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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
3,232 posts
 

@arafiq  Two ways to took at that, financial interest or they really like dac. I assume vast majority of dealers like the products they carry. And I doubt lot of financial incentive with carrying the Musetec which has relatively low retail price. I presume Mola Mola would have much greater margin for profit.

 

Still, listening is best way to determine if audio equipment fits one's needs.

arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,673 posts
 

@sns I agree with everything you're saying. But still it's wise to disclose such information upfront. 

melm OP
1,078 posts
 

@arafiq

To add to your store of information and knowledge, IIUC the reviewer is a manufacturer of, among other things, an ethernet filter held in very high regard on this board. He continually needs and uses a DAC of very high quality to test his products as they develop and are improved. He used to use the Tambaqui. He sold it after hearing the Musetec. Apparently (and you’ll see this if you read the head-fi thread) it wasn’t a close call. As he sells other, related, items and as there was no one selling the Musetec in the United Kingdom he arranged to become a dealer there.

erictal4075's avatar
erictal4075
70 posts
 

@ fl_guy :

There are many preamps you can consider using with your Musetec 005. I personally recommend the Holo Audio SERENE preamp, KTE version. I own it and find it to be a very solid performer all around. Well-engineered, using quality parts, the SERENE preamplifier features two sets of XLR fully-balanced outputs, one pair of which is specifically designed to drive low-impedance headphones, using a custom-made headphone cable obtainable from Kitsune HiFi, the U.S. agent for Holo Audio; the second, higher-impedance XLR pair, serves power amplifiers / self-powered speakers. The Serene also has a full set of unbalanced RCA inputs and outputs, as well as a remote control.

This preamp is on a par sonically with the Musetec 005. Although the Musetec has its own volume control, it is the usual digital variety, which sacrifices resolution at lower volume settings - therefore, it is better to disable (bypass) this built-in digital volume control altogether and instead use the Musetec’s uncompromised full line-level output to drive a quality analog preamplifier.

melm OP
1,078 posts
 

@erictal4075 

Are you using the Holo preamplifier with a Musetec?  

You are quite right that, but for temporary use, the volume control of the Musetec (and most other DACs) should not be used as they constrain the dynamics if used beyond just a few db.  As @sns has pointed out, beyond feeding this DAC with the cleanest stream of bits you can, it will benefit from good components following it.  In that vein I have always recommended a tube preamplifier as I have always found it helpful to a system to have tubes somewhere in the mix and the preamp is a logical place.  But if there is a special synergy between the Holo preamp and the Musetec, that's a valuable contribution.

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