In a move that some fans have been waiting for, budget audiophile favorite Schiit Audio released a new EQ that fits the form factor of their flagship components called the Loki Max EQ.
Packed with 6 knobs of adjustable EQ the Loki Max also comes with a remote control for adjustments on the fly. In what’s become a early morning routine for Schiit product launch days, designer and founder Jason Stoddard’s early morning email draws out some of the details “Loki Max is the top of our range of tone controls that includes Loki Mini+, Lokius, and Loki Max. It’s the result of 5 years of development, and it’s aiming at being one of the best EQs made, ever. Yes, even when compared to (80s car-priced EQ redacted.)”
More info from the PR release:
PURE CRAZY: LOKI MAX
Maybe the Most Insane High-End Equalizer?
December 1, 2021, Valencia, CA USA. Today, Schiit Audio announced the availability of Loki Max, a 6-band equalizer designed to meet the needs of the highest-end systems. Featuring remote control with relay potentiometers, a pure inductor-capacitor topology, and fully discrete design with high voltage power supply, Loki Max has the pedigree to be one of the best EQs, ever. Loki Max is available today at schiit.com for $1499.
“Loki Max is the completion of our family of tone control products,” said Jason Stoddard, Schiit Audio’s Co-founder. “It’s the cost-no-object, completely-bonkers, super-high-end version, intended to stand with the best of the high-end equalizers. It is the only relay-ladder-potentiometer, remote-control, all-discrete, LC-filter equalizer on the market today.”
Loki Max offers full remote control so owners can adjust their system to their precise sonic preferences from the comfort of their listening chair. They can also define preset equalization profiles for their particular system or recordings, and access them from the remote control.
The supplied milled-aluminum handheld remote allows direct access to all 6 frequency bands, input select, bypass, and presets.
This remote control turns motorized potentiometers that indicate the position of the adjustments, but the actual potentiometers used in Loki Max are far more sophisticated. Each band uses a bank of 10 relays to create 31 precision matched steps per channel, for a perfect “zero” level, and 15 selectable levels of boost or cut. These relay potentiometers are far more complex than relay attenuators, and require custom firmware and microprocessor control.
Loki Max also goes all-out in terms of filtering. It is a 100% inductor-capacitor (LC) filtered, variable Q equalizer, including 4 custom 80% nickel-core inductors made specifically for Schiit. LC filtering eliminates the need for a gain stage per band, allowing Loki Max to use a single, discrete, current-feedback gain stage, driven by a two-stage, load-invariant “superbuffer” for a simple signal path and extremely low noise floor. Loki Max is also fully discrete, from input summers to output Nexus™ differential stage.
For power, Loki Max includes an internal linear supply with 48VA transformer and quad voltage rails of +/-16V and +/-32V, each dual-regulated for very low noise. A separate high-current 5V supply drives the microprocessor and 72 relays.
“Despite these heroic specs and unique capabilities, Loki Max is still priced within reach of many audiophiles,” said Jason. “We are proud of being able to production-engineer such a unique product and produce it without a car-like price tag—and to make it here in the USA.”
Loki Max was designed and built in California, with the vast majority of cost going to US companies making parts in the USA. Schiit’s chassis, transformers, inductors, and PCBs for Loki Max are all made in California. Schiit maintains production facilities in Valencia, CA and Corpus Christi, TX.
Loki Max is available to purchase at schiit.com today.
About Schiit Audio
Founded in June 2010 by Jason Stoddard and Mike Moffat, Schiit has grown into a leader in affordable high-end audio, with a wide range of products spanning DACs, headphone amplifiers, and preamplifiers, from $49 to $2449.
The Schiit Audio Loki Max is available today direct from the company site and retails for $1499.
More info: Schiit Audio Loki Max EQ
