Please post your impressions as the new DAC breaks in. I am hoping to get mine by next Monday or possibly earlier based on your experience.
Musetec (LKS) MH-DA005 DAC
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."
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@sns @melm thank you for answering my question. I was almost set to get the Holo Audio May Dac, but now I’m wondering if Musetec is a better buy. From what I’ve read so far I feel the May Dac is going to be more to my taste — bit more laid back (third row vs first), a bit smoother, and more analog-like. But is it worth an extra $2k? I know this is something no one can answer on my behalf. Another thing I like about Holo Audio is that they have a dedicated DSD engine. I have quite a few DSD albums which I play often, so this might be a deciding factor. my other concern is if the Musetec might be too revealing or unforgiving compared to the May. Tough decision! |
@arafiq -I purchased the 005 and had the same concerns you did about 3rd row vs 1st; a bit smoother, and more analog, too revealing or unforgiving (and I don't have DSD albums). In my system (ARC, ProAc, Cambridge CXC and Aurender server) the differences between the 005 and the Holo May house sound are subtle and to my ears more pleasing-the articulation, fullness and staging are "all that". If you purchase from Shenzhenaudio you also have a 30 day return window.
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@arafig The May and 005 are more similar than different. Both have excellent 3-d palpalpability. The 005 is more like the sixth row. The May is less detailed but has a blacker background. I did not think the DSD mode was particularly better than the NOS mode in DSD. It had different sound. DSD is similar to pcm in the 005 but arguably may have a touch more solid texture. The 005 too my easr hhas elevated all sample rates to DSD sound as p÷rceived a few years ago. |
Hi there. I hope it doesn’t look like the Musetec owners are piling on.😉 The Musetec uses what is sometimes call a Delta-Sigma chip, the ESS9038PRO, in fact two of them. Such a chip converts all incoming data to a DSD like format making its response to DSD files a perfectly natural function. They sound great. R2R DACs don’t do that and some of them simply don’t respond to DSD at all. Schiit, for ex. That’s why the Holo DACs have a separate function. Beekhuyzen in his video review of the May says its DSD conversion is a bit less successful than its PCM conversion. I would add only that I see the Musetec as a truth machine. It will not hide the poor SQ of poor recordings. As I read what the Holo DACs do, it seems that they will round off the harsh edges of lesser recordings. That means to me that they may not reveal all the glory of great recordings. Which you prefer is a matter of taste, and no one can substitute their judgment on that for your own. |
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