Musetec (LKS) MH-DA005 DAC

I placed an order for a silver colored one today with Midwest Audio in Indiana.   After reading this thread and the one on Headfi I decided to pull the trigger.  I'm currently using the internal DAC card in my Aesthetix Mimas integrated amp. It sounds pretty good, but I was curious or  wanted to see how a top of the line separate DAC would perform in my system.   

Thanks melm.   I need to put some vibration control on my racks and treat my room to complete my set up.  Hopefully I will accomplish that in the next couple of months.  

Mine still hasn't shipped yet, I ordered on the 10th, which is fine that it hasn't as I am in no hurry.    Maybe just an indicator how busy they are. 

Actually, shortly after I posted that, I got a tracking number.  I bought mine from Midwest Audiophile in Indiana.  They even sent me a battery for the remote in the mail. Nice!

Just put my 005 in the system a couple of hours ago.  First impressions are it is smooth and spacious.   I didn't hear the brightness others speak of, but maybe it's just smoother compared to the DAC card in my Aesthetix integrated amp.  I'll let it run in more then commit on the sound after a couple hundred hours.  As I understand it may take 350 to 400 hours to come into it's own.  

okay, listening right now, it does sound harder.  I have been listening at lower volumes because my tinnitus has been bothering me, but as I juice the volume it is a little harder/brighter, at lower volumes it sounds relaxed.   The good news is my system sounds very enjoyable at lower volumes, average about 50 decibels lately.  

In front of it I have a Aurender streamer with USB out.  I am using Duelund IC (similar to Belden 8402) into a Aesthetix Mimas integrated amplifier.  Speaker as Proac D48 Rs.  I may try it as a preamp later on, but I am worried it won't be as good as the tube preamp section of my integrated.  

One thing of note, since hooking up the 005 last night, it is not playing nice with my Euqi Core 1800 power conditioner.  Last night it seemed to cause a power surge after plugging it in, it shut down the power conditioner and the out let it was connected to. I hit the breaker and got back in business.  Then in the middle of the night, all my components plugged into the Equi Core were off, shut down.  I think the conditioner is dead or something, I'm afraid to plug stuff back in to it.  Right now all my components except the integrated amp (plugged into the wall) are plugged into a little Monster power strip.  

thanks jc4659, yeah, I'll be patient, I know the deal on this as I have followed others break in notes.    

Thanks for your input guys.  I'll probably move on for the Equi-Core and look at getting something else.  Maybe a Puritan Labs.  

wait what, I don't want to unplug something just to get another unit started.up.  Forgive my ignorance, but I used to plug my power amp along with everything else into it an never had a problem but now it can't candle super capacitors out in a DAC?

yep, sound advice jc4649.  Thanks. 

sns, my amp hasn't been plugged into the Euqi Core in months.  I was just commenting that the Equi Core handled everything including my amp with no trouble, I didn't clarify that it hadn't been in there in awhile.  It sounds way better out of the wall.  

does the unit burn in  on standby mode?, because I was playing on sending a signal through mine 24/7 for about 3 weeks.  

lordmelton, yes, I after I hit the breaker switch the other day, I plugged everything into a power strip.  I was going to introduce one component at time back to the Equi-core but didn't get a chance.  I order a pair of Polk Audio R600s for my son (that is what he wanted), so I spent the night setting those up and will break them in for him on my system.  Plus, I watched a basketball game.  I will try tonight and report what happens.  By the way, I know Polk is not considered audiophile, but listening to them this morning, I'm like WTF?  They are pretty darn good. 

Update on mine, not much to tell. I listened for a little bit but my main speakers are out of the system because I am burning in a pair of Polk R600s for my son. I have about 120 hours on mine. I had some Pink Floyd on, It sounds very detailed, even at the lower volumes I was listening at (tinnitus is bothering me). I don’t notice exceptional staging capabilities others have reported yet, but I am with unfamiliar speakers too, and I haven’t messed with optimal placement yet with those either.

I have a photo of the 005 in the system on my virtual systems page.  Last pic at the bottom.  IMO, photos do not do it justice.  

I was on the phone with Midwestern Audio and I thought he had me set it to fast filter.  Unless I heard him wrong which is possible.  

Well, I tried to hook up a component to the Equi-Core and turned it on and the breaker associated with a couple outlets tripped and turned off all the power, tv, power, amp, lights and all.  sorry for taking up the thread for this, but there was never a problem until I initially tried to plug the 005 into it.  I flipped the breaker back on and everything works fine with power strip and outlets, but no way am I plugging anything into the Equi-Core again.  

I think it just comes down to preference instead of what is "better". At this stage in the game for me, I value smoothness/ listenability and staging. I listen to a lot of post punk, classic rock, shoe gaze, and dream pop, which we know is not all great recordings. I would probably prefer the May with those genres, but I didn’t want to spend that kind of money and got what I felt was the best DAC from there (005) and have tweaked the rest of my system to make my music sound good to me. You guys are so right about the break in period, it truly is a roller coaster. I played some Til Tuesday yesterday never heard them sound like they did, the extension, the spaciousness in the recording. The songs just made more sense on why and how they played it. This morning it sounded different, not as good.

What the heck is the de-emphais do or what is that for?  Thanks