[Lennym]

I can confirm the relatively high output impedance of the LKS phono and balanced outputs. I first tried the phonos driving my power amp directly, using excellent Black Cat Airwave 3202 interconnects and variable output volume. Very poor, limp and with a tilt towards the treble. It simply cannot drive a power amp well. I switched to using the XLR outputs into my Pass preamp and that was much better with the power and slam returning. Even so, I rejected first Townshend DCT-300 XLR interconnects as having some glare, followed by Townshend Fractal F1 XLRs which sounded better but still had a hot treble. I also tried Yannis ConnectLitz XLRs and they just sounded different. Finally, when I tried Coherent 6D XLR interconnects, the results where what I wanted - a balanced and powerful sound with very extended bass and phenomenal midrange clarity without glare.

This to me proves that the LKS doesn't have inherent glare, but it does have an output stage more susceptible to cable performance than many other DACs.

Cables are extremely system sensitive. Apparently you may have found a cable that rolls the highs in a manner that's pleasing.

I have not found the LKS to have a disconcerting treble at all, at least not when it's running at its best. By that I mean that its performance to be at its very finest seems to depend upon the quality of the electric current. When it's at its best I just want to listen more; when it's not my sessions are shorter. I live in an urban area and I don't have a very sophisticated power set-up. My listening experience is live un-amplified concerts and vinyl with a 3 stage tube + tube rectification front end. The LKS seems to be more sensitive to the current than is my vinyl listening.

For the record my cables are very well broken in Coincindent from LKS to pre-amp and Discovery (long) from pre to amp. Both are balanced. I have not experimented with the cable running from the LKS. I also use Coincident, but unbalanced, from phono pre to pre. Perhaps my cables roll the highs. Who knows?

Has anyone experienced this sensitivity to the current, that is changing performance at different times, everything else the same? suggestions?

 

[MartinWT]

Whatever the Coherent cables do, they do not roll off the treble. In fact the LKS treble is very well extended and I get all of that, just not any hardness.

I also get very little variation in playback, but then I've used a regenerator for a number of years and they tend to eliminate sound quality variations due to power.

 

[Lennym]

Whatever the Coherent cables do, they do not roll off the treble. In fact the LKS treble is very well extended and I get all of that, just not any hardness.

Assuming that everything is/was properly and professional shielded, just what do you think the "hardness" is that was removed by these wires?

 

[Forgisound]

I use single ended AQ Amazon. High tones are perfect. But that depends on the whole setup.

 

[littlexx26]

Interconnect is just one part of the chain. Power cord, USB cable and all cables at other components play their roles as well. In the case here LKS004 the interconnect contributes around 80%. Power cords, USB, power cords in other components and speaker cables all make the system sounds different. Power conditioning also very important. Every cable company says their cables are rejecting noise effectively, but the truth is not. Different cables have different performance.

 

[b0bb]

The cable comparisons were performed before the modified clock was installed. That just brought the performance further up (I had already swapped out the 575 for a TXC crystal at that point).

The Usher Dancer Be-20 crosses over at 432Hz (bass to mid) and 3.53kHz (mid to treble).

Removing the 575 takes away most of the glare. This is mostly in the upper midrange region, the mid-to-treble crossover likely had a hand in helping with the suppression.

 

[b0bb]

...

I live in an urban area and I don't have a very sophisticated power set-up. My listening experience is live un-amplified concerts and vinyl with a 3 stage tube + tube rectification front end. The LKS seems to be more sensitive to the current than is my vinyl listening.

...

Has anyone experienced this sensitivity to the current, that is changing performance at different times, everything else the same? suggestions?

Yes, very annoying

I use an industrial powerline tracking filter from Control Concepts part of Emerson, pretty much eliminates the problem and stops my power conditioners from buzzing.

https://www.borderstates.com/Catalog/1E/1E60/1E6035/COMY00001

They stopped making these but you can get them on Ebay

The current tracking filter line from Emerson is even better but at 5X the cost
https://www.emerson.com/en-us/catal...otection-active-tracking-filtering/solahd-stf

 

[MartinWT]

Assuming that everything is/was properly and professional shielded, just what do you think the "hardness" is that was removed by these wires?

I don't think the Coherent cables remove anything. I think my other cables added some hardness.

The best cable is no cable at all.

 

[xiamen]

I don't think the Coherent cables remove anything. I think my other cables added some hardness.

The best cable is no cable at all.

You certainly have expensive taste in your front end components with Usher Dancer Be-20, $4000 per m cables. I am not in that league. When you say your preamp is pass preamp, do you mean one of the Pass Labs XP's? If it is, then I am not surprised at all it's better than LKS004 as a preamp (In my experience, preamp is a significant element in the chain).This will likely reveal any minute faults from your back end server plus LKS004 or from the recording itself. In some way, I am a little surprised that you did not go for something more upmarket than the LKS.

 

[Forgisound]

Does anyone know DSD record happens within the ESS 9038PRO?

 

[MartinWT]

You certainly have expensive taste in your front end components with Usher Dancer Be-20, $4000 per m cables. I am not in that league. When you say your preamp is pass preamp, do you mean one of the Pass Labs XP's? If it is, then I am not surprised at all it's better than LKS004 as a preamp (In my experience, preamp is a significant element in the chain).This will likely reveal any minute faults from your back end server plus LKS004 or from the recording itself. In some way, I am a little surprised that you did not go for something more upmarket than the LKS.

I have the taste for high quality reproduction - not necessarily expensive unless that's what it takes. For instance, my I2S streamer is based on a Raspberry Pi. Yes, my preamp is a Pass Labs XP-20 and is a superb preamp. The Ushers are the best speakers I've ever heard.

Why go more upmarket than the LKS? It uses dual 9038s in a good configuration and is well made. What DAC offers more?

Much more than the components I have, great sound depends on room treatment, supports, mains power quality, RFI/EMI filtering. Without attention to these, you cannot yield the best that your system can produce, so it's not all about money.

 

[littlexx26]

I have the taste for high quality reproduction - not necessarily expensive unless that's what it takes. For instance, my I2S streamer is based on a Raspberry Pi. Yes, my preamp is a Pass Labs XP-20 and is a superb preamp. The Ushers are the best speakers I've ever heard.

Why go more upmarket than the LKS? It uses dual 9038s in a good configuration and is well made. What DAC offers more?

Much more than the components I have, great sound depends on room treatment, supports, mains power quality, RFI/EMI filtering. Without attention to these, you cannot yield the best that your system can produce, so it's not all about money.

What speaker cables you using? Recently I acquire a pair of LS-50 by Colin Wonfor and they are superb. He said it is better than anything he designed when he was in Tellurium Q and better than anything TQ offers today. I never heard anything from TQ but I could not find any fault with the cables.

 

[MartinWT]

What speaker cables you using? Recently I acquire a pair of LS-50 by Colin Wonfor and they are superb. He said it is better than anything he designed when he was in Tellurium Q and better than anything TQ offers today. I never heard anything from TQ but I could not find any fault with the cables.

I used to use TQ Ultra Black speaker cables but I now use Coherent 6D speaker cables and BD jumpers. I also use 6D power cables for each component and a BD cable from my custom 60A radial circuit to the regenerator.

 

[Xoverman]

I need help.
This weekend I had an stunning experience. I startend plaing around with the HQPlayer. First I used me LAB Exprimentel Stereo system.
The DAC can only handel 192KHz . So I set upsampling to 192Khz, and played with the filters. Nothing super exciting happend, until i reached
sinc-M !!!! Wow. It was as if the Window opend and I was looking into the concert hall.
On Sunnday I then installed everything an my main system, wich is very very resolving, and mad the test.
First to get adjusted with Foobar and then switched to HQPlayer. Boooommm !!!
Soundstage got just a little bit bigger, but depth, clarity and Focus on Instruments was jut like real !!!
It was a very strange feeling. As if the DAC output bypasses the Speakers, the room and ears, and gets connected directly to the brain.
It sounds so real that it scares me.
After listening to tons of music I then tryed diferent settings. But 192KHz and sinc-m is the only setting that gives this effect.
I hope someone can explane what is happening here.

 

[MartinWT]

Is "Sinc-M" the same as SLOW-M in the LKS?

If so, it's the Slow roll-off Minimum Phase filter which I use as it sounds the best to my ears.