Spent the last month trying DACs. Landed on the Luxman DA-06 (that I bought for change over 4k from a US dealer). My first choice was the MSB Analogue but with the right power supply, it was well over 10K. Close runner up was the new Bricasti but it too with what I wanted was over 10K. The Luxman has DSD, goes well with my Aurender Music server, and loves my Wyetech Pearl pre-amp and my Aesthetix Atlas amp. Detailed and lush with Harbeth 40.1s. All that the reviewers have said about the Luxman--silky sound, great band width, useable filters, USB built in, and I say as well. I haven't listened to every DAC but it's better IMHO than the Berkeley that I almost bought and the Cary I considered as well. In order, I'd say MSB, Bricasti, and Luxman are my favorites. |
Listened to my first DSD music yesterday with the Luxman DA-06. Aurender sent a software update for DSD on my S10 music server. Listened to Dire Straits Mone for Nothing, a Shelby Lynne set, Getz & Gilberto, and Holly Cole's Don't Smoke in Bed. The resolution on these DSD files is just amazing. The depth and soundstage I could't imagine until I head these files. They are so much more revealing than the SACD and red book versions. Couldn't help comparing them. The DSD files aren't cheap though. They were about $25 each and they are huge (3 - 4GB each) compared to the FLAC files I have. Has anyone else used this combination of Aurender S10 music server and the Luxman DA-06. Would love to hear your impressions with DSD vs FLAC files. Can't be just me. |
Hello Audioman, I have just over 100 hours on the Luxman DAC and it is changing from digital cool and revealing to much more of a lush or what people are calling a silky sound. At first I was puzzled because it sounded very digital but as it's breaking in, it is sounding lush and revealing, especially with DSD files. Before I bought it, the last DAC I heard was MSB Analogue. That was revealing too but not with the rich or silky sound of the Luxman. I play acoustic instruments and the Luxman is close to those sounds. I will report after more hours. It is going into a deHavilland Mercury 3 tube pre-amp right now. I like the combination of this DAC and the tube pre-amp. My amp--the Aesthetix Atlas Signature--is a hybrid SS & tube amp too. |
I had the same problem with the Elias DSD file and the Holly Cole Temptation file. At first I thought it was the new DSD software running the Aurender, but I checked with Aurender and they haven't had such problems. The Michael Jackson Thriller wouldn't download, so they reset it for me. I grabbed it this morning and will see how that is. The boards online have discussions of this popping sound. People are assuming that it's the software like JRiver but my dealer and I think it's the DSD files.
Your Krell is a great piece of equipment. I almost went with Krell. I'm going to check out the Synergistic fuses for my preamp. |
I've tried a number of power cords with Luxman. I settled on a Furutech F1. I'm going to try the new MIT Style Line USB today. That will replace a Cardas USB. I'll let you know how it goes.
I got new DSD files from HiRez but they never responded to my email about the transient noise before some of the tracks on the Holly Cole Temptation on the David Elias. My Santana from them is fine. And so is the Michael Jackson Thriller. At first I thought it might be the Aurender, so I sent the files to a tech engineer at Aurender, and he tried them with an MSB Platinum IV DAC and even the bad files were ok. That's puzzling. Did you get a response from HiRez, the Acoustics Sound site?
There are discussions in the internet boars about these transient sounds. People using JRiver on computers have had problems and as far as I can see, no one yet has a fix. It could be the software, the files, or a combination of both, or a computer science guy here at the university, said that it could even be the download picking up stuff at the front end of the stream. Wish I had a better answer. Did you get anywhere with this problem of these transient sounds? |
Audioman,
I got this answer from Hi-Rez about the DSD tracks popping transient noise before certain tracks play. Do you think it is the Luxman software? I know you had similar issues with one of their downloads.
We have thoroughly tested the Holly Cole and David Elias DSD files and cannot duplicate the pop/transient that you mention. We have had some other reports of various DSD files having transients upon playback from some of our other customers using the Luxman DA-06 DAC although the files have all tested out ok. We are aware that DSD playback is a brand new upgrade that was just made available to the DA-06. We highly recommend that you contact Luxman to report this issue as it appears to be the DAC at fault. They may need to research and push out a new firmware upgrade to resolve the issue. Additionally you may want to check with Aurender regarding DSD output from this unit. Looking at their webpage they only mention support for DSD playback over USB. |
After hearing from the Hi-Rez people that their files tested ok, I took the Aurender server out of the system and put my MacBook Pro in running Audirvana. All of the files and tracks that were problems with transient noises are good, no noise, running the DA-06 with the computer. My problem is with the either the compatibility of the Aurender and the DA-06 or the DSD software on the Aurender. I'm in touch with a guy from Aurender in S. Korea and will see if you can remotely reload the software. I'll let you know what happens. |
So if anyone is interested, we figured out what's up with the popping. It's the USB handshake between the Aurender and the Luxman. The Aurender streams DSD with AES, COAX, and USB but apparently the USB handshake isn't what it should be yet. Aurender just released its DSD upgrade about a week ago, so it's brand new, and it does stream DSD wirelessly from my Mac. The SW engineers at Aurender are building a beta fix. From reading the boards, the people running JRiver on computers (and other SW but not Audivarna) are having or had similar problems. JRiver, according to posts on the boards, has a SW fix. |
Aurender released a software upgrade to take care of the USB handshake. My DSD files that used to have transient noise at the beginning no longer do. It seems clear that it was a USB software issue with the server and not the Luxman. Aurender software engineers figured it out. Thanks to the Hi-Rez people and the Aurender folks for helping solve this problem. I have decided though to return the Luxman and spring for an MSB Analogue DAC with the upgraded power base. The MSB plays DSD files through AES as well as through USB. The MSB upgrades software easily as well. I still have no idea how the Luxman upgrades its software. |
There's a lot to be said for tubes in the system. My Luxman DA-06 runs into a tubed De Havilland Mercury 3 preamplifier and a tubed hybrid Aesthetix Atlas amplifier. Even though I'm returning the Lux for an MSB Analogue DAC, and like solid state DACs for their resolution and control, I'd never run without tubes in the system. I haven't heard the 303T. I auditioned the 306 Pro and decided against it in favor of the Lux and an Ayon CD. I'm now going to sell the CD player and run off of my Aurender S 10 music server only. It's controlled by an App on the iPad and is terrific for convenience (plays DSD, allows for playlists, updates from the internet, has 2 TB storage, allows for other drives to serve, and so on). The quality is far better than any CD player I've auditioned and I've auditioned a lot from Esoterics to the tubed players like the 306 Pro. I haven't used the Ayon CD player once since I got the Aurender S 10 in December. |
