Loxjie D40 Review

Loxjie D40

DAC-AMP Performance

Like the D30, the Loxjie D40 is an all-in-one device. It can be used as a DAC, PRE, and DAC-AMP for headphones and in-ear monitors. It has plenty of power and it does not color the neutral sound signature of the DAC. As you know, the D30 was a quite successful device if you don’t mind the lack of power as a DAC-AMP. Loxjie has managed to improve and build on the solid foundation of the D30 and we see the fruit of that R&D here with the D40. It is a really impressive DAC-AMP. Without further ado, let’s get into the sound details. First of all, the impressive technical capability that I mentioned above is also valid here. The amp does not hinder the DAC’s capability so we can say that there is no bottleneck. I have tested it with various IEMs ranging from 419 to 999 and it performed brilliantly. I’ve also tested it with 150 and 300-ohm full-size headphones, and the amp had no trouble driving them. 

The sound signature is neutral and natural with plenty of details and dynamism. The presentation is quite airy, transparent, and feels technically advanced. The D40 is a well-tuned, well-implemented device. The texture of the low region is impressive, it is quantitatively adequate, the bass does not bleed, and feels impactful and agile at the same time. The D40 scales very well with the equipment you pair it with and does a great job of conveying the characteristics of your IEMs & HPs. It has great attack-decay. The lows feel dynamic, engaging and the resolution is very good. 

The midrange feels breathy with a good body and a nice note-weight. The stringed instruments, woodwinds feel realistic and accurate as well as vocals. It is quite possible to lose yourself in the albums of Norah Jones when you combine the D40 with an equally capable IEM or an HP. The detail retrieval and spacious staging make it easy to pinpoint individual notes and track micro details. The D30 had a leaner tonality, especially in the midrange and D40 feels more realistic in this regard with its meatier, more natural tonality. The upper midrange is very detailed, airy, and very controlled. The hi-hats and crashes do not dominate or feel lacking in the stage. The quantity and the quality are both quite good. Sonically, the midrange is an absolute winner in this price tag with nothing to complain about. 

The treble performance of the D40 is just as impressive as the rest of the spectrum. The treble shows a good amount of air and extends well. The high region is one of the elements that contribute to the spacious feeling of the D40’s presentation. The D40 does not force-feed details to you, it rather presents them in a way that is musical and dynamic. Which is one of the impressive sides of this DAC-AMP and this is not an easy feat in this price bracket. It reproduces the treble in a balanced way, the extension and the detail is in perfect harmony and it easily avoids sibilance and sharp overtones. However, due to its neutral nature, if you combine it with a brighter sounding in-ear monitor, it could be tiresome for some people, especially if you are sensitive to treble. This is a piece of side information that I felt the need to mention and this is the case with nearly all the transparent DACs on the market so it’s not case-specific. The sense of air and detailed presentation of the treble is delightful to listen to and it does a great job of revealing the details of the treble, layer by layer. Overall, I am quite happy with what I heard from the D40.

Loxjie D40

Comparisons

vs. Loxjie D30

Loxjie D40 is a D30 but so much more. The 40 has much more power, better imaging, wider and deeper stage. It is technically superior and for 200 more you get an even better, more complete package with the addition of LDAC. If you’re only using the D30 as a dedicated DAC, there is no reason to upgrade. You get a slightly better technical capability and slightly more power HOWEVER, if you use D30’s HPA regularly, I would definitely recommend you to upgrade to the D40. As a standalone DAC, both units do fine, but the new PFLC amp of the D40 is quite impressive and it is a big step up from the D30. You’ll get better detail retrieval, more natural tonality with a better, thicker note weight, and a more realistic timbre. I hope that clarifies it for you!

vs. FiiO K9 Pro ESS ($849 USD)

I have been using FiiO’s new all-in-one device called K9 Pro ESS for about 1 month. The review will be with you very soon and since it is a product that I use daily, I wanted to compare it with the D40 and tell you how the D40 performs against a product that is 2 times more expensive than itself.

First of all, the K9 Pro ESS is powered by dual ES9038 flagship chips and is both heavier and larger than the Loxjie D40. Besides, it has a balanced topology. I tested both products in their ‘best’ condition using the same headset. First of all, the biggest difference I noticed was in the bass presentation. The K9 Pro ESS has a more refined and agile bass compared to the D40. The texture is also better on the K9 Pro ESS as well as the resolution. However, the difference is definitely not night and day. The D40 performs excellent for its price tag and certainly managed to impress me a lot. Apart from the bass region, the most obvious difference is the difference in the technical capability. The K9 Pro ESS handles congestion-prone tracks with more finesse, manages to salvage as much info as possible whereas the D40 is not as talented in this regard as the FiiO. The K9 Pro ESS has a smoother yet more resolving presentation but it does not have the overly spacious headroom of the D40. Overall, both of the devices are great but I’ll have to congratulate the D40 here, it is a job well-done.

Loxjie D40

Conclusion

The D40 is truly an amazing device. There are very few products that do a lot of things really well for under 450 USD and offer excellent value in this price bracket in terms of features. The D40 has a professional-looking design, very good build quality, excellent performance, and many I/O options to choose from. If you are looking for a DAC-AMP in this price range, I definitely recommend you to take a look at the D40. You will be surprised.

Page 1: Loxjie, Loxjie D40, Packaging & Accessories, Build Quality & Design

Page 2: Technology & Features, Controls, DAC Performance

Page 3: DAC-AMP Performance, Comparisons, Conclusion

4.4/5 - (229 votes)
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Long time Tech Enthusiast, an ambitious petrol-head, Yagiz likes his gadgets and always finds new ways into the tinkerer's world. He tries to improve anything and everything he gets his hands onto. Loves an occasional shine on the rocks.

1 Comment

  • Reply May 5, 2023

    Constantine

    Awesome review! i have the Audeze LCD 2 Classic, headphones. Will this device be able to power them, properly? Thanks in advance!

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