The M12
Priced at $139.99, the tiny, 2"-long M12 Mobile Hi-Fi Headphone Amplifier with DAC features a case machined from aluminum. On one end is a USB-C port. On the other is a…
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There are words that, for reasons I can't fathom, I cannot stand. One such is "dongle." So when Bluebird Music's PR rep emailed me to ask if I would be interested in reviewing a new dongle from Chinese company Questyle Audio, I shuddered. But I must admit that "dongle" rolls off the tongue a lot more readily than "portable USB D/A headphone amplifier." I put aside my grammatical quibble and agreed to a review.
The Questyle did equally well with hi-rez PCM files. I am slowly ripping my LPs to 24/192 files using the Ayre QA-9 A/D converter. A favorite Beach Boys album is Holland (Brother/Reprise K54008), and the M12 reproduced the dropped-octave synth bass notes on "The Trader" with an excellent combination of low-frequency clarity and weight. The cloud of voices behind Carl Wilson's lead vocal was positioned well back in the soundstage. I was startled anew by the girl saying "Hi" into my left ear before the song starts.
Comparisons
At $139.99, the Questyle M12's price falls…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Portable, USB-powered, MQA-capable digital-to-analog processor/ headphone amplifier with ESS ES9281AC DAC chip. Supported operating systems: Apple MacOS, Apple iOS, Microsoft Windows, Android 5.0 and above. Sample rates supported: 44.1–384kHz (PCM), DSD64, DSD128, DSD256. Digital input: USB Type-C. Analog output: 3.5mm stereo headphone jack. Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz ±0.1dB. THD+N: 0.0003%. Maximum output voltage: 2V RMS into 100k ohms; gain is adjusted automatically for load impedances <70 ohms, >70 ohms, and >600 ohms. Output power:…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Sources: Roon Nucleus+ server, Mac mini running Roon 1.8, MacBook Pro running Pure Music and Adobe Audition, iPad mini 2, iPhone 11, AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt.
Headphones: Audeze LCD-X, AudioQuest NightHawk, Sennheiser HD 650.
Cables: Headphones: manufacturer's own with AudioQuests and Sennheisers; Nordost Heimdall with Audezes. AC: manufacturers' own.
Accessories: AudioQuest JitterBug FMJ, AudioQuest Niagara 1000 Low-Z Power/Noise-Dissipation System.—John Atkinson
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Questyle M12 with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 As We See It). I performed a full set of tests with WAV and AIFF test-tone files played with Pure Music 3.0 and Adobe Audition on my MacBook Pro running on battery power, and on my iPad mini using the Lightning-to-USB-A–to–USB-C cable combination.
Apple's USB Prober utility identified the M12 as "M12" from "Questyle" with the serial number "0." The USB port operated in the optimal isochronous asynchronous mode, and Apple's AudioMIDI utility revealed that the M12…
At Stereophile, we don't generally allow Mulligans—review do-overs. Usually, we take a second look at a product we've reviewed only when the first sample turns out to have been defective, especially if it was damaged in shipping—and we rarely do even that.
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If I hadn't told you, you wouldn't have known when I wrote this essay—and you still don't know where I was when I wrote it: my office? In an airplane 36,000 feet up? Similarly, I don't know where you'll be when you read it, or when: Maybe in early 2022 in your listening chair; maybe you'll find it in a box in an attic many years hence and read it then.
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Ben Lamar Gay: Open Arms to Open Us
International Anthem IARC0051 (CD, LP, download). 2021. Ben LaMar Gay, Dave Vettraino, prods.; Dave Vettraino, eng.
Performance *****
Sonics ****
International Anthem IARC0051 (CD, LP, download). 2021. Ben LaMar Gay, Dave Vettraino, prods.; Dave Vettraino, eng.
Performance *****
Sonics ****
Ben LaMar Gay draws from experience, and plenty of it. He has dueted with the DuSable Bridge in downtown Chicago (check YouTube) and is a member of that city's fertile Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. He lived and worked in Brazil for three years, and last year was commissioned to compose a piece for New York City's Wet Ink Ensemble. His musical mind goes to many places, and…