TechTicker Special: Luxsin X8 DAC/headphone amplifier with AI-supported sound tuning and mega features at a dream price | News

Note in advance: This is not a test report, but a product presentation and advance reporting based on the technical information provided by the manufacturer. A practical test of the device will probably follow later in the year.

The Luxsin brand is an offshoot of eversolo, which is itself a subsidiary of the Zidoo Technology Group. The China-based company with an international team of developers has made headlines in the last few years, especially with its eversolo products. These are audio products – mainly DACs and streamers – that have always stood out from the crowd with a very good price/performance ratio and great features. The company launched another brand, Luxsin, about a year ago. Products for desktop use are primarily intended to be offered under this label. What exactly hits our target group: Mac users and Apple users in general.

You can read the REWIND test of the Luxsin X9, a headphone amplifier with a DAC and many extraordinary features that costs around 1,200 euros, here. The Luxsin X8 that has now been presented is, as the model name suggests, below the X9. Also in terms of price. With an RRP of 699 euros, the X8 is significantly cheaper. But if you look closely at the features and hardware, doubts could arise as to which of the two devices is really the “flagship”.

Luxsin X8: smaller, cheaper, but even more ingenious?
Let’s start with the question of where the manufacturer cut corners to set the price so significantly lower than the X9. The answer is: the X8 has no analog inputs and therefore no analog input circuit and no A/D conversion. The X8 is also somewhat more compact. The X8 is like the X9 no Streamer. It relies on playback from an external source, which on the desktop is ideally the Mac via USB. But of course the X8 also processes music from many other digital source devices. Playback directly from the iPhone and other BT transmitters is also possible via Bluetooth.

But other than that, it would be hard to find other areas where Luxsin has really skimped. The technical specifications are largely identical to the top model. The new X8 also has a very sophisticated D/A converter with support for PCM up to 768 kHz. This is realized here by an amazing, complex array of eight Cirrus Logic CS43198 converter chips in a fully symmetrical structure. Four DAC chips per channel are used. And each of the chips is provided with its own cover to shield against radiation.

The amplifier section of the X8 also impresses with a level of technical effort that is unparalleled in this price range. The This means it effortlessly drives even the most electrically demanding headphones. The OP amps are also encapsulated and shielded in a visually very attractive housing. The entire structure is actually far too pretty to be hidden invisibly in the case. Such attention to detail in the circuitry is otherwise only found in components with a multiple of its price tag. – If any.

The features of the X8 also include the automatic adaptation to the impedance of the connected headphones, familiar from the (More in the test of the X9.) The entire interface is also identical to that of the X9. Which means: The X8 also has a practical touch display with clear menu controls. And of course it can also be controlled via the app.

In some ways, the newcomer is even ahead of its big brother. As a world first, the X8 offers a function for the first time to specifically adjust the sound with the help of AI. How should you imagine that? The description is a bit brief at this point, but it shows us the direction: “The AI ​​instantly adjusts the entire sound profile or optimizes certain details with a simple voice/text command and delivers precise results effortlessly.” – it says there. So ask the device via prompt in the app to emphasize the bass a little and make the treble appear softer? Maybe like that. I’ll follow up on that. In any case, the X8 also offers the full DSP package, including the database function, with thousands of saved headphone curves for customization.

Luxsin writes that the development of the X8 began before the launch of the X9. Since then, the company has paid close attention to user feedback and adapted the development of the X8 according to customer requirements. It’s not yet clear how much of the X8’s innovations and improvements will be made available to X9 owners via a software update, but the company certainly won’t leave original buyers of the The X9 remains technically the top model, as even more effort has been made in some areas.

Here is an overview of the most important highlights:

• DAC architecture: 8× CS43198 chips in parallel dual mono operation (4 chips per channel)
• DSP module: HiFi-5 DSP + ARM STAR dual-core architecture with large SRAM
• DSP clock frequency: >500MHz
• HP-EQ System: Automatic frequency response correction for over 2,500 headphone models
• Headphone impedance detection: Automatic detection and optimal gain adjustment

Assessment: One of the most exciting desktop DACs since the invention of this genre
One of my first tests of high-quality desktop headphone amplifiers was the Musical Fidelity M1HPA in 2011 in REWIND PDF issue 282. It cost 599 euros and also had a DAC built in. But technically speaking, it and the Luxsin X8 are worlds apart. The entire desktop hi-fi and headphones segment has developed enormously since then. While it used to be “nerd stuff” and for some “overpriced nonsense for hi-fi weirdos”, this class of device and high-quality headphones are now generally considered good form for desktop workers. The Luxsin X8 enriches this market with a really very attractive component.

The Luxsin X8 is expected to be available in specialist retailers from the beginning of February 2026. The recommended retail price is 699 euros.