Versatility
Next to its DAP function, you can also use the P6 as a DAC. You don’t have to manually install any drivers for it and the P6 uses Wasapi. It immediately showed up in ROON after the automatic Wasapi install was executed by the Windows operating system. The down side of the DAC function is that it doesn’t show the volume or file properties (rate/depth) of the song playing.
The P6 officially doesn’t support USB OTG so I – over USB – as expected didn’t get the P6 to work as a DAC with my Oneplus 8Pro phone and with the xDuoo X10Ti portable turntable. Over USB the P6 as source also doesn’t work. I did try with the EarMen Sparrow, but it was no success. SPDIF (on top of the unit) really is the way to go here if you want to use the P6 this way.
The P6 does sport Bluetooth, but it’s on the receiving end only, this is quite important to know. In BT mode you get a black background with the BT logo and the codec and sample rate received are showing in the bottom right corner. You will also see what source you’re receiving from.
Other ways you can use the P6 are with the Line Out function, both in single ended as in balanced mode as well as the SPDIF function. SPDIF in as DAC and SPDIF out as source. The P6 can’t be used to stream music from your network, Tidal or Spotify. You can play music from the internal memory or the SD Card but that’s it. The P6 doesn’t allow you to install any apps either, if this wasn’t clear to you yet.
So the P6 isn’t the most versatile player on the market but it does offer the basic options which everyone is expecting: USB DAC, SPDIF (in/out) and a good line-out.
Main screen
I absolutely love the screen features in DAP mode. The top bar shows you the play mode, volume level and the battery status.
Right below that you have the graphical L/R presentation of each channel. It’s something simple but I really like this feature. Right below that you have another presentation of the volume level. Below that the sample rate and bit depth as well as the selected gain and EQ preset (name + graph). Then there is a small thumbnail for the artwork, as well as the song/artist info, track time and the file type.
That’s quite a bit of info for such a small screen. The screen itself uses about 3/5 of the total available space on the front.
P6 – Sound
Sound Intro
After having reviewed all these L&P DAPs, it’s no secret hat their UI still has room for improvement. The great thing about Luxury & Precision is that you know they each and every time nail the part on sound, and this is no different with this P6.
I sound-wise like every single L&P DAP so far but L&P each times manage to bring something different to the table. Of course here the R2R tech inside plays the biggest role for the quality of the sound.
If you look at the top of the line DAPs, the 3 most mentioned models will probably be the Astell&Kern SP2000, the Lotoo Touch Gold and the Sony NW-WM1Z. All of these players are in the high end price class, just like the TOTL L&P DAPs but most of them offer more functionalities and features and/or a better user interface. Even with that fact, there still there is a market for DAPS just like this one, and the reason is simple: they sound excellent. These are “sound first” DAPs, and looking at it like that, L&P absolutely nails it each time.
There are several kind of DAP users. There are those who want their DAP to be as cheap as possible while others want the best possible value for money. Then there’s a group that only wants the very best and are willing to pay for it big time. And then there’s a group with big pockets that doesn’t care about features and they just want the perfect sound. That’s where the P6 – and other L&P DAPs for that matter – fits right in. Getting the best possible sound at home and on the go, from a portable device while not caring about the simple UI and missing features such as streaming.
If I’m not mistaken, the P6 is the 3rd DAP in the L&P line-out featuring the R2R tech. The LP6 and LP6ti were first and next up will be the P6 Pro, but first let’s look at how the regular P6 sounds.
Sound General
For IEMs in balanced or in single ended mode, the volume gets loud fast. It’s not so that it’s too loud right away, there is enough room to play with, but I for inears never had the need to switch to high gain and get more power.
The part on sound was “done” with the P6 as DAP or as DAC/AMP from my laptop. A large series of IEMs was used as I have had this P6 for quite a while already. For this price – and taking into account that L&P states the P6 is all about sound – we expect to get a superb sound quality. Luckily that really is the case here, with a top level performance in all possible ways.
If I could describe the P6’s sound with 6 keywords only I would say it is engaging, precise, fast, rich, musical and natural.
From the moment you plug in your IEMs and start listening to your favorite tracks, you will see that the P6 delivers a very engaging sound. It makes you want to listen to more of your music and that’s always a very good thing. But there’s more.
The P6’s tuning is neutral but it comes with a very natural flavour. It’s never warm or cold but it’s realistic and easy on the ears, like the good old analogue sound. From top to bottom you get a good, normal amount of body. It’s not overly full or light, it’s just right and the impact it comes with is realistic.
Sound stage-wise the P6 to me also impresses. You get great extension on all ends and you won’t ever feel you’re missing out on anything. At the same time it (again) is very realistic, so you don’t get that pushed artificial stage some other DAPs give you. Together with the extension in the width and depth you get really great layering. From lows to highs the presentation is spacious and you get a realistic amount of air. The separation, detail retrieval and note decay is spot-on.
The P6 also has great dynamics, clarity and detailed retrieval. The P6 is highly resolving and the timbre is rich from the lowest to the highest note. It’s a very precise DAP, but it’s always presented in a musical and non-analytic way. To your ears it will always sound so effortless and there’s no listening fatigue whatsoever, though that also depends on the earphones using.
Some say the P6 is more vocal forward DAP, though I personally ca only partially agree to that. They may be a little bit but it’s probably linked more to the IEM used in that test. Of course to really enjoy the P6’s technical capabilities, you need to have a highly resolving top quality monitor as well. But if you’re spending $3K on a DAP, you probably are using reference IEMs already.
The story of balanced vs single ended is the same as usual. The balanced output (which is my preferred one) next to more power, gives you a wider, more spacious, natural presentation. It’s the best on a technical level and musical level if you ask me.
The part on Sound continues on the third page. Click here or use the steps below.
