[Polky74]

Except, Hifigo is not their authorized sellers, meaning the warranty coverage/support will not be honored through manufacturer.

I have seen recently a number of manufacturers posting on their FB pages a warning not to buy from unauthorized sellers, with Hifigo being mentioned by UM, Lotoo, and others.

It may be as you say and I have no doubts that it is but when I had to return a defective Dunu Blanche cable, Hifigo immediately made itself available (reimbursing me) while Dunu did not. Sometimes you get better support from the shops than from the factories themselves… and this has happened to other people I know as well.

 

[twister6]

It may be as you say and I have no doubts that it is but when I had to return a defective Dunu Blanche cable, Hifigo immediately made itself available (reimbursing me) while Dunu did not. Sometimes you get better support from the shops than from the factories themselves… and this has happened to other people I know as well.

I just had to brings this up because I heard from a number of my readers that when they contact some of the manufacturers regarding issues with their products, they are asked for a s/n and directed to contact the authorized retailer where it was purchased to handle warranty claims. I could be wrong, but suspect the reason you had issue with Dunu because of this situation. But either way, just wanted people to be aware since I had a few discussions on this topic with my readers and manufacturers, and also saw manufacturer's posts on FB addressing this as well.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

This is my original impression of W2 vs. W2-131, you might find it useful to read before my initial impression of W4.



My first impression of W4 is that it definitely shared the same DNA as W2-131 - this is especially true for the single-ended 3.5mm output. Switching from one to the other has very little impact on the music presentation. The difference between the two is much more revealing in the balanced 4.4mm output. There the W4 has a much wider presentation / soundstage / image / instrument separation (*even more than W2), though the undertone is still undoubtfully very W2-131'sih. As I had said in the past on why I like W2 over W-131 because W2-131 slightly upfront nature of presentation makes it a bit more intimate than I like, the W4 really just 'fixes' all those issues for me. While W4 might not be as colorless as W2, it has struck an excellent balance between absolute transparency and texture recreation. To use a similar analogy, W4 is almost like an open space venue as compared to W2's concert hall vs. W23-131's jazz club.

So I do like the W4, but do I think it is worth me paying about 70% more over W2/W2-131 for it? Well, 'worth' kinda carries a different meaning to different people based on how they value thing. From a more objective PoV, I'll say probably not., especially if you already own a W2/W2-131 as you are definitely not going to feel like you are getting an 70% upgrade - or at least I don't feel that way myself. More subjective speaking, I kinda on the fence. No doubt W4 is the absolutely best sounding USB dongle I current have, but I just wished that I have skipped all the line to get there in one step. Now that's the life story of an audiophile.

Superb comparison, thanks a lot.
My suspicion that it might not be a contender to BTR7 is growing even stronger, any chance to compare two, I believe you have FiiO in your collection, of course you do .

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Measurements are stellar ... beating many high-end DAC/amp desktop units into 300 ohms (albeit with less power) and a smaller number into 32 ohms. Which is not to say the W4 sounds better, just that it measures better. Beats the W2 and every other dongle DAC/amp I've measured too.

QFT, same was the case with W2, but any mid priced desktop setup just laughs at L&P.

 

[Polky74]

I just had to brings this up because I heard from a number of my readers that when they contact some of the manufacturers regarding issues with their products, they are asked for a s/n and directed to contact the authorized retailer where it was purchased to handle warranty claims. I could be wrong, but suspect the reason you had issue with Dunu because of this situation. But either way, just wanted people to be aware since I had a few discussions on this topic with my readers and manufacturers, and also saw manufacturer's posts on FB addressing this as well.

You did very well to specify it... the guarantee in case of purchase from an unauthorized reseller obviously falls on the latter, but also in the case of an authorized reseller it falls on him... it is always the seller who has the duty to provide assistance and this is what the law says (at least in Europe). Furthermore, the behavior of some manufacturers who refuse assistance based on the type of shop where the purchase took place, in my opinion, is always to blame... Buying from an unofficial shop is not a crime and does not mean not having given trust in the brand that produces the product. Consumer experience and the market will do justice later. For example for me Dunu no longer exists, while Hifigo is a respectable shop. Going back to the Luxury&Precision W4, I don't know of any authorized shops in Europe that sell them. If you know of one, please let us know. Thank you.

 

[twister6]

You did very well to specify it... the guarantee in case of purchase from an unauthorized reseller obviously falls on the latter, but also in the case of an authorized reseller it falls on him... it is always the seller who has the duty to provide assistance and this is what the law says (at least in Europe). Furthermore, the behavior of some manufacturers who refuse assistance based on the type of shop where the purchase took place, in my opinion, is always to blame... Buying from an unofficial shop is not a crime and does not mean not having given trust in the brand that produces the product. Consumer experience and the market will do justice later. For example for me Dunu no longer exists, while Hifigo is a respectable shop. Going back to the Luxury&Precision W4, I don't know of any authorized shops in Europe that sell them. If you know of one, please let us know. Thank you.

Here is an authorized L&P dealer in Switzerland that has it in stock: https://audioessence.ch/collections/luxury-precision

 

[Stouthart]

Here is an authorized L&P dealer in Switzerland that has it in stock: https://audioessence.ch/collections/luxury-precision

Audio Essence is highly recommended, great service.

 

[Polky74]

Switzerland is not Europe therefore customs and no european guarantee. Is it possible that throughout Europe L&P does not have an authorized shop? This is another thing they definitely need to improve on. Let's hope so...

 

[Tony Ng]

@Tony Ng if it's not too much trouble could you please ask when will the W4 be available in Europe? So far I don't see any information about it on any store's website besides audioessence.ch

i dont think they hv a dealer or official importer in europe...you may hv to try aliexpress...

on the other hand, u may also
send them an email and see if they can ship u one directly...px maybe the same, but u will hv less worry...as there is no battery inside, they can aend u by post and vice versa...

 

[twister6]

Switzerland is not Europe therefore customs and no european guarantee. Is it possible that throughout Europe L&P does not have an authorized shop? This is another thing they definitely need to improve on. Let's hope so...

Sorry, didn't realize Switzerland moved their geographic location from Europe to somewhere else I guess you are referring to EU from economic perspective, a bit foreign to us here in US

But either way, looking forward to spend more time with these!

 

[Polky74]

Sorry, didn't realize Switzerland moved their geographic location from Europe to somewhere else I guess you are referring to EU from economic perspective, a bit foreign to us here in US

But either way, looking forward to spend more time with these!

If I remember correctly, you're in good shape at dap too... not just at dongle... lol
However for now I'm enjoying the RU6 which arrived 3/4 days ago and the RU7 attracts me more than the W4. My W1 still does its job without destroying my phone battery, while the rest of the RU6 I use it only with the pc. I think that as far as the W4 is concerned, the thing that really gives it value besides the audio quality is precisely the reduced consumption, while for us (poor Europeans) with cover, customs and transport it is well over 500 euros, which is why I keep tight my beloved W1 (paid 168 euros on Hifigo just released). The diminishing return cannot be ignored... last question a bit OT why have you never reviewed the Aroma Jewels and then included in the comparisons with the other top iems? OT closed.

 

[stacey]

QFT, same was the case with W2, but any mid priced desktop setup just laughs at L&P.

But then you can’t fit a desktop setup in your backpack, let alone your pocket.

 

[Ferdinando1968]

Sorry, didn't realize Switzerland moved their geographic location from Europe to somewhere else I guess you are referring to EU from economic perspective, a bit foreign to us here in US

But either way, looking forward to spend more time with these!

Unfortunately here in the EU (or, at least, in Italy, where I live) there is a big difference between buying in Switzerland or in a country of the European Community.

Even if Switzerland is less than 200km from my home, there is much more likely (not to mention certainty) to pay heavy import taxes (about 25% of the cost at the store) than to buy from China (which is thousands of km away).

That said, I'd be curious to hear your opinion on the SQ difference of the 2 small dongles on the right of your photo, using them with IEMs.

 

[parrot5]

Ordered my W4 from Musicteck on Tuesday (17th), received it yesterday (18th); prompt as ever.

For iPhone users that are concerned about tripping the power limiter, I did a few tests. All were done with an iPhone 14 Pro, with the phone directly powering the W4 (no adapters, dongles, and no external power to the phone).

Driving full-size cans (HD800S, ZMF Atrium, Focal Utopia, HD660S2, LCD-5), I had no issues getting to levels way above more normal listening levels (which is about 80 dB/SPL) in high gain mode using the balanced output. Volume setting was 45-65 depending on the headphone. The Sennheisers and Utopia were fine from the 3.5mm output as well, albeit with less headroom.

The only case where I've been able to trip the power limiter was with the LCD-5 (14 ohms), playing very dynamic, bass-heavy, music, and it wasn't until I got to a volume level of 90 (again, balanced output, high gain) that the limiter engaged and disconnected the W4. That was a MUCH higher level of replay than I would ever use in practice and was way too loud to have them on my head while testing.

With IEMs, from 32 ohms, all the way down to my 3 ohm EE Odin, I was not able to get the limiter to trip regardless of what else I did. That was not the case with the W2-131.

Unit is smaller than it looks ... similar in size to W2 and Paw S1/S2.

Sound is excellent, but that's all I'll say about that since preferences and headphones/IEMs vary so much.

Measurements are stellar ... beating many high-end DAC/amp desktop units into 300 ohms (albeit with less power) and a smaller number into 32 ohms. Which is not to say the W4 sounds better, just that it measures better. Beats the W2 and every other dongle DAC/amp I've measured too.

My W2 hisses with IEMs. Does the W4?

tested again on the next day with my everyday iPhone and it doesn’t hiss.

 

[Torq]

My W2 hisses with IEMs. Does the W4?

Not with any IEM I've tried so far, which runs the extremes from BGVP DMG, ER-4RX, IER-Z1R to EE Odin.

Tested with a silent track (all zero-amplitude samples) to ensure the DAC/amp is operating, as well as with silent passages in normal music, on high gain, at full volume.