Questyle is moving beyond portable DACs, and desktop headphone amplification with the debut of its QMS Streaming System at HIGH END Vienna 2026. The new platform combines the iXStreamer with the E5 (5-inch) and E4 (4-inch) wireless bookshelf speakers, creating an end-to-end lossless streaming system designed for whole-home audio without turning the living room into a cable crime scene.

They are not the first Asia-based hi-fi brand to make this move over the past 12 months. Eversolo has already pushed deeper into compact streaming systems with the Play and Play CD Edition streaming amplifiers, along with its SE100 passive bookshelf speakers. WiiM has done the same from the value side with the WiiM Ultra and WiiM Amp Ultra network players/streaming amplifiers, plus the WiiM Sound wireless speaker.

That does not make Questyle late. It makes the category more interesting. Based on our extensive experience with Questyle products over the past six years, especially its portable DACs and headphone amplifiers, the QMS Streaming System could be a compelling option for listeners who want real hi-fi performance in smaller spaces without building a traditional rack-based system.

“The QMS System is an integrated masterpiece of acoustic aesthetics and cutting-edge technology,” says Questyle CEO Jason Wang, “We are happy to take this next step with SEAS in our shared mission of creating world-class listening experiences for all users and scenarios.”

iXStreamer: Questyle’s Compact Hub for Lossless Whole-Home Audio

At the center of Questyle’s QMS Streaming System is the iXStreamer, a compact streaming hub designed to handle wireless and wired digital audio inside a modern home audio setup.

The iXStreamer supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth, with compatibility for LDAC and the full aptX codec family. That gives it broader wireless support than the usual “Bluetooth included, good luck” approach, especially for Android users with higher-quality codec support.

Questyle is also making a clear play for Apple households. The iXStreamer works with AirPlay 2 and can connect to Apple TV through HDMI ARC/eARC, which makes it easier to integrate into a living room system without needing a separate pile of boxes.

Inside, the iXStreamer uses a dual-mono dual ESS9069 DAC design paired with dual current-mode preamplifiers. That part matters because Questyle has built much of its reputation around Current Mode Amplification, and this system appears to bring that design thinking into a whole-home streaming platform rather than just another desktop DAC or portable dongle.

Streaming service support includes TIDAL, Spotify, Roon Ready, QPlay, and QQ Music. That makes the iXStreamer more than a Bluetooth receiver with better manners. It is intended to serve as the control hub for Questyle’s QMS ecosystem, including the E5 and E4 wireless bookshelf speakers.

E5 and E4: Questyle Teams with SEAS on Compact Wireless Bookshelf Speakers

The E5 and E4 wireless bookshelf speakers are the playback end of Questyle’s QMS Streaming System, and they may be the most interesting part of the announcement.

Questyle says the new Elements series was developed in collaboration with SEAS, the long-running Norwegian driver specialist, with the partnership being introduced at HIGH END Vienna 2026.

The E5 uses a 5-inch driver configuration, while the smaller E4 uses a 4-inch platform. Both models are designed as wireless bookshelf speakers for Questyle’s QMS ecosystem, with lossless end-to-end audio transmission, smartphone app control, and the ability to operate as independent speakers or as part of a larger grouped system.

Questyle is also leaning on its own DAC and amplifier architecture here. The E5 and E4 are equipped with a dual-mono ESS DAC design and Questyle’s patented current-mode power amplifier technology, which is intended to reduce distortion and improve control. That matters more than the usual “wireless lifestyle speaker” language, because Questyle has spent years building its reputation around DACs, portable amplifiers, and Current Mode Amplification rather than plastic countertop noise boxes.

Connectivity includes HDMI, optical, coaxial, and analog audio inputs, giving the E5 and E4 more flexibility than many wireless speakers in this category. Matter smart home protocol compatibility is also listed, which suggests Questyle wants these speakers to fit into modern connected homes without making users manage yet another island of audio hardware.

The system supports Wi-Fi 6E high-speed transmission and uses a minimalist Bauhaus-inspired design. It also supports Apple AirPlay 2, HUAWEI HiPlay, and Roon Ready wireless streaming protocols, giving users multiple ways to send high-resolution audio across a home network with lower latency, better stability, and multi-device support.

The Questyle E5 supports PCM playback up to 768kHz/24-bit and native DSD256, placing it firmly in high-resolution territory for a wireless active loudspeaker.

The standard E5 uses a 5.25-inch mid-woofer paired with an AMT tweeter. Questyle’s folded AMT diaphragm increases the effective radiating area compared with a conventional dome tweeter, allowing it to move air quickly and reproduce upper-frequency detail with greater speed and openness.

Each speaker also incorporates a 400-watt gallium nitride power system, giving a stereo pair more than 800 watts of total amplification. Questyle’s patented Current Mode linear amplifier topology is built into the mainboard, while its TTA Three-tier DAC Architecture separates the DAC, preamplifier, and power amplifier stages into distinct zones. The tweeter and woofer are driven by independent amplifiers, giving the E5 a bi-amplified architecture designed to improve control, dynamics, and transient response.

Questyle says the entire acoustic system has been tuned for a balanced, smooth, and natural hi-fi presentation rather than the overly etched sound that sometimes passes for “detail” in active wireless speakers.

The Bottom Line

Questyle’s QMS Streaming System looks like a logical next step for a company that has spent years building credibility around DACs, portable amplifiers, and Current Mode Amplification. The iXStreamer, E5, and E4 suggest that Questyle wants to move beyond personal audio into compact whole-home hi-fi, and the SEAS partnership gives the speaker side of the story some needed engineering weight.

The iXStreamer and E5/E4 wireless bookshelf speakers are not expected to be available until September, so this is still a rather early preview. Based on our experience with Questyle, the QMS system could be a very interesting option for smaller rooms, desktops, apartments, and listeners who want fewer boxes without giving up on sound quality. But until we know the price and hear the finished system, the jury remains out. The cable drawer may finally be nervous, but it can keep breathing for now.

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Smartphones already handle the hard part of travel photography by capturing sharp images in any light. What often gets left behind is the ability to share those images as something tangible right away, something you can hand to a new friend at a market or slip into a journal before the day ends. The Canon Ivy 2, priced at $99 (was $120), fills that gap without forcing anyone to carry a separate instant camera or deal with film.

The device is so small that it could easily fit into a jacket pocket or the side pocket of a day bag. Its dimensions, barely more than 4.7 x 3.3 x 0.8 inches, and weight of 5 ounces ensure that it never feels like a burden when packing for a long trip or trudging through a crowded train. The device’s controls are straightforward: just a power button and a pair of LED status indicators, and you won’t be bogged down by complicated menus because everything is handled through your phone.

Connecting the printer is as easy as possible. Simply download the free Canon Mini Print app, activate Bluetooth, and you’ll be ready to go in seconds due to long-range Bluetooth 5.0 technology. Once it’s up and running, simply select a photo from your camera roll, add some creative touches (frames, filters, text, or collage patterns are all available in the app), and then press print to let the Ivy 2 do its magic.

The printer’s ZINK technology removes all of the common ink-related issues. Instead of color ink, the paper contains color crystals that come to life when heated by the printer to create the image, eliminating the need for filthy cartridges, the risk of liquid leaking in your backpack, and the turmoil that occurs when the print appears. In less than a minute (around 30-50 seconds), your finished photo will measure 2 by 3 inches and have a tidy borderless edge.

Each print has a simple peel-and-stick layer on the back. Simply remove the liner, and your photograph will attach to almost any smooth surface. Travelers use them to write a few pages in their diary, label their bags, paint their water bottles, or turn their phone case into an impromptu gallery of their trip’s highlights. If you need to attach it to anything more curved, like a helmet or a bottle, pre-cut circular sticker sheets are also available.

The good news is that these prints are fairly resistant to smudges, moisture, and tears, so even if you end up stuffing them in your pocket or passing them around at dinner, they’ll still look great. A full charge will last about 20 prints, which should be plenty for most people to go through a day of active photography. If you need to recharge, a simple charge from a power bank or hotel outlet will get you back up and running in about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, the paper capacity is up to 10 sheets at a time, and a calibration sheet is included to ensure that the printer is operating correctly.

Founded in 2004 in Veldhoven, The Netherlands, Grimm Audio has built its reputation around loudspeakers, music streamers, and a careful approach to signal integrity. After introducing the PW1 phono preamplifier in 2025, the company is now expanding into power amplification with the PA1, a compact monoblock amplifier making its debut at High End Vienna 2026.

Rated at 200 watts into 4 ohms and 150 watts into 8 ohms, the PA1 gives Grimm Audio a dedicated amplification platform for systems built around its existing loudspeakers and streamers. It also marks an important step for the Dutch manufacturer as it continues to move beyond source components and active loudspeaker systems into a broader high-end audio lineup.

Grimm PA1: Compact Monoblock, Serious Output

At 9.8 x 9.8 x 9.4 inches, the Grimm Audio PA1 is compact by monoblock amplifier standards, but its 33-pound weight makes it clear that this is not a lightweight design.

The PA1 is rated at 200 watts into 4 ohms and 150 watts into 8 ohms, delivering that output to a single channel. That gives Grimm Audio’s first power amplifier enough power for a wide range of demanding loudspeakers, while keeping the design focused on control, stability, and low distortion rather than unnecessary bulk.

Grimm Audio says the PA1 uses a wide-bandwidth circuit architecture designed to reduce several forms of distortion, including phase modulation, thermal distortion, and residual crossover distortion. The amplifier also incorporates an Amplimo toroidal power transformer and a 90,000 µF current buffer, giving the compact chassis a more substantial power supply than its size might suggest.

Building on a traditional Class A/B amplifier topology, the PA1 uses symmetrical circuitry with 96 power transistors mounted on an aluminium printed circuit board. Grimm Audio says the aluminium PCB provides tight thermal coupling for the output devices, helping maintain stable operating conditions under load.

The output stage and driver stage are designed to work together to preserve the amplifier’s operating point, even when delivering substantial low-frequency current to a loudspeaker. That matters because bass demands can place significant stress on an amplifier’s power supply and output stage.

Although Grimm Audio describes the PA1 as combining some of the tonal qualities often associated with tube amplifiers with the control and stability expected from solid-state designs, the PA1 itself is a solid-state Class A/B monoblock amplifier. The company’s goal is clearly not nostalgia, but a compact amplifier that combines low distortion, current delivery, and thermal stability in a form factor that is smaller than many high-end monoblocks.

“We have developed a solid-state amplifier capable of achieving an extraordinary combination of transparency, control, and musical naturalness,” says Eelco Grimm, Creative Director of Grimm Audio.

PA1 Monoblock Amplifier Specs

The Bottom Line 

The Grimm Audio PA1 is not trying to be an integrated amplifier, lifestyle hub, or feature-packed control center. It is a compact Class A/B monoblock built to do one job: drive one loudspeaker with 150 watts into 8 ohms or 200 watts into 4 ohms from a relatively small, very dense chassis.

What makes it interesting is the combination of size, output, thermal design, and Grimm’s use of a symmetrical circuit with 96 power transistors on an aluminium PCB. That is not a typical recipe for a compact monoblock, and it suggests Grimm is focused on bandwidth, low distortion, and stability rather than just building another large metal amplifier with handles and a mortgage application.

The catch is obvious: you need two PA1 amplifiers for a stereo system, and Grimm has not announced pricing yet. Until that number lands, It is hard to know whether the PA1 will compete more directly with compact, high-performance monoblocks from Bel Canto and Benchmark, or with larger and more expensive designs from Bryston, Pass Labs, Michi, and others. Either way, the PA1 looks like a serious first amplifier from Grimm Audio, but the price will decide whether it is merely impressive or genuinely disruptive.

Price & Availability and Price

The release date and pricing for the PA1 have not been provided as of the publication date of this report, but in the meantime, it is being shown and demonstrated for the first time at Vienna High End 2026 in Grimm Audio’s demo space Hall X4, M01. 

More information about the PA1 can be found on Grimm Audio’s Official PA1 product page. 

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A team of researchers at Georgia Tech has developed a new smartphone-based system that could dramatically simplify how people interact with robots. Called COBALT, the platform allows users with little to no computing experience to remotely control robot arms from virtually anywhere in the world using just a phone and an internet connection.

The project, developed at Georgia Tech’s People, AI & Robotics (PAIR) Lab, transforms smartphones into motion controllers for robotic arms. Users simply move their phones in different directions, and the robot mirrors those movements in real time. Basic tasks such as grabbing, moving, and releasing objects can be performed through simple on-screen controls, making the experience feel more like playing a mobile game than operating industrial machinery.

Ayush Agarwal, a Ph.D. student in Georgia Tech’s School of Interactive Computing who leads the COBALT research team, said the system was intentionally designed to make robotics accessible to beginners rather than experts. During testing, participants from countries including India, Indonesia, and Pakistan remotely controlled robot arms located inside Georgia Tech’s lab despite having no prior robotics experience.

Researchers believe crowdsourcing could shape the future of robotics

The broader goal behind COBALT extends beyond convenience. Researchers believe the platform could solve one of robotics’ biggest challenges: collecting enough real-world training data to improve AI-powered robotic systems.

Modern robots require enormous amounts of policy training data to learn how to perform physical tasks reliably. According to Assistant Professor Animesh Garg, who directs the PAIR Lab, simulation alone is not enough to train robots for large-scale deployment. Instead, researchers envision a crowdsourced network where millions of smartphone users passively contribute operational data by remotely interacting with robots.

Garg compared the idea to tapping into the nearly five billion smartphone users worldwide. By lowering the barrier to entry, the team hopes to create a scalable global system capable of accelerating robotic learning and automation.

The technology could also have major educational implications. Georgia Tech researchers recently demonstrated COBALT to students from Midtown High School in Atlanta, allowing them to remotely operate robot arms using smartphones. The simplicity of the interface could make robotics education more accessible in classrooms without expensive equipment or specialized hardware.

A future “gig economy” for robots may not be far away

The researchers also believe COBALT could eventually support entirely new forms of remote work. Garg described the possibility of a robot-powered gig economy where people remotely operate assistive robots in homes, warehouses, or factories from anywhere in the world.

In practical terms, that could mean a factory robot autonomously handles most tasks but requests human assistance when it encounters a difficult situation. Instead of requiring on-site workers, remote operators could briefly take control through their phones before handing the operation back to the AI system.

Agarwal said user studies showed smartphones were preferred over VR headsets, keyboards, or traditional controllers because they felt more intuitive while still providing high-quality control data. The system also minimizes latency by using WebRTC technology, similar to platforms like Zoom and Google Meet, ensuring that robot movements and live video streams remain responsive even across long distances.

The research paper on COBALT is being presented this week at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Vienna, where the team is showcasing not just the technology itself, but the large-scale remote operation network built around it.

Tesla has officially pushed back the public debut of its next-generation Roadster to August or later this year. The engineers are still ironing out the bugs in the cold gas thruster kit that they are creating with SpaceX. The event is expected to take place in Texas, and it will be Tesla’s first full-fledged vehicle showcase since the Cybercab presentation in 2024.

Apparently, an early version of the thruster system arrived at Elon Musk’s desk for review in late April. Cold gas thrusters are intended to give the Roadster greater power, faster acceleration, tighter handling, and better braking, all due to how the gas flows out of those specific nozzles. According to the desired performance criteria, once all cylinders are running, a zero-to-sixty run should be doable in roughly a second. The limited edition SpaceX vehicle will apparently include a plethora of thrusters spread throughout, ten in total, plus the fuel to power them, all squeezed into the space normally occupied by the back seats. A standard version with fewer thrusters and tanks will likely be available to the general public.

The first customer automobiles are expected to leave the Texas Gigafactory in either 2027 or 2028, according to the most recent production estimates. Anyone who put down a deposit back in 2017 is still waiting for their automobile, which must be frustrating.

They appear to have made multiple timeline modifications throughout the years; twelve years after the first idea in November 2017, they are still working on it. Customer deliveries were originally scheduled for 2020, however the timeframe was delayed multiple times. It was previously expected that the demo date would be April 1, followed by late Spring, but it has now been pushed out to late Summer. Elon stated on the April earnings call that the event could be just a month or so away, but it now appears to be a pipe dream.

The main cause of the delays is ongoing development on the A71 thruster system, which is a cold gas thruster configuration in which the gas is simply pushed via nozzles rather than burned up, as in a conventional rocket engine. This makes the hardware easier and safer to drive on the road while yet offering adequate performance. In recent weeks, several trademark applications have been filed for the new Roadster design.

Franz von Holzhausen, Chief Designer, and Lars Moravy, Vice President of Engineering, have kept the program on track despite the fact that it looks to have been completed many years ago. Perhaps August will explain how all of these components, including Tesla’s unique electric engine, thrusters, and aerodynamics package, will work together.
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