Luxury & Precision (LP) Portable USB DAC/AMP W1 and W2 (The new W2-131 Version is Available, Related Info on Post #1)
Nov 23, 2021 at 9:24 PM Post #4,306 of 5,290
OK I have updated the OP. However I have not tried either of them myself; been busy with holiday stuff so I am trusting fellows here to verify the validity of them. :)
Thanks! I just trust your posts the most in this thread about anything L&P related. I did follow @musicday ’s lead and install the bin extracted from the direct rar download on the L&P site. Since I have Sony IER-Z1R IEMs I was too impatient to wait for other reports from other users and wanted to try out the new “SDF” setting for them. :wink:

I’m now trying all the permutations of Tone 01, Tone 02, with SDF: IER-Z1R or SDF: Normal (for simplicity I’m just using the Fast filter for all the testing and EQ: Normal). Preliminary opinions: still prefer SDF: Normal and Tone 01 with the IER-Z1R, but Tone 02 and SDF: IER-Z1R is a close second.
 
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Nov 27, 2021 at 7:45 PM Post #4,308 of 5,290
Just bought a LP W2 that's coming in the mail this Thursday and I am STOKED to see UAC1 support! I use my Nintendo Switch often for flights and it would be BADASS to improve the sound versus having to use an optical out device (which I use to hook up to an old school Astel and Kern AK100).

I'm planning to pair the W2 bad boy to a recent pair of Unique Melody Mest MK2s which I've happily used with a 5+ year old Dragonfly Red. The Dragonfly Red sounds awesome with the Meat MK2s so I'm excited to test how the W2 pairs with the Mest IEMs. I've gotta say coming from a Focal Clear + Focal Arche DAC + AMP I'm pleasantly surprised at how great mobile solutions are for sound quality.
 
Nov 27, 2021 at 9:54 PM Post #4,309 of 5,290
Just bought a LP W2 that's coming in the mail this Thursday and I am STOKED to see UAC1 support! I use my Nintendo Switch often for flights and it would be BADASS to improve the sound versus having to use an optical out device (which I use to hook up to an old school Astel and Kern AK100).

I'm planning to pair the W2 bad boy to a recent pair of Unique Melody Mest MK2s which I've happily used with a 5+ year old Dragonfly Red. The Dragonfly Red sounds awesome with the Meat MK2s so I'm excited to test how the W2 pairs with the Mest IEMs. I've gotta say coming from a Focal Clear + Focal Arche DAC + AMP I'm pleasantly surprised at how great mobile solutions are for sound quality.
The W2 is a good match with the mest it be a nice upgrade over Dragonfly Red. I been using W2 for around 6 months and no complaints it’s a great sounding small device.
 
Dec 2, 2021 at 11:01 PM Post #4,310 of 5,290
Got my W2 yesterday, C9 arrived today. Wow! The combo is magical -- I love the minimalism and flexibility -- will have fun for much time to come.

Still trying my IEMs, hard to stop listening with each, so far good pairings for Jazz and Prog Rock included (W2 Tune / C9 mode) [filter always fast]
Oriolus Traillii 02 / Tube AB
EE Odin 01 / Tube A
MEST Indigo 01 / SS AB [Tube gets way too fuzzy, may be a result of MEST+C9 unrelated to W2]

W2 standalone (sans C9) sounds OK with MEST Indigo but didn't blow me away (with C9 works quite well). W2 has better standalone synergy with the Oriolus Traillii.

The W2 has put L&P on my radar. I never took them seriously because of the effort invested in the chrome of their higher-end DACs (Gold, really?).
Based on the W2 they have in my book earned some serious sonic credentials and I will take a serious look at their upcoming next gen DAP in 2022.

FWIW - Excellent experience as usual buying the W2 from MusicTeck - Andrew is the best!
 
Dec 2, 2021 at 11:29 PM Post #4,311 of 5,290
Got my W2 yesterday, C9 arrived today. Wow! The combo is magical -- I love the minimalism and flexibility -- will have fun for much time to come.

Still trying my IEMs, hard to stop listening with each, so far good pairings for Jazz and Prog Rock included (W2 Tune / C9 mode) [filter always fast]
Oriolus Traillii 02 / Tube AB
EE Odin 01 / Tube A
MEST Indigo 01 / SS AB [Tube gets way too fuzzy, may be a result of MEST+C9 unrelated to W2]

W2 standalone (sans C9) sounds OK with MEST Indigo but didn't blow me away (with C9 works quite well). W2 has better standalone synergy with the Oriolus Traillii.

The W2 has put L&P on my radar. I never took them seriously because of the effort invested in the chrome of their higher-end DACs (Gold, really?).
Based on the W2 they have in my book earned some serious sonic credentials and I will take a serious look at their upcoming next gen DAP in 2022.

FWIW - Excellent experience as usual buying the W2 from MusicTeck - Andrew is the best!
Congrats on getting both W2 and C9. I agree that both work amazingly well with Traillii.

Regarding the UI/OS of LP daps, there are simple tools that can help you fix the track sequencing issue. Relatively speaking, P6 Pro has a better UI/OS than LP6, but in any case I will highly recommend you to request a demo from Andrew to try them out first.
 
Dec 3, 2021 at 10:04 AM Post #4,312 of 5,290
Got my W2 yesterday, C9 arrived today. Wow! The combo is magical -- I love the minimalism and flexibility -- will have fun for much time to come.

Still trying my IEMs, hard to stop listening with each, so far good pairings for Jazz and Prog Rock included (W2 Tune / C9 mode) [filter always fast]
Oriolus Traillii 02 / Tube AB
EE Odin 01 / Tube A
MEST Indigo 01 / SS AB [Tube gets way too fuzzy, may be a result of MEST+C9 unrelated to W2]

W2 standalone (sans C9) sounds OK with MEST Indigo but didn't blow me away (with C9 works quite well). W2 has better standalone synergy with the Oriolus Traillii.

The W2 has put L&P on my radar. I never took them seriously because of the effort invested in the chrome of their higher-end DACs (Gold, really?).
Based on the W2 they have in my book earned some serious sonic credentials and I will take a serious look at their upcoming next gen DAP in 2022.

FWIW - Excellent experience as usual buying the W2 from MusicTeck - Andrew is the best!
Haha! Are you talking about AK SP2000 Vegas Gold?

But seriously, agree with @bluestorm1992: the L&P DAPs are quite something else in terms of SQ.
 
Dec 3, 2021 at 11:56 AM Post #4,313 of 5,290
Im not clear, is the new firmware just a fix for m1 devices. but the firmware upgrading on mac (I use the m1) is running a windows still to upgrade it ?
 
Dec 5, 2021 at 8:04 AM Post #4,314 of 5,290
Enjoying W2 + UE 18+ Pro + Hiby R3 Pro on a wet, cold Sunday afternoon in the UK. A picture is worth a 1000 words.

20211205_125949.jpg
 
Dec 5, 2021 at 2:04 PM Post #4,315 of 5,290
Did anyone compare W2 and S2 power output? I feel puzzled comparing the specs as S2 is claiming 150 mW/channel and W2 is claiming 230 mW without any extra clarification if it is per channel or total output
 
Dec 5, 2021 at 8:26 PM Post #4,316 of 5,290
Did anyone compare W2 and S2 power output? I feel puzzled comparing the specs as S2 is claiming 150 mW/channel and W2 is claiming 230 mW without any extra clarification if it is per channel or total output

It is per channel. No one these days will claims total (combined) output unless the company is really desperate.

Also note that W2 has an actual measured output power of 235mW / 32ohm @ 0.0005% distortion (*therefore 230mW is a conservatives claim). S2 however has an actual measurement of around 110mW / 32ohm @ 1% distortion. S2 will only reach 150mW / 32ohm @ 10% distortion, which will be close to unlistenable unless you really love distortion.

Conclusion? They are not even close to each other spec wise.
 
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Dec 6, 2021 at 8:25 AM Post #4,317 of 5,290
It is per channel. No one these days will claims total (combined) output unless the company is really desperate.

Also note that W2 has an actual measured output power of 235mW / 32ohm @ 0.0005% distortion (*therefore 230mW is a conservatives claim). S2 however has an actual measurement of around 110mW / 32ohm @ 1% distortion. S2 will only reach 150mW / 32ohm @ 10% distortion, which will be close to unlistenable unless you really love distortion.

Conclusion? They are not even close to each other spec wise.
Thanks! No blind buy then :)

Do you know any more current or announced dongles with decent power output (4.4 BAL) and physical pause/next/previous buttons?
Reposting my message from S2 thread:
-----
After staying with W2 (S1 is collecting the dust since I bought W2) for half a year I have this itch again, mainly because of:
- constantly failing USB cables (could only be solved with DAP)
- high power drain (same, though S2 seems to be less hungry than W2)
- lack of physical FF/rewind/pause buttons (big win for S2)
- search for better, more solid and natural timbre with mellower yet detailed mids (liked DX300, could be addressed by RU6/S2 as well, also looking at RS6)
- desire to have more juice (currently listening at 60-75 volume high gain on W2 which is pushing its limits a bit too much and prevents me from buying planars like A2C).

DX300 and probably RS6 tick all the boxes though I'm a bit tight on budget and not actually ready to spend over $1k on this hobby again, so S2 could be a good compromise here.
------
 
Dec 6, 2021 at 8:33 AM Post #4,318 of 5,290
Thanks! No blind buy then :)

Do you know any more current or announced dongles with decent power output (4.4 BAL) and physical pause/next/previous buttons?
Reposting my message from S2 thread:
Not to my knowledge
 
Dec 6, 2021 at 9:28 AM Post #4,319 of 5,290
Anyone who wants to drive low impedance planar cans better than what the w2 is capable of should be looking at devices that provide their own power, typically via a battery. Anything powered by USB only is going to have a hard time producing enough current. Even the Sundara, which is comparatively easy to drive as planars go, is really not seeing its full potential driven by the w2, the fiio ka3, or even the btr5 (which does have a battery), all of which are rated at approximately 230-240mw max balanced. I think the hip dac is about the least powerful device I would attempt to use to drive low impedance low-sensitivity planars. I can't even say that will work, but I can say none of the dongles do. For my needs, usb powered dongles are insufficient for that purpose. Just not enough current.
 
Dec 6, 2021 at 11:17 PM Post #4,320 of 5,290
Thanks! No blind buy then :)

Do you know any more current or announced dongles with decent power output (4.4 BAL) and physical pause/next/previous buttons?
Reposting my message from S2 thread:
-----
After staying with W2 (S1 is collecting the dust since I bought W2) for half a year I have this itch again, mainly because of:
- constantly failing USB cables (could only be solved with DAP)
- high power drain (same, though S2 seems to be less hungry than W2)
- lack of physical FF/rewind/pause buttons (big win for S2)
- search for better, more solid and natural timbre with mellower yet detailed mids (liked DX300, could be addressed by RU6/S2 as well, also looking at RS6)
- desire to have more juice (currently listening at 60-75 volume high gain on W2 which is pushing its limits a bit too much and prevents me from buying planars like A2C).

DX300 and probably RS6 tick all the boxes though I'm a bit tight on budget and not actually ready to spend over $1k on this hobby again, so S2 could be a good compromise here.
------
Sounds alike where I was 2 weeks ago. Bought the W2 shortly after it was released for use with new iPhone mini. Between the battery draw and cable issue it found a much better match with the iPad Air 4 using the solid L shaped usb c to c adapter pictured below instead of a cable.

W2 is great for my at home use but still wanted something portable with better sound quality than the W2. I was also looking into something like the ibasso dx310 or the hiby rs6.

After a lot of thought decided really didn’t need the quality of the dx310 or rs6 for portable use. With this hobby you can spend a small fortune for something that be outdated in a couple of years. The ideal of carry around a $1200 or more device along with me being clumsy started sounding like a disaster waiting to happen. Add that technology will improve over time and also battery life issue that I felt it be better to just get something mid range. The size of the ibasso dx310 or even the hiby RS6 is rather large and I felt there also to big to be a a pocketable dap.

Ended up buying the Shanling M6 Pro (21) on sale for $633 and it’s satisfying my needs has better sound quality than W2 and size wise it’s almost same size of the iPhone 12 mini just twice as thick. For me a mid priced dap ended up a better fit.



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