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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
melm OP
1,082 posts
 

@ja_kub_sz 
Your DAC adventure continues and we will all be grateful for the information and comparison you will give us.  Don't hesitate to tell us that you like the Tambaqui better, if you do.  No one ever said that the Musetec is the best of all DACs.  I just wonder, though, how you came to choose  the Tambaqui from all the FPGA DACs out there.

@lordmelton 
It sounds like you're really happy with the Musetec.  It's very reassuring to those few of us who discovered this DAC early and were eager to spread the good word.  There's always the chance that other people will spend the, not insignificant, money and be disappointed.  We are just audiophiles like yourself.  So far it seems to have worked out OK.

yyzsantabarbara
4,885 posts
 

I am taking my Musetc 005 DAC this morning to a hardware vender/musician to listen to the 005 via my RAAL SR1a headphones. He is doing some repairs on a cable I own I want him to hear the 005 because he has a great ear and tends to know the musicians in the recordings we use to demo.

For example, he has a buddy that has a deep baritone voice and when we listened to him on my old gear, he said that it did not accurately portray his voice. Changing to other gear showed me what he meant.

If he does not like the sound, he tells me. Which was great for me in the past to get rid of some gear and make changes. The 005 was the end result of some of those early listening sessions with my older gear.

 

mresseguie's avatar
mresseguie
45 posts
 

I’d like to thank you all for bringing this DAC to my (everyone’s) attention. I’ve read all the posts over the past couple weeks <and have quite likely forgotten a lot of details 🙄>. I’ve got a couple questions if you don’t mind.

Is output to one pair of connections at a time, or is it capable of feeding both XLR and RCA out simultaneously?

Have any of you heard the Nuprime Evolution DAC in the same system as the Musetec? [They both use the same DAC chip.] If so, what were your conclusions? If not in the same system, but you have heard both DACs, how did they compare?

Have any of you heard a SW1X DAC III NOS tube DAC? Are you able to tell me how its sound is different from the Musetec?

For reference, I listen almost exclusively to Redbook CD quality music though I also listen to some hires music. I do not listen to DSD.

I appreciate any help you can offer.

Regards,

Michael

 

 

audiomores
1 posts
 

L.K.S. or Musetec was a lottery ticket a few years ago. The L.K.S. 004 already had an unheard of price/quality level. The successor Musetec 005 goes well beyond in terms of refinement. Just like the 004, you have to set the bandwidth (DPLL) and filter settings for best results. Because I use a separate high-end preamp the volume control is set to bypass. That gives the best results. The settings DPLL 'BW-07' and filter on 'Slow -L' can be glued as far as I'm concerned. Use the I2S input in combination with a Pink Faun streamer equipped with an I2S Audio Bridge. The only tweak was replacing the fuse with a superb ACME SB fuse with CFC.

yyzsantabarbara
4,885 posts
 

What is the logic behind the DLL settings? Are people setting it by listening or is there some guidance provided. I have been using the 01 setting with USB, but I just tried the 07 setting and the sound maybe a bit livelier. I need to do some more comparisons tomorrow.

*************

I met up with my musician and hardware vender friend today at his shop. We connected my Musetec 005 to his CD player via COAX and then listened on his monitor speakers.

He pointed out an issue he had at around 375 Hz where he said the sound is scooped. That is a slight dip in the frequency response. He had a Benchmark DAC3L in the shop and we compared that frequency range between the 2 DACs and the DAC3L sounded a bit better there. However, overall, the DAC3L could not go toe-to-toe with the 005. I also have the DAC3B at home and the comparisons we did today, made me want to get a second 005 to replace the DAC3B

Overall, the consensus was that the 005 was so smooth and a great DAC. He wanted me to keep the 005 in the shop for a while. I said NO.

I also listened to a new headphone amp he was bringing to market. The 005 was stunning with this amp. 

 

 

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