[Currawong]

Quick impressions: With Horowitz in Moscow, which I use to test piano reproduction, the W4 was a clear step up from the W2-131 using the Liric and Expanse. Not sure if it'll be that much better with all music and headphones. I'm using an M17 as the transport/source, for convenience. It does sound like someone paralleled 4 CS DACs. The clicky volume control is much nicer.

Yes, there's the corner of an RU7 in the pic. That is being run-in at the moment. It sounds rather soft at the moment.

This website is a reliable source of information, the administrator of L7audiolab has an AP555, which has been used to measure many audio devices.

Not disagreeing, but owning precision measurement equipment doesn't guarantee anything. We've already seen people measuring gear making gross mistakes, rigging the measurements to favour manufacturers (or the reverse, manufacturers making equipment that it performs best with analysers and less well with actual music). I don't think that there's anything wrong with a manufacturer prioritising low distortion in their designs, but it has to be low distortion of the music.

 

[VisalEziomi]

Quick impressions: With Horowitz in Moscow, which I use to test piano reproduction, the W4 was a clear step up from the W2-131 using the Liric and Expanse. Not sure if it'll be that much better with all music and headphones. I'm using an M17 as the transport/source, for convenience. It does sound like someone paralleled 4 CS DACs. The clicky volume control is much nicer.

Yes, there's the corner of an RU7 in the pic. That is being run-in at the moment. It sounds rather soft at the moment.


Not disagreeing, but owning precision measurement equipment doesn't guarantee anything. We've already seen people measuring gear making gross mistakes, rigging the measurements to favour manufacturers (or the reverse, manufacturers making equipment that it performs best with analysers and less well with actual music). I don't think that there's anything wrong with a manufacturer prioritising low distortion in their designs, but it has to be low distortion of the music.

Please let us know your comparison W4 and RU7!! Which one has Better technical?

 

[FRank liu d]

Quick impressions: With Horowitz in Moscow, which I use to test piano reproduction, the W4 was a clear step up from the W2-131 using the Liric and Expanse. Not sure if it'll be that much better with all music and headphones. I'm using an M17 as the transport/source, for convenience. It does sound like someone paralleled 4 CS DACs. The clicky volume control is much nicer.

Yes, there's the corner of an RU7 in the pic. That is being run-in at the moment. It sounds rather soft at the moment.


Not disagreeing, but owning precision measurement equipment doesn't guarantee anything. We've already seen people measuring gear making gross mistakes, rigging the measurements to favour manufacturers (or the reverse, manufacturers making equipment that it performs best with analysers and less well with actual music). I don't think that there's anything wrong with a manufacturer prioritising low distortion in their designs, but it has to be low distortion of the music.

Measurement is reproducible and verifiable.

Moreover, measurement results generally show that a flawed circuit design will lead to low results, and after correcting the design errors, the measurement results will improve.

 

[FRank liu d]

Quick impressions: With Horowitz in Moscow, which I use to test piano reproduction, the W4 was a clear step up from the W2-131 using the Liric and Expanse. Not sure if it'll be that much better with all music and headphones. I'm using an M17 as the transport/source, for convenience. It does sound like someone paralleled 4 CS DACs. The clicky volume control is much nicer.

Yes, there's the corner of an RU7 in the pic. That is being run-in at the moment. It sounds rather soft at the moment.


Not disagreeing, but owning precision measurement equipment doesn't guarantee anything. We've already seen people measuring gear making gross mistakes, rigging the measurements to favour manufacturers (or the reverse, manufacturers making equipment that it performs best with analysers and less well with actual music). I don't think that there's anything wrong with a manufacturer prioritising low distortion in their designs, but it has to be low distortion of the music.

I am also an user of the W4, and I believe that the SQ of the W4, just like its measurement results, is truly outstanding.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Yes, there's the corner of an RU7 in the pic. That is being run-in at the moment. It sounds rather soft at the moment.

Curios how it fares technically against W4 or even its older brother W2.

 

[Currawong]

Please let us know your comparison W4 and RU7!! Which one has Better technical?

The W4 only just arrived, but my initial feeling is that the detail and dynamics are better. I reckon if you like the W2, you'll also like the W4. The RU7 sounds excessively soft to me. The counter to that is that the W4, at least with the Meze Liric (which I like with the W2), pushes the music and detail in your face, and it's not a relaxed listen. I'm not sure that I don't prefer the compromises with the RU6.

 

[ClieOS]

My opinion is that, measurement is always great at finding obvious flaw, but not as much at matching preference. On contrast, listening is great at matching preference, but not as much at finding flaw. A bit of both and we'll have the right balance, except most people only tend to subscribe to one or the other.

 

[Polky74]

The W4 only just arrived, but my initial feeling is that the detail and dynamics are better. I reckon if you like the W2, you'll also like the W4. The RU7 sounds excessively soft to me. The counter to that is that the W4, at least with the Meze Liric (which I like with the W2), pushes the music and detail in your face, and it's not a relaxed listen. I'm not sure that I don't prefer the compromises with the RU6.

Strange that you prefer W4 to RU7 but then you say that perhaps you prefer RU6 to W4... maybe all this has to do with a bit of running-in that RU7 lacks (which should be perfectly halfway between W4 and the RU6). But it could also be due to the synergy with headphones/IEMs and music. I'll be curious, if you want, to hear your impression after a bit of running in and testing with different headphones/IEMs.

 

[emilsoft]

The W4 only just arrived, but my initial feeling is that the detail and dynamics are better. I reckon if you like the W2, you'll also like the W4. The RU7 sounds excessively soft to me. The counter to that is that the W4, at least with the Meze Liric (which I like with the W2), pushes the music and detail in your face, and it's not a relaxed listen. I'm not sure that I don't prefer the compromises with the RU6.

Sounds like there's no winner for this chicken dinner... still no dongle miracles...

 

[Polky74]

For those interested I started the comparison between the W1, DC04PRO, M15, RU6 and RU7. It's actually not a real comparison but my impressions of these dongles and the various positive aspects you can expect from using them. I opened a special thread so as not to congest this and others relating to individual dongles. As I have availability, I will insert the comments relating to the dongles that have not yet arrived.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-dongle-war-w1-dc04pro-m15-ru6-ru7.968388/#post-17581852

 

[FRank liu d]

Due to the mutiple digital filters and two tuning options of the W4, and its ability to significantly reflect the changes in sound brought by digital filters, I tried several combinations :

tune1+nos: A warmth and natural sound.

fast + tune 2: Suitable for critical listening, instruments are clear and full of texture.

fast+ tune 2 +eq: classic: high dynamic sound and large soundstage

nos+tune 2+ pop:The clarity and presence of both vocals and instruments are emphasized


ll fast + tune 1: Similar to nos, but enhanced the lower end, making the overall sound richer and more solid.

 

[FRank liu d]

Due to the high transparency of the W4, it can also accurately reflect the differences in USB cables and digital sources. I compared various devices, such as the MacBook Pro, Windows PC, Android Phone, and iPad Pro, and several cheap USB cables. The USB cables that I found to have the best SQ are the Lindy Black series, ddHiFi 07s and 09s, and QLS L02.

 

[musicday]

I was watching a WW2 documentary last night with W4, Sony modified headphones and windows 10 and I was once again surprised by the amount of details this dongle is capable of reproducing. Lots of details, wide soundstage with black background and crystal clear audio. If they can improve it even further with more features in the next firmware it will be even better. Or maybe some burn in is needed 100-200 hours, I don't know but I am very happy with my purchase once again, LP has shown they can truly master the dongle audio technology.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Due to the high transparency of the W4, it can also accurately reflect the differences in USB cables

That is something I always wanted to see captured in measurements. Hey, a man can dream, right?

 

[musicday]

A beauty for eyes and ears