This review article, authored by Li Ling Jia Qi, originates from a Chinese media outlet.
Emerging Voices
Following the market acclaim of the portable DAC/amp units M12 and M15, Questyle has launched the higher-spec CMA18 Portable. Equipped with a 4600mA battery, it supports both wired and Bluetooth DAC/amp functionalities, offering approximately 10 hours of battery life without significantly draining the phone's battery.
It supports mainstream Bluetooth protocols and LDAC high-resolution audio decoding. The test showed minimal difference between its sound quality and that of wired connections. Using it occasionally as a Bluetooth DAC/amp can be quite enjoyable, especially when you are listening to music over the phone without the hassle of wires interfering with the phone's use.
The CMA18 Portable is equipped with an impressive array of features.
It houses a flagship-grade AK4493 DAC chip, facilitating DSD512 and PCM 32bit/768kHz high-definition audio decoding. It supports both 3.5mm and 4.4mm analog inputs and headphone outputs, alongside a 3.5mm optical input. Integrated with the XMOS XU316 chip, it enables stereo USB lossless recording.
Leveraging Questyle's proprietary technology, the CMA18 Portable incorporates four sets of current mode PCT patented SIP chips, CC630/630M, supporting both low and high gain modes. This configuration allows for an instantaneous output current of up to 2A and an output power exceeding 1W. Such robust output ensures that the CMA18 Portable can effortlessly drive high-impedance headphones, showcasing its powerful driving capability.
The CMA18 Portable comes with two cables, Type-C and Lightning, eliminating the need for additional adapter cables. If possible, I would recommend upgrading these cables as it can enhance the listening experience even more.
Overall Appearance
Powerful Driving Force
The CMA18 Portable supports a high-gain mode, with an instantaneous output current reaching up to 2A and an output power of >1W. I directly drove the HD600 with it. The result was quite impressive. There was no sense of powerlessness in the sound, no muffled resolution, and the soundstage was not constricted; direct driving sounded very pleasant.
The CMA18 Portable can bring an enjoyable and immaculate listening experience to the HD600, with a high sound density, strong dynamics, and a broad and relaxed sound range. When listening to classical music, it conveys grandeur. Emotional songs are filled with feelings, whereas instrumental music is clear, warm, and extremely pleasant to listen to. The overall effect is staggering, significantly better than the straightforward sound produced by direct driving from a computer.
Following that, I switched to the 56Ω impedance JVC SW02 for direct high-gain driving. I immediately noticed that with the lower impedance, the CMA18 Portable's control over sound details became stronger. The treble, midrange, and bass sounded smoother and more fluid, imaging was more cohesive. There was also a significant reduction in harshness.
In conclusion, direct driving both low-impedance and high-impedance headphones with the CMA18 Portable is pleasing to the ear. While it may not surpass a desktop DAC/amp like the CMA15 in terms of sound detail, it can effortlessly drive a wide variety of in-ear monitors, as long as they are not 600Ω impedance, achieving full driving capacity.
Discussing the Listening Experience
The CMA18 Portable continues Questyle's signature tuning style, offering a vibrant overall listening experience, with a high sound density and solid linearity. It creates a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere, ensuring no loss in emotional expression regardless of the song genre. The device's dynamic range is swift and broad, making expansive musical pieces sound passionate and majestic.
This tuning style is particularly suitable when listening to Western pop and classical music. The sound fully conveys the emotional spectrum of the songs. The high sound density does not muddle the output. On the contrary, separation, positioning, and resolution qualities help the sound reach its perfection. The tuning is sophisticated, avoiding the pitfall of overly aggressive resolution.
The CMA18 Portable possesses an exceptional vertical soundstage, creating a three-dimensional sonic framework that extends impressively from the highs to the lows. The treble reaches upwards effortlessly, while the bass delves deep, complemented by a soundstage width that is anything but narrow. The overall sound spectrum is balanced, expansive, airy, and enduringly listenable.
While listening to instruments through the CMA18 Portable, you will experience a rich density and a slightly larger-than-life imaging of instrumental bodies, devoid of any thin or hollow sensations. Orchestral music sounds exceptionally warm, with richly textured lines, bright timbres, and devoid of any harshness to the ears. The detailing is delicate and robust, creating a finely contoured and solid musical experience.
In terms of instrument detail resolution, listening through the CMA18 Portable revealed the intricacies of ancient zither string plucks, with the vibration of the strings and the tremolo clearly distinguished. The imaging was sharp without being overly dim. Following this, piano sounds were explored, which revealed a rich depth of information and a sense of diffusion. The luster of pipa and flute tones was notably high, with the tail tones carrying a melodic charm and avoiding blunt expression. Overall, the device's resolution encompasses everything necessary, without resorting to an overly stimulating, information-overloaded listening experience, making it exceptionally friendly to those who favor a warm sound style.
The CMA18 Portable is exceptionally well-suited for jazz music. When I listened to "That's All," I was impressed by the CMA18 Portable's expansive soundstage. This was followed by its remarkable quality of separation, where the placement of different instruments was highly orderly and free from interference, with clear space between them. The tone of this track conveyed a comfortable atmosphere, with details brimming with enthusiasm. The sound possessed both quality and emotional depth, creating a captivating experience akin to being slightly intoxicated, utterly devoid of any cold or thin auditory sensation.
The CMA18 Portable renders vocals with a close, tense, intimate feeling, favoring a thicker sound for both male and female voices. The timbre tends to be rich and rounded, with a larger mouthfeel, creating a tuning style where sibilance is almost non-existent. Vocals are warm and emotive, making listening to love songs particularly enjoyable.
Listening to Fine Band's "The Third Person," a moment of emotional climax is palpable at the 3:25 mark, immersing the listener in the lead singer's passionate delivery. The vocal presentation is not forthright but instead warm and delicate. However, if your preference leans towards a thinner, higher-resolution vocal reproduction, it might take some time to get used to the CMA18 Portable's tuning style.
While listening to Khalil Fong's cover of "Red Bean" with the CMA18 Portable, I noticed that his voice sounded incredibly full and cohesive, with a solidly condensed form and clear vocal contours. Upon close listening, one can discern many subtle details of Khalil Fong's breath, filled with magnetic vibrato particles. The voice maintains a high level of clarity, coupled with a warmly emotive richness, virtually free of sibilance.
After that, I listened to Khalil Fong's "Listen" to gauge the CMA18 Portable's performance in the low frequencies. In the first ten seconds of this song, you can hear a thick, deep bass drum sound with a substantial sense of volume and energetic dynamism, tightly consolidated without any sense of roughness.
Although the drum sounds are somewhat heavy, they do not overshadow the vocal imaging; you can hear a robust voice with rich overtones. The atmosphere created by the dense drum sound, alongside bright and clear vocals, demonstrates excellent separation and tuning quality. When the song reaches the 2:48 mark, the CMA18 Portable enhances the richness of the atmosphere, becoming even more passionate and effusive.
I also listened to Xue Min Yan's "Drum Poem," a track known for its high recording quality. The higher the resolution capability of your front-end equipment, the clearer the drum sound details you can discern. The CMA18 Portable enables you to hear very clearly drumhead vibrations, with reverberation and sustain, rather than fleeting sounds. With this device, you can appreciate more details in the drum sounds.
Listening to "Rhythms of the Yellow River," the CMA18 Portable delivers an immersive, grand scene sensation right from the start. Different drums are well-separated, with their own sound shapes, depth of detail, and density-all imaged very clearly by the CMA18 Portable. When multiple drums play together, the sound does not become chaotic; the impact feels crisp, and the harmonies are orderly. The sound is neither rough nor muffled, offering a rich, layered, and majestic listening experience.
When listening to Shostakovich's "Peaceful Rivers and Mountains," a piece with a vast scenic musical landscape, the CMA18 Portable fully exhibits Questyle's enchanting tuning prowess. The sound waves change rapidly and surge powerfully from low to high, bursting without becoming muffled or confused. The dynamic fluctuations are expressed almost perfectly, with every sound possessing a full density, solid imaging, and detailed nuances. As the climax of the piece approaches, the sound delivers a listening experience filled with an impressive sense of grandeur.
When listening to the first dynamic movement of Mozart's "Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major," K. 525, also known as "Eine kleine Nachtmusik," through the CMA18 Portable, one is greeted with a passionate and fast change of sounds. The rapid transitions between the violins, accompanied by impactful surges in the sound waves, are striking. Additionally, you can discern the details of the string friction, which are clear and replete with harmonics, highlighting the instruments' vigor and emotional expression impressively. The sound does not seem unclear or stiff but vibrant. The cello tones are robust, conveying a formidable sense of momentum, and the symphonic ensemble performs with the force of a thousand horses galloping.
In summary, the CMA18 Portable does not follow a purely analytical tuning approach; it embodies Questyle's interpretation of sound tuning. The sound is warm, with a rich density, expansive sound range, and an open and airy quality that avoids muddiness, showcasing exquisite sound details. If you are in pursuit of a purely analytical, overly detailed listening experience, it might not be for you. However, if you appreciate a sonorous, emotive, enduringly listenable, and warmly toned sound signature, the CMA18 Portable is highly suitable.
As for the downsides, it's not a product that aims for a strictly analytical reproduction of sound. It largely emphasizes the emotional part of the audio. If you are not a fan of sound that conveys a large spectrum of emotions with a distinct character or "flavor," you could consider it a drawback of the CMA18 Portable.
Emerging Voices
Following the market acclaim of the portable DAC/amp units M12 and M15, Questyle has launched the higher-spec CMA18 Portable. Equipped with a 4600mA battery, it supports both wired and Bluetooth DAC/amp functionalities, offering approximately 10 hours of battery life without significantly draining the phone's battery.
It supports mainstream Bluetooth protocols and LDAC high-resolution audio decoding. The test showed minimal difference between its sound quality and that of wired connections. Using it occasionally as a Bluetooth DAC/amp can be quite enjoyable, especially when you are listening to music over the phone without the hassle of wires interfering with the phone's use.
The CMA18 Portable is equipped with an impressive array of features.
It houses a flagship-grade AK4493 DAC chip, facilitating DSD512 and PCM 32bit/768kHz high-definition audio decoding. It supports both 3.5mm and 4.4mm analog inputs and headphone outputs, alongside a 3.5mm optical input. Integrated with the XMOS XU316 chip, it enables stereo USB lossless recording.
Leveraging Questyle's proprietary technology, the CMA18 Portable incorporates four sets of current mode PCT patented SIP chips, CC630/630M, supporting both low and high gain modes. This configuration allows for an instantaneous output current of up to 2A and an output power exceeding 1W. Such robust output ensures that the CMA18 Portable can effortlessly drive high-impedance headphones, showcasing its powerful driving capability.
The CMA18 Portable comes with two cables, Type-C and Lightning, eliminating the need for additional adapter cables. If possible, I would recommend upgrading these cables as it can enhance the listening experience even more.
Overall Appearance
Powerful Driving Force
The CMA18 Portable supports a high-gain mode, with an instantaneous output current reaching up to 2A and an output power of >1W. I directly drove the HD600 with it. The result was quite impressive. There was no sense of powerlessness in the sound, no muffled resolution, and the soundstage was not constricted; direct driving sounded very pleasant.
The CMA18 Portable can bring an enjoyable and immaculate listening experience to the HD600, with a high sound density, strong dynamics, and a broad and relaxed sound range. When listening to classical music, it conveys grandeur. Emotional songs are filled with feelings, whereas instrumental music is clear, warm, and extremely pleasant to listen to. The overall effect is staggering, significantly better than the straightforward sound produced by direct driving from a computer.
Following that, I switched to the 56Ω impedance JVC SW02 for direct high-gain driving. I immediately noticed that with the lower impedance, the CMA18 Portable's control over sound details became stronger. The treble, midrange, and bass sounded smoother and more fluid, imaging was more cohesive. There was also a significant reduction in harshness.
In conclusion, direct driving both low-impedance and high-impedance headphones with the CMA18 Portable is pleasing to the ear. While it may not surpass a desktop DAC/amp like the CMA15 in terms of sound detail, it can effortlessly drive a wide variety of in-ear monitors, as long as they are not 600Ω impedance, achieving full driving capacity.
Discussing the Listening Experience
The CMA18 Portable continues Questyle's signature tuning style, offering a vibrant overall listening experience, with a high sound density and solid linearity. It creates a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere, ensuring no loss in emotional expression regardless of the song genre. The device's dynamic range is swift and broad, making expansive musical pieces sound passionate and majestic.
This tuning style is particularly suitable when listening to Western pop and classical music. The sound fully conveys the emotional spectrum of the songs. The high sound density does not muddle the output. On the contrary, separation, positioning, and resolution qualities help the sound reach its perfection. The tuning is sophisticated, avoiding the pitfall of overly aggressive resolution.
The CMA18 Portable possesses an exceptional vertical soundstage, creating a three-dimensional sonic framework that extends impressively from the highs to the lows. The treble reaches upwards effortlessly, while the bass delves deep, complemented by a soundstage width that is anything but narrow. The overall sound spectrum is balanced, expansive, airy, and enduringly listenable.
While listening to instruments through the CMA18 Portable, you will experience a rich density and a slightly larger-than-life imaging of instrumental bodies, devoid of any thin or hollow sensations. Orchestral music sounds exceptionally warm, with richly textured lines, bright timbres, and devoid of any harshness to the ears. The detailing is delicate and robust, creating a finely contoured and solid musical experience.
In terms of instrument detail resolution, listening through the CMA18 Portable revealed the intricacies of ancient zither string plucks, with the vibration of the strings and the tremolo clearly distinguished. The imaging was sharp without being overly dim. Following this, piano sounds were explored, which revealed a rich depth of information and a sense of diffusion. The luster of pipa and flute tones was notably high, with the tail tones carrying a melodic charm and avoiding blunt expression. Overall, the device's resolution encompasses everything necessary, without resorting to an overly stimulating, information-overloaded listening experience, making it exceptionally friendly to those who favor a warm sound style.
The CMA18 Portable is exceptionally well-suited for jazz music. When I listened to "That's All," I was impressed by the CMA18 Portable's expansive soundstage. This was followed by its remarkable quality of separation, where the placement of different instruments was highly orderly and free from interference, with clear space between them. The tone of this track conveyed a comfortable atmosphere, with details brimming with enthusiasm. The sound possessed both quality and emotional depth, creating a captivating experience akin to being slightly intoxicated, utterly devoid of any cold or thin auditory sensation.
The CMA18 Portable renders vocals with a close, tense, intimate feeling, favoring a thicker sound for both male and female voices. The timbre tends to be rich and rounded, with a larger mouthfeel, creating a tuning style where sibilance is almost non-existent. Vocals are warm and emotive, making listening to love songs particularly enjoyable.
Listening to Fine Band's "The Third Person," a moment of emotional climax is palpable at the 3:25 mark, immersing the listener in the lead singer's passionate delivery. The vocal presentation is not forthright but instead warm and delicate. However, if your preference leans towards a thinner, higher-resolution vocal reproduction, it might take some time to get used to the CMA18 Portable's tuning style.
While listening to Khalil Fong's cover of "Red Bean" with the CMA18 Portable, I noticed that his voice sounded incredibly full and cohesive, with a solidly condensed form and clear vocal contours. Upon close listening, one can discern many subtle details of Khalil Fong's breath, filled with magnetic vibrato particles. The voice maintains a high level of clarity, coupled with a warmly emotive richness, virtually free of sibilance.
After that, I listened to Khalil Fong's "Listen" to gauge the CMA18 Portable's performance in the low frequencies. In the first ten seconds of this song, you can hear a thick, deep bass drum sound with a substantial sense of volume and energetic dynamism, tightly consolidated without any sense of roughness.
Although the drum sounds are somewhat heavy, they do not overshadow the vocal imaging; you can hear a robust voice with rich overtones. The atmosphere created by the dense drum sound, alongside bright and clear vocals, demonstrates excellent separation and tuning quality. When the song reaches the 2:48 mark, the CMA18 Portable enhances the richness of the atmosphere, becoming even more passionate and effusive.
I also listened to Xue Min Yan's "Drum Poem," a track known for its high recording quality. The higher the resolution capability of your front-end equipment, the clearer the drum sound details you can discern. The CMA18 Portable enables you to hear very clearly drumhead vibrations, with reverberation and sustain, rather than fleeting sounds. With this device, you can appreciate more details in the drum sounds.
Listening to "Rhythms of the Yellow River," the CMA18 Portable delivers an immersive, grand scene sensation right from the start. Different drums are well-separated, with their own sound shapes, depth of detail, and density-all imaged very clearly by the CMA18 Portable. When multiple drums play together, the sound does not become chaotic; the impact feels crisp, and the harmonies are orderly. The sound is neither rough nor muffled, offering a rich, layered, and majestic listening experience.
When listening to Shostakovich's "Peaceful Rivers and Mountains," a piece with a vast scenic musical landscape, the CMA18 Portable fully exhibits Questyle's enchanting tuning prowess. The sound waves change rapidly and surge powerfully from low to high, bursting without becoming muffled or confused. The dynamic fluctuations are expressed almost perfectly, with every sound possessing a full density, solid imaging, and detailed nuances. As the climax of the piece approaches, the sound delivers a listening experience filled with an impressive sense of grandeur.
When listening to the first dynamic movement of Mozart's "Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major," K. 525, also known as "Eine kleine Nachtmusik," through the CMA18 Portable, one is greeted with a passionate and fast change of sounds. The rapid transitions between the violins, accompanied by impactful surges in the sound waves, are striking. Additionally, you can discern the details of the string friction, which are clear and replete with harmonics, highlighting the instruments' vigor and emotional expression impressively. The sound does not seem unclear or stiff but vibrant. The cello tones are robust, conveying a formidable sense of momentum, and the symphonic ensemble performs with the force of a thousand horses galloping.
In summary, the CMA18 Portable does not follow a purely analytical tuning approach; it embodies Questyle's interpretation of sound tuning. The sound is warm, with a rich density, expansive sound range, and an open and airy quality that avoids muddiness, showcasing exquisite sound details. If you are in pursuit of a purely analytical, overly detailed listening experience, it might not be for you. However, if you appreciate a sonorous, emotive, enduringly listenable, and warmly toned sound signature, the CMA18 Portable is highly suitable.
As for the downsides, it's not a product that aims for a strictly analytical reproduction of sound. It largely emphasizes the emotional part of the audio. If you are not a fan of sound that conveys a large spectrum of emotions with a distinct character or "flavor," you could consider it a drawback of the CMA18 Portable.
