Today we review the Questyle NHB12, the all-new IEM from the Chinese brand and the first officially Certified MFi Lossless earphone in the world. A model available for just $299.
Disclaimer: the Questyle NHB12 was sent to us free of charge by the brand, in exchange for our honest opinion.
About Questyle
Founded in 2009 by the dynamic duo of Jason Wang and Alden Zhao, Questyle is an audio brand that I’ve encountered in passing, but never really delved into. Despite my lack of attention, the brand has flourished over the years, thanks to an ever expanding portfolio of audiophiles devices like the QP2R, the CMA Twelve or even the M15.
A company led by a seasoned engineer: Jason Wang, a former engineer for Oppo and business development manager of a global tech firm, who also managed to work his way in the Silicon Valley for six long years. Big head, discontented with not achieving its ideal sound, who decided to establish a company and craft its own products – a familiar narrative.
And if Questyle made a name for itself with their desktop DAC/AMP – I listened to the CMA Fifteen once, and for the price, it’s pretty darn impressive – the brand has recently turned its attention to the portable world, with devices like the M15 – see Berkhan’s review.
A process that has gradually led to a whole new range of products, including the brand-new Questyle NHB12, the team’s first in-ear and also the first MFi (Apple Lossless) certified in-ear. A new-generation IEM that we were curious to discover, especially as it is currently in the pre-order phase Kickstarter.
Is it worth your investment? We’ll find out today.
Design & Build Quality
For a first try, Questyle definitely nailed it and gave us a spotless IEM, even more taking account of the (relatively) low asking price. Unsurprisingly, build quality is top-notch : there are no steps, no cracks, no bruises, just one smooth surface all over the shell – with a small line between the two parts of the main body.
Made of brushed aluminum, that body shall easily withstand the test of time, even in harsh conditions like the bottom of a backpack but I wouldn’t be surprised to see some scratches over time due to that mirror-like finish. Mine have always been kept in the supplied storage case – beautiful, by the way – but if you don’t mind the wear marks, you can slip them into a jeans pocket and use them as is.
The same is true for the DAC/Amplifier module, which features a particularly neat transparent glass panel, as well as the same mirror effect on the rear panel. The transparent glass was clearly unnecessary, but it offers that little premium touch and allows Questyle to enhance perceived quality. I love it!
Ditto for the stock cable, which I found astounding regarding the price. Made of silver-plated Oxygen Free Copper the cable feels both sturdy and incredibly light, kind of like Linum cables – even if not as light. No MMCX here but the classic (and old) 2-pin socket, but thanks to some clever engineering, Questyle managed to create a flush design that completely hides the connector.
Finally, as expected, at the end of the cable you’ll find the inimitable Lightning port, or 8-pin if you’d prefer, that allows the NHB12 to work directly with your iPhone, or old-generation iPad. And if those ports are usually made of white plastic, in pure Apple’s fashion, the one found on Questyle’s latest creation is made – or at least covered – with the same aluminum used for the rest of the earphone.
Comfort
In the ears
Comfort-wise, the Questyle NHB12 surprised me, in a very good way.
Once fitted with the right tips (I use the small grey silicon tips) the comfort is top-notch. The semi-custom shell has been polished and mastered by many brands now, and Questyle, despite his inexperience in the field, clearly is one of them. The rounded shape perfectly filled my ears, and when paired with the right tips, the IEM filled my ear perfectly.
Add to that the lightweight sensation of the cable and, to this date, those may be one of the comfiest IEM I tried in the sub-$500 range. To be fair, they aren’t as cozy as a semi-custom fit could be, but I’d still rate them a solid 8-9 out of 10 in this aspect and I’d place them in the same league, or even above the Letshuoer S12 Pro I reviewed more recently.
Daily use
Thanks to its MFi certification, those ears are extremely simple to use for Apple users. All you gotta do is plug them to your iPhone, and the NHB12 will automatically be recognized by the phone, without any prompt or message on the screen as it can sometimes happen.
Compatible with high-resolution, Questyle didn’t miss the usual led indicator that you’ll now find on all and every DAC. No color schemes here, or display screen that informs you of the actual playback, all you gotta do is check the two leds sitting on top of the PCB:
- one red LED : you’re listening to lo-res music (or 16bit/44kHz from what i’ve seen during my test)
- two red LED : you’re enjoying hi-res music from your iPhone, hurray!
During my weeks of testing, I never encountered any issues on that regard and even when switching flux on the go, the DAC responded accordingly – whether on Apple Music, Tidal or Qobuz.
And, for those that would prefer the classic jack connector – or simply don’t own an iPhone – yes the NHB12 comes with a classic cable and I was able to plug them into my HiFiman EF400 with no hassle, or use the DAC/Amp of my choice – the new ddHiFi TC44 Pro in my case.
Isolation
With a solid shell, good tips and an ear-filling design, the Questyle NHB12 were excellent noise-blockers – which was to be expected : on my daily commute, they perfectly dampened the noise coming from the train, and the subway. Same at the office: once plugged in with the music on, the ears completely cut me off from my colleagues and my mechanical keyboard.
So, time to check the specs!
Bundle
Inside the box
The Questyle NHB12 comes with a surprisingly good bundle, and one of the nicest box I ever got in those past years. This doesn’t give any sonic advantage, but the attention to detail is remarkable enough to warrant a mention, especially the various text labeled all around the box, which give a true luxury feeling.
Inside the box you’ll find
- the NHB12
- an OFC silver-plated cable with the CMA SiP module and a Lightning (8-pin- plug)
- an OFC silver plated cable with a classic 3.5mm plug
- 5 sets of eartips (extra-small/small/medium/large/extra-large)
- a leather storage case with two compartments
- an user manual
A good bundle with everything you shall need on a daily basis. Big bonus point for the additional cable – which is amazing I remind you – and the leather case that feel surprisingly nice with its asymmetrical design.
Additional accessories
Honestly, there is not much you could add for your Questyle NH12. The DAC is already provided and due to its nature, you won’t get more by switching to a DAP. What you could do on the other hand is get a high-resolution subscription with the like of Apple Music, Tidal or even Qobuz.
We tried both and if my personal preference go towards Apple Music, on a blind test, Qobuz sounded better 9 times out of 10 – but the interface is damn janky… even on iOS.
Specifications
For the nitpickers and nerdy ones here, I’m giving the specs and technical sheets. For all the others, you can just go to the next page to see how the Questyle NHB12 performs.
Current Mode Amplifier SiP + MFi Certification
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room first: the Questyle NHB12 is the first fully MFi certified Lossless earphone in the world, what does it mean? Short answer, you’ll be able to fully decode Apple Music’s high-resolution audio streams, without the help of an external DAC/Amp.
Sure, you can do the exact same thing by using the provided MMCX cable, and plugging an external DAC like the M15 from the same brand, or even something small like the ddHiFi TC44 PRO, but if you just want something plug&play for your iPhone, this MFi certification will allow you to exert the full capability of your files – the same way an USB-DAC do. That being said, let’s delve a little more into the DAC.
There aren’t much information regarding the DAC/AMP on their website, but the module remains a miniaturization prodigy, even compared to the tiny devices I’m used too like the FmFiiO KA3, or the iBasso DC04Pro. On a 40mm x 11mm x 5 board, the CMA SiP – same name as the higher-end models – embeds a patented 3X Master, a patented current more amplifier (SiP) and a MCU for the USB Port.
And if the brand is proud to display a super low THD (0.0002%) what’s even more impressive here are the working current and voltage, respectively 3mA and 2V. Ultra low operating voltage that fall way below your usual AMP/DAC, meaning that the NHB12 should be able to be driven without ever displaying the famous error message “Device drains too much power”.
Please note, however, that Questyle states on the box that the NHB12 can drain up to 20mA. Fortunately, this is well below Apple’s recommendations, which is no doubt why the MFi logo is present.
Is it enough on a daily basis ? More on that later.
High-Resolution Dynamic driver
If visually impressive, the Questyle NHB12 wouldn’t be complete if the brand didn’t fit an equally nice driver inside.
At the heart of the IEM, you’ll find a “True Lossless acoustic Driver” – which doesn’t really mean anything in reality. Dig deeper and you’ll find out that the brand actually use a single Dynamic Driver featuring ultra-low distortion and broadband acoustic thanks to a high-strength magnetic core, and a DLC-coated diaphragm.
Impedance is moderate at 38ohm (subject to change from what I read) and based on their presentation, Questyle clearly aimed at Beyerdynamic’s Xelento as a reference, even stating that their new NHB12 should be able to compete, and even outperforms the German brands IEM.
This should not be surprising as many chi-fi brands managed to achieve astounding results on a relatively small budget, but considering Questyle’s lack of experience in this field, we’re very curious to test them out.
Last but not least, like a powered speaker, each side of the ears were carefully impedance-matched and tuned to match the current more amplification circuitry. If this should not outperform your high-end DAP on a regular basis, equally priced solution should achieve lower results, as they’ll lack Questyle fine-tuning.
Again, more on that below.
Full specs
- Model: Questyle NHB12
- Type: IEM + DAC/AMP (MFi certified)
- Drivers: proprietary dynamic drive
- DAC: Questyle CMA SIP
- Socket: 2-pin 0.78mm
- Cable: OFC silver-plated braided with 8-pin plug (3.5mm available)
- Shell: CNC-milled aluminum, anodised, brushed with PVD coating
- Frequency Response: 20Hz- 20kHz
- Impedance: 38 ohms
- Sound Isolation (up to): 27dB
- Cable length: 120cm
- Weight: 13g per ear
- Price : $299
The review continues on Page two, after the click HERE or by using the jump below.
Page 1: About the brand, design, layout
Page 2: Sound performances
