Has the ASR review/hatchet job on the Musetec MH-DA005 Changed Anyone's Mind?


A little over a year ago, after seeing so many glowing reviews of the 005 on this and other fora, I bought the DAC and thought it made a great improvement over my Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ (which I now use on my #2 system). Recently, I came across the ASR review, which concludes that the 005 is a piece of crap. I know that ASR has a dubious (at best) reputation in this forum, but I wonder if its review has caused anyone to have second thoughts about the Musetec. I confess I was initially concerned by questions like, why hasn't Musetec responded to the horrible ASR review, if it is inaccurate? But, then, every time I listen to my system with the 005 DAC in it, it sounds glorious. Obviously, the guidance, "trust what your hear" is important, but I'm not sure I'd be as trustful of my ears if the negative technical review came from, say, John Atkinson, who has far more professional legitimacy in measuring equipment. I confess I have one more than one occasion refrained from buying a certain item because of his test results. (Where I live, it is not feasible to listen to amps in stores before buying, and one quickly grows weary of buying and returning expensive equipment on line, especially equipment that does not have stellar subjective and objective accolades).  

audio-satisficer

Showing 1 response by jbhiller

I agree 100% regarding ASR getting too much airtime, it’s lack of usefulness, and the awkward cultish pile on by its forum guests.

ASR’s refusal to listen to gear while making an “objective” approval or disapproval of a unit is absurdity.

I don’t have a lot of strong opinions in this gloriously fun and rich hobby. But I do as to ASR—If anyone is system building and on a journey please be extra careful in following ASR’s recommendations. While I don’t doubt that some of the gear it recommends probably sounds good too, yet we will miss out on so much the hobby has to offer if we make wholesale rejection of the products based on its alleged objective reviews