Has Anyone Auditioned an LKS MH-DA004 DAC?

@melm Which Berkeley, which DCS? Whichever one @gareneau was referring to.

Yes I’m being sincere in my opinion about beating these top DACs. But nowhere near as bombastic as the posts claiming it could be the worlds best DAC. Blows away others no matter the cost. Now THAT’S a crazy statement.

But sincerely (ha!) I do hope it turns out to be a really good DAC that can compare favorably with ones maybe in the $2000-$4000 range.

Be sure to read the Denafrips Terminator post for a completely different POV on ESS / delta sigma DACs.

In the gareneau post, someone was asking a question. You, however, were offing a sincere opinion. So I would respectfully stand by my questions.

Anyway, I find it interesting that you think the LKS may achieve the sound of up to a $4000 DAC, but not the sound of an $11,000 DAC for example. Since you haven’t heard the LKS, by what logical reasoning do you come to that conclusion? Do you go by weight? Volume? Absence or presence of op amps? Do you look inside and estimate the cost of their components and apply a multiplier? (If you do, by the way, don’t neglect the LKS’s Furutech, Cardas and Neutrik connectors.)

As for delta sigma chips, I would not claim they are the best, or even know whether there is a best. But I fear you may be a bit behind the times. Even the older ES9028PRO has been implemented very successfully, and that is the key, I think: implementation. Most who have heard the newer ES9038PRO have written that the early "glare" complained of is entirely gone, and so it seems on my LKS. If the ESS chips have an economic advantage that leaves engineering room for things like better clocks, and particularly a more sophisticated audio section. Sounds good to me.

Relax! Just my opinion, for which I’m not accountable to you. Thanks!

melm - just sent you a PM.

Dave

I just don't understand new dacs "blowing away" all of the older more-expensive models.  What didn't they know 5 years ago that they know now.  I will tell you - from my experience with Naim gear, the power supply has a huge impact on the sound.  So I can see where a massive outboard power supply might be of consequence.  But I just don't know what has been recently discovered in the world of dacs.  Seriously.