LAIV Harmony

@sns Thanks for your nice write up of your impressions of the Harmony incl vs the Musetecs.

A few comments from my experience that may be of interest to you or others:

I’ve found high quality USB sounds terrific, better than I2S I’ve tried, and scales further with changes to USB cables and even vibration damping. I’m using a chain of USB regens incl an externally clocked LHY UIP which I’ve previously compared to the Innuous PhoenixUSB (which is awesome BTW a different class, the UIP wasn’t embarrassed as it is very good for its price & the ext clock closed the gap a fair bit) - and and a much cheaper AliX unit both employing the latest gen ADuM USB isolator chips. With all due respect to Weng-fai who has suggested the Harmony’s internal USB isolation should limit the effect of USB regens etc I’ve found it to be very sensitive to improved USB quality which is consistent with what the YouTuber you refer recently found - the Harmony DAC sounded better via USB from a Hifi Rose 130 than I2S from same and Aurender USB better again. Handily beats my Gustard U18 via I2S even when the U18 has the benefit of the LHY feeding it. I’ve also messed with various clock options using I2S, LAiV internal, U18 internal, U18 external and even though the latter was a bit of an improvement over LAiV internal (U18 internal last) USB trumped both by a good margin. A more expansive and timbrally rich sound.

Secondly, and I appreciate this may not be your or everyone’s cup of tea, nor a requirement to get the Harmony sounding great, but using the LAiV in NOS mode and oversampling externally in HQplayer (SincMx my preferred oversampling filter for the time being) produced the best sound in my system. Rich, natural but with more detail, micro-dynamics.

And lastly I’ve managed to eke a good bit more dynamic and soundstage scale and decay length, as well as reducing residual glare and increasing midrange palpability a touch, from tweaks like vibration damping with good footers and an fo.q sheet on top (the aesthetics, I know!) along with chassis grounding. I’ve a bit of experience damping components with milled aluminum enclosures and have found they respond enthusiastically to this.. may be a function of their high rigidity.

@sns Thank you for your review!

@kereru Thank you, this very informative! I can appreciate all the work you've done in regard to integrating best input on Harmony, and you have very nice equipment which gives much authority to your conclusions.

I only question the implementation of USB in the Harmony, both my Musetecs have more sophisticated usb, not saying the Harmony's bad. I've also bought into the theorizing that transport clocking much more important for R2R dacs vs other topologies, this https://dcs.community/t/dcs-ring-dac-a-technical-explanation/2724 Far too involved reading here for most, just talks about clocking and timing in ladder dacs. So theoretically, Harmony should sound best with highest quality external clock.

So, my next question is, are we playing on a level playing field here? Are the I2S and usb we are implementing to feed the Harmony of equal quality. I'd theorize your usb more greatly optimized vs the I2S you've implemented, same for the youtube video, usb in both those streamers superior to i2s. I could also say just the opposite for those reviews in which they found the Harmony to be superior with i2s vs usb. In any case I haven't explored optimizing i2s as I have usb, initial exploration has me reaching for Denafrips Gaia, and to keep things as equal as possible, AQ Diamond HDMI.

And I agree, the Harmony provides great sound quality with my optimized usb implementation, I too suspect Weng-Fai may be incorrect in coming to this conclusion, I've always found changes in usb chain affect sound quality, even in those dacs where usb not optimally implemented.

HQPlayer is whole other can of worms with me, I use Euphony OS on a custom build server, HQPlayer, Roon and this OS don't play well together.

I've also played f with various footers, stands over the years, I could go on and on. Final solution for me has been dacs and any equipment not too weighty are hung from custom built racks with extremely high test monofilament fish line. This how Harmony, Musetecs and signal chassis of my Coincident Statement pre situated.  I like how this method simply lets the vibrations flow into fish line rather than damp them with various footers. I discovered this method many years ago with cdplayers. you could actually see the players move about in relation to cd's spinning, rather than damp that movement theorized sympathetic movement would result in best sound quality. This has proven to be true for me, all footers, stands, and the materials with which their built with impact the sound quality in many ways. Hanging components with fish line comes closest to no footer which means no impact on sound quality. Wish I could find some manner of magically levitating all my gear! For gear I can't hang for whatever reason I like Stillpoints on various platforms, platforms made from various thicknesses of steel, aluminum, various woods, I keep a stock of these to experiment with. And then beyond the platform, what the platform sits on, I could go on and on! Anyway sound like you much like me, we like to experiment, well worth it!

@sns Cheers and interesting re your fish line suspension, pretty novel, cool to hear it works well for you. What is your 'optimised USB implementation' BTW, sorry if I missed it?

On the subject of USB implementation in the LAiV this just dropped review is rather positive, indeed the whole review is very positive. The class of his review system is top notch. 

https://www.hifi-advice.com/blog/review/digital-reviews/spdif-dac-reviews/laiv-harmony-dac/

Conclusion

The beautifully sculpted Harmony DAC has a hugely revealing nature, but it is timbrally realistic, natural, and much like a chameleon. Combine it with a super-accurate and neutral source, and the DAC’s analytical quality will relay this in all its precision. Conversely, when combined with an organic and liquid-sounding source, the DAC will also relay the music in all its lushness and sweetness without overlaying any character of its own.

This is what I think a high-performance DAC should be like: not a component to EQ your system with but an open window onto your source. Such excellent performance usually comes with a much heftier price tag, and it is a miracle that the Harmony DAC achieves this at such a reasonable price point.

And re USB in particular

The Oladra/Harmony DAC combo takes a huge leap in solidity and control when switching from coaxial to USB. The Vermouth Reference USB cable is still a favorite for its even-handedness and ability to work well with virtually any source and DAC, but it is not the most robust or expressive cable I have. Nevertheless, with this cable, the DAC provides excellent clarity and transparency, combined with good articulation and toe-tapping PRaT, topped off with beguiling fluidity, refinement, and air. This result speaks clearly to the quality of the USB interfaces on both ends.

@kereru Sonore OpticalModule>OpticalRendu>Audioquest Diamond usb. AfterDark optical cable, OM to Teradak LPS, OR to Uptone JS-2, Mundorf silver/gold DC cables.

I'm ok with usb for now, at some point I'll get around to I2S, not in any hurry.