Soncoz LA-QXD1 Balanced DAC Review

[Billy Budapest]

Loniceraudio? And I thought Soncoz was bad enough. Just having a little fun here.

 

[Bruce Morgen]

The English shop button on their website doesn't work with Firefox. :-(

 

[Fregly]

Loniceraudio? And I thought Soncoz was bad enough. Just having a little fun here.

I Googled Lonicer and got a botanist of note. Was that what they were going for? Maybe organic sound or something.

 

[arecibo]

Shop link at http://www.soncoz.com/shop.html -Official Shop (EN)- is not working. It's just "javascript:;" placeholder.
I'm assuming this will ship from Shenzhen. Any plans for US-based distributors?

 

[gfx_1]

I see this comes with a Thesycon Driver V4.82 that you can download from their website, (...) What's the purpose of these downloadable drivers?

Windows 7 requires them. Windows 10 is plug and play. At least with my topping dac, was playing around with an old laptop today.

 

[Ben1987]

Do the volume buttons work only if USB to PC, or if use Coax/ Tos in?

The volume buttons work all USB/Coax/Tos in.

 

[Ben1987]

I didn't get a LA-QXD1 Manual with my sample so I don't know.

Thank you for your professional review. I'm so sorry for missing the LA-QXD1 Manual.
BTW, Am I missing something about low frequency noise(the blue channel)? Does RCA output have the same low frequency noise?

 

[Ben1987]

I assume the filters would look like the ones in Amir's SGD1's review because they have the exact same name and made by the same company.

Yes，both SGD1 and LA-QXD1 have the same filter mode.

 

[Ben1987]

What's up with the logo on the front?

The production of the new batch has been removed.

 

[Xyrium]

Appreciate you connecting this to aux power Amir, thanks for the review as always!

Nice work Ben. I think we're all curious about the RCA outputs now...

 

[starfly]

@Ben1987 You should add a 12V trigger output to these things for system integration. Would be another unique selling point as those aren't common on external dacs. Or at least, add one to your other dac

12v trigger could for example automatically switch on a power amp that's being fed from the dac.

 

[Ben1987]

What's the purpose of these downloadable drivers?

Mainly to support music with higher specifications, such as DSD512 and PCM768KHz.

 

[Ben1987]

does SINAD change over time (and with warmth)?

My test results tell me it won't change.

 

[arecibo]

@Ben1987 Is this available for order now? EN shop link is not operational.
If it's not, can you give us a date?

 

[Ben1987]

Does it remember the volume level on a soft power-off?

LA-QXD1 does not remember the volume. We provide different firmware with the default volume. The factory setting volume is currently the minimum volume.

 

[Ben1987]

I'm assuming this will ship from Shenzhen. Any plans for US-based distributors?

We are communicating with the dealers of US. We will inform them as soon as there is any new information.Considering the logistics situation, the best way to purchase is to contact my colleague: Message @Ann or email Ann.

 

[Ben1987]

You should add a 12V trigger output to these things for system integration. Would be another unique selling point as those aren't common on external dacs.

It's a very good idea.

 

[Ben1987]

If it's not, can you give us a date?

Due to some policy factors, EN shop still needs some time.
My colleague @Ann is dealing with these matters now, and she can also provide better customer purchasing service.

 

[onslash]

I'm interested in pairing this with my nvidia shield tv pro. Does it have auto on/off like when it detects input from usb ? At the very least auto standby?

 

[Ron Texas]

Nice inexpensive balanced DAC. Does it come with a cable for the power input as it looks like a slightly non standard USB C connection.