[HermannS]

In the meantime, I've experimented with power cords. First, I used my good old Furutech FP-3TS20 with decent plugs. The latest cable I've built is a Nanotech #309 with Furutech FI11 Rhodium plugs. The Nanotech is better. More natural space and timbre, cleaner, better tonal balance. The 3TS is no slouch at all, yet it makes the DAC sound more compressed, flatter, with an unnatural brightness. In lieu of better wording, I'd say that the Nanotech makes the sound "chocolaty" without pasting over the finest details, quite the contrary.

One of my favorite test recordings is Whitesnake's "Starkers in Tokyo". It has an intimate, small club atmosphere. With the Nanotech I feel closer to the musicians. I discovered subtle new room cues which I had never heard before.

This DAC needs the best food! It's a precision instrument. Surprisingly, it is quite sensitive to power line influences, despite its fully decoupled digital sections. It has no mains filter built-in, I assume by design, thus, the analog section reflects every improvement in the power line configuration.

In about a week, my Benchmark HPA4 gets delivered, finally - at least they promised. Can't wait to find out how good the volume control of the DAC really is in comparison.

 

[fjc36]

www://mu-sound.com has most info as to this than I've found elsewhere. I believe power supply uses supercapacitors. My 005 takes approximately two minutes to charge these supercapacitors from standby state. Supercapacitors are essentially batteries, therefore, store power. This is what I think they mean by "power regeneration."

 

[fjc36]

全新設計的電源系統

音響系統裡的電源，極其重要。我們為DA005設計了高級電源再生系統，猶如兩個蓄水塘，一組放水的時候另一組蓄水，循環交替。在精心設計的控制邏輯下，蓄、放是完全隔絕的，互不影響，從而可以在很大程度上避免市電雜訊對DAC主電路的影響。而另一方面，由於使用傳統的鐵芯電源變壓器供電的電路都存在負載調整率差的問題，進而導致聲音動態被壓縮，密度不足，新的電源系統則不存在這種問題，安靜、充沛、高素質的能源供給DAC電路，可以重播出最為真實的聲音。

DAC供電電路中，我們大量使用了凌特 、德州儀器TI等公司領先業界的高性能低噪聲穩壓器，保證到每一個功能電路都有獨立的二級穩壓供給，為各部分電路提供純靜、充足的能量。總計使用了18顆獨立穩壓器。

模擬電路的供電同樣非常重要，我們特別定制了一顆O型變壓器，初級、次級繞組均採用昂貴的單晶銅鍍銀材質，由於交流電的集膚效應，電流基本都是從表面的銀層流過，對比銅線、無氧銅線變壓器，聲音有著本質的區別，更為安靜、純透、細膩、飽滿，瞬態反應也更為優秀（同條件對比）。另外輔以高強度不銹鋼屏蔽罩進行密封，可抗機械振動，實現電場屏蔽。全新設計的模擬電源電路，電路結構上採用大電流、低內阻的功率MOS做調整管，孿生分立元件組成電壓反饋控制電路，實現極低的輸出內阻和極低的電源噪聲。在模擬輸出電路工作的全頻段都能提供快速、充沛的輸出響應。

整流二極管採用無恢復時間的碳化矽肖特基二極管。主濾波電容選用Mundorf 無感電解電容，輸出電容選用Audionote 快晴無極電容配Mundorf Supreme電容進行高頻補償。

碳化矽肖特基二極管的反向恢復時間趨近於零，導通與關斷狀態的轉換速度非常快，而且沒有普通雙極二極管進入開關時的反向恢復電流。 傳統矽基或者鍺基雙極二極管在開關整流電路中，因為反向恢復電流的存在，截止和導通的間隙會產生非常大的脈衝尖峰，直接干擾後端電路的性能。導致聲音粗糙有毛刺感，碳化矽二極管則安定順滑很多，聲音的質感和細節也更突出。成本上，碳化矽二極管是普通肖特基二極管的10倍以上。

 

[fjc36]

Sorry, I can not find Google translation for the power source & design, and wish someone else can help.

 

[HermannS]

Well, something goes in, then there is 2 of the same, then it goes out :-D It is safe to assume that there is some ADxxx chip, which controls the input and output of two banks of supercaps and decides which one to switch to charge mode and which to drain mode.
In a couple of months, I am gonna break the warranty seal, open this thing and study it in detail. If it doesn't break at the beginning, it will be running for years. I don't need 2y warranty.

 

[moss]

I suggest you might try the Furutech FI-50 AC connectors. They are expensive, but are amazingly good.

Sadly, I suspect we may never really find out how good the 005 is in the grand scheme of the audio world. I only know it is the best that I have had in my system. I have listened to many show systems, and I think it does quite well, especially for the price. I suspect you'd have to pay a lot for a significant improvement.

 

[sns109]

I've used a number of Furutech products over the years, excellent cabling. I use a Flux 50 NCF power filter on my Coincident 845 and Prima Luna Dialogue Four power amps, the only power conditioning product I've ever found beneficial for amps, and I've tried many. Really quiets AC line without blunting transients, amazing product. I bet the NCF power cables are really something, extremely expensive, however. And yes, the 005 benefits from the best of everything in audio chain, maximizing resolution only seems to make 005 sound more natural in my experience, the reason I consider the 005 a neutral source. 005 will only sound natural or analytical, I can't imagine it sounding romantic or warm. I've been down the road of building a system to sound romantic, while such a system may sound incredible with certain recordings, won't cut it on so many others. Natural with high resolution is optimum IMO.

 

[HermannS]

So, after plenty of tweaking or upgrading, for that matter, of power cabling I now prefer the DPLL BW01 setting. It's the most precise and stands out. Previously, BW03 sounded best to me because it is a little more forgiving. BW01 can sound too bright if something in the chain doesn't match well. Here, the power cables and fuses were to blame, believe it or not . They compensated for deficiencies in the old configuration. Recently, I even installed an exclusive 10-meter cable (Supra Cable LoRad) for the stereo. It used to be connected to the worst possible outlet in my flat, with computers, routers, what have you, sitting on the same line.

The collateral damage caused by the DAC in my bank account is piling up, hehe. It is worth it, everything is going in the right direction.

 

[C230AMG]

Anyone wants to sell their DA004 DAC, please PM me.

 

[markk02474]

Thanks to SNS for an excellent post. I am interested in this dac as I've had a 004 for a few years and thinking of upgrading.

I found a brief review on the Shenzhen Audio site that is of interest in the goal of finding comparisons to other dacs.

From Shenzhen Audio site:

Huge soundstage, excellent depth and detail. I had the DA-005 in Boston one week after ordering - well packed and no damage. Mustec is well regarded for musical products and I was not disappointed. I was only able to compare directly with a $9,000 Lampizator with upgraded capacitors, resistors, and tubes on an all tube system. The Lampi did have better depth and focus, but at 3x the cost! I am quite satisfied with the performance for my daily listening, and certainly don't hear anything missing without direct comparison. I wish there were reviews in English so more audiophiles can learn of this excellent product.

Haha, that was my review! On further consideration, I'll add that the 005 was hardly warmed up, so not at it's best. I got my unit back in mid November. Still love it and working on improved feeding of it. I got an Audiolab CDT and Ifi SPDIF iPurifier2, which both improved on my Oppo as a spinner. Next USB. Not sure which DDC to get Denafrips or Singxer.

I'm interested in modifications. Performing flawlessly since mid November, so overdue to void the warranty - if I can figure how to open the case! I've been more focused on recording lately and spent more for just a pair of Josephson c617set microphones. Mic preamps and ADC are the new challenge. Most lacking audiophile construction.

Also, a couple months ago I asked Shenzhen why they don't promote the 005. I got the impression they didn't consider it a good value. They have been promoting the new Gustard instead. It is interesting for supporting external clock input, but I question the value when better clocking of the data stream is more important. The guy who has the Lampi Pacifica se+ had them mod it to accept IIS input and is thrilled with that fed from a Denafrips Gaia as his USB source. Previously, he has uses all sorts of expensive USB reclocking, and the DDC beat them all.

 

[markk02474]

And so we now get to the purportedly achilles heel of sabre chip dacs; namely timbre. Initially, while impressed with improvement over other dacs, I still found 005 to be slightly on digital side of analog/digital divide. Over time, listening sessions divided by 100 hour increments of burn in, brought improvements here. And now over last 15 hours listening and 200 hours more burn in of 005 (along with burn in [300B amps] of newly installed Texas Components TX2575 resistors in signal path and Duelund Silver bypass capacitors in power supply) I'm now hearing what I can only describe as organic sound. Not a hint of digititus, really very analog like sound. And I do know what analog sounds like having grown up with it, been through Regas, modded Thorens, a couple of upgraded VPI setups, all belt drive. Now fully restored Technics SP10 MkII with 100 lbs custom plinth, etc. Point of this equipment description is that I'm not imagining analog like, organic timbre, this level of harmonic development out of an upsampling capable Sabre chip dac is possible!

Do you have pictures of your 005 mods you can share?

[sorry for the late ask, but I rarely visit this forum as I'm mostly a speaker guy, despite owning HD800 and Neuman NDH20 (for recording).]

 

[sns109]

Do you have pictures of your 005 mods you can share?

[sorry for the late ask, but I rarely visit this forum as I'm mostly a speaker guy, despite owning HD800 and Neuman NDH20 (for recording).]

The mods I'm speaking of here are to my 300B monoblock amps. I doubt there's anything in the 005 to mod, really top flight components throughout, I have no intentions of ever modding 005. The stock 005 is capable of this organic presentation with sympathetic companion components. Based on my experience 005 will excel in system that prior to 005 insertion is neutral to warm/forgiving, system's already on analytical side will maintain analytical nature, may be ruthlessly revealing. Again, I'd not advise any mods to 005, high end components throughout in stock form. I do plan on I2s input at some point, not highly motivated to try as performance is wonderful with my usb setup, and I suspect usb is 005 preferred input, certainly much engineering effort here.

My system is exclusively speaker as well, not sure my reviews are perfectly applicable to phone systems?

 

[iFi audio]

I got an Audiolab CDT and Ifi SPDIF iPurifier2, which both improved on my Oppo as a spinner.

Works rather well for CD players, doesn't it ?

If I may ask, which Oppo do you have?

 

[markk02474]

Works rather well for CD players, doesn't it ?

If I may ask, which Oppo do you have?

BD-83SE. The drive was getting a bit noisy (servo correction?) so fear of impending failure was a motivator. The Audiolab is so much quieter and quicker besides sounding better. I had the SPDIF iPurifier on it, with a DC iPurifier cleaning the iPower, making a further 10% improvement.

 

[Lennym]

Just a word to say that I think the break-in on this DAC is really an extended one, and as I said earlier it is not a straight line. I've had mine for about seven weeks playing it for 2-3 hours on alternate days since. Otherwise it's been off. It has really come into its own recently, and is hard to turn off. A couple of weeks ago I thought that a solid silver USB cable that was perfect on the 004 might be too much for the 005. On settling in, though, it is perfect. And what is going on in the bottom octave is amazing.

Yesterday I was playing the new Jordi Savall Messiah. It's in a church, but relatively close. [Please don't ask why I was playing The Messiah in May ] I have never heard such clarity in a choral presentation, except live. Each of the choir sections was clearly in its own place just as if I were there, and the soloists were each pin-point in their space. Add also that the sound was glorious, as it should be..