Musetec (LKS) MH-DA005 DAC

@gracky

@jc4659

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.

@melm

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? 

Not specific to this DAC, but in general digital volume controls can cause issues with data flag recognition (i.e. PCM, DoP, or native DSD) since the digital data is modified which may impact the selected format identification.

@gracky 

In Audirvana there is a "Native DSD Streaming Method" setting. You can choose from the following 3 choices (in my set up):  1) None: convert to PCM, 2) DSD over PCM 1.0, 3) DSD over PCM 1.1  What do you have that set to? If you have chosen "None: convert to PCM" then you are asked "DSD convert to PCM with boost of" and your choices are 0dB to +6dB in 1dB increments.  If you chose either of the other two DoP settings then the volume boost is not an option.

Under the Upsampling category, what do you have the "Safe volume reduction before DSD upsampling" set to? Choices are None thru -6dB in 1dB increments.

Under the Audio Volume category, I chose "No leveling" and software volume control turned to "Off"