Soncoz LA-QXD1 Balanced DAC Review

[onslash]

If you are taking requests, a DAC with built in user programmable DSP/PEQ would be great. RME ADI-2 DAC seems to be your only competition in that space. I just ordered the RME. If only there had been a cheaper option with equal or greater DAC performance with equal or greater EQ options (hopefully more than 5 band PEQ, ideally custom bi-quad input also). While you're at it, an HDMI audio extractor built in would be useful to many and set you apart from any other DAC I'm aware of.

+1 on this. The only cheap alternative i can think of available is the minidsp 2x4hd but it doesn't perform great.
A 5.1 or 7.1 hdmi audio extractor would be great. Something that enables using our own dac instead of built in on the blu ray players.

 

[celroid]

This is an awesome DAC, too bad the volume buttons are at OS level. I guess this makes it a bad choice if you want to have
PC > Soncoz LA-QXD1 > amp > speakers because you would risk overdriving your speakers if you turn the OS volume to maximum due to lack of a volume knob.

 

[Sophia Ann]

Dear Soncoz,
you have mastered the first level of "audio mfg game", now let's move to level 2 (not easy):
"Design and manufacture of budget reasonably priced golf panther power amp/integrated amp".
Do you dare?

Great minds think alike . If you dare to think, we dare to do. Future prospects.

 

[BDWoody]

is there any reason that such new companies seem to be besting long established audio companies

Good question...but as long as they are hiring people like @JohnYang1997 (Topping) to work on their designs, I have no doubt they will continue to push the value proposition. They aren't mired in the marketing world trying to differentiate with anything other than actual measured performance.

So happy to see no nonsense, no excuses, high performance with a fair price. Keep it coming.

 

[BDWoody]

Maybe good DAC chips can deliver very similar output, but there is also output stage.

Which is also reflected in the measurements. These measurements aren't of the 'chip,' they are of the entire unit including the output stage.

I don't even understand that argument...

 

[Labjr]

If you are taking requests, a DAC with built in user programmable DSP/PEQ would be great. RME ADI-2 DAC seems to be your only competition in that space. I just ordered the RME. If only there had been a cheaper option with equal or greater DAC performance with equal or greater EQ options (hopefully more than 5 band PEQ, ideally custom bi-quad input also). While you're at it, an HDMI audio extractor built in would be useful to many and set you apart from any other DAC I'm aware of.

I'd like to see an 8 channel DAC with DSP that could be used as a stereo 4 channel active crossover.

 

[porotikos]

This is an awesome DAC, too bad the volume buttons are at OS level. I guess this makes it a bad choice if you want to have
PC > Soncoz LA-QXD1 > amp > speakers because you would risk overdriving your speakers if you turn the OS volume to maximum due to lack of a volume knob.

i do not understand that argument. cannot you have the dac volume at 100% and then when you switch on the amp (you have the volume at 0 when you turn it on, turn the volume of the amp, up, to the level that you need? how can you overdrive the speakers? whenever i turn the amp on, i have the volume at zero....

 

[Labjr]

i do not understand that argument. cannot you have the dac volume at 100% and then when you switch on the amp (you have the volume at 0 when you turn it on, turn the volume of the amp, up, to the level that you need? how can you overdrive the speakers? whenever i turn the amp on, i have the volume at zero....

Some amps don't have volume control. I don't trust a digital volume control unless it's a very well designed product. But maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to add a volume pot.

 

[porotikos]

guys i have a question to ask.
the pc is connected to dac (right now it is khadas tone board). dac is connected to a mixing console (behringer x2222 usb) and from there, i send the signal to the rca of the power amp.
would i be better if o connect the new dac (laqxd1) to my mixing console using xlrs? i have spare mono inputs so i can do it. will there be a difference? will it minimise any noise from pc etc?
i know toneboard is great. unfotunately there is some noise that is coming from my pc/ motherboard noise as another great member from this forum, named it.
now, since laq has external power, it should minimise that noise. will i be minimising it even more, by using balanced cables?
btw i would also like your expert opinions guys, concerning how much of an update this will be over jhadas. though just by minimising the pc noise, i need to have this. is there a reason i should perhaps wait a bit on its purchase? is there a revision coming? like the revision that happened once it was made. anyway, this is my go to dac for sure. i would love the most expensive one but it is double the price and i think laqxd1 hits all the right buttons for me
ps. if i use balanced to connect to one amp and rca to connect to another amp, if the 2 amps are not working at the same time, will this be a problem? (actually rca and xlr from dac, will go to my console. and from there it will be sent to 2 different amps. one will be working each time. the same signal from my pc will be going to my console. from there depending what channel i want to listen to, i will sue the faders of that channel. is that something i cannot do?

 

[porotikos]

Some amps don't have volume control. I don't trust a digital volume control unless it's a very well designed product. But maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to add a volume pot.

ok i understand your frustration if amp (power amp) has no volume control. but if it is an intergrated amp with volume pot, then there shouldnt be any problem right?

 

[adriano93]

I'd like to see an 8 channel DAC with DSP that could be used as a stereo 4 channel active crossover.

Right now i am trying to use a DSP. So HTPC, Soncoz LA-QXD1 and this software https://www.audiovero.de/acourate.php for DSP.
With this software you can also do a active crossover...
Need 1-2 more weeks to setup everything and can post my experience.
If you want do this with 8 channels, you can use this DAC -> Okto DAC8

 

[urfaust]

I see this comes with a Thesycon Driver V4.82 that you can download from their website, I've seen other DACS use Thesycon drivers (like the Topping E30 IIRC). Am I right in thinking that this is generally unnecessary, they're just plug n play with Windows 10 right (& other Windows versions)? I'm guessing Amir just operated it in plug n play mode rather than downloading a driver. What's the purpose of these downloadable drivers?

On the Thesycon interface you can adjust a few things, buffer size and mode (safe, fast,..), L/R levels and lock to a certain treshold, which can be handy if your level control is digital for example with windows controls. You don't want a bug to blow up your speakers (or your ears), if all of a sudden it goes to eleven, that happened to me a few times the past few years.

Anyway having the tone board, slightly disappointed by the sinad eventhough it's still practically perfect, i expected a bit more using XLR balanced output. Ah i guess you have to get the SGD1 to sport a sota 120 panther weee graphic..

 

[adriano93]

Manual hump correction is not shipped to the user, only for testing. BTW,The "Loniceraudio" has been removed from the new batch production.

Does it mean each shipped DAC doesnt have the hump problem? Or can i see in serial number if my device has hump correction already?

 

[mt196]

Does it mean each shipped DAC doesnt have the hump problem? Or can i see in serial number if my device has hump correction already?

The correction was made a lot of time ago on SGD1 first batch units, people that had already bought the product had the possibility to have it fixed, but that was about SGD1, I think since this QXD1 was released some months after all this story, they fixed the problem right away and products with ESS hump never reached the market

 

[gvl]

I see this comes with a Thesycon Driver V4.82 that you can download from their website, I've seen other DACS use Thesycon drivers (like the Topping E30 IIRC). Am I right in thinking that this is generally unnecessary, they're just plug n play with Windows 10 right (& other Windows versions)? I'm guessing Amir just operated it in plug n play mode rather than downloading a driver. What's the purpose of these downloadable drivers?

W7 and below needs a driver. Thesycon usually comes with the native ASIO interface if that's something you need. On W10 yes the driver is technically optional but the control panel that it installs provides some additional controls as it was mentioned above.

 

[Robbo99999]

Good question...but as long as they are hiring people like @JohnYang1997 (Topping) to work on their designs, I have no doubt they will continue to push the value proposition. They aren't mired in the marketing world trying to differentiate with anything other than actual measured performance.

So happy to see no nonsense, no excuses, high performance with a fair price. Keep it coming.

Hey, well that's what I like to see!

On the Thesycon interface you can adjust a few things, buffer size and mode (safe, fast,..), L/R levels and lock to a certain treshold, which can be handy if your level control is digital for example with windows controls. You don't want a bug to blow up your speakers (or your ears), if all of a sudden it goes to eleven, that happened to me a few times the past few years.

Right, so sometimes the Thesycon drivers give you a bit more control over the DAC via the interface...is the interface just a modification to the existing "Windows Sound Control Panel Applet", e.g. see the pic of my sound control panel, does the Thescyon driver just modify that to provide a few more options or does it install a separate interface?

 

[gvl]

^^^ it has additional options accessible through a system tray widget

 

[Robbo99999]

^^^ it has additional options

You mean it adds options to the windows sound control panel (the pic I posted)?

EDIT: you edited your post after I quoted it...ok the Thescyon driver installs an additional system tray widget...I understand, thanks. I think I'll just use the Windows 10 driver instead.

 

[gvl]

You mean it adds options to the windows sound control panel (the pic I posted)?

I added more details to that post.

 

[gvl]

You mean it adds options to the windows sound control panel (the pic I posted)?

EDIT: you edited your post after I quoted it...ok the Thescyon driver installs an additional system tray widget...I understand, thanks. I think I'll just use the Windows 10 driver instead.

I've never changed any of the default settings there, but it shows the sampling rate going out, if memory serves.