Loxjie A40 HiFi Integrated Stereo Power Amplifier – DAC and MQA-CD with 165W x 2 Driving Power
Loxjie A40 is a $255 USD entry-level Integrated Power Amplifier with a huge driving power per channel, HDMI ARC input, USB input, Aux Input, Phono input, and with both a Speaker Output and a Headphone Output. Today we will explore the diverse and boundless world of the A40 and see just how it sounds like and what Loxjie stands for as a brand.
Introduction
Loxjie is a Chinese brand, sold and fulfilled by most Chifi Channels, and the product offering includes a large number of high-quality amplifiers, DACs and other high performance products, which have been well received and are known to cost very little for the kind of performance they offer. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Huge thanks to SMSL and Loxjie for providing us with the sample for this review.
PROs – Safe and gentle tuning that allows you to enjoy A40 at all volumes, multiple EQ options to tune it, Treble and Bass manual tuning, HDMI ARC that works well, Optical and USB input, good and reliable DAC chip, good driving power, and a large number of inputs. Extremely good value, A40 includes LDAC and aptX HD, as well as a noise-free speaker amplifier, plus a fairly potent headphone output.
Cons – The balanced 4.4mm output for headphones is single ended and made in the 4.4mm format. For most speakers and headphones, you will have to pump some bass and treble using the EQ settings. Noticeable HDMI ARC Delay, and 1st second of a song is cut via the USB input.
Product Link
Official Link – https://hifi-express.com/products/loxjie-a40
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4hjPAHq
Build Quality/Aesthetics
Loxjie A40 is a Speaker Amplifier with Hi-Res Wireless Audio input, and while this may sound like a word salad at first, it is more like a multimedia center that includes absolutely everything you can think of, and you can imagine. This variant is newly released in 2024 and it includes literally everything when it comes to the input and the output list. Before we dig into the technical data, we can explore the inner design, and we have an Infineon MA5332Ms Silicon Carbide Digital Amplifier Chip, which is a Class D AMP.
The volume control is supported by a NJW1194 controller, and we have multiple EQ profiles, with adjustments for both Treble and Bass, and a Subwoofer output for connecting a 2.1 System directly to A40. The Bluetooth input supports AAC, SBC, but also LDAC and aptX HD, which makes A40 an instant favorite as it supports more bluetooth codecs than the vast majority of entry-level products, even when you count in entry-level headphones.
Loxjie even includes a remote with the A40, and likely the most popular feature it has is the HDMI ARC input, which supports TVs. I was able to connect my Samsung QN95C TV to my computer as the digital source, and then to Loxjie A40, and my TV sees the A40 as an output option. It can even send Dolby Atmos signals to it and it seems to all work very well. There is a noticeable delay of 50 ms – 100 ms when using the HDMI ARC option, but most TVs have a setting to compensate for this, and from what I can gather, it is a normal part of how HDMI ARC would work.
There are 5 types of digital filters and out of the EQ options there are three that just add bass. This may be necessary as we will explore in the sound part of the review. There are headphone outputs, both in a 6.35 mm single ended format and in a 4.4mm balanced format. The headphone output is not balanced, but has the balanced format.
The THD+N spread at 8 OHMs shows a fairly consistent THD of below 0.1% for wattages below 60W, which will cover the needs of most people, but a sharp increase if going for 100W and above. The same curve can be observed for the 4 OHM impedance output. This being said, the dynamic range is very good, at 109 dB, and Frequency response is flat. The DAC chip powering the A40 is a CS43131 which we’ve seen in more than half of newly released DACs.
USB DAC / Subjective Usage
If using the A40 as a USB DAC, there is no noticeable USB DAC delay, and the sound is virtually the same as if using the HDMI ARC input. It is almost always the same sound for the digital inputs, including the Bluetooth input, which is an interesting achievement. While I don’t have the equipment to test the phono input, I can confirm that the RCA input works well with almost no noise, inherited front he DAC, the Coaxial input works very well, and the optical input too.
A40 works well, I encountered zero critical errors while using it, and it does not get hot or even warm during usage, staying chill and safe temperature wise. I found all inputs to work well, with no errors subjectively. First second of each song is cut off when pressing play.
Sound Quality
Pairings – To test the A40 I have paired it as a stereo amplifier to drive Pylon Audio Diamond 30 mKII, Audience ClairAudient 1+1 V5 and NHT C3. For headphones, I have paired the A40 with MIRPH-1, Dan Clark Audio Expanse, Erzetich Thalia. The balanced output is there for convenience and we do not have a power rating, but I was able to see that A40 can drive Expanse and Thalia very well at lower volumes, while MIRPH-1 does not even need that much power and it is driven very well even at higher volumes. Background noise is almost non-existent with large headphones, but I would not pair the A40 with IEMS in general as the output impedance is not quoted. For speakers, it has more than enough power for all the three speaker setups I have tested with A40, but the signature is a bit of an oddball.
Overall Signature – Speaking of which, the tuning is more or less the same as the SMSL entry-level sonic tuning, which is a mid-centric sound with a soft, and gentle presentation, smooth treble and a fluid texture for all instruments. This kind of tuning works well as a “safe” option for all music, it presents good resolution and detail, it allows you to pump the volume high and is a reliable, detailed sound. The same sound can be found on both the headphone output and the speaker output, and my educated guess is that this is an intentional tuning, and not a result of the DAC or the AMP chips used inside. With speakers, I noticed zero background noise with all speakers, but I had to pump in some extra bass and some extra treble to make the A40 sound more reference and more to my liking, the default signature being fairly mid centric. The technical performance is fairly good though.
Bass – The bass is quite neutral, lean and “safe” by default, having a slow speed, long decay and a neutral-ish slightly rolled off presentation. This being said, there are multiple options to enhance it, and it feels like Loxjie went with this tuning to keep A40 from being fatiguing with any speakers or headphones. This safe bass has a bit of extra warmth around 120 Hz, which creates a bit of bloom.
Midrange – A40 has a mid centric sound which pushes the forward mid layer in the foreground, and allows the background layers to be projected further behind. Female voices are sweet, pleasing, and are played in a large and open space, while male voices are deep and crisp. The midrange is very detailed and pleasing. Guitars are natural in tonality, and so are most synths.
Treble – With a safe, lean treble, A40 presents music with a soft, gentle and relaxed treble, clean and distortion-free top end. In fact, when you push the volume too much, the THd grows in the midrange, and you can never really hear much distortion in the treble. As the treble is softly rolled off and has around 4-7 dB less than what is considered reference, you can engage more treble from the EQ inside of the A40, and I recommend you do so.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – The sound is best at lower volumes, and A40 struggles to keep up with hard to drive headphones, being best with easier to drive headphones like MIRPH-1. At medium volumes, the THD is lowest and the control is best, with the sweetest midrange and best dynamic range, so you’re best off listening at a medium volume to get the best performance out of the A40.
Dynamics Handling – If you listen to songs that are extremely dynamically compressed or complex, A40 will struggle to render everything, and it handles simpler, less loud pop the best. It works really well with Jazz, Classical and relaxed music, sounding aggressive and nervous with metal and music that is simply mixed and mastered too loud.
PRaT / Textures – With a soft, gentle texture, the character of a40 is full wet, it is a fluid sounding Amplifier / DAC that never has any kind of edginess or harshness.
Soundstage – A pretty big surprise, A40 can project music nicely in both the lateral and vertical plane, music sounds very 3-Dimensional and wide. Even the forward layer is kept in control a bit out of the foreground, while all the other layers are pushed back too, creating a sound that is a bit distant, wide and with a good depth. Instrument separation is natural for the price point, A40 will blend most instruments together instead of surgically cutting them apart.
Value and Conclusion
It goes without saying, that for a DAC / Headphone AMP / Integrated Stereo AMP, Loxjie A40 has an extremely high value, having all the inputs you can ever need, a noise-free, quiet output for both headphones and speakers, and a good driving power, plus a reliable build quality, it never gets too hot, and it simply works well, all advertised features being implemented well.
At the end of the day, regardless whether you need a DAC for your PC, a solution to enjoy music from your streamer, TV, to power up some speakers, or a pair of headphones, A40 is a really versatile Integrated AMP that I can fully recommend for someone who wants to stay on a trite budget.
Product Link
Official Link – https://hifi-express.com/products/loxjie-a40
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4hjPAHq
--- Please remember to stay safe, and always have fun while listening to music!---
- If you have a dime to spare, please donate, and help us! It would make the day brighter for me and my wife-
Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
--- Contact Us ---
