I owned the Resonessence Labs Mirus Dac prior to the 005. It was the first Dac that I heard that sounded like good vinyl. As good as the Resonessence Labs was, the Musetec has better separation of images and increased resolution. I am very pleased with the sound quality of the 005. Like some other owners of the 005 I am using the Sonictransporter i9 Optical with the Sonore OpticalRendu. These components are simpatico. Low noise floor and excellent balance of the frequencies. This is through Altec A7 speakers which are ruthlessly revealing. I would like to thank the OP for making me aware of the 005.
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 $$ by research, and by satisfaction with the MH-DA004. Frankly, I have been overwhelmed by the improvement; just didn't think it was possible. Fluidity, clarity, bass extension. A post to another board summed it up better than I can after listening to piano trios: "I have probably attended hundreds of classical concerts (both orchestral and chamber) in my life. I know what live sounds like in a good and bad seat and in a good and mediocre hall. All I can say is HOLY CRAP, this sounds like the real thing from a good seat in a good hall. Not an approximation of reality, but reality."
Meanwhile, during the 4 years after release of the MH-DA004, LKS (now Musetec) worked on the new MH-DA005 design, also with a pair of ES9038pro chips. This time he used more of the best components available. One torroidal transformer has silver plated copper. Also banks of super capacitors that act like batteries, solid silver hookup wire, 4 femtoclocks each costing multiples of the Crysteks, a revised Amanero board, more of the best European caps and a new partitioned case. I can't say cost NO object, but costs well beyond. A higher price, of course. Details at http://www.mu-sound.com/DA005-detail.html
The question, surely, is: How does it sound? I'm only going to answer indirectly for the moment. I thought that the MH-DA004 was to be my last DAC, or at least for a very long time. I was persuaded to part with my $$ 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."
Showing 7 responses by rrboogie
I want to use both the XLR out to my dual subwoofers and the RCA out to my preamp. Is there any reason that I should not do this? I have read that some Dacs do not recommend running both simultaneously. Also, should I put the 005 in Standby when not in use? I have been trying different preamp combinations to find a synergy with my system. The Schiit Freya + has sounded excellent. Low noise floor and different presentations between Solid State and Tube Buffer. I also have tried the Topping PRE90 which has a lower noise floor and punchier mid bass but vocals had a slight glare. I added a Jolida SSX Soundstage Expander (tube buffer) in front of the Topping PRE90 and it added weight, harmonics, width and depth to the soundstage which I prefer to the PRE90 by itself. I am also trying different USB cables from the OpticalRendu to the 005. The Audioquest Diamond has a little more detail than the Acoustic BBQ USB cable. I am going to try the Sablon 2020 and FTA Callisto. Any other recommendations for USB cables would be appreciated. |
@sns Thanks for your recommendation for the Coincident Staement Line Stage. It is one that is on my shortlist. I am going to take my Freya+ to a friends place who has a Supratek Cabernet which is also on my list. @melm yes, I agree that USB cables matter. I can easily hear the differences in them. I have a Sablon 2020 on the way to compare to the Audioquest Diamond and Acoustic BBQ @yyzsantabarbara One of my main criteria in a preamp is the noise floor as My Altec A7 speakers are over 100db efficient. The PRE has the lowest noise floor that I have used so far. Incredible actually. Better than the Freya+ in all modes, better than Modwright LS 36.5 which I had prior to the Freya + The Benchmark LA4 is on my shortlist as well. What are the differences to the PRE 90 and LA4 to your ears? @small-green-computer Thank you for your recommendation. I'll take it into consideration and thanks for the great products and services over the years! |
I have the Sablon 2020 non powered USB on the way. Currently, the Acoustic BBQ non powered is my preferred cable over the Audioquest Diamond. The Diamond is a bit tipped up in the treble.in my system. I also have a Supra Excalibur on the way for the sake of comparison. I have the Supra Cat 8 + ethernet feeding my Sonictransporter i9 and also the Bluseound Node 2i/ EtherRegen before that. I'll let you know my experience once I have time with all of the cables. |
My experiences with the Musetec and silver (USB cables only) mirror that of @melm. I tried the Audioquest Diamond and Supra Excalibur and I prefer copper USB cables such as the Acoustic BBQ Helix and Sablon 2020. |
I have tried 2 USB cables without the 5V, that being the Acoustic BBQ Full Rack and Sablon 2020. I have also tried the following powered cables Audioquest Diamond, Supra Excalibur and a couple of generic cables. I found in both circumstances with the non powered cables that it smoothed out the sound. Perhaps too much for my ears. The silver wire Diamond and Excalibur were too sharp or bright to my ear. I ended up preferring a generic Chinese cable.Goes to show you don't ever know ... 'til you try. |
I installed a Synergistic Research Purple fuse in my Musetec Da 005 and can report that it made a very positive improvement. The soundstage expanded in all directions. There is greater seperation of images and there is more layering in the soundstage. The frequency extremes are extended and the bass is tighter and more textured. This has been one of the better tweaks that I have tried and takes the already competent Dac up a level in my system. |