Mine arrived a bit over a week ago. I am glad you asked as I have been gathering my thoughts and can give you initial impressions...and have some questions on it perhaps others can answer.
Some background for those not familiar with it:
- Loxjie is a new brand owned by Shenzhen Shuangmusanlin Electronics - the same company as SMSL and Sabaj
- 3 initial products are the A10 Mini Speaker Amp, the P20 Balanced Hybrid Headphone Amp, and the D20 DAC - Available AliExpress & Amazon
The D20 Retails for about $270 and is one of the first inexpensive DACs to use the flagship AK4497EQ chip
- USB, Toslink, and Coaxial Inputs. 1 Set of unbalanced outputs that are variable controlled by the front 40 step digital tuning knob
- Modestly powered but clean sounding headphone amp with 1/4" socket
- Includes a remote control that provides volume, muting, on/off, and all available menu functions by scrolling though the front display.
- Oled Display that is Tiny (photo attached...as the display is not shown on Amazon) fine for desktop use but illegible across the room.
- Menu functions include: Input, Output (Headphone or Line), Filter (6 options described below), Sound (4 options described below) Display Dimmer (4 levels and auto-off). Available in Red or Blue.
Filter Choices (AK4497EQ options): Short Delay Sharp Roll-off, Short Delay Slow Roll-off, Sharp Roll-off, Slow Roll-off, Super Slow Roll-off, Low-dispersion Short Delay
Sound Options: I have no idea what these do...anyone? Default, Current Max, Current Mid, Current Min.
Windows 10 Driver: No driver is included or referenced. Update...the driver is now available on the Loxjie-audio site. The driver is TUSBAudio Driver for XMOS v 3.34....which appears to be non-branded.
Initial thoughts: It sounds excellent and I have noticed no anomalies in its operation. Everything seems clean, noiseless, pop-free. The digital 40 step volume control of the line out is the best I have used on a DAC. The remote works flawlessly from close range..I have not tried from across the room. Note it is a slight improvement over previous SMSL/Sabaj remotes in that it does not have the three (A,B,C) buttons on the front that change the remote code and render it useless. Like many Chinese DACs/Amps...not all of the buttons do anything. Oddly the "Level" button controls the volume and the volume does nothing. The only criticism I have of its functions is that the display is very small and uses tiny fonts (Just like the Sabaj D4, A4).
Is it a great choice? There are other very strong contender at this price point. Topping D50 (flawless Specs, no headphone amp, volume control by button, no remote). SMSL SU-8 (Nearly Flawless Specs, Balanced Output, no headphone amp, remote volume but it appears many functions require the remote), Update: There is now a website up (see below), so one criticism gone.
I cannot reliably distinguish one well designed DAC from another based on sound. I think it odd Loxjie would release a fully balanced headphone amp while this DAC is unbalanced...but I am not convinced it makes any difference to the sound. It seems well built, looks nice if you like red/blue, and works well. I am pleased.
As it is one of the 1st mainstream DACs to use the AK4497... I am looking forward to measurements.