Schiit Audio: Audio Products Made in USA

Yes, tone control. As in, equalizer. Just like a Loki Mini+, but with 2 more bands and balanced inputs and outputs. And yeah, we know you can get a surgical software EQ, but the 6 knobs here just sit on your desk and beckon. No apps, no graphic confusion with mice or styli. Just tweak the sound to your exact preference, with a super-high-performance, discrete, single-gain-stage, LC-filtered equalizer at your fingertips.

More Bands, More Inputs, Total Flexibility

Lokius has 6 bands of equalization on tap, together with both balanced and single-ended inputs and outputs. Select the input with a convenient front-panel switch. Choose equalized output, or complete bypass—nothing in the signal path except a relay and a resistor. Lokius integrates with any system, large or small, speaker or headphone, balanced or single-ended, for complete flexibility.

Save an Imperfect Recording—or Make it Better

Is everything you listen to recorded perfectly? Of course not. Some recordings aren’t great. And some speakers and headphones are a bit bright or a bit dark. Lokius lets you adjust for these imperfections. But more than that, you can make your system sound the way you want. Deep bass? Absolutely. Sparkling highs? Yes again! Go ahead—treat yourself to your perfect sound.

Enjoy True Transparency

Lokius uses Schiit’s own two-stage load-invariant “superbuffer” topology to drive a single discrete current-feedback gain stage, with a passive inductor-capacitor and gyrator-capacitor network in-between. Lokius features super-high-quality parts, including sealed Alps potentiometers, Wima and Panasonic film capacitors, dual-stage regulation with HF smoothing, 0.5% thin-film resistors, and quality Neutrik connectors. The translation of this tech-speak is that you can forget noisy, veiled equalizers you may have used in the past. Lokius transforms your system without getting in the way, or making itself known.

Designed and Built in the USA

By “designed and built in the USA" this is what we mean: the vast majority of the total production cost of Lokius—chassis, boards, assembly, etc—goes to US companies manufacturing in the US. Our chassis are made in California. Our PCBs are made in California or Nevada, and it all comes together in our Corpus Christi facility.

2-Year Warranty, 15-Day Easy Returns

Lokius is covered by a 2-year limited warranty that covers parts and labor. And if you don’t like your Lokius, you can send it back for a refund, minus 15% restocking fee, within 15 days of receiving it.

Bands: 20Hz, 120Hz, 400Hz, 2kHz, 6kHz, 16kHz

Adjustment: +/-12dB at 20Hz and 16kHz, +/-9dB at 120Hz and 6kHz, +/-6dB at 400 and 2kHz

Maximum Output: 10V RMS (SE), 20V RMS (balanced)

Frequency Response: 20Hz-20Khz, -0.1db, 2Hz-1MHz, -3dB

THD: Less than 0.0008%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 2V RMS in/out, pots centered, active stage enabled, less than 0.002% at any potentiometer setting

IMD: Less than 0.001%, CCIF

SNR: Greater than 115db, unweighted, referenced to 2V RMS

Crosstalk: -85dB, 20Hz-20KHz

Output Impedance: 75 ohms

Input Impedance: 47K ohms

Topology: discrete, all-bipolar, symmetrical current-feedback design with matched parts throughout, DC coupled, with DC servo, plus dual-stage discrete superbuffer

Filtering: capacitor-gyrator for 20Hz and 120Hz, capacitor-inductor (LC) for all other bands

Power Supply: “Wall wart” style 14-16VAC transformer, dual regulated +/- 17V rails

Power Consumption: 6W

Size: 9 x 6 x 1.5”

Weight: 2 lbs

APx Report for Lokius

So this is a bigger Loki Mini+?

That’s one way of looking at it. It is, after all, physically larger.

Oh, so it’s gonna be like this, huh? Why not just answer the question above?

If by “question” you mean the implication of, “How is this product different and better than Loki Mini+, and why should I consider it over something that’s half it’s price, then okay, here you go. Bottom line, it’s wayyy different:

6 bands of equalization, rather than 4. This gives you more precise control than Loki Mini+. It’s still not a surgical software EQ, but there’s a lot more control at your fingertips.
Twice as many inputs and outputs. Lokius offers both balanced and single-ended inputs, as opposed to Loki Mini+’s single-ended only input. It also has balanced and single-ended outputs.
Balanced and SE. If it wasn’t obvious from the above, Lokius gives you both balanced XLR and single-ended RCA capability, making it easy to integrate into any system, balanced or single-ended.
Matches the size of Modius and Magnius, and the footprint of Asgard, Jotunheim, and Lyr. This means it looks good in a stack—though be careful when stacking on top of components with internal transformers like Asgard, Jotunheim, and Lyr.

Wait a sec, “be careful when stacking on components with internal transformers?” WTF?

Lokius is an inductor-capacitor equalizer. Meaning it uses inductors. Inductors are coils of wire. Think of them like little antennas. They will pick up stray magnetic field from other components if they are too close. This is why people sell things like “racks” and “stands” to put your equipment on.

Any other scary steampunk operational stuff I should know about?

Nope. Lokius is very well-behaved as long as it’s not bathed in the magnetic flux of a giant transformer nearby. It even has a muting relay for silent start-up and shutdown, and a real bypass switch, that doesn’t just disable the equalization, but runs the input right thru to the output, with nothing more than a relay contact and a resistor in the signal path.

Whew. Good. So if I put this thing in Bypass mode, it’s really bypassed?

Yes. No active devices in the signal path at all. Feel free to compare the processed output to the raw feed. We think you’ll be impressed. (But some people think we’re insane.)

Let’s talk tech. What about balanced to SE and SE to balanced in Bypass mode?

Balanced uses one phase of the SE, SE uses the positive phase of balanced.

More tech. Will I overload this thing?

Not if you’re using standard 2V RMS single-ended or 4V RMS balanced levels. Crank up all the knobs, and you’re still safe. If you’re using hotter sources, probably best to run this after a preamp or pad.

Even more tech. Is this thing really balanced?

It’s balanced and differential in and out, uses both phases in, and provides both differential phases out. However, EQ processing is done with a single-ended buffer and gain stage.

Why not “real balanced?”

Because the product would be twice the size, twice the heat, and maybe even more than twice the cost. We decided to put the money into a discrete dual-stage load-invariant superbuffer driving a discrete current-feedback gain stage, as well as custom inductors and quality capacitors, rather than trying to chase balanced-for-balanced-sake. If it makes you feel better, use the SE input and run the SE output into any of our Nexus™ products for a perfect SE-to-balanced conversion with an all-discrete stage; but, better yet, have a listen and decide if you like what it does, rather than worrying about technical minutiae.

Fine. I’m not tech. I’m skeptical. Why do I need a tone control?

Bottom line: you don’t.

What a smartass answer!

Maybe. But we should all be realistic. Arguing over expensive audio gear is a luxury. Nobody needs an all-discrete LC equalizer. But there are many reasons you might want one. Let’s start with recordings. Everyone has many recordings that are (ahem) less than perfect. Wouldn’t it be nice to correct those crazy supahdry 80s mixes? And, let’s face it, nobody can say their speakers or headphones are ruler-flat. Wouldn’t it be nice to fix that room boom or metallic tweeter tizz?

But…buuuuttt…is this true to the original recording? Is it what the artist intended?

If it sounds good to you, who cares?

Aieeeee! I don’t like to make my own decisions! I want someone else to make them for me!

Then don’t get a Lokius. Listen and obey. Search for the One True Light. It’s all good.

You know, I’m seriously getting a smartass vibe from you guys.

You know we introduced our first equalizer, the Loki Mini, with a rewrite of the first 10 of Martin Luther’s 95 theses, right?

Sigh. Okay. Back to tech. What kind of EQ is this?

Lokius is a single-gain-stage active EQ with non-constant-Q passive filtering. In more English-y terms, that means that each band varies from broad to narrower as its gain is increased—small turns of the knobs result in broad, shallow changes, and bigger turns result in more narrow-band changes.

What if I want a constant-Q EQ, or a parametric EQ?

That’s cool. There are some of those out there. They just aren’t Lokius.

What about software EQ?

If you’d like to use software EQ (supplied with many playback software packages these days), that’s certainly an option—and you can probably get your parametric EQ there, if that’s what you want. However, you may prefer Lokius…and once you get away from a computer source, an external hardware EQ is necessary if you want tone control.

So this Lokius name—what the heck is with that?

It’s us having a bit of fun. When we did a big Modi with balanced outputs, we called it “Modius Maximus” during development. And that stuck. So when the matching balanced amp came out, it was Magnius. And now the balanced EQ is Lokius. Simple as that.

You know you are conflating Roman and Norse mythology, right?

Yeah, and we’re Americans. We get most of our knowledge of Norse mythology from Marvel movies. Are you really all that surprised?

Schiit Lokus 6-Band Balanced EQ

Lucidpixul, Adam Duff