Short review on the LKS MA004.
I will try to be as throughout and as much expressive as I could in the while keeping it simple and don’t bore your mind out. Please bare with me
Sound signature: Fluidity, musicality, slightly warmth (not your typical ESS Sabres)
Sound stage: Vastly Gigantic, superbly accuracy and instrumentation’s placements, yet so clean.
So I have this unit as soon as last year in February or March, and was one of those first that adopted this piece of equipment. The reason I went for this piece is simply, I have been loving crisps treble, details, resolutions, and clarity from Sabres ESS. I could not wait for the next generation DAC that sport not only
1 single ESE9038Pro, but dual ESS9038Pro. Because the highest Dynamic range of 140Db is from using 1 chip per channel. Luckily, LKS did come out with it as soon as possible, and with everything they tried to describe in specifications, and technical, it is impressive.
Why is this Dynamic range so important to me ? Because Dynamic range is what
depict how realistic something will be. Human can tolerate up to about 140Db before threshold of pain. There are no other DAC chip that can handle such prowess at this moment.
Anyways, so implementations and engineering’s are importants. Yes, and for everything that is engineered within this 004 is
the very top of the
ancient technology, such as power supply, amplifications and Analog signals. Not only that, this 004 also sport
Exotic materials such as
Wima capacitors, nicheCon Audio grade capacitors, Femto Crystals, OCC wires. After all,
how does it sound in more in-depth ?
The sound that I am hearing and observing out of my System: KG T2, 004, and Stax SR009.
I have silver wires everywhere that I can possibly put, power cord, usb, interconnect, chassis wires....etc. Now, finally I can try to express what I am hearing.
I have been throwing Silver to this system to challenge it and see how much it can tolerate. So far, every Silver contributed is an improvements in the system. That is to simply put of how capable this DAC is
Spaciousness, it is so huge, vastly gigantic, and yet Vocal are so spot on. It can be close intimidating or a bit further away depends on how the records were intended. But simply put, Vocal can be a slight bit forward and intimidating
Details are everywhere, so much resolutions, so vivid, and that nothing is lacking or voided ( usually incapable system will have this voided spaces that can leave the listener to wonder if there is something there ? Or is it not ? Mainly those plays that are meant to be presented far far away, and or very high in the spectrum, and can be found in Ballads, Jazz, some instruments genres ). Is it harsh ? Nope, it is very smooth, and musical. Remember the Dynamic range and the pain threshold ? Ever try standing next to a cymbals and thwack it real hard without your ears plugs ? Yes, it is very painful. Now, through engineering and artists, there are filters applied in place of earplugs. It depends on how, when, where, whom the records were made, there are slight alteration to the tonal timbres of Cymbals and other instruments. Such little differences would be shown very very throughoutly in the 004. Such vivid details could be presented as sibilants or brightness if the system is incapable, and further usages of
Silver as the materials will
further enhance this effects, the main culprit to give Silver the bad reputation.
004 is very capable, and no matter how much Silver I throw at it, it keep achieving better trebles crispness, vivid resolutions, vivid timbres, extensions presentations.
This is where it get the money and yet LKS even slightly emphasizes the warmth into the overall signature to further smoothing out the crazy capability of treble reproductions and resolutions to remain Musical with a touch of Emotion
Digital harshness is
virtually non existent . It would be those grainy, edgy feeling that you feel, and or sometime make you cringes your teeth in a horrible way or even take the musicality enjoyments out of your listening sessions. Even with everything I have in my system that is all capable or revealing, I still can not hear this effect.
Analogue sound ? Yes, I would say that it is very analogue sounding as it is a very slight bit warmth and the presentation is not your typical ESS Sabres, but if you did not know it was a Sabres, you wouldn’t be able to comprehend how it does carry the crisps and the details extensions of such crazy trebles presentation either. LKS has Perfected tuning for Sabres, and it is worthy to be categorized
high-end, high performance, high fidelity DAC in my opinion.
Speed ? There is not a single phase that can express this feeling. It appears to be very effortless in presenting and reproducing different instruments segments, plays, or each individual speed. It also does so vividly. It is so easily to observe a lingering sub bass from the grand drum, while catching up to those speedy hand cymbals within a vast ocean of other instruments within the track. Even the resonances within an individual instrument timbres are vividly represented.
Musicality and resolution you ask ? Yes, full of it, and spot on.
Background or floor noises ? Superbly clean and clear in an unbelievable way.
Specially is the bass. It is a slight bit blooming, slight bit warmth, and yet remain on the edge of neutrality and naturalness, but also musicality and emotional enough that even my system is so capable of revealing, I still find bass so be superbly satisfying in both Quantity, Quality, and further more
Fidelity
Distortions? Virtually non existed for such high-end references point of view, and perhaps will only be observable when it is intended, and how can I tell ? Because it only appears in Majority of Ballads or depressing, dramatic tracks, and appear as a part of special individual instruments or plays. The rest of everything is just so clean and clear.
Channel balances: out of XLR, the balances are perfectly balances. The flows and continuity of different panning effects are well connected, the presentations are so accurate and spots on. Usually, when channel imbalances even in the slightest bit will be picked up and realized by our brain power. In this instant we would be very confused as to the positioning and presentations of different instruments are not constantly spot on. 004 has everything constantly spot on and is impossible to be confused between different presentations and positioning.
Whenever I turn this system on, I feel like I can easily hold, and split different plays, instruments that I would like to follow. It makes my music collections to be so full of soul, full of enjoyments and every listening session is a bliss.
Pricing, I will let you as the judge, but from my own point of view, I can not thank LKS enough for such performances to pricing ratio this 004 is being sold at.
Thank you for your time and efforts to read through my own impressions, observations. It should be used as points of interests rather than references to make a decisions on, because what I am hearing and enjoying may not be the same for you. I would recommend you to give this unit a try somewhere/somehow before making a final decision
I love my speakers in black, but some electronics just look better in brushed aluminum/silver.
