Hi friends,
Just received my S1 and been using it for a bit. Here are my initial thoughts:
1.
Amazing match with my IE800, everything sounds wider, deeper, fuller (results from proper amplification) and close to Chord Mojo. Keep getting goosebumps relistening to my whole library today
2. EMI/RFI: This was my biggest worry but thankfully
haven't noticed EMI/RFI from my iPhone 12 Pro Max, laptop etc. -- unlike Chord Mojo where it was obvious. My batch was made in June 2021 (can post pics later), maybe Lotoo added some interference protection in later versions? I'm also using the Lotoo Lightning to USB cable if that helps
3. In terms of power,
good enough for IEMs but forget about full sized headphones
a. I guess I listen on louder side and am using 100% volume on Low Gain, single ended for my IE800 and it's ideal
b. Subjectively, 100% on low gain is roughly 70% High Gain
c. I tried the high gain 100% single ended on DT770 Pro 80 ohm, HD600 300 ohms and wasn't impressed. It gets sufficiently loud but not properly amped when compared to Chord Mojo/O2 dac/amp.
Overall,
very happy with the purchase in terms of usability, stability, SQ for IEMs etc but you need to set expectations about driving full sized headphones.
Thoughts vs L&P W2:
I haven't tried it but
will only consider it if you really need more power for harder to drive IEMs. Consensus is W2 is a more neutral and detailed source with more power output ceiling (125mW for W2 vs 70mW for S1, single ended), but with the S1 already having a bit of headroom for IEMs, I think I made the right choice with a slightly warm source for half the price. For full-sized headphones, full sized DAPs/desktop amps should be the way to go.
Disclaimer: I am mostly using the single-ended output and only balanced for AKT8ie mk II and use 44.1kHz/32bit output from imported Apple Music tracks and Spotify Very High. I am not using Tidal MQA or other DSD features so can't comment on those.
Hope this helps anyone trying to decide. Let me know if you have any questions. Cheers!
Update after additional use:: There seems to be a bit of EMI/RFI when I used the ddHifi TC28i + Lotoo's USB-C to USB-C cable but not when using Lotoo's OG Lightning to USB-C. Something to watch out for.
Hi all,
Should I get the LTS1 over LPW2? Looking for a portable+tiny dongle dac/amp for evening walks with iPhone 12 Pro Max + IE800. Currently using the Apple $10 dongle for walks and Mojo for sit downs and it sounds pretty good but wanna upgrade. Read through both threads and conclusion seems to be L&P W2> Lotoo PAW S1 and DC03 etc for SQ. Unfortunately W2 still not available in Malaysia so wondering if I should just take the Lotoo PAW S1 and move on.
I like that the LTS1 is half price and in stock but wonder if the 2x price is worth it for SQ? I generally listed to Kpop, female vocalists but reference Daft Punk's RAM, Metallica Black Album, Charli XCX Pop 2, Lana Del Rey and Lorde.
I also don't care about the EQ, filters, MQA etc. Will run it on default low gain for the IE800. However, concerned about the S1's EMI/RFI etc as using iP12PM.
Look forward to your thoughts
LTS1 in my e-cart already just justifying the wallet spend