Laiv Harmony µDAC, Discrete Balanced R-2R DAC

[bodhidharma]

This is a place where all Laiv Harmony owners can exchange opinions, experiences, reviews and anything else that can enrich their knowledge of this wonderful and innovative brand.
I extend my warmest welcome to anyone who wishes to participate!

 

[Jake2]

Nice work on the dedicated thread, it seems it deserves it from the reviews so far.

 

[bodhidharma]

Nice work on the dedicated thread, it seems it deserves it from the reviews so far.

It certainly deserves it, my µDAC arrived yesterday and it is amazing, I will post my review as soon as it has finished the burn-in which, as Alvin from Vinshine Audio recommends, should be 300 hours.

 

[Tex Irie]

Thank you for shedding light on this product @bodhidharma

 

[silversurfer616]

Sold my Cyan2 recently and looking forward to receive this one soon. It’s just too pretty…I guess the sound will be ok too.

 

[Tex Irie]

Sold my Cyan2 recently and looking forward to receive this one soon. It’s just too pretty…I guess the sound will be ok too.

Question for you @silversurfer616, I'm looking into purchasing the Cyan 2. How'd did you like the pairing with your V550?

 

[g4ndr1k]

 

[silversurfer616]

Question for you @silversurfer616, I'm looking into purchasing the Cyan 2. How'd did you like the pairing with your V550?

It was a brilliant combo but a friend wanted to try the Cyan2 which freed up funds for me to try other stuff. Cyan2 and 550 have wonderful synergy but I only used PCM for the Cyan and no upsampling whatsoever. In hindsight I think I prefer the Denafrips Pontus2(my DAC prior )to the Cyan though…

 

[Tex Irie]

It was a brilliant combo but a friend wanted to try the Cyan2 which freed up funds for me to try other stuff. Cyan2 and 550 have wonderful synergy but I only used PCM for the Cyan and no upsampling whatsoever. In hindsight I think I prefer the Denafrips Pontus2(my DAC prior )to the Cyan though…

I'm thinking of selling my TEAC UD-505, Questyle CMA Twelve Master, and Violectric HPA V222. I've been doing a lot of Research with a friend about R2R DACs Laiv, Denafrips, and Holo Audio keep coming up as the best pairings for my V550. So I was thrilled to see someone with the exact combinations I was strongly considering. Thank you so much for your candid input @silversurfer616 ! This is greatly appreciated and honest commentary.

 

[bodhidharma]

Sold my Cyan2 recently and looking forward to receive this one soon. It’s just too pretty…I guess the sound will be ok too.

The sound quality of this unit is stellar, this one plays in a very different league than its price point.

 

[SausageDog]

Is there an option to power this unit via an USB-C charger like the uDDC model of the same form factor? As for the power requirement, it seems to me that it wouldn't be an issue, right?

 

[bodhidharma]

The µDAC requires 15V/2A and therefore cannot be powered with USC-C, and it also has no USB-C input.

 

[Jake2]

Hmm reading between the lines it may be challenging to power via USB-C.

 

[SausageDog]

The µDAC requires 15V/2A and therefore cannot be powered with USC-C, and it also has no USB-C input.

Most modern USB-C GaN chargers, including power banks, provided with Power Delivery technology, are able to provide multi-voltage/multi-amp outputs (including the 15V-3A combination) with resulting 100+ W. power delivery, so unfortunately here the real problem is the missing USB-C input, and I guess for some valid design reason.

 

[Ben86]

Most modern USB-C GaN chargers, including power banks, provided with Power Delivery technology, are able to provide multi-voltage/multi-amp outputs (including the 15V-3A combination) with resulting 100+ W. power delivery, so unfortunately here the real problem is the missing USB-C input, and I guess for some valid design reason.

No problem at all, you can get an adapter for 3$ on Aliexpress

https://a.aliexpress.com/_Eu0yKPA