Metrum Acoustics Octave - Page 15

Looks like the prices for the Metrum Hex have gone up!

 

http://www.nosminidac.nl/price_list.html

 

Anybody willing to take the plunge?

Ouch, they probably realised that they could jack up the price a bit due to the overwhelming success of the octave.

 

The octave have a very attractive price considering its performance imo. They probably could have charged more for it.

Much above my price range. Fortunately I have an Octave :)

And I paid in full for my Octave yesterday. When the rumours were out, indicating a 2-3000 Euro price, I decided to say FU to the Hex.

They seem to be limiting supply. Something about the cases... I call BS.

 

Why do you think that? Did they delay your order?

The stores that sell them in Australia and the States are sold out. Yet you can buy one directly... If you love in another country. Call me cynical.

I have been enjoying my Octave for some months now.  Getting the input just right is important.  My digital music is all on HDD fed through a Mac Mini, so its USB out and into the Metrum via an Audiophilleo 2 which plugs in directly obviating the need for a co-ax cable.  I find the unfiltered analogue-like sound terrific and it responds well to using a different audio player than itunes - I'm using Bitperfect at the moment which is pretty good if you play with the settings.

Just visited metrum during the x-fi show last weekend. They were showcasing the hex... and using there own, to be released pre amp, power amps and speakers. Had a short chat about the hex and its price. Besides the increase in the number of inputs, better parts are said to be used. Still though its quite a different price bracket. If you don't need the additional inputs you can wonder what type of set up you would need that would let you hear the improved sound
 

There's now a quite good resolution shot of the internals up on Metrum's site - the Hex's outputs are transformer coupled (Lundahls) - those beasties don't come cheap.

I just got an Octave and have about 5 hours on it. Let me start by saying I do not have the best ears and little experience with other dacs but even I can tell a difference with this one. Right now I am comparing it to an ODAC. Yeah, I know $150 vs $1100, I should hear a difference. But to be honest, it's not night and day, but there's a noticeable difference in the sound. I found it interesting that where it makes the most difference is The Beatles Mono CD set. In my music it doesn't get more analog than mono Beatles from the early/mid sixties. This dac does it right by me.

 

Nor are they a good idea ;)  That said it looks like they are using them as summing transformers for single ended output similar to what Woo does with the WA22.

 

In other news, I got a Metrum Octave a few weeks back and its good.  Its not shall we say miles ahead from the W4S DAC-2 but its is better.  The improvements are mostly in treble resolution, separation, pin point imaging and a more natural decay.  Different tonal focus as well.  If the Metrum is tonally balanced, the W4S is shifted downwards.  Despite which in contrast makes the W4S sound shouty, edgy and missing sustain.

 

I use the AP2 now, which increases the bass punch and weight and further increased the image focus.  Which on the W4S just crosses into shouty and fatiguing.

 

All in all a good buy.  And something I didn't expect is so far, I prefer 44K native to 96K oversampled.  Go figure.

 

I can't think of anything bad about them in this application, other than the price. They'll be differencing the two sides of the DAC and trafos generally have excellent CMRRs. They'll also provide some natural roll-off of the output as well as improved isolation from cmmon-mode noise. What's not to like?

That its being used for the single ended, not balanced output ;)  And transformers are a necessary evil, not something go ye-ha over.