or midbass lite even it fit graphs well. Seems everyone likes the bass character of the s12. I'm tempted to try one of these. I think I may just get the s12 and swap nozzle filters to my preference. Adding 250r to the nozzle and fron vent of the Olina did wonders. I've heard the Timeless for a couple minutes and it's such a friendly sound but I'd like something with a bit more technicality and prat to it. Getting the bass to bop has a lot to do with that.

I don't expect to replace my s8/comply/silver cable anytime soon but getting IEMs for under $150 is cheap and cheerful fun.

Also heard the Questyle M15 and completely agree though I still clearly prefer my dx240.
 
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Jul 13, 2022 at 4:33 AM Post #2,467 of 3,636
I will disclaim that differences between sources tend to be quite subtle to my ears (and I am prone to exaggerating to better illustrate nuances)
I have been eagerly awaiting this one. And boy did you deliver again. Also this is one of the most mature disclaimers I have seen in a review. This should be an industry standard for reviewers since it can set unrealistic expectations to newer ears in the hobby. There's nothing like playing up the differences in gear, especially source equipment, in your head only to be let down by the miniscule or even inaudible differences once you hear it yourself.

Also, did you have any difficulty finding the appropriate listening level? I saw that the M15 doesn't it's own volume control and being that the iPhone doesn't have the most incremental volume steps, I'm a bit worried it would be difficult to find that "sweet spot" on the "dial", so to speak.
 
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Jul 13, 2022 at 6:45 PM Post #2,468 of 3,636
I have been eagerly awaiting this one. And boy did you deliver again. Also this is one of the most mature disclaimers I have seen in a review. This should be an industry standard for reviewers since it can set unrealistic expectations to newer ears in the hobby. There's nothing like playing up the differences in gear, especially source equipment, in your head only to be let down by the miniscule or even inaudible differences once you hear it yourself.

Also, did you have any difficulty finding the appropriate listening level? I saw that the M15 doesn't it's own volume control and being that the iPhone doesn't have the most incremental volume steps, I'm a bit worried it would be difficult to find that "sweet spot" on the "dial", so to speak.

Happy I could oblige! Re finding the right listening level, the "standard" number of steps using the volume rockers on the iPhone only has 16 steps if I recall correctly. But if you pull down the menu from the top right, you can adjust the volume by touch with much more granularity; the M15 adjust the volume linearly to that. It might be weird if you haven't done it like that before, but that's how I usually fine-tune the volume on iPhone.

Can you review the Cayin RU6 dongle? The only R-2R dongle dac in the market?

Hmm, I don't think Headphones.com stocks that one. Antdroid has one, though, that he might be able to let me borrow his for review.
 
Jul 14, 2022 at 7:27 AM Post #2,469 of 3,636
Happy I could oblige! Re finding the right listening level, the "standard" number of steps using the volume rockers on the iPhone only has 16 steps if I recall correctly. But if you pull down the menu from the top right, you can adjust the volume by touch with much more granularity; the M15 adjust the volume linearly to that. It might be weird if you haven't done it like that before, but that's how I usually fine-tune the volume on iPhone.
Thanks - that was a new iPhone user tip I had never read elsewhere. Being I listen quite a bit from the iPhone when on-the-go, this will help across all my IEMs and devices.

(Aside but relevant) Ru-6 controls volume manually on-board via a 10-step ladder that repeats every 10 steps from 0-100 and has a 40 msec pause (during play) every 10th step. The instructions for that one are to max the volume on your iPhone or other source so the Ru-6 has max signal to work with, and just control volume from Ru-6.
 
Jul 14, 2022 at 11:07 AM Post #2,470 of 3,636
Happy I could oblige! Re finding the right listening level, the "standard" number of steps using the volume rockers on the iPhone only has 16 steps if I recall correctly. But if you pull down the menu from the top right, you can adjust the volume by touch with much more granularity; the M15 adjust the volume linearly to that. It might be weird if you haven't done it like that before, but that's how I usually fine-tune the volume on iPhone.



Hmm, I don't think Headphones.com stocks that one. Antdroid has one, though, that he might be able to let me borrow his for review.
Any update on the Dioko?
 
Jul 14, 2022 at 8:32 PM Post #2,471 of 3,636
Any update on the Dioko?

Yes, the filters arrived today and I swapped them out.

graph (2).png


I'll probably only be doing a video review on this one. @FcConstruct is going to be handling the written portion.
 
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Jul 14, 2022 at 11:02 PM Post #2,472 of 3,636
Yes, the filters arrived today and I swapped them out.

graph (2).png

I'll probably only be doing a video review on this one. @FcConstruct is going to be handling the written portion.

That 13.5-14 kHz peak reminds me of the Tin P2 planar. Otherwise, looks balanced enough across the spectrum.
 
Jul 14, 2022 at 11:08 PM Post #2,473 of 3,636
Yes, the filters arrived today and I swapped them out.

graph (2).png

I'll probably only be doing a video review on this one. @FcConstruct is going to be handling the written portion.

Is the treble air any good, or is it metallic because it peaks too early? The graph looks quite promising to me.
 
Jul 15, 2022 at 11:49 PM Post #2,475 of 3,636
It depends on the IEM. Some planar IEMs like Audeze's (minus the Euclid, I didn't find it very detailed) are some of the most technical IEMs I've heard and are basically on par with headphones. But the newer planar IEMs in the $200 space don't sound as impressive to me. I think they punch above their price for technicalities; however, they're not quite to the level of the better kilo-buck IEMs. The Timeless is a good example. I was doing some quick A/B this morning, and the iSine 20 sounds like it's a decent margin ahead of the Timeless. It slams harder, images more openly, and sounds more detailed to me. The Timeless seems closer to around the Blessing 2's level for technicalities.

@ekjellgren hey, those are just the IEMs I've recently heard and that I haven't had time to re-sort the sheet to have them pulled into the bigger list for.
Hi.
I heard Custom Art Fibae 7 Unlimited few days ago.
It sounds amazing! Try and compare it with U12t, please.
 

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