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Questyle CMA 15 DAC, Preamp, Headphone Amp w/ Analog Input

  • $2,499.00
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Concept

Evolution never stops. We as humans have never stopped questing, and neither should a true flagship device.

With an outstanding performance level, and all the ingredients for a new groundbreaking device, we present you our new Flagship DAC/Headphone Amp:

The CMA Fifteen

Commemorating the 15th anniversary of Questyle’s revolutionary Current Mode Amplification Technology.

At its core, Current Mode Amplification uses current, instead of voltage, to amplify audio signals. It is a state-of-the-art technology in audio amplification, leading to tremendous performance differences when compared to traditional audio amplifiers. As the “engine” of the audio system, Current Mode Amplification features a fully discrete and topological structure, and can achieve ultra-high sound performance that reproduces music so faithfully, it feels like you are in the original recording room. Using Current Mode Amplification technology, listeners can attain a much better listening experience, even when using consumer-grade headphones and speaker systems.

Current Mode Amplification Meets Current mode DAC=Current Mode²

After 3 years of pre-research with ESS, Questyle selected the flagship DAC ES9038PRO, a decoding chip with the most powerful performance of any DAC invented to date, and jointly launched CMA Fifteen with ESS, supporting 32bit/768K and DSD 512 master band formats.

To chase extreme performance, almost all high-end DAC chips from world-renowned manufacturers feature current-type output, which in most traditional amplifiers, is then coupled with an IV converter and classical amplifier architecture. But we at Questyle wondered: if the DAC’s output is already current-type, why don’t we also amplify that signal in current-mode? And that’s exactly what we did in the CMA Fifteen: we use the ES9038PRO current-mode DAC, and couple that to four Current Mode Amplifiers, which together operate in fully balanced mode to achieve “system-level lossless” purity.



CMA Fifteen supports MQA full decoding

MQA is an award-winning British technology that delivers the sound of
the original master recording. The master MQA file is fully authenticated and is yet small enough to stream or download.
The CMA Fifteen includes MQA technology, which enables you to play
back MQA audio files and streams, delivering the sound of the original
master recording.

Bring Apple music lossless work to your high-end audio system

The CMA Fifteen supports Apple Music Lossless. In addition to the classic USB Type-B input, the CMA Fifteen now also features a USB Type-C input to solve the wire conversion loss through cables. You can finally enjoy the new experience of high resolution lossless audio online, anytime, anywhere.

*USB Type-C input has priority. When USB Type-C and Type-B are connected at the same time, the system will process the Type-C audio source by default.

CMA Fifteen as a Preamp for your record player

CMA Fifteen now comes with analog inputs on the back of the unit. Connect CMA Fifteen to your record player as a preamp, you can enjoy the best possible sound quality. If you ever get tired of your digital music, the CMA Fifteen can now also take you back to the golden age of records.

Continuity and Inheritance

Questyle believes that the greatest products are born from the smallest details. The CMA Fifteen continues the classic design concept and perfect manufacturing technology of its previous lines of products, while further improving on all the details. Resonance, for example, is always a detail that could easily be ignored in the design process. However, mechanical vibration does indeed affect audio signal processing and the resulting sound. To avoid this resonance, the CMA Fifteen chassis is formed from 10mm-thick aircraft-grade Aluminum 6063, with precise machining tolerances of ±0.02mm.

In designing the CMA Fifteen, we’ve also analyzed the layout balance before and after the machine is connected to cables, to ensure that any inherent resonance is minimized. The CMA Fifteen also has a complete output protection function: if the device fails for any reason or detects other abnormalities, it will automatically cut off the output to protect your headphones and stereo system.

AC Input: 100-120V / 220-230V (switchable)

Power Consuming: <30W

Size: 330*200*55mm (Jacks are not included.)

Digital Input:

USB x 2 (Including a high-priority USB Type-C interface and a USB Type-B interface.)

PCM: 44.1khz-768kHz/32bit

DSD: Native DSD 512; DOP DSD 256

MQA: Full / Core decoder

USB input supports UAC 2.0. It supports Win XP, Vista, Win7, Win8, Win10, Linux, MAC OS and other operating systems. It also can be connected to smartphones supporting OTG audio output.

Note: Windows system under Win10 will need to install the ASIO driver developed by Questyle. Win10 system supports DOP DSD 256 without installing the driver, and supports Native DSD 512 with the driver installed.

Optical Input x 1:  PCM: 44.1kHz~192kHz/24bit

Coaxial Input x 1:  PCM: 44.1kHz~192kHz/24bit

Bluetooth Input x 1: SBC, AAC, LDAC (At the highest level of 96kHz/24bit, 990kps/909kps)

Analog Input: RCA x 1,  2Vrms standard level

Headphone Amplifier Output Interface:

6.35mm standard headphone jack  x1

4-PIN balanced headphone jack    x1

4.4mm balanced headphone jack   x1

Note: You can set High/Standard bias through the BIAS switch on the front panel of the headphone amplifier, and set Standard/Low gain through the four Gain switches on the bottom of the headphone amplifier.

Pre-Amp Output Interface:

XLR  x 1

RCA  x 1     

Note: The output level can be set by Standard/Studio switch and volume can be controlled by ADJ/FIX switch on the rear panel.

Pre-Amp Output Specs

Max Analog Output Amplitude:

RCA: 2V (Standard), Studio mode output up to14dBu

XLR: 4V (Standard), Studio mode output up to 20dBu

THD+N:

RCA: 0.0004%  

XLR: 0.0003% 

Frequency Response: ±0.2dB (DC-22kHz)@48kHz/24bit)

SNR:

RCA: >116dB  

XLR: >119dB

Headphone Amplifier Output Specs

Max Output Power:

6.35mm: 188mW @ 300Ω  1.5W @ 32Ω

4.4mm balanced / XLR 4-PIN balanced: 765mW @ 300Ω  2W @ 32Ω

THD+N:

<0.0003% @300Ω

<0.001%@32Ω

Frequency Response: ±0.2dB (DC-22kHz)@44.1kHz/24bit

SNR:

 6.35mm: >117dB

4.4mm balanced / XLR 4-PIN balanced: >120dB