My Metrum will be making an appearance at at upcoming mini-meet in Irvine. Attendance is restricted, so if you're in the LA area and you want to have a listen you'll need to contact Purrin. If its a problem we might be able to meet in person if you're anywhere between there and San Diego. I'd love to get other Head-fier's impressions on this unusual DAC. (http://www.head-fi.org/t/572364/irvine-orange-county-california-mini-meet-sunday-october-23-2011-confirmed)
Update:
Have been letting the unit loop overnight this week with the Audiophilleo, so the whole combo has in excess of 100 hours on it now.
On the Audiophilleo into the Metrum - I've pinged back and forth between the AP2 and TLC a couple times. It definitely seems the AP2 has mellowed out. VS. the TLC the presentation is very similar, a bit more focus, a bit sweeter in the treble, a bit more definition in the bass. The differences are slight though. I paid about $140 for the TLC + linear PS (the PS actually made a pretty big difference on the TLC, probably bigger than between the TLC -> AP2). It's not a $400+ jump in fidelity if you're just sampling redbook at native rates. Keep in mind the TLC has two advantages over the AP, it is converting Toslink -> Coax, so it is electrically decoupled from the computer, plus the linear ps allows its (ancient) clock to work more stably. To even the score a bit I have an AQVox linear PS for the AP2 on the way (http://www.aqvox.de/usb-power_en.html).
I've taken the advice of other owners out there and tried upsampling. Holy crap. I've tried to go back but I can't. Using redbook there is a solid step from 44->88... and about a similar step from 88 -> 176. I've tried hardware upsampling on DACs before and have hated it. This is different. The noise floor drops significantly, bass tightens up, and oddly enough, there seems to be no loss of body in the mids or a sense or hardness in the treble. It's as if everything comes into better focus. Of course since I'm doing this in software and the quality of the upsampler is crucial, using Reclocker audio renderer. Haven't tried any others.
Have a few albums in 24/88 or 24/96 - Beck's "Sea Change", Talking Heads "Remain in Light", and Elton's "Yellow Brick Road". Unbelievable, just in awe of what I'm hearing. Also The Beatle's usb collection in 24/44 upsampled to 176. I've been a huge Beatles fan for years, even my pug dogs are named Maxwell and Sadie ("Maxwell's" Silver Hammer, Sexy "Sadie"). This brought me to tears, I've been having trouble listening and working so I only listen in bits and pieces to that collection. Esp. the voices, Paul's bass has definition for the first time, the string arrangements... it just sounds so real, this stuff recorded some 40+ years ago I feel like I'm in the studio with them.
I don't know how to really put this. With my recent foray into high-end delta sigma offerings I felt what I had felt years ago when I gave it a shot - that I'm not a lover of neutral hi-fi offerings. That too much detail, too flat a frequency response, too mechanical a presentation - that it left me emotionally disconnected from the music... that it sounds fake. Esp. I gave the Anedio a month of playtime, but during that month I only listened to it about 50 hours. I made it I think 2 or 3 days listening to it the entire day, but in most cases I could only take it a few hours at a time before putting my Ack Dack back on. It left me equal parts fatigued and bored. The Metrum is presenting the music in a similar way... at least in the same ballpark as far as neutrality and detail, and with high res music and/or upsampling may well be launching past my time with the Anedio (only playing Redbook with that). With the Anedio, when I put it into the mix I felt like I was taking my medicine so-to-speak, that if I spent time retraining my brain it would click and I would love it. But the opposite happened, the more I listened the more I didn't want to listen any more. I just wanted to return to my colored NOS DAC analog world. The Metrum is having an opposite effect. I want just that bit more of more detail, resolution, tightness etc, because seeking that stuff I feel I am getting closer to the music. I tend to come in earlier to work than I usually would just so I can listen to my rig. It just seems so right. Going back to my Ack it sounds pleasant and mellow, but it no longer grabs me.
I consider my desktop setup done for the time being, just have a set of Thunderpants in the group buy. I'm looking forward to what Schiit puts out for their statement DAC, will likely sample one for building a home setup.
