Mytek Liberty DAC II - Honest Audiophile Impressions of his reference DAC of choice
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- Опубліковано 7 лип 2024
- The Mytek Liberty DAC ii is the reference DAC of choice for me. I use the Mytek Liberty DAC ii for EVERY video. I owned and used an original Mytek Liberty for 3 years, how does the Liberty ii compare?
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Test Tracks: www.thehonestaudiophile.com/p...
Tingvall Trio “Beat” - piano tonality
Sinne Eeg “We’ve Just Begun” - multiple layer soundstage
Molly Johnson “What a Little Moonlight Can Do” - female vocal tone
Leslie Odom Jr. “Under Pressure” - male vocal tone
Eric Clapton “Change the World” - soundstage, layering and placement
Yo Yo Ma “Ecstasy of Gold” - acoustic instrument timbre
Adam Baldych “Spem in Alium” - acoustic instrument timbre
Pain of Salvation “Stress” - bass and percussion balance
Michael Buble “When I Fall in Love” - orchestral dynamics
Patricia Barber “Code Cool” - sibilance check
Christian Scott “New New Orleans” - shouty upper mids
Tool “Chocolate Chip Trip” - imaging
Hans Zimmer “Why So Serious” - sub bass extension
Marcus Miller “No Limit” - bass control
Dave Holland Quartet “Conference Of The Birds”- bass check
Ilhan Eshkeri “47 Ronin”- orchestra and bass dynamics
Hans Zimmer: “2049” - sub bass extension
Cher: “Believe” - sibilance
Stanley Clarke - “Passenger 57 main title” - percussion, bass, separation and placement
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra - “The Pine of the Appian Way” - soundstage, imaging, separation, dynamic range
Houston Person - “You are my Sunshine” - tone and timbre
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Great review Dave, thanks.
Thanks for watching! You are welcome.
finally 🤩
Hey Dave - I just found your channel and have become a subscriber - thanks for what you are doing for those of us on a budget trying to find sensible gear. I own the Meze Rai Penta IEMs that you have reviewed (I love them), and I was just wondering if you've been able to spend some time with them on the Liberty II? Thanks!
I have gotten some random listening with the Rai Penta on the Mytek Liberty DAC ii. I do recommend that an iFi IE Match is used as the output impedance of the Liberty DAC ii causes background hissing. Other than that the Rai Penta sounds amazing as usual and I truly love the pairing. If you use an external amp that can resolve the output impedance issues.
Thank you for the kind words and the subscription. You are welcome. I am glad you enjoy the content.
Thanks Dave for the review. I'm no expert on DACs but I've had my Liberty II for 6-7 months now and I agree with your point about body weight and the naturalness of the sound. It often compares favourably to my LP12 / Icon PS2 analog setup.
Awesome 👍😎 Thank you for the impressions
Is that deep in their soundstage and that 3D holography?
I've been testing Liberty Dac II for more than 1 week and this is my conclusion: The first thing you hear is super realistic soundstage, excellent dynamics, and nice timbre. I agree with Dave, Liberty Dac does the music live and I love it. only thing I don't like Mytek Dac is tonal Balance, namely bass Region. To my Ears Bass is a bit elevated and too powerful. Double bass is sometimes too big than it should be. Tonal balance is very important for me and I think my Matrix mini i3 pro is more analytical. I am returning Mytek Liberty Dac II but it was still a wonderful experience.
Thank you for the impressions . Glad you enjoy the Matrix
How do you feel it in terms of soundstage depth and imaging in that soundstage?
@@YTjuanchicod very realistic soundstage, live like.
Thanks for the review Dave! I'm curious to know if you still own the Soekris DAC1421 and if so how it compares to the Liberty ll, thank you.
Sorry I sold the DAC1421 a long time ago. Completely different presentation styles. The Soekris is a smooth, analog sound and the Mytek is a neutral, analytical sound. The Liberty DAC ii has better detail retrieval and resolution and is more direct in presentation whereas the Soekris is more relaxing and immersive.
👍
Good one, Dave. I believe you've fallen in love yet again. It can be an arduous and expensive task trying to find just the right gear but I feel you have done that with this one. I've been doing it forever (or it seems that way).🙂
Awesome 👍😎
Yes indeed, I am in love with the Mytek.
Hi thanks for the video,did you have linear power supply for your original liberty? Thanks again
I use stock power supply.
@@TheHonestAudiophile Thank you for your fast response appreciated 👍
@blejzerosamigos6115 my pleasure, you're welcome
Hello, I recently bought a new TV which I'm happy with but it's audio lacks base, when connected to external speakers in comparison to my old one, is there a dac that you can recommend for tvs?
Sorry I have no experience with TV and speaker setups, I am a soundbar pleb for TV watching.
I’d suggest checking the audio settings on your TV. Your last one might have been a different sound profile or EQ…
Due to the brutal amount of iems in the... Which one do you recommend as the most complete under 300€ that has a good soundstage construction?
Moondrop Blessing 2
I own a Liberty DAC MKI and was offered an upgrade by MyTek to the DAC MKII, unfortunately MyTek are the most difficult company that I have ever had to deal with and I had to make a serious complaint to PayPal to get a refund. Thankfully the case against MyTek was found in my favour and I was given a full refund.
Sorry to hear that. Can you obtain a Liberty ii from another vendor with your refund? I purchased mine from HeadAmp
@@TheHonestAudiophile Hi thanks for such a quick and supportive response. Today I rang the company who I initially bought my first Liberty DAC from and was informed of some very interesting facts about a huge disagreement between MyTek USA and HEM and was advised not to purchase a DAC that my not be supported in Europe, or outside the USA. My experience with MyTek was so poor that I would not wish to purchase any of their products in the future.
Sorry to hear that.
@@adventurouswarrior I concur. I rec'd my Liberty DAC II without remote. Requested a remote. Still waiting. Sent e-mail on whether it had been sent. No response. Not impressed with customer service. Would not recommend.
Hi, how do you set it to pure DAC mode?
Do you need to have the potentiometer on max volume or is line out automatic (full volume from DAC to AMP) when you connect RCA or XLR cable to some amplifier?
Thanks.
Set the volume to Max is how I do it. It doesn't have fixed output.
@@TheHonestAudiophile Thank you for your answer. I have same amp like you the GS-X Mini. I suppose that GS-X Mini is better than the integrated amplifier in Liberty 2?
@@marekkouril7134 yes but the Liberty DAC II amp still very good. But I use the Mytek mainly as the DAC. I do test all gear with the Mytek amp though just to see how it works.
Did you use the Mytek Liberty original with an external add-on power supply ? The Liberty v2 has a toroidal power supply and of course a newer DAC chip, the 9038 ESS chip (mobile version) vs the 9018. By all accounts most commentators have found the ESS 9038 to be tuned for a more natural and less fatiguing sound than the 9018, dare I say a slightly more analogue sound. Also, with a channel called "the Honest Audiophile" perhaps you could start reviews by stating if you were sent a review item by the manufacturer/distributor, will you have to return it, are you offered to keep it for free or a reduced price if you like it?
I didn't use an external power supply with the original Mytek Liberty that I owned for 2 plus years.
For clarification and honesty, I always mention if a product is sent to me to review; if i don't it means I purchased the product. In this case, I purchased the Mytek Liberty DAC ii with my own funds, full retail price, plus shipping and tax.
I want one… haha
Awesomeness 😎
Hi,
I found Liberty Dac to be a great sounding device but not 100% neutral sounding for me. Then Mr. Jurewicz recommended Brooklyn Bridge to me. I can talk a lot about brooklyn bridge or just i can say W O W. That's more neutral, more details. when I say more detail, I mean it's a lot more detailed. Dave.. if you get a chance to listen to Brooklyn Bridge, please do it and text me later.
Thanks for the suggestion. If the funds become available or a Brooklyn Bridge is loaned for review, I'll gladly give it a listen.
How do you compare them in terms of soundstage and ping poiny imaging?
@@YTjuanchicod Bridge has better separation and accuracy.
Hi, maybe that's a stupid question. Can I let Amplifier (Brooklyn Bridge) play for 20 hours? (This is about headphones burn in)
As long as it has room to breath and not overheat, I see no reason why not.
@@TheHonestAudiophile thanks Dave ✊
@@giorgivashakidze4805 my pleasure, you're welcome
Dave i need your Help. I would like to upgrade my Matrix mini i 3 pro. would that be a good upgrade? and not one question. Can I listen to Qobuz PCM Hi res with this Dac Amp? I'll buy it if you say it's worth it :) thanks in advance.
Yes you can listen to Qobuz Hi Res with the Mytek Liberty DAC ii. I do think it is an upgrade over the Matrix Mini I3 Pro. Here is a link to my Matrix review: ua-cam.com/video/Q1kglr4mvIM/v-deo.html
@@TheHonestAudiophile Thanks Dave. You are the Best ❤️ i hope this will be good pair with my hd800s.
You are welcome, my pleasure. I really enjoy it with my Drop Senn HD8xx so I don't see why it wouldn't be a good pairing. I look forward to hearing your impressions of the Mytek Liberty DAC ii.
Hi Dave, I ordered the DAC/AMP direct from Mytek Audio. I plan to connect this to my ipad pro which has a USB C port. Can I use an Apple USB to USB C adapter or do I need something high-quality?
I've no experience with apple connections. I'd recommend asking Mytek customer support.
Anyone can recommend a dac for a TV?
Fiio Taishan D03K
I use a Lampizator Baltic with my TV and optical input.
Hello dear reviewer,
Can i Connect my phone to this DAC? Or this is not ideal.
Thanks in advance
You can connect via USB to a phone but I wouldn't say it is ideal but it does work.
For the best sound quality, what source to use?
@user-qs9mv7dv6c laptop or PC
I would also recommend to use Streamer
Selling the old one?
Yes it has already been sold
I mean i am sure it is a zoomy little box but compered to a Lampizator Horizon or any MSB reference or Esoteric Grandioso D1X you kind of shouldn't say things like "the most accurate" or "Blown away" or reference anything. This is like a decent little entry level hifi product but it is not a reference system. The dac's over 50 grand are over 50 grand for a reason...It costs a lot of money to make them by hand with better parts. The Mytek parts are vastly superior to the original however. Much better power supply, much better and bigger capacitors. What makes a dac sound good is the power supply and analog output stage plus a good d/a filters and a more powerful overall unit with better processing.
It is my reference because it is the sound I believe to be accurate, natural, neutral and true. It is a reference to me because it sounds the best for what I can afford. It isn't a reference for every budget or for a professional setting. I understand that 50k or 1mil setups exist and may or may not sound better to be considered reference. I use the word reference in the manner that it is what I compare everything else to because I know and trust it sonically. I am blown away all the time by the Mytek Liberty DAC ii because it is the most accurate reproduction that I have heard that I can afford.