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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
 

@yyzsantabarbara I can't tell from your link if you can change pin outs on I2S with GAIA. My Singxer SU-6 has this capability via dip switches.

melm OP
1,078 posts
 

@yyzsantabarbara

The search for better SQ never ends, My own guess is that going in through USB on this DAC is as good as it gets. But that’s only a guess and additional data points are always welcome. We’ll be following your progress.

As for compatibility, it used to be that devices with an I²S output (mainly from China, like the Singxers) all had dip switches making them adaptable to the non-uniform I²S inputs in the various DACs. There eventually came to be an informal standard IIUC around the PS Audio DACs. But it is not really a standard. And some devices (like the Pro-Ject CD transport) won’t even disclose their pin configuration.

As for the GAIA, Denafips says, "Hermes/Gaia DDC shipped after 25th March 2021 is equipped with I²S pinout configuration capability." So you're covered.  But be careful if you buy used. Otherwise you’d have to reconfigure your cables.

sns
3,232 posts
 

I can see possible scenario where I2S could outperform usb with 005 in system. Lets say you have inferior usb out of server, and take top flight I2S reclocker/DDC like Denafrips, I2S may be superior. One has to understand usb outs of many servers  NOT optimized, come straight out of noisy motherboards.

 

Baring inferior usb feeds into 005, I presume optimized usb input on 005 will always outperform any other input.

yyzsantabarbara
4,825 posts
 

Thanks for the responses. I am very happy with the USB input that I am using. I was just curious about the direct toslink I am  that I am using from my computer that could be improved with a GAIA. That would also give me the option of hearing AES and I2S for curiosity's sake.

blang
3 posts
 

The Musetec dac I received a few weeks ago seems to be fully (or close to it} burned in.  It sounds great.  I am very pleased with the purchase.  I have very limited experience with other dacs, so I cannot offer comparisons.  However, I can say that it is consistent with what I have read online, here and elsewhere.  I would not classify it as warm or cool.  It seems very neutral.  Lush recordings sound lush. Analytical recordings sound that way.  As described in the comparative review, it produces more of a front row perspective, rather than a middle of the room sound.  That description was one the reasons I bought the dac, and I like it.  Realistically detailed, but not in an analytical way.  It is also very dynamic sounding.  There is a real jump factor to music that should have that.  Overall, very good>

I have tried 3 different inputs-usb, aes and coax.  I currently own only cheap basic usb and aes cables.  The coax cable with bnc and an rca adapter is somewhat better-a Nordost Silver Shadow.  My plan is to buy a better cable to use from my Lumin U1 streamer to the Musetec once I have identified the best input to use.  From online reading I fully expected that to be usb.  However, using the cables I have, usb is the worst of the 3 options with aes very slightly better than coax despite the use of a $40 cable.  Lumin suggests that usb and aes will generally be the best options, and that the dac implementation may cause either usb or aes to be preferred.  I would appreciate your thoughts on this.  Will a quality usb cable make all the difference?  Or should I try to optimize aes?  I sent a message to Jinbo at Musetec about this, but no response yet.  Also, as a way to trial cables, has anyone used the Cable Company lending library, or is there a better way to trial cables?

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