My new $99 Full Balanced headphone amp toy Loxjie P20

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by bilboda, Dec 16, 2018.

  1. bilboda

    bilboda Florida boomer

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    So what did you discover about the amp? I looked under the hood and understood little but that's just how I roll :bird:
     
  2. Jinxy245

    Jinxy245 Vegan Puss

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    I'm very curious about this amp myself.

    Hype has a way of influencing what people hear many times, so when people with actual experience not just building but engineering amps says they don't like what they see regarding the topology of the amp, it gives me pause.

    Still curious though... I'll likely get a chance to listen to @Pharmaboy 's when he gets it in.
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2019
  3. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    Spend the $99 on your kids.
     
  4. spoony

    spoony Spooky

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    But aren't we all his kids?
     
  5. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    Nope, I'm not Asian. Also, Marv isn't Jewish. Oy Vey to that ya'll.
     
  6. Pharmaboy

    Pharmaboy Friend

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    The #1 thing that gives me pause is shitty sound. Sound is what I really care about, and to a lesser extent, power & I/O flexibility.

    If this inexpensive little amp sounds good to me, I'll enjoy it & put it in the "win" column.
     
  7. atomicbob

    atomicbob dScope Yoda

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    Measurements posted here.

    This is more than a toy.
     
  8. Friday

    Friday Friend

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    How does it compare with the Lyr 3 or Liquid Platinum when fully pimped?
     
  9. bilboda

    bilboda Florida boomer

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    47 ohm zout balanced is likely halved with SE output, 24 ohm +-?
    Verum with nominal 8 ohm impedance, sound terrific single ended. I am waiting for their return to try them balanced.
    I have impedance adapters for SE output. I wonder if anyone makes them for balanced connections?
    Thanks for the tests.
     
  10. restrav3

    restrav3 Likes Audio-GD

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    Their return? Did you have to send them in for repair or did you send them somewhere for review?
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2019
  11. atomicbob

    atomicbob dScope Yoda

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    Well, the P20 is Red, Lyr3 Silver and Liquid Platinum a gun metal gray.
    That question is too open ended to answer.
     
  12. Friday

    Friday Friend

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    You got me there.

    Ok, first and foremost: How does it perform as a space heater? It can get pretty cold when it rains in the tropics (<24 Celsius!) so it'd be good if I could keep warm and listen to music at the same time.

    Less importantly, how is the synergy with the 6X0 and 800J? What is there to like about the P20's sound that you would give up some listening time on the Lyr 3 and LP?
     
  13. Pharmaboy

    Pharmaboy Friend

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    It would take an infinitely large P20 to heat space.
     
  14. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    I had no interest in this until I saw those measurements. They are about as good as you can get, especially for a tube amp. Definitely worth a try at the $99 price point. Looks better than Bravo gear

    As for the low price, Vali 2 doesn't cost that much more and this uses opamps. Looks like competent ChiFi.
     
  15. atomicbob

    atomicbob dScope Yoda

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    Here are some FLIR shots for heat.

    Top surface
    FLIR0259.jpg

    GE5670W
    FLIR0261.jpg

    Matching amp attributes to task at hand including personal preferences might influence which amp is used for a specific situation.

    Consider this analogy. Suppose I need to move some objects, earth, stones, etc. from one place to another. My choice of moving device might want to be scaled to the task.

    Small backyard projects.
    01 red wagon 2.jpg

    Commercial landscaping.
    02 landscape truck.jpg

    Really big jobs such as airport runway construction.
    03 earth mover.jpg

    You have selected a good set of candidate headphones as the P20 is better suited to high impedance headphones, though low impedance will work if they have high sensitivities. Bass may be exaggerated due to 47R balanced and 23.5R SE output impedance. The P20 is current limited to approximately 40 mA for low impedance.

    Reasonably high engagement factor, decent sound quality within performance limits, fun factor all give the P20 reason for listening time. However I have a collection of amps, DACs and headphones and can pick from lab inventory just because. For those with a need to choose for a single system, find the set of components that fit both budget and personal preferences. Hopefully others with a better ability to describe audible nuances can chime in on comparisons with other amps.
     
  16. atomicbob

    atomicbob dScope Yoda

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    I have a Bravo - unless time / effort spent substituting components and personal time is considered free, not worth it.
     
  17. roscoeiii

    roscoeiii Acquaintance

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    The OI is the only thing that gives me pause on this one. And only because I've got a couple power hungry planars (HE-5LE and HE-560). I'd like to see some comparisons to the Monoprice Cavalli Spark, which is also a $99 bargain (tho not balanced, and no tubes).
     
  18. atomicbob

    atomicbob dScope Yoda

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    HE-5LE nominal impedance is 38R
    HE-560 nominal impedance is 50R
    P20 output impedance is 47R
    Liquid Spark output impedance is 0.1R

    Those planars will be much better served by Liquid Spark.
     
  19. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    Yeah, high impedance would be better. Although planars have flat impedance so it might not be that bad. Just low power.
     
  20. CADCAM

    CADCAM New

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    Hello first post here, just ordered one of these although I have no balanced equipment yet.
    Atomicbob (or anyone else who wouldn't mind) which of my headphones do you believe might be worth trying first.
    Thank you~
     
    Last edited: Apr 5, 2019

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