Without a doubt well worth the money. Paired with my IE900’s they are the best they have ever sounded. Empire Odin also superb. Perfect for no fuss setup. Musicteck shipping to Canada very quick. I have not listened to other dongles but I do have Chord Mojo2 and Hugo2 and have not bothered with them since the W4 arrived. For IEM’s it’s a no-brainer.
I own several DAPs, they just can't beat the convivence of dongles. So I bought several, from $100 ones to $400 ones. W4 is probably the only dongle you need. I also have the W2, bought from MusicTeck as well. W4 is an improvement from every aspect of W2: better details, lower power consumption, higher output power, more expanded stage. The W2 is still a very good device. But the fact that it is discontinued right now and there is W4 existing makes W2 an obvious inferior choice to W4. If you have the budget for W4, or simply want to try the best that a dongle could offer, you will not be disappointed by this device. Also, this dongle is beautifully made, the original leather case is very pretty too.
Like always, MusicTeck is a great website to buy from. Shipment is always so fast and more importantly, the packaging is really nice: always wrapped in bubbles and tightly sealed.
It's been a long time since I was really impressed by some DAC products after 9038pro and AK4499 came out and flipped the desktop DAC market. Yeah, for the portable side of the game, an implementation based on CS43131 is also a significant improvement but somewhat underwhelming without reaching the threshold of theoretically comprehensible optimum. Kudos to L&P for striving above and beyond, even doing their own SIP to present the best CS43131 implementation with a measured SINAD of over 119 dB.
P.S. The leather case is kind of underwhelming compared to the device.
First, the shipping via DHL is escellent.
And, now, via Iphone+Roon ARC, the sound of a 300 ohms earbuds is perfect to my ears, at the good level.
The L&P sound is there !
I own the LP6ti7AE and my listening pleasure continues with the W4.
The same universe, analog and bright, precise and harmonious.
Stellar spec'ed dongle and MusicTeck shipped it to Europe really fast.
Listening with Leo's switch tuning 'ON', if I were to describe it in one sentence - very coherent, natural, musical tuning with top tier technicalities in the best possible way. If you are looking for a top tier all-rounder, look no further than the Pentara. With the amount of drivers and crossovers, it is impressive to achieve such technical details and tuning at a truly flagship level. Buy with confidence if this is what you look for
Pronounced and very high quality, tight, punchy, textured, controlled bass. Mids with enough warmth, emotion, note weight. Never thin or analyctical. Treble that provides clarity, detail, and air without sharpness and fatigue for me. Very deep and wide soundstage that expands like a sphere. Excellent resolution and imaging. No congestion. I do not have issues with anything in the frequency range that I can fault personally like I do with other IEMs. Everything just sounds right. Nothing sounds artificial or weird. Not recommended for bassheads seeking for more bass but rather for those that want neutral-warm leaning sound with pronounced and elevated bass.
UM's tuning switch '1' leans slightly less bass quantity, more clarity, and opens up the soundstage a little bit
Two different tunings that are noticeably different but useful from each other rather than being inferior. Easy to use the switches that compliment each other with tacticle sound
90% of the time I will prefer the switch on with Leo's tuning because it invokes a lot more emotion and dynamics with the elevated bass and warmth in the mids. Just my preference
Fairly easy to drive but scales with power or better DAC/AMP
Only major gripe I have is that the stock cable sucks tbh. Not ergonomic, heavy, stiff, minor microphonics, emits a minor sinewave hiss with my DAP as a USB DAC which I do not have with other cables. Recommend using a better cable up to user's choice
I notice that the treble does get a little spicy with poorly mastered songs with elevated treble though that is fairly rare
Lack of accessories and unboxing experience is not a big deal if you are ultimately chasing the sound anyway
As a self-proclaimed Astell fan and current owner of an SP3K, I hesitated quite a bit before upgrading to the SP4K, wondering if it was a halfway point (like an SP3.5K). I also wasn't particularly interested in an open-source Android system. Fortunately, I decided to take the plunge. The SP4K has turned out to be a complete surprise, to the point that it's the best DAP I've ever heard in terms of sound quality. A huge soundstage, bass with a texture I've never experienced before, and an astonishing level of detail. A total success.
These punch way above their price point. Very good bass for ba drivers that doesn’t make me miss dynamic drivers. Great technical performance, extended treble but not harsh. Love this set!
















