2. digital
  3. 123594-78474

New Luxman DA-06 doesnt sound so great. Will it get better?

Hi, I recently received a Luxman DA-06 dac (new, gray market Japan import) and it the sound doesnt seem to have any life.  It sounds a bit dull, uninvolving, and just low fidelity.  The best way can explain it is that it sounds like when a phono cartridge has a bad impedance mismatch with a preamp or if the signal gain is too high and it is clipping .  The unit only has less than 15 hours on it.  I wanted to know if this is normal and it would clear itself up or I have received a bad unit.  I have tried it in 2 different systems and it sounds the same. I have tried both outputs, balanced and unbalanced.  I have read this dac requires 100s of hours break in time and I hope the sound improves.  Anyone has any experience with this and could share their thoughts?  I would greatly appreciate it.  
audioman2015
xfactor72's avatar
xfactor72
6 posts
 
I have direct experience with DA06 and  Luxman MQ88 and Vivid Audio B1....  Using MacBook Pro....  Sounds amazing....  

I I have also used it in a few other systems...  Always s sounded like a class A component to me.

Perhaps it has something to do with it being a Japanese version....  Plenty of USA versions for sale....   

surge's avatar
surge
29 posts
 
It's not just about the step-down voltage. 
The cycles (hertz) is also different in Japan vs NA/Eu. They are at 50Hz I believe. 60Hz in NA/Eu. Makes a difference!
pdreher's avatar
pdreher
1,185 posts
 
I have the US version DA-06 and it sounds great!
andysf
268 posts
 
I have a Luxman integrated amp.  It took a long period of use until it really sounded its best.  First couple of days, I thought I made a big mistake buying it but am very happy now.
I did some research regarding using step up transformers with directly imported Luxman products.  No one actually using them reported any ill effects and a couple people suggested they were actually beneficial, working as power conditioners.
Luxman products are subject to a substantial mark up by the US distributors.  For some, this may be in some way justified.  I didn't have a pleasant experience working with an authorized dealer here and would consider directly importing next time.
audioman2015 OP
103 posts
 
About after over a week of burn in, the DA-06 now sounds "warm, dense, and clear".  It also has some magical sounding properties as the sound is very lush and polite.  I was laying down listening to some music streaming from my pc (Foobar using Sox upsampler to 174.6khz -> Schiit Wyrd -> Audiogd DI-2014 -> coax in DA-06, balanced out -> Goldpoint level controls -> Parasound A21 x2 -> custom speakers) and I was hearing sounds come from behind me.  I thought there was something outside but realized it was actually the music!  

It is an excellent dac that has a very unique sound but requires a very long time to break in.  I feel that there is no need to upgrade the transformer or the stock power cord (which is very nice btw) in my system.  Japan has both power systems 50hz and 60hz.  Consumer electronics will work on both.    

About the relay issue: it didn't like my Kanex Pro hdmi de-embedder.  Also on the USB input, the relay will click when skipping or fast forwarding tracks.  With the coax - there are 0 clicks.  I believe on the DA-06 the coax is treated as an asynchronous signal that further reduces jitter phase noise. Similar to the USB input.
 
Thanks for all the comments - I am a proud owner of a Luxman :).  
More to discover