Luxsin X9 Smart Stereo DAC & Preamp

[Luxsin]

I have the new Fosi i5 coming in August and the Audeze LCD-5 coming in a couple of weeks. That is a massive chasm of a price gap between them, and am I expecting the LCD-5 to be £3500 better sounding than the Arya? Nope! But will there be differences that could justify the cost? Remains to be seen.

I tested the LCD-5 with X9 yesterday at Canjam Shanghai, you will be surprised when enable HP-EQ with loaded curve.

 

[amirm]

Because SINAD is a measure at the analogue output, typically at its maximum output (maximum volume level of the preamp).

I did have to turn down the volume to get nominal 2/4 volt output.

 

[JakeK]

You are right.
Analog input to the X9 will go through ADC conversion, this is to ensure DSP functions can be applied for all input sources. The bypass setting cannot avoid the ADC.

That makes sense and that's how I would want it to work so that all inputs go through the same EQ and volume control to the outputs.

So when analog-in is used the ADC is the limiting factor or weakest link in terms of performance? So when analog in is measured it's the ADC performance that you're seeing. As far as I can see it's more than adequate for any turntable or legacy type analog source you might use.

I really like this but I can't see myself paying the extra over a mindsp flex for my use case. I can see it as being the ultimate desktop DAC, preamp and headphone amp but it's much more than I would need and costs more than I would spend. I can see it as the core of a main room system but then I need more channels for the TV.

 

[PacketofCrisps]

You are right.
Analog input to the X9 will go through ADC conversion, this is to ensure DSP functions can be applied for all input sources. The bypass setting cannot avoid the ADC.

Could you explained why @amirm only measured 255mw @ 300ohms on the balanced output? Do you think possibly it was due to auto gain mode?

 

[Burki]

What I'm wondering: Why occurs this review in this forum and not under "Combination Audio DAC and Headphone Amplifiers"?

For me the X9 is primarily an headphone amp with dedicated DSPs for headphones.

 

[Luxsin]

Could you explained why @amirm only measured 255mw @ 300ohms on the balanced output? Do you think possibly it was due to auto gain mode?

I actually don't know which gain mode that Amir used during headphone amp output test, but I believe it was the 16Ω gain mode.

Check below table for the complete headphone output data.

 

[Bland_username42069]

Looks an impressive piece of kit. Would make a nice preamp but not a fan of mix and match boxes in creating a stereo. If there was a power amp and CD / streamer as well then it would be very impressive set up.

As ever though software is always a concern with new brands unlike RME

 

[gpauk]

This is not supported

Thanks for the reply. A shame - so I'll have to stick with Wiim...

 

[Sokel]

Looks an impressive piece of kit. Would make a nice preamp but not a fan of mix and match boxes in creating a stereo. If there was a power amp and CD / streamer as well then it would be very impressive set up.

As ever though software is always a concern with new brands unlike RME

On the other hand, mixing a heat generator as a power amp with anything else may not be the best idea, given that power amps are the gear who fail more frequently than anything else.

That would need some serious thermal real estate to inspire confidence.

 

[Waxx]

I have no use for this kind of thing, and the visual design is also not my cup of tea, but on technical level, this is like it should be for this kind of device, usable as preamp for speaker setups and as headphone amp, with eq (altough i would love a more advanced eq) and a lot of input options.

I would prefer multiway output with advanced dsp like the MiniDSP flex, but the input section of this device. And in a bettter styling

 

[Burki]

Thanks for the reply. A shame - so I'll have to stick with Wiim...

Why a shame?
Eversolo has a lot of audio streamers in their portfolio: A6, A8 and A10.

Also all the people, who want dedicated DAC, there are the Z8 and the coming Z10 (both with headphone out).
But if you want a real/dedicated headphone amp, then the Z9 seems to be a great solution. For me all the DSP (and also the headphone amp) is a lot superior to the RME ones.
On the side, I'm using primarily Roon for streaming and use here for the most headphones a DSP from Roon or HQPlayer.
For my speakers I prefer on the other side (don't know why all sources should have there own DSPs) Dirac from my PreAmp.

 

[A Surfer]

I wonder how many brand names Chi-Fi gear is sold under vs. how many factories actually exist to build the gear?? Way more of the former than the latter is my guess.

This community is pretty clear about not liking the use of the term Chi-fi. Probably a good thing for you to consider not using around here.

 

[PacketofCrisps]

I actually don't know which gain mode that Amir used during headphone amp output test, but I believe it was the 16Ω gain mode.

Check below table for the complete headphone output data.

View attachment 457775

Right, that's seems to be the case, I guess @amirm possibly got confused by the naming convention of the gain modes, you guys really need to update them to low/medium/high the same as other headphone amps as this is a little confusing.

 

[Thomas Savage]

This community is pretty clear about not liking the use of the term Chi-fi. Probably a good thing for you to consider not using around here.

I'm sure I made a rule about it ,, for every use of the term a case of beer/Wine was to be sent to the Moderator..

 

[Robbo99999]

It's just not a headphone that I seemed to not gel with, I had the HD6650 (unmodded half the time, then last half modded) which I liked a lot, but then tried planar headphones and it was game over for dynamic, the HD650 and HD660S2 I owned for a short while just sounded fun-less by comparison to the super wide range of sound that was coming out of the Hifimans I tried and it's to the point now that the Arya Stealth is my personal reference headphone. If a new pair I try or buy isn't able to beat the Arya Stealth at its £550 asking price then why even bother with any other headphone is my question.

I have the new Fosi i5 coming in August and the Audeze LCD-5 coming in a couple of weeks. That is a massive chasm of a price gap between them, and am I expecting the LCD-5 to be £3500 better sounding than the Arya? Nope! But will there be differences that could justify the cost? Remains to be seen.

The HD800S just didn't live up to the expectation I had given everything I read about them in comments on reddit and forums painting a picture of a near perfect headphone, just lacking the deep bass planars have spades of.

I don't EQ any more, it's direct bypass to speakers and headphones, so for me either of these two must produce the type of sound I'm now used to and favour the most with minimal intervention, changing pads to improve comfort and tone down the brightness peak that hifiman is known for is one thing, but EQing and filtering until patience wears thin trying to find perfection is just too much energy to waste when I just want an excellent sound.

This also bears a lot of pressure on the DAC and power amp I put in that chain, because I'm bypassing EQs and filters/effects, and only rolling a pair of OpAmps for the power amp, the physical tuning matters a lot for my ears. Thankfully that hardware is no issue here.

Well it's certainly far easier and a lot less faff to quickly use EQ to improve your headphone using something like an Oratory EQ, rather than buying various expensive headphones until you magically find one that you like. I'm wording it with that angle because you mentioned "energy to waste" in reference to EQ'ing headphones, and I'm kind of showing you that it's the opposite. Anyway, the reason I had started the conversation with you earlier was because you were making out the amps or DACs were the issues, when instead I'm telling you it's the frequency response of the headphones.

 

[caocaolatre199x]

Hope someone opened it and took a clearer picture of what was inside. The picture on the home page of the manufacturer is blurred and tilted, so it is not enough.

 

[robbiekhan]

Well it's certainly far easier and a lot less faff to quickly use EQ to improve your headphone using something like an Oratory EQ, rather than buying various expensive headphones until you magically find one that you like. I'm wording it with that angle because you mentioned "energy to waste" in reference to EQ'ing headphones, and I'm kind of showing you that it's the opposite. Anyway, the reason I had started the conversation with you earlier was because you were making out the amps or DACs were the issues, when instead I'm telling you it's the frequency response of the headphones.

EQing is energy though, I went through several days of trying to get Peace/APO at a level that sounded good to my ears when I had the Ananda Nano, there just wasn't a balance regardless of how many things I adjusted that sounded nice to my ears that balanced the bright Nano signature to something that worked well with all music as opposed to just some music.

Throwing all that into the bin and getting the Arya Stealth by comparison was much simpler and removed the need to use any EQ out of the box unless I specifically wanted a new sound signature for whatever reason. The profiles in the X9's HP-EQ do a good job and refine areas of the sound for sure, but bypass sounds the most well balanced to my ears and through my headphones, so bypass is my favoured method on the kit that I have.

 

[robbiekhan]

Hope someone opened it and took a clearer picture of what was inside. The picture on the home page of the manufacturer is blurred and tilted, so it is not enough.

Already did that in my review:

Review: Luxsin X9, a new entry into the world of high-end DAC and headphones amplification

Luxsin is new to the high-end DAC and headphones amp scene, but it has hit the ground running because the X9 has a slew of unique features that are sure to impress.

www.neowin.net

High res:

 

[caocaolatre199x]

Already did that in my review:

Review: Luxsin X9, a new entry into the world of high-end DAC and headphones amplification

Luxsin is new to the high-end DAC and headphones amp scene, but it has hit the ground running because the X9 has a slew of unique features that are sure to impress.

www.neowin.net

High res:

Thank you very much.

 

[Jimster480]

Can you please test the output impedance of this device? There was some confusion about this in the spec sheets... they said they were using TPA6120A2 headphone amplifier which is the same one that came out in the Topping A30 10 years ago. According to the spec sheet of that chip; it seems to top out around 100 SNR?
Based on the XLR output testing here; that doesn't look to be the case... but they didn't write anything about the output impedance of the unit when it comes to headphones.