Musetec (LKS) MH-DA005 DAC

@metaldetektor

You asked about break-in of the Musetec DAC.

In his first post after receiving the Musetec, @pt999 compared it to his fully broken in May Holo KTE DAC. After one week of break-in he decided to return the unit. He preferred the May, apparently by a good margin.

In his second post, written after 16 days and 350 hours* of break-in he changed his mind and decided not to return it. He writes that, "The 2 DACs sound very similar. Switching back and forth multiple times on the same music passage, some the differences I found before are no longer valid. The Musetec air and space are about the same as the May." He continues to prefer the May saying the sound is a bit "crisper." That is usually more of a description of a sigma-delta DAC, but that’s what he says. He continues, "I’m not sure I can pass a blind listening test identifying which is which."

This very much confirms what @dbb has written as an OP after a full break-in of both units.**  HIs break-in of the Musetec was longer than that of @pt999.

*Others have reported needing more time.
**Comparative Review: Musetec DAC and Holo Audio May DAC

@auxinput

The first clock I swapped to in the LKS was the Accusilicon AS318-B-100.

Yes, it was an improvement, more forward sounding and clearer. At the time I had an Anthem D2V preamp & Emotiva Monoblocks. That combo along with my B&W Nautilus 803’s which are fairly bright already wasn’t really ideal for me. The Crystek removed the listening fatigue from the equation.

Since then, I now have a McIntosh MX150 pre & MC312 Amp. The McIntosh/B&W combo is really a match made in heaven for me. I could listen to my system all day, it really sounds great to my ears.

It would be nice to swap the clocks again. However, I dread remorking the LKS again. I have so much fear of ruining it as I like it so much already. I try not to follow the long thread on Headfi any longer as the mods to this unit continue on. Although I have professional rework personnel at my disposal at no cost, I try my best to leave well enough alone on the 004 as it stands ;)

I have already ordered the Teradak combo with the 13A power supply: https://www.ebay.com/itm/184685139541

I will post again when it arrives. Thanks for all the suggestions.

@melm Well I’m finally onboard after Christmas Customs delays and an eventful experience dealing with Shenzhen Audio. I won’t berate them except to say you’ll be much better off phoning them and giving your shipping instructions, waybill information etc. instead of emailing them and leaving them to their own devices, but it was well worth it all in the end!

So I’ve had the 005 for 3 days now and run it almost constantly for 72 hours. Straight out of the box the soundstage was big, did a few cable swaps until I got a good match, it’s very cable sensitive, good sign.

DSD sounds absolutely wonderful almost hypnotic, you have to put down what you’re doing and LISTEN! Another good sign..lol.

Unfortunately no DSD over AES/EBU or SPDIF only DOP which is more dynamic than the USB but lacks the magic.

Redbook CDs sound better over AES/EBU but still undecided on AES/EBU or USB for Hi-Rez PCM, they both sound excellent.

Out of the box the 005 oozes class, it’s silky smooth, black version. The LEDs are a beautiful shade of turquoise, one I’ve never seen before - stunning. How often would anyone remark on the LEDs?

15 DPLL settings No.1 is recommended for PCM and 6 for DSD I found these settings worked the best and they stay in memory. Switching inputs is a breeze on the front panel or remote.

Fast and slow filters fast is way better.

Phase swap for DSD because sometimes DSD channels get swapped over by software. PCM not able to swap.

Listening via an Aurender N20 with a 10 Mhz master clock a 15 year old Virtual Dynamics custom XLR IC into a SMC Audio VRE-1 Pre-Amp.

HiDiamond AES/EBU Reference and HiDiamond Standard USB $89.00!

Will report back after I’ve put a few more miles on it.

Thanks sincerely to everyone who recommended the 005.

Congratulations! Where does it say dpll 6 best setting for DSD?

While the Hidiamond usb may be great at that price, you can do better, it will pay off. I've used Supra, Cardas, Wireworld, settled on AQ Diamond, you will definitely hear difference with your nice setup.

By the way, I just purchased Sonore opticalrendu, this will replace one fmc, lps and Sotm sms200 neo. We were speaking of clocks, this has two femto clocks, based on reviews should be definite step up from Sotm. Also likely to go to Sonore optical module to replace tp link fmc, again, this has femto clock. Also, considering Small Green Computer sonicorbiter I9 server vs diy, one of the few servers with optical out.

All this relates to getting more of the potential out of 005. Nearly all my network upgrades help to make 005 more analog sounding, along with resolution improvements. For all the people streaming, optical is way important. My goal is to eventually be all optical from modem  onward.

@sns Hi and thanks. The online manual recommends to use the lowest DPLL settings for the best SQ.

PCM BW01-BW03

DSD BW06-BW10

Obviously these will get tweaked over time and fine tuned, lower the setting more detail, take it up a notch or two to smooth it out.

Not streaming only using my ripped files, most of what I want to hear I've bought over the years. Maybe in a few months I'll add streaming but as you say that's another investment.

Yes my digital cables will get upgraded but the HiDiamond USB is great value. The 005 is starting to reveal fault in the HiDiamond AES/EBU and push me more towards using the USB output and I'm a great fan of AES/EBU!

After the 005 is fully burned in I'll be looking at a USB to I2S converter re-clocker but it's wonderful as of now.