Catch The Hottest R2r Dac - LAiV Harmony R2r Dac - A Must Have!

Catch The Hottest R2r Dac - LAiV Harmony R2r Dac - A Must Have!

Recently I had a pleasure of experiencing LAiV Harmony DAC. It is R2R Dac with great performance and beautifully analogue sound. In the video I am testing it against the Holo Audio May KTE DAC which is by many considered to be one of the best R2R DAC.

So just watch the video and let me know what do you think about this new DAC in the comment section.

SYSTEM IN THE VIDEO:

STREAMER: Macbook M1 Pro with HQ PLAYER for Upsampling
CABLES: Audiomica Excellence USB, VirtualHiFi interconnects and speaker cables
FOOTERS: VirtualHiFi Vibron

00:00 - Introduction to LAIV Harmony DAC
04:18 - That's How You Know That You're in Love - Loving Caliber
05:48 - Purple Beach - Giants’ nest
07:18 - The One - Ritchie Everett
08:48 - Love You For It All - Daniel Gunnarsson
10:18 - Wood & Skin - Hara Node
11:48 - The Blues This Morning - The Tap Room
13:18 - I Am Better Off (Jazz version) - Wildson
14:48 - Erase My Truth - Deaf Election
16:18 - Folium - Bladverk Band
17:48 - LAIV Harmony DAC - how it sound

[edipugurzehebi]

Thank you for the review. I want to say my recent experience with both dacs. We had the chance to listen to both dac in a audiophile room with the same system. We were 6 audiophiles, we did a blind test with several tracks. All of us heard the difference and agreed Holo May Dac is in a different league. It out performed in every aspect.
It would be beneficial to listen yourself on a real system before deciding.

[larsv]

I have the Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE. I thought the MAY was B, because it sounded more "real" and "organic" to me, a little less what a surprise. However, since there is no dealer or 30 day return policy yet for EU customers, it is a no go.

[williamdirks]

Thank you for listing the music that is playing during your demos. I wish all YouTube audio equipment reviewers would tell us what we're hearing during their videos. I guessed DAC B was the Laiv, based on what other reviewers have said about its sound. DAC A sound like it had a bit more treble emphasis, whereas the Laiv sounded mellower and richer.

[牧園-mx]

DAC B is smoother and softer. But after a while it makes you sleepy. DAC A has more details and energy.

[andreasbuxbaum]

It doesnt make sense to use DSD on a R2R DAC. I dont understand why you dont just upsample to 768khz PCM to PCM to R2R NOS...

[corrrect]

Dac A was slightly better. both dacs sound great. personally i would choose the laiv harmony because of it's compact footprint.

[BobCoalWater]

I usually prefer open and dynamic to dense, so I first preferred A, but then I started to notice the beautiful harmonics that was inside that density and started to prefer DAC B at the end I loved both.

[Bill.K]

Great review! You mentioned it supports your HQ Player DSD512 yet on their website they state maximum DSD256 via I2S or USB. Are you sure it took DSD512 which would have been displayed on the screen? Thanks in advance for the clarification and keep up the good work!

[richarddegannes]

Hi, Laiv Harmony or Denafreips Pontus 2 12th anniversary or Iris DDC with Pontus 2 12th anniversary? Thanks in advance.

[redkh]

When trying to distinguish between them using my stereo setup which consists of pretty high end equipment, I heard no difference

[PaoloCaminiti]

Are the demo in PCM or DSD via hqplayer? Does the laiv do native DSD like the holo?

[Reeeepicheep]

First impressions listening with IE600

“That’s How You Know You’re In Love” - Slightly preferred DAC A for its added upper air and texture which complemented the guitar better imo but then as beat kicked in DAC B brought a bit more punch with its thicker more full-bodied sound, kind of a toss-up for this song


“Love You For It All” - I definitely felt the vocals more on DAC B, preferred B on this song for sure

Overall, judging from this comparison alone, I’m thinking the LAIV DAC is the one to get at half the price of the May and subjectively preferable on some tracks. But it is a bit rolled off compared to the May. May is a little more reference. I prefer a thicker sound personally and there's more fullness with the LAIV.

Edit: By the way, those songs sounded better to me on this sound demo than the actual recordings on youtube lol. Both of these dacs are definitely doing incredible work. Kudos to Virtual HiFi for including sound demos. I think we should all demand that from DAC reviews moving forward.

[wric]

Laiv more speed fast attacks tremble sharper fast bass. May more soundstage analogue reverb fatter natural bass.

[fatdoi]

Holo vocal is more focused, Laiv vocal blends in more to the surrounding... but i find Laiv a bit more holographic in overall presentation on my headphone... so for instrumental, i thin Laiv will be better.. extremely impressed how Laiv can hold up to Holo May with so little difference.

[SlotHits]

both sounded extremely close on my system, e.g. I would buy the less expensive of the two bc it was so close

[ColocasiaCorm]

Damn i preferred the laiv.

Felt it was darker and warmer which aided in the sense of quiet and transparency.

Holo no slouch. Sounded to me like the more accurate dac

[phillipmorris]

for me i would take the cheaper of the 2 its that close, but what i want know is what else is different ive heard all of your amazing sound clips but something changed and its not the dac ?

[soundbydesignindia]

Thanks for creating videos with such an effort towards great quality, content. And for all the show videos.

As much that can be heard - Option A, YT has a bit a expanse. Might have chosen A or may be ..both :)

[anhyful]

It sounds good, but the price is much higher than the Denafrips Pontus II 12th. Does it sound much better than the Pontus? Maybe and maybe not. You can't easily carry the Pontus with just one hand. This is definitely price hyped, most companies do anyway. It may follow the Gustard R2R, struggle to resell.

[dailyfrenchie]

I have the Holo May and love it. I could barely tell the difference listening through my headphones. Probably the closest comparison I’ve heard in your videos. I agree the May is a bit wider sounding. Considering the cost difference it’s a compliment that the Laiv is so close to the May.