The MuseHiFi MUSE 300 is one of those products that immediately stands out before you even hear it.

That starts with the design. Most desktop DAC and headphone amps are still black boxes with a small screen, a volume knob, and very little personality. The MUSE 300 goes in a completely different direction with a large 5-inch display, customizable themes, backlighting, an unusual control layout, and even custom engraving. MuseHiFi is clearly trying to make this something you actually want sitting on your desk rather than another piece of anonymous audio hardware.

And honestly, I really like that. Mine has custom engraving, which is just cool. It gives the MUSE 300 a little more personality and makes the whole thing feel more special than the usual off-the-shelf DAC/amp. The backlit volume knob is another interesting touch, and the overall design has grown on me the more I've used it. It looks different, it sits nicely on my desk, and it actually feels like someone tried to make desktop audio hardware fun again. The catch is that some of that ambition also exposes a few rough edges.

Design and Build Quality

Physically, the MUSE 300 makes a strong first impression. The chassis feels substantial enough to stay planted on a desk, and the large front display immediately becomes the centerpiece of the design.

MuseHiFi gives you three different interface themes, including Cyberpunk, Minimalist, and ACG, along with support for custom images and screensavers. The 5-inch IPS display is much larger than what you'll normally find on a desktop DAC/amp, and it gives the MUSE 300 a much more modern look than the tiny monochrome screens that still dominate this category. MuseHiFi also uses a dedicated operating system rather than Android, with most of the unit's functions handled through its main multifunction knob.

That knob itself is interesting. It handles volume and menu navigation, while the surrounding backlight gives the front of the MUSE 300 some extra visual character. I like the concept, and it looks great on a desk. But this is also where I immediately found myself wishing MuseHiFi had gone one step further.

This Screen Really Should Be Touchscreen

The MUSE 300 has a big, colorful 5-inch display, and every time I use it I have the same thought: why isn't this touchscreen? It looks like something you should be able to touch.

Instead, navigation is handled through the multifunction knob. It works, and after some time with the unit I got used to it, but a touchscreen would make the entire interface dramatically better. Changing inputs, switching sound modes, adjusting gain, or moving through menus would be much faster and more intuitive if I could simply tap what I wanted. The current control system feels like it was designed for a smaller traditional DAC screen and then placed underneath a much larger modern display. That's probably my biggest usability complaint with the MUSE 300. The hardware is begging for touch control.

A Few Early Hardware Glitches

My sample also had a strange display issue during the first few days of use. One side of the screen would occasionally fade or look noticeably dimmer than the other. It was clearly visible and initially had me wondering whether the display itself had a hardware problem. Interestingly, it eventually stopped happening.

After several days of use, the issue disappeared and hasn't continued to be a problem for me. I can't explain why it cleared up, and I don't want to overstate the issue since my unit is currently functioning normally, but it's still worth mentioning in a review. When you're buying a $400-plus desktop DAC/amp built around such a prominent display, the screen is a major part of the product. Any kind of visual glitch is going to stand out immediately.

Inside the MUSE 300

Underneath the flashy exterior is actually some serious audio hardware.

MuseHiFi built the MUSE 300 around the ESS ES9039 Ultra DAC, using a fully balanced architecture with OPA1612 low-pass filtering and dual headphone amplifier modules. MuseHiFi rates the balanced 4.4mm headphone output at up to 2,200mW, with three gain levels intended to cover everything from sensitive IEMs to more demanding full-size headphones. Connectivity is equally comprehensive. Inputs include USB, coaxial, optical, and Bluetooth 5.4, while the rear panel includes both RCA and balanced XLR line outputs. Headphones connect through either 6.35mm single-ended or 4.4mm balanced outputs. Bluetooth support includes LDAC, aptX Lossless, and Snapdragon Sound.

That's a genuinely strong feature set for a desktop DAC and headphone amplifier.

Three Hardware Sound Modes

One of the more unusual features is MuseHiFi's three selectable hardware-level sound modes: Balanced, Tube, and ACG. Balanced is intended as the neutral everyday setting. Tube shifts the presentation toward a warmer, smoother sound with more emphasis through the mid-bass and vocals. ACG is the more energetic option, with a livelier presentation aimed at gaming, anime, and more aggressive music. MuseHiFi says these modes are implemented through analog circuit switching rather than digital EQ.

This is another feature I wasn't expecting to enjoy as much as I did. Normally, I'm perfectly happy with a DAC doing one thing well and staying out of the way. But having multiple hardware tuning options gives the MUSE 300 some personality. It lets you change the character of the system without diving into software EQ or swapping hardware. Balanced will probably be where most people leave it, but the Tube mode is fun when you want something a little smoother.

Sound Quality

The good news is that the MUSE 300 isn't relying on its screen and visual gimmicks to carry the product. It sounds very good. The overall presentation is clean, detailed, and controlled, with the kind of low noise floor you'd expect from a modern ESS-based desktop DAC. There's plenty of resolution through the midrange and treble, bass remains tight rather than exaggerated, and the MUSE 300 does a good job maintaining separation when tracks get dense.

Balanced output is where I'd spend most of my time. With a capable set of headphones connected through 4.4mm, the MUSE 300 has plenty of drive and headroom. It doesn't feel like a product struggling to power full-size headphones, and there is enough control to make this work as the centerpiece of a serious desktop headphone setup. The sound also changes enough between the three tuning modes to make them worth experimenting with. Balanced is the safest and most neutral option. Tube smooths things out and adds some warmth. ACG feels slightly more energetic and forward. I wouldn't buy the MUSE 300 specifically because of those modes, but they make an already capable DAC/amp more interesting.

Bluetooth Is Actually Useful Here

Bluetooth 5.4 support makes the MUSE 300 considerably easier to live with as an everyday desktop system. MuseHiFi uses Qualcomm's QCC3095 platform with support for higher-resolution wireless codecs including LDAC and aptX Lossless. For critical listening, I'd still use USB or another wired digital input. But when I just want music playing while I'm working, being able to quickly connect over Bluetooth adds a lot of convenience.

That's especially useful for something that looks this good sitting on a desk. The MUSE 300 feels like it's meant to remain powered on and visible rather than hidden away in an audio rack.

Custom Engraving Is a Great Touch

This probably has absolutely nothing to do with how the MUSE 300 performs, but I love the custom engraving. Audio equipment is usually incredibly generic. Black box. Logo. Model number. Done.

Having the ability to personalize something makes it feel considerably more interesting, especially when it's a device that's going to sit directly in front of you every day. Combined with the customizable display and different UI themes, the engraving reinforces what I think MuseHiFi is trying to accomplish with the MUSE 300: make desktop hi-fi feel personal. That's refreshing.

MuseHiFi MUSE 300 Specifications

MuseHiFi currently lists the MUSE 300 at $439.99.

Who Is the MUSE 300 For?

The MUSE 300 makes the most sense for someone who wants their desktop audio setup to have some personality. There are plenty of DAC and headphone amp combinations that measure well, sound good, and sit quietly on a desk. The MUSE 300 is trying to be more interactive than that.

You get a large display, custom graphics, different UI themes, hardware tuning modes, balanced outputs, strong headphone power, Bluetooth, and even custom engraving. That makes it especially appealing for someone building a desktop setup where appearance matters almost as much as performance.

Final Thoughts

I like the MuseHiFi MUSE 300 because it's different. The desktop DAC and headphone amp category has become incredibly mature, and that also means many products have started to feel interchangeable. The MUSE 300 doesn't.

The custom engraving is sweet. The large display looks great. I like the unusual design, I like the way it sits on my desk, and even something as simple as the backlit control knob gives it more personality than most competing DAC/amps. The biggest missed opportunity is obvious: the display should have been touchscreen. A screen this large practically invites direct interaction, and using the knob to navigate everything feels unnecessarily limiting.

My early display fading issue also gives me a little hesitation about quality control. It disappeared after a few days and hasn't returned, but it happened, and on a display-focused product I can't ignore it.Thankfully, underneath all of that, the MUSE 300 is still a genuinely capable DAC and headphone amplifier. The ES9039 Ultra implementation sounds clean and detailed, the balanced headphone output has plenty of power, connectivity is excellent, and the selectable sound modes give you something to play with beyond traditional filters and gain settings.

The MUSE 300 isn't perfect.

But it's memorable.

And in a category filled with increasingly similar black boxes, that might be one of its biggest strengths.