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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
melm OP
1,057 posts
 
Thanks for your post.

Those of us who have and enjoy this Musetec DAC would love to see a professional review of it, but, unfortunately, that’s not likely to happen. There are just too few units out there, and though there’s a distributer in Europe, there’s none in the US..

The best I can offer is to let you know that there’s an active thread over at head-fi with several owners of this DAC participating. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/four-years-after-the-l-k-s-da004-the-musetec-da005-dac.953177/ Any one of them, I’m certain, would be glad to offer comments and answer any question you might have. I think most of us originally owned the LKS MH-DA004. There were many more of these units out there (at $1500 price point) and I used to have a long list of favorable comparisons to other DACs at that price or more.. Confidence in the designer and the very detailed description of the deluxe parts he put into the Musetec, along with comments by early users did persuade us. I think we were very happy with the LKS’s performance with the dual 9038 sabre chipset. The Musetec seems to take those dual chips perhaps about as far as they can go, and most of us think that's pretty far.

And by the way I made a mistake in my original post. The transformer powering the analog section is not a torroidal. It is an O-Ring transformer that can cost 8 to 10 times the cost of a torroid. That’s but one example of the parts quality in this unit.
yyzsantabarbara
4,483 posts
 
@ja_kub_sz

Currently I have the Gustard X26 Pro (Dual 9038 sabre chipset), and am loving it.

I also have the Gustard X26 Pro and like it a lot.

Have you had a chance to do a comparison of the 005 and the Gustard? I heard some great feedback on the 005 today and I am now curious about this DAC.
melm OP
1,057 posts
 
@yyzsantabarbara 

I didn't know very much about the Giscard, but it looks like a fine unit and a good value.  After reading a bit about it, I think a closer comparison would be to the  LKS MH-DA004 which I had and liked very much.  In fact I started a thread about it here about 4 years ago where I describe its components and sound impressions in detail. 

The Musetec  MH-DA005 though is in another league entirely with component parts costing multiples of what's inside those DACs. As for comparisons, one of the posters to the Musetec thread over at Head-Fi has said he will soon be comparing the Musetec ($3000) to a Holo Audio May Level 2. ($4800).  I look forward to reading that one..
yyzsantabarbara
4,483 posts
 
I sent Sandu at Soundnews.net a request to consider reviewing the 007 and also compare it with the Gustard X26 Pro, which is one of his references. He reviews a lot of Chinese made DACs so he may have a reason to do so.
sns
3,003 posts
 
That would be good. We really need comparative reviews of 005 against Holo May and dacs above Holo price point. I previously owned Okto Dac8 stereo which was comparatively reviewed against Weiss in Stereophile and did relatively well considering the price differential. Okto dac can't even keep up with orders, last I heard no longer taking orders. Well, the 005 is quite a bit better than Okto IME. So, where does that take 005?
R2R dacs all the rage these days, delta sigma old news. Then Musetec does no marketing, no wonder relatively unknown. My take on this dac having now owned over a period of time and exposed to further upgrades to my streaming solution is it is extremely revealing and transparent, fully capable of exposing the most extremely low level information contained in recordings. It can be ruthlessly revealing, yet also capable of presenting real live beings performing music into your room. Very fine line between the two. I've now experienced the ruthlessly revealing and had to bring my system back a notch on the revealing aspect. I'm going to assume only the top tier dacs can deliver this kind of resolution, transparency without going into ruthlessly revealing mode. Never know for sure until we have some comparative reviews.
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