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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
3,303 posts
 

Thanks Charles, may I return the compliment in that I find your posts generally thoughtful and insightful. Your a rare consistent asset to AG forums.

 

I should also add individual sensory perceptions are extremely variable. While I suggested I may not like 005 in SS system, I understand others may find the pairing complimentary. We all have our natural inherent biases, add to those ones formed from experience, result is there may be extremely different perceptions as to sound quality of any particular audio component. I'd expect diverging opinions on 005 sound quality. The one parameter of this dac I'd suggest is unquestionable is it's ability to resolve, I can't imagine this dac not being involving, this level of resolution is inherently involving, assuming system up to it. I accept color is somewhat variable here.

yyzsantabarbara
4,912 posts
 

@benzman Thanks for the update, the cost of oil must have caused the increase in shipping. I am looking for a black 005. In fact I need to get one soon since I bought my ultimate headphone amp this afternoon and will likely use my Benchmark DAC3B with it and not the 005. I will need another 005 to fill in where the DAC3B currently resides.

The amp I am getting is a tube amp and I demoed it with the DAC3B, which is a little brighter than the 005. This is likely a better match with those tubes..

 

benzman's avatar
benzman
416 posts
 

@yysantababara

I am shipping from Mich. You may be shipping from the west. Just to get the Dac to Cali. Is 75.00. 
Wish I would have known you wanted black I would have ordered it that way😀

charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 

@sns 

Thank you.

Charles 

lordmelton's avatar
lordmelton
877 posts
 

I posted a month or so ago that I had ordered a L.K.S. USB to I2s converter. Well Shenzhen Audio said I had to wait because they were out of stock but at only $206.00 it wasn't worth complaining.

It was just a curious experiment to finally find out what I2s sounded like and at 200 bucks, well? I had previously almost bought the GD-Audio version which is more expensive at around $1200 plus shipping and custom cable and weighs 5kgs, it's serious kit. Additionally there's the Sonore ultraDigital at $499.00 plus shipping but it is universal, so no custom I2s cable required.

So I wasn't expecting any great shakes for 200 bucks. Received it last week but was in no hurry to set it up. Borrowed about $1500 worth of 5v LPS and power cable from my dealer and fired it up 5hrs ago with a recently purchased Furutech 8k HDMI cable. BTW you can run it from a USB charger with the included 2.1mm USB DC cable.

Man was I WRONG! This thing is amazing, it puts you at front row centre. I know it's not broken in yet and neither is my HDMI input on the 005 but it sounds huge. Detail by the boatload and I was getting plenty before. I can just switch between HDMI and Digital XLR on the fly and it just destroys XLR.

Once it's fully broken in I'll test the difference between HDMI and RJ45 inputs.

The 005 has brought us an amazing product at a fraction of what it's really worth. Honestly this unit takes it to another level. No it doesn't sound analogue or like vinyl. It sounds REAL! As it should.

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