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Review and Measurements of LOXJIE d20 DAC and Headphone Amp

momo7G

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I don't understand one thing, maybe I should let it out and share it to you guys.:confused::confused:

A company as large as SMSL (which I just find out it roughly means 2 woods 3 forests) should be able to afford equipment for all the testing of the products. Also a pool of engineers to help achieve certain benchmark numbers.

I understand a good DAC overall is a difficult task to design, but with so many products SMSL made before, experience of how to fix and adjust should be obtained.

Using a cooking analogy, a good tasteful dish should be easier to achieve with good ingredients (in this case AKM chip) and experienced chef (SMSL).
I guess this is one experiment dish that turns out wrongly use a good ingredient?

So my thing is how come SMSL cannot see the problem with their own testing? is the distortion a marketing thing that can throw in a couple psychoacoustics terms, like if you like tube sound, you will like this amp??
 

flipflop

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That screen looks a lot like my Sabaj D4. I've been curious to send that over to Amir, but I know Reference-Audio-Analyzer has analyzed it at the very least and the measurements looked fine? I think?
Just had a look at the measurements and everything seems fine except for output impedance measuring 11 ohms. If you're using non-planar headphones with a nominal impedance lower than 150 ohms, it could be a problem.
 

gvl

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I don't understand one thing, maybe I should let it out and share it to you guys.:confused::confused:

A company as large as SMSL (which I just find out it roughly means 2 woods 3 forests) should be able to afford equipment for all the testing of the products. Also a pool of engineers to help achieve certain benchmark numbers.

I understand a good DAC overall is a difficult task to design, but with so many products SMSL made before, experience of how to fix and adjust should be obtained.

Using a cooking analogy, a good tasteful dish should be easier to achieve with good ingredients (in this case AKM chip) and experienced chef (SMSL).
I guess this is one experiment dish that turns out wrongly use a good ingredient?

So my thing is how come SMSL cannot see the problem with their own testing? is the distortion a marketing thing that can throw in a couple psychoacoustics terms, like if you like tube sound, you will like this amp??

I suspect SMSL is not just one design shop but more like a front for various vendors, which can explain the inconsistent performance across their units as well as the lack of common visual design theme for their models.
 

Jimster480

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Beta unit?
Why even spin another brand off of SMSL? Are they not good enough for themselves already?

They have that high end VMV unit too.... why would you want "colorful" audio devices? Just spray paint something or have it powder-coated in a local shop if its really that big of a deal for you.
 

Jimster480

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I suspect SMSL is not just one design shop but more like a front for various vendors, which can explain the inconsistent performance across their units as well as the lack of common visual design theme for their models.
It could be
 

WondrousHippo

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Just had a look at the measurements and everything seems fine except for output impedance measuring 11 ohms. If you're using non-planar headphones with a nominal impedance lower than 150 ohms, it could be a problem.

It has self-noise with IEMs too. But as a DAC with a better upstream headphone amp, I know the measurements are fine, but I just can't shake some feeling of dissatisfaction with the sound. I really need to set up a blind test with this DAC for the sake of my sanity.
 

dragonspit4

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The reason I didn't buy SMSL is inconsistency.
The only company that is consistently putting out high-quality, well measured product is Topping.
The LOXJIE d20 DAC just showed us the inconsistency of SMSL
 

confucius_zero

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confucius_zero

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Isn't Sabaj also one of the brands under Shenzhen ShuangMuSanLin electronics (SMSL)?

smsl.PNG


Ask smsl-mandy!
 

GGroch

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A TM search for Sabaj shows this EU application by SMSL & Law Firm...Refused Dec 26, 2018.

The Sabaj website lists the parent co as SHENZHEN DAHAO TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD

Shenzhen ShuangMuSanLin Electronics Ltd. is the trademark holder for Loxjie

So the relationship between Sabaj/SMSL is murky...but in the EU there was some relationship, but perhaps not now.

I was an early adopter of the Loxjie D20...so my recent record of picking winners without Amir's prior recommendations is not great.

I like the ergonomics, and the build quality is quite nice. The aluminum digital volume/ multi-function knob works well and does not feel cheap at all. But, the higher price relative to the Toppings could really only be justified if the specs were equal or better.

NOTE: Before you try to dis-assemble your D20 to check for board revisions. The front screws are located behind the very thin black plastic (glass?) front panel which is attached with strong adhesive. It is difficult to pry off without damaging/cracking the face.
 
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yue

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well the jitter, impedance, power measurements matches very well with mine. The harmonics measurement looks off.

let's see what measurement data they have.
 
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GGroch

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A new brightly colored Loxjie DAC showed up today on Amazon: the D10. For those hoping for a budget balanced DAC to pair with the popular $99 Loxjie balanced tube/hybrid amp, this is not it. $130 does seem well priced for a ES9038Q2M DAC with DSD support.

It nicely matches the triangular shape and red/black color options of the A10 amp, but all of the connections are made on the side, including the 3.5mm headphone output.

This placement is understandable given the lack of space on the back, but it is difficult to picture how the cable runs will look on a desk when connecting to standard rear connection amps like the A10. Plugging in headphones may take more than usual effort.

I see the same type USB Source + USB Aux power connections found on the Sanskrit 10th. The initial sparse description lists this "isolated power supply" scheme as a benefit. Which it probably is if you add your own compatible 5v USB wall wart.
 

Veri

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A new brightly colored Loxjie DAC showed up today on Amazon: the D10. For those hoping for a budget balanced DAC to pair with the popular $99 Loxjie balanced tube/hybrid amp, this is not it. $130 does seem well priced for a ES9038Q2M DAC with DSD support.

It nicely matches the triangular shape and red/black color options of the A10 amp, but all of the connections are made on the side, including the 3.5mm headphone output.

This placement is understandable given the lack of space on the back, but it is difficult to picture how the cable runs will look on a desk when connecting to standard rear connection amps like the A10. Plugging in headphones may take more than usual effort.

I see the same type USB Source + USB Aux power connections found on the Sanskrit 10th. The initial sparse description lists this "isolated power supply" scheme as a benefit. Which it probably is if you add your own compatible 5v USB wall wart.
Now that is one funky looking DAC.
 

VintageFlanker

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$130 does seem well priced for a ES9038Q2M DAC with DSD support.
Once again, if the 9038Q2M (as the AK4497 was for D20) is the only argument for Loxjie... :rolleyes:

Considering the low price, it should be easy for someone to loan one to @amirm .

Unusual and interesting looking unit, BTW.

I suspect SMSL is not just one design shop but more like a front for various vendors, which can explain the inconsistent performance across their units as well as the lack of common visual design theme for their models.
... And strange similarities with other products, as SMSL IDEA and Sabaj, which both share the exact same board design. I think only flagships like D1 are their own design. But many units look like no-name products...
 
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Dogen

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And how do you pronounce “Loxjie”? It doesn’t look like any Chinese transcription system I know.
 
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