About the Brand
LUXURY&PRECISION is a brand dedicated to exploring the depths of music and providing listeners with the ultimate audio experience. Founded in China in 2014 by engineers involved in AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) chip development and the creators of "COLORFLY C4," the brand's core philosophy is "precision instrument-grade performance" and "the pursuit of beautiful sound and texture." Through engineering excellence, rigorous manufacturing processes, meticulous acoustic tuning, and the use of carefully selected materials, LUXURY&PRECISION transcends mere sound reproduction devices. The company develops audio products that embody a true reverence for music, maximizing its inherent charm and delivering profound emotion to the listener.
About the New E-Series Lineup
LUXURY&PRECISION's next-generation DAPs, the "E7 4497PREMIUM/STANDARD," which will be released on August 17, 2024, mark the debut of the E-series. Current lineups include the W-series, which features small DACs and accessories; the P-series, which prioritizes innovation and portability; and the LP-series, the flagship of flagships, which pursues the ultimate enjoyment of sound by prioritizing sound quality above all else, without considering cost or convenience.
The concept behind the newly added E-series is to create products that offer excellent adaptability to future new technologies and complex mechanisms, alongside superior sound quality.
Origin of the Series Name
The letter "E" was chosen because it encompasses the meanings of ECONOMY and EXCHANGE. The term "exchange" in EXCHANGE not only refers to hardware but also includes the mutual relationship of "exchanging old and new ideas," signifying the updating of technical experience. The guideline is to consistently provide flagship-level sound quality while allowing for cost-effective adaptation to superior sound quality through exchange.
Development Background of E7 4497
The goal was to develop a portable player that achieves the highest sound quality among those using ΔΣ decoding chips. While AKM chips have been used in LP5, L5Pro, and L6, demonstrating high capabilities, the AK4497 chip was found to be the most balanced among AKM's flagship chips, offering excellent auditory perception and low power consumption, making it optimally compatible with portable devices. Therefore, the AK4497 was adopted as the first module for the E7.
Thorough In-House Development
1. Innovation in Operating Systems
Unlike previous series, the E7 is equipped with our latest, proprietary operating system. This system is designed to be as small and lightweight as possible, leveraging the low-frequency, high-efficiency, low-interference, and small-area digital circuits used in the E7's digital dial. This allows more power and circuit area to be allocated to the decoding and amplification circuits related to sound quality than with existing systems. To balance sound quality and system operation, we vigorously undertook the code and functional design in-house, as it was not possible to use the large and mature existing Android code. While the development and maintenance of the new system were initially challenging, like the systems installed in other series that have undergone continuous upgrades over the past decade, this new system will also be continually refined. We strive to achieve the convenient operability and functionality of an Android player as much as possible, despite not being one. This has allowed us to provide users with an excellent operating experience while also improving sound quality.
2. The Hidden Power of the AK4497 DAC Chip
While the AK4497 DAC chip was an ideal choice for developing portable players, fully unleashing its potential proved extremely challenging, requiring significant time and effort. A particular difficulty was the considerable variability of the chip. Although the typical THD+N value on the datasheet is -116dB, the minimum value can drop to -108dB. With up to an 8dB difference in the chip's THD+N performance, and this variability differing with each batch, selecting the optimal chips became very difficult. Especially for the PREMIUM model, where the target is -120dB, even after selecting the best-performing chips, the process of precisely matching individual variations was extremely challenging. Another issue was the high power consumption of the analog section. Due to the use of multi-stage stabilization filters, the analog section's power consumption is very high. Therefore, it was necessary to redesign the E7's digital section to reduce power consumption and allocate more power to the analog section. The AK4497 DAC chip is highly sensitive to voltage noise, requiring extreme caution in the system's power design. Through this design review, we were able to ensure the product's battery life while maximizing the chip's potential.
Features of the E7 4497
The "LP Tune" is a highly unique system. Its three tuning modes are based on the co-development of the DAC chip and FPGA chip, differing completely from EQ in terms of reproducibility, audible differences, and principle. Users can combine them as they wish to maximize their appeal.
Regarding the "LPF Op-amp Voltage Adjustment Function," there was a catalyst for a novel approach. It was a very interesting discovery during development that various drivers, such as dynamic drivers and balanced armatures, exhibit different sensitivities to the LPF op-amp voltage. The same applies to hybrid and tribrid designs incorporating multiple types of drivers. For users with various earphones, a fixed voltage could lead to situations where "it works well with this earphone, but not with that one." Therefore, the E7 was designed to allow fine voltage adjustments in 0.1V increments over a wide range, enabling optimal performance for various earphones through adjustment and auditioning.
*Not available on the STANDARD model
The module exchange mechanism reduces the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for audiophiles to purchase, operate, maintain, and upgrade their products. Future upgrades only require purchasing interchangeable modules, thus reducing significant reinvestment. Enjoying different flagship sounds at a lower cost is one of the major features of the E-series. Since future interchangeable modules will come with different accessories, the E7 4497 package and accessories have been kept to a minimum.
Thoughts on Wi-Fi and Streaming Music Playback
Wi-Fi was not included in the E7 4497 because Wi-Fi has high power consumption, significant noise, and interference, leading to a degradation of sound quality. For a device that prioritizes sound quality, the disadvantages are too great, so ultra-low power consumption and low-interference Bluetooth was chosen. We incorporated Bluetooth with a large protocol stack and a low-jitter clock, but we spent a lot of time optimizing the system code and sound quality. Users who want to pursue sound quality while enjoying the convenience of streaming music should try using Bluetooth.
Attention to Exterior Design
The E7 4497 is designed to fit comfortably in a pocket. The exterior color is a sophisticated shade where deep green and black are exquisitely blended, and it is relatively lightweight and compact at 300 grams. However, based on our policy, and in order to maximize the resolution and the amplifier chip's capabilities, and with a view to potentially incorporating complex DAC chips in the future, we secured a sufficient area for the analog circuit. As a result, it is larger and slightly heavier than the P6 series, which prioritized portability.
Finally
LUXURY&PRECISION's product development principle is to prioritize sound quality above all else. Even when conflicting with other demands, sound quality is always prioritized. This stance and dedicated effort ensure that product development not only meets the typical values specified in the DAC chip's datasheet but also achieves output performance beyond them. This is proof that the DAC's sound quality capabilities are being maximized. We particularly focus on the analog circuits, which have the greatest impact in the field of acoustics, and we are confident in their capabilities. For example, we have developed and own original testing equipment with precision and range comparable to world-standard analyzers, and all music players are adjusted during shipment using this in-house developed testing equipment to provide high-quality products that pass our rigorous standards.
We believe that our new E7 4497 lineup will offer a profoundly moving experience to those who enjoy listening to music.
《Product Page》You can check product details here.
*With editor's notes