[drftr]

I don't know, but guess what? I have Kublai Khan with me. Let me check

I hope it's so great that it's the first IEM of a new line that should be branded as the Unicorn line. Next up: Gemsbok and Scapegoat

drftr

 

[Beh0lder]

Do you mean the Onyx? If so, I heard it and I really love it. It is a bassy set. Reminds me a bit of Kublai Khan. I definitely like it more than Spartacus.

I can't hear the KK as bassy anymore after blasting my ears with the Raven and Xe/Rn6s

 

[MatW]

I can't hear the KK as bassy anymore after blasting my ears with the Raven and Xe/Rn6s

True. It has a solid bass quantity, and very good quality too, aided by the BCD, but it is not bass heavy compared to the true bass head IEMs.

 

[MSwiss]

WM1ZM2 + Mentor combo gives the most humongous soundstage I have ever heard.

But if I were to be looking for an IEM to pair with the Gold Brick it would be the Trifecta.

YMMV

Thats really intriguing as my WM1AM2 is great but the sound stage paired with my mentors significantly diminishes compared to the Hugo2.

I’m thinking of the A&K 3000, shanling M9 Plus or the N30LE to pair with….any thoughts on those ?

 

[MSwiss]

So... at long last Questyle CMA18P is in the house thanks to Pierre at Headonist.fr



CMA18P features a beautiful build quality and such a sexy design with the view on the internal design but maybe that's the nerd talking

In terms of size I had seen pictures of CMA18P stacked with iPhone and wondered if the pic was a Max, and yes it's the iPhone 15 Pro Max here so it matches.
A smaller phone won't be as good an experience obviously...

I used a magsafe magnet with 3M tape fixed to the CMA which is to me such a handy way to stack it !
I wished I could magnet both ways as it would be slimmer but still very very convenient...



Now all this is good and all but how does it sound?

Well I'll cut to the chase and after a few hours with it out of the box I am very impressed by the SQ.

The stage is vast and imaging is precise, PRaT is top notch which makes it quite engaging and it’s not a colored source in USB mode. It’s reference done right in my book with plenty of authority down low and a lot of headroom as well. It's a very dynamic brand of sound with fast transients and dynamic range is quite impressive. Resolution is fairly impressive as well, with a clean black background. Questyle managed to avoid going the clinical road, it's really accurate and will reflect the pure nature of your gear, at least that's the impression I get from my trusted Elysium and DCA Stealth which in my collection are less organic than my usual stuff. So YMMV but you won't get a smoothed or relaxed presentation from the CMA18P : it's fast, clean and accurate and won't add or substract anything.

In BT mode you loose a bit of this with a smoother presentation with a touch of warmth but not a total signature change altogether… note that I obviously don't have APTX HD so there is that, but even in the weaker quality BT from the iPhone I do still get a lot from the CMA18P and aside from a slightly smoother and less punchy and resolved presentation honestly aside from cricital listening during a commute BT does the job very well and is more convenient than stacking which can be very handy so kudos for making this a feature ! Last but not least, I had initial worries about taping a magsafe magnet to the CMA for interference so I was not sure this would work out. But this baby is properly shielded as it doesn't even affect the BT connection



So all in all I am so very happy with the purchase and very very impressed by the CMA18P.

I expected good stuff but that good? No... Maybe it's a bias since the CMA features AKM4493 but... well amplication plays such and important part as well...
I mean I started A/B with R8II and even... N30 and I must say this baby delivers quite the value at the asking price Sure, I get more body from R8II but it's more of a different signature than performance bracket difference which honestly impresses me. Now N30 has a "soul" that well is on top of everything that the CMA18P can offer but honestly on technical fundamentals well the gap is not one might think it is (which is damn impressive considering the comparison).

I would even dare say that at this price point (well even twice the price) no DAP can compete... you get fantastic SQ and flawless technicalities and the amp section is something to behold... Now in my view this is one heck of a highly recommended from me to any audiophile looking for a clean, fast, dynamic reference source. You get 1W power at 32ohm which is nothing to sneeze at but also clearly you get quality current and we all know how important this is for multi driver and low impedance IEMs.

So hats off to Questyle for this little gem !!!

And maybe it's the geek in me but while I listen I often find myself looking at the circuit board with all this lights that give off a tubey vibe (signature does not but hell, I love it anyway).



Note : People from the Watercooler you'll get to audition it in Amsterdam

Great write up thanks and a very interesting product. I will certainly look out for you in Amsterdam!!!!

 

[Sajid Amit]

Any more Onyx impressions?

Good to see the FlipEars Aurora up there. Given how excellent the Aether and Artha are, I am sure the Aurora is a solid performer.

Can we get more detail impressions of the Onyx and a picture perhaps?

 

[Sajid Amit]

I adore the supermoon and although I have culled my stable quite a bit, the SM continues to be a regular fixture.

If I want it to sound less planar like in terms of transient speed and instead take on a denser presentation with wider stage and greater bass texture, not to mention, overall warmer in the treble, I use my Sony WM1ZM2.

If, on the other hand, I want to use at the gym, and play a little rock n’ roll, I like pairing it with the incredible Dita Navigator. While my Navigator review is pending, I love how unique its sound signature is, in the realm of dongles: lightning fast transients, deep bass impact, and overall, a more caffeinated presentation which serves me well at the gym!

 

[gLer]

So... at long last Questyle CMA18P is in the house thanks to Pierre at Headonist.fr



CMA18P features a beautiful build quality and such a sexy design with the view on the internal design but maybe that's the nerd talking

In terms of size I had seen pictures of CMA18P stacked with iPhone and wondered if the pic was a Max, and yes it's the iPhone 15 Pro Max here so it matches.
A smaller phone won't be as good an experience obviously...

I used a magsafe magnet with 3M tape fixed to the CMA which is to me such a handy way to stack it !
I wished I could magnet both ways as it would be slimmer but still very very convenient...



Now all this is good and all but how does it sound?

Well I'll cut to the chase and after a few hours with it out of the box I am very impressed by the SQ.

The stage is vast and imaging is precise, PRaT is top notch which makes it quite engaging and it’s not a colored source in USB mode. It’s reference done right in my book with plenty of authority down low and a lot of headroom as well. It's a very dynamic brand of sound with fast transients and dynamic range is quite impressive. Resolution is fairly impressive as well, with a clean black background. Questyle managed to avoid going the clinical road, it's really accurate and will reflect the pure nature of your gear, at least that's the impression I get from my trusted Elysium and DCA Stealth which in my collection are less organic than my usual stuff. So YMMV but you won't get a smoothed or relaxed presentation from the CMA18P : it's fast, clean and accurate and won't add or substract anything.

In BT mode you loose a bit of this with a smoother presentation with a touch of warmth but not a total signature change altogether… note that I obviously don't have APTX HD so there is that, but even in the weaker quality BT from the iPhone I do still get a lot from the CMA18P and aside from a slightly smoother and less punchy and resolved presentation honestly aside from cricital listening during a commute BT does the job very well and is more convenient than stacking which can be very handy so kudos for making this a feature ! Last but not least, I had initial worries about taping a magsafe magnet to the CMA for interference so I was not sure this would work out. But this baby is properly shielded as it doesn't even affect the BT connection



So all in all I am so very happy with the purchase and very very impressed by the CMA18P.

I expected good stuff but that good? No... Maybe it's a bias since the CMA features AKM4493 but... well amplication plays such and important part as well...
I mean I started A/B with R8II and even... N30 and I must say this baby delivers quite the value at the asking price Sure, I get more body from R8II but it's more of a different signature than performance bracket difference which honestly impresses me. Now N30 has a "soul" that well is on top of everything that the CMA18P can offer but honestly on technical fundamentals well the gap is not one might think it is (which is damn impressive considering the comparison).

I would even dare say that at this price point (well even twice the price) no DAP can compete... you get fantastic SQ and flawless technicalities and the amp section is something to behold... Now in my view this is one heck of a highly recommended from me to any audiophile looking for a clean, fast, dynamic reference source. You get 1W power at 32ohm which is nothing to sneeze at but also clearly you get quality current and we all know how important this is for multi driver and low impedance IEMs.

So hats off to Questyle for this little gem !!!

And maybe it's the geek in me but while I listen I often find myself looking at the circuit board with all this lights that give off a tubey vibe (signature does not but hell, I love it anyway).



Note : People from the Watercooler you'll get to audition it in Amsterdam

Thanks for these impressions David! The only question I have is about the quality of the amp in line-in mode. Does it improve on the quality of the RS8 amp, for example, when you line out from RS8 into CMA18P? (And if not, then it's not something I have a use for as I'd mostly want it for the powerful and clean amp section).

 

[OneEyedHito]

That is a cool idea! Max, the guy I produced this EP with, will soon move out and it'll take time to build a studio again. He is moving in with his girlfriend, so I have to be hopeful we will get to making music in the future at all... And drums will be difficult because of the noise. Well, if we move on to the next EP and need a vocalist, I will keep you in mind. We are thinking about making an ambient release, so maybe some ASMR work, if you are up for something like that? We'll keep in touch!

Great work just, just gave it a once through. So far Aonuma is my favorite but the entire album is cohesive and sounds really good. Right up my alley for a Sunday morning or focused work listening session. Thanks again for sharing with us.

 

[twister6]

Do you mean the Onyx? If so, I heard it and I really love it. It is a bassy set. Reminds me a bit of Kublai Khan. I definitely like it more than Spartacus.

Jim, did you have a chance to share Watercooler group picture yet? Yesterday was AWESOME!!!

 

[Rockwell75]

Jim, did you have a chance to share Watercooler group picture yet? Yesterday was AWESOME!!!

Biggest yet…

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Jim, did you have a chance to share Watercooler group picture yet? Yesterday was AWESOME!!!

Yes. I can email you the original pic if you like

 

[maegnificant]

Great work just, just gave it a once through. So far Aonuma is my favorite but the entire album is cohesive and sounds really good. Right up my alley for a Sunday morning or focused work listening session. Thanks again for sharing with us.

Thanks a lot! That is great to hear. It's a free download, 24bit 48khz, if you wanna add it to your library

 

[Rockwell75]

Day 2 about to begin! It's going to be another full day.

A real highlight of these events for me is meeting thread regulars in person and attaching names to faces. Yesterday it was really nice to connect with and meet a few of you including, @tjzurlaaa @vaporsynthwave @Visceral @SweetCans928 (briefly) @Smirk 24 @trbo996 and a few others. So if you see me awkwardly running around the floor today please come say hi

 

[osocan]

Thats really intriguing as my WM1AM2 is great but the sound stage paired with my mentors significantly diminishes compared to the Hugo2.

I’m thinking of the A&K 3000, shanling M9 Plus or the N30LE to pair with….any thoughts on those ?

I have the N30LE and an RS8 as well.

I don’t have the AP IEM. Neither have I heard it. Based on the N30LE + Mentor pairing, I can imagine and understand why ppl rave about the N30 AP combo.

On the RS8, this is where the combo with Mentor did not do well. Mentor’s mids become muddy.

As far as soundstage is concerned, the WM1ZM2 is phenomenal. Wider than the N30 and definitely wider than the RS8. The gold brick + Mentor combo did not diminish the soundstage. In fact the whole soundstage took on a 3D, obviously due to the Mentor.

I don’t have a Hugo. I can only imagine how spectacular the combo would be if its soundstage is better than that of the gold brick combo.