Laiv

31/08/2026

Do you really need a dedicated DAC? Honest answer: maybe not.

Our new blog takes the question seriously instead of assuming the answer is always yes. If you listen casually on basic earbuds, or most of your music travels over Bluetooth, your current setup is probably doing its job just fine.

But there are three signs an external DAC will make a difference you can actually hear: noise that intrudes on quiet passages, high-impedance or planar headphones your source cannot drive properly, and a desktop system where the built-in conversion stage has become the weakest link. As we put it in the blog, the gap between a built-in DAC and a dedicated one isn't always captured in specification sheets.

And if you decide the step is worth taking, there is a natural path: from the compact Harmony µDAC, winner of the EISA Best Value DAC 2026-2027 award, to the Harmony DAC 2, where our discrete R2R work currently stands.

Read the full guide: https://www.laiv.audio/post/do-i-really-need-a-dedicated-dac

Already running a dedicated DAC, or still on the fence? Feel free to reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions.

Find out what digital-to-analog converters do, their benefits, when an external DAC is worth it, and when your money is better spent elsewhere.

24/08/2026

The Harmony µDAC has won the EISA Best Value DAC 2026-2027 award.

EISA, the Expert Imaging and Sound Association, is the largest editorial collaboration in consumer electronics: the editors of more than 50 specialist magazines and websites across more than 30 countries judge each category, every year. This year they chose our smallest DAC.

From the jury citation: "The Harmony µDAC delivers performance that rivals digital-to-analogue converters many times its size."

This is LAiV's first EISA award, three years after we set out from Singapore. To every listener, reviewer, dealer and distributor who put the µDAC in front of ears around the world: this one belongs to you too.

The award will be presented at the EISA Awards Gala in Berlin on 4 September, during IFA.

Discover the Harmony µDAC: https://www.laiv.audio/harmony-udac

LAiV, Designing Dreams, Yours Specifically

12/08/2026

Big thanks to Wojciech Pacuła at High Fidelity in Poland for his review of the Crescendo CHORUS. High Fidelity is one of the most respected audio publications in Europe, and Wojciech tested the CHORUS with a rigorous blind comparison inside his reference system against a far larger and far more expensive amplifier.

What struck him first was the scale. He described the CHORUS as powerful, clear, expansive, and resonant, a unit he called practically desktop sized that does not sound that way at all. He praised its tonal nuance, which he said makes recordings come alive from within, and was especially warm about its rich, beautifully rendered vocals. Switching to bridged mono, his note was simply, wow.

He was honest about its character too, a smooth, gently rounded voicing in stereo that sharpens and energizes in mono, giving listeners two honest choices. We are grateful for such a thorough, high-level listen.

Read the full review here: https://highfidelity.pl/-1621&lang=en

12/08/2026

Big thanks to Ted Chen and the team at MY-HiEND in Taiwan for a thorough review of the Crescendo VERSE and CHORUS as a system. MY-HiEND is one of the most respected high-end audio publications in the Chinese-speaking world, so their time with the pair means a lot to us.

The review opens on the build, the precision-machined aluminium, the signature chamfer, the flagship design language, and the way the two units stack into one neat, space-saving system. On sound, Ted described a neutral, uncoloured character that lets every genre keep its own colour, with control and resolution that held up at volume, and low-frequency reach he said went beyond his expectations.

The listening notes praised a pure, transparent soundstage and vocals rendered with real density and emotion. We are grateful for the care that went into this one.

Read the full review here: https://tw.my-hiend.com/以絕佳工藝打造精準聲音：laiv-crescendo-verse-chorus/

新加坡品牌 LAiV 創立於 2023 年，目標是創造使用友善並同時帶來最佳音樂的產品，一句話掌握現今音響用家需求的精隨，隨著我們測試更多的 LAiV 器材，也深刻認識到他們對於目標的實踐。Cresc

07/08/2026

The covers are off.

Two clues, two answers.

"Hard to find. Hard to replace. Now harder to beat." — meet the HARMONY DAC 2. Our flagship R2R, made greater: discrete Class A output buffer, your choice of NOS, OS, or a dedicated hardware SRC stage, direct 10MHz master clock input, and full digital isolation between input and output. US$3,994. First units ship September — and the first run is very limited. https://www.laiv.audio/harmony-dac-2

"The quiet heartbeat of your system." — meet the CRESCENDO BEAT. A true dual-output linear power supply: 15V and 5V rails, both always on, so one BEAT powers your streamer and your DAC together, with noise as low as 10uVrms. US$494. Available from August; USA from September. https://www.laiv.audio/crescendo-beat

In Hong Kong this weekend? Both are playing right now at the Hong Kong AV Show — Hall 3, E01-E03, HKCEC Wan Chai, through Sunday. Come listen for yourself.

And to everyone who guessed right in the comments: we were watching. Well played.

LAiV. Designing Dreams, Yours Specifically.

07/08/2026

01/08/2026

Hong Kong, we are coming. And we are not coming quietly.

LAiV will be at the Hong Kong AV Show 2026, 7 to 9 August, Hall 3, E01-E03, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai. Doors open 10 AM daily. Two new products will make their world premiere on 7 August. Both have been a long time in the making, and these silhouettes are all we are showing until the covers come off.

One clue each: "Hard to find. Hard to replace. Now harder to beat." "The quiet heartbeat of your system."

Guess away in the comments. All is revealed on 7 August.

LAiV. Designing Dreams, Yours Specifically.

26/07/2026

Ed Homewood of Old Guy Hifi has published his review of the Crescendo CHORUS, and his testing was among the most thorough we have seen. Ed brings a rare depth of perspective to everything he reviews. He also uses the LAiV Harmony DAC as his daily reference, so he knows the LAiV sound intimately.

He tested the CHORUS in stereo and monoblock modes across five different speakers, in both desktop and full-size room setups. His verdict? "Absolutely outstanding" build quality, "like a premium watch." In monoblock mode, dynamics became "much more explosive" and the experience "much more engaging." He even prefers the CHORUS sonically over the flagship Harmony GaNM.

His final word: "Highly recommended. Worth the money without question." Thank you, Ed. Coming from 50 years of listening, that means everything.

Watch the full review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4R2qrhmhUI

The LAIV Chorus may be one of the most impressive compact amplifier...

20/07/2026

Big thanks to Nemo Audio Project for a deep, hands-on review of the Crescendo CHORUS. He tested it every way he could, easy speakers and hard, small rooms and large, a single unit in stereo and a pair in bridged mono.

In stereo he described the CHORUS as effortless and expansive, with huge airspace and separation, a natural midrange, and tight, controlled bass, and called the base stack a class leader at its price. Then he paired it with a stronger preamp and said it matched full size amplifiers several times its price, describing it simply as a giant killer.

His line on the GaN design stuck with us: in his book, it is closer to class A. He also mapped out the upgrade path clearly, from a single unit to monoblocks, or up to our HP2A preamplifier. We are grateful for the time and care.

Watch the full review here:
https://youtu.be/yEYVhSd56jY

Join the free (for now) discord: https://discord.gg/nemopropaganda ...