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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
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,235 posts
 

@melm 

The Oppo looks busy because it does a lot of things. But is does NOTHING really well. I own an Oppo. The Oppo is good mid-fi. People spend thousands of dollars modifying Oppos to get them to sound really good, typically twice what the Oppo originally cost

That's been my observation as well over the years. Furthermore elevated parts count is deceptive and not a barometer of the subsequent sound quality.  Some superb sounding audio components have relatively few parts.  However their individual part quaility (Rather than quantity) is high along with excellent execution of a simpler design pathway. 

Charles 

 

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milpai's avatar
milpai
2,322 posts
 

@melm , Grow up dude - don't show up your frustrations. People will definitely question before they plunk down a bunch of money. Yes the Musetec is a DAC and made in a place where labor is cheap. Still it costs that much, compared to say a Holo Audio which is not chip based and is expensive to make. I was trying to show that the internals of Oppo and Musetec are similar, not same. But the Musetec costs far more than other pure DACs that are also made in China. Why?

@kairosman , though Okto is mostly air, it sounds mighty fine according to the users and professional reviewers. Are you telling me that if you stuff components inside, that should make it sound better? And what trusted members are your talking about? The 3-4 people who keep posting here are not all that familiar to me. I have been here for quite sometime and have only recently seen their activity. In fact it seems these same posters post together on other DAC threads here (go look at the Meitner DAC thread). It seems as if they look out for each other and jump on anyone who other questions the or this product. They seems to be in very close contact with the manufacturer.  I can understand that people love their products and the manufacturers. But feeling offended and defending it like crazy raises red flags. This seems to be going on the same track as the Tekton loudspeakers. You really don't have to use 4 letter words to force your opinion - it only shows frustration. And yes, I can delete my system page and claim to have a $100k system.

Some superb sounding audio components have relatively few parts.

Now this comes from a member whose threads I have read and reached out in the distant past. ozzy, lak, etc are the members that many here trust. ALMARG was another member that I trusted and miss him. And no one bad-mouthed others in their response. This is something you fanboys should learn. Take it easy.

 

milpai's avatar
milpai
2,322 posts
 

And none of you are able to answer - why can one find Musetec so easily while you cannot lay your hands on the Okto? Musetec is a one man show. So ideally it should have been more difficult to find. On the other hand the Okto has a manufacturing facility that employs several people and make them in batches. Still the Oktos are hard to come by. Strange.

Like I mentioned before, I am looking to purchase a DAC in the next few months, but am in no rush. I will take my sweet time to find as much information as I can before I make a decision. Keeping my options open.

kairosman's avatar
kairosman
258 posts
 

@milpai I didn't "bad mouth" anybody - I just voiced my frustration with folks who haven't heard the Musetec in their system opining about it. I recommend just trying it in one's rig to see if it synergizes. After all, it's affordable (for me at least) and easy to sell.

I don't post here often so maybe I don't know and therefore miss as many "trusted" AG folk as you apparently do. Seems to me the dudes who are posting in this thread who actually own the DAC in question are credible despite not being among the dudes you trust.

As for you implying I had once posted my rig here (wrong!) and then took it down so I could bullshit about the cost of my rig, dude, SERIOUSLY?

Just, wow.

But let's leave that ugliness aside and end on a more gentlemanly note... I suggest that since your sleuthing has revealed the Okto as more likely the real deal given its scarcity and positive reviews, not to mention 50% of the price of the Musetec, I'd advise you to buy it and feel happy you made a smart choice.

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