I don't think that's possible. You can only step from track to track, using either the mechanical navigation buttons on the side, or the capacitive left/right buttons. You can fast forward, or fast rewind, by pressing and holding either of the capacitive buttons, but this operates from track to...

That might be the difference; mine are just stock Copper Series & Claire, not customs.

I've noticed that interconnect cables seem to be FAW's Achilles' heel. I guess I've bought around a dozen cables/adapters from FAW over the years; a mix of headphone, USB & interconnect cables and, for what ever reason, the build quality of the latter is inferior to the others.

There's no option for the user to select digital filters on the QP2R; which digital filter, if any, does it apply?

I ordered a 'stock' interconnect just over 3 weeks ago and am still waiting. I'm confident I'll receive it some day, but it's a test of patience, and all part of the FAW experience.

Maybe, but is this the level of performance I'd expect at this price point? No. High expectations are the bane of my life.

I've been listening to the 23RM using input signals from 0.5 to 2.5V and apart from the obvious, I don't hear any difference, which is a little disappointing because I had hopes that it might unlock some additional performance.

I've auditioned YH5K and Utopia 2023 on the same system, albeit a week apart. For me, the Utopia would be easier to live with than the YH5K with its stock cable, but with an after market cable, choosing between the two is more difficult. Both do most things quite well, just with a different...

Thanks for the clarification.

Atlas Zeno was the only option available when I auditioned the YH5K, but I suspect FAW Claire, or Noir, would be a pretty sweet match, at a lower cost. I think a FAW Claire Hybrid might be even better, and it matches the Yamaha cable aesthetic.

So what is an 8E PWM DAC? Is it just marketing speak for an 8-bit DAC (as in 'E' for ENOB), or is it something more exotic?

That's an interesting observation. I was a little disappointed by the Expanse, primarily due to the apparent lack of an 'expansive' soundstage, but I was using a 2V line level input. Maybe I need to revisit the Expanse, but using a lower input signal.

Personally, I don't think the stock cable does it many favours. The tuning is ... well let's say, energetic (in a "5-year old who's just eaten 10 packs of Skittles", sort of way). Substituting a decent OCC copper cable has a calming effect, while still maintaining frequency extension and soundstage.

With a Hifiman HE-560, I feel the HPA-23RM sounds somewhat better than any of the following: SMSL SH-9 SPL Phonitor One Phatlabs Chimera Bakoon HPA-01M. With a comparably priced headphone, it might sound significantly better, but then, so might any of those others. Diminishing returns ...