First impressions of new MH-DA006, Musetec flagship

This also brings to mind attempts to generalize about usb vs I2S performance. I suspect individual setups could have quite different outcomes, optimized usb at both streamer and dac could surpass less than ideal I2S outputs from streamer. I do believe I2S at dac end is inherently superior to any usb as its native protocol in dac, one is simply adding all that usb complexity to signal path.

Posted my initial impressions of Laiv on Laiv thread. This was in comparison to 005, received 006 on exact same day Laiv came in! 006 burning in on my burn in system as we speak, even on this duh system I thought I could hear something special with the 006. The Laiv quite good, surprisingly good.

@dbb Wonderful review, covers all the bases. As you know I've also been enamored of 005 for a few years now. Based on technical details released per 006 not surprised by your impressions, the attention paid to power supplies and layout is really quite impressive. Maintaining a neutral voicing is a smart thing, IMO, I prefer neutral sources, plenty of opportunities to fine tune elsewhere. 

In examining both the design and parts used in 006, this thing is really a freaking value. I trust your evaluation of sound qualities, so add excellent SQ to the equation and you have a must purchase for me. And so I have, expecting delivery in a couple weeks.

 Thanks for a very succinct  review, much appreciated.

I've used 005 sans pre, and with Pass XP-22 and modded Coincident Statement pre's, somewhat threadbare with no pre. 005 easily exposed differences between the Pass and Coincident, and easily exposes differences with virtually every change I make in system. Newer Sabre chips have typical high resolving/transparency of Sabre chip dacs with more natural presentation, need to research differences between the 9038pro in 005 vs. 9039pro in 006.

I'd also expect continued change, albeit more subtle post 400 hours, Dueland caps, silver wire improve with more time.

I'm curious about how this dac would measure vs. 005, certain Musetec aware of ASR thread. Would they care about measurements with this dac knowing some make purchases solely on specs, others require both high measured performance and sound quality. Is it possible 005 would have even higher sound quality with better bench performance?

The way I read Musetec's take on 006 measurements is when their speaking to the reasons for choosing certain parts, specifically they mention the Duelund caps. So yes, the Duelund caps will measure essentially exact to any other cap, this would not affect bench performance. Point is I don't see how changing out parts that all measure the same would affect bench measurements. Circuit design has far more to do with measured performance than the parts used, the boutique parts used in 005 should not have impinged it's bench performance.

I think we can all assess sound quality as the most important criteria by which to judge equipment, good bench performance is generally consistent with proper design. I do hope the 006 measures better than 005, I'd expect it does with the information and visuals provided. I suspect some of the changes made from the 005 were made with measured performance in mind, but then they leave things somewhat in air by repeating they tune by ear, not by performance.

@melm I agree the subjective is far more important to me than the objectivity of some measurements when it comes to audio equipment, especially dacs. I rereading ASR 005 thread it just reinforced how objectivists don't trust their senses. I'm curious to know if there is any area or thought processes in which these objectivists trust their senses?

The two major areas in which 005 bench performance suffered in respect to their reference were distortion and jitter, the distortion measurements not really a concern as these figures relatively low in comparison to other components in our systems. Jitter more of a concern, jitter has long been known to affect sound quality.

I'd suggest most of the unique sound qualities of 005 come from the parts chosen, ojectivists simply can't fathom film caps that measure the same could have unique sound qualities. This is where they completely miss the boat on the possibility dacs that measure the same or close may have different sound qualities.

So, giving measurements some credibility, I'd certainly like to see lower jitter measurements from 006, usb input looks to be improved. Lower distortion figures if indicative of greater resolving capabilities would be nice.

As things stand I will continue to base my opinion of 006 solely on sound quality, without a set of measurements I have no other choice. ASR won't admit their measurement protocols are without fault or fail to measure the unique sound preferences of individuals. They assume we are merely listening instruments, the ability to hear differences between components that measure the same is held in contempt, written off as faulty sensory perception colored by bias.

I do believe ASR makes valid point when measured specs didn't match published specs, something Musetec didn't directly address. Publishing optimistic measured specs alludes to Musetec being concerned about specs, not meeting those specs is misleading at best. Publish honest specs and clearly state intent of designing to preferred sound qualities vs specs, this would be more credible on Musetec's part. As things stand I could understand a subjectivist reticence to purchase any Musetec product after reading ASR thread. Honesty in published specs should be important to everyone.

@dbb Cool! Love my Statement, even in complete stock form a great pre. You have to use Psvane WE101D's in order to extract maximum resolution, transparency, these best 101 tube out there, and I've tried many. The Linlai  Elite solid plate is also nice, Psvane more spacious, airy than Linlai. Lesser or standard 101D will be ok, none are grating or have any tonal anomalies, just less resolving,transparent.  Also, go with XLR out on 006, this is balanced pre so take advantage of that

Still waiting for shipping notification for 006 ordered from Shentzen last Thursday, thinking about inquiring as to status of order. Seem to recall when ordered 005 through Apos having to make inquiry, shipping notification received soon thereafter. How long did you have to wait for shipping on 006?

@dbb How did you order direct from Musetec, via exchange of emails?  I've never seen purchasing portal at their website.

I'm not happy with Shenzhen, misspoke the other day, actually ordered 9/27, have inquiry in to them for over two days, no response. I may cancel order and go direct through Musetec if I don't hear from them immediately.

In the interest of comparison I purchased LAIV Harmony dac. Many positive reviews of this dac and I'm interested in hearing a R2R dac vs. Sabre chip 006.

Harmony already shipping, 006 still waiting. In the meantime Harmony vs. 005 will be interesting. Mostly I just want to compare timbre between an r2r and sabre dac, so many claims of how r2r is more 'natural' sounding than sabre chip dacs.

Another sabre chip dac not in my plans, T&A Dac200 would be next in line after 005,006, Harmony comparison. Burr Brown chips for PCM, 1bit for DSD, the 1 bit converter supposedly better.

I'm unaware of any repair needed to a Musetec dac, at least to 005, may have seen issues with 004, but then that was major platform for diy mods and some bricked them.

@dbb I recall your comparison to Holo. One thing that's critical to evaluating R2R dacs that many don't account for is clocking. R2R resistor arrays extremely sensitive to timing errors. USB generally not going to be optimal input, I2S the way to go as clock runs on separate leg. And then in order to reach max potential clock clocking should generally be done in streamer or renderer. The Harmony is the hot dac of the moment (reason I chose it) and I've seen reviews from both complete novices and seasoned reviewers, I've yet to see what I'd consider to be optimal setup in these reviews. I'll eventually purchase either Musician Phoenix or Denafrips Gaia DDC, run this with Audioquest Diamond HDMI (level playing field with my usb cable of choice) and set Harmony to lock to clock in these high end converters. Harmony has been both dismissed and claimed to be state of art or near state of art by various reviewers. Based on these reviews can't say if this all hype or ignorance, I'll try to place it in context by optimizing the entire setup. Going in I don't expect a $2700 R2R dac to be state of art or even near state of art. the amount of technology in this dac is nice value, not state of art.

Going into comparison, I admit bias for Sabre chip dacs, I fully expect even 005 to exceed Harmony in resolving/transparency, 006 even higher expectation. My take on R2R going in is nice sense of musicality, but boring in long run, perhaps even short run. R2R dacs nice forgiving sources that hide warts, Sabre dacs expose warts elsewhere in system, high resolving sources require system fine tuning. This why some claim Sabre chip dacs not musical.

@dbb Yes, any further changes with 006? Is the Statement you're getting the non-remote, dual TVC version? The TVC's in Mkii on are substantial upgrade over MkI versions, I know this from direct experience. Statement pre, regardless of tube used (exception of Linlai mesh plate, I had midrange glare) is not tonally colored. You mentioned using silver pc,  assume for use with Statement. If your system doesn't have some inherent brightness elsewhere, silver pc should be good to go. In a tonally balanced system, silver should increase refinement in highs, not add to highs. Also, should use balanced/XLR's out of 006, take advantage of Statement's true balanced topology.

@wig Expect as much.

@debjit_g Working towards 50 hours on 006, won't even bother to insert into main system until at least 100 hours. IME with many of the boutique parts in 006 it can take up to 400 hours to reach static/stable state.

I'll be trading burn in time with listening time between Harmony and 006. 006 will go in late next week with expected 100-200 hours. Someone mentioned heat in regard to reliability of Musetec, 004 ran pretty hot, 006 runs warm at left top, wouldn't call it hot, still I'd give it room to breathe.

They only state they're custom femto clocks, may be these https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806061648558.html?src=google&src=google&albch=shopping&acnt=708-803-3821&isdl=y&slnk=&plac=&mtctp=&albbt=Google_7_shopping&aff_platform=google&aff_short_key=UneMJZVf&gclsrc=aw.ds&albagn=888888&ds_e_adid=&ds_e_matchtype=&ds_e_device=c&ds_e_network=x&ds_e_product_group_id=&ds_e_product_id=en3256806061648558&ds_e_product_merchant_id=5308129997&ds_e_product_country=US&ds_e_product_language=en&ds_e_product_channel=online&ds_e_product_store_id=&ds_url_v=2&albcp=19158444193&albag=&isSmbAutoCall=false&needSmbHouyi=false&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwi5q3BhCiARIsAJCfuZmUbeVwOxq36WqcJ9WJ7izUxgQXcOBTLSmyLffKz1FsSsnGc9lB6CgaArhdEALw_wcB&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

@dbb Perhaps you're expecting too much, no such thing as perfection in this hobby. My Conicident Statement, the one with dual TVC, no remote volume control is not what I'd call warm, simply neutral with a tube presentation. I don't believe the Hegel or Coincident is the issue. I'd go with debit_g and suggest streaming setup, I've had to work for years on getting mine just right. Metal drivers may also expose some anomalies.

In any case, my first listening session with 006 will come on Friday evening, just slightly over 100 hours burn in. This included many starts and stops, heat cycling important for many parts,  and capacitor charging and discharging help to form caps, both important to any burn in regimen. I wouldn't give 006 a final verdict just yet, a variety of  perspectives help in determining any component's voicing.

I don't understand why you're using fiber optic with UltraRendu, you should be using OpticalRendu, and this with OpticalModule, both with quality lps. Assuming you have wired internet service, conversion to optical done at end of chain, just prior to dac, ie., opticalmodule>opticalrendu>usb to dac. Quality lps, even the DC cables make a difference, I was very surprised to hear the difference in DC cables, pretty much along lines AC cables make. Also, I've found switches to be of absolutely no use, this even with audiophile switch. Fast gaming level router with quality lps, wifi shut off, this will be system router, get second router, daisy chain this router to system router, enable wifi on this second or whole house router. This keeps things simple, quiet. Also quality ethernet cable, I use Audioquest Vodka.

And then the streamer itself is at least as important as dac! I tried a variety of streamers over perhaps ten years, all custom builds in my case. My present custom streamer uses $6k JCAT ATX Optimo lps, this just the power supply, rest of streamer uses all Enterprise level components. Now, you don't need to go to this admittedly extreme extent to get quality streaming. If I were to choose off the shelf, I'd go for Innuous, Aurender or Antipodes, best you can afford. This upgrade should be first for you, other things I mention above can wait, get a first class streamer and you'll be hearing full potential of 006, the rest I mention is icing on cake.

As for your Coincident pre, so you have the dual manual volume control version. This version has the two volume transformers, the other version with remote uses a single volume pot. Remote version doesn't have the resolution/transparency of TVC Statement. I can directly comment to this as I have the exact same volume setup with pot on my Coincident Turbo 845 so I can use as integrated, also has bypass of volume pot, far superior in bypass mode.

In regard to my streaming philosophy. Streaming is a chain, chain starts at internet service, ends at dac. Start with provider, faster service better, I use 1gb. Modem next, even this matters, Broadcom chip important. Router next (this important for wired net provider, optical service doesn't apply), router directly next to audio system, running router long distance from system requires long ethernet cable which means either keeping costs down by using inferior cable, one could use high cost cable, solves that issue but you still have greater losses vs. running long coax cable to router located at system. The other issue with running router at distance from system, most running this router as full house router, means wifi enabled (noise), no lps, so then they choose audiophile switch to isolate noise from system. Issue is you've already lost on noise floor issue at router, switch can't bring back what's been lost further up the chain. I run router at system, wifi disabled, quality lps plugged in via high quality AC cable to my power conditioner, I use short run of quality ethernet cable to network isolation card (JCAT Netcard XE). Conditioning ethernet can pay dividends as well. This goes into streamer which is maximally silent via Enterprise level components in streamer, these provide low latency  and low latency is what you're looking for in streamers, don't want signal lingering in noisy environment, quality power supply for streamer extremely important as well. Then I go really extreme with optical conversion, even transceivers and optical cable quality matters here. And then final link in chain, quality usb or I2S cable.

This all learned from direct experience with myriad streaming setups over many years. Treat each link in streaming chain with utmost care, then streaming can challenge any source for highest sound quality.

Have 006 connected to main system tonight, letting it burn in silently (pre forward off), so will have something like 115 hours on 006.

@dbb I'd say 90% positive rate is fantastic, seems your somewhat letdown by 006.

Crap recordings will always sound crap, now if you're talking about mediocre recordings having poorer sound, that's another thing. Absolutely necessary mediocre recordings sound better than previous component in order for me to consider it a positive addition. Musicality has to be at least commensurate to improved resolution/transparency. In general, with positive additions I perceive greater musicality with increased resolution/transparency, this due to increased involvement. You've tempered my expectations for 006.

@dbb I get that, massed violins are the single greatest issue I have with digital vs. vinyl, and my vinyl setup in particular. Natural timbre always seems just a bit off, natural resonance of a live violin very difficult to reproduce.

I think what we're talking about is differing presentations between dacs and components in general. So, as you know recently placed Laiv Harmony into system, presentation definitely different from Musetec 005 yet totally involving almost immediately in NOS mode. While I continued to listen in analytical mode, pure enjoyment mode replaced analytical mode vast majority of listening session. As I recall, 005 took much longer to reach pure enjoyment mode, most of the initial enjoyment came from the rather dramatic increase in resolution/transparency. One variable in play then is that I was breaking in other components in system at time of 005 insertion. No issues with that at this point.

@dbb I'm absolutely shocked!

On to my initial observations. I'll attempt to temper my words regards this dac, but then I can't help myself, This dac lives in an entirely different realm from both 005 and Laiv Harmony! The initial thing that sets this dac apart from those is the resolving ability, even upon first few minutes of warm up, system at background level volume, no critical listening mode I heard special things going on. So, system warmed up, critical listening begins. This thing provides detail, low level information like I've never heard before. Performers way down in mix now heard, individual performers in dense and complex passages far more resolved. And the manner in which this greater level of detail is presented is holistic in the sense it all coheres to the whole. None of this spotlit unless you choose to direct your attention to it, which I admit is somewhat difficult as early on its something of a novelty. Once you get past the novelty and direct your attention to the whole it all becomes very natural, which means I always got into that sheer musical enjoyment state of mind, away from the analytical state. I should also add sense of performers in unique recording venues far more easily heard, this added to sense of realism with 006!

Now, allied to resolution, sound staging and imaging. Always thought 005 pretty nice here, exception being depth in center image. Laiv easily surpassed 005, much better layering here. 006 at least matched this layering effect, and improved on both 005 and Laiv on horizontal and height axis. Images also more dimensional and stable on that sound stage, Finally, individualization of images much greater with 006, especially with complex passages with large numbers of performers, really special here! All in all, great performance and presented in a naturalistic manner.

Transparency rides along in lock step with this higher resolution, sense of performers in room heightened from what I've long considered to be a strength of my system.

Now we come to the two areas I had the most concern with coming into this initial listening session, tonality which I always interpret as tonal balance, the other is timbre. Tonal balance pretty much spot on, nearly exact to 005. My system has long been tuned to tonality of 005, the only change I made throughout listening session was a single notch down on output on my Rel subs. What this tonal balance means is no frequency or frequencies draw attention to themselves, bass, mids and highs all in perfect harmony in my system. Laiv overemphasizes bass in my setup, no doubt I can easily bring into proper perspective with small changes. Next we come to timbre, with this being the most surprising aspect of 006. I was expecting something along lines of 005, or perhaps even more problematic considering @dbb  issues. This turned out to be quite the opposite in my case. I long considered 005 a neutral device in regard to timbre, in other words just close enough to natural to make it an enjoyable listen. The Laiv in NOS mode surpasses 005 here, 006 surprisingly surpasses Laiv. At this point I consider 006 rather rich on the scale of timbre, I'd now rate 005 as analytical in context of Laiv and 006. Such natural timbre makes long listening sessions enjoyable, no fatigue. I can even judge this dac as forgiving at this point, can't imagine timbre being an issue in any system. To put my judgement of timbre into context, vinyl has long been and continues to be my gold standard for timbre, 006 very nice!

Dynamics, both micro and macro very nice, micro seemingly expanding throughout listening session, a bit up tight at first. Expect this to loosen up over time.

Believe that's everything for now, To reiterate, for me 006 is my new reference, don't understand dbb's issues, based on my impressions I'd expect 006 to work in a wide variety of systems, there is absolutely nothing that needs to be masked or hidden! For me, this level of performance invites a comparison to much more expensive dacs, Mola Mola Tambaqui  based on my impressions of dacs would be the next most natural competitor. Some claim its excessively analytical, at this point in my dac exploration I'm going to assume those people making that claim either have issues somewhere else in system or they simply don't like a high resolution dac. I can understand the allure of a R2R dac like the Laiv, very musical, holistic, resolving enough to bring high involvement. Sometimes in listening to 006 it occurred to me how relaxing the Laiv was in comparison to the 006, 006 a spectacular listen, DEMANDS your involvement, Laiv lets you choose.

@dbb Your should reconsider the selling of 006, can't imagine you can't resolve issues. On the other hand, I can understand 006 perhaps not for you, the issue of equipment that demands your attention is why other presentations exist. I'd only suggest if dbb insists on selling, someone should purchase immediately!

@brbrock I haven't listened to 006 sans preamp like I have with 005. Loss of bits wouldn't be so much a concern since so much resolution here. Issue would be exactly what dbb stated, I've also tried and owned a number of passives (still have a Schitt sitting around, and my Coincident 845 SET has choice of passive pre or direct modes) over the years, you'll have exactly the same problem, it will solve issue of lost bits though.

@dbb Very good choice to keep! I guess I couldn't understand your choice vs keeping 005 since I hear the 006 as more forgiving and natural. Sorry to learn of your hearing loss, not unusual to lose the ability to hear highs, I can only hear up to 16khz in a very quiet environment. In a noisier environment this more severely impacted. I won't go much into this, but we often don't realize how much the background or ambient noise levels of our listening rooms impacts our ability to hear certain frequencies, these ambient noise levels may completely mask certain frequencies in general, and actually change the mix to some degree on our recordings. I choose to exclusively listen at night when ambient noise levels at naturally lower due to the outside world slowing down. I even tried Schumann resonators, won't go into that.

Again, it may well be the particular presentation of the 006 doesn't suit you, after hearing the Harmony in my system I can understand the appeal of that presentation. In thinking about this I recall my audio show attending days, I'd often go into rooms where there were relatively low resolving systems but musical and inviting. Many would congregate to these rooms, I was always seeking the highest resolving rooms, yes, some could be irritating, but once in a while I heard high resolution along with those inviting qualities in the lower resolving rooms. And this was some years ago, so digital not nearly the quality of today, You can take a dac like the Harmony, enough resolving ability to be involving, yet be entirely musical. I suspect a Harmony magically placed in any of those rooms may have been best of show for me, that's how far digital has come. Point is 006 simply not needed anymore for many, this for the resolution seekers, and you must already have a highly resolving system in place to hear it's full potential. Without that simply wasting your money, although I consider 006 to be amazing value at $3900! I'd also reiterate 006 should sound nice in virtually any system, relatively natural timbre and neutral tonal balance should ensure that.

I had a Singxer su6 some years ago, tried I2S into 005, no contest, even with lesser usb than I presently have. Both 005 and 006 usb only way to go, optimization of usb prior to dac, regardless of how usb implemented in dac always pays off IME.

@darcman Dbb correct, no fixed volume setting. I use Roon which allows fixed volume setting for dac. I should also add the manual dual volume controls on my Coincident pre make for a bit of hassle in controlling volume so generally I set a volume on pre that allows for close to no attenuation on my dac, therefore, minimal loss of bits with digital volume control on dacs. I've never heard a discernible difference between running 005 fully open vs up to aprox. -6 or -7db, I'll try same with 006, don't expect any losses.

Second listening session, now 125 hours.

In what I'd call transition period at this point. First session, impressive gains in resolution/transparency attracted vast majority of my attention. This area of performance is the calling card of 006, automatically increases involvement, and I'd expect this to remain long term.

So now we get to presentation, really the most important aspect of any audio component, this is the where I want to concentrate my attention going forward. As mentioned above, 006 in period of transition, I noticed a slight closed in sound quality early hours, just a bit veiled and uptight, this improved somewhat over listening session. Tonally, this gave it a sort of a dark quality, something I noticed last week, very slight tonal aberration here. More noticeable is lack of full expression with micro dynamics, something I also noticed at first listening session, 006 does not yet have what I call the 'breath of life', just a little flat here. Beyond that nothing really standing out in a negative way.

Nothing really unexpected here, typical of component burn in. I expect the 006 burn in to be a long one, this thing has lots of technology built into it, many boutique parts, large number of transformers, complex power supplies. I'm expecting perhaps up to 400 hours based on my modding experience with some of these parts.

So I'm doing survey type listening thus far, virtually all genres, all manner of recording quality, seeking out the warts to get fair estimation of 006. Thus far only a single recording which I thought inferior to previous listens, this was synth heavy recording which I formerly thought to be far more expansive dynamically than it turns out to be. I've likely played well over a thousand tracks, one track from each album, so many flavors already heard, for only one recording to sound inferior is pretty good in my book. So, in essence what I'm saying, still believe 006 is superior to 005 in ability to be both more resolute/transparent and musical or forgiving of all recordings.

Now, nice to have Laiv Harmony around in order to compare it's utterly natural, holistic presentation, although I still have more hours to listen. Laiv easier to simply relax into, not listen in analytical mode. Dacs like 006, because of their relatively high resolution really demand a different kind of attention, you can't help but hearing the SOUND,  I really get why some like the NOS R2R sound. And I'm not saying 006 not holistic or natural, at only 125 hours doubt it even close to final sound, guarantee this thing will 'bloom' in time. I'm going to burn in 006 in 25 hour increments going forward, want to hear the transitions. @dbb  perceptions of 006 very curious to me, perhaps I still haven't heard some persistent, long term anomaly in 006.

@darcman I'd say without a doubt usb way to go with Musetec. I've heard I2S more likely to be superior for R2R dacs as separate timing leg of I2S cable is critical in getting best performance from these dacs. The issue is your adding another component with DDC, added complexity and voicing of DDC, may take as much or more than it gives.

I can't say if Musetec's prefer tubes or SS, I purchased a Pass XP-22 last year, while very nice, still preferred my Coincident pre, this may be a system thing or just my personal preference.

Also, 006 is not really acting as a preamp, yes it has volume control, but its digital and stripping bits. There are dacs with analog volume control, with these much better chance at not needing pre. However, the good ones are expensive, and I've seen where some still prefer stand alone pre.

@dbb What you're hearing now much more in line with what I'm hearing and have heard all along.

On to last nights listening session, now at just over 200 hours. Every listening session is revelatory with this dac, I constantly and consistently hear new information previously lost. 006 digs deep into mixes, where is the noise floor with this thing!

First thing I noticed, no more of that dark tinge I previously occasionally heard, upper mids and highs opened up, no sense of being closed in or polite in tone. I'd now rate as neutral, very much like 005.

Second thing I noticed right off is sound stage expansion, I now have images outside my speakers, pretty hard to attain with Klipschorns and necessary corner placement (I do have independent movement from the bass bin with my Volti horns and tweeter mounted on separate baffle). And the center image has so much more layering and depth than previous (again lucky as I have bay window area on front wall that reaches from ceiling to floor). Height of images also increased, haven't heard a change here in years. As for the images themselves, while l've long experienced great dimensionality here, with 006 the individual images not only localized to a greater extent, these individual images now more filled in, more sense of meat on the bone. What is even more special is the way these images float in space, simply ethereal!

And now we come to the presentation aspect of how all this newly found information is relayed. I used the word hyper detailed in my previous reviews, no more of that here. The 'bloom' has started, both macro and micro dynamics have increased such that the performers now presented as having that 'breath of life', this was something I thought 005 did pretty well, 006 goes far and above. The smallest of gradations in breath with wind instruments and vocals makes them come far more alive than previous. The touch of string instruments does the same, massed violins, cellos, bass far more natural and life like. The macro dynamics certainly much greater scale than previous as well.

Along for the ride with the greater dynamic envelope I'm hearing a new found ease in the presentation, much more flow than previous. The two words I thought of while listening were expressive and effortless. Expressive in the sense that my emotions were heightened by a much greater sense that real live flesh and blood performers in the room. Effortless in the sense of a more analog like presentation, I've heard some very nice vinyl setups in my time, up to multiple of hundred thousands, I've never heard digital sound this close to vinyl. This sense of an analog type presentation also came from the more natural timbre I'm hearing with 006, much superior to 005. Finally I'd add there is now a sense of this being a much more holistic presentation, everything more coherent and falling into place, may even exceed Laiv Harmony in this aspect.

I agree with dbb, merely stating high resolution doesn't do the 006 justice, this far more than that. At this point I'd judge the 006 as one of those components or upgrades that is far more than a mere incremental improvement, every recording is redefined such that it sounds fresh and new, quite an accomplishment!

I suspect this dac will continue to go unnoticed what with Musetec's inability to market or promote itself in western markets. I'd  only say this dac is far under priced for what it is, the technology alone far surpasses probably everything under $10K, add this level of sound quality and what you have is a no brainer purchase.

@brbrock Musetec states clocks are custom builds for whatever that means. LKS USB-100 uses Crystek CCHD-957, and this cheapo DDC sells for $280, can't imagine clocking in 006 being anything lesser.

Really don't know how Mitch2 does it, doing a two dac comparison really time consuming. 006 is my focus at the moment, will get back to Laiv after full burn in of 006 in main rig.  Laiv in secondary rig undergoing full burn in, after that will go back into main rig.

. 006 and my perceptions of it continue to evolve with more listening time. The added level of resolution 006 provides vs 005 takes some time to come to terms with, therefore, vast majority of my listening focus has been on this newfound information. With more listening time I've come to accept this as  new reference standard which allows me to focus on other things. Amongst other things to focus on is getting out of the analytical listening mode and into musical enjoyment mode, 006 has made this seamless with it's natural presentation and illuminating and meaningful resolving of the lowest level details.

As to continuing analysis of sound, at around 225 hours, sound stage continues to enlarge, still the slightest veil as it pertains to transparency, slightly closed in character at times, very minor at this point. Slightly diminished macro and micro dynamics are the most noticeable deficiencies at the moment. result is slight loss of expression vs 005. This loss of expression means performers seem less alive in room vs what I remember with 005. I first noticed this at around 200 hour mark, somewhat improved from that, hope to get up to 300 hour mark this week.

Been privately conversing with a member here who's exclusively using I2S input on 006, has no usb capability. And since LAIV Harmony purchase planned on going I2S, I have Denafrips Gaia and two different I2S specific (no video capability) cables coming in, one all copper, the other Tubulus Concentus pure silver.

I don't recall ever seeing a 005 review using optimized I2S input so this intrigues me with 006. Going I2S, adding a component and cable, but eliminating usb to I2S conversion within dac, trade offs? 006, as well as Harmony offer sync or async modes which means using host clock or local/dac clock, Gaia clock is reportedly one of the best OXCO out there, good test for quality of 006 clock. Probably a month or so out with burn in/ waiting on Tubulus cable build to get good read on preferred input.

Member I'm in contact with using I2S directly out of streamer so no usb. Only 130 hours on unit at this point.

I was one of those who tried I2S with 005, Singxer SU6 with pretty inferior HDMI cable, never really optimized it, sold Singxer soon after. Really not interesting in optimizing that setup as USB with 005 was entirely satisfying. Same holds here, 006 just great with USB, most of my interest in getting the Gaia was in applying it to LAIV dac and any subsequent R2R dac I may purchase in future. My understanding of R2R dacs is they more sensitive to clocking vs our Sabre chip dacs, segregated/dedicated clock signal run on I2S optimum for most precise clocking.

@catastrofe Technically, I don't see anything special with usb input on Laiv. Likely I'll try Laiv in main system this week, need to get up to around 200 hours burn in on this unit, this will continue to be over usb input. I2S will come later when Gaia has sufficient hours. Your take on Laiv vs older msb interesting, I've commonly heard msb described as more on analytical side.

006 COMES ALIVE! What do I mean by this? So, now at around 300 hours last night's listening session marked a transition point where 006 finally opening up. Firstly, tonally top end opened up, no longer even a hint of darkness/closed in sound, I now hear this as a former veil over the presentation, new level of transparency gained over any previous dac. Secondly, there was an important and profound change in the dynamic envelope. Specifically, I'm speaking of micro dynamics, the fine gradations of dynamics range we hear with non amplified voices and musicians, This means breath with voice and wind instruments, touch with stringed instruments, Get this right and the illusion of live performers in listening room becomes greatly heightened. Add this to the more natural timbre of 006 and you have what some describe as texture, I'd also describe it as expression, 006 has both in spades.

I'll go into a bit of depth here on this issue of compression. Certainly, I hear much about compression on recordings, not so much with playback. And I hear this described mostly as macro dynamic compression. While this is certainly a concern, the micro form is what makes recordings sound flat and boring. Maximizing micro dynamics in one's system seems to me perhaps the single most important aspect in delivering this sensation of live performers in room. Many describe highly resolving systems that only sound good with higher quality recordings. When you maximize micro dynamics in your system far more recordings become palatable  and/or involving. 006 has greatly increased my involvement with virtually every recording I've played thus far. And no homogenization like one may hear with lower levels of resolution, every recording is presented with it's own unique sound signature.

So, now we have this heightened level of expression in addition to extraordinary traits of this unit mentioned in prior posts. End result is best digital presentation I've yet heard, right up there with the best analog sources I've had the pleasure to hear.

I should also note there was a transition period running somewhere between 225-nearly 300 hours where presentation pretty poor. Unit opened up on top, slight veiling disappeared and dynamics not fully developed. Presentation I'd most liken it to was when burning in rhodium connectors, somewhat hard, bright on top, thudding one note bass. Compared to the previously somewhat polite, forgiving nature of unit in earlier hours this was quite a slap in the face. Luckily I burned through silently during vast majority of this transition. Based on many previous burn in regimes I'm expecting a more stable floor with incremental improvements, especially in dynamic envelope. Transients should balance out between attack and decay for an even more relaxed presentation.

@catastrofe In regard to usb I was specifically comparing Laiv to 006, my take based on manufacturer info is 006 takes more pains. In any case, I didn't hear any obvious issues using Laiv usb. Have Gaia cooking with Laiv via I2S at the moment in a small desktop system, can hear a difference between slaving to Gaia clock vs. using Harmony internal clock, not judging quality at this point.

After cooking for half a day, Harmony slaved to Gaia clock  via I2S far superior to usb directly out of computer, this is to be expected as Gaia acting as 'buffer' from noisy general purpose computer, clocking aspect playing large role as well\. Comparing this I2S chain vs optimized usb in main system will be much more formidable 'opponent'.

Ugh I'm so ticked, had an in depth review of nearly completed and my tab crashed, frickin Firefox!

Now I don't feel like starting all over!

For now, suffice to say what I'm hearing with Gaia/006 combo is totally freaking amazing!

Just posted initial review of Laiv Harmony/Denafrips Gaia combo, 006 bested on virtually every parameter. I doubt 006 performance via usb likely to change much with burn in at a little over 300 hours. This means 006 would have to be advantaged by using it with Gaia via I2S, slave to Gaia clock or use internal clock?

Harmony/Gaia more natural or analog like presentation alongside all the audiophile sound qualities we look for, sorry, hands down loss for 006. Really quite surprised by this, I was very willing to accept present 006 sound quality  as a 'long term' reference. To have it so easily bested by Harmony combo is one of those rare eye opening experiences, I don't experience this kind of domination much anymore, usually far more subtle differences at this level of equipment.

I'm still reserving final judgment, however, 006 partnered with Gaia via I2S could be the magic bullet?

@car123 Not really a complete review, rather more impressions, more thorough review earlier. Thread is under Laiv Harmony.

I agree an I2S directly out of streamer, avoiding usb altogether would be a simpler solution. Issue is the quality of that I2S in streamer, does it have FIFO buffer FPGA logic and dual OXCO clocks like Gaia?  I don't doubt you can diy build many streaming components, I've done and still do, just don't believe qualities of Gaia easily duplicated, I acknowledge there is steep price to pay with Gaia. I considered purchasing Pink Faun I2S card for my custom streamer (at present use only as server, Roon core), this would negate use of Sonore OpticalModule, OpticalRendu (this is my streamer/Roon endpoint) (optical conversion) and usb. The lesser quality implementation of I2S vs Gaia and loss of great benefits I hear from the optical conversion dissuaded me from going this route.

@melm I visited some cable site, somewhere in Asia, that builds I2S cables to spec, I'll try to recall site  later today. Both Gaia and 006 allow custom pin configuration, my Gaia is 12th generation.

I now have Gaia connected to 006 via I2S, plan listening session soon.

@melm  This will explain, https://www.denafrips.com/gaia Hans B. also has youtube video.

Custom termination I2S cables available at https://audiolund.com/?srsltid=AfmBOooxNn3WUk6YELU-7beiANY2By6w0AmymaEPdGRGGa84ZK9NN_Y2 These are I2S cables, only 9 pins wired, no video use.

OXCO clocks are temperature control in enclosed ovens, these highest quality femto clock, next comes TXCO, temperature control, no oven, then plain femto clock, no temp. control. Even within these clock types, quality varies. The OXCO clocks require relatively complex power supplies in order to supply constant temp control of clock, stability and precision of these clocks requires constant precise control of temp., this not easily or cheaply implemented.  You may be able to upgrade your clocks with better non temp control femto, perhaps TXCO femto, the OXCO would require power supply upgrades.

@audiostick I originally ordered Tubulus Concentus I2S, @audioman58  gave me heads up on new reference Tubulus Ximius which I went down the rabbit hole with, this $1500 cable, Concentus $700. All Tubulus cables hand made in Netherlands, pure silver, air dialectic, no dialectic best, air closest to no dialectic. For more down to earth, presently using Jieotwice oxygen free copper $70 I2S. Obviously no complaints with this cable, Harmony/Gaia combo with this cable beat out 006.

First off, I'm a relatively seasoned, somewhat jaded audiophile, decades of changes has informed me vast, vast majority of changes are only incremental, they can be negative, lateral, in that change is simply that, or positive. The way it normally works is many positive incremental changes add up to sea changes, these happen almost without notice. And then we have the rare change so profound it  imposes an entirely fresh perspective. Adding the Gaia has been one of these rare changes that results in new insights.

The first thing I'll mention is the sheer resolving power of what I'm hearing, a noise floor that seems to subside into infinity or the blackest of black holes. I now hear the slightest inflections of voice, the touch of strings and the movement of the bow across those strings, with woodwinds the slightest intonation of breath. The result is a newfound intimacy with performers which brings about greater emotional involvement with the music.  Allied to that is a more expansive sound stage with these fully developed dimensional ethereal images. Hate to use this word, but organic is what comes to mind. The illusion of live performers in my room comes so easily, no need for trickery of the mind to get here.

Crash tab break, in troubleshoot mode in order to try to alleviate.

So now we come to presentation, 006 more natural than 005, Laiv Harmony more holistic than 006, this all via usb. Laiv/Gaia combo via I2S beats out 006 via usb, and now we have 006/Gaia combo beats out the Laiv/Gaia. The most noticeable thing here is newfound sense of ease and refinement, music seems to just flow. I'm now into full analog mode with this, I could fool myself into believing I was listening to vinyl minus the surface noise. Allied to this is more natural timbre, especially noticeable with both individual  and massed violins. I've long thought digital really misses out to vinyl with violins, digital processing these into homogenized blobs, same with trumpets. Now I hear  newfound texture and harmonic development that both individualizes and more naturally presents these instruments.

Crash break

I may be forgetting something? In any case, nothing is ever perfect. I'm still hearing just a bit of flatness or lack of micro dynamic expression with 006, I continue to hear just the slightest improvement here, long, long development phase here, probably around 350 hours, I know these caps in 006, they can easily take 400 hours or more depending on the amount of current running through them. Also a bid of mid range excess, like a small frequency boost in this area, this likely due to cheapo copper I2S cable or new power cable (williewonka Helix design I use my own recipe on) I just finished assembling for Gaia. Burn in, especially with the Rhodium plugs can cause this as well.

More development with Gaia coming, custom made Tubulus I2S cable in Monday after 3 week wait. More burn in of Gaia and the power cord, perhaps new setup with Gaia, at present stock feet on Baltic Birch platformx, have many solutions available to me if I need to adjust presentation.

Bottom line feelings on I2S vs usb interfaces. I now believe usb is inferior to I2S by a relatively wide margin. I could more easily understand it with the Harmony, but the technology Musetec expended on usb in 006 made me doubt it.  While I can't make this statement universally, any streamer I would possibly purchase in the future would have to include an optimized I2S out, one coming off motherboard doesn't count. All this optimization of usb is needless IMO. This all on streamer manufacturers, I2S inherent to dac's, I don't get why there isn't both standardization and optimization of this interface in streamers.

@car123 I'd estimate this review is as much about the Gaia as it is about 006. I'd expect a lesser DDC or less optimized I2S interface to bring less to the table so in my mind the Gaia is an absolute necessity to extract maximum potential from 006. For those who may not have or want to spend the kind of money Gaia requires I believe the Denafrips Hermes would give you a large measure of Gaia performance at a savings of around $700. You also don't need to spend crazy money like I did on I2S cable, the $70 cheapo I'm using presently is at least a decent short term solution.

@aw118 I've been through 004-006, 004 was only fodder for modifications for me, I was going to go through the entire regimen of mods over on the Headfi forum thread. Then the 005 came out, forget the 004 mods, 005 was akin to a modded 004 in my mind. The 005 proved to be a keeper, at least as resolving/transparent as 004, and more importantly far more musical. I was never unhappy with 005, never heard a single sin of commission over the years. At issue with me is, historically I live with dacs for perhaps up to three, four years, then get the itch to try something new. My plans were to get the Mola Mola then I believe it was @dbb who first mentioned the 006, went over the tech, no brainer purchase. If I were to offer advice on staying within Musetec family it would be to scrimp and save for the 006 if at all possible, gulf between 006 and 005 greater than 004 to 005.

I still have my 005 and Harmony, both will go out the door, I foresee 006/Gaia combo being my reference for the next several years. And between the Harmony and 005, I'd pick the Harmony with quality I2S interface all day over 005 via usb. 005/Gaia is not something I've tried and not really interested in trying since its leaving me, could be quite nice, however. I can only say really love the Harmony/Gaia solution, I could live with that a good long time

@dbb That's fine to use quotes.

 As to why I'm choosing 006 over Harmony. Two overarching reasons. First is 006 simply more resolving than Harmony, the added resolution makes all the difference in the world for me. This added resolution wasn't simply perceived as mere information or detail, rather it brought performers/performances to life, I had much greater sense of actual living breathing humans making music. As I stated in prior post, with 006 I hear the slightest inflections in voices, the slightest changes in touch and breath with instruments, these are all things that make recordings, performers and performances unique and individual, and because they become unique and individual they reach into my emotions and/or soul and move me. I'll have to admit some special recordings brought a tear to my eyes, others were chilling what with the immense pleasure and joy they brought. I simply bought into what the performers and performances brought to my listening room, recordings I've listened for for decades became fresh and new. I could go on and on, listening to my system has become an anticipated event, something I've not experienced since early years as an audiophile when large changes came easy. My experience has been that as my system has incrementally improved over many years, consequential change harder to come by. In earlier days when I was exploring and experimenting with  a far wider array of equipment I was more easily moved when changing out a piece. For instance, one peak experience was when I replaced a litany of solid state amps with tube Conrad Johnson MV-55 amp,simply awestruck. Many other experiences of this sort over the years. 006 via usb was  incremental upgrade, Harmony via usb very similar, unique presentations had me wanting to keep both. At this point I could have lived with both as my reference dacs, but having long heard about ladder dac being extremely sensitive to inputs, I knew I was going to get another ddc in order to try I2S. (prior attempt with Singxer SU6 and 005 half hearted as I had other things on my plate at that time), so I went deep with Gaia. Harmony/Gaia combo rose above 006, similar level of resolution as 006, superior ladder dac presentation. Then 006/Gaia combo brought that extra measure of magical resolving power. So then we finally come to second reason to make 006 my reference dac, this being how  the Gaia brought Harmony presentation to 006, the 006 now sounds much like the Harmony, sublime, refinement, ease, very holistic presentation.  My digital now easily exceeds my vinyl setup, very similar presentation only with higher resolution. Haven't said much about transparency since this has long been  excellent, even 005 excellent in this regard.

  As for financials and evaluations of worth, you can likely get used 005 for something around $1700, used Harmony going for around $2400, new $2700, 006 around $3900. Going with usb and something less than high to highest system resolving powers, 005 and Harmony would be relatively close in resolution/transparency, Harmony more holistic presentation, extra resolution of 006 won't be fully realized. With I2S equation changes, 005 goes bye bye, extra money Harmony costs worth it, we're now above 006 via usb level, Harmony is your reference dac and can remain reference dac as you build up rest of system. The HarmonyGaia combo is one great digital source! So now lets say your system high resolving and have I2S solution, 006 your dac all day long. Invest more in first class i2S such as Gaia, Hermes may do, now you may have your dream dac! I'd also add any weak links in your entire streaming setup will take away from reaching full potential of 006, this means everything from modem to dac needs to be looked at and optimized. 006 capabilities are high, no sabre chip or any chip dac liabilities I can hear, Harmony in NOS mode is well respected ladder dac with ladder dac  presentation, if 00t6 doesn't have this level presentation blame something other than 006. Add amazing level of resolution and you may have your dream dac. No sins of commission or omission I can detect. Only thing missing in estimation of 006 worth is long term listening impressions, sorry  I still haven't learned time travel.

@jc4659 005 is a fine dac, it can serve as reference dac in many systems. I have a very mature system, every i dotted, t crossed and I didn't feel like 005 was a liability. My next dac was going to be Mola Mola Tambaqui, also had long term itch to try R2R dac.

The LKS 100 uses relatively low level femto clocks, power supply meh, doubt the usb isolation really that good, you can do better. Still I could see a cheaper alternative to Gaia working if the i2s internal clock in 006 is of sufficient quality. I don't see this as long term solution, 006 deserves the best you can feed it, still it could provide some financial relief in short run if finances are a question. It wont apply to every situation, but I'll try local clock next time I listen, thus far only slaved/sync to Gaia clock.

@car123 Totally agree with last sentence.

Simply escaped me, too much on plate at the moment, but for those staying with 005 my ratings didn't take into account 005/Gaia combo. I haven't tried it since 005 boxed up and ready to go, but I'd bet on that being very, very nice. Hermes at lower price point as well.

Both 006 and Gaia have eight modes for pin assignment via I2S. Certainly there are inherent advantages to I2S scheme vs usb in that I2S has isolated, dedicated lines for both data and clock + and - , L & R channels, with usb, dac has to extract clock from data.

As for clocks, either dac,  ddc (or streamers for that matter) could have superior clocking. In the case of 006 vs Gaia, Gaia has the superior clock. On the other hand, lets say this particular dac has OXCO  clock, you'd use local clock, ddc or streamer would only need provide the I2S interface. Other considerations for using ddc is isolation from upstream components, generally this is going to be usb optimization. The other consideration is quality of power supply for both the usb isolation and OXCO clock. Another consideration is there may not be enough real estate within a dac for equal quality power supply as to what Gaia offers, therefore, even for a dac with OXCO clock, quality ddc could still offer superior performance. The one downside of using ddc vs dac internal clock is theoretically having clock at end of I2S chain preferable to an external clock which has to travel down I2S cable. So, cable length, really no longer than 1/2M, matters. Cable quality also a consideration, I now have the crazy expensive Tubulus Ximius burning in, comparison to cheapo $70 copper wire cable coming.

Two perspectives here, money vs value. Sometimes money ceases to lose much of it's value when meaningful change comes. I consider the 006, Gaia and Tubulus Ximius I2S cable as a downright steal at their full retail prices.

Obviously I can't tell you if slightly less money spent on a ddc or quality I2S cable provides greater value since I'm not using money as part of the value equation here. I could choose to speculate endlessly when it comes to value equations based on money spent, all I know is what I hear and what I hear far exceeds my expectations going into these purchases. Beyond that, these three components will be my reference digital source for some time to come, not bothered there may yet still be better digital sources. Fully expect I'll have an itch to change at some time in the future.

And if we want to go into value for money evaluations, I'd likely tell you the Laiv Harmony dac is the better value, slightly less resolution may not be exposed in all systems and some may prefer the presentation.

At some point this winter I'll likely purchase Pink Faun I2S card, or hopefully JCAT comes out with I2S card.

Comparison then becomes:

1. Present setup is server-Roon core, streamer-Sonore OpticalRendu-Roon endpoint. Server>Sonore OpticalModule>Optical Rendu>Denafrips Gaia via usb>006 or Harmony via I2S (all components fed power from external lps).

2. Server/streamer with JCAT or Pink Faun I2S card-now contains both Roon core and Endpoint>006, Harmony via I2S. The Pink Faun or JCAT card will be utilizing external lps vs motherboard supplied power.

So No. 2 setup so much simpler, get rid of three components and their attendant lps and cabling, no more usb.

Question is simpler better? Less complexity means less chance of added noise, but then optical conversion completely eliminates transmission of upstream noise. How does Pink Faun (or possible JCAT)  I2S compare to Gaia I2S?  Gaia has added burden of optimizing usb.

I've optimized every single thing in my streaming setup from modem to dac, every single piece of equipment (each piece has been comparison tested vs others) using lps, top flight cabling (also comparison tested) which means ethernet, optical usb, I2S, DC, AC,  AC conditioning. I have optical conversion via Sonore OM, OR, AfterDark optical cabling, Finisar 1475 transceivers. Custom build streamer using all the best ATX build components, also includes JCAT Netcard XE powered by Uptone JS-2 choke based lps, streamer itself powered by JCAT Optimo ATX, a $6k lps, running Euphony OS, which means 7 cores running below 1% of resources virtually all the time, this with Roon core. Low latency name of the game here. And so I have all bases covered, usb streamer is top notch, 006 usb top notch. And still my I2S setup provides meaningful improvement vs usb.

And it only continues to improve with burn in time. Got tired of dealing with inconsistent performance so ran Gaia, Tubulus Ximius 24/7 for a week, New power cord on space heater for a week. Gaia now on much better isolation platform with Stillpoint footers. Result is presentation even more relaxed, refined, flows exactly like my very nice vinyl setup (think I have more money into it vs digital). And resolution/transparency up a notch, performers in room effect has been there for some time, now reach out and touch imaging. Based on my own experience with my own digital, and my memory of both other in home and audio show digital, this is best digital I've ever heard, right up there with best vinyl setups ever heard.

So bottom line, I agree every single aspect of streaming chain needs to be optimized, no ddc, I2S cable alone is going to extract max potential from any dac, its an added benefit.  The most important added benefit I expect the Gaia is providing is the OXCO clock and power supply to that clock, the diminished jitter provides this new level of ease and refinement. I also suspect usb is being further optimized even after the OpticalRendu's optimization?

Streaming is a very good word for this method of transmitting music in that one can make a very good analogy to a stream of water, any contamination upstream will affect water downstream.

I've found clocking extremely important for network, usb and I22, this affect mostly presentation. Jitter is the cause of what we hear as digititus. Jitter another good name for what we hear as nervousness, With each move towards quality clocking we should increasingly hear a more analog presentation. Analog presentations sound continuous and flowing, this is how I want my digital sources to sound.

@debjit_g While I haven't done a direct comparison pc to present setup, my initial foray into streaming was via laptop. I progressed from laptops to Mac Minis to modified Mac Minis to extensively modded Minis, every step up was easily heard. I doubt there's anything to learn from using Gaia with laptop vs my present setup. I'd suggest it silly to spend $1800 on ddc with laptop, use that $1800 to purchase a proper streamer. Also, I have experience with audiophile switch vs router, audiophile switch lost out to router, now this a single audiophile switch tested so I can't make overarching conclusions. My experience with networks is the following:

Moved modem (BroadCom chip only for these, powered with lps) close to stereo system, this means extending coax cable rather than running inexpensive ethernet cable from modem>router, this is gaming router with 1gb service, I can tweak this router with quality of service bias to audio system, wifi disabled, this router daisy chained to another router using it's wifi to service rest of house, ping test for fastest processing/low latency, again lps power>custom server/streamer, JCAT power> JCAT netcardXE, excellent clocking here, latest Netcard Evo has even better clocking, may get at some point>Sonore optical conversion, this end of network chain.

My contention is a fast processor/low latency gaming router powered by lps and wifi disabled is superior to adding audiophile switch post whole house router. In my estimation you've contaminated the entire downstream with that noisy upstream router. Point being you can never recover what has been lost upstream, start with clean at the source, and keep it clean until you reach streamer interface to dac. Clock and clean whatever interface used, voila, you have clean, pollution free streaming chain.

I have no doubt the laptop streamer would sound better with ddc. I'm just questioning whether the $1800 would be better spent on better streamer. That based on my reasoning that stopping contamination upstream is preferable to downstream.

Hmm, not sure I agree that ddc could be of benefit for any streamer that no. 1 lacks I2S output, that is if we believe I2S is inherently better than any usb. Or no. 2, has I2S output, but not as well implemented as a ddc. You're now seeing streamers with proprietary interfaces, based on reviews I have no doubts those better than typical I2S setups. I'll continue to maintain optimized I2S superior to optimized usb.

Perhaps some of these proprietary interfaces will make it into more affordable equipment, until then we really only have usb and I2S to play with. Not expecting that anytime soon, sure these technologies patented, so reverse engineering would have to be diy thing.

My Gaia is 12th or latest version, seems I recall reading something about minor improvements. Often times manufacturers improve things in ongoing basis, may not mention this and/or designate as new version or model.

All equipment subject to ongoing improvements, who knows when your piece becomes yesterday's model. Sonore just came out with Deluxe versions of my OpticalRendu and OpticalModule, so now I'm behind the curve again, this stuff is never ending!