#Double Delight# There are three good news coming with the Luxury&Precision W2 – the Lux Instrument, the Lux Tuning, and the Lux Cable
The most frequent question we have received from last year to now is “When the W2 will be released?” The W2 was unveiled several months ago, but it has not been listed for sale until now. Hence, people whisper about the manufacturing challenges caused by the recent supply restrictions. Here is the answer: To provide the best user experience and product quality control, we gathered feedback from reviewers and kept revising and tuning the device accordingly. Now let me the three leaps we have accomplished during this time.
1. "Lux Instrument" – An in-house developed testbed for precise measurement and quality control
In the second half of last year, W2 was unveiled in a third-party laboratory with excellent results. You can find the full result here:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...y-precision-w1-w2-portable-usb-dac-amp.18148/
In this test, the total distortion of the W2 is less than -118dB, which beats the typical distortion value of the CS43198 DAC chip, which drives the W2 by 3dB. It is already incredible to surpass the manufacturer’s typical performance. Considering the results are measured as the device’s overall performance, it becomes astonishing. Even comparing with full-stack desktop DACs, the distortion value of the W2 is still in the top tier. But at the same time, it becomes happy trouble: the superior performance of the W2 exceeded our AP2722’s measure range which is only reliable above -112dB. The W2’s outstanding performance poses a new challenge for factory testing.
Fortunately, we have considered the challenge of measuring ultra-high precision devices back several years ago. After continuous R&D, we finally complete the instrument at the end of last year. The newly developed measure instrument can detect distortion as low as -125dB, which is even better than the current top-tier audio analyzer APX555B. With this in-house developed instrument, it is finally possible to eliminate the biggest obstacle in the mass production of W2. Mr. Wan joked that this machine is finally worthy of the company name (Luxury&Precision Instrument)
2. "Lux Tuning" – Seamless switch between refinement and gentleness
Is a reliable technical performance capable of satisfying all audiophiles? Of course, it is impossible. Luxury&Precision always believes that performance measurements are objective, but human sensation is subjective and varies from person to person. In the past few months, experienced audiophiles have given us a lot of feedback and suggestions during the closed beta to improve sound tuning. Here, we appreciate the time and efforts devoted by our reviewers.
Based on numerous listening sessions and feedback, we changed the original architecture by adding a set of hardware to achieve this switchable sound tuning. One mode has a more refined and delicate sound. The other is gentler to listen in a long session without fatigue. We call this proprietary hardware-based tuning method “Lux Tuning”. The Lux Tuning received unanimous praises from reviewers, so I believe that this framework’s advent can satisfy a greater variety of sound preferences.
3. "Lux Cable" – Make every phone a powerhouse of drivability
The most challenging part of making a DAC-AMP dongle with good sound is the power supply. During the R&D process, many audiophiles reflected that DAC-AMP dongles have reliable drivability when connecting to desktop or laptops but lack power when paring with smartphones, especially iPhones. The sound popped and broke when the volume gets louder, reflecting an inadequate power supply. Since the most common user scenarios directly connect the dongle to low-power smartphones, solving this power supply problem is extremely critical.
To solve the power supply problem, we have two possible approaches:
1. How to bypass mobile phone power supply restrictions in the W2’s circuit design?
2. How to make a new cable that ensures a reliable power supply for the W2?
During this period, we have completed the corresponding work non-stop. Finally, we have the result: when paired with earphones with an impedance of 32 ohms or more, even if connecting to iPhone or other smartphones with power supply restrictions, the W2 can still reach its maximum volume without breaking the sound. This makes the W2 one of the few DAC-AMP dongles that can achieve maximum drivability on almost any Android/iOS device.
Regardless of how much effort we made or how many achievements we got, only our users can make the final call. Regarding the launch time of W2, Mr. Wan only said five words: “It should be next week.” Thanks to the HiFi community, and stay tuned to our newsletters about the W2’s sell information in detail!