Yes, they seem to be posted for sale on Audio Mart (or at least - there is an Indiana-based ad there by 'Midwest Audio'). Half price vs. the 006... back to the thinking board!
First impressions of new MH-DA006, Musetec flagship
I have received the 006 almost a week ago and have been breaking it in. The price at Shenzhenaudio is $3,900.00 USD, $600 more than the 005. The ad copy states:
"DA006 is a new generation of flagship DAC developed by Musetec over three years and launched in 2024. During this period, it has undergone more than ten revisions and adjustments.
Compared to the previous DA005, the listening experience of DA006 has been improved in all aspects. DA006 has clearer and richer details, a stronger sense of texture, a more stable sound base, better detail control, a wider soundstage, fuller and more powerful, smoother and more natural. . ."
Some brief listening during break in has been very very positive. I will report back when it has run at least 300 hours.
Showing 11 responses by dlevi67
Gentlefolk, First post here - Happy (late) New Year to all! A couple of questions if I may - particularly to @car123 @sns @dbb as you have first-hand experience of the Musetec 006, but input from others is more than welcome. CONTEXT: I have to replace my lovely and long-serving LFD Dac III (bought new 1996), as it has developed a strange form of electromagnetic allergy to the pre-amp (even longer serving Stax CA-X, dated 1978). The rest of the system is equally vintage: Stax DA-80 power amp (1978), Audiomeca Mephisto CD transport (1993; re-clocked) and Sonus Faber Electa Amator speakers (1995). There is a Behringer Ultramatch used as a DDC/upsampler between the transport and the DAC, as it seems to sound better. Richard Sachek silver cables throughout, except for digital cables which are a mix of Audioquest and home-made high quality but not esoteric stuff. Not streaming anything at the moment, but I may start doing so, and mainly listening to classical (90%) and jazz (10%). A 'good' system in my book provides both analytical and synthetic abilities: I want to be able to hear individual instruments or voices _if I want to,_ but I also need to hear the overall musical piece and how it hangs together. For 30 years, the old dinosaurs have delivered that to me. QUESTIONS: 1) I am seriously considering the Musetec 006, largely on the basis of the strengths illustrated in this thread, which is about 95% of all the information I can find on the internet. Budget is fine - but am I deluding myself that the rest of the system will actually use it? Or should I set my sights on something significantly cheaper? (The DAC 3 had a great reputation 30 years ago, to the point that it is still saleable for >$1000, at least in the UK). 2) To Gaia or not to Gaia? At some point in the next year or so, I will begin transferring my ~2000 CDs onto some sort of music server, and I will start purchasing hi-res tracks as it's often cheaper to buy those than new CDs. Considering this, is it worth investing in a 'universal' bridge like the Gaia now - as it seems to benefit the sound regardless of the need for a DDC (lower jitter? I²S format?) or should I rather wait and see what my server and streaming infrastructure looks like? Apologies for the long post, and thanks in advance for your wisdom! |
@dbb Thanks for the welcome, and for the opinion. The little upgraditis devil that has returned to sit on my shoulder after many year says "yes, but... what if you took this as an opportunity to get the rest up to scratch?" And TBH it sounds very good - I went for a listening session of a Chord Hugo TT2 carrying pre and speakers, and was not convinced by the Chord - on the other hand, the dealer was impressed by the sound of 30-45 year old stuff. |
@car123 Thanks! |
@sns Thank you very much for a comprehensive reply. I think I will go with 006, for the reasons you mention and also because by the time I have factored in shipping from US to UK, customs clearance, VAT (UK - 20%) and all the rest, the price difference vs. getting a 006 from the European importer/representative is well below $1000. So much for 'free trade'. |
@noelpastor FWIW, searching for ’Gustard’ and ’Musetec’ on the forum comes up with a few posts/threads where comparison of A26/X26 and 005 are made. FWIW 2 - I just got a 006 10 days ago; still in burn-in period, but I'm very happy with the choice. However, I have zero experience of Gustard. |
@noelpastor My previous DAC is (was) a very old one, by a small British maker: LFD DAC3. This said, I compared it to a Chord Hugo TT2 in my system, and it very much held its ground. On the maintenance/support - totally share the concern, and this was very much diminished by having a European importer that seems to be a serious business (Brexit or no Brexit, Germany is still a lot closer to the UK than China!). To the extent that I can see (warranty sealed unit), the DAC is extremely well built, but that's not equivalent to a trouble-free ownership. [Apologies to all readers for my addled brain - the timing of '10 days' above is from shipping by the importer; I got the package 7 days later. The Musetec is coming up to a week "in house" tomorrow.] |
Not aware of any pre-made mods, but using the RCA outputs I'm getting a very reasonable ~2V peak output. If that is still too high, two good quality resistors per channel should help (e.g. 10.0k + 24.3k 1% in series, picking up the signal for your pre from the 24.3k will give you a -3db with a reasonable impedance match) |