I used a DONGLE for 100 days

[@scotteaton963]

This is a great video! Very encouraging. Recently I decided that my Qudelix 5K was all I really need. This is great confirmation. Thank you.

[@quantumcreator8888]

Love my Q5 and those updates 👍

[@tomas_m]

Then there's a plentiful community of reality deniers who just refuse to believe that tech keeps progressing and electronics is getting cheaper and something that costs a couple hundreds today can entirely outperform something for what they paid thousands a decade ago

[@ixoye56]

You mean Audiofools?

[@ryanrichardson2957]

While it is nice that technology keeps progressing and you can get very nice Amps that sound great for way less than before, sound wise, they still don’t match something that’s high end.

[@Mishael_Agyei-Boamah]

​@@ryanrichardson2957buffoonery

[@Jacob1451_Kapnobatai]

They have to cope with all the money they put into the old equipment 😢😢😢😢😢😢

[@wahid-lg1kk]

​@@ryanrichardson2957buy a high end dongle.. They exist.. Add 100 bucks extra you are good

[@atzedevries9563]

Very true. Been doing this now for 2 years. Only one thing though, get the Qudelix 5K. Also as PEQ, bluetooth and built in battery.

[@CookinBeatloaf]

Wish the creators weren't so stubborn. They released an excellent first version but I'd love to see some minor changes to the interface, and a desktop dock or desktop version that is heavier

[@Nostxalgic]

I bought the newer Questyle M15i and I’m shocked because it sounds better than my Modius + Asgard 3

[@EverSpaceTime]

Schiit makes absolute garbage. everything would sound better.

[@AlainSTO]

It wasn't that long ago where we scoffed at phones being a good music player and now they actually are. I'm not surprised at seeing portable DACs being nearly as good as desktop ones coming back into the market since the mid 2000's.

[@prodigy_xd]

I have a "modular" setup where each item fixes the shortcomings of another device. I have a DAC that feeds into a Headphone Amp and into a Monitor controller at the same time. The DAC volume and source i control with my keyboard, like you, and if i wanna switch to speakers i unmute the monitor controller (which has a big nice attunation knob + xlr combo) and if i want to listen on headphones i have my dedicated headphone-amp to deliver enough power to anything (and also has a big analog knob). I also have a dedicated noise filter on the main line to never run into interferrence issues. Another piece to the puzzle. This leaves me flexible in the DAC i choose. I can unplug my outputs from the dac and hook it up to a dongle, audio interface or a computer, etc.. and don't need to throw away a working DAC/AMP Combo device, just because it doesn't have this or that for a certain situation. I did all that because i was never really satisfied with DAC/AMP hybrid products. They are either lacking inputs, or power, or USB support (no volume control, drivers), don't have a line out, the knob is digitally controlled, etc etc.. always something. So i am all for little gadgets like that! Yes, i call it a gadget. To me a DAC isn't some magic device that needs to be super expensive. It is just a converter. Not the centerpiece. It is a single trick pony. I don't mean that in a negative way, but a DAC should focus on being a DAC instead of trying to be everything (and failing at it). In return opens the doors for more efficient designs and i hope more companies embrace it. iFi really is onto something with their lineup, although the shape of their products is a bit odd but it basically is "modular". If you want bluetooth, buy the blue thing, if you want phono, buy that thing, and it all is the same form factor and has the necessary connectors to work together. I think we need more "modular" products that don't try to be THE ONE and instead offer flexibility with good connectivity. That also means you are not limited to a single company (and hope they make a MK2 of your favorite, semi-perfect, hybrid one day).

[@callumelcombe3703]

Yes but a speperates headfi system isn't portable like a little dongle now is it

[@prodigy_xd]

@@callumelcombe3703 If portability is important, of course dongles are the way to go. I personally don't carry hi-res audio outside the house. What i wrote was in favor of dongles, because they are more interchangable in any setup, given they do just one thing and do it well. I love that, because often hybrid products tend to fall short on one side.

[@davestevens4193]

I bought Qudelix 5K based on Andrew's experience with it and have been very happy. Use mostly with IEMs or earbuds. It does drive my AKG K-361 well enough. Save my old school Samuels SR-71 Blackbird for really rocking out.

[@jameskegen6812]

I would still just take a qudelix as a preamp into any amp that i wish. It has such a low noise floor (inaudible) that you can use it directly into anything with the standard 2V/4V that any conventional dac outputs. You get the benefit of PEQ which outways any advantage of queststyle has. And no, wavelet is not stepless. It uses a 128 band filter, and measurements have shown there are inaccuracies in how it eq's that 64bit hardware enconded qudelix solution doesn't have. It being LDAC removes the convince of the queststyle being one box solution because its still attached to your phone.

[@dantr4n]

Q5K is the goat

[@sephondranzer]

I didn’t think this was possible - that’s actually pretty clever if you can set it up strictly as a DAC or pre-amp.

[@halosemua2548]

So to use Q5k as a lineout i just need to max out the volume at high gain ?

[@jameskegen6812]

@@halosemua2548 yes, max the preamp to deliver 2V unbalanced or 4V balanced into any amp you wish, identically to any desktop dac. Most portable devices can't hit those standard dac output voltage, but the qudelix can without any perceptible noise floor.

[@brandonburr4900]

This is so my because I have just commented on my experience with the quidelx 5k. Bought on a whim. It has me shaking my head with its clean power. Noise floor doesn't exist on this thing. I was impressed even before buying a balanced 2.5 mm adaptor. This thing has no right powering my lcd 4. Originally bought to for eq settings for isine series headphones and my sine10, and lcd i3. But this thing is so much more. And the Bluetooth doesn't suck! And I can do better if I had a cheap device that supports Ldac. Best under $100 impulse purchase I have made in a long time in this hobby. I may buy a spare !

[@morallytainted1]

I've been using the Lotoo Paw S2 for over a year now and it has been my go to dongle. It still hasn't completely replaced my entire setup but for day to day listening it's the first thing I grab. The Paw S2 pairs great from my Focal Clear to the Thieaudio Oracle.

[@duncanny5848]

Loved to hear of this. Given me a lot to think about!! Well done! 😂

[@PiercingSight]

I love that technology is getting so good these days that even the simplest and cheapest of solutions competes at the same level as top of the line gear. We're reaching the asymptote of practicality, and achieving audio quality well beyond what humans are capable of perceiving. I love it.

[@prithvib8662]

Unfortunately people will see thousand+ dollar price tags and be swept away into thinking there's something about their audio quality that cheaper devices can never meet.

[@Shyvorix]

Yep this kind of tech is super important because it ultimately means more and more people can access such high level audio with ease without needing big, complex setups. Still not the cheapest ever....but there's so many IEMs out there that's amazing below 100 bucks, and headphones below 3-500.

[@The_Geek_World]

(correct me if I'm wong) actually the expansive audio gear use the same components but they just sell it for 4x the price or higher

[@bits360wastaken]

@@The_Geek_World No. Some are poorly made with bad parts, some are actually close to the best money can buy (see: sennheiser hd 800 s), however its so far past the point of more than good enough its actually counterproductive (setup size/cost) outside certain studio uses.

[@RobbieKhan]

I got the M15i model yesterday and well, it beats the Fiio K7, Topping DX3 Pro+, both I returned recently due to issues driving my Ananda Nano. This beats them in basically every area. For the price, and if you don't need optical in etc, then this I don't think has any competition, especially with current mode drive vs voltage, so seemingly any IEM or headphone out there can be driven loud. The sound is also very organics/analogue if you liked the NAD sound from the Bee days of the late 90s and early 200s, then this is that sound, just without the audible noise floor hiss that is typical of pure analogue.

[@tylou4479]

Got the iBasso DC04 pro last week and been loving it. It works well with HD25, DT1990, HD6XX, DT770 and SR325. Incredible for the size of the device.

[@borbetomagus]

I hope you can review a wider variety of dongles -- much like AndyAudioVault's defunct 'Dongle Madness' project, which tested over 130 different dongles. At the end of the project his favorites were - HIBY FC6 Darwin, CEntrance DACport HD, Cayin RU6, iBasso DC04Pro, iFi Go Bar, Questyle M15, Ovidius B1, Lotoo PAW S2, iBasso DC03Pro ($69)

[@rhalfik]

The main difference between dongles are power and durability. Many of them break very quickly. Reviewers are not very good at determining how long something will last because it takes... Waiting until it breaks and that's a lot of time for a bunch of products. Power can be summarised with a table so there's not much to talk about to make a video unless that's a lot of dongles.

[@lsim001]

Dongle madness is still going. Thought I just saw a new video this week or last.

[@sinocelt]

@@rhalfik My CEntrance DACport (first of the name, bought in 2009 for $619.85) lasted more than 13 years before the volume knob stopped working. The DAC part still works.

[@twraia]

@@rhalfik so in your opinion, if one already has a dongle that works well enough for one’s equipment (enough to power them), there’s really no benefit to purchase something like this new one?

[@borbetomagus]

@@lsim001 Now mainly on KZbin. It was nice to see *at a glance* where certain dongles rated, especially with certain characteristics.

[@XeonX__ASMR__METAL-experiments]

Hello❤ So M15 is better than stack (SMSL SU-1 and SMSL HO100) ????????

[@DonVintaggio]

When miniaturization does the same (or even better) than previous bulkier generation of a device, the answer is: adopt it. Only thing with electronics is of course: size = power (in Watts). So, for a portable mini DAC with built in headphone amp, totally adopt it; just load your hi-res flacs in your smartphone (curated by yourself of course) and off you go.

[@PKAPE004]

Bought Cayin RU7 to pair with my LCD-X. Love the analog sounding. The RU7 also makes my HD6XX sound incredible when doing a line out to Jotunheim 2.

[@viktor1845]

it has a feature line out?? inetesting.

[@PKAPE004]

@@viktor1845 , Yes. That’s the best part about RU7. You can get a 4.4mm to RCA cable, and hook up to your amp. I liked it so much that I took a plunge for Denafrips 12th-1 not long after I bought it.

[@phantomplastics6582]

The Questyle M15 with the Arya Organic is magical. Best DAC dongle with great headphones. Stunning and satisfying. Even better via the May KTE and Bliss.

[@ottawamountainman]

What’s the best way to connect the Organic? (It has 1/4 plug - sorry for the newbie question).

[@mscheese000]

@@ottawamountainman you can always just buy another cable with whatever termination you want. Some cables are even modular and can swap terminations.

[@ottawamountainman]

@@mscheese000 can you point me to a few selection for this. Much appreciated.

[@B_vids]

Been using the Qudelix 5K in this way for over a year. I have zero reason to “upgrade” to a desk setup aside from maybe a nice volume knob. It’s cheap, feature rich (parametric EQ!), tiny AND has Bluetooth for seamless transition to a mobile setup without missing a beat. IMO unless you need to drive very difficult headphones the 5K is a way better but at 1/3rd the cost.

[@Moody-Boy]

This is the way!

[@n0xt]

Qudelix actually puts out more power than the Questyle.

[@B_vids]

@@n0xt I didn't even look at the specs and just assumed the way DMS was talking that the Queststyle was more powerful. I know DMS knows about the Q5K but Resolve already did a video praising it so maybe that's why he went for the Queststyle? Q5K still 👑

[@JeffJacquesmd]

I have the Queststyle M15. Great little dongle, able to drive the V2 Diana’s and the Focal Radiance fairly well

[@SomeGuy-xq3kv]

True, the small footprint is so handy to bring dac/amp along. Some dongles can make your headphones "wireless" with Bluetooth as well.

[@Hyperfluxe]

An RU-7 + Q5k is all you need, the latter is dirt cheap/PEQ/Bluetooth option and the former is simply the best portable DAC on the market - it's a marvel of modern audio hardware engineering and dethrones the Questyle M15.

[@aeonikus1]

What about small Centrance USB C DAC from few years ago or Apogee Grove? How these stack against the you mentioned?

[@patrickmartineau1008]

The Cayin Ru7 is indeed a marvel with its LO capability.

[@taidee]

It's interesting stuff for sure. I've recently acquired the Fii0 Q11, and this thing can drive headphones like the HD 600 just fine, let alone the IEMs, all this for next to nothing.

[@XeonX__ASMR__METAL-experiments]

Hi DMS! ❤ So Qustyle m15 is better than SMSL M300SE ??

[@hiraksarma3068]

I generally agree the M15 is very good dongle DAC, in fact its more refined than many desktop setups around that price range and very decent power too, but one thing which it doesn't do well is it is bit 2D, lacks layering and soundstage depth, the Chord Mojo2, Cayin RU7 (analytical leaning) and Cayin RU6 (more analog) are much better than the M15 in that respect, these also have better timbre than M15 in my humble opinion.

[@ROCKSTAR3291]

i don't have the M15 but I have the RU7 and it's seriously impressive.

[@yamato1420]

Got an RU7 because of this and because I've also heard the M15 is a bit cutoff on the decay of notes.

[@gerritfridericksohn4627]

I have this kit and a Mojo 2. I prefer the Mojo 2 by a wide margin and in every aspect. Perhaps an impedance mismatch, etc. But, I tried in on half dozen IEMs and several headphones. Audition is important, but difficult without purchasing.

[@shashank6393]

What IEMs you love with the mojo2?

[@mebaugh1]

Same here, I have the M15 and the Mojo 2. No comparison! I used M15 last night after many months after regularly using the Mojo2. M15 is very respectable, Mojo 2 is amazing from soundstage, fullness in timbre and lossless EQ. if M15 is a 7 out of 10, Mojo 2 is a clear 10 out of 10! Of course Mojo 2 is twice the price +, so not a fair comparison. I 'invested " in a Mojo 2 and despite its creatively weird four balls for settings tweaks, once you learn it, the treaks are really nice. I would use the M15 on a plane, walking around with my MoodDrop Variations or Blessing 3 IEM's. For serious listening sessions, its the Mojo2 hands down.

[@gerritfridericksohn4627]

​@@shashank6393Truth ears Hexa is the most I've paid for an IEM. I need to spend more to get more. I know. I bump up the 20hz by 3db. I'd like to try a good bone conduction IEMs. The Mojo2 runs my Hifiman XS louder than I care to listen.

[@audio_tron]

Agree totally on sound. On form factor, however, my DAP elegantly stores and plays back lossless files of rare CDs I ripped. Suppose I could listen to the transcoded AAC via Apple Music’s iCloud Music Library, but I’d also lose my DAPs handy playback control buttons and end up scrolling social feeds on my iPhone. All that said, it is tempting to ditch the bulk of a DAP and pickup a Q5K or M15.

[@Rixdler]

Nice video! How would it compare to the iFi Go Bar?

[@greggyaus]

I’ve listened extensively to both and you really can’t go wrong with either. I found the Go Bar to be smoother sounding (rolled off) and the M15 to have better instrument separation and punchier bass making it (to my ears) more analytical (but only just). Ultimately, while the Go Bar was brilliant, when compared to the M15, it was beaten out by more of a wow factor which is why I decided to order the M15 as that’s the one I kept thinking of and going back to.

[@trubadyr99]

Agreed. A smartphone with an unlimited data plan + descent DAC/AMP = great streaming solution on the go and even at home, where you could hook this to your favorite amp>speakers or directly to the powered speakers.

[@semyon846]

Best source for unlimited data plan?

[@trubadyr99]

@@semyon846 Mint. Very inexpensive and reliable.

[@IM-nt6ql]

Hey DMS. The m15 is my main dac/amp and I absolutely adore it, amazing piece of gear! Haha your review makes feel very justified about the purchase😀...Something to keep your eye out on is Questlye CMA18 which is their latest yet to be released portable dac/amp. I definitely will be!

[@milosCivejovidar]

This video inspired me to buy the M15. It costs almost the same as my previously bought Fiio K7, and I gotta say that there is no way that anyone would reasonably say that M15 sounds better than the K7. I am getting much more clarity and airiness from the K7 with my headphones (Fiio FT3, HD6xx, DT990 Pro 250). So take this video with some reservations. M15 is usable as an IEM DAC, but for that money there are cheaper options...

[@connorwilke1340]

I bought the Fiio ka13 for my dusk iems and I couldn’t believe how amazing these little dac/amps are.

[@dixter1652]

I have an elegant solution for the power requirements of some headphones... take the M15 and stack it on the Centrance Ampersand.. now you have a mini desktop solution..... You might end up selling some of your desk top amps/dacs.... its that good of a stack... and you get 4.4 and XLR balanced out...

[@bernardoandrade88]

nice setup! to my knowledge centrance ampersand is class AB, other contender worth checking out is astell & kern PA10, same price range, class A. both real good options.

[@dixter1652]

@@bernardoandrade88 I like A&K too... I think the Ampersand has around 2x the output power tho and offers the XLR output option if you have balanced cables with XLR... I use it with the Hifiman HE6se via XLR and it drives those very well...

[@yejunkim1510]

How does it conpare to moonriver 2?

[@doncortezwilder460]

I’d like to see some of these bigger channels review the L&P W4 and Cayin RU7. Those bad boys have made me rethink what dongles can do.

[@marchaberberger4464]

I sold my M15 and bought a Cayin RU7. Both are awesome. For my headphones just perfect.

[@alexandrevasconcelos1623]

How much better is the RU7 vs M15 ?

[@zziiqqiiaann6545]

Ru7 is the reason i sold all my daps and dacs and i will die on this hill with it

[@alexandrevasconcelos1623]

Wow... thanks for the response@@zziiqqiiaann6545

[@AndrewWardell]

I’ve had a BTR7 for about a year and even before I moved my IEMs to using balanced cables instead of single-ended ones I was coming to the same conclusion. I can only imagine the argument is more compelling with the Questyle and its current-mode amplification.

[@MrJester831]

Q just dropped the CMA18 a few weeks ago and I was able to get one on the first day it was for sale. The M15 is fantastic, but the CMA18 is next level. Truly astonishing

[@SpirallingOut]

I use the M15 mostly as just that; a non-portable, small footprint desktop solution on a mini PC with Edition XS & Hart 4.4mm cable. It's good enough, but I have no idea what I'm doing with the 31-band graphic EQ Foobar component I downloaded a few years back and I have no idea how to use PEQ either. I just need to find some good ".xgeq" EQ presets to download. Without EQ & coming from a Dragonfly Red, there isn't enough bass from Edition XS on the M15, a headphone I've heard repeatedly is good for bass. So I just sort of play around with the pre-amp and lower frequency sliders. I got half decent bass but I'm still not happy. I'm not as wowed by the M15 like everyone raved about it when it first came out but I'm probably just EQ'ing wrong. It does have a ton of power on 4.4 output compared to single ended and can distort at high volumes - especially on high gain. I think you're right about the future of dongles though, if they're this good already. 10 years from now is going to be insane. PS I wonder if the more powerful Woo Audio Tube Mini dongle can run headphones like the Tungsten or AB-1266? Here's hoping a version 2.0 will have ironed out it's launch issues. I want to see some mad b*st$rd take AB-1266 portable and race which ends first, the playback of the track or the drain of the phone battery.

[@amaly76]

I absolutely love the M15. Ultra convenient, impressive performance, and looks a bit like modern art.

[@XeonX__ASMR__METAL-experiments]

iI did the same. I use MuseHIFI M3 II and LOVE it

[@AndrewUKLondon]

Nice review. How much does it reduce battery life of the phone?

[@nikolaygramchev]

Ok - power, power in a small factor! And how does it replay? How is the extension at both ends? How transparent is it? Any comparison to..... RU7, for example?

[@knorrissirronk8665]

Hi DMS. Interesting take, and I like the simplification approach. Do you have any impressions on how the Questyle M15 compares in terms of sound quality to the iFi Go Bar, or Go-Link? Also, Bluetooth aside, the BTR-5 or Qudelix offerings? The last 2 have their own power, so it impacts your phone's battery life less "in theory" than a unit that draws on your phone to power the headphones, but I've not seen the huge differences that people indicate should happen. (I'm not worried about stuff like MQA or other bells and whistles.) Just wondering how they sound in comparison with "regular" audio files streamed or from your own storage mediums.

[@sjoerd4084]

I have the iFi Go Bar and love it. It does drain the battery of your phone and gets warm but not problematic. Best way of using it is on the go with you laptop.

[@AarakTenas]

What's the loudspeaker to the right of DMS? That tweeter reminds me of the tweeter on my Polk Monitor 10s.

[@DMS3TV]

Its the old Polk SDA 2, same years as the monitor 10s

[@oliviertorres8001]

Hello. Is it works with a USB-C to Lightning cable ? (ie : for Iphone other than Iphone 15). Thank you vey much.

[@RexTangle]

Noice. Have just recently done the same with a Qudelix 5k -it drives everything I've got PLUS it has PEQ.

[@sebanambrus9265]

The M15i from iPhone + Tidal delivers audio quality that competes with my Gustard A26 and Violectric V550 combo, despite costing a fraction of their price- a fact that's quite astonishing.

[@herbcohenflow7867]

I have the Cayin ru 7 and the sound is incredible at 400 mw balanced. I was curious about a desktop amp but this video has me chilled with what I have. Thank you

[@carlosdominguez3108]

Agreed. I have the RU7 and now I'm picking up a used RU6 just to compare and see if the R2R adds anything. I've only tried a few dongles but the Cayin was my favorite.

[@user-hb1ve6mc6f]

Dingle Dangle Dandy Dongle Diddle Doodle Dribble Wiggle Giggle Gaggle Goggle Jingle Jangle Mr Bo Jangles 🎶

[@SheepDude-qp7ux]

I'd love to see the new qudelix t71 reviewed. Has much more power and a lot of dsp capability in the same form factor and price range.

[@TW-SPSBIPZX]

The major issue with dongles is the amount of power they are using from mobile devices such as phones. The more powerful a dongle is, the higher is the power consumption. Such tradeoffs are not suitable. I rather use use a battery powered dongles and have the best of both worlds

[@frankgarcia9834]

Man, you on Linus was hilarious

[@shaned7793]

I love my little FiiO KA5. And since phones have lost headphone jacks, these are a must have.

[@nerdhoy]

My current desktop/mobile DAC/AMP setup has been just the Chord Mojo 2, and it's been supremely easy to use and drives all my headphones/earphones with ease. Especially since now it also has built in DSP for direct EQ plus crossfeed. I've had the original Mojo, Hugo 2 and the DAVE for a long time, and ever since then I've been convinced that a dedicated desktop amplifier is simply unnecessary for the majority of the headphones out there, even including some so-called "hard to drive" ones. Now, I've had plenty of experiences with TOTL amplifiers. Great amplifiers I've had including the og Cavalli Liquid Carbon, Headamp GS-X MK2, miniZOTL, og Schiit Ragnarok etc. etc... In direct A/B with sound straight out of my DACs, they all sounded more coloured and more characterful so to speak. Each having their own strengths and weakness; and their each individual synergistic pairings to different headphones. To some this will certainly bring more playfulness to the hobby. But honestly speaking, to me they just add more complication. Some amps needs proper burn in period, some needs significant warm up time before use to get the best sound, and some even simply recommend you to never turn the system off in order to preserve the best sound at all time. It's just such a hassle, and listening, enjoying music should NEVER be a hassle. And that's exactly why I've decided to ditch all of them in the end.

[@ChinmayH]

If DACs are getting so compact and so good, why are these not getting integrated with laptops ? I understand having it standalone has more versatility of using it on various devices.

[@daysofgrace2934]

Over lockdown I bought a E1DA 9038D 180mW 32Ohm 2.75V dongle DAC/AMP & a pair of Sundara's, haven't regretted it. Use it with a PC + Equalizer APO/Peace + Amazon MusicHD...

[@EdwardElric6464]

My Fiio BTR7 is my only dac or amp that I have and I love it. I have it on lanyard basically so I can wear it around the house and use my 560S or wired IEMs while I'm making my coffee. The 560 runs out of a phone but the A-B comparison between the two is night and day. Sounds fine in a vacuum but dead & strained compared to the BTR7. 120ohms definitely requires some power to achieve proper sound quality but still super cool it works with out.

[@f_society91]

I don't understand...the sound quality comes from the headphone or the dac?

[@stephendenagy3396]

I would be tempted but I am spoiled by the Gryphon. Versatile, powerful. Can be used wired, BT, variable bit depth and speed. High and low gain. Yes, I might have sprung for your amp had I known. But the Gryphon is outstanding, “mega” dongle! And with long lasting battery.

[@Gatecrasher3]

Hi DMS, can you recommend a pocketable amp/dac that would power my Hifiman Sundaras? Based on your review I would think the M15 is capable of doing so, but I wondered if you had a less expensive option. It seems like the Moondrop Dawn does not have the power.

[@ZZXxMr]

Been using M15 for a year and now switching to DC Elite, it is small enough, powerful enough for all of my iems and it's sound as good as kilobuck DAPs

[@ibrahimsincap3705]

Did you make A/B test? Is it worth extra bucks for Elite comparing the M15?

[@wahid-lg1kk]

As a long time DAP user, I can tell you, I have given my DAP to my son, and got myself a colorfly cda m1p.. Much better and way more convenient, I can plug it into anything I am using at the moment. I am looking at getting a Cayin u6 r2r, and also something bright and accurate, don't know what yet..ka17 maybe

[@sheep7255]

Would've been cool if the 3.5mm jack supported headset mics. Unnecessary, but would be a cool feature for like 2 people

[@GangityBirdity]

Would be cool but at least there's a fairly simple adapter for that for not too much

[@atzedevries9563]

Qudelix 5K :)

[@audioreviews]

Erm....yes, I wrote this already back in June...of 2022. But, for iems with smaller current draw and an impedance not below 24 ohm, I still prefer the AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt...also draws less current. The Apogee Groove is the very best for headphones, but has a gigantic current drain and needs a computer source. Frequently sold in a bundle with the HD 600/650. For iems, any higher priced desktop stack is overkill.

[@awaken9297]

I've used my first usb dac dongle LH Labs GO450 back in 2016, that drain my phone batt quite fast. It was good for laptop purpose. I'm not use any dongle, I'm sure the quality risen up this day

[@armo4594]

Can you link the lamp? looks cool

[@jamiescott1218]

Btr7 is the only amp I've had for headphones in nearly a year. Do want a nice desktop amp again for ease, it's just finding the right one at the right price.

[@AsAgral]

E1DA 9038s/9038d made desktop Amps nervous some time before M15 ;)

[@petermitro3426]

Is there a USB C splitter cable that can charge a phone and still let you use a dongle DAC amp?

[@davidvillatoro3688]

I use a 3 in 1 anker type c usb hub

[@MikeNMaui]

Others to consider: Moon River 2, iBasso DC Elite, Woo Audio Mini Tube and iFi Go Bar Kensei. Look out desktops. They’re coming for you.

[@necrophoniac]

For me, all I want in a portable dac/amp is to be able to use it while going for walks without it eventaully fraying the adapter and my iphone's lighting port. I bought the dragonfly cobalt thinking I was gonna have the best audio whilst strolling, but the weight of each device connected to one other is like a conga-line of hi-fi stress and strain for my adapter and phone. Perhaps my specific use case should warrant a dap but I'd feel embarrassed explaining to people why I own a device for exclusively music. It's not easy to be in this hobby.

[@jameskegen6812]

No, you just have inexcusably self-esteem. They'll either get it or they won't, then you move on. They have other hobbies that they spend $100's in.

[@pdcragin33]

Be strong, do your own thing. Wait, I think I just dated myself.

[@monitofca]

what do you think about the qudelix-t71 usb dac?

[@carlosalvarez7445]

Why would I want to use anything else than the Cayin RU6 to drive my Hifiman Edition XS or Focal Elegia or any of my IMEs? It's like having a portable Denafrips Ares II with power, ain't that cool?! 😊

[@-iIIiiiiiIiiiiIIIiiIi-]

Mini PCs/DAC/Amps are the future.

[@PartyMusic775]

For $249 you could get a Schiit Modius or Magni Multibit with decent real power supply and cleaning noise out of your USB. If you need headphone amplification you can go DX3 Pro or Zen Dac V2. Hopefully people realize that this is a special use case where portability and space are ultra-premium.

[@Bigslice69]

not realy you cant tell a diffrence ive tried many dac/amps modern stuff has pretty much plateaued

[@JurassicTrance]

Recently bought an M15i and plugged in both my Sennheiser HD600s and my DCA Aeon 2 Noires. I'm getting louder levels from the built in 3.5mm output of my MacBook pro than the Questyle in both low and high gain modes. I can't really tell if one sounds better than the other, which for a $200+ device makes me question if it's worth the money. The manual notes that the high gain mode is for high impedance headphones, whereas the low gain mode is for low impedance headphones. Yet even on the high gain setting, the Aeon 2 Noires (13 ohms) still require a higher volume setting than the build in M2 Mac headphone output. It was the same story with my HD600s (300 ohms). There's also tons of talk online about "overdriving" headphones, which has me super confused - because the high gain setting on the Aeon 2 Noires is not that loud. Is there any downside to running the M15i on high gain with low impedance headphones? I have yet to compare the M15i and the iPhone lightning 3.5mm apple dongle because 1. I can't get the M15i to work with the iPhone 12 Pro since it only came with a USB C cable and USB A adapter. Plugging a lightning to usb C cable into the M15i does NOT work. 2. I don't own a lightnight 3.5mm apple dongle I mainly bought the M15i so I could listen to the Noires via my iPhone on airplanes or trains - will see if I can get it working before my flight tomorrow, otherwise returning it when I get back.

[@MertLDN]

The main wow factor is the 4.4mm balanced port on the Questyle M15/M15i. The 3.5mm port doesn’t have that much power in Low/Standard or High gain

[@JurassicTrance]

@@MertLDN yeah, I tried with that too and it wasn’t much of an improvement. For the cost, it barely outperforms the MacBook built-in DAC.

[@mariorock76]

Good review! I bought the M15 to use with my Focal Celestee headphones on my cell phone. The sound is excellent except that when I take the bus the sound cuts out for no reason. It might take 30 minutes of listening, or sometimes it's less. I have to unplug the USB wire and plug it back in but it starts again after 5, 10 minutes. I do not understand why. My music source is Qobuz and I don't change anything when it happens. When I'm at home in my living room, it doesn't happen. My connections are still fixed. It's very weird... Do you have any idea what it could be?

[@martyn420]

Have you noticed any audible differences between the M15i and desktop Questyle amplifiers, such as the CMA Fifteen and Eighteen Master, or similar amplifiers costing £1500 / $1950? If so, is the 7x difference in price worthwhile? I've got the M15i which can drive my HD800S and HD820 as loud as my Lake People RS 02 via a Chord Qutest. I actually prefer the M15i connected to my PC to the RS 02 and Qutest.

[@mageborn23]

I got the LP w4 , just started in the game. I use them for my UM FS and it sounds amazing.

[@amanieux]

I like this minimalist angle, if we listen to music mobile and at a desk, do we really need the 10% extra quality from a desktop dac when such a good mobile dac can do both ( i use moondrop dawn 4.4 to power my iems and studio monitors, it sound cleaner and more vibrant than my 3x more expensive ifi hip2 dac ). Not sure how much better sounding is that m15 at 4x the price of the dawn 4.4, is it a big step up from dawn 4.4 ?

[@Hugo_Furst-x]

Hello, How is the sound? Is the bass controlled? Is the high mid/ treble smooth? As good as the Zen Dac seems very promising. Thanks

[@11clouds]

I use the M15 with my ipad and camera kit powered with a bunch of different planar iems, and i gotta say its been the first time ive told myself I could stop here and not have that since of fomo. Zetian Wu and Heyday Wu are like the endgame pair for me this...

[@condoruite]

How does this sound going into a tube headphone amp, like the schiit vali3 ? add distortion?

[@pallarandersvisa1906]

Is there anything similar but little bit cheaper? I am looking something similar for my first "mobile" DAC/AMP for my first "audiophile" headphones just to try it out.

[@KronoXZ_]

moondrop dawn pro

[@pallarandersvisa1906]

@KronoXZ_ I've ordered it last week, waiting for the package 📦 🙃

[@whcre5958]

Which DACs have a dual (3.5mm & USB C) outputs?

[@the7observer]

does dongle DACs need OTG Usb cable to connect to phone or PC? Or any decent usb cable will do?

[@kevinw0lf]

I would like to see something akin to that, but with a single knob for analog gain. Most solutions often wont have the same performance and that's the only thing holding me from going to this route. Even better if I could get a mic input (a real, XLR or maybe mini XLR to keep the size small), and keep top notch performance, that would be the dream.

[@syanhc]

I’m currently using the Cayin RU7. It’s a 1 bit step ladder design. I’m enjoying the sound without a dac chip. But it doesn’t have the juice for 300ohm headphones.

[@annihilatorg]

I am certainly in the market for a device like this. I have a JDS EL stack at the office driving an AKG361. I would love to get that element stack and it's power supplies off my desk. I would also like to use my old hd598se on my tablet and laptop while sitting on the couch, but the tablet doesn't have a headphone out.

[@h3h3umm]

Would like to see which is better Qudelix or the M15

[@2musiclover534]

Same here.

[@TheModeRed]

Can you recommend a great dongle dac that supports microphones so we can make calls using an IEM mic cable?

[@mmlr312]

Like most things in audio, I think it varies from person to person (and their individual hearing). I'm not sure where I fall, because I haven't had a chance to demo a lot of source and amplification gear, but I imagine most people would be happy with a high-power dongle like the Questyle M15 or Qudelix 5K. One benefit that desktop amplifiers tend to have are features like pre-amp outputs for speakers, a knob that's easier to use and maybe even DSP/ASP (ADI-2 DAC/Pro, various iFi DACs/amps).

[@jefryions5657]

The qudelix literally has the most powerful 64bit DSP encoder of any dac on the planet. You can have 20 perfectly stepless PEQ bands, compared to the 5 of the RME. It also outputs 4V balanced with no perceptive noise floor, so it can be used as a preamp without any issues, if you wish.

[@mmlr312]

@@jefryions5657 The 5K is excellent and truly one of the best deals in audio right now (have and love mine), but things like the remote control, visualizer, spdif input, and more power (especially in balanced with the Pro) keep me with the ADI-2 Pro for now. Definitely first world problems though, I have no doubt I'd be perfectly content if I could only listen on the Qudelix 5K.

[@jefryions5657]

@@mmlr312 I just wish the RME had more than 5 bands. Yea, good enough for a layman thats mucking about, but once you start using autoeq, 5 is unacceptable, even when using the standard 20-8000hz target range.

[@mmlr312]

Same, though I've found the 7 bands (if you count the bass and treble shelves that can be saved with EQ presets) mostly adequate for FR corrections. Oratory1990 has lots of EQ presets for the RME too if that's your speed.

[@jefryions5657]

@@mmlr312 orditory1990s are too v shaped for me. He takes harman combined and makes it even more V shaped than it already was. IEF 2023, SR, and down sloped DF targets have less upper mids and better coherency from the bass to the lower mids, but unfortunately, they can only be done on autoeq. I dream for the day of a desktop version of the qudelix with more imputs.

[@kivill]

What about Fiio BTR7?

[@jamiegustkey2573]

What is the phone case you're using? And what company phone? ~ Thank you

[@Richerd66991]

Nothing smartphone

[@ariam6168]

I did the same with the Hidizs dh80s. Lots of power and sounds great with my 660s

[@supreme_alan]

i use ifi go dongle which is great on the go, does drain battery at home i use the ifi gryphon which is stunning !

[@deanw2847]

Awesome dongle for laptop. Not so good for mobile because of power draw. But an amazing sound & power with minimal footprint. Highly recommend!

[@tomdeschamps5364]

I don't think this could replace my nfb 11.28 but something like this plugged up to my laptop in the living room would be really useful if it has more power than my qudelix 5k wich i have gotten to my pc38x wireless but has also recently replaced my apple dongle

[@Leozinhozd]

where can i buy Qudelix 5K? (i live in Brazil soo this product in particulary doesnt delivery here) can i find this somewhere else? tried aliexpress but didnt found

[@En_Joshi-Godrez]

You can buy it directly from qudelix. It comes from Korea, so you might have to pay import charges, though it won't be much.

[@Anastasios912]

Does this support mic input?

[@MertLDN]

Only the M12/M12i does I believe, but I’ve heard your microphone quality won’t be that great