Luxury & Precision P6 Pro R2R DAP Review - Summit-Fi In Your Pocket

[@GoldenSound]

One important thing that I forgot to mention in the video: The USB implementation on this DAP is not great. It limits playback to 16 bits, and sounded considerably worse than local file playback even with 16 bit content. If purchasing this DAP, do not plan on also using it as your main desktop DAC too. But also, the battery life on the P6 Pro is crazy good! It regularly lasted several days without charging, even when being used heavily.

[@FabioKasper]

2:16 I'm confused.

[@GoldenSound]

@@FabioKasper I was comparing using a desktop setup, vs just using this (with local playback, not USB). I should have been more clear in the video about this though.

[@FabioKasper]

@@GoldenSound no problem. Thanks!

[@alexanderokonnikov2480]

What about using SPDIF in? Is it there in 3.5 socket? If yes, I guess it should be mini-Toslink? For those who still use, for example, MacBook Pro up to 2015 models (or Mac Mini up to 2014), this option could be attractive solution. To be honest, I always prefer toslink to USB if I'm provided with such choice.

[@SpiritualPsychotherapyServices]

​@@GoldenSound, which Micro SD cards to buy/avoid?

[@Dan_Mellinger]

Absolutely love the P6Pro Obsidian with a set of IEMs as a travel solution.

[@charlesmalmasson9698]

This really seems like a special piece of kit, but when it comes to DAPs I can’t help but feel that those companies should give the option to buy the same product minus the player part. I mean if a portable DAC/amp section can go toe to toe with the best of full size flagships, you would think it would be available on its own, especially when the player UX is that poor.

[@mechpade]

Yeah, I wish DAP manufacturers make an optional interface to have the DAP's already installed music apps and saved music be controlled by your phone.

[@carminedesanto6746]

Holy Craptacular 😳 Great review as always thank you! I’m good with my IFI Go Blue and Moondrop Variarions …and pocketing the change .

[@arrakian]

Great review on a *very* appealing product. Please keep in touch wit L&P for firmware updates to this. I’d really like to see thus fleshed out and own top tier status with no caveats.

[@anirbansaha5162]

Is it anyway comparable with Sony wm1zm2 or ibasso DX 320 max ti?

[@RFTak]

Great to see a proper review of this lovely DAP! I agree on your comments about the timbre. You need to try the LP6 which adds the spatial accuracy with better transients ;-)

[@arrakian]

I’d love to see this (with the USB fixed) as a DAC amp for phone use.

[@amaya897]

you can use it with BT, the implementation is superb.

[@arrakian]

@amaya897 for this price, I'd need the full bandwidth of USB for hi-res audio.

[@amaya897]

@@arrakian well there is no. And there is no other dap that sounds as good as P6 Pro right now.

[@tomwalker7629]

Please can you recommend a pairing between the Jewel, Traillii or other IEM. Like you I like the Atrium best of all my headphones and paired with an R2R and tube. TIA

[@tomwalker7629]

Please, Like you I like the Atrium best. So for Iem I like Traillii. Considering this should I go with the P6, A&K SP3000, or A&K SP 3000T? TIA

[@jamesbush2720]

Great review!

[@hulmemane.t.1108]

Would love to hear your opinion on HiBy's RS8 R-2R ladder DAC, compared to this one?

[@jafizzle95]

Would be interesting to see this device go head to head with something slightly more "pedestrian", like the FiiO M17. The former is a device that does one thing extremely well, the latter is a device that does basically everything very very well, and cheaper. I've used the M17 as my main desktop DAC/amp for months at a time, and at 3 watts when running on A/C, it can power most things easily. I think it sounds far better than several other portable audio solutions I've tried, as well as several desktop DACs and amps.

[@zendatastudio]

I also have a M17 but traded for N8ii because it being a bit fatiguing

[@nyvoreviews5443]

I liked m17 for he1000v1 and Mest mk2. M17 has way more power than p6 pro, P6 pro was struggling with rhapsodio infinity mk2 IEMs on the amp side. M17 really only struggled with Susvara. The dac is better on p6 pro though.

[@zendatastudio]

@@nyvoreviews5443 How about sound quality wise? I find the M17 vocal to be too close, almost to your face. Does P6 pro has better sound?

[@nyvoreviews5443]

@@zendatastudio the closest thing that it sounds like is Rme adi pro 2 dac fs… but with slightly better dynamics but if you watch Rme adi pro 2 dac fs reviews. That is very similar. It is more laid back than m17 with a darker background, but much less powerful.

[@andrewwebb1911]

Thank you!

[@hifivaliant8937]

NOS has major technical shortcomings which cause audible distortions... probably why golden was talking about issues with timbre, but not directly addressing the technical reasons behind this.

[@vagomaniac]

Man get your hands on the gustard r26 r2r dac. Maybe does timbre better than the x26 pro you complained?

[@Bozyilmaz8]

How would you compare this to A&K sp3000 or SE300 ?

[@greaterbayareahero1401]

If you think this is one of the best try the LP6TI, it is another level up and I have to say still the best in the world. Pity it is limited edition and impossible to get. You do need the IEM to go with it and it will push it to it's limit. The AMP on the LP6TI is like a desktop AMP. Mr Wan who designed this is is pure genius and exceptional perfectionist. This is the reason why you buy LP products.

[@Puroplatino]

Is the sound profile the same? I like the tonal density of this dap.

[@tomwalker7629]

Is it fatiguing with female vocals because of forward mids?

[@HENGBUNG]

Have you any experience with Chord's Hugo 2? If so, how would the P6 Pro compare to the Hugo 2/ 2go combo?

[@alistairhodge833]

Any word on streaming with it and Roon?

[@kautkascitadaks]

Thanks for the video. Could you check out ibasso dx240.

[@vaksilvaksil9939]

When you will review the mojo2

[@darrellross8609]

I , USB my hiby5 to my dac. Lovely. Best, D.

[@robeperez8626]

Have you listened to the new Gustard R26 R2R DAC which one reviewer said that it’s the best under $3500?

[@jamesthoma4927]

I would consider this at $4k but not with their interface which seems clunky and inept and no OS. Likewise I want the ability to stream Tidal and Qobuz which apparently you can't do with this? Sound quality is great but if you can't get the music readily to play what good is it? Still lovely review. Keep up the great work

[@SteveT0000]

Ferrum review coming?

[@richkovach]

Hiby RS6 comparison would be interesting

[@chrishalle1982]

what DAP would you recommend for about 200€£????

[@NeoGaming666]

Can anyone comment on LP6Pro vs SP3000?(sound wise and drivability)

[@verbatim_transfer]

what other DAPs have you tried besides this unit?

[@fab_fourr]

When q test of Gustard R26?

[@HiFiInsider]

P6 sounds very good but the OS UI and UX needs work.

[@ShadowHolder748]

Any plans on doing a full review of the Mojo 2?

[@dennislam8102]

how about sony wm1zm2 comparing to this one?

[@kurt120032002]

this price point is laughable. it may be the best sounding source ever. It could outclass 30k gear it is still dumb. Why? because it has built in 2 time bombs. 1 st it is battery life 2nd it is software and compatibility .

[@En_Joshi-Godrez]

I have a feeling this will deprecate much like those hifiman daps because of its massive usability shortcomings. If you can get one for around a 1/3 then it might be in the realm of possibility.

[@johnratcliffe6438]

What was the name of that Viking track you played on one of your videos recently please? Have been trying to find it and can't even find which video it was in. Thanks @goldensound

[@nyvoreviews5443]

Sounded in-between Rme adi dac 2 fs and Pontus II to me.

[@imosolar]

Great review and KZbin channel

[@johnshaw359]

The irony of portable digital devices being the one of the main reason we have had to endure 1 bit/delta sigma DACs has not been lost on me.

[@razisn]

What are you talking about. First generation 1bit DACs, then called bitstream, were introduced in full size CDPs back in the early 90s. Both those and the R2R dacs that existed before were chip based dacs.

[@johnshaw359]

@@razisn It was to cut costs of requiring precision resistors and power consumption that allowed CD to go mobile, roundabout 1990.

[@razisn]

@@johnshaw359 no precision resistors used at the time, at least in consumer audio. There were Integrated chip based multibit dacs (similar PCM conversion principle as R2R) which were then substituted by the early delta sigma chip based dacs (branded as bitstream) which were all the rage at the time. I was around. Were you?

[@johnshaw359]

Yes I'm a service tech, so I know what I'm talking about, I had a portable Sony and later a micromega stage 2 which was DAC7 dual differential 1 bit.

[@razisn]

@@johnshaw359 that was after the multibit chip dacs. There were no R2R ladders used in dacs until very recently. Chip based multibit PCM conversion turned into chip based delta sigma PDM conversion just because it was more accurate. Nothing to do with mobile devices. DAC7 TDA1547 was a switched capacitor architecture chip.

[@SteveHuffer]

The biggest problem that potential buyers should remember about any DAP is that, whilst it's convenient to have everything (UI, Apps, hardware, etc.) in one device, the payoff is that in a surprisingly short time, the UI and processor speed begin to feel clunky and slow, no matter how snappy they are to begin with. Dedicated Linux implementations are better, no doubt, but eventually the apparent rot sets in. Added to that in Android is the concern of security when the updates cease (albeit some companies claim to address this). I know the retort will be that technology is always like this, but the problem with DAPs is that they tend to be lower-tier SoCs to begin with (with less RAM), are relatively more expensive (or in the case of this one: actually very expensive), with a clunkier OS implementation and are brought into stark relief by the likelihood of the user buying a speedy new phone every year to compare it unfavourably to. Added to this is that the batteries used seem to be second or third tier with a faster degredation of capacity (presumably the best stocks are reserved for Samsung and Apple). I have a second-hand Hiby R5 (original) which is really very good, but it's days of streaming music services were numbered from the moment it was released. It will probably eventually become a local music server of some type (the Hiby software is excellent for this, to be fair), but the 512gb SD card limit will make this less than straightforward too.

[@greaterbayareahero1401]

I 100% agree with you. Luxury and Precision went down this GUI design road because less is more. It is super fast with no frills. The fact that LP is so expensive and it holds it value is because their customer just goes for "The SOUND". If you have heard LP6TI, it is a 5 years old technology, but still the unbeaten even by AK and others trying for over 5 years. It is light and no frills just pure brilliant sound. I have tried almost every DAP on the market and know it is the BEST. Just listen to it and come back and tell me I am right. :)

[@OptLab]

Why buying those huge dac boxes when we can get this for the (almost) same price.

[@TorToroPorco]

The UI and software is probably the biggest drawback to most Chinese DAPs. I’ve owned a DAP from Aune as well as the Luxury & Precision L3 (which was beautifully built). The Aune was horrid while the L3 was usable but could have been much better. The Aune had a handful of bug fixes but no UI improvements. The L3 had a couple of minor UI improvements. Firmware updates pretty much ended after a year. Hiby has probably the best software and UI support to the point where even their lower end DAPs can be used as streaming devices and controlled remotely through the HibyLink function. I hope the P6 has a battery which is easily replaceable especially given its price and the likelihood that you’d want to keep it for a long time.

[@maegnificant]

a 3.5-inch IPS screen with 480 x 320 resolution for 4k bucks :D

[@billywindsock9597]

The operating system would turn this from an expensive dap into a very expensive window missile very quickly. My A&K is not perfect, but it is easy to navigate through my library.

[@thewaygokid3135]

Is the firmware updatable if they improve the UI?

[@ethr95awd]

The P6 Pro Shuffle available at your local Apple Store! :D

[@Malangsufi]

I bought the P6 version when it first came out in China. My unit ended up getting bricked and I tried getting it repaired to no luck. As I bought my unit from China, I need to fly back to China to get it repaired.

[@gabriol110]

I've owned 3 different L&P players, I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. On every player the Ui has been utter trash, they have had years & years to figure it out but have failed miserably. Does this one show all the album art, if so it will be their first ever player that does.

[@theodoro89]

I've never in my life understood high end DAPs. Why would you need extremely high fidelity on the road anyway? I literally have no idea what's their use case. I get the use cases of a DAP , but not the high end ones, but then again I don't understand people with yachts that only stay in ports.

[@Dan_Mellinger]

I use this with a set of CIEMs during work travel. Pretty much in my ears once I pass security until I’m heading out to my first meeting.

[@theodoro89]

@@Dan_Mellinger But when you're traveling there's so much noise that will mask a lot of the music. Even microphonics will completely mask every little detail of your super expensive gear. A usb dongle dacs also sound great and I don't believe someone could tell the difference between a cheap usb dongle and a super expensive DAP. Not to mention that you might miss phone calls because it's a separate device.

[@Maxime-ho9iv]

Because people have too much money and they convince themselves about a rationale behind throwing it away.

[@Dan_Mellinger]

@@theodoro89 with custom IEMs you get 20+ dB of isolation. That plus playing music and you can’t hear much of the outside world, which is part of the point. I’m generally not worried about missing calls on an airplane or while actively traveling and using a separate DAP also means I don’t drain my phones battery quite as much.

[@Dan_Mellinger]

@@Maxime-ho9iv or an amount you find necessary others find disposable. I purchase things because I can and they bring me enjoyment. That’s ultimately all that really matters to me.

[@matthewhilty4209]

What an odd little product. It is a niche within a niche within a niche. A very expensive DAP with NOS mode only with a very clunky interface. Well it sounds great and looks pretty for people with a lot of money and patience. They may actually sell tens of units.

[@hebalott]

way choose the pro and not the regular p6.

[@avro66]

Plastic looking wood, why. Especially at that price, buttons don't have wobble, I think whoever' buys that thing needs to give their heads a wobble, a total nonsense.

[@Maxime-ho9iv]

I think at this point those manufacturers are making fun of ourselves. $4,000 that’s non sense. Period. Even with a non-sluggish UI, it would be non-sense. This frenzy we currently live in has to stop.

[@harackmw]

That user interface looks worse than even the Cowon daps.

[@masterazlan6999]

R2r just way expensive then delta sagma..N that obvious not support the industry..peace!

[@waynepayne864]

the consumer audio world is crazy bro thats a glorified mp3 player...

[@hifivaliant8937]

I struggle to understand why you are bothering to even review such a technically flawed product... Bad UI, flawed NOS... If anyone actually likes the sound of aliasing in their audio...it calls into question the discernment of their hearing What's the point of 125dB signal to noise if there are then midrange and HF distortion? To me, products like this make no sense whatsoever..... Except for jumping on an old bandwagon and hoping to get some sales from people with more money than sense. Aren't we beyond this tomfoolery in 2022?

[@spamcan9208]

For 4 grand it's totally unacceptable for a DAP to not have a snappy GUI, search function, and fast scroll bar. If it's infuriating to operate I don't care how good it sounds.

[@Dave30867]

At that pricing you could buy a much better setup . Things are just getting to much of a joke now i cannot take this serious or even worth considering sorry .

[@apj.-.-.-.-.-.-.-119]

like what?

[@Mr1stcat]

Im sorry but 4000$ is a rip

[@doifeellucky]

off.

[@Mr1stcat]

@@doifeellucky exactly

[@doifeellucky]

@@Mr1stcat I wouldn’t spend that amount on something like this even if I won the lottery.

[@aceofspades6667]

poverty is no joke.. but audio does not scale linearly it’s logarithmic

[@Mr1stcat]

@@aceofspades6667 WTF what a strange comment who said anything about poverty ? even someone like me who is solidly middle class wouldn't buy something like that 😄im also thinking about people who work 9-5s which make up most of the people in the audiophile community in my original comment

[@13iGFASTER]

Хуй пойми чë сказал, ни субтитров, ничего вообще. Тут есть владельцы сего чуда? Запилите видео обзор про него на русском языке плиз.

[@SkywhiteChannel]

What happen to this channel? It used to be great.

[@Bozyilmaz8]

How would you compare this to AK se300 or SP3000 ??

[@amaya897]

not even close. SP3000 and T are the usual well resolving l delta sigma with a nice but heavy housing. Nothing to rave about. Same with N8ii and n30le (second one got great amp section). The only competition is RS8 but its tuning is arguable worse.