Musetec (LKS) MH-DA005 DAC


Some history: I was the OP on a four year old thread about the Chinese LKS MH-DA004 DAC. It achieved an underground buzz. The open architecture of its predecessor MH-DA003 made it the object of a lot of user mods, usually to its analog section, rolling op amps or replacing with discrete. The MH-DA004 with its new ESS chips and JFET analog section was called better then the modified older units. It has two ES9038pro DAC chips deliberately run warm, massive power supply, powered Amanero USB board, JFET section, 3 Crystek femtosecond clocks, Mundorf caps, Cardas connectors, etc., for about $1500. For this vinyl guy any reservation about ESS chips was resolved by the LKS implimentaion, but their revelation of detail was preserved, something that a listener to classic music especially appreciated. I made a list of DACs (many far more expensive) it was compared favorably to in forums. Modifications continued, now to clocks and caps. Components built to a price can be improved by costlier parts and the modifiers wrote glowingly of the SQ they achieved.

Meanwhile, during the 4 years after release of the MH-DA004, LKS (now Musetec) worked on the new MH-DA005 design, also with a pair of ES9038pro chips. This time he used more of the best components available. One torroidal transformer has silver plated copper. Also banks of super capacitors that act like batteries, solid silver hookup wire, 4 femtoclocks each costing multiples of the Crysteks, a revised Amanero board, more of the best European caps and a new partitioned case. I can't say cost NO object, but costs well beyond. A higher price, of course. Details at http://www.mu-sound.com/DA005-detail.html

The question, surely, is: How does it sound? I'm only going to answer indirectly for the moment. I thought that the MH-DA004 was to be my last DAC, or at least for a very long time. I was persuaded to part with my $$ by research, and by satisfaction with the MH-DA004. Frankly, I have been overwhelmed by the improvement; just didn't think it was possible. Fluidity, clarity, bass extension. A post to another board summed it up better than I can after listening to piano trios: "I have probably attended hundreds of classical concerts (both orchestral and chamber) in my life. I know what live sounds like in a good and bad seat and in a good and mediocre hall. All I can say is HOLY CRAP, this sounds like the real thing from a good seat in a good hall. Not an approximation of reality, but reality."

melm

@melm, I think you need to relax a little. I am free to trust or distrust whomever I wish yet I have not uttered any derogatory comment nor cast any aspersions on 'your' thread.

Do you have any reason to distrust a good number of listeners like yourself?

You assume too much.

 

you're probably dreaming about a perfect world

This makes no sense to me.

I came here asking an innocent question because I trusted the positive comments, think about it!  Why are you getting bent out of shape over me using the word 'if' ?

There is no ? at the end of my sentence, read it again. It was a statement not a question!

 

I want to greet all the owners of 005. I've been listening to my Musetec since Christmas. Any change can be heard with it, such as the effect of silver-plated or copper power cables on cold or warm exposure. I got used to the fact that the sound of individual instruments overlap, while it is rich and detailed. I power my set via a 3,2kW isolating transformer with filters. I want to share my new experience with the power filter. 005 itself does not have a filter and it is possible that it has a reason. Out of curiosity, I made an experiment and temporarily connected the power filter to the power supply. For the first time it was Schaffner FN261-2-06 (+ 3.15A ceramic fuse). I did not notice any improvement or deterioration. The second time I tried the mains filter Schaffner FN 9260-1-06 (+ 2x fuse F 2.5A inside twisted wire). In this case, there has been a great separation and refinement of the individual tools, and more air has been added between the tools and there is no overlap at all. I had to add in volume. I don't want to rate what is better, but at the moment I prefer to listen with a filter. It's an interesting experience that I want to share with you and since there are a lot of types of power filters, fuses and also different sets, there will be a lot of solutions with different results :-) If someone likes holographic placement, this is the way to go. Curious be careful - dangerous tension! Jan

 

@lemonhaze 
When someone says "if it performs as described" seems to me a clear suggestion that perhaps it does not.  You don't need a question mark to question what's been written here.  And, of course you're free to trust or distrust, as you say.  That's all I care to say on that.

And it is not "my" thread.  One loses ownership as soon as it's posted and threads usually go their own way.  It's just that as the OP I get emailed when there is a post and there's often a question I can respond to.

So let's both have a good rest of the day.  

Cheers.

Melm, I can understand lemonhaze's use of if. There is a lot of hype out there these days, understandable that one may have doubts and or cynicism  in a general sense. We shouldn't be overly sensitive to those questioning this dac, being so only invites others to attack 005 users as fanboys. As for me, I feel self assured in my assesment of this dac, I've been around the block with audio, heard many multiples of $10k-even $100K systems over the years. I know what I hear, and feel confident this dac will hold its own against far more expensive dacs. Not saying it's best $10K or less dac, and/or only good value dac out there.

 

I'm just saying lets be positive here, being defensive only serves to undermine the wish that others give this dac a fair shake.

 

@balja Providing quality power to 005, and all components for that matter is important for extracting full potential.

 

@jriggy  My take on those other dacs conforms to yours. Comparing usb to other inputs on 005 or most any other dac is generally like comparing apples to oranges. Usb users will generally be streamers, other inputs generally cd transports so not directly comparible. Still, I'd assume all inputs on 005 would give you fair taste of flavor or capabilities of dac, perhaps not it's full potential.  What's most interesting to me about 005 is the difficulty of obtaining the full potential of it's resolving capabilities, never encountered prior in any source component. I'm completely out of possible upgrades and mods to my entire system, and the last mod I made wes easily exposed by 005.

It's not as if there's ever been another thread on Audiogon where a little-known product had suddenly and spectacularly hit the big time (cough, Kinki), and then after a couple of months subsided again with the advent of a more cool-headed estimate of its strengths and flaws.