LKS AUDIO MH-DA004

[57gold]

Was thinking about this DAC, but given the possibility of its erratic behavior or possible self destruction from the heat generated by the ES9038 chips, I'm having second thoughts.

 

Short of an aftermarket venting job or fan installation, does anyone know if there are heatsink solutions from the computer world that could address this challenge?  Any space in the case?

 

I presently run a Mac Mini 2012 Quad Core 2.6 Ghz and up convert 2,200 DC rips to DSD128 using HQPlayer.  What would be an optimal was to connect...USB, a D to D like the Singerx to take USB and output HDMI or some other solution?

[bibo01]

53 minutes ago, 57gold said:

Was thinking about this DAC, but given the possibility of its erratic behavior or possible self destruction from the heat generated by the ES9038 chips, I'm having second thoughts.

 

Short of an aftermarket venting job or fan installation, does anyone know if there are heatsink solutions from the computer world that could address this challenge?  Any space in the case?

 

I presently run a Mac Mini 2012 Quad Core 2.6 Ghz and up convert 2,200 DC rips to DSD128 using HQPlayer.  What would be an optimal was to connect...USB, a D to D like the Singerx to take USB and output HDMI or some other solution?

I spoke to the designer and he said that heat problems have been solved. A little while back at diy site I saw some small copper heatsinks on regulators. 

At DSD218 you should not have any heat problem anyhow - I don't. In the near future I will do DSD256 native (perhaps DSD512) in Linux by upgrading USB firmware and I will report then.

[mac_and_dac]

4 hours ago, bibo01 said:

I spoke to the designer and he said that heat problems have been solved. A little while back at diy site I saw some small copper heatsinks on regulators. 

At DSD218 you should not have any heat problem anyhow - I don't. In the near future I will do DSD256 native (perhaps DSD512) in Linux by upgrading USB firmware and I will report then.

 

I plan to fit better quality regulators, as I did with the 003 - but this is probably a step too far for most. The unit has a vent at the top. Mine has never become unduly hot. I play only PCM, and use the 004 in pre-amp mode, which I expect helps a little as less current is being drawn as compared to 'fixed output' mode.

 

The main concern for me is the life expectancy of one of the sets of caps, but I'm sure that can be remediated.

[Hifihova]

Hi.

 

got my new Marantz SA-10 cd player with dac, a 7k€ player, and of course that lead to a shoot-out :  cd in the marantz vs cd ripped on the bluevault2, playing over the LKS...

I hoped the marantz would win, and to sell my LKS.

 

Nope: the LKS is still slightly better , more detailed, more depth and space.

 

Hmmm, will be hard to beat this LKS!

 

streaming the bluevault2 over  the marantz and over the LKS:  in 44.1 as well as in 96 the LKS wins too.

 

have a nice day! 

 

 

[CKKeung]

5 hours ago, Hifihova said:

Hi.

got my new Marantz SA-10 cd player with dac, a 7k€ player, and of course that lead to a shoot-out :  cd in the marantz vs cd ripped on the bluevault2, playing over the LKS...

I hoped the marantz would win, and to sell my LKS.

Nope: the LKS is still slightly better , more detailed, more depth and space.

Hmmm, will be hard to beat this LKS!

streaming the bluevault2 over  the marantz and over the LKS:  in 44.1 as well as in 96 the LKS wins too.

have a nice day! 

 

Hello Hifihova,

Have you tried using the Marantz SA-10 as cd transport and played CDs with LKS004 as dac?

 

[Emcee]

On 9/7/2017 at 4:42 PM, beerandmusic said:

I am saying ime the amp will make a bigger difference, especially if you think DACs sound digital.  Try a tube amp or ss amp that many suggest has sonic qualities similar to a tube amp....many suggest the sound of mcintosh is "smoothe and warm" and tube like. 

 

I have heard the claim that 256 DSD is nearing the sound of records, but that would be depend on original recording format and mastering.

 

If you had the VEGA, and aren't happy with the DAC, to try amplifier or speakers...most people would be very happy with a vega dac.

After trying a few different amps in digital setup I was always struggling with glare until I tried an amp reputed to be ''forgiving''. While there may have been a trade off glare and listening fatigue are no longer issues.

[Hifihova]

1 hour ago, CKKeung said:

Hello Hifihova,
Have you tried using the Marantz SA-10 as cd transport and played CDs with LKS004 as dac?

Yes, i did: sa-10 with lks is slightly better than sa-10 with it's own dac.

 

[Holzohr]

Hello. I have a L.K.S USB-100 for sale. The MH-D004 is probably a better match than my PSA DAC.

 

Mario

[57gold]

Any folks care to review sonics of this unit versus other players in $1500 to $3000 range?  Quality of the volume control or use of USB to HDMI converter are also of interest.  

 

Seems like pro reviewers refrain from reviewing some of the Chinese company products.  No ad revenues?

[mac_and_dac]

Hi

 

I've had several DACs in that price range over the last 4-5 years, the 004 is the best of these. It presents a very neutral, detailed sound with a good grip of the music (if that makes sense). I attribute that to the new ESS chips, the dual mono architecture, and the simplicity of the implementation.

 

I compared the 004 head-to-head with the Chord Dave recently. The 004 came out second best, but certainly wasn't embarrassed - and is far cheaper.

 

The volume control is 32-bit, so quantisation errors are theoretically extremely limited. I initially bought a Schiit Freya as a pre-amp to sit in front of the 004, but I now use the latter in pre-amp mode (i.e. with volume control). Very little difference to my ears between the two configurations.

 

Regards

mac_and_dac

 

[57gold]

M&D - Thanks.

 

Have you used a Singxer to access the I2S input?

[mac_and_dac]

I very nearly bought the Singxer, but the comments section of some thread (Singxer sales website comments section, or HeadFi.org - can't remember) reported some problems with it.

 

That was a few months ago, maybe the issue has been addressed.

 

[gebeege1]

Hi, I'm wondering if anyone has a view on whether to get the 0004 with the better USB board, or get it with the standard board and get a Singxer as well.

 

I use a macmini with an external USB drive running roon.

 

[jjkale]

Happy New Year.

Does anybody use this machine with Linux and USB or is that configuration still completely not supported/possible?

Thanks

[bibo01]

39 minutes ago, jjkale said:

Happy New Year.

Does anybody use this machine with Linux and USB or is that configuration still completely not supported/possible?

Thanks

I do. I have Amanero USB with updated firmware 2003be.

It works fine up to DSD512. The display cannot report DSD properly at 48x256 and 48x512.

However, although mostly useful, firmware is still a bit flaky especially at higher frequency with sound becoming very thin.

I reported this to Amanero and he was going to perhaps do something about it.. 

[jjkale]

Thanks bibo.

I ask because I am deciding between Linux and W10 on a PinkFaun streamer.  Linux would take some of the Win frustration out of the equation, yet Linux seems to bring its own issues of USB incompatibility.

Seems like a hassle w LKS, Holo, or T+A w Linux.

Would you just opt for Win in this case?

Thanks.

[bibo01]

Personally I ended my days with Windows - my main audio PC has had Linux for the last three years.

I keep Windows only for testing on a small PC.

[dbb]

On 9/15/2017 at 6:33 PM, mac_and_dac said:

I spent 1.5 hours today doing an A-B comparison of the Chord Dave with the LKS Audio MH-DA004.

 

The Dave came out on top, but the LKS gave a good account of itself. Let's not forget that the Dave is around 6x the price.

 

The 004 is the best Sabre DAC I've heard, but it lacks the life and dynamics of the Dave. Maybe it's the output stage only. It has motivated me nevertheless to get my soldering iron out and see if I can improve the 004...

Did you run the Chord Dave and 004 directly into the amplifier? I was wondering if a good preamp would improve the 004 by providing the missing life and dynamics.

[KLH007]

@dbb, Ric Shultz at EVS has a bunch of mods some DIY for the LKS.

[mac_and_dac]

2 hours ago, dbb said:

Did you run the Chord Dave and 004 directly into the amplifier? I was wondering if a good preamp would improve the 004 by providing the missing life and dynamics.

 

Hi

 

I did a 'like for like' test, using both the 004 and the Dave in pre-amp mode.

 

I actually compared both again this weekend, and I'm certainly not disappointed with the 004. The Dave is just slightly livelier. With the 003 you could swap around the op amps to change the sound in this regard, but the 004 has a discrete output stage so this is harder to tweak.

 

In the past I alternated running the 004 with and without pre-amp (Schiit Freya), and I couldn't really hear much of a difference so I eventually settled on using the 004 in pre-amp mode, largely because it meant fewer cables and one less remote.

 

mac_and_dac

 

 

 

[dbb]

Thanks for your response. My take-away is that the 004 is a wonderful value. I have found that running my Gustard x20 pro through my old McIntosh MSD4 preamp section improves the life and dynamics  of the sound. It also slightly reduces the definition, but it is  worth the slight loss of detail. I am considering the 004 as an upgrade.

[mac_and_dac]

The Schitt Freya is also a good alternative in that regard, as it has three paths, including a valve path. So you can pick your sonic 'flavour', as it were.

[littlecx]

Will L.K.S.004 sound closer to Dave if using poly-sinc-xtr-mp-2s in HQPlayer?

[gruvytune]

Hi audiophile friends.
I came across this threat and i know it is a bit old.  But thought I'd respond in case anyone is looking for a new DAC.  I bought sight unseen after discussing the feedback with a few others.  My current system is highly resolving after years of cobbling together what I consider a reference system now:
Rega Planar 5 w Crown Jewel mc cartridge
Laptop feeding via USB mostly lossless FLAC and SACD iso and DSD files (I have over 3 TB of data in a mirrored array - please do this, I lost my entire collection at one time as I procrastinated to get a backup drive)
Jriver music server (works the best at serving up DSD and SACD iso files) feeding
Convergent Audio SL1 Legend black path edition preamp
Classe Omega Mono amps (the last of the production specs)
YG Anat upgraded to Sonja 1.3 status
cables are non descript
I was using a variety of DACS over the years and had settled on a MF 1A DAC tried both USB and using a Gustard U20 reclocker.
I thought my system sounded just great, until I just got my LKS 004 w upgraded Amanero USB input.

It would be hard to go into too many details, but I am certain the system has been brought to a level of resolution and clarity I did not think was possible.  I've listened to the "best" DACs on the market at many audio shows in the past several years and it would be hard to find fault with this unit just out of the box.  I'm still running it in but after about 5 days, I think I can confidently say that I no longer have a desire to pull vinyl off the shelf.  Even PCM files via flac sound beyond what vinyl can reproduce.
The dynamic range is on par w records sans the clicks and pops.
The level of transparency allows for resolution and space to be determined in live recordings so that individual voices and instruments can be localized in both depth and height.  What I was hearing as occasional glare and sibilance - especially w female voice and horns - has disappeared - I was blaming this on the speakers having been at a loss of what was causing this.  
The phase information on the recordings is clearly being transmitted and this can be determined in the system's ability to convey sense of recorded space and time delays from room reflections on the recording and in a great sense of depth and overtones/harmonics after notes are struck especially percussive instruments like piano and drums.

I had been leaning toward PS audio's perfect wave DAC as a competing option but for the price of this DAC, I can't imagine anything besting it.
There are folks like Ric Schultz doing modifications on this unit, but Jinbo at the LKS production facility has been taking suggestions over the last year from such people and adopted some of the mod suggestions into the newer production. I wouldn't mess with  what is an essentially perfect machine.  The production quality is not to be believed at this price.  look at the forums elsewhere at pictures of the chassis and boards.  

I'm not one to write reviews on things here but I felt compelled given all the banter about it back and forth.  If anyone is on the fence, please keep this unit in mind when making a consideration.  I bought mine directly from LKS (muaudio) and Jinbo is quick to answer emails and questions.  You will save a couple of hundred buying direct from him vs his distributor and will be assured to have the latest production model.

T

[Hifihova]

Thanks for your input! But i think the owners are not surprised at all by your experience. It is a bit amazing that this dac is still so unknown.

if it beats the T&A (6000 euros) and outprforms slightly the dac of my SA10 marantz, it seems to me a nobrainer for anyone looking for a nice DAC.  1/3 of the price of its competers!