Upgraded LOXJIE D30 Audio DAC&Headphone AMP, ES9068AS Chip, XMOS, DSD512, Bluetooth 5.0, APT-X HD, Multiple PCM Formats Digital Filters, JAS Hi-Res Certification, w Remote Control

Product Information

A very handy feature is that the headphone and line output volumes are independently stored in memory.

Loxjie A30 Amplifier Review — Headfonics Loxjie A30 Amplifier Review — Headfonics

Compared to the Loxjie D30, the EX5 also uses an XMOS USB controller with the XU216 but this time it feeds into 2xESS9038Q2M DAC. Build, Connectivity, and Features​Loxjie D30 is an all-metal, neat-looking device. It’s definitely not one of those small DACs that can fit in your palm, but it isn’t a particularly chunky one either. With its 269 x 233 mm footprint, I’d simply call it decently sized, yet still desktop friendly.Guitars and vocals images a bit further leaving some microdetails smoothed over. And similar to the midrange of the DX3 Pro+ there is no added sweetness or flavor. The high resolution display is informative and quite nice. A cool feature is that it remembers the headphone volume level and pre-out independently. So there is no risk of blowing up one or the other with inappropriate level set for the other device. With a naming scheme that cannot be easier to understand in terms of hierarchy, the D40 is aptly called having clear advantages over its cheaper brothers such as the previously reviewed D30 yet retains the excellence achieved by their current top-of-the-line DAC and completing the series starting from 10 going up to 50. With planar magnetic driver-based headphones like the Hifiman Ananda, the headphone amplifier section on the D30 delivers enough power to drive them sufficiently.

Loxjie D30 vs. Topping MX5, or Loxjie A30 | Audio Science Loxjie D30 vs. Topping MX5, or Loxjie A30 | Audio Science

I have mostly used headphones of the same price tag like the HiFiMan HE400SE, Sennheiser/Drop 58xx and Sennheiser 660S. Despite the deceptively small frame, the A30 can truly be classified as an integrated amplifier. For inputs, the A30- is equipped with both analog and digital inputs. At the heart of the digital-to-analog conversion stage is an AKM AK4493EQ DAC, ensuring excellent audio performance. The AKM AK4493EQ DAC has a very low distortion of only 0.00017% (-115dB) and a wide dynamic range of 121dB, for rich, accurate and lively sound. Taking hold of the drivers with higher precision and control, a closer delivery of the singer’s intent is conveyed indicating the changes in fading notes. Its upper midrange gained a bit of girth as it loses trace effects from the thinner treble so higher female registers have more finesse.

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While it maintains control over most headphones and speakers even when it’s run using Bluetooth, there is a surprising amount of bass bloom when it’s connected to Bluetooth. Although this doesn’t make the bass bleed into the midrange, it makes it a bit overpowering for already warmer speakers or headphones. The sound impressions done with the A30 were completed using the analog inputs and output combined with the D30 DAC using either speakers or headphones. All impressions are with the A30 set in direct EQ mode. Summary The 2021 LOXJIE D30 ES9068AS MQA HIFI Digital Audio DAC & Headphone Amplifier BT 5.0 is a high-quality digital audio device that features ESS’s 32bit stereo audiophile DAC chip with MQA full decoding and MQA-CD support by Optical and Coaxial inputs. This device is designed to satisfy demanding audio enthusiasts with its great performance. Furthermore, the 2 DACs are also similar in that they have a very similar set of inputs, where both of them have USB, Coaxial, Toslink, and of course Bluetooth. However, SMSL doesn’t throw in a headphone amplifier circuit, keeping the SU-8s as a pure DAC without an option to directly output to headphones. Design

LOXJIE D30 (2021) ESS | Headphone Reviews and Discussion LOXJIE D30 (2021) ESS | Headphone Reviews and Discussion

Physically, the 2 DAC/Amps take up about the same amount of desk space, except that the EX5 is wider but more shallow. Both devices utilize a volume dial that doubles as a menu selector, but the one on the EX5’s volume dial is a bit more difficult to turn since it has less space underneath, so stubbier fingers might have a harder time turning it.

AK4493 DAC

Moving on to the harder-to-drive Sennheiser HD600 and Audio-Technica ADX5000, both did not sound flat especially the HD600 retaining the signature midrange it is known for. Surprisingly, I did like the HD600 the most capturing me into a state of rest even with the more intimate staging it introduced. Sound-wise, the D40 is an impressive wireless unit with a performance that is very close to the USB connection. When my phone is kept near, the sonic capabilities of the unit’s DAC and amplifier are put to good use, and only when I was moving around some obstacles does some soft rustling sound creeps in. MQA The colored LCD screen will display all the necessary information and navigation through the menus is easy to do. Planar pairs such as the Audeze LCD-X and the 55Ω dynamic headphone Focal Clear MG got loud fast and are well below half the volume capability of the amplifier making it dangerously easy to turn up the loudness higher than what is recommended. Pre Mode – ON (variable volume level), Off (Fixed) and Off (for DSD – that is you DSD pass-thought option)