[john1711]

I have not really had much time with the N8. Have been listening more to the LPGT which is very dynamic sounding.

I auditioned the QPM with 80s pop which is my personal litmus test for general listenability. The QPM came off sounding a bit harsh but perhaps it was the poor mastering on the compilation CDs. The particular track that I did not quite like the sound of when listening on the QPM is Simply Red's Holding Back The Years.

 

[brams]

"Harsh" is literally the last adjective I would apply to the QPM. It is very detailed and extended. In my opinion transients are presented very naturally and this speed of response is exactly what would be expected from current mode amplification.

It is likely you are either hearing something on the recording, some limitation of the headphone/headphone or you were using the wrong gain setting on the QPM. Remember that bad recordings will typically sound worse the better the equipment.

Did you hear the same thing with any of your other audio players using the same transducer?

 

[john1711]

You could be right because that track did not sound great on other DAPs but perhaps the lack of resolution on the other DAPs could have masked the inherent harshness.

 

[john1711]

I have heard a few other flagships, but have not had an opportunity to compare directly to the QPM. However, I did own the QP2r for years, and sold it the same day I received the QPM. My comments on the performance of the QPM are therefore based on the following:

1. Aural memory of my impressions of the other devices (sketchy at best)
2. Impressions from those on-line who have compared the QP2r to flagship models (only slightly less sketchy)
3. My very brief comparison of the QP2r to the QPM before I had to ship the QP2r (eye opening, but probably biased to justify my purchase)
4. The detailed impressions of a high end Questyle dealer who did have a chance to compare the QP2r at length to the QPM (informative since this dealer ended dropping the line despite their very positive impression of the QPM relative to the QP2r and the flagship Astell & Ultima model for which they were also a dealer)
5. A 4 hour comparison of the QPM driving various headphones at the same dealer to the DCS Bartok (the QPM was not embarrased in any way especially when driving the new OraSound Graphene Q)
6. Ongoing comparison of the QPM to my desktop setup which has various transports driving COS Engineering H1, Woo Audio WA22se and Bakoon amplification (reinforces every day just how good the QPM really is)

Yes, the QPM performs at a very high level. It excels in the reproduction of tone and especially in the very natural way detail is presented. It also appears to drive difficult loads more easily than its output numbers would suggest.

Not wanting to derail this thread, but how do you like the N8? I came very close to buying it at one time.

The comparison to the DCS Bartok is quite a MIGHTY claim!!!!

 

[brams]

Actually I would expect any of the flagship DAPs that are striving for neutrality to compare favorably to the Bartok. This is no slight on the Bartok, which is a fantastic performer. My comparison to the Bartok was to establish that the QPM is a player thst clearly performs at the level of other TOTL Daps.

Saying that the QPM was not embarrased when compared directly to the Bartok is not implying that it is as good as the Bartok. It isn't and it would be unreasonably to expect that it would be. However, if the goal of audio equipment is to help the user experience as close as possible the performance of the artist from the perspective of the mastering engineer, then it's not difficult to see that the Bartok's performance must by definition be limited to the achievement of this ideal.

Specifically, if a straight, horizontal line represents perfect fidelity to the original (mastered) performance and the performance of an audio component could be plotted as a deviation from this ideal, then for top of the line equipment the absolute value of these deviations must be relatively small even though the sum of the deviations maight result in a signature that is somewhat different.

For the QPM the sum of these deviations resulted in a signature that was a lot closer to the Bartok than I expected with the headphones I tried.

 

[john1711]

I have been struggling with the decision to buy the QPM. Having formerly owned the QPR1 and QPR2, I really appreciate the form factor and driving power. Compared to other flagship DAPs such as LPGT, N8, Plenue S and Valoq, I find the Questyle neutrality somewhat dry. I’ve auditioned the QPM at a shop and even borrowed it home for the evening, and still cannot decide.

 

[brams]

If after trying it you still cannot decide then you probably should not buy it. Neutrality is not for everyone. Some prefer their gear to be flavored in a certain direction and that's OK if it's pleasing to you..

Your comment about the signature being dry reminds me of a friend's comment about Metronome monoblock amps I owned years ago. Accurate to a fault with no attempt to embelish. With the right equipment it sounded fantastic, but if something was off I could hear it immediately.

To each his/her own!

Is Questyle gear readily available in your country? It has pretty much disappeared from North America. Any new units currently for sale tend to be old stock of QP1r and QP2r. I tried for a long time to find a CMA 12 Master and eventually gave up. Now with the world economic impact of Covid-19 it is unlikely I will ever purchase one of these unless I find a used unit at a very good price.

 

[john1711]

The CMA12 Master is available in Singapore: https://zeppelinandco.com/products/questyle-cma-twelve-master

There are some days when I don't mind neutrality and it depends on what I am listening to as well.

My favourite DAC of all time was the Zanden. So that gives you a pretty good idea of my sonic preferences.

 

[gazzington]

I like questyle sq and if they were better supported in the UK I'd probably buy this new dap

 

[mwhals]

I like questyle sq and if they were better supported in the UK I'd probably buy this new dap

Same with me in the United States. I have no idea where I could buy it.

 

[mwhals]

I think this company is in Montana, United States and they sell Questyle products.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/heddphones-and-a-couple-sales-ttvjaudio-com.930524/

 

[lramirez1959]

I sold my QP2R and have being waiting QPM, but it is hard to find.

Anyone has done business with this store ?

https://hifigo.com/products/questyle-qpm-portable-lossless-dap-ak4490-hifi-music-player

Thanks

 

[cr3ativ3]

I sold my QP2R and have being waiting QPM, but it is hard to find.

Anyone has done business with this store ?

https://hifigo.com/products/questyle-qpm-portable-lossless-dap-ak4490-hifi-music-player

Thanks

I’ve just ordered the E02 module for cayin n6ii there yesterday ... but it’s not “done” yet

 

[cr3ativ3]

I sold my QP2R and have being waiting QPM, but it is hard to find.

Anyone has done business with this store ?

https://hifigo.com/products/questyle-qpm-portable-lossless-dap-ak4490-hifi-music-player

Thanks

Just got the shipping notification and tracking number shop seems to be fine

 

[lramirez1959]

Excellent, thanks.
Happy listening