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."

melm

Anybody tried aftermarket fuse with 005 ? I recently tried the AM m1 and like what I hear. 005 seems to already come with some kind of audio grade fuse rather than 5cent ceramic or glass fuse that very manufacturer, regardless of the price of the product, seems to put in. So in that regards, I have to give Musetec a hats off. The m1 gives a slightly fuller sound and a touch warmer. The changes are not huge by any means. I have not tried a SR purple in 005 but have them in other places in the chain and they do take the sound up a couple of notches. So I might be tempted to try one at some point but if anybody has already tried it, I would be curious to know their opinion.

@debjit_g I have Synergistic orange, purple is on radar.

 

Voicing is so subjective, dependent on system and/or personal preference. In any case 005 close enough to neutral, can't imagine anyone finding it highly colored.

@debjit_g I have SR Purple fuses in almost all my gear and they are definitely the best bang for the buck.

I am surprised that the Audiomagic M1 only offered a slight improvement, I was planning on trying one.

I have a Powerhouse Zero 2 fuse in my power conditioner which is wonderful but they are around $550.00

My Threshold power amp takes one SR Purple and four HIFI Tuning fuses which are great value.

Guess I gotta bite the bullet and try some QSA fuses.

This is great guidance guys and I greatly appreciate the feedback.

I am using a Blue sound node 2 streamer, Bryston DAC 96Kz, 24bit to a Conrad Johnson valve preamp, to a pair of Mark Levinson M33H Monoblocs to pair of Magico A5 loudspeakers, all interconnects and speaker cables are extremely high end. Incidentally my main audio source is my Gyro SE turntable and a Whisper Valve Phono stage, pretty great front end. But now I want to enhance my digital side of my system hence the queries.

I am new to the forum and am grateful for the discussion on the Musetec DAC 005. Are there any suggestions for a streamer to go with this DAC?

 

@kishan Usb is optimal port on 005, so streamer with optimal usb rendering would be best on paper. You have very nice system, if funds allowed I'd pick Innuos Statement, Innuous specializes in usb. Other top flight streamers such as Aurender, Antipodes specialize more with Spdif, doesn't mean they'd not work well. At lower price point I'd likely consider Innuos Zenith with Phoenix usb.

@kishan 

It's been argued here, and elsewhere, that the Musetec can complement any home system.  If you go in that directiion please give us your impressions.

Dear Melm

Based on the reports on the unit here and in other reputable fora, I have ordered a unit directly from the factory and will share my experience for sure.

I offered my services as their agent in South Africa to actively promote the unit here and they were quite attracted to the idea. Seems like English is a barrier in branding and marketing the unit so the factory just manufactures to supply any order that trickles in.

I will keep the forum updated.

Thank you Melm and others who guided my decision.

 

 

 

@kishan 
What you write makes us all the more interested in hearing your impressions of this DAC.  Just give it a reasonable break-in time.

Earlier in this DAC's career the orders were probably flowing in more regularly and they usually had some complete ones in stock.  When I contacted the factory for my own, it went out the same day.  It's a modular assembly and if the circuit boards are available it can be assembled and tested easily.  This clear modular assembly seems to be the practice with many quality Chinese DACS.  It results in, perhaps, a very slightly larger case, but would have benefits if something went wrong; you just send in or replace a board.  Happy to report though, that no one has yet written of the need for any repair of the Musetec.

A lot of used Musetecs have shown up on the usual websites, in the past couple of months, if anybody is still curious to try one. I was quoted $1750 on a used one, if anybody wants an idea on pricing.

I was inspired by the previous posts and lately I've been testing different DIY USB cables (D+ , D- , GND, without power wire + / like RG316 ). I connect DIY cables between SMS200 and DA007. The results are better than with the original USB cable from Musetec, which I already put away. What is the difference? In general, the sound is cleaner, more detailed, more precise and more dynamic, e.g. the reverberation is longer, more details when the fingers move on the strings, the onset of the instrument is more vigorous, with the characteristics of silver wires, etc. Unfortunately, I don't have the possibility to compare with expensive USB cables. Can someone describe your experience comparing the original USB cable from Musetec vs. any premium from the store? The improvement is not as drastic as, for example, when inserting a power line filter into the DA007 power supply.

Dear all 

I'm writing to update the forum on my experience and contact with the factory in China, related to the purchase of my Musetec MH-DA 005.

I had very direct and quick email exchanges with Mr Li Jinbo on email address bleerock@126.com as indicated on the manufacturer website address.

I provided an order number through my business and received an invoice, we made the payment and as soon as funds were confirmed in his account, I received the FEDEX shipping tracking number. Within three days I received notification on customs duty payable in South Africa, we made that payment and within 5 days the unit arrived at my door. 

I am sharing this because I need to provide assurance that the system of purchase through the factory is quick and straightforward.

Now the actual unit and packaging....

The unit was wrapped in a corrugated container which contained within another outer corrugated container, both these packaging specifications were in my opinion (I am a Certified Packaging Professional) extremely adequate to handle extreme supply chain rigours. And within the inner container was high quality cushioning material that restricted any movement at all. A pair of immaculate white gloves is provided to setup the unit without leaving any oily residue on the unit.

We hooked the unit to my existing system (just replaced the existing Bryston DAC (over 12 years old technology) using a decent 75 ohm digital cable to the 005 from my Bluesound Node and returned the converted signal via a pair of Orchid interconnects to my preamp.

All I can say is that the comments from many of you that inspired me to make the purchase are spot on.

I am not qualified to talk of the quality of this DAC, because I have just spent 3 hours with it yesterday when it arrived, but I am in absolute awe. 

It is incredible.

Let me leave the discussion on the DAC performance here.

I shall surely share some emotions on this DAC after a few weeks.

For USD 3299 it's a no brainer. Tremendous value and it deserves direct marketing by owners.

Kudos to Chinese engineering, I am grateful that we can enjoy such high end audio without paying for excessive branding and marketing.

This is not a comparison between Bryston and Musetec, I enjoyed the Bryston DAC for more than 12 years, and it has not aged at all.

So this is really bowing to newer technology within Musetec.

 

Kishan  

 

 

 

 

 

 

@kishan Congrats. That is great to hear you are happy with the 005. One suggestion to take it up a notch is to use a fibre optic streamer. I have 3 of them now and I cannot tolerate any other streaming method now.

  • Lumin X1 (rare DAC with built-in fibre input)
  • Sonore OpticalRendu for DACs with USB, like the 005
  • PlayBack Designs Plink

I used the X1 and the Sonore OpticalRendu with the 005 and it was the best way to stream.

Hi @kishan    Thanks for letting us know of your success with the Musetec.  Break-in will make it even better.  

I'm glad you found this thread useful.  One of the principal reasons for starting it was my own experience when researching audio components.  For me the most reliable guidance on the internet were the forums where actual purchasers and users of components coalesced with some agreement about a component's quality in a number of different systems.  One could evaluate  the writers and the systems used and engage in conversations.  This has had more credibility for me than any review in print on paper or internet, or any video review.  For ALL of those reviewers IMO have motives at odds with credibility.

As for the Musitec, some of us early users came across this DAC almost by accident.  A number of us were introduced to this maker/designer through his earlier LKS 004.  Its open architecture, spacious cabinet and quality parts made it and its earlier editions modification targets.  Modifiers do a lot of writing, sharing success and searching for additional solutions, so the LKS was not hard to find.  The Musetec 005, though, has not been modified to any important degree AFAIK.  So a couple of us thought it a good idea to give it some exposure here.  The skeptics were all over us at first not believing that a DAC of this quality could come at this price.

I think you'll be getting further suggestions about improved streaming.  It was the logical next step for us all.

You attribute the terrific sound quality to "newer technology within Musetec."  As compared to your Bryston, the only newer technology is likely the later DAC chip version.  Most of us think that matters a lot less than the care with which the power supplies and analog stage were designed, along with the selection of high quality parts in every section.  The designer is a true audiophile who did a lot of listening at every stage of development before committing to some very expensive parts inside the case.  The usual Euro-American mark-ups would have made this a much more expensive DAC.

Anyone with a Musetec 005 used the PS Audio PerfectWave Transport with it using the i2s input on the 005?

PerfectWave SACD Transport – PS Audio

 

 

 

Following up on the last post, I'd like to ask if anyone is using either of the two Musetec I2S inputs with any device at all in preference to the spdif or USB inputs.  If so, are you using the RJ45 input or the HDMI input?  If you're using the HDMI input does your device have switching to match output to input, or do you have a special cable to do the matching?  Thanks for the info.

Wanted to chime in as another very satisfied Musetec owner. And after a couple or real losers (Neardost cables) - I feel I lucked out on another couple of Chinese ’experiments’ too.

I am using the Musetec with an Argento Flow Master (copy?) power cord and an Audioquest Wel Signature digital cable. The Musetec and the cables all took a lonngg time to break in (2-3 months), but now that they have, its all very, very, good. Detailed warmth and depth of soundstage and overall, just a general no-fatigue analog sound. Jackpot baby !!

@westborn 

I've been traveling and away from audio for a while and saw your post.  Glad you find the Musetec as enjoyable as you do.  Since most of us are using USB as the digital connection and you are using spdif, I'd like to ask what your digital set-up is.  Are you connected to a DAC, transport or some other digital converter?

 

@melm - Currently just using a modified, rather pedestrian but serviceable Cambridge CXC v2 transport. For streaming I have a new in box Bluesound Vault 2i but have not hooked it up; will probably sell it NIB and upgrade soon. Still going through my CD collection and enjoying the music [more] again. The Musetec is nicely responsive and definitely revealing of power cord and digital cable changes; even reflecting power cord changes on the transport.

@westborn 

You can see by the systems of others on this thread that the Musetec can play well with a variety of streamers and other components ahead of it on the digital chain.  It will surely keep up; it will be revealing of the differences  The hard part, as usual, is getting the best value and knowing where to stop spending.  Good luck on your quest.

@mboldda1 

These two DACs are probably very good, each in its own right.  But they are very different, and really not comparable.  The Border Patrol is an R2R DAC using a NOS Phillips chip.  Its tube is a rectifier, not a signal tube.  It is much less expensive than the Musetec and its interior looks like the very small scale hand-built unit that it is.  It lacks the massive power supply and the discrete balanced analog section provided in DACs like the Musetec.  It provides what is considered to be an old fashoned sound with only modest detail, transparency and texture.  Some call this sort of performance "musical" though I do not.  The Musetec is an up to date DAC with SOTA or near-SOTA detail, transparency and texture.  It was compared here to a very well known up to date R2R (discrete, not chip) DAC.  These two are quite similar, with differences noted.

But the Musetec and Border Patrol have such different design intentions that a buyer would not typically narrow his choice down to these two.

the reason i asked was because i know someone who went from the l.k.s. 004 to the border patrol.

This is an update on the Musetec 005 DAC. Jinbo, the owner and designer at Musetec has this response about the measurements at ASR:

"We use a low-gain output stage on the DA005, which is the main reason for poor test data, but it sounds good. 
The same is true for many vacuum tube amplifiers. Low gain, low feedback or even no feedback, the test data is also poor, but it does not prevent them from providing first-class listening sense."

 

Also I wanted to let you know that if want to elevate the performance of the Musetec to get ultimate performance, you could use the I2s input which allows a pure digital stream to go directly to the DAC chip giving a more transparent sound. Something like the Jay's Audio transport connected with an HDMI cable to the I2s input will provide exceptional performance.(I have tried the Jay's Audio with other DACs over I2s and there wasn't the big leap in clarity and transparency that you get with Musetec 005 I2s input.) 

Or if you have a server that outputs USB, you can either connect it directly with a USB cable or you can use the LKS 100 USB converter to swicth to I2s if you desire, which will give you better performance provided you use good cables.

Thank you,

Jason at Midwest Audio

@midwesternaudio

It is unfortunate that Audiogon does not provide a search-within-thead function. For an extended thread like this one it would be invaluable. It turns out that much of what you have written has already been the subject of much discussion. It’s good though to be reminded of these important considerations.

As for the discussion in this thread and the designer’s initial response you may wish to look here and in the surrounding posts.

There has been much discussion about using the 10 year old LKS 100 USB converter, with mixed experiences. My own view is that the USB to I2S conversion is better done within the Musetec as it has more sophistication in its power supply and in its crystal clocks than does the old LKS DDC and involves one less cable. I think the unique approach to USB to I2S conversion in the Musetec is one of its great advances and contributes to its performance. On the other hand, we may agree that one can achieve theoretically better SQ using the Musetec I2S input if the USB function can be avoided as with the Jay’s Audio unit. Look here, here and here and in the discussions nearby.

I have recently replaced my entire system. To get started on the digital end, I purchased a Cambridge cxn v2, had it modded from ModWright for tubes and have a Topping d90. I wanted each extreme so I could determine the sound I wanted in the end. I’ve decided I prefer a more neutral dac and started my research process. I was first going Terminator 2, then Benchmark dac3, maybe Venus 2. I decided to slow down and researching more has led me here. Really pleased with what I’ve read about the Musetec and I think my decision has been made. I was going with the Lumin u2 mini but after reading about how good the i2s imput is into the Musetec, I’m hesitant. The Lumin has such low jitter, is stripped down for focus on sound, that it is sort of perfect in that price range. The hunt continues…

I just got a Sonnet Digital Morpheus dac to replace my L.K.S. dh-da004.  I was going to try the Musetec dh-da005.  The Sonnet and Musetec are about the same retail price.  The Morpheus is a totally different sound from the LKS, much more detailed, lively, natural, quieter, better soundstage.

Anyone compared the Morpheus to the Musetec?

Anyone compared the Morpheus to the Musetec?

i have had both the sonnet morpheus as well as the 005 (both now sold) but not at the same time, so audio memory is suspect at best when there is a span of time between a and b ... but with this caveat, i would say based on my recollection, the musetec is a slightly richer smoother but more closed in sounding unit, whereas the sonnet is more open better imaging but a touch grainier in the upper regions and lighter weight down below - as such, i think of the 005 as more bottom-up, and the morpheus more as a top-down sounding one... all in all i would say i preferred the 005 over the sonnet in my system (i am very sensitive to any treble or upper mid grain)

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.

What size fuse for the 005? Has anyone else found improvement in SQ with fuse upgrade?

oh yes, it is the fuse...  propels components up up up the ladder of excellence!!  don't miss out!! 😂🤣

sorry, couldn't resist... please don't let me deter you... 

@budkine Don't listen to the cloth eared old bat, he's been on the turps again, the Purple makes a great improvement.

The original fuse is T(Slow Blow) 3.15A, you should replace it with a T4A Purple.

The original fuse is a semi-boutique fuse you can use in another piece of equipment.

@earthbound
If you’re satisfied with the Lumin u2 mini I would not worry about not using the I2S input of the Musetec. The DAC has exceptional USB to I2S conversion within it with a very special power supply and specially fine tuned crystal clocks. If you have the patience to read this long thread and see what streamers are being used with the Musetec you will see those that output USB in some very sophisticated systems. The market for streamers with I2S output is pretty limited and so some of the very best do not have that. Outputting I2S may not be all that it’s cracked up to be. Hans Beekhuyzen reviewed a streamer with I2S output a while back that did not outperform an entry level SOtM streamer with USB output.

@mboldda1
Take what I say with a grain of salt as I have lived with the Musetec and am no doubt biased towards it. First, the Musetec 005 sounds nothing like the LKS 004 which I have also lived with. They do share similar architectures in their analog output stages, but the analog parts in the Musetec have been upgraded substantially in quality (and in price). They also share robust power supplies, but on the analog side they have again been upgraded substantially in parts for the Musetec and on the digital side the power supply has been totally redesigned using battery-like super capacitors and the USB to I2S conversion uses proprietary clocks.

jjss49 has probably given a pretty good comparison of the Sonnet Morpheus and the Musetec. It comports somewhat with how Stereophile described the Morpheus saying it had limited dynamics and bass and attributed that to limitations of its power supply. I go to classical concerts a good deal and so my standard is fidelity to real instruments. Like jjss49 I am sensitive to excess treble (which IMO pervades digital components), though it can sometimes provide pleasant hi fi spatial effects. Made in Holland and offered at about the same price as the Musetec, the Morpheus it is very different inside. It is a discrete R2R DAC that is expensive to manufacture. It compensates, it would seem, in its power supply and in the use of chip op amps for its analog output stages. There are those who think that the D to A conversion is paramount. Others, me included, think it is secondary to things like power supply and analog sections. jjss49, by the way, has gone on to the $10,000 Weiss that uses the same D to A chip as the Musetec..

Don’t listen to the cloth eared old bat, he’s been on the turps again, the Purple makes a great improvement.

haha - this is what is referred to as ’the pot calling the kettle black’ -- don’t want to get into a pissing match on expensive boutique fuses here so let me just say this...

use your brain, think about it, if it were so easy and effective, wouldn’t the manufacturers do this for the ’huge improvement’ gained? -- a company like musetec or sonnet cares much more about the sound of their product than a user does...

advice - buy on fully refundable basis, set up a true blind a/b with the help of a partner/friend (yes you need TWO of the same component to do this, or a clever/diy circuit switcher), and be honest on what you hear

Thanks Melm. I like the Lumin also due to its recent release. Streamers seem to be improving drastically very quickly. The guy from Vinshine said that a DDC wasn’t needed for Lumin/Venus 2 combo due to the very low jitter produced by the Lumin and he sells the DDC’s. A good endorsement. I’m also looking at the Auralic Aries g1.1. A little more reading and I will pick one of these two. Not looking for features just sound quality. So, if anyone can provide any imput regarding these 2 units it would be greatly appreciated. 

The topic of premium fuses has been discussed countless times across many audio forums. There are some manufacturers who are very receptive to their use and contribution. Here's one example of a manufacturer (Netherlands) who's well regarded in the European market. They are proponents of the Synergistic Research purple fuse.

https://magnahifi.com/mano-ultra-mk3-music-super3-streamer-high-res/

 

@melm @charles1dad

my apologies for the sidetrack on silly fuse ’upgrades’

i couldn’t resist the little jab when the subject was raised...

people can certainly spend money on whatever they want for their enjoyment!

@jjss49 

people can certainly spend money on whatever they want for their enjoyment

👍 

Charles 

Has anyone noticed a difference between the AES and the coaxial inputs on the dac?

Well just in case anyone is interested, I have SR Purple fuses in all my gear and recently put a SR Masterfuse in my power conditioner.

The sound in unbelievable, like a huge component upgrade, like I upgraded everything.

A single fuse upgrade isn't going to be earth shattering, very noticeable nevertheless, but multiple Purples increase the effect. The Masterfuse multiplies everything exponentially.

You have a 30 day money back guarantee so I don't know why anyone should be hesitant about trying these fuses.

Just this morning in our Saturday audio club meet we demoed 4 dacs (all Chinese designed and manufactured), the Denafrips Venus, Musetec mh005, Gustard r26 and the Martix aAudio X Sabre. There were a total of 8 people in attendance , all assigning scores from 1-4 to each dac after a 3 minute sampler of various music styles including female vocals, electronica, rock , classical and r&b. The scroes were tabulated and the winner was more of a surprise to me given that 6 out of the 8, me included , all selected the same dac ast the top performer. Before we get to the final breakdown , it must be noted in attendance were some very seasoned audiophiles. owning reference dacs from the likes of DCS, MSB, Vermeer , TotalDac and Esoteric to make but a few.

Onto the final results

1. Gustard r26, again 6 out the 8 voted it the winner. Legitimately, sounds to me more like a $5k dac and even beyond. Fast and resolving , accurate and transparent sound .......a r2r dac performing more like a delta sigma all for $1600 .....boggles the mind how they got this dac just so right in all the ways that matter.

2. Denafrips Venus, the other 2 people both voted number one for this dac. It was my choice for second best dac on the day. Trademark Denafrips sound , while more daring and forward focused in presentation. Midrange is where this dac really shines.

3. Musetec mh005, just one point in all separated the Musetec from the last place Matrix X Sabre. While perfectly adequate in most every aspect, nothing really stands out as exceptional with this dac. Seems like a dated design. One other attendee stated "a throwback design in not just aesthetics but also sonics. Fair to say the least aesthetically appealing of all 4 dacs.

4. Matrix X Sabre, the guys at Matrix need to refine this D/S dac further. Most in attendance agreed to tiring faster of the most digital sounding dac of the bunch.

 

It is important to add nobody in attendance has/had an affiliation or shared any financial interests or vested interests of any manner with any of the dac manufacturers whose products were featured in this shootout.

 

 

@chaseton

interesting result you are reporting... please tell more about how the digital feed was managed, what the rest of the system was etc etc... with dac testing and comparisons, how the streamed music input is handled matters alot

fwiw, i bought a nice used r26 just to try it, see what the fuss is about, and i would agree that for the $ it is absurdly good... particularly from the lan input (i am a roon user) - i have confidently poo-pooed the chifi brands since i started my dac journey at the start of covid, especially those from the guangzhou/shenzhen factory alley (smsl, gustard, topping, singxer, matrix and so on...) but this r26 is pretty amazing... with an effective built in streamer too...

@jjss49  Correct on the Gustard r26. One takeaway from today"s audio meet up was the discussion we had on the shockingly good QPR with the r26. Credit goes where it is due in that respect. Currently, now with Chifi (as you call it) confidence at its highest, we may be seeing Chinese designed and made audio products to genuinely rival their Western counterparts. Easily seen in the lower to mid price tiers , although not as of yet, if ever, who really knows, in the high end and ultra high end brackets. 

In terms of the audio setup used in the test :

Magico A5 speakers , Innous Zen mk3 server, Pass labs xp 22 pre amp , Classe Delta monos , AQ Robin Hood speaker cable and Earth interconnects (balanced)

Post removed 

Thank you mod staff for removing the rather offensive , hate charged and genuinely hostile reply from a member, whose name will remain unpublicized. 

 

 


It never shocks, surprises, or disturbs me when someone, or some group, finds a less expensive DAC to sound better to them than a more expensive one.  Indeed, within this long thread there have been many testimonies of the Musetec bringing greater pleasure than more expensive competitors.  Personal taste, set-up, selection of tracks, kind of music, short-term vs. long term listening, comparisons to components rather than to live music, etc., may all contribute to a result that may vary from our own.  I wrote about this before, about a year ago, "No one here has ever said that the Musetec is the best of all DACs.  Like any DAC it may not be for everyone. . . . . If someone says he likes another, perhaps even less expensive, DAC better than the Musetec let's just accept that and move on."

Nonetheless, what was written here has a very unsavory ring to it.  The writing, and particularly its placement, virtually self-denies it the credibility the poster was looking for.  I say that for two reasons.  First, I find it absolutely suspicious that the post was made to this thread.  A more reasonable thing to do, I would think, would have been to start a new thread with a comparison of four well though of DACs rather than aim it at a thread dealing with one of the so-called losers.  Others on Audiogon have done similar things.  A second more reasonable place for it might be the existing Giscard r26 DAC thread here.    Seems to me if I had a comparison to share and the Musetec came out on top, I would post it here rather than to the discussion of the DAC that came in second place.  That is, unless I had a malicious motive.

The second reason I think the post to this thread is unsavory is that the poster took great pains to single out the Musetec for gratuitous extraneous criticisms.  He did not criticize any of the other DACs in a similar way.  What he wrote was (1) "Seems like a dated design," (2) a throwback design in not just aesthetics but also sonics" and (3) "the least aesthetically appealing of all 4 DACs."

About the Musetc being a dated design.  The poster obviously doesn't know that R2R (used in the Giscard) is the oldest of the digital to analog technologies.  it was used in Philips CD players more than 40 years ago at the outset of the digital age.  So talk of a dated design is just kind of ignorant.  And obviously there is nothing wrong with a "dated" design if it offers high sound quality.  The Musetec used the newest sigma-delta chip available at its birth, a fine analog section (that doesn't date at all), and a newly developed super-capacitor power supply for its digital section.  It also uses a relatively newly developed O-Ring silver plated transformer as well as newly refined clock-crystals.  Much of its architecture is fairly standard and used in some of the finest DACs of the day.

Because he has obviously has a limited understanding of what goes on inside a DAC, the poster next chooses to demean the Musetec's aesthetics.  The fellow simply doesn't like how the Musetec looks.  Well, I think it looks fine.  Being a design meant for relatively limited distribution it is a simple, even elegant, design compared to some mass produced components.  It has functional buttons and a window giving all the information needed and it comes with a full-functioned remote.  It's entirely of extruded aluminum with no sheet metal at all.  It's as solid as a brick.  

So he came HERE specifically to trash the Musetec.  I do not know why.  But no one controls these threads and he may do on Audiogon as he pleases.  However for the reasons given here, the post in question should be accorded a very low credibility rating.

When I read that post I was thinking that those guys must have some interesting hearing. 

@melm Kudos again melm your post cut right to the chase - why come here to bash Musetec?

A professional reviewer normally has a piece of gear in his system for at least a month before he starts the reviewing process and that could take another month.

Well I guess it's easier to have a few mates around order a pizza and some Bud Light and go from there.

The Musetec is the only DAC in your list that is made from mostly European parts, not cheap Chinese caps etc.

Anyway consider yourself schooled, Old School.

@melm 

The poster obviously doesn't know that R2R (used in the Giscard) is the oldest of the digital to analog technologies.  it was used in Philips CD players more than 40 years ago at the outset of the digital age.  So talk of a dated design is just kind of ignorant.  And obviously there is nothing wrong with a "dated" design if it offers high sound quality.

+1!!!