Soncoz LA-QXD1 Balanced DAC Review

[Veri]

I connected the studio monitor directly into the Soncoz and used it most of the day. And now the Monitor seems to be dead. Turns on but no sound. From what I saw on some of the reviews, people regularly connect these directly to studio monitors. The monitor is only a week old. This unit one day old.

Any thoughts? Looking forward to everyones responses.

My advice, keep track of the return window! All you did is connect over XLR right? Gotta be a faulty monitor.

 

[Bass Face]

My advice, keep track of the return window! All you did is connect over XLR right? Gotta be a faulty monitor.

yeap, just a normal xlr to xlr connection. Per the Soncoz website the, XLR out does about 200ohms out. Would that impact the monitor?

 

[Veri]

yeap, just a normal xlr to xlr connection. Per the Soncoz website the, XLR out does about 200ohms out. Would that impact the monitor?

Even in case of impedance mismatch (200ohm is totally fine BTW lots of sources output to the degree of kOhms) there would be no damage just suboptimal output or sound.

 

[Bass Face]

Even in case of impedance mismatch (200ohm is totally fine BTW lots of sources output to the degree of kOhms) there would be no damage just suboptimal output or sound.

Thanks for the clarification. I was getting a sense maybe I shouldn't go directly from, DAC to monitor speaker.

Also do you know how to turn the DAC off? Or do we just have to unplug it?

 

[Veri]

Thanks for the clarification. I was getting a sense maybe I shouldn't go directly from, DAC to monitor speaker.

Also do you know how to turn the DAC off? Or do we just have to unplug it?

-No that's fine, some purists prefer an analogue pre-amp but it's hardly a requirement, can just connect directly.
-Since it's an USB DAC without a toggle you can only unplug it or get some 'smart' power switch with on/off function, where you connect the USB to.

 

[Bass Face]

-No that's fine, some purists prefer an analogue pre-amp but it's hardly a requirement, can just connect directly.
-Since it's an USB DAC without a toggle you can only unplug it or get some 'smart' power switch with on/off function, where you connect the USB to.

Thanks for the info, very much appreciated.
Day Two and I'm on the fence with keeping it or not. I am getting lack of reliability vibes from the Soncoz. This was sort of a saving money instance for me with this setup. My original want was to go with the KEF LS50 wireless and go optical directly into them and be done with it. But those come with a hefty price tag.

Monitor stopped playing after 1 hour of use today. And you may be right it being a faulty monitor.

 

[Veri]

My original want was to go with the KEF LS50 wireless and go optical directly into them and be done with it. But those come with a hefty price tag.

Monitor stopped playing after 1 hour of use today. And you may be right it being a faulty monitor.

My personal preference would be a digital chain. But as you say, the price is higher. About the monitor, would 100% RMA it. Unlucky!

 

[Labjr]

I personally, would stay away from Soncoz. While their products measure well, it's seems that some weren't thoroughly tested and debugged before release. They're too far away to be dealing with RMA's and updates etc.

 

[Veri]

I personally, would stay away from Soncoz. While their products measure well, it's seems that some weren't thoroughly tested and debugged before release. They're too far away to be dealing with RMA's and updates etc.

To be fair, I could buy at a retailer/reseller like Audiophonics and would get a full 2-year warranty and RMA support.. so not necessarily.

 

[Bass Face]

Agreed, looks like the monitor needs to go back.

One thing I will say is, when it all works. It sounds so damn good. I have ran various different setups in the past so I do have reference points. This just sounds so clean. I prefer the sound of a studio monitor. I wonder if the KEF LS50 wireless can hang. Pretty sure everyone will immediately say yes and it will probably sound better. But still I wonder as this is a fraction of the cost.

If I stay the DAC route does anyone else know of a balanced with XLR DAC in the same price as Soncoz.

 

[Veri]

If I stay the DAC route does anyone else know of a balanced with XLR DAC in the same price as Soncoz.

https://www.schiit.com/products/modius but it is back-ordered.

 

[swampfire]

I think you should keep the Soncoz. There’s nothing with XLR output that approaches that price point (aside from the Schitt Modius), and the audio performance is outstanding, as you noted. I don’t fiddle with the filters or volume, so the janky ergonomics aren’t really a problem for me.

I also don’t see a problem leaving it on 365/24/7. The unit takes 7 watts, which for me works out to $5 a year.

 

[Bass Face]

https://www.schiit.com/products/modius but it is back-ordered.

This was my first choice. They are legitimately 6-8 weeks out which is wild. I understand that's just were things in the world are now but I would rather not wait that long.

I think you should keep the Soncoz. There’s nothing with XLR output that approaches that price point (aside from the Schitt Modius), and the audio performance is outstanding, as you noted. I don’t fiddle with the filters or volume, so the janky ergonomics aren’t really a problem for me.

I also don’t see a problem leaving it on 365/24/7. The unit takes 7 watts, which for me works out to $5 a year.

My concern is less power usage. More around it being on 24/7 and something failing pre-emptively. Especially given the questionable reliability at the moment.

The only other unit I would consider and brings my price to $359 is the Topping D30. It seems to be the same thing but better reliability and an actual power button.

 

[swampfire]

given the questionable reliability

Do you know something we don’t? Like you, I read most of this thread before I bought mine. I don’t see evidence of reliability problems in this thread.

EDIT: there were reports of ESD problems with units made before Dec 2020, but Ben solved that and I don’t see any reported issues with units made after that date.

 

[Veri]

The only other unit I would consider and brings my price to $359 is the Topping D30. It seems to be the same thing but better reliability and an actual power button.

The D30 Pro is definitely a solid DAC if you can afford it.

 

[Bass Face]

Do you know something we don’t? Like you, I read most of this thread before I bought mine. I don’t see evidence of reliability problems in this thread.

EDIT: there were reports of ESD problems with units made before Dec 2020, but Ben solved that and I don’t see any reported issues with units made after that date.

Not claiming to know something "we" as in the forum members don't know. There is a clear history of some semblance of issues based only from this thread. Even in this last few instances of my communication here, there was a member who said to stay away from Soncoz because of reported issues.

Additionally, the Amazon reviews for the product are a very mixed bag. With a good amount citing the same issues reported here. Issues around the unit going into brick status after a few days of use, one person citing button was stuck, and so on. And finally, I am in day two of position of the unit and I've had to hard reset unplug it and let it sit for 30 minutes about four times now. So no I don't have any additional knowledge about why these products have the tendencies they do. I can only report my personal experience and what I can piece together from the internet. I can confidently say that those pieces put together lend themselves to a picture of unreliability.

Apologies, but I don't know who Ben is or his contribution to correct a manufactures errors.

 

[Bass Face]

The D30 Pro is definitely a solid DAC if you can afford it.

I think I will end up going this route. The silver one is $50 more @$399 lol. They even have a section talking about how suitable it is for studio monitors.

 

[swampfire]

Apologies, but I don't know who Ben is or his contribution to correct a manufactures errors.

Ben is the designer/manufacturer of Soncoz DACs, and is an ASR member.

 

[swampfire]

@Bass Face would you mind describing the problem(s) that caused you to unplug the unit and let it sit for 30 minutes? I had lots of issues out of the gate, but they all went away when I switched to an Apple 5V-1A power supply.

 

[Bass Face]

Ben is the designer/manufacturer of Soncoz DACs, and is an ASR member.

Can you share his @? Would be great if I can directly contact him as I haven't gotten any response from the email address that came in the box.