Lotoo PAW 5000 Quick Review

Lotoo PAW 5000 Quick Review

Thanks to Hifiheadphones for the loaner.

Brief:  Nicely sized and nicely sounding DAP.

Price:  £330 which is about US$512

Specification:  Go see here, there is lots and lots of spec.  http://www.ksdistribution.co.uk/products.php?brand=28&product=PAW_5000&text=spec

Accessories:  Micro USB 3 cable, Arm strap thingy and clip to attach to the arm strap thingy.

Build Quality:  Solid.  With metal screws and such it is rock solid.  No squeaks or flexes when your squeeze it tight.  Nice.

Aesthetics:  Its maybe not quite up to Sony’s looks but for an audiophile DAP its verging on super model looks.  Its nice.

Power:  With the gain to low and DAMP on low you can max that volume dial on quiet things but it still drove things nicely.  With them both on high then the power opened up as did the volume output.

Sound:  It was nice, in many ways it reminded me of the 650, a slightly smooth sound.  There was always a bit of darkness, a greyness and colour sapping feel to it.  Like some one has dialled down the colour controls on a TV, its not all grey but that fractional tint.  It has this faint sadness or sorrow over soft and slow pieces.  It is really quite curious.  Normally things of softening and darkening nature are more brown but this is more grey and therefore less colouring.  There is a purity to it, a very soft and casual purity.  It’s not wild, it doesn’t love doing wild either, like a faint veil, ever so faint smoothing any brutal edges and tonally rounding things.  Mids especially I notice this curious, sad songs sound so desperately sad, the sound highly captivating but its really all very curious.  More lively stuff retains a touch of grey to them but are more sprightly.  Maybe it’s the silent background?  There is something I can’t quite put my finger on.  I like it, I definitely like it and I love vocally lingering music but it’s a curious colouring or rather a lack of colouring tonal selection.  Its so very pure and yet there is some aural shadow cast over everything.  Weird, very good sounding but so unusual.

Value:  £330 is a bit of wallet ouch but for an audiophile grade DAP  that isn’t frighteningly ugly, well somethings got to give somewhere and in this case it’s your wallet.

Pro’s:   Small and attractive device.  Sounds highly nuanced.

Con’s:  UI and button controls.