2. digital
  3. 166933-4269

Musetec (LKS) MH-DA005 DAC

Some history: I was the OP on a four year old thread about the Chinese LKS MH-DA004 DAC. It achieved an underground buzz. The open architecture of its predecessor MH-DA003 made it the object of a lot of user mods, usually to its analog section, rolling op amps or replacing with discrete. The MH-DA004 with its new ESS chips and JFET analog section was called better then the modified older units. It has two ES9038pro DAC chips deliberately run warm, massive power supply, powered Amanero USB board, JFET section, 3 Crystek femtosecond clocks, Mundorf caps, Cardas connectors, etc., for about $1500. For this vinyl guy any reservation about ESS chips was resolved by the LKS implimentaion, but their revelation of detail was preserved, something that a listener to classic music especially appreciated. I made a list of DACs (many far more expensive) it was compared favorably to in forums. Modifications continued, now to clocks and caps. Components built to a price can be improved by costlier parts and the modifiers wrote glowingly of the SQ they achieved.

Meanwhile, during the 4 years after release of the MH-DA004, LKS (now Musetec) worked on the new MH-DA005 design, also with a pair of ES9038pro chips. This time he used more of the best components available. One torroidal transformer has silver plated copper. Also banks of super capacitors that act like batteries, solid silver hookup wire, 4 femtoclocks each costing multiples of the Crysteks, a revised Amanero board, more of the best European caps and a new partitioned case. I can't say cost NO object, but costs well beyond. A higher price, of course. Details at http://www.mu-sound.com/DA005-detail.html

The question, surely, is: How does it sound? I'm only going to answer indirectly for the moment. I thought that the MH-DA004 was to be my last DAC, or at least for a very long time. I was persuaded to part with my $$ by research, and by satisfaction with the MH-DA004. Frankly, I have been overwhelmed by the improvement; just didn't think it was possible. Fluidity, clarity, bass extension. A post to another board summed it up better than I can after listening to piano trios: "I have probably attended hundreds of classical concerts (both orchestral and chamber) in my life. I know what live sounds like in a good and bad seat and in a good and mediocre hall. All I can say is HOLY CRAP, this sounds like the real thing from a good seat in a good hall. Not an approximation of reality, but reality."

melm
yyzsantabarbara
4,825 posts
 

@sirnui I bough the DAC3 HGC 2 times and the DAC3B 2 times. I think each time was to raise funds for something else. Anyways, I am not selling the DAC3B I have left.

My feeling is that the HPA4 or LA4 would be incredible with the 005. I have not tried it yet, but I believe your findings. I have a CODA 07x preamp and the LA4 preamp. I like the LA4 preamp more with my 2 channel speakers and the 07x with my headphones. It is a close call with those 2 but the LA4 (HPA4) are so quiet.

I also had the Topping pre90. I sold my HPA4 (to raise funds) thinking I could get away with using it. The pre90 only worked with a Benchmark AHB2 amp and Parasound A21+ amp. All other amps I used with it were too ’hot’ on the volume. Big mistake selling the HPA4 since I ended up getting the LA4 and sold the pre90.

A final point. I like my LA4 premp with my CODA #8 amp even more than the CODA 07x preamp (on speakers). I do not use it this way but that combo is great.

 

yyzsantabarbara
4,825 posts
 

Another, sort of affordable gear combo is the following:

Schitt Freya+ preamp (now sold)

Musetec 005

Benchmark AHB2 amp

I was amazed at how good this combo was on both my SR1a headphones and KEF LS50 speakers. When I replaced the 005 with the Benchmark DAC3B the SR1a became fatiguing.

 

audioman58's avatar
audioman58
4,152 posts
 

I would like to see how it measure up the the latest $4600 Denafrips Terminator -2 

this is one of the best dacs out there under $10 k which is getting a lot of good press and I personally bought ,and now has U.S repair facilities if needed which BTW is rare and at 42 lbs with its separate separate o core transformers ,Linear power supplies,and super caps in a R2R design  with Dual over controlled clocks 🕰 of the very high order. 
 

lordmelton's avatar
lordmelton
877 posts
 

@audioman58 Hi, How you doing? It would be great if you did a shoot out with the 005.

We should have the final results in soon against the Mola Mola.

I'm sure you'd appreciate the 005.

BTW see you're into the Final Touch cables. I'd be very interested to get some info on them.

melm OP
1,082 posts
 

@car123
I have often recommended Audioquest Pearl as a good and safe USB cable. It’s a solid core cable. Solid core was first recommended to me for digital by a well-respected cable guru on another site. The Pearl is inexpensive, well enough made and, in my experience, does the spatial thing well. IMO it’s a great basic cable against which to test other cables. The Pearl, though, may not provide sufficient sparkle in the sound, for me, and I have been testing other cables against it myself, including one or two old cables in the closet. One never knows. The Audioquest line continues with solid core only and adds different amounts of silver coating all the way up to solid core silver, and it gets expensive. Amazon USA has a liberal return policy so you can try a cable pretty easily. Since there is no 5V current running through our cable we can concentrate entirely on how the digital signal is carried.

I found this discussion on USB cables quite valuable.  Perhaps you have seen it.

@twoleftears
You may be perfectly correct, though this DAC has hardly "hit the big time." No one has ever said this was the best DAC in the world, only that it represents value. The problem for many audiophiles is the lack of reliability of even the "professional" reviews, never mind the many amateurs. Stereophile, perhaps the best, has DACs ranging from $1406 to $30,000 on its A+ list. It’s ridiculous. Do you remember what the A+ list was defined to be initially? I, for one, read the reviews principally to find out what the physical product is. I then dig deeper, if possible, to find out what’s inside the component for it cannot give more than it has. My best purchase decisions, though, were made by looking for lots of user comments, just like those here.

As you can see this thread has been populated principally by owners who have purchased subsequent to the start of the thread. Many have integrated the DAC into very high quality audio systems. I continue to be astonished at the thread’s growth.

More to discover