Finally...A basic DAC from Mytek

[Kilauea50]

I have a JS-2 and decided to buy the Liberty as I don’t need the extra features the Dac+ offers.  I can tell you that the JS-2 pairs very nicely with the Liberty Dac.  I use the JS-2 for the Dac and an uR and am extremely impressed to this point.  I have about 80 hours on it.  It is a very natural/warm sounding Dac with great dynamics, soundstage, and just overall presentation.  I still need more hours on it but I am even impressed with internet radio in Roon. 

[Kilauea50]

I bought mine from Mytek and received a manual. It must be some sort of oversite by whoever packaged it

[Kilauea50]

10 hours ago, buonassi said:

Any new impressions to share on this unit?

For me, everything NewWorldMan has said I second.  I have over 200 hours on it and am in love.  I already had a preamp and don’t do vinyl so this dac was a no brainer for me.  I also agree on streaming radio.  I have a premium account with Radio Tunes and the smooth jazz channel is fantastic.  I have no complaints whatsoever. 

[Kilauea50]

I also have the S2 but the experience I had with the 5v jack falling out and getting it replaced left a bad taste in my mouth for that unit.  I bought the Liberty during all that process and don’t regret it.  It is very well made and fortunately I have a dealer close by.  I love the S2 but after receiving and listening to the Liberty, I am extremely happy with it.  I believe I saw on the Roon forums someone mention that the Liberty has the same output stage as the Dac+.  

[Kilauea50]

1 minute ago, buonassi said:

I believe I read that as well somewhere.

 

Sounds like your experience with s2 was more soured by the physical build quality and not so much the sound.  Honesty, the reason I'd like to get a new DAC is to forego the upsampling and just feed it good old 16/44.1.  So I am looking for something with selectable filters.  Currently I'm stuck with linear phase slow and fast rolloff with my iDAC2.  I find that certain music sounds better with linear phase and other genres with intermediate or minimum phase.  So that may be the deciding factor for me given that the liberty doesn't have selectable filters (right?).  

I use HQPlayer and find the filters wonderful.  You can choose to upsample or just apply a filter.  I haven’t had a dac yet that surpasses the filters in that software but I realize that that is subjective.  

[Kilauea50]

I also have A+ but haven’t used it since getting the SonicTransporter i7.  I use HQP via Roon with Tidal integration and favor this setup over the Mac Pro/A+ by a large margin.  The i7 is a beast for sure.  The Mytek wins for a number of reasons.  In my opinion it is a superior dac over the S2 and it really should be given the cost.  Since receiving it, Mytek has released 2 firmware updates which they post on their site.  The S2 has real issues in that category.  I couldn’t get the Liberty to play back native DSD so I called Mytek and opened a ticket.  I then emailed Andrew at Small Green Computer to make sure I had the i7 settings correct and he then contacted Jesus’ at Sonore and they figured out what the issue was.  Andrew then contacted the person I was dealing with at Mytek.  That is the kind of stuff I have learned to appreciate.  Finally, the Liberty sonically is exceptional.  I too said that I just wanted to play back straight 44.1 via Tidal until I heard DSD through HQP.  My whole perspective changed but again, it is all subjective.  I am very happy with this dac.  I did consider the Dac+ but I don’t need all the features that it offers.  I just needed a pure dac and that is what the Liberty is 

[Kilauea50]

36 minutes ago, exdmd said:

 

The Liberty scales well with better amps and phones just like the Brooklyn DAC+. Also just like the DAC+ the built in headamp is about as good as a $100 Schiit. SS, one dimensional. I marvel at the difference when I switch back to my Kenzie tube amp: suddenly I have a sound stage again and no SS glare.

Don’t you just love tube gear? I have a tube preamp being built and should get it in a couple weeks or so. There is nothing like the magic of tubes

[Kilauea50]

I totally agree with @left channel concerning ESS-based Dacs in general.  The Liberty is the exception to the rule as it has no glare whatsoever.  It is very neutral/warm sounding and there is no listening fatigue like I have experienced with other dacs.  I don’t use headphones so I am no help in that area but Mytek has done a very nice job with this dac.  They released another update last Friday and added volume bypass for those with preamps

[Kilauea50]

I have about 300 hours now on the Liberty and it is the best sounding ESS Sabre dac I have heard.  As for MQA, I use Roon to decode and HQPlayer’s filters.  I have also used Roon’s filters which do sound good but I prefer HQP.  I do not regret anything about this purchase.  The last firmware update added volume bypass which I was glad to see since I have a preamp.  I just do not have any complaints to this point

[Kilauea50]

Most of the Sabre dacs that I have heard have had a bit of that tinny, bright sound that make you wince a little especially on older jazz recordings.  I just could not listen or have music going all day which is the case when I am home.  I decided to try the Resonessence Veritas dac which was better but still had that glare and ended up selling that.  I don’t have a dedicated audio room so I blamed some of what I thought I was hearing on that.  To make a very long story short, I have a friend who has nothing but great things to say about Mytek’s products so I bought the Liberty with my fingers crossed and I have not looked back.  This dac MUST have break in time.  It started settling in some after about 80 hours and continued after 100.  It does not have that brightness or glare at all.  It is so warm/neutral and it is like the speakers don’t get in the way of the music if that makes sense. It just draws you in.  I can play music 12 hours with no fatigue whatsoever.  I am not very good at breaking down sound quality like some here and have never had vinyl (well not in an audiophile setup) but I cannot imagine there being a big gap.  The Liberty produces, in my room/system at least, the most analog sound I have owned.  Kevin Carter of K&K audio is building his MIR tube preamp for me and I am really excited to hear that combo.  I use the poly-sinc filters in HQP and it really is a treat.  I can’t imagine your being unhappy with it but these things are subjective I guess

[Kilauea50]

6 hours ago, Superdad said:

 

Kevin Carter?! Have not heard that name in many years.  I remember him as the MUCH nicer of the two Kevins at VAC (Valve Amplification Company).  Glad to hear he is still around doing Audio.

Yes, that is the same Kevin - one of the nicest guys I have ever met.   He is doing very well.  He started his own business years ago and loves it.  He is in the process of moving about 20 miles west of where he lives now.  Here is his site:

 

http://www.kandkaudio.com/

[Kilauea50]

39 minutes ago, exdmd said:

 

Either one would be. My Liberty is not fully broken in yet but SQ is close to my Brooklyn DAC+. For best SQ with either DAC you do need an external LPS so factor in that cost: minimum would be an Sbooster at about $375. The Liberty is a solid value; you just need to determine if you need the extra features the DAC+ offers.

+1 on the LPS. I have an Uptone JS-2 powering the Liberty and an ultraRendu. I can't say enough about that power supply

[Kilauea50]

2 hours ago, arcman said:

Has anyone compared the Liberty to the Pro-Ject S2 side by side

 

Steven Stone reviewed the Pro-Ject S2 in the latest TAS and compared the Liberty Dac. Paraphrasing, Steven stated the S2 was not a big step downwards from the Liberty, more like a sideways step. 

I have had both.  While the S2 does sound good, the build quality is horrible.  I have had 3.  The usb just stops working.  The first unit was playing and suddenly I had no music. I had not touched it since it was connected to a preamp.  I moved it to make sure the cable was plugged in ok and the whole jack fell out.  Audio Advisor replaced it and the second unit lasted about 6 weeks before the USB just stopped working.  I sent it back and they replaced it under warranty.  I decided then to get the Liberty.  The build quality is just so much better.  I saw a number of posts on the Roon forums of the S2 jack failing.  I would encourage you to get the Liberty if the $500 is doable

[Kilauea50]

34 minutes ago, arcman said:

Actually, my next one may be a Brooklyn level dac. I like the digital readout. Not that the S2 is exactly easy to see from a distance without binoculars. My S@ seems built like a tank. I've plugged, unplugged and moved numerous times trying it on different systems.  I have an early version, so quality control may have had more of a focus with initial run of units. Good to know you like the Lyberty

The Liberty sounds really really good.  I am very impressed especially given it's price tag.  I had to call Mytek right after receiving it because I couldn't get it to pass native DSD so they worked with Andrew at SGC and Sonore to figure out the issue.  There have been several firmware updates since receiving it which allows you to make the necessary changes through the Mytek control app on a Mac or Windows (Mac in my case).  For those considering it, I have seen no negatives with it.  It is just a pure dac and perfect for those who don't want the bells/whistles