I would be interested in knowing exactly what you liked better about the Gustard and Denafrips compared to the Musetec
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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Singxer is a Chinese company with a sterling reputation. Their most popular product over the years has been a USB to I2S converter that is competitive with a similar one from LKS. The Singxer UIP-1 PRO ($280) and also the Innuos Phoenix ($3750) are USB in and USB out reclocker devices that we used to call decrapifiers or USB pipe cleaners. Long ago I used such a device made by Intona and there are many makers of these at present. The two mentioned here seem far more sophisticated as each has a 24MHz OCXO for a reclock of the USB data lines. Each, no doubt, also regulates the 5V line, though that has no impact on the Musetec as it generates its own 5V and doesn't use USB line 1. The Innuos is made in Europe and is in a large case that is filled mostly with an LPS. There is a small circuit board, similar in size to the circuit board in the Singxer, that does the actual USB cleaning. The board in the much smaller Singxer seems to have the advantage of galvanic isolation as there are definitely two distinct parts to the circuit board separating the USB in and out. To make these devices comparable one would have to substitute a good 7.5 V LPS for the Singxer's wall wart at an additional cost.. As many have written here, the Musetec seems to be optimized for USB with custom clocks in the USB input circuit as well as at the D to A stage. Also, many of us use streamers that include reclocking. Whether stand-alone reclockers like these can make a meaningful difference in your system can only be known with a trial. Given the pricing, the reputation of Singxer and the descriptions of both, the Singxer looks like the better option of the two, by far. If you try one, please pass along your impressions. |
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Thanks Melm I just placed my order on and I paid it $275.00 USD Now we just have to wait for it to arrive ... I already have several LPS with which to feed it properly :-) I will insert it between my NUC12WSHi7 and the MUSETECH MH-DA500 and I will give you my listening impressions. |
Device arrived, installed and tested for 48 hours. Impressions: Holographic image enhancement, greater channel separation, increased dynamic range. I think I can't ask for more from MUSETEC, I'm having continuous sensory orgasms and I find it hard to write. P.S.: I've read reviews that put our beloved DAC in third place (after a Gustard R26 and a DENAFRIPS VENUS), I've had the opportunity to compare them to the MH-DA005 and I've had completely reversed impressions. Is it too much to ask for photographic evidence of the seutp? Trusting is good, not trusting is better... |
Congratulations on your purchase and thanks for your post. Whether the $280 Singxer or the $3500 Innuos USB reclocker, each has at its core a 24.000Mhz OCXO that is placed near its USB converter circuit. The Singxer also provides galvanic isolation just before the DAC. Potential buyers of the Singxer, by the way, should be careful to specify the "PRO" version. No "PRO," no OCXO. As this reclocker worked so well for you some of us may want to try it. It would be helpful if you would describe your set-up, especially what comes in front of the DAC showing where the Singxer fit in. Could you do that please? Also, are you running it off the power supply it came with, or do you have an LPS for it? Many of us might suppose that placing a reclocker after a streamer may provide only a marginal improvement. But marginal may be very worthwhile given the quite marginal expense. Comments anyone? |
Hi Melm I confirm that it was the enthusiastic reviews of the innuos and the technical detail of the UIP-1 PRO (24.000 Mhz OCXO) that made me try the Singxer I had already had the opportunity to describe my system: upstream of the Singxer there is a ROON ROCK (NUC12WSHi7). both the NUC and the UIP-1 PRO are LPS powered the connection between NUC and UIP is via 20cm long usb cable which includes the +5v PIN, the UIP is connected to the DAC with a Premium USB cable modified by me (without +5v PIN) I recommend the following album to verify the improvements made to the sound: Coldplay - Live In Buenos Aires (2018) [Hi-Res 24Bit], wonderfully recorded, only feels good with high-level systems ask if you need more info |
Slightly off topic but, Musetec has produced a preamp: shown here As usual, a complete technical description. Probably best to take any further discussion over to "Amps Preamps" |
I used to think a pre was all about purity of the signal, but now being in this game for nearly forty years I feel the most important is the tone and decay of instruments and voices, not sure a solid state pre can achieve that actually, I am using a tube pre and the tone is just beautiful, also the space around instruments is extremely nice. |
@gryphongryph The Holo Serene KTE version sells for about $3200 and the Musetec preamp about $5500 I believe. I've not heard either. May I ask which tube pre you are using? |
@jc4659 I used to own 2 Musetec 005’s and I currently own the Holo Serene preamp. I never put the 005 and Serene together. I used the Benchmark LA4 preamp and the CODA 07x with the Musetec. The 005 worked great with the straight wire with gain LA4. The Serene is almost identical to the LA4 except for a miniscule bit of warmth. I think the 005 and Serene would work great together. With my 07x preamp, which is the warmest preamp of the 3, I think I found it too warm for my more neutral tastes. I sold the 07x some time ago to get the Serene and LA4. Both are exactly what I want in a preamp, I wish I had the 005 today during a test I was doing with the Benchmark AHB2 amp + Holo Serene + Yamaha NS5000 speakers. I think the 005 would have been a better match over the Schitt Yggi+ LIM DAC. |
The best sounding headphone system I've built some time ago included the Ferrum Oor headphone amp with hypsos power supply, Holo Serene L1 preamp, and Musetec 005. The Oor was configured to bypass its volume control and the volume was set to 0.0 on the 005. The Serene was used to control volume. I can say in my experience, the Serene is the best sounding preamp I've tried and it mated very well in the system I described above. Other pieces of gear played their roles in that system but I want to say the Serene and 005 played their parts very well. I sold off most of that system but I've recently repurchased the 005 (black this time) and the Ferrum Oor. I now use a Lumin streamer for digital volume control which in some systems can obviate the need of a dedicated preamp. I would love to try the Serene again with the Oor and 005 but the Lumin LEEDH digital volume control is keeping me satisfied for now. |
@yyzsantabarbara If the LA4 was a good match for the DA-005 then I would think the Serene would be as well. As long as the gain in transparency doesn’t sacrifice natural, meat on the bones imaging then I’d be happy. I don’t want my soundstage to look like an x-ray no matter how it may sound. I’m still torn between the Serene KTE and a really good tubed preamp. For now it would be paired downstream with a Pass labs amp and Verity Audio speakers. @sirnui That you would try the Serene again says a lot. |
@sirnui I had the Lumin X1 after the Musetc 005. The Leedh volume control is almost as good as the LA4’s. The Serene’s volume is not as fancy as the LA4’s but great nevertheless. The only deficiency in the Leedh is at extremely low volume when the volume does not increase in a linear fashion as in theLA4. Splitting hairs and not a concern for 999 out of a 1000 people. @jc4659 The reason I have the Serene and the LA4 is that I can interchange them in my 2 systems without a concern. There is a review on the web comparing the 2 preamps. The Serene was preferred by the reviewer. I am more inclined to choose the LA4 but love both. |
@jc4659 the pre I am using is the Supratek Cabernet, it has two outputs, 300B and 6SN7. Supratek has cheaper models and also more expensive ones to choose from. |
In the past I experimented with I2S using an LKS Audio USB-100 DDC and a Wireworld Platinum Starlight 48K HDMI I2S cable. It sounded great. This second time around with this 005, I started my I2S experimentation with an SMSL PO100 Pro DDC, Monoprice 48K HDMI cable, and an off brand flexible 5.5 inch USB A to USB C cable. The PO100 Pro takes USB C only. For less than $100 total price, this combination sounded really good to me. It had a good fun factor. For anyone wanting to try I2S, I would recommend this combo to start. You may find this to be an upgrade. The streamer was a Lumin U1 Mini with LPS mod. With this said, I kept the PO100 Pro and upgraded the I2S cable to Tubulus Concentus I2S V2 and this was a very nice improvement. I heard more into the music. Today I replaced the off brand USB cable with a short Ghent Audio USB C to USB A cable. I will reserve jugement on this cable but right now the current I2S solution is very enjoyable. |
Dear friends, very reluctantly I am forced to sell my audio system, and therefore also my beloved MUSETEC MH-DA005. If anyone is interested in purchasing we can agree on a reasonable price. The color of the DAC is black and the condition is like new |
Today I received a new 005. Before I used f.i. Lampizator, Pegasus, Terminator, Holo Spring 3 L2, Audio-GD, Teac UD-701N, Leaf Audio CMD27 (with Staccato opamps) and ECdesigns PowerDAC-SX. The latter I plan to keep as a parallel all-in-one system). I use a Rose RS130 streamer. |
Glad the 005 and the USB-100 is working out for you. It was a great little I2S converter when I had it. I'm wishing I had kept it to run I2S-E to another component for experimenting. I've since replaced the SMSL I2S converter with an Audio GD DI-24HE and I'm using it's I2S output. I heard an improvement. Then I added an Aune SC1 external clock to the DI-24HE and then converted the clock to use a very low noise DC input. I also added a filter to the clock cable. With each change I made related to the clock, I heard a difference for the better. In my experience, digital improvements seem limitless with the 005. |
Happy that you are liking the Musetec. It's always been surprisingly good out of the box, but will get better with time, Interesting that you are getting good results with USB > LKS USB-100 > I2S > 005. This has ben a topic of discussion before, that is whether the USB conversion to I2S is better done in the LKS USB-100 or on the Amanero board in the 005. Logic suggests it should be better in the 005, but you can't deny your own ears and you are not the first to suggest a preference for the LKS USB-100. It was suggested you try the USB straight into the 005 and report back your comparison. If it remains better with the LKS USB-100 I might inquire with the factory why that might be so. Also, theoretically and logically, to use the I2S input, it might be best to avoid the USB entirely with a streamer going directly from ethernet to I2S. I have been changing my system a lot lately and also experimenting with Iancanada circuits and will soon add an I2S output to see what that yields. Besides great music, it is a great hobby. |