Musetec (LKS) MH-DA005 DAC

@melm

In my last post I said I had "calibrated" my ears by going to a concert given by a small orchestra in an appropriately small performance space. I had missed concert going during the Covid period. When I go to a concert like this I can’t help comparing it to listening at home. Calibrating one’s ears is not a bad way to put it. When The Absolute Sound was run by Harry Pearson and was worth reading, each of his reviewers was required to attend concerts of unamplified music on a regular basis, to "calibrate" their ears

Excellent points made, particularly this one concerning calibrating one’s ears by listening to live acoustic instruments (And human vocalists). I’ve have done this for many years. This year I’ve attended 7 live performances and going to a piano recital this evening. Jazz club show next week.

One thing that is unfailingly consistent with live un-amplified music, it’s very full bodied with vivid, rich and colorful tone. There is so much beauty, emotion and presence when listening to these live instruments. I can understand how someone used to modern hyper detailed emphasize components would actually find the live instruments dull by comparison.

In my opinion the pursuit and emphasis on achieving ever more “detail” and “inky black” backgrounds has unintentionally moved away from a natural realistic sound presentation. Melm, I definitely understand your perspective.
Charles

Above posts are good for voicing one's system. I also use my own voice in order to ascertain natural timbre, tonality of my system. I love to sing, sang in many choirs back in the day, so often sing within my dedicated listening room. Really belt it out with operatic voice, hearing live voice within one's own room is extremely enlightening.  Speaking, clapping, whistling, yelling can all be helpful as well, sometimes ugly sounds very telling, don't want to beautify the ugly. Used all the above in determining best use of acoustic treatments for my dedicated listening room, wide variety of music as well.

The one issue with using unamplified live music for voicing one's system is we then have to rely on aural memory. Not to say its not valid method, hearing a good amount of this over a lifetime certainly helps in training our sensory perceptions. Listening to live and reproduced  music over audio systems in analytical mode is a skill, practice improves this skill.  Just leaves out the insights gained from instant comparison to live voice  and/or sounds reproduced within our listening rooms.

As far as colorations within systems, I maintain my estimation of neutral voicing of 005, silver content of wiring doesn't upset in the least. In my setup silver only adds transparency, resolving capability, no brightness or spotlighting of highs, no thinning of mids and bass, in fact I'd say highs and mids sound most natural with the aprox. 50/50 copper/silver content I currently employ. Excessive copper can harden mids, close in highs to some extent, silver opens things back up, and adds delicacy and sophistication.

No to say, I'm unaware of downsides of sliver in some systems, I've had systems in past very sensitive to silver, spotlit highs, thinning of mids, bass, so understand not for everyone.

I'd just like everyone to understand 005 is not inherently allergic to silver, this dac is voiced wonderfully, while it may not be warm enough for every taste and system, it is not hifish sounding. 005 not scared of silver or even rhodium, capable of wonderful harmonic development with a variety of metals.

Does anyone remember if the Briscasti DACs were compared to the Musetec 005 on this thread. The thread has gotten big and I do not follow all the posts anymore.

@yyzsantabarbara 

Too bad that Audiogon does not support a "search within thread" function.  it would often be a great help.

The best you can do here is to use the general search on "Musetec Bricasti".  You will come up with something.

Actually I did that just now and came across some posts by the person that sold me his Musetec 005 (my second one). He compared it to the Bricasti M1 SE. I used different search terms to find the post, A’gon search is pretty lame.

The post I found was very useful and answered exactly what I wanted to know. I was considering using a Benchmark LA4 preamp with a Musetec 005 DAC on my new Livingroom system, which will use new KRELL amp(s) and KEF Blade 2 Meta. I have the 005 and LA4 already in my completed office system, with Benchmark AHB2 monos. So I know that pairing is great.

My dealer is telling me to try a different preamp from the LA4 for the KRELL. He suggested the Bricasti. Reading the post on this thread that compared the M1 SE DAC with the 005 DAC made me think I do not need the Bricasti DAC. I already have the 005 and Sonore OpticalRendu that I am sure is close to the Network streaming card of the Bricasti M12 Source Controller with DAC (mine could be even better). Though the M12 is a cleaner and simpler solution if the Ethernet streaming is as good as my Sonore OpticalRendu.

I am now thinking of giving the Bricasti M20 preamp (no DAC) a demo with the 005. Mainly to be sonically different (not better) from my office system which is Benchmark LA4 preamp | Musetec 005 | Benchmark AHB2 monos | KEF LS50 Meta + KEF KC62 sub. The office system is super clean and precise with the 005 adding some smoothness.

The Livingroom system could be a rounder and smoother sound with the Bricasti preamp | Musetec 005 DAC | KRELLL XD amp(s) | KEF Blade 2 Meta.

BTW - I just sold my CODA 07x preamp which is 1/2 the price of the Bricasti M20 and has similar features. I liked the quieter and more detailed LA4 more than the 07x, The 07x with the 005 DAC was at the far edge of smoothness for my particular tastes.

If anyone cares. Some smart guys talking about the Sonore streaming vs Bricasti streaming.

Bricasti M1 > M5 > M12: Network Player - Member REVIEW - w/OEM Response from Brian Zolner President Bricasti - Page 2 - Music Servers - Audiophile Style