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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
boxer12
8,656 posts
 

@americanspirit I'm not sure what you mean with "Liquid Music" so this post may be meaningless. However, I have Roon on my PC which controls the iFi Zen Stream going into the Musetec. It sounds great!

americanspirit's avatar
americanspirit
64 posts
 

@boxer12 

liquid music means all music transmitted by files, eg. FLAC, DSD, ...
i also have ROON installed on my workstation ...

melm OP
1,082 posts
 

@americanspirit 

There's been such an explosion in "interfaces" as you call them that asking for a low cost option is like asking for a low cost DAC.  You'll get a boatload of suggestions, basically as what various people have settled on.  The Musetec is good enough to warrant something very good up front.  You might also look on the threads here focusing just on that.

My own experience is that I was using a laptop running JRiver and its remote app Eos  directly into the DAC by USB.  That was enough to impress everyone at my house that I could run music from my phone or pad.  Quite by accident I discovered that my Oppo 105 could be used (with some limitations) as a DLNA interface with its coax out to the DAC.  That made a significant SQ improvement.  Getting the computer out of the direct path yields real benefits.  Based on that experience I think any reputable interface that gets the computer out of the way either by going directly or by DLNA will give you a worthwhile result.  

I next tried an SOtM SMS-200 with its wall wart also running as a DLNA interface.  Surprisingly, that didn't do much better than the Oppo, though it might have improved with a better power supply.  I finally wound up with an SOtM sMS-200ultra Neo that I found on the used market.  I power it with an  Sbooster power supply.  That was a very substantial upgrade in sound and I am very happy with the results.  I run my own files using the JRiver Eos program on phone or pad and do streaming of Qobuz or Tidal, also through the SOtM, simply by opening BubbleUPnP on the same phone or pad.  

I've never seen the usefulness of Roon for my own listening.

sns
3,241 posts
 

The SOTM is nice streamer at it's price, was surpassed in my setup by Sonore OpticalRendu, but then talking aprox twice the price. Both need nice linear power supply to perform optimally.

 

Now using custom build streamer, sound quality incredible! 005 compatible and not out of place with best streamers out there. This dac not only great value, but simply excellent at any price and in any system. I'd have to say 005 is both best value and objectively high performing component I've experienced in thirty years as audiophile.

melm OP
1,082 posts
 

@sns 

Always in a learning mode, I'd love to hear more about the "custom build streamer" that you're using.  It's great to know that as you've gone higher and higher in the streaming realm, the 005 can keep up.

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