[korzena]

  ...
I recently found out you don't need to go a darker route to avoid edginess: just get one second hand R2R DAC from the mid/late 90s. Those are usually limited to 44.1/48, but boy do they sound glorious compared to anything S-D, and definitely less dark than Audio-gd PCM1704UK DACs.
 
...
 
Edit: the Schiit Yggy is the culmination of this "old school" R2R technology, brought together with the modern capabilities (Hi-Res support / transport) at a very good price. Will be hard to beat. There's still room for different flavors and I don't expect it to be the be-all and end-all DAC for everyone, of course. I know I will get one.

My preference is towards modern gear which is also easier to buy (for me).
Maybe I should wait for Yggy, but it is almost twice the price of Octave!

 

[Clemmaster]

  I would never buy a DAC from the 80s or even 90s for that matter - I would just wait and buy the Rag.  I've heard a few of those said DACs never thought to much of them.  If you call them less dark than a Master 7 then they are bright to me as the Master 7 is a very neutral DAC IMO..
 
I was thinking about the NFB-7 in that price range.  But I never heard it so I have no idea of it's sound sig.  I don't buy into all that Saber hash BS.  All DACs have different implementation so that will sound different.

 
The M7 is warm. The NFB-7 is my neutral line. It is still warmer than most other Sabre DAC.
 
I did not say 80s. I clearly specified mid/late 90s (so 95 and up) as this is where the transition from poor digital to great digital happened. Anything with UltraAnalog DAC chips or PCM-63 should be great.
They can be had for dirt cheap now. There's always a risk of them dying, but for the money I would take that risk any day.

 

[korzena]

  I would never buy a DAC from the 80s or even 90s for that matter - I would just wait and buy the Rag.  I've heard a few of those said DACs never thought to much of them.  If you call them less dark than a Master 7 then they are bright to me as the Master 7 is a very neutral DAC IMO..
 

You meant Yggy ?
 
Maybe I should do some research on Master 7, too.

 

[Tom W]

  I also want to avoid the edgyness, but would like to have a DAC that is as neutral as possible, but musical at the same time. Is it possible at this (Octave) price range?

 
I can't say. This is my first 'real' setup since 1980. When I first got it I thought it was great until it started to get on my nerves the more I listened to it.
 
It took a lot to calm my DAC19 down in order for me to 'enjoy' it. In the end I have more money in support equipment than I do in the DAC itself. I'd love to be able to tell you one way or the other but we're all different.
 
I hear of people listening to very resolving headphones with very inexpensive sources and I wonder how they do it because I'm pretty sure I couldn't.
 
I came from the TT era and I hated all of those clicks and pops. I never believed in the deficiencies of digital though until I got the HD-650's.
 
I've had a lot of DAC's in my system looking for additional detail, most of which were twice the price of the DAC19-DSP, but none of them stayed beyond the trial period. 

 

[MacedonianHero]

  I would never buy a DAC from the 80s or even 90s for that matter - I would just wait and buy the Rag.  I've heard a few of those said DACs never thought to much of them.  If you call them less dark than a Master 7 then they are bright to me as the Master 7 is a very neutral DAC IMO..
 
I was thinking about the NFB-7 in that price range.  But I never heard it so I have no idea of it's sound sig.  I don't buy into all that Saber hash BS.  All DACs have different implementation so that will sound different.

Good point Darryl...while many Sabre based DACs have been affected with the upper mids shout and overly sparkly treble, NOT all are! 
 
Case in point...the Concero HP that I'm currently reviewing is Sabre based and not a hint...and that's with my TH-900s that can be that way already a bit.

 

[Clemmaster]

They must have done a good job improving the original concero, then. I really had a hard time with its sound... Was my first Sabre DAC...

 

[MacedonianHero]

They must have done a good job improving the original concero, then. I really had a hard time with its sound... Was my first Sabre DAC...

 
Not sure...I've only heard the ConceroHP. The Herus (also Sabre based) did in fact have that Sabre "shout", as did my (now sold) W4S DAC-2, the Benchmark DAC-2 and pretty much all Sabre based Peachtree DACs. 
 
But the Octave certainly is a DAC you won't have to worry about in that regard!

 

[TokenGesture]

Anyone use LCD3 with the Octave? I heard one yesterday for the first time and liked it a lot but that was out of Hugo.

 

[joespride]

My Dac progression, I went from my laptop to the Schiit Modi, the Schiit Bifrost uber, Audio GD11.32, Centrance DacMiniCX, MHDT Havana, and now the Metrum Octave Mk-1, I was lucky to buy a 1 owner with under 70 hours total use 
 
initial impressions were I wish I had kept the Havana, very hot sounding with tizzy top end, read all the reviews and contacted the seller about hours on the dac, found he rarely used it as he had 4 more dacs  he moved in and out of his system, so let it play about 10 hours a day for 5 or 6 days , listening intermittently 
 
The Metrum Octave has settled in nicely, The burn in is very noticeable on this piece, anyone who is a skeptic can try one of these and would have to admit that at least some gear benefits from Burn in (I was a skeptic till headphones entered my listening)
 
I am finding the Metrum has no preferred material it performs equally well on all genre I throw its way, It does not seem to loose control on more complicated louder passages  ( The Havana seemed to loose focus and got a bit grainy)  Very balanced from top to bottom, no one Freq stands out. The analog quality of NOS dacs is certainly present now however does not have the faint veil the Havana had, not noticing any more detail other than texture / breath in the vocals
 
solid defined bass, nice extension on both ends, highs are kinda liquid not tizzy now at all, and QUIET I felt like thee Havana had a really quiet background The Metrum is better after a certain volume Tube Hiss would show its ugly head on Havana, No tubes here so no Hiss = quieter at any volume my ears can stand
 
Anyone sensitive to highs in digital sources or Drawn to Vinyl playback might want to investigate the NOS (Non Over Sampling) DAC type. At the used price this Metrum is hard / impossible  to beat IMHO
 
My only complaint is I found someone offering an Octave cheaper than I paid less than a week after receiving mine  

 .....................Good thing I feel like mine was a bargain, after selling the Havana and the spare tubes I had acquired I spent a whopping 25.00 to UPGRADE, I am almost Giddy  

  Certainly the cheapest upgrade I have experienced

 

[joespride]

I am not very happy with my Metrum over time I expected it to mellow out a bit and I think it did some but I have to say to me it is sounding a bit dry  / thin, compared to the MHDT Havana it replaced
 
I wonder if anyone has used the octave with the musical fidelity vlink 192 and had a similar experience, I agreed to buy the AP1 with PP and am awaiting delivery and am hoping all the information Is true that octave is super sensetive to transport / converter
 
The Vlink has some decent reviews but I did find some who say it can be strident,  Keeping my fingers crossed................

 

[Revogamer]

You have the Mk1?

While a great DAC it Wasn't perfect by any means

The mk2 was a big step up and then they have the new musette coming very soon also while is using his new transient modules !

 

[joespride]

With the Audiophilleo 1 W/ PP in place I have come to the conclusion that it is a MUCH better conveerter than the Musical Fidelity Vlink, as it turns out a good bit of the Harshness I was hearing is gone, Things are not warmer but they are no longer harsh and it seems more involving than b-4 
 
I can also say IMHO any more detail will make my setup sound to analytical,  Coming from vinyl there is a balance that is hard to attain
 
Doubt there are further DAC purchases in my future

 

[TokenGesture]

Ooh look over here:  http://www.head-fi.org/t/799682/all-things-metrum-acoustics
 
Come join!

 

[SMBuscemi]

Wanted to know if anyone has used their iPad/iPhone or iOS-based source on their Metrum.
If so, what softwared did you use to make the iPhone/iPad recognize the Metrum?
I have the Metrum Hex.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[zilch0md]

  Wanted to know if anyone has used their iPad/iPhone or iOS-based source on their Metrum.
If so, what softwared did you use to make the iPhone/iPad recognize the Metrum?
I have the Metrum Hex.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/799682/all-things-metrum-acoustics#post_12396699
 
By the way, the (battery-powered) iPad 3, iPad Mini, and iPod Touch 6 have all exhibited pitch-black noise floors - so much better than trying to silence a laptop or PC, in my opinion.