Luxury & Precision W4 Review
Luxury & Precision is a rather esoteric audio brand famous for R2R digital audio players with sublimely natural sound signatures & stratospheric price tags.
The W4 is the successor to L&P’s W2 dongle, and its’ USD $449 price attracts almost as much attention as the W4’s unique appearance that’s reminiscent of the Astell & Kern SR35 I recently reviewed.
This Luxury & Precision W4 was generously loaned to me for this review by Head-Fi poster grumpy123, and I’m extremely keen to see if it can live up to its’ steep asking price.
Packaging
The USD $449 Luxury & Precision W4 comes bundled with a user manual, warranty card, USB-C to USB-C cable, USB-C to Lightning cable & USB-A to USB-C adapter.
There’s also a leather case you can purchase separately.
Features & Ergonomics
Powered by an LP5108 chip developed by Luxury & Precision themselves, the W4 features a hefty 420mW of output from its’ 4.4mm jack. Boasting two gain modes, 5 digital filters and 9 hardware EQ modes, it also features a SPDIF Line Out that functions from its’ 3.5mm jack only. PCM files up to 384kHz & DSD up to DSD256 are supported.
At 23.4 grams the W4 feels extremely light & made for genuine portable use, yet its’ machined aluminium case is extremely smooth & luxurious to the touch. It’s the only dongle I’ve tried that features a volume wheel, which feels lovely to turn with decisive tactile clicks reminiscent of Astell & Kern players.
The slanted screen shows you the current volume level & sample rate, and is decently readable despite being quite small.
Sound Performance
I tested the W4 with a USB-C iPhone 15 Pro & M1 Macbook Air, using Noble Audio Spartacus IEMs.
The W4 paints a fairly neutral picture with an emphasis on maximising technical performance. There’s a slightly warm tonality to avoid the impression of being cold or clinical, but W4 is extremely clear & transparent with a sound that balances musicality with accuracy, leaning slightly towards the former.
Bass is tight and deep, with slightly enhanced quantity without drifting too far from neutrality.
The W4 midrange is satisfyingly rich & full but does not dominate the presentation, nor are vocals thrust forward excessively but instead the listener is positioned several rows back from the stage.
Treble is perhaps the best I’ve heard from any dongle, with articulation & detail approaching that of mid-level DAPs. However quantity is firmly kept in check if you’re treble sensitive, and if anything has been tastefully softened to avoid fatigue.
Most impressive are the W4’s technical capabilities which are the best of any dongle to date. Resolution is genuinely impressive and on par with many DAPs, the soundstage is not only broad but deeper than that of most dongles, and imaging is very precise. Dynamics & note weight are also excellent.
Dongle Comparisons
iFi Go Bar 10th Anniversary (USD $499)
The 10th Anniversary has a significantly higher noise floor which is evident during quiet passages of music, and its’ sound signature is much warmer and more bass driven whereas the W4 sounds cleaner and more neutral.
However the 10th Anniversary is also darker, with a smoother presentation that emphasises technical performance less so the soundstage isn’t as deep nor is resolution as high, but there is a little more body to the performance at the expense of neutrality.
Cayin RU7 (USD $289)
RU7 sports a more midrange-centric tonality that’s a bit smoother & more organic than W4 but does not mute the treble quite as much as the 10th Anniversary does.
RU7 also goes closest to W4’s technical capabilities though its’ soundstage is still slightly less deep with resolution being a touch diminished as well. I do prefer RU7’s more musical tonality to W4’s which sounds more ‘hi-fi’ by comparison, though W4 has slightly more impressive bass texture but can sound a bit more clinical when A/Bed with the RU7.
Penon Tail (USD $74)
The Tail is tuned with greater lower midrange prominence and more forward vocals, and more midbass emphasis to deliver a more fun, groovy sound.
The price difference between these two dongles is reflected in their performance gap however, with the W4 making the Tail feel a touch unrefined, lacking the same precision & cleanliness with treble in particular feels more simplified, resolution being lower and the soundstage lacking the same depth.
Conclusion
Given the Go Bar 10th Anniversary’s limited availability, the Luxury & Precision W4 is the most expensive dongle most enthusiasts will consider purchasing so it’s under pressure to deliver the goods – but it certainly does!
W4 is clearly the most capable dongle we’ve seen at enhancing IEM technical performance. Its’ ability to project a deep, three-dimensional soundstage in particular is reminiscent of high end DAPs, and of all dongles W4 comes closest to bridging the sonic gap between them, though some distance remains.
Of course no product is perfect and the W4’s high price counts against it, as does its’ tonality which is more neutral & “hi-fi” sounding than many other dongles, so I can imagine some users preferring the Cayin RU7’s more analogue timbre instead.
The W4 has raised the dongle bar & thrown down the gauntlet to other manufacturers, and made me even more eager to sample new Luxury & Precision products in future. Where dongles go from here in the coming years will be exciting to witness.
Introduction
Luxury & Precision W4 Review
iFi Go Bar 10th Anniversary Review
Cayin RU7 Review
Penon Tail Review
Dongle Shootout Summary
better use better devices as souce