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

The language of audiophiles and/or terms and words we use to describe sound is an attempt to objectify an inherently subjective experience. Melm's one example of descriptions of 'analog like'  goes to show how it can have different meanings to different people. I presume most audiophiles know what intent of that descriptor means, yet it may not be entirely accurate in an objective sense. We can't know for a fact the person claiming to hear this characteristic in their system really knows what analog sounds like, or conforms to our definition or understanding of same.

 

I suppose I was lucky in a way in that my beginnings in audio were prior to information technology explosion. I had virtually no communication or access to information in regard to the sound of audio equipment. I only had my own experience listening to various sound reproducing systems to guide my own path into creating my own systems. I had very few preconceptions or biases, I didn't yet have the need to be cynical or judgemental, therefore, I was like an open book, I could easily trust my own ears/mind to judge the qualities of sound that appealed to me. And so this was my method for building my first system, and remained the method for subsequent system building.

 

I'm not sure I'd like to be novice audiophile today, I'd have a terrible time making decisions on which direction to pursue in everything audiophile. Who can you trust? Here we are extolling the virtues of this virtually unknown dac, I understand the cynicism of outside voices, why should any of us be trusted, what are our credentials?

 

And so audiophile's attempts to objectify audio language and certify themselves as experts to be trusted is highly questionable. Obviously, at some point individuals make choices as to audio equipment purchases. Based on the many requests for guidance on this forum and many others, any number of individuals are letting others guide their purchases, they are placing their trust in certain others. I further presume the more experienced of us are at least somewhat influenced by other audiophiles, even if we are consciously oblivious to that influence.

 

And so the point is, its very likely virtually every single audiophile makes valiant attempts to objectify an inherently subjective experience. I can't live in your shoes, and I don't have your assemblage of equipment in your room, I know virtually nothing about your audio system listening experience! And here I am extolling virtues of a dac with my unique audio language, audio system, room and ear/brain listening complex. Seems quite useless!

 

Which brings me back to this overly long winded spiel. I purchased 005 virtually blind, not a single review, absolutely no guidance other than internal pictures and description of parts used. My only guide in this purchase was my knowledge of audio parts gained through many years of modding various audio components. And that was hard gained knowledge, I destroyed a couple diy projects in the early days. How any of this makes me qualified to be a guide as to any dac purchase is beyond me.

 

Melm's honest appraisal on the subjectivity of audiophile language was food for thought here. This recent article by Roger Skoff also great stimulus, https://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/viewpoint/0322/Disagree_About_Audio.htm

 

 

The author of the Enjoy the Music article states in conclusion: “When it's your money buying something for your system, to be used in your listening room, for your enjoyment, no opinion matters but your own.”

This is a pure subjectivist view. It is a also a truism. Of course, why would you buy something you don’t enjoy but some stranger does?

But audiophiles will never adhere to this rule because they love to talk and debate about what is best, or the king, or a giant killer, or state of the art, or superior. So objectivism creeps in after all. This is true on all maters of value judgements in aesthetics and probably ethics. Are values objective facts or whatever floats your boat or a non-rational combination? For further reading see Plato and Jeremy Bentham. I, for one, think there is an inexact baseline based on the reality of real instruments and voices. It is my preference but it doesn’t have to be yours. But if you are in the pure no reality school, don’t crow about what is best only what you personally like.

 


I also have my grave doubs about the value of the "Enjoy the Music" article referred to.  He takes better than 2000 words to say: Buy what sounds good to you.   Very low idea to word ratio IMO.  Some people get paid, and probably not very much, just to fill up the spaces between ads.

@ja_kub_sz 
FWIW I gave my personal view of FPGAs on the "AKM makes the best DACs" thread.

@melm  made the jump and ordered the Mola Mola Tambaqui and I'll be doing hopefully soon, A/B testing next month with it when it arrives the first week of April.

Curious to see how it all plays out.

Till then ✌