Soncoz LA-QXD1 Balanced DAC Review

[svenz]

Trigged pulled at Amazon UK. Anyone want to buy a SMSL SU-8 v2 and Topping D10?

 

[kukocz]

A DAC with a digital output?! I thought these didn't exist except for the £1700 RME ADI-2 Pro. I hope this is a trend we see more on DACs. Many of us have speakers with digital inputs and want to drive it with a single USB interface. This DAC seems perfect for my use case, replacing a whopping 3 separate units I'm currently using (Topping D10 for USB->Coax, Optical->Coax converter for Tele, and my headphone DAC).

Keep in mind that coax output is working only with usb input. You cannot replicate coax or toslink input.

 

[svenz]

Keep in mind that coax output is working only with usb input. You cannot replicate coax or toslink input.

Oh really? That's a disappointment. Order cancelled....

 

[svenz]

Are you sure about that? Seems pretty weird if only USB would work.

 

[Stephen]

Oh really? That's a disappointment. Order cancelled....

Coax output should work with Optical in and Coax in too...

 

[Veri]

Coax output should work with Optical in and Coax in too...

Are you sure about that? I can't imagine there's many devices that can do this, generally it's -always- USB in, with different outputs.

 

[Stephen]

Are you sure about that? I can't imagine there's many devices that can do this, generally it's -always- USB in, with different outputs.

Not 100% sure, I can try... But I use one of mine with optical in without problem and i tried with Spdif in without problem too. If you use Coax in/out it's then just a passthrough.

 

[Jimbob54]

A DAC with a digital output?! I thought these didn't exist except for the £1700 RME ADI-2 Pro. I hope this is a trend we see more on DACs. Many of us have speakers with digital inputs and want to drive it with a single USB interface. This DAC seems perfect for my use case, replacing a whopping 3 separate units I'm currently using (Topping D10 for USB->Coax, Optical->Coax converter for Tele, and my headphone DAC).

Be warned, the digital out only works with the USB input, not the coax or optical inputs. But I think you were going to use USB in

 

[svenz]

Be warned, the digital out only works with the USB input, not the coax or optical inputs. But I think you were going to use USB in

I wanted to use optical in to coax as well. It doesn’t seem this exists though except in giant receivers or cheap one use converters, sadly.

 

[svenz]

Well reordered and I’ll see . It at least means I no longer need two separate USB audio devices which is a pain to switch between all the time.

 

[Veri]

I wanted to use optical in to coax as well. It doesn’t seem this exists though except in giant receivers or cheap one use converters, sadly.

The Okto can receive Coax through its AES input with rca>xlr cable, and route it out again through another AES output, cheapest one starts at €989 though

 

[svenz]

The Okto can receive Coax through its AES input with rca>xlr cable, and route it out again through another AES output, cheapest one starts at €989 though

Yikes... vs a £16 tendak optical to coax converter. My use case of digital speakers + headphone amp can't be that unusual. All I need is full digital passthrough on a DAC...

 

[MechEngVic]

Not 100% sure, I can try... But I use one of mine with optical in without problem and i tried with Spdif in without problem too. If you use Coax in/out it's then just a passthrough.

Please clarify: Are you saying that TOSLINK IN and USB IN will process through the DAC and output to COAX OUT, but COAX IN to COAX OUT is just a THROUGH with no DAC processing?

 

[Jimbob54]

Are you sure about that? Seems pretty weird if only USB would work.

Yes, it's true. I have one and tried and spoke to the maker. USB in, coax out is the only one that works.

 

[Jimbob54]

Please clarify: Are you saying that TOSLINK IN and USB IN will process through the DAC and output to COAX OUT, but COAX IN to COAX OUT is just a THROUGH with no DAC processing?

See my post above this one.

 

[MechEngVic]

See my post above this one.

Works for what? Does usb in to coax out pass through the digital processing part of the DAC or is it a straight "digital from computer to next component" connection? Why is Stephen saying "But I use one of mine with optical in without problem and i tried with Spdif in without problem too."?

 

[kukocz]

Works for what? Does usb in to coax out pass through the digital processing part of the DAC or is it a straight "digital from computer to next component" connection? Why is Stephen saying "But I use one of mine with optical in without problem and i tried with Spdif in without problem too."?

Coax out is only a pass-through for USB input, period Look at Soncoz webpage.

 

[Jimbob54]

Works for what? Does usb in to coax out pass through the digital processing part of the DAC or is it a straight "digital from computer to next component" connection? Why is Stephen saying "But I use one of mine with optical in without problem and i tried with Spdif in without problem too."?

Im saying toslink or coax in does not output to digital coax out, at all. Unless either a firmware or hardware update has enabled.

Im not the right person to say what goes on inside the box but it surely isnt decoding usb in to analog then recoding to digital to pass out of the digital coax. It will work in the same way as the Topping D10 or other usb bridges to, would be my guess.

 

[Stephen]

Please clarify: Are you saying that TOSLINK IN and USB IN will process through the DAC and output to COAX OUT, but COAX IN to COAX OUT is just a THROUGH with no DAC processing?

@MechEngVic, I needed to try to see... I was assuming that the Coax out would work whatever the input is, and I tried this morning (see picture). And NO, actually not. It did not work with the opt in, I could not try with the Coax In because I have only one Coax cable now at hand....
Here you have Opt In, Coax out and Coax in, RCA out. Sorry for the big expectation...

 

[Jimbob54]

@MechEngVic, I needed to try to see... I was assuming that the Coax out would work whatever the input is, and I tried this morning (see picture). And NO, actually not. It did not work with the opt in, I could not try with the Coax In because I have only one Coax cable now at hand....
Here you have Opt In, Coax out and Coax in, RCA out. Sorry for the big expectation...
View attachment 91577

I bought one on that assumption too and found out I was wrong. Don't bother testing with coax in, doesn't work. Only USB comes out again.