[Polky74]

Has anyone had challenges in getting Questyle M12 and/or M12i working on an Android phone?
My two phones (Samsung 23 Ultra and Sony Xperia IV) do not want to see either of the two or I get a message saying that the "USB device is not recognized".

Both dongles are working well with my laptop and I have no issues whatsoever with stacks of other dongles and my phones

You probably haven't activated USB debugging and to do so you need to have developer rights which are obtained by clicking 7 times on the operating system build. You can search on Google to understand how to do it and once you have acquired developer rights you must go to the new section that will appear in the settings and activate USB debugging without touching other options. In this way the operating system will be able to manage the internal DAC of any dongle you want to connect to the phone.

 

[Takeda`1537]

You probably haven't activated USB debugging and to do so you need to have developer rights which are obtained by clicking 7 times on the operating system build. You can search on Google to understand how to do it and once you have acquired developer rights you must go to the new section that will appear in the settings and activate USB debugging without touching other options. In this way the operating system will be able to manage the internal DAC of any dongle you want to connect to the phone.

Thanks but unfortunately I have already activated USB debugging. I wish it was that simple..

 

[brjoon1021]

It is a finicky dongle. Mine will ONLY work directly attached to my android phone with the shortest cable - the one that came with it.
I assume they realized that it is a problematic design and fixed all of the problems with the 12I - after we bought our 12 : >
They realeased a firmware version since it came out to try to be a fix. It wasn't, and according to Andy A
v, the reviewer, it sounds worse after the firmware update so I would not try it

 

[Takeda`1537]

Thank you!!!!tried with an handful of cables I have around and the shortest one indeed worked! Soooo weird... but it worked!!!
Thanks a lot for the suggestion and I will stay well away from the firmware upgrade!


@Questyle, what is the point in bringing to market nicely sounding but freakly moody stuff???

 

[brjoon1021]

You are welcome. It isn't just you and me . it is a known issue. they had to upgrade the cable that they sold the dongle with because of issues. Mine came with a cloth braided cable rather than a plastic jacket. That is how you know you got the upgraded cable. Then they also had to do a firmware fix - which wasn't. Unfortunately, I did the firmware fix before finding out that it really did not help. I asked Questlyle and they said that reverting to the older firmware after the update is a bad idea and could be buggy.

I agree ! They should at least allow a trade-in for a good deal on a 12i. I just bought mine for Christmas. Immediately had issues with it but liked the sound so have dealt with it. I am not going to pay $150 US to upgrade what they should not have released.

This is my first experience with chiFi - these dongles and such. Mixed experience.
iBasso sold DC03 and Dc04 pros which have a motherboard / USB port issue.
Whoever makes the m1p has the same issue.
The questyle issue. The Chinese companies don't seem to stand by their products / customers very well, at least compared to what I am used to from old school american hi-fi equipment I am generalizing.. I know, but this seems to be more systemic than it should be.

 

[Takeda`1537]

My M12 unit is braided but it did not work anyway. What made it work is a shorter cable...

May be you may have back luck with your dongles? I have buckets of USB dongles and so far I have been lucky as most of them works ok ... but there are exceptions on this side too. I had issues with iBasso DC02, and DC03 ... but DC05 works well. Guess it may be an issue with older DC models..
Had a defective Atom3 unit, another worked ok.

Never had issues with stacks of DDHiFi, Shanling, Meizu, DosMic, IFI (this one is not Chinese), Ranko, Strauss&Wagner (not Chinese), Akliam, FiiO, ...etc..
Have enough dongles around to have a statistically valid sample for reliability testing.

 

[Polky74]

I honestly haven't had any problems with any of my dongles. It must be said, however, that I have never used their USB cables, always relying on higher quality cables. When I buy a new dongle, the cable it comes with doesn't even come out of the box. If the dongle doesn't work with my cables the problem is definitely not the cable, but then again, it's never happened.

From the most expensive to the cheapest, but all with perfect signal conduction:

1)L&P WP2
2)L&P WP1
3)ddHiFi TC09S
4)Shanling L3

 

[brjoon1021]

Always an interesting thread

 

[nemurini]

Thank you for the reply. You made me suspicious and I measured it again, this time leaving it connected longer.
You are right, the PD6 seems to absorbs no power for the 60-90 seconds of use but it progressively, shows that is actually does suck up power. Little but it does!
PD7 does the same too....

My original measurements were done within the first 60 seconds of connection and I did not leave the dongles attached for measuring them over longer periods of time.

Just re-checked Meizu MbluHIFI Lifeme - this one has shown zero consumption during the 10 minutes I have kept monitoring it.
Same for the Meizu LifeMe Pro HA02S.
Same for the BGVT T01s.
Same for DDHiFi TC35C.

These latter four seem to have actually have a switch-off routine after two seconds of inactivity.
Something that seems to miss with Akliam's PD6 and PD7.

Took spot measures, my table is partial and, as it stands, is deceiving.
Will have to re-measure all my dongles over a longer connectivity duration .. Sorry for the inaccurate PD6 data.

In my test, PD6 power consumed in use - 250-350mw / idel 120-170mw
I'm starting to suspect that your PD6 is different from mine. Maybe a part or configuration change?

 

[Jerwardemy]

I honestly haven't had any problems with any of my dongles. It must be said, however, that I have never used their USB cables, always relying on higher quality cables. When I buy a new dongle, the cable it comes with doesn't even come out of the box. If the dongle doesn't work with my cables the problem is definitely not the cable, but then again, it's never happened.

From the most expensive to the cheapest, but all with perfect signal conduction:

1)L&P WP2
2)L&P WP1
3)ddHiFi TC09S
4)Shanling L3

Controversial I know, but do you notice any sound differences between your usb cables?

I bought a TC09s mainly for the build quality and extra shielding, and I couldn't believe it, but there was a definite improvement to my ears...bass is tighter, midrange is clearer, images better and soundstage is better. Completely unexpected.

 

[REXNFX]

With which iems?

I find iems uncomfortable so use Sony earphones on the go.

I changed the USB Configuration setting of my phone from Audio Source to Charge Only. The UA1s seems less harsh now, only time will tell.

 

[Takeda`1537]

In my test, PD6 power consumed in use - 250-350mw / idel 120-170mw
I'm starting to suspect that your PD6 is different from mine. Maybe a part or configuration change?

Possibly ... there is a proliferation of "Audio DAC Module Board"s with CS43131 / ALC5686 / 3S1530A on Aliexpress. Wondering if Akliam is actually just sourcing boards for $2-3, connecting a jack plug or a cable and pouring resin to mold these DACs.

We would need to sample different production batches to check consistency...

 

[Takeda`1537]

I honestly haven't had any problems with any of my dongles. It must be said, however, that I have never used their USB cables, always relying on higher quality cables. When I buy a new dongle, the cable it comes with doesn't even come out of the box. If the dongle doesn't work with my cables the problem is definitely not the cable, but then again, it's never happened.

From the most expensive to the cheapest, but all with perfect signal conduction:

1)L&P WP2
2)L&P WP1
3)ddHiFi TC09S
4)Shanling L3

​

​

iBasso CB18 (with added silicon bend protection)
DDHiFi TC05 (with added silicon bend protection)
HDoorLink USB4

 

[marekm]

Fiio KA13 - game over (dongle game)

Modest price, perfect form factor, solid build, powerful (drives my HD660 S2), clear uncoloured sound. All good

Like it best connected to MacBook Air, low gain -> DT 700 Pro X

 

[REXNFX]

A note of caution to anyone tempted to try a cheap passive dongle that uses the phones DAC. Don't do it! I think it may have damaged my hearing.