L.K.S. Audio MH-DA004 Dual ES9038PRO DAC - Van Damme's double impact?

[b0bb]

@b0bb,
may I ask to what Voltage you set the +/- supply of the diskret Op Amp stages to ?

​

​

+/- 15V
You can go higher if there is adequate heatsinking for the output stages.

 

[rettib2001]

Apologies if I’m semi-resurrecting this thread but I’ve just plugged my 004 back in after moving on to a few other dacs and still think it’s great.

One upgrade I never got round to doing was changing the I/V out resistors to Vishay CPF3 61.9Ω 3W. I now plan to do this. Is it as simple as removing the old ones and soldering in place the news ones (I see people tend to have them top side due to lack of room underneath)?

I’m think I have a gen 2 version of the dac is there a a way of double checking that?

Thanks in advance for any guidance you can offer.

P.s I’d also be interested to know what people who were active on thread went on to use after this dac.

 

[MartinWT]

I'd forgotten about the MH-DA004, it's been too long. I did the Vishay I/V resistor swap. Can't remember much about it.

I've now moved on to a Gustard X26 III, a superb DAC in my opinion.

 

[fmzip]

@b0bb Are you still using this DAC or have you moved on to something else?

 

[aggielaw]

Apologies if I’m semi-resurrecting this thread but I’ve just plugged my 004 back in after moving on to a few other dacs and still think it’s great.

One upgrade I never got round to doing was changing the I/V out resistors to Vishay CPF3 61.9Ω 3W. I now plan to do this. Is it as simple as removing the old ones and soldering in place the news ones (I see people tend to have them top side due to lack of room underneath)?

I’m think I have a gen 2 version of the dac is there a a way of double checking that?

Thanks in advance for any guidance you can offer.

P.s I’d also be interested to know what people who were active on thread went on to use after this dac.

I've borrowed several newer DACs in recent years, all at the $1k to $2500 price range. The 004 remains in my system. I had my DAC shipped from China to a gentleman named Ric Schultz, who performed a variety of modifications to it, costing me and additional $500. In short, every DAC I've tried since has been "too something." Too clinical, too forward, too flat (soundstagewise)... The list goes on. I have not tried the 005 or the 006.

I will mention one other thing here, however unlikely it is to help anyone given the inactivity of the thread. I've been in this hobby for 35 years. For twenty years I spent absurd sums of money relative to my income trying out new equipment every few months, or sometimes even more often. I finally learned that once something sounds really good to me I should just stop. The chase isn't worth the money spent and lost swapping out components, and never was. I've made an exception over the last decade for DACs because the technology was still evolving enough to warrant more experimentation, but I think that era has mostly closed as well.

 

[MartinWT]

I think the LKS was a good DAC but it came just a little too early. Gustard, in my mind, took design and production further with first the X26 Pro (ES9038 Pro) and now the X26 III (ES9039 Pro). I am unlikely to change from the latter for a very long time. It's a very well sorted design, superbly made for the price asked.

 

[b0bb]

@b0bb Are you still using this DAC or have you moved on to something else?

Still using the 004, many other DACs have come, none were keepers, always something missing in the sound presentation.

 

[Xoverman]

Still using the 004, many other DACs have come, none were keepers, always something missing in the sound presentation.

me too

 

[Arw118]

Still using the 004, many other DACs have come, none were keepers, always something missing in the sound presentation.

I totally agree. Have had at least 5 different DACS including the 005 and Laiv Harmony DAC in my system and still prefer the 004. The DACS I've tried have been very good but for my tastes the 004 wins out.