Lotoo Paw Pico

Some time ago catch my eyes small device for those who like listen music due their sport activities, but do not like compromise sound quality. This small thing I’m talking about is digital audio player made by known brand Lotoo and is called PICO.
            PICO have real picosize. It is slightly bigger than postage stamp. It is very light and absence of display just confirm, that this device is mentioned only for pure listening.  It has no streaming capabilities, no WiFi. It have Bluetooth, but that is only for communication purposes with your phone. Why is that? Because PICO have integrated GPS sensor and can track your sport activities, so you can later get them in to phone. I did not tried it. PICO will inform you as well during your jogging about distance, speed etc. Unfortunately that can do so fare only in Chines, so now we have hope and keep fingers across, that Lotto will with some update add English too. And of course it is player so it can play your music. PICO can play most of common formats like MP3, ALAC, AAC, M4A, OGG, WMA, WAV, APE, FLAC, ISO, DSF, DFF, DSD128 and DSD64. It is equipped with ADI Blackfin 706 DSP processor. Battery is 300mah LiPol and should last up to 10 hours, I got about 8 hours when I played mix of formats, but most of them were FLACs. In the box you will get Player, Manual, USB cable, armband and very nice holder with clip.
            To control PICO you will find button on top for change between HiFi and GPS mode, on left side of it there is switch OFF/Random/Repeat, on bottom side is 3,5mm single socket for earphones and on the front side is Forward/Backward button next to Play/Pause button. Finally on the right side you will find volume knob. No less, but no more. On the top side is socket for USB connection. When you will connect PICO to your PC, PICO will appear on desktop as memory device with 32Gb capacity. I create one folder called MUSIC and in to that folder I copied my favorite songs. As I mentioned, I have mix between loss and lossless formats, so in my case I was able upload about 670 songs in to PICO. That seem to me more than enough for any sport I can do while I would listen music. I got few issues with PICO, but it seems, it was more my issues, that PICOs in the end. Twice happened to me, that after longer time, device stop playing music and annoying whistling appear instead.  PICO can be restarted when you press MODE and PLAY button together and hold. I did that, but I was not able to get PICO play again. I become really desperate, because all I got was Chines lady, who try to told me something, but I did not follow her. I write to all sides with request for help. Finally I got PICO play again and I do suspect, that reason for all my misery was empty battery. I’m not sure about that, but that is only explanation I found. Since that I have no further problems with PICO. But will be very kind from Lotoo, if they will teach PICO speak English.
            Sound, that is what is all about. I can say, that sound is surprisingly good on its size. I try it with my Empire Ears Spartan IV and Custom Art Ei.3 earphones I have in these days. With Spartans is sound very open, airy and neutral. Compare to CA Ei.3 is sound slightly brighter ( or CA are darker ), but I did not noticed any signs of sharpness or sibilants. Unfortunately I noticed hiss with Spartans, but that is nothing extraordinary, because Spartans are very sensitive and there are only few of DAPs, which are not hissing in combination with Spartans. With Ei.3 I did not noticed hiss at all. Generally PICO is well tuned, sound is balanced and there is nothing dominant or missing. Bass go deep, is strong and clear. Vocals are natural and neutral, middle band sounds very open, which make sound-stage wide, trebles are with sparkle and gives lightness in to music. PICO is not champion on detail retrieval and clarity. Is good on that small device and it is more than good considering, that PICO is purpose-build player. It will be great for those who cherish their Lotto Gold or similar top DAP as on the go device. For me it is first experience with Lotoo and it is not disappointing. Of course It will be not easy for PICO to get buyers, specially when Shanling M1 cost same money and it is much better equipped player with similar size, but I believe it will found its fans.
            I like to say thank you to PenonAudio ( http://penonaudio.com/Lotoo-PAW-Pico ) for their great support and discount I got in exchange for my honest opinion in my review. Thank you very much.
 

 

 

 

 
 
 

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The product was provided to me free of charge for the review purpose in exchange for my honest opinion.  The review was originally posted on my blog, and now I would like to share it with all of my readers on Head-fi.
 
Manufacturer website: Lotoo Paw Pico.
 
The Evolution of Sound (official US distributor of PAW Pico) : http://www.theevolutionofsound.com/paw-pico (w/detailed product info in English and upcoming links to on-line retailers).  Evolution of Sound is also official distributor of PAW Gold DIANA edition.
 
* click on images to expand.

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Intro.
 
Lotoo is one of those manufacturers who doesn’t like to spoil its customers with frequent updates or new releases.  Some companies prefer to get it done right the first time and only release new products if it’s a significant improvement or something completely different.  PAW Gold (LPG) was released over 2 years ago and still being held in high regard by many audiophiles.  It stood the test of time regardless of being without a touch screen, still using a proprietary DC wall charger, and lacking some functionality like USB DAC.  What it has is a fantastic reference quality sound, lots of power, build-like-a-tank construction, very fast OS, and even a full-size SD card.  These qualities can play an important role in future-proofing the design with no need to have a new model every 6 months.
 
Year and a half ago, Lotoo surprised us with another model, PAW 5000 (P5k), though I felt it was geared more toward audio enthusiast on the go, rather than hardcore audiophiles.  It did take a little step back in sound quality due to a combined DAC/amp in comparison to LPG discrete DAC and amp solution, though still borrowed heavily from its big brother, reusing some key functionality and adding new features geared toward users with active lifestyle. P5k was smaller, lighter, slicker, with Bluetooth wireless support, included Sport armband, and even Sport mode to change the tempo of the playback.  It was an interesting direction for Lotoo to take, trying to expose their product to a mainstream crowd.  Afterward, many Lotoo fans were speculating and hoping for a new updated LPG version, but the company made it clear that original LPG is still going strong.
 
When rumors started to circulate about a new upcoming PAW series model, it got many audiophiles attention, and when a name Pico leaked out along with some images from one of the audio shows – it raised some eyebrows since many didn’t expect a matchbox size shell that looked like a tiny sports audio player.  For sure, it looked very cute in the pictures, and it was hard to dismiss the fact that Lotoo kept their PAW name, giving a hope it still has audiophile DNA hidden somewhere under the hood.  Prior to me getting a review unit of Pico, I heard a rumor that it shouldn’t be underestimated due to its tiny size and could drive even some demanding full size cans.  My brief auditioning of Pico at CanJam NYC made me do a double take when I quickly realized its sound potential, despite its toyish look.  Now after spending two weeks with Pico, I would like to share with you what I found.
 
Unboxing.
 
Despite having a rather small packaging box, the list of the Features on the front and General and Audio spec on the back looked very impressive, especially mentioning of built in GPS, Motion sensor, and Bluetooth low energy (BLE) support.  Plus, you get a deceiving drawing of Pico itself which didn’t look that small.  You can easily get fooled by thinking this is going to be another compact audio player… until you lift the box cover.
 
There is a very good reason why Lotoo mentioned “ultra light weight” and “ultra small size” in the list of their features.  This is not a marketing hype or exaggeration - you are dealing with a tiny matchbox size screen-less audio player with dedicated playback controls and analog volume pot.  When you pick it up from the box and place it in the palm of your hand – it almost looks like a little toy.  But don't be fooled by its size.
 
After lifting the Pico from a secure form fitted top paper tray, underneath you will find a manual and the rest of the included accessories.
 
 
 
 
 
Accessories.
 
The included manual has very detailed instructions in both English and Chinese, something you want to keep handy by your side.  Due to lack of a display, some of the functionality is not as intuitive, and the manual is very clear about steps you need to take to switch to Sport Mode or the firmware update, etc.  I would also suggest for Lotoo to make the manual available in pdf format for download from their website.
 
Other included accessories are a charging/data USB cable with a common micro-USB connector (high quality construction), a soft comfortable elastic armband, and a clip attachment for the back of Pico.
 
 

 
You can say that Pico is geared more toward the use while exercising, biking, running, etc.  While P5k was a bit awkward to wear on armband, at least for me personally, Pico is just perfect for it.  The clip attachment itself is wide, almost the size of the Pico itself, and it has a nice spring-loaded action with a solid grip.  The back-panel attachment is very slim and has small hooks which securely latch around Pico.
 
When the clip is attached, it adds very little bulk to the DAP, and all you can see is just a clip.  My only small comment here, the back of Pico has port labels and the clip attachment covers these up.  It’s not a big deal since we are talking about only a few of these, but perhaps these labels could be re-printed on the clip cover so you can still see them.
 
 
 
 
Design and functionality.
 
I have mentioned the word “tiny” quite a few times already, and to put it in a better perspective with real measurements, we are talking about 40.8mm x 46mm x 12.6mm dimensions, the smallest I have ever seen for a DAP.  And it’s not just ultra small, but very light weight, thanks to a plastic durable shell which brings the weight down to only 26g.  With headphones in your ears and cable connected to Pico, it’s so small and light that if you drop this audio player, it will be just dangling down from a cable, securely attached to a headphone jack.  The detachable clip is very useful, something many will probably keep on permanently.
 
To achieve their goal of tiny size, Lotoo had to make a few compromises, including no display and no removable storage.  While other PAW audio players represent your typical DAP design and functionality, Pico is a hybrid design with a combined Activity Tracker and HiFi Audio Player.  Just like those small activity trackers which you wear throughout a day or during your exercising to collect the data, Pico is equipped with GPS tracker, Motion Sensor, and Bluetooth (BLE) interface to communicate with your phone/app so you can collect and track your activity data.  At the current moment, the app is still work in progress (not released yet), and instead when you switch Pico to Sport Mode it can guide you with all the activity data by voice commands.  The initial fw release has Sport Mode in Chinese only, and English language option should be added soon.
 
But you don't have to switch to Sport Mode and can keep Pico in its default Music Mode, where all these activity tracker sensors are disabled, allowing to enjoy a hi-res audio performance and extended battery life of up to 10hrs on a single charge.  I have tried Sport Mode by following detailed instructions in the manual, confirmed GPS to be locked in based on LED indicator confirmation, but couldn’t understand what the Pico was “saying” to me since English is not implemented yet.  Also, in Sport Mode you can still listen to music and receive voice notifications, but music files should be stored in a Sport folder.  I would like to revisit Sport Mode later once English language option is added, and probably will update my review then, but for now I will focus on Music Mode.
 
Going back to a design, despite a very small real estate to deal with, every control has a logical placement in order to be able to operate Pico blindly.  The top of the audio player has a combined Skip Next/Prev buttons which also skip to the next/prev folder when you long press it, and a separate Play/Pause button.  Buttons have a nice click action with a good feedback, and easy to feel without looking at them.  Next to Play/Pause you have multi-function green/red LED which you need to pay attention to not only for colors but also a sequence of blinking.  Yes, lack of display is a big limitation, but Lotoo took a full advantage of LED functionality, and the Manual describes it in all glory details.
 
On the right side, there is 3.5mm headphone jack, and on the left side you will find a micro-usb connector (for charging and data transfer), a Fn/Mode button which you long press to switch to Sport Mode or short press to hear Battery status.  Next to it there is 3-position slider switch which either turns the power off, or turns it on while setting a playback to either random or sequential mode.  These are very minimalistic controls, easy to reach and simple to remember.  I know the fw is still a work in progress, and currently by default once the power is on, Pico auto-starts the playback from the last song you left off, while I suggested to Lotoo it will make more sense for user to start the playback manually instead of auto-start.
 
Last, but not least, is the analog volume pot.  While playback controls are handled by a few buttons and you can easily access Fn/Mode button on the side, blind operation of volume is not an easy task, especially on a tiny device where its hard to operate closely placed up/down volume buttons.  Here, Lotoo decided to implement a cool little volume control with a continuous rotation knob that has a nice grip, some resistance, and a precise click action as you turn it.  It also has +/- volume label printed on the face of the knob so you know which clockwise/counterclockwise direction to turn. 
 
The only problem, since it’s a continuous rotation wheel without a marker to indicate the current position – you don’t know the volume until you start playing.  It was a bit of a hassle when I switched between my planar magnetic full size cans and sensitive IEMs, trying to remember to turn the volume down in order to avoid a sound blast.  Perhaps Lotoo can figure out how to add a voice indicator of the volume level along with a battery status indicator (for now battery indicator is only in Chinese when you press Fn/Mode button).  Also, there is an audio indication when you reach the maximum volume level.  I didn’t find it necessary with IEMs, but it came in handy when trying to push Pico driving some demanding full size cans.
 
Overall, considering tiny footprint of this DAP and its lack of display, I think the design and controls of Pico were implemented very efficiently.  I do miss the display, but after realizing the intent of this tiny DAP as a “hidden” audio source, you quickly start to appreciate its minimalistic design.
 
 
 
 

 
Under the hood.
 
Once you start playing the music, you quickly realize that Pico has the same PAW blood running through its veins.  While LPG and P5k share the same DSP processor (Blackfin 514 model), for Pico  they switched to another lighter DSP from the same family, Blackfin 706.  Obviously, there is not much room for an audio interface with a discrete DAC and OpAmps.  Instead, Lotoo used Ti3105 chip (low-power CODEC with integrated DAC and HP Amp), the same as in P5k design.  But unlike P5k, to preserve the battery life Pico has a lower voltage output, though it was still sufficient to drive many different IEMs and even full size headphones.
 
Honestly, I’m still puzzled because Lotoo clearly states -3.5dBu @ 16ohm output level, which translates to 500mVrms.  This is a rather low voltage output, but I was still able to drive some demanding headphones, even with Pico at the max volume level and surprising without any audio distortion noticeable to my ears.  How they achieved this, I have no idea, and I will go over in more details about pair up in the next section of the review.
 
I already mentioned it has a standard micro-USB connector and supports USB2.0 protocol.  There is no uSD card support, most likely due to Lotoo trying to keep the size down and battery life to the max, and instead you have 32GB of internal flash memory.  I would have loved to see more, but I’m guessing that was a design limitation.  Regarding the battery, here we have 300mAh Li-poly with 10hrs of audio playback at full charge.  A small physical size and the corresponding capacity of the battery is also due to a smaller size of the Pico itself.
 
Considering use of Blackfin 706 DSP and Ti3105 integrated DAC/amp, I’m sure many fw resources were shared between P5k and Pico, including a support of numerous lossless and lossy audio formats: DSD, DFF, DSF, ISO, FLAC, APE, WAV, MP3, WMA, OGG, M4A, AAC, AIF, ALAC, CUE with sample rates of 2.8MHz/5.6MHz (up to DSD128) and PCM 32kHz-192kHz.  It’s all great, but ironically you only have access to 32GB of flash memory, so I don’t believe many people will use it beyond MP3 and FLAC files.
 
GPS, Motion Sensor, and BLE support are also important part of “under the hood” design, but to preserve the battery life they are not enabled in Music Mode.  Keep in mind, the support of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) in this case is similar to your fitness activity trackers like Fitbit or Garmin, just enough bandwidth to read the collected data, not a two way audio communication to stream music from your smartphone.
 
What I see here is that Lotoo scaled down significantly the functionality of LPG and P5k due to a lot smaller footprint, but they still left a few important audio ingredients, and based on a sound quality I assume that audio decoding/processing code was also re-used.
 
 
 
Sound analysis.
 
I gotta be honest with you, I approached Pico as an Activity Tracker with a bonus audio playback, and prior to listening – my curiosity was more about its tiny footprint.  I love gadgets, and thought it will be another cute piece.  But I was very surprised when I started to listen to Pico.  Don’t take this as “OMG” hype.  We are still talking about $130 DAP (current price on some Chinese websites) which lacks many common features found in traditional DAPs.  But my focus here is on a tiny little audio player with a big sound performance that can go against some mid-fi and summit-fi players if you are looking for a reference quality sound sig.
 
After two weeks of testing, I hear a neutral-revealing signature with a transparent reference sound quality.  The retrieval of details is excellent, including a surprisingly high level of clarity which I didn't expect.  For sure, the sound is leaning more toward the brighter side, but still stays close to neutral.  Sub-bass has a decent quality but more on a leaner side and not as deeply extended, mid-bass has a nice snappy punch; mids are neutral, revealing, with a good level of transparency, maybe a little on a colder drier side, and slightly pushed forward; treble has a very nice sparkle and plenty of airiness.
 
Soundstage is wide, expanded, and still very realistic, along with a rather good precision of instrument placement.
 
Background is black, no hissing what so ever.  Also, dynamic expansion of the sound is very good, never felt compressed or congested.  Also, I hear a good layering of the sound, which I attribute to treble airiness that spreads between instruments and vocals.
 

 
Pair-up.
 
This test was a lot of fun, especially with full size cans where earcups are 3-4 times the size of the DAP itself.  It's hard to imagine people using Pico with big headphones on a regular basis since it's more appropriate for a portable use on the go.  But it was still nice to see how far I can push its performance to find the limit.  Also, keep in mind that due to its reference lean type of sound signature, not all the bright thinner sound headphones will have the best synergy with this tiny DAP.
 
ATH-R70x (open back, 470ohm) – I had to push it to the max volume, but still drove these with authority and no distortion in sound (of course not worrying about overdriving R70x, but rather making sure that at max volume a sound remains clear).  Overall, an expanded very detailed sound. Not an organic detailed like I hear R70x in other pair ups, but more revealing which I actually enjoyed.
 
PM3 (planar magnetic) – It had some volume headroom left, didn’t have to push it to the max.  Pico drove it with an authority of a punchy bass, clear detailed mids, and sparkly treble.  PM3 usually sounds warmer and more congested with other sources, but not in this case.  It literally took a layer of veil off the sound.
 
T5p 2nd gen (tesla drivers) – Right away noticed a wide soundstage, and enough volume headroom.  I hear a very good sub-bass rumble, slightly rolled off but I can still hear it well, and a very nice mid-bass punch.  Mids are neutral, detailed, revealing, and I hear a nice well defined treble sparkle.  A very enjoyable pair up.
 
Zeus XRA (14xBA, high sensitivity) - NO hissing!!! Yes, absolutely ZERO.  Very detailed revealing sound with a great level of transparency and separation.  Bass has a tight fast punch, and not too much difference in sub-bass performance in comparison to other sources since Zeus bass is about quality rather than quantity.  Also, I hear a revealing detailed mids, and nice treble extension with lots of airiness and sparkle.  Soundstage was wide and expanded in all directions.
 
W900 (9-way hybrid) – I hear a little less sub-bass rumble but still a deep impact with a weighty powerful mid bass punch.  Smooth detailed revealing mids and a nice sparkly treble extension.  This is one of those examples where a smoother tuned IEM can shine with a more revealing source.  Very wide and still natural soundstage expansion.  Great pair up.
 
UERR (3way BA) – I hear a very neutral revealing sound with a wide soundstage.  Tight mid-bass punch, very accurate revealing mids, well defined treble sparkle.  With UERR's neutral bass, I didn’t lose any sub-bass extension or quantity, so it was another example of a great pair up with a neutral revealing source.
 
VEGA (dynamic driver) -  I hear a spacious expanded sound.  As expected, I found a slightly rolled off sub-bass but still with a powerful mid-bass punch.  Neutral revealing mids, with upper mids being a little on a brighter side but never crossing the threshold of sibilance.  Great treble extension filled with airiness.  I was a bit nervous with this pair up because neutral revealing source can tip the brightness scale, but it did great in this case.
 
with full size cans (R70x, T5p2, PM3):

 
with IEMs (Zeus XRA, W900, UERR, VEGA):

 
Comparison.
 
I know it makes more sense to compare Pico to P5k due to the same DAC/amp chip.  It probably sounds crazy to even consider the comparison of Pico to LPG, but I do hear more sound resemblance to LPG rather than P5k.
 
Pico vs LPG - nearly the same soundstage expansion, though LPG is a little wider.  LPG has a little more sub-bass rumble, and mids have a little more body, uppers mids/vocals are a little smoother, treble has a very similar definition, sparkle, extension.  Of course, LPG is technically superior, but I don't hear it being too far ahead in transparency and resolution.
 
Pico vs P5k - P5k soundstage is a bit narrower, P5k is a little warmer/smoother, while Pico is more revealing, brighter.  P5k bass is warmer, and so does the mids - being warmer and smoother.  In comparison, Pico is a little brighter, airier, and with a better resolution.
 
So in terms of sound quality, I found Pico to be somewhere between LPG and P5k, actually leaning more toward LPG signature.  But I didn't stop there and decided to compares Pico to a few other flagships.
 
Pico vs X7 w/AM3 - X7 has a touch wider soundstage, and you hear a little more rumble in sub-bass, but the sound is close in comparison.
 
Pico vs DX200 - DX200 soundstage is wider, and you get a little more rumble in sub-bass, mids are very close in tonality, though DX200 is a little more transparent and with a better layering.
 

 
Conclusion.
 
I originally wanted to write a short mini-review covering my first impression of Pico.  After all, the fw is still work in progress and app hasn't been released yet.  But once I started to plan my write up, I realized that in terms of audio performance and playback functionality there shouldn't be any drastic changes in the future.  Thus, I ended up writing a full review of Pico.  Overall, I found it to have a dual personality with individual attitudes.  The tiny size, the minimalistic design, the limited controls, and the clip attachment all scream loud and clear - I got a sport attitude!  But once you start listening to this Pico-size audio player, your ears tell you that Pico inherited audiophile attitude from its bloodline of PAW DAPs.  If you are in the market to buy your first audio player, I wouldn't necessary say this is a must have purchase.  Pico is intended for audiophiles and audio enthusiast who want to take their music on the go with a basic playback functionality and without sound quality compromises.  And when I say "on the go", it doesn't have to be just while working out, running, biking, hiking, etc.  So many times I hear people saying they feel uncomfortable bringing PAW Gold or other pricey DAPs with them on a bus or a subway while commuting to work.  With Pico this shouldn't be a problem.  Or if you are just a fan of cool little audio and electronic gadgets, this could make one heck of a conversation piece.
 
But Pico doesn't just look "cute", it has a mature reference sound quality and pairs up nicely with neutral and warmish IEMs, while also giving more revealing details to your analytical IEMs.  You can even use it to drive a number of full size headphones where I had no issues driving some planar magnetic and even 470 ohm cans.  You get up to 10hrs of playback time with random or sequential playback.  Despite the lack of screen, it's rather easy to navigate and to control the playback, and it's firmware upgradeable where Lotoo already released an update which was easy to install.  It supports majority of high res formats, though limited 32GB internal storage makes it only practical for high bit rate mp3s and FLAC files.  And as a bonus, you can play around with Sport Mode when Lotoo updates bi-lingual support and releases its tracking app.