2. digital
  3. 166933-4269

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
jc4659
551 posts
 

@blang I am currently running everything native, no upsampling.  I have over 100 hours actual listening on my DA-005 and hear very little change at this point.  This DAC is clear and smooth/fluid, musical and natural.  I place mine in standby mode when not using.  I have also disconnected all reclockers; had a W4S reclocking digital output from my CD player using optical in/out and an Uptone IsoRegen reclocking the USB.  These had offered improvement when used with my previous DAC, an Ayre Codex.  Much to my surprise, music sounds absolutely wonderful without the reclockers!  I plan to listen this way for a while and then replace each one and see if I hear an improvement.  If anything, I sensed greater dynamics without the reclockers.  Let us know your honest impressions when you're ready.

melm OP
1,082 posts
 

@jc4659 

Can you help with a question asked of me about break in.   About how long did it take you to accumulate 100 hours of actual listening?  Thanks.

By the way, are you continuing to count?

jc4659
551 posts
 

@melm I'd say close to 6 weeks. I'm slow since I toggle between analog and digital. Plus I have two other smaller systems.  I have stopped counting since I am no longer hearing noticeable changes in the Musetec DAC. I'd imagine one can reasonably expect to break in adequately in 2-3 weeks rather than the 6 it took me but I knew this DAC was special almost from day 1 when I heard its clarity.

Yesterday I posted a new photo in my virtual system and have been contemplating reconfiguring my set up.  The metal shelf hovering above my Linn is for my laptop but I'm not crazy about this location so I might split my racks similar to what I had previously.

sns
3,244 posts
 

Now have a number of listening sessions with Opticalrendu and further burn in on a number of other upgrades, still have perhaps 50 hours left for full burn in.

 

Not going in depth on listening impressions yet, but the reach and depth of 005 is something to behold! I really thought I was nearing optimal streaming and cd rip setup prior to Opticalrendu and other mods and burn in. Turns out substantially better sound was left on table. I now have nearly limitless noise floor, images appear out of of an immense nothingness in a manner hard to describe. This level of resolution and transparency is everything I've ever imagined in nearly thirty years as audiophile and building high end systems.

 

A new level of effortlessness I've previously only heard with high end vinyl playback, this is exposure of superior micro dynamic presence of 005 along with DHT valves. Only nit at this point is slightest bit of less than natural timbre, expecting improvement on this front with further burn in of  300B and 101D tubes along with Takman resistors and Audio Note caps in pre.

 

005 as source makes this level of sound possible, rest of system is there to serve this source.

yyzsantabarbara
4,829 posts
 

@sns As I posted earlier, I put my EtherRegen in front of my OpticalRendu. I removed the Fibre connection from my Ubiquiti Network Switch and used the EtherRegen’s Fibre (so B > A on the ER). This setup was an improvement from direct Network Switch. The sound seemed slightly more focused or clear.

I ordered the Sonore OptcalModule to do a similar setup with my second Sonore OpticalRendu in the Livingroom system.

I am done with my streaming.

 

BTW - I did this based on the paper John Swenson wrote and was posted earlier on this thread.

More to discover