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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
sns
3,003 posts
 

Andrew at Small Green Computer is more agnostic than John about network improvements in front of Opticalrendu. I spoke with him last week about when Opticalmodule will come back into stock, he only stated it would make very little difference vs. generic FMC. I'm more in line with John as I'll either get Opticalmodule or server with optical out in front of Opticalrendu. I'm also seriously considering getting Network Acoustics Eno to fit between my router and server. My audiophile switch didn't work well there, perhaps Eno will provide benefit. These efforts will complete my network experiments. I could sit right where I'm at for the long term, curiosity as to 005's potential pushes me forward.

 

005 is first source component in nearly thirty years of audio that doesn't feel like a limiting factor in attaining highest possible resolving system.

lordmelton's avatar
lordmelton
877 posts
 

@melm I was hoping to give a full review of the 005 this week but alas no, it still won't give up it's jewels, except to show me glimpses of it's brilliance.

What I can confirm however is that this is a magnificent DAC. Reason I'm saying this is EVERY format, DSD, FLAC, WAV has their own circuit.

I know this because initially I was using my FLAC library and then after about two weeks I started playing WAV, it was terrible. Took another week for the WAV to sound well.

No other DAC has every behaved like this and I can confirm other people's comments that the 005 never gets out of it's depth.

auxinput
2,920 posts
 

Reason I'm saying this is EVERY format, DSD, FLAC, WAV has their own circuit.

I know this because initially I was using my FLAC library and then after about two weeks I started playing WAV, it was terrible. Took another week for the WAV to sound well.

I don't think this is actually true.  FLAC is a music data file compression method.  Your player will read the FLAC file and uncompress the data on the fly.  The actual data stream that is sent to the DAC needs to be in either PCM or DSD format.  That being said, DSD could be handled differently inside the DAC digital receiver section.

 

sirnui
81 posts
 

@yyzsantabarbara When you become not done with streaming, if you like, I can share my experience with USB chaining beyond the oR to improve the listening experience. 

sirnui
81 posts
 

One of my first audiophile experiences was listening to headphones on the Benchmark DAC2 HGC.  At first, I didn't wholeheartedly like the sound because it was so different from what I was used to but over time, the sound became addictive.  So when Benchmark came out with the DAC3 HGC, I bought it a month later.  I currently own the DAC3 DX. This is the only variant with an AES input. I have a Grimm MU1 streamer that is optimized for AES. 

Over the past 2 years, I've bought other DACs to try to dethrone the DAC3.  I've tried an RME, a Denafrips, and an SMSL.  Given my musical preferences, none really came close. Enter the Musetec 005. I'm currently burning in the 005 and other cable upgrades so I will reserve final judgement but I'm 95% sure the 005 is the new king. 

After everything settles, including the new network switch coming next week, I will switch back to the DAC3 to determine what I would miss without the DAC3. 

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