LAIV Harmony DAC 2 Review. DAC of the Year 2026.

LAIV Harmony DAC 2 Review. Is It Better?

By Steve Huff

Back when the original LAIV Harmony DAC was released in 2024 I was one of the first lucky ones to be able to test it and experience it. Back then I found it to be an incredible value at the $2700 price point it launched at at that time. In fact, I believe I said it would become “the hottest DAC of 2024”.

The original Harmony had a unique look with a unibody construction and large display that was basic but very nice and large (easy to read). The sound of that DAC, for me, was slightly tilted to the warm side of neutral. Being an R2R DAC it had the R2R sound which is quite a change up from most of the basic off the shelf chips used in most DACs today. The Harmony showed us that we could get high quality conversion without the insane price. When I say insane, I mean those DACs we see that cost $20-$200k.

The Video Review 

Think natural and musical, a bit of refinement and a hint of warmth providing just a little more body to the mids. A little bit of depth and beautiful instrument separation with organic imaging. That was the original Harmony sound and vibe for me. I have seen others say it was lively, open and tipped up. I never heard such things from the Harmony. It may sound like that, or any DAC could, if your speakers are lean, your amp is lean or the rest of your system is built for speed rather than humanity. Synergy is a thing, as I always say.

The OG had some spatial qualities but it was not what I would call an immersive or full on 3D kind of DAC. Pleasant and musical, sort of the opposite of a forensic style DAC yet details were silky and smooth.

The New Harmony 2. What’s Changed? 

While the original Harmony is still available, albeit at $3300 vs $2700, the new version 2 model comes in at close to the four thousand mark here in the USA at $3994. This price is almost $1300 more than the original launched at but today we have tariffs and according to LAIV the PCB boards are also in short supply due to AI hogging them all up. So blame tariffs and AI my friends.

The new Harmony 2 has a new display and it’s very nice indeed. I made the stand out of some wood I had on hand. 

The new Harmony 2 looks just like the original as it uses the same chassis, the same golden/brass highlights and the same three feet. The only area where the looks have changed is with the brand new display and I will talk about this within this review.

One thing to be aware of is that the new Harmony 2 is being launched in very limited quantities and LAIV is sort of telling us that these may be in short supply after the first limited shipment. Lucky me, I have had one here for a while and have been enjoying it just as I did the original but is this one worth the extra over the original? Has the sound changed? That was my question and I am happy to say that yes, it is a bit different but in a good way.

Before I talk about what’s changed in the sound let’s go over what has changed from Version 1 to the new Version 2. Then I will talk about the experience of using it.

Change #1: You can now use XLR and RCA outputs at the same time. 

The original Harmony only allowed us to use one output at a time. We had to choose between RCA and XLR but could never be used at the same time. The Harmony 2 now allows us to hook up both outputs and this means we can power two devices at once. Let’s say an integrated with RCA and a preamp with XLR, all with one DAC. LAIV says there is now a discrete Class A buffer driving XLR and RCA concurrently, at low output impedance. This is not a huge upgrade for me personally but there may be some of you who will enjoy this.

“Feed multiple downstream devices at once: your integrated amplifier on XLR, a preamplifier or a second system on RCA. The buffer keeps the ladder isolated from the load, so what you hear is the ladder, not the cable behind it.”

Change #2: Now with NOS/OS and the brand new SRC (where the magic lives) 

The Harmony 2 keeps the NOS or “Non Oversample Mode” as well as the oversample mode of the original but now we have a new Sample Rate Conversion mode that allows us to choose which sample rate we want and its super easy to choose via the new menu. Truth be told, I was not a fan of the old menu system. The new one is so much better and easier to change your settings. Easier to understand and see.

“Pure NOS for the most direct path, LAiV’s in-house OS mode, or a dedicated hardware sample rate conversion stage that is new to the DAC 2. DSD is always handled NOS: no oversampling, no sample rate conversion, no reprocessing. One step remains, by physics rather than choice: an R2R ladder cannot read a 1-bit stream, so the DSD signal is converted directly to multi-bit — that single conversion and nothing else — before the ladder renders it to analogue.”

Honestly I have never been fan of upsampling but when I tested the new SRC mode I did hear changes vs using NOS. The music became more alive and more spatial/immersive and this brought the Harmony 2 up a few levels from the OG for me. More on that in a bit.

The Harmony 2 in a world class setup with Electrcocompaniet EC5 preamp and AW300 mono amps. 

Change #3: New Direct 10 MHZ clock input

The Harmony 2 now allows us to connect an external clock to it via its direct input. Just attach your clock via a 50 ohm clock cable and the Harmony will use it for the clocking. This is a nice addition for those with higher end setups that use external clocks and yes, they can make subtle differences to the sound. Most external clocks add a layer of depth to the music and this in turn, can make the sound even more immersive. I am happy to see this added and it makes me wonder if LAIV will be releasing a clock down the road.

This is one way though to upgrade the sound of the DAC later, with a good external clock.

The new color display is crisp detailed and a HUGE improvement over the original. Details are easy to see and read and there are now two colors. The menu is super easy to navigate and setup as well, so much better than before. For me, the new display is a big improvement for sure and I love it. Going into the menu is now super easy to understand. Clean, clear, easy to read.

You can have the display stay on or have it shut down after 10-20 seconds or so. This can be done in the display settings menu. I like keeping it on personally.

That’s it.

These are the only changes made to the new DAC. The Harmony 2 keeps the same R2R architecture so the sound quality will not be vastly different from the original but let me tell you where I found the improvement/change when it comes to sound.

The new Harmony 2 is indeed more refined than the original. Matured even. 

The DAC still ships with the brands top tier remote control that costs close to $200 on its own. This remote is pure class and all metal with a great design. It can operate two LAIV devices at once via a unique switch at the top. Very nice indeed.

When listening to the Harmony 2 the lower noise floor is evident. The sound is richer, smoother and even more spatial, allowing some tracks such as ambient, EDM and some others to sound more three dimensional. This DAC still leans a little to the warm side of neutral (for me) but this will depend on the speakers you are running and the amplifier as well. The Harmony 2 with a neutral amp like a Luxman L100C is open, transparent and yet, with warmth and body. More immersive with SRC mode and this is how I mainly listened after testing all modes.

I have to say that when in with this $55k+ worth of amplifier and preamp the LAIV settled in perfectly. I never wanted more than this from my digital streaming even though I had more expensive boxes on hand. The synergy here was perfecto!

The sound is more spatial when using the new SRC mode, creating more depth and 3D space when the track supports it. In fact the Harmony 2 is much more spatial than my nearly $2k Benchmark DAC 3 but not quite up there with the likes of the Imersiv D1 ($12k DAC) or Audio Mirror Wave ($20k). They are not as far apart as you may want to believe though.

The Harmony 2 is a DAC that sounds different from most I have heard and yes, there is a LAIV house sound that I hear across most of their products. Musical, slightly warm, nice detail and resolution (but nothing over the top) and not analytical at all. There is also an open vibe as well. If you seek a DAC that will never bring treble hardness or brightness, then any LAIV DAC will do but the Harmony 2 is their flagship and most refined and noise free. I love their budget micro DAC but the Harmony 2 does bring more refinement, less noise and a much more spatial presentation. The Micro is more direct, punchier and not as open or immersive but I love that DAC as well for what it does and what it cost. The Harmony 2 is a better DAC.

Using the NOS mode reminded me of the OG Harmony but due to the improvements made across the board there is a small improvement here as well. This DAC weaves some magic and it may just be a perfect DAC for 95% of audio lovers who want something high end but hate the thought of spending $10k or more on a high end DAC. After countless hours and nights with the Harmony 2 I feel it is still an amazing buy at $3994. It competes with $5k DACs easily, and I mean EASILY. Maye a bit more even.

Compared to Benchmark DAC 3B: The Harmony is more refined, smoother, richer and has more depth. The Benchmark is more matter of fact, a bit punchy and dynamic but never bright or lean. Even so, the Harmony 2 just digs deeper and hits the emotional part of me in a bigger way. It has more depth, layers and imaging is much nicer. Even so, the Benchmark is a great DAC for what it costs but for me the Harmomy is a better all around music maker if you seek an open soundstage with depth vs a flatter presentation that has more punch and drive.

One track that really showed me what the Harmony 2 was made of is off of the latest Agnes Obel “The Meaning of Flowers” album. The track is called “Don’t Look Down” and when I listen with my Benchmark DAC 3 or even the Accuphase DAC 60 with the E-3000 I hear a nice well balanced sound that is pleasing and yet not the best when it comes to imaging or spatial aspects. The song sounds incredible with the piano accompanying her voice which is haunting. We hear the song in a beautiful way with nice tonality with either of these DACs.

Using my Fleetwood Helios and Fundamental Sub this track sounds downright gorgeous with the Accuphase E-3000. With the big powerhouse Electrocompaniet EC5 and AW300 even more so. Much more so in fact.

When I go to the new LAIV Harmony 2 I hear this track differently. This shows me for the 1000th time how important a DAC is to a digital music streaming front end. 

The song is now transformed. It’s now more mellow as it should be for a track like this, a little more laid back and musical but at around the 2:18 mark we hear where the Harmony 2 is really showing what it can do. The instrument played here is now in a full 3D space a few feet in front of my speakers, and it is awesome. The other two did not do this, and I put them back in to make sure. The sound with the other two is more on the plane of the speakers. The Harmony 2 is more 3D and musical. I tested it with the $349 wonder box, the FiiO Warmer tube DAC. It was a touch more 3D than the Benchmark but not as impactful or punchy, nor as layered, 3D or open as the Harmony 2.

Yes my friends, DACs make a massive difference. With the $12k Imersiv D1 it’s even more 3D and “WOW” but with this wow comes a more analytical rendering. Nothing like the bubble of slight warmth and fluidity of the Harmony 2. This DAC is about the music rather than artificial excitement but synergy will matter as well, always does.

Listening to RAMMSTEIN Live in Mexico – Armee Der Tristen

With the Helios and Fundamental, the EC gear and the T10 with the Harmony 2 this was an experience. The first single from the upcoming film and album is a spectacle indeed. The guitars, the synths, the heavy as heck sound was in full immersion mode with the LAIV in SRC mode. I WAS THERE and yes, the AW300 amps and EC5 preamp really helped pull the weight here but the LAIV DAC provided a pure velvet like sound with immersion that got me 80% of the bigger five figure boxes. I can not wait for this album. The video is crazy as well, check it out at YT.

No matter what I listened to the LAIV had me under a spell of sorts. Not one of wow and flash but one that is even better for long term happiness. The spell of the music was snagging me due to the way it was being presented.

For example, the Harmony 2 weaves magic with the Luxman L-100 Centennial integrated amplifier as the Luxman is neutral with a just a hint or warmth in the midrange where vocals live. With the Accuphase E-3000 the sound is bigger, beefier and richer still but maybe not as 3D as the Luxman. With the $55k Electrocompaniet EC5 preamp and AW300 mono amps the sound is massive, bigger, warmer and richer with absolutely insane bass impact and it is also the most immersive.

The Electrocompaniet amps and preamp are a bit warm leaning, very rich, very full bodied and have the most amazing bass I have ever heard from any amp, ever. I have heard some mega amps…Gryphon, Boulder, etc. They are not better, just different for sure. The EC is a bit relaxed but then again…not. The detail is incredible as is the imaging but it’s not one of those sharp attack dynamic sounds. This is sort of what EC is known for.

All I know was listening to that live track was quite the experience. So much so I had my wife listen as well and when it was over she too was blown away by it all. We then switched it up to some fall jams, for music. Then the music became delicate, with massive layers to the imaging.

Update: These EC pieces just may become my new main reference for some time to come…with the Helios and Fundamental. Not 100% yet but close.

When paired with the Luxman and even Accuphase the Harmony 2 is sounding downright hauntingly beautiful. Sounds like a high end DAC and that is because it really is a high end DAC. With the EC gear it’s next level from that.

There are hundreds of DACs out there. Some cheap, some junk, some sound horrible. There are those that are lower priced that can look and sound great and then the exotic high end offerings that seem insane yet still bring more depth and immersion. Trying to find the right DAC for your tastes can be hit or miss. I recently heard a $1700 DAC that uses the same chips as the $20k+ Audio Mirror Wave. It wasn’t even close to the AM and I much preferred even the LAIV over it. The LAIV is made better, looks nicer in the flesh and sounds richer, deeper and more refined.

I do try to find better deals…as in…better for less. It rarely happens but there have been some jewels like the FiiO Warmer Tube DAC. The Harmony 2 far exceeds the FiiO in refinement as again, the LAIV sounds high end where the FiO sounds like a very good mid tier (yet costs $399) $1200 or so DAC and can’t compete in imaging, detail or depth/immersion with the LAIV.

If you seek refinement, super low noise floor, some smoothness and zero grit or hardness…with some warmth thrown in along with “high end level” spatial performance then the Harmony 2 may be the one for you .

The Benchmark DAC 3B in during my testing of the Harmony 

My Cons are Personal…no dealbreakers here. 

I enjoy this DAC but I still do not personally care for the three feet on the DAC. The Harmony 2 still uses the 3 pointed feet that must be set on their metal discs so your furniture/cabinet/stand doesn’t get damaged. I would also rather the Harmony 2 used silver vs brass/gold for the accents. Maybe a hammer tone bronze…like Leica used to do with some of their cameras. I would also rather see it with four nicely done feet. I know some like the 3 footed approach and many feel this is a better design choice. We all have our niggles.

That’s my only con and it is personal, so should not be a dealbreaker for anyone else.

The Harmony 2 DAC is truly and utterly a fantastic DAC. It’s got a superb unibody build, a modern design that is artful and performance that sits right in that $5-$6k price bracket yet it’s under 4k. LAIV has improved an already wonderful DAC and I am always thrilled to see what LAIV is doing. It comes with the premium LAIV remote and is quite a refined sound from LAIV. Bravo.

One more album I enjoyed immensely with the LAIV above any other DAC I have here:

This album from the kids of gene Simmons and Paul Stanely of KISS is a stunner IMO. A bit of Simon and Garfunkel, a bit of 60’s and 70’s rock… and NOTHING Like KISS, which is good as these guys deserve to make it on their own. It’s just a super album but in some setups I have here it can sound lean and/or sharp. With the LAIV the sound is big bodied, full and enveloping. When paired with the EC gear even more so. I love this album and wish these guys success as they are doing it as they should. Touring small clubs and connecting with the people at record shops, etc. Very down to earth these two.

YES, the Harmony 2 is an improvement over the original but is it worth selling the old for the new? Maybe not for all but if the new one brings features you seek, then yes it is. The Harmony 2 from LAIV is a remarkable DAC and all most will ever need, even those who seek a refined high end sound. It is not a forensic audio tool, rather one that soothes the soul and hits the heart yet it also does the immersion thing with the right music and setup. 

Due to these facts along with the price of the DAC I have made this DAC, the Harmony 2, my choice for DAC of the year for 2026. No, it’s not “cheap” but nothing truly great is. It’s far from the prices of some mega DACS and while the Harmony 2 doesn’t reach those heights, maybe those heights are not what you seek anyway. 

I really enjoy this one. Not because it brings the most “WOW” or in your face details and immersion. Not because it is the “best”. Instead it is because of how musical it is, how refined, the new modes, the new display, the lower noise and now that it is even more spatial and enveloping in the soundstage. All for under $4k, which to some sounds insane for a DAC. To others reading this, it sounds too cheap for them to even consider. Yea, that happens in this hobby.

I find it to be quite the deal in the ever fast moving world of higher end DACs. While listening I found no need to switch to a $10k or up DAC as the H2 allowed me to settle in to my chair and just listen for hours on end without wanting to stop. LAIV has stepped it up yet again for their flagship indeed. I have awarded the Harmony 2 my Gold Award.

You can order the LAIV Harmony 2 HERE