Musetec (LKS) MH-DA005 DAC

Hello ,

i am writing from Europe  and I have been following this forum from the beginning. Thanks to sns, lordmelton, melm and everyone else for sharing the experience with 005. I decided to buy 005 because the best option is price / quality / I I2s. As far as ASR is concerned - measurements are not everything. Even the hi end DAC R2R Rockna  doesn't have perfect measurements, but it sounds very, very good. My current DAC Soncoz SGD 1 ($ 450) is identical to mola mola tambaqui ($ 10,000) by ASR measurements. Emotions cannot be measured =)) Eventually Jinbo Li can fix the ESS hump (as did the engineer of Soncoz SGD 1)

One option designers use to obtain better specs is applying more feedback to a circuit. Generally, this adds a sterility the 005 certainly doesn't need. Per @fl_guy not meeting Musetec published specs is problematic. This is how China manufacturers get themselves in trouble here, we expect honesty, you don't retain your position in marketplace with marketing deception.

Still, as has been mentioned previously, the dac will sound the same today as it did prior to ASR review. While I don't much agree with ASR  philosophy, I'd rather see equipment that both measures and sounds great vs only one of the two.

Any old competent engineer can design a DAC that tests well.
I’m interested in music, so what I do is try hard to design a product to sound good. Period. Measurements notwithstanding. They just fall out, and are what they are.

For example, as one user has written elsewhere, "the majority of the distortions comes from the discrete I/U and output stage. The output amplifier and buffer has no feedback (I think). Without it the distortion values cannot compete against integrated op amps."

Virtually all mass produced entry level DACs/CD players made by the mainstream brands follow the same recipe. Op-Amps (Inexpensive off the shelve varieties) utilized for I/V conversion and analog output stage duties.

They employ generous amounts of NFB (Negative feedback) and do one thing consistently well, they yield very good test measurements and specifications. How do they reproduce music and engage the listener? Seemingly that's besides the point. They will measure quite good, mission accomplished.

Certainly it is true to say, "to each their own". I'll chose the talented designer who makes decisions .based on extensive listening and reassessment. I do not find any particular comfort with good spec numbers on paper. It has to sound very good when listening to music.

Charles

As per some others here I feel that Jinbo should only publish consistently reproducible measurements, otherwise it is difficult for potential new customers to trust him otherwise. I get the temptation for a small company to publish attractive specs, but these days with the ASR gear measurements making their way through the hifi forums, it is better in the long run to be accurate. 

Btw I have been listening to the measurements champion Topping D90SE all day and so far I have no complaints. It is many hours away from completing burn in, but I gotta say so far it is clean and yet not harsh sounding. 

One actual fact that has arisen is that there are two versions of the 005. Checkout the pics below and note that one has what seems to be an off the shelf Amanero Board with two oscillators. Whilst the other has an Amanero Board with three oscillators. I believe the latter is Musetec's custom Amanero Board, so I surmise this is the later model.

Power board differences show 2 FETS and 4 FETS and minor capacitor changes.

I will not speculate on distortion or the reasons for it, my contributions to this thread speak for themselves. These boards are easily changed if anyone is so inclined, I can't detect any other differences.

Yours in Musetec