I turn off and on DoP mode everytime before playing a DSD file (especially when it lost locks to the files in Audirvana). I'm not sure if it guarantees working but it looks raise the chances.
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."
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I use windows and JRiver and am neither an expert on Macs nor Audirvana, and if this doesn’t help I’ll inquire at the thread at head-fi where there are users of both. Or you can. First I would suggest to @gracky that he set the DPLL a bit higher so there is no popping, and then forget about it for a while. The ability to lock on using a narrow setting, like DPLL=1, is dependent upon the digital signal fed to the DAC. I can’t. It is not a number to obsess over. Most users, I think, just drop in the DAC where their old one was and it works right away like the old one. Windows users just have a new driver to install. Your own installation seem a bit more complicated. Have you used the DAC with your CD player using spdif or optical? I don’t understand the need for attenuation. Digital volume control will cost you SQ. Don’t you run the analog through your preamp? If I understand Audirvana correctly it does not support DSD in native format. Rather it converts the DSD files into PCM resulting in a DoP file. When that conversion is done in the computer, the DAC should just see PCM. Does it? It may recognize it as DoP but you should not have to do anything. That’s how it was on my 004 which did not have the internal DoP function. I used to use an Oppo as a DLNA server and it did not support native DSD digital output. DSD was seen automatically by the DAC as DoP files. No intervention on my part. [The function in the 005 DAC does the conversion there. I have never understood why it’s needed or made available.] IMO if you have a substantial collection of DSD files, as from ripping SACDs or from downloads as I do, you might want to send them to the DAC in native format, rather than PCM or DoP, for with one less conversion the results are stunning. JRiver will do that as will the free program foobar2000. @jc4659, when you get your DAC you’ll find plenty of support over at the head-fi thread where many difficulties are resolved. As I wrote, Mac and Audirvana are in use by some of 005 owners participating there. Finally I would say to @gracky that with break-in the linen texture will turn to silk. Instruments will sound more liquid and have more body. How fine the silk will depend on the digital signal fed to the DAC, and what comes after (as sns is finding). I’m talking here about a very high level of refinement. The DAC continues to surprise. |
I think track pops have reduced by adding ground connection to my mac mini which was lost when its power was changed to an LFP battery (formerly used with ADI2 pro). Not sure if they vanished completely but after that pops didn’t bother me. Amanero is more delicate than other USB interfaces?
Re DoP, I think 004 didn’t have an option to turn off DoP, while 005 has. DoP glitches continue, but I think turning off and on DoP function again solve it in most cases. Another glitch with DoP/Audrivana is it produces a loud pop (quite high fq, while the not working DoP pop is low) in only right channel when playing DSD file is stopped and Audirvana loses its grab of the audio device. I think these glitches with DoP due to Amanero, maybe that is why it is not so commercially popular in spite of its reputation of great sound? Regarding 005’s tone and texture, IMO being not silky is by no way its shortcoming. Its sound is completely opposite to ostensibility or intended splendor in spite that it is extremely detailed. I think this is the most interesting point in 005’s performence, but its tone is changing (so I don’t worry about its coarseness much) and it’s too early to be determined about its tone. |
I think I found the condition of DoP glitch, setting Audirvana volume option to ’software only’ seems to turn the DoP mode of 005 off. Changing volume control method between pcm and dsd requires some care. PS/Edited: I tried again but I couldn't reproduce it! My applogize for confusions. @jc4659 Would you try yourself and report your result with Audirvana volume options and DoP when 005 arrives? |
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