My Metrum Octave arrived today, and here are some pictures to whet your appetites - one with a CD case for scale.
Will post impressions when I've run it for a while . . .
My Metrum Octave arrived today, and here are some pictures to whet your appetites - one with a CD case for scale.
Will post impressions when I've run it for a while . . .
They look very nice Bob I just don't get why people design a top quality DAC & leave off an AES/EBU input & balanced analogue outputs though
If I can source a source with balanced outputs then that's what I'll go for, I think MartinT is probably of the same persuasion
Never the less I'll be interested in how it sounds, hope it's a cracker
Bests, Mark
"We must believe in free will. We have no choice" Isaac Bashevis Singer
I'll be interested to hear your thoughts.
Kuzma Stabi/S 12", (LP12-bastard) DC motor and optical tacho psu, Benz LP, Paradise (phonostage). MB-Pro, Brooklyn dac and psu, Bruno Putzeys balanced pre, mod86p dual mono amps, Yamaha NS1000m
Yep. I hope it improves on my current DAC - a Sonifex Redbox DAC1 - which I got around 5 years ago for dealing with CD playback from a Pioneer universal player.
This is now in my office (now main stereo) system hanging off a Squeezebox - which is where I'll be using the Metrum.
I'll also compare it with the DAC in the Squeezebox Transporter - though I've never felt that was lacking in anyway (unlike the little SB receiver in the office).
Anyhow, some interesting times ahead. Not least because Richard from Vantage Audio is bringing up my SL7 on Wednesday and taking away my SL-QL1 for major surgery.
Well, 1 day in and I'm very happy
Having the Octave in the chain is the audio equivalent of someone having cleaned the windows, or polished the brass. A tweak upwards on the saturation control in Photoshop. If you know what I mean?
My active Harbeths have never sounded better, and any doubts I had about their bass response (or lack of) evaporated immediately. The change in sound over my Redbox DAC1 was not subtle. Much to the amusement of my 11 year old son I just sat there saying "wow" with a big grin (amusement followed with "Dad, turn that down, I'm trying to listen to YouTube").
To sum up my initial impressions, I'd say digital files (from my Squeezebox) have never sounded so much like good vinyl. No high frequency glare, just everything sounding "right".
I've asked Cees if there's any burn in period, but I'm leaving random tracks playing overnight to get some mileage on the clock.
There's always a honeymoon period, I find, with new kit. I'll have to see how I get on with it in the weeks and months to come.
Reply from Cees . . .
3-4 weeks powered up is needed for best performance - no need to feed it data all the time . . .
Hmm, if no data is fed to it then the analogue output stages won't do anything...
I'd expect better results with it being fed data to crunch on & everything doing something even if it's not connected to anything Burn in means the whole lot surely, DAC & output stages
Bests, Mark
"We must believe in free will. We have no choice" Isaac Bashevis Singer
I'd have thought that too, Mark. I'm going to be using it a lot anyway .
I was quite interested in this Dac but now you've said it sounds like a record player I'm not sure it's worth hearing.
Single spur balanced Mains. Self built music server with 3 seperate linear PSU, Intel i5, 16 GB RAM no hard drive (various Linux OS). Benchmark Dac2 HGC, single ended XLR interconnects/Belkin cable. Exposure 21RC Pre, Super 18 Power (recap & modified). Modded World Audio HD83 HP amp. Hand built Monitors with external crossovers , Volt 250 bass & ABR, Scanspeak 13M8621 Mid & Scanspeak D2905/9300 Hi. HD595 & Beyer 880 (600 ohm) cans.
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.
-Bertrand Russel
John.