[MartinWT]

Thank you @Monolithic that's very useful to know.

 

[Monolithic]

Thank you @Monolithic that's very useful to know.

The one issue with the latest board revisions for 004 dac is that the power supplied to the clock has been significantly reduced, greatly limiting the possible clock swapping options as compared to the earlier dac design (003) and the earlier board versions of the 004. More details can be found in this thread and the 003 thread.

 

[MartinWT]

Any impressions from speaker owners? I'm more of a speaker user.

Very interested in placing an order for the LKS soon.

 

[oldearwax]

My audio chain is: foobar->LKS004->(2Watt tube amp)->speakers.
I ordered LKS004 via amazon with USB power board.
It sounded "thin" and later developed some problems and I sent it back.
I ordered LKS004 a 2nd time with USB LT3042 power board after reading advice
from this thread. The sound is wide, has vertical and music fills the room.
It is particularly good with strings (violins, cellos) and live recordings, very detail...
I found myself looking for violin concertos after acquiring this DAC. Hope this helps.

 

[newtophones07]

I ordered LKS004 a 2nd time with USB LT3042 power board after reading advice
.

what is the LT3042?

 

[oldearwax]

[

what is the LT3042?

It refers to the IC linear regulator on the power supply that is piggyback on the Amanero (USB to I2S) board

 

[aggielaw]

Any impressions from speaker owners? I'm more of a speaker user.

Very interested in placing an order for the LKS soon.

I use speakers as well. One caveat: I have a modified LKS, as I had the DAC shipped to Ric Schultz (EVS Audio) for his modifications before receiving it myself. I recall Ric specifically commenting to me about how much better the bass was post-mod.

I have used the LKS with a Sonore ultraRendu attached, and now use the SOtM 200ultra Neo "trifecta." Yesterday my Sonore ultraDigital arrived and I now have it in the chain as well. Also, last weekend I took it to an acquaintance's house and heard it in a custom theater with a SOtM 200ultra (non-neo version) feeding it and then running through a Marantz AVR. I also got to hear the owner's setup, which features a PS Audio DirectStream DAC instead of the LKS.

I use Roon for playback.

The LKS uses dual ESS Sabre 9038PRO chips. ESS's Sabre chips are often accused of being bright by DIY DAC builders. I would not describe the LKS as "bright" by any means, but it has a significant emphasis on the leading edge of notes, giving it both a "fast" and "hard" feel to it with some recordings. Uncorrected, it causes the timbre of guitars and pianos to tilt up a bit, and uncorrected in the wrong system this could cause listener fatigue in time. Listener fatigue is usually associated with brightness, but that is not the case with the LKS. It's the aggressive attack of the leading edge of notes that may cause fatigue. I have all but eliminated this problem in my system by using Roon's DSP and adding a 1dB bump at 250Hz. For male vocals, I often use a 1dB bump at 125Hz as well. Because of the aggressive leading edge I found the ultraRendu to be an inferior match with the LKS. I read a professional reviewer refer to it as a "hardness in the midrange" when reviewing the ultraRendu. The SOtM is a better match for the LKS, as are Bluesound products.

When I listened at my fellow audio society member's house last weekend the LKS's upward timber tilt was more apparent than with my own system. Piano did not sound nearly as natural in his system than in mine, but again, this was in his custom HT system rather than his reference two-channel system. The PS Audio DirectStream sounded much more natural in his system. Once he placed the ultraDigital in the chain, piano in particular improved immensely without any degradation in any other sonic characteristic, so I purchased an ultraDigital. The benefit is less pronounced in my system, but the ultraDigital does further reduce the aggressive leading edge attack while somehow improving the transparency of recordings, so for its relatively modest price I'll keep it. It bears noting that my findings in this regard are consistent with other users in this thread: LKS fed via I2S is superior to USB even with the Amanero board. Consequently, resale value aside, I recommend those purchasing new get the non-Amanero LKS and invest that money in a USB-I2S converter.

So far I've given you the weakness of the LKS. Frankly, it's the only weakness of the LKS if you want accurate, transparent, detailed reproduction of music. To my knowledge, there are two contenders in this general price range to the LKS: the Benchmark DAC 3 and the Kitsune-tuned Holo DAC. I have not heard the latter, so my assertion that it is a competitor is hearsay. I have heard the Benchmark twice and enjoyed it tremendously both times. It uses a single Sabre 9028 chip. The rep I spoke with from Benchmark said they tried the 9038PRO in R&D and could not get it to sound as natural as the 9028. Indeed, the Benchmark sounds slightly more natural with piano and has a slightly warmer timbre with acoustic guitar than the LKS. However, it isn't quite as transparent or detailed. I think of it as a step toward the sound described by Holo DAC owners, offering a middle ground between the two presentation styles.

The single greatest strength of the LKS is the soundstage. It is simply stunning. Last night, for example, I listened to a live recording in which the lead singer's voice was a full three feet higher than my tweeters. On recordings that somehow throw sound outside the width of the speakers I hear that, too. When I listen to duets, trios, and so forth I can hear exactly where each voice is, and I can hear when a singer moves in relation to the microphone. Each instrument has its own space, in both width and depth. I should note I had to work harder to get my speaker placement right with the LKS than any other piece of equipment I've ever owned. Getting the vocal/instrumental balance right was somewhat of a challenge, but then there was this odd situation in which the stage was so huge that it sounded disjointed. That was more difficult to solve, but once I got the speakers in the right place I was rewarded with a presentation that literally brings tears with many tracks.

Otherwise, the thing I would say about the LKS is its presentation is honest. I often read about DACs such as the Holo DAC having an "organic" presentation. I used to own a set of STEALTH Hybrid MLT speaker cables that gave this presentation. It's appealing, to be sure, much in the way most tubes provide a seductive, comfortable presentation. Sometimes I really enjoy that presentation. The vast majority of the time I want what the recording engineer gave me - no more, no less (see: https://www.innerfidelity.com/conte...NCgQ2V-a6rquUpd1sOtBeo0mRFhrgrcH8CtIvcgzBYz9E). The LKS give me that.

Despite my acknowledgement that the DirectSream DAC is probably superior to my LKS at least in terms of tonality, I have no inclination to swap the LKS for the DirectStream. The presentation is so immersive and so transparent I simply have no desire to replace the LKS.

My complete digital chain looks like this:

SOtM 200ultra Neo "trifecta"
Sonore ultraDigital
LKS MH-D004
SMc Audio VRE-1C
Fully modded McCormack DNA-125 (mods by SMc Audio)
Ridge Street Audio Designs Sason Ltd loudspeakers
Pair of Rytmik F12 subs

I hope this is helpful to you. Best of luck with your purchase decision!

 

[newtophones07]

Is it necessary to order with the "upgraded" crystek CCHD-957 option

Also can you change the amanero chip to a xmos chip, without solder (as I am not skilled in that area), or is it better to use the gustard U16 to HDMI?

 

[MartinWT]

Thank you so much, @aggielaw that's a highly useful description of the LKS strengths and weaknesses.

In terms of what my system does now, with a highly modified superclocked/supercapped Caiman SEG DAC, the LKS would fit right in but give me more of the detail and soundstage I would like. It will also give me the I2S interface for my future plans. I find that DACs respond very well to placement, with Black Ravioli feet and a granite mat on top, and like clean regenerated power. I have those things in place already. The final thing that makes a difference, and is a somewhat divisive subject, is a grounding box. I have two SGS units and they bring out the soundstage, depth and quality of voice and piano very well. All of these tweaks help greatly with reduction of harshness, but I naturally like leading edge transients and an up-front presentation. I want to be in row C-E, not up in the Circle!

I think the LKS will be for me.

 

[andrewinukm]

Has anyone listened to the LKS MH-DA004 mini?

https://www.shenzhenaudio.com/l-k-s-audio-mh-da004mini-es9038pro-flagship-dac-audio-decoder.html

 

[EDN80]

Hi everyone-- On the lookout for a new DAC. I want to spend $1200-$1300 max for a new DAC and narrowed it down to the PS AUDIO STELLAR GAIN CELL DAC, the RME ADI-2 DAC, and this LKS AUDIO MH-DA-004, with a preference for the latter vs the RME. Reviews for the RME praise its versatility, but it seems that LKS got it beat soundwise, with many reviewers saying it punches way above its price-point, beyond YGGRASIL and even approaching DAVE!!! Which one should I to get for the money? Amir over at Audio Science Review seems to be recommending the RME, though the dual mono Sabre ESS SMSL D1 seems to be the best he's measured. Though he's not measured the LKS, could be close or on par.

"Needless to say I can NOT recommend the Schiit Yggdrasil DAC for purchase. If you want a high-performance high-end DAC, my recommendations would be for RME ADI-2 DAC at less than half the price. And the Benchmark DAC3 at similar price. Both are made in the western world so no issue with "buying Chinese."

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...measurements-of-schiit-yggdrasil-v2-dac.3607/

 

[MartinWT]

Measurements don't tell the whole story. You need to listen to them.

 

[MartinWT]

I have now placed my order for the LKS. Many thanks to everyone contributing to this thread, it really helped my decision making.

 

[EDN80]

Measurements don't tell the whole story. You need to listen to them.

True, though not likely to have access to the LKS, so relying on the hardware itself and those dual SABRE ES9038PROs and the reviews.

I have now placed my order for the LKS. Many thanks to everyone contributing to this thread, it really helped my decision making.

Looks like I'll pull the trigger too. Should've gone for the Oppo UDP-205 when it was $1299, though this'll do. Oppo's going out of business.

 

[Quadman]

LKS 004 Won't connect to PC with USB

Hey, I Built a custom windows 10pro PC for a guy in Canada, AMD Ryzen 2700X, 16GB ram, Optane M2 OS SSD Gigabyte X470 Gaming 7 MB, windows 10pro, HQPlayer, Roon, Fidelizer pro 8.3. After build I ran this PC in my system with a T+A Dac 8DSD using T+A drivers, upsampling to DSD512 I had zero issues connecting to and playing music with my T+A. I also used the windows WASPI driver to connect via USB to a berkeley Alpha USB to AES or SPDIF converter again no issues connecting. Before shipping the PC to him I removed the T+A drivers and installed directly from Amanero's website the Combo384 Win 10 driver.

Now he gets the PC and connects to LKS004 (brand new w upgraded USB board) and has issues getting PC and dac (USB connection) to see each other. Occasionally the PC and Dac see each other then the connection drops (no music being played). He has tried numerous USB cables and played with DPLL and none work except the LKS supplied cable briefly and only occasionally sees the PC but then the connection drops. With his son's help they have removed the Amanero driver and installed the 64bit driver from MU-sounds web site, no luck there either, same results. So they removed the LKS 64bit drivers and re-installed the Amanero Combo384 drivers.

I asked him to remove the cover of the LKS to check if the power connection to the USB board is solid, he has yet to do so. He emailed Mu-sound but being the weekend has received no reply. I am over 2000 miles away from him so I cannot physically assist. Do any of you have any idea why the Dac is not seeing the PC and is unable to play music? Thanks for any assistance. Never had this issue with the Gustard I owned and those drivers required you to turn off windows driver signature to install.