He bears the name of Thor’s hammer – and indeed, Lotoo’s Mjölnir from Beijing is a true dragon warrior among digital audio players, fearing no rival.
Lotoo is the audio brand of Chinese electronics specialist Beijing Infomedia Electronic Technology, and in the past three years it has caused quite a stir with its uncompromisingly high-performance DAPs (Digital Audio Players). They’ve managed to put some industry heavyweights in their place – not only in terms of sheer sonic power but also price. Wherever it says Lotoo, you’ll find top-notch engineering inside. That most definitely applies to the brand’s newest thoroughbred, the Lotoo Mjölnir. Priced at just under €7,800, it’s a DAP, but also functions as a DAC, USB audio interface, and powerful preamp when paired with active speakers. A broad-based machine that, to stay with the opening metaphor, aims to hammer home a point.
All in on proprietary tech
Lotoo’s engineers consistently bet on their own developments – purchasing components, yes, but not ready-made solutions. Fittingly, under Mjölnir’s striking aluminum shell beats LTOS, Lotoo’s proprietary operating system. Slim, optimized for media management and audio playback, LTOS has been in continuous development for over 20 years by the parent company, originally designed to meet the high demands of the broadcast industry.
Indeed, Lotoo has firm roots in pro audio: the company also builds the digital Nagra LB, one of the best portable recorders in the world. Although the Mjölnir doesn’t record, it recalls the Swiss cult brand’s recorders in both form and spirit. The finely brushed silver aluminum chassis feels absolutely premium to the touch, yet it carries the ruggedness of true professional gear. At nearly three kilograms, the Mjölnir is no pocket player – it comes with a high-quality leather carrying case, though one wonders how often such a beast of a DAP will actually leave its owner’s home. Size- and weight-wise, it’s closer to a well-packed messenger bag than a portable gadget. Still, at heart it’s mobile, powered by a built-in rechargeable battery that runs for several hours – though the Mjölnir is a hungry beast, depending on settings. Charging via USB-C works, but not with just any adapter. In testing, it only charged reliably with my MacBook Pro 16’s beefy 90-watt power supply; typical 65-watt adapters were rejected. To their credit, Lotoo’s German distributor bundles a premium charger free of charge.
As a DAP, Mjölnir relies on SD cards as its main storage medium – supporting up to 2 terabytes. Playback is seamless: I loaded cards from my Pioneer XDP-300R, and everything looked (album art) and sounded (resolution) instantly familiar. The top-mounted, high-resolution touch LC display serves as the main control center, while a smaller front display reliably shows the format, resolution, and key settings. Add to that toggle switches, a stylish volume dial, and selectors for output routing. Those outputs cover it all: unbalanced and balanced headphone outs, analog line-outs, and digital outs. That breadth makes it clear that the Mjölnir is far more than “just” a DAP.
It doubles convincingly as a DAC, preamp, and even as a USB-C audio interface – though the latter took quite a bit of brain-racking on my part. The supplied USB-C cable didn’t work for me; only with one of my own cables could I connect to my MacBooks for audio interface use. Streaming is also an option: Mjölnir integrates into a home network via Wi-Fi, is “Roon Ready,” supports AirPlay, offering greater streaming capability than I would have expected, given that the manufacturer doesn’t tout it as a streaming first device.
In terms of resolution, Mjölnir leaves nothing on the table: PCM up to 32-bit/768 kHz and DSD512. For conversion, only the best would do: AKM’s highly regarded 4499EQ chip serves as the translation engine, mounted on an immaculately designed board that highlights Lotoo’s RF engineering expertise. Alongside the main processor, a DSP manages the switchable EQ, essential digital filters, and the sample rate converter. That “XRC” converter doesn’t just handle resampling; it can also convert PCM to DSD and works bidirectionally. Details remain proprietary, but sonically it’s a powerhouse: the spatial improvements are so striking that I kept it engaged at all times.
Wireless, redefined
Of course, Mjölnir supports basic Bluetooth – but beyond that, Lotoo dismisses BT as outdated. Instead, their engineers insist on their own “Lotoo Teleportation Protocol” (LTTP), which supports lossless wireless transmission up to a respectable 32-bit/96 kHz. To use it, you’ll need a special LTTP transmitter (optional), available with various connectors for mobile devices and computers. The transmitter runs driver-free on all major operating systems. In practice, setup required patience: a firmware update that, in absence of a usable manual, required quite a bit of guesswork, and repeated plugging/unplugging before Mjölnir finally displayed “connected.” But once it did, streaming high-res music wirelessly from my MacBook via Audirvana was pure joy. For quality fanatics who’ve invested in Mjölnir, LTTP is the only serious path to wireless listening.
Sonic might from Valaskjalf
Named for Thor’s hammer, let’s picture Mjölnir performing in the gods’ hall Valaskjalf – say, with Michael Jackson’s Thriller echoing off the walls. I load “Billie Jean” in 24-bit/176 kHz, connect my Fostex T50RP Mk4 and Dan Clark Stealth (kindly loaned by audioNEXT), and follow the legendary bassline and Jackson’s vocal moves.
Through either headphone, the sound is lavish and grand yet astonishingly detailed – so much so that I began doubting the quality of my reference combo (Mutec MC3+USB, Mytek Stereo192-DSD DAC, Violectric HPA V281). My Pioneer XDP-300R didn’t stand a chance. Mjölnir handles all kinds of headphones as promised. To dig deeper, I played Dance and Death by German prog legends Anyone’s Daughter, comparing playback via AES/EBU against Mjölnir’s standalone performance as an audio interface.
After extensive listening, here’s my verdict: Mjölnir has Anyone’s Daughter down cold. Mathias Ulmer’s grand piano filled my listening room as if it were physically there – monumental in scale, maybe not absolutely neutral, but divinely beautiful. Which is why I spent the rest of the week transported to Valaskjalf, marveling at Mjölnir’s godlike hammer blows.
Accompanying Equipment
USB interface/DAC: Mutec MC3+USB, Mytek Digital Stereo192-DSD DAC, Violectric V800 | DAP: Pioneer XDP-300R | Headphone amps & headphones: Violectric V280, Fostex T50RP, Dan Clark Audio Stealth | Music server: Audiodata MusikServer II | Computers: MacBook Pro 16 & MacBook Pro 13 (M1) with Audirvana software | Active monitors: Geithain RL 906 | Cables: Vovox, AudioQuest, Klotz
All-In-One Portable Audio System Lotoo Mjölnir
Concept: Portable Digital Audio Player/DAC/Preamp | Inputs: 1 × AES/EBU, 1 × coaxial S/PDIF, 1 × optical S/PDIF, 1 × USB Audio, 1 × USB Storage | Headphone outputs: 2 × unbalanced (3.3/6.3 mm), 2 × balanced (4.4 mm Pentaconn/XLR 4-pin) | Analog outputs: balanced XLR, unbalanced RCA | Digital outputs: 1 × AES/EBU, 1 × coaxial S/PDIF, 1 × optical S/PDIF | Wireless: Bluetooth, LTTP (Lotoo Teleportation Protocol) | Max resolution: 32-bit/768 kHz (PCM), DSD256 | Formats: all major formats, including DSD512, MQA decoder | Streaming: AirPlay, Bluetooth, Roon, DLNA/UPnP, USB media | Storage: SD cards (up to 2 TB) | Power supply: built-in 94 Wh lithium-ion battery, mains operation via USB-C PSU | Special features: proprietary OS, ultra high-res LTTP wireless protocol with optional transmitter (various connectors) | Included: leather carrying case, quick-start guide, USB-C cable, distributor-supplied USB-C power supply | Chassis: aluminum | Dimensions (W/H/D): 18 × 18 × 6 mm | Weight: 2.7 kg | Warranty: 2 years | Price: around €7,800
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