Musetec (LKS) MH-DA005 DAC

I recognize that not everything in audio is predictable and also that different does not always mean better to all listeners. That being said, my own biases lead me to try to make full use of the USB to I2S in the Musetec with the advantages that its designer has given us. These advantages include an excellent USB board, three exceptional clocks, a sophisticated battery-like DC power supply, and the shortest possible I2S connection.

At one point in my own DAC adventure I looked carefully into devices that went directly from ethernet to I2S. Such a device would bypass any USB connections, cables, etc. I quickly learned that while such a device might provide a theoretical benefit, in practice it would likely provide less than I already had. Beekhuyzen got the same result.

So my own road has been to try to provide very high quality USB signal into the DAC. I keep my media on a NAS and I use JRiver on a small lap-top. This has eventually led me to digital bridges (ethernet in, USB out) run as DLNA devices. My first was using an Oppo 501 (though coax out) much as car123 was using his Aurender, the only difference perhaps being the DLNA control through JRiver. Not saying here that the Oppo is equal to the Aurender, but each used in this very odd way they might be comparable.

I soon discovered that this route into the DAC could be improved dramatically using devices more sophisticated, and with USB out, than using a small part of a DAC-streamer. I eventually wound up with an SOtM sMS-200ultra Neo and an SBooster power supply for it. Under the control of JRiver this device reclocks and otherwise decrapifies the data from the NAS and sends it directly to the DAC. It is hardly the last word in devices performing this function, but I am delighted with it. Furthermore, it makes full use of what the Musetec provides.

The other part of this puzzle is the section of a USB cable, and they can be very, very different. More on this later, with at least one surprising result.

Oops. That should be: 

The other part of this puzzle is the selection of a USB cable, and they can be very, very different. More on this later, with at least one surprising result.

@debjit_g

If you decide to buy the WW hdmi, be patient to give at least 500 hrs to it. Though I don't have direct experience with WW ethernet cables but the Starlight 8 is a good buy and not that expensive.

I managed to get a custom made WW Starlight CAT 8 Ethernet cable (The red one) it's about 0.4m, maybe a little less. Good price only $120.00

This cable is crystal clear, hyper detailed through clarity. You can hear every bass note being played. I can't say it's sterile or uninvolving just mega clear. I know it needs more burn in but for I2s it's too clear and revealing.

I've just received my 0.6m Furutech NCF Ethernet cable and that's put everything back in the zone, I can hear guitar distortion and fuzz pedals again.

So the WW Starlight is currently between my Ediscreation Fiber Box and Aurender N20. The Ediscreation has Bybee Purifiers and they seem to be taking the edge off the WW and it all seems to be balancing out nicely.

@lordmelton Right now I am not using any DDC. Over a year ago I bought my Grimm MU1 streamer and I found going straight from it to DAC with a single AES/EBU cable sounded better than my complex USB chain with multiple USB decrapifiers.  Interestingly, the MU1 has bonified DDC capabilities (e.g. it can convert toslink to AES) but I don't use it in this way for music listening.

My last experience with a DDC was a Denafrips Hermes clocked by a Denafrips Terminator Plus.  My complex USB chain fed the USB signal to the Hermes which then outputted an I2S signal via an HDMI cable to feed the T+. Testing this Hermes configuration against the MU1, I preferred the MU1. 

I would love to get my hands on a Denafrips Gaia to experiment with the MU1 and 005 but this is not high on my list.

On another topic, three SR Purple fuses are arriving today. I'm installing one each in the 005, the Benchmark LA4 preamp, and my Ferrum Oor headphone amp.  I will report back my results in a later date. 

I remain unconvinced of superiority of ddc devices using usb, still using usb, so most salient cause of change in sound is not exactly known. Two, is the sound indeed better or simply different.  We also need direct comparison of  optimized usb chain by these users. Until this criteria met I2S not proven to be superior to usb for 005, IMO.

I'm also very skeptical about the benefit of bypassing 005 internal usb board. First, it is one of the best out there, Melm  clarified some of the details. Two, in regard to usb board contamination of dac power supply, Melm also mentioned  004 experiments with transformer, while I haven't gone back to that thread, seems to have not added much if anything, and that with inferior usb board in that dac. Three, as I mentioned previously, I've seen a whole lot of experimentation with streaming, haven't come across much if any talk about usb boards contaminating dac power supplies or interfering with dac processes resulting in lowered sound quality. Now, this doesn't mean there may be theoretical losses, I believe the present bias to addressing what feeds dac is correct.

For me, a more compelling argument for I2S superiority to usb in 005 would have to be an optimized I2S port on server direct out to I2S in on 005. 

Complex usb setups are also not optimized IME, less is better, I believe straight wire concept applies to streaming chains. So many usb decrapifiers out there, how effective they are so chain dependent. Power supplies also come in many degrees of quality and effectiveness.

Premature at this point to make blanket statements about superiority of any single streaming solution, and this just for 005. In regard to other dacs, there may be another best solution for those dacs.  I always go back to whatever solution one goes for, optimization is key, purity is other, we shouldn't mix conversion protocols. In doing such a comparison we also have to keep in mind every single unique feature of our individual streaming solutions.

Funny thing, but I can understand how everyone here has come to their preference in streaming chains. I can at least understand the theoretical advantages and disadvantages of all these setups, I don't doubt the results are valid for each user.