diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
index 7882e00..eab3c20 100644
--- a/setup.cfg
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ install_requires =
     dspeed>=1.3.0a4
     h5py>=3.2.0
     hdf5plugin
-    legend-pydataobj>=1.5.0a1
+    legend-pydataobj>=1.6
     numpy>=1.21
     pyfcutils
     tqdm>=4.27
diff --git a/src/daq2lh5/data_decoder.py b/src/daq2lh5/data_decoder.py
index b784e9f..731a6cb 100644
--- a/src/daq2lh5/data_decoder.py
+++ b/src/daq2lh5/data_decoder.py
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 import numpy as np
 from lgdo import LGDO
 from lgdo.lh5 import LH5Store
+from lgdo.lh5 import datatype as dtypeutils
 
 
 class DataDecoder:
@@ -206,10 +207,10 @@ def make_lgdo(self, key: int | str = None, size: int = None) -> LGDO:
                 continue
 
             # Parse datatype for remaining lgdos
-            datatype, shape, elements = lgdo.lh5.utils.parse_datatype(datatype)
+            lgdotype = dtypeutils.datatype(datatype)
 
             # ArrayOfEqualSizedArrays
-            if datatype == "array_of_equalsized_arrays":
+            if lgdotype is lgdo.ArrayOfEqualSizedArrays:
                 length = attrs.pop("length")
                 # only arrays of 1D arrays are supported at present
                 dims = (1, 1)
@@ -220,7 +221,7 @@ def make_lgdo(self, key: int | str = None, size: int = None) -> LGDO:
                 continue
 
             # VectorOfVectors
-            if elements.startswith("array"):
+            if lgdotype is lgdo.VectorOfVectors:
                 length_guess = size
                 if "length_guess" in attrs:
                     length_guess = attrs.pop("length_guess")
@@ -234,7 +235,7 @@ def make_lgdo(self, key: int | str = None, size: int = None) -> LGDO:
             raise RuntimeError(
                 type(self).__name__,
                 ": do not know how to make a",
-                datatype,
+                lgdotype.__name__,
                 "for",
                 field,
             )