[Blueswyh]

I would say the Sony takes resolution, the Pavane takes richness and the weight is about the same.

At least for me the Yggy was a bit bright, the Pavane a bit too warm and the Sony/Eitr is just right. I do have a ECP walnut V dac that I found just right as well that I'm willing to let go for around half what I paid for it. It is usb/xlr out only though. PM me if you are interested. ECP (Doug) builds some wonderful products imo. One of the few that can compete with Schitt, Apex and Headamp and Apex and Headamp do not build dac's other than portable.

Thanks a million for the sharing. My plan is to stick to these two for the moment and don't stray away, swaping in and out of these devices is really the painstaking and least joyful part of this hobby.

 

[gordec]

Anyone listened to Pavane with McIntosh Mha100/150? Wondering if they are good outingp.

 

[Thenewguy007]

How does the top open for the Pavane so you can look in the inside? I seen no screws attached to it.

 

[Whitigir]

How does the top open for the Pavane so you can look in the inside? I seen no screws attached to it.

Kinky! Always want to strip someone eh . Take pictures for us while you are at it

 

[gvl2016]

How does the top open for the Pavane so you can look in the inside? I seen no screws attached to it.

There are screws on the back, you take them off and the top glass slides out to the back.

 

[gvl2016]

Anyone still holding on to their Pavane? Seems everyone who got one was very impressed but sold it after.

 

[William166]

Anyone still holding on to their Pavane? Seems everyone who got one was very impressed but sold it after.

Absolutely! I was initially very impressed. Then I upgraded to Level 3 and was even more impressed! I have been using it with Allo‘s USBridge, now I am thinking about getting an Ambre Roon bridge and swapping out the USB board in the Pavane for i2s. So not selling my Pavane.

 

[llamaluv]

Hmm, I'm a newcomer, so yes, I've held onto it. For 6 days and counting LOL. Coming from a Holo Spring KTE.

 

[William166]

Congratulations and enjoy! Incidentally there‘s now also a forum over on the Metrum Acoustics website if you ever need to ask the man who built it a question.

 

[gvl2016]

I'm a recent owner as well, bought a L1 from a head-fi member, using it in a 2 channel speaker setup. It floats my boat, but I have to ask, anyone else thinks the Pavane's sound is colored? This is not a bad thing, but the "rich" sound it produces isn't typically something that neutral gear is known for.

Also, is everyone using it as the doctor prescribed in NOS mode or upsampling in software? I used to like NOS but find I no longer get the fix, so I've been upsampling in JRiver/SoX and very pleased with the results. I tried HQPlayer as well for upsamping, very good, I plan to experiment with the embedded version of it, it can act as a uPnP endpoint and as such can be more easily integrated with other software, e.g. JRiver.

As for the I2S module, I'd probably get one only if I was getting the Ambre. I know people were saying they liked the AES/SPDIF inputs, but the USB input should be the best, I asked on the official forum and Cees responded saying that the clock on the FPGA module is the master and it clocks the async USB module, at least that's how I understood it. The FPGA clock IS the clock you want to be the master as it is very close to the DAC modules, and not 1-2 feet away considering all the cabling.

 

[William166]

It floats my boat, but I have to ask, anyone else thinks the Pavane's sound is colored?

As for the I2S module, I'd probably get one only if I was getting the Ambre. I know people were saying they liked the AES/SPDIF inputs, but the USB input should be the best, I asked on the official forum and Cees responded saying that the clock on the FPGA module is the master and it clocks the async USB module, at least that's how I understood it. The FPGA clock IS the clock you want to be the master as it is very close to the DAC modules, and not 1-2 feet away considering all the cabling.

I am listening to the Pavane through a Naim 252/300DR and Naim SL2 speakers and can definitely say that the sound is wonderfully neutral and balanced. I‘m slightly confused by your question, surely you are more likely to get ‚coloring‘ by oversampling?
I talked to Cees in person last week at the Munich show and he thinks you get the best sound of all through i2s as you are completely bypassing the signal conversion circuitry and getting direct access to the ladder DAC. He said it sounded more analog (and even apologized for using that word). I am not 100 % convinced I really need an Ambre but it is very tempting...

 

[gvl2016]

I find the Pavane sounds a tiny bit tubey, that's what I mean by "colored". Either NOS or OS. It's good. I'm not sure what Cees meant by "bypassing the signal conversion circuitry", but I suspect it was about connecting the Ambre in which case I agree I2S is the way to go as you will be bypassing the SPDIF tx/rx and clock recovery. If however we are talking about connecting to a computer, I would think there is little benefit to using an I2S connection through a DDC, I'd just use a direct USB cable into Pavane and call it a day.

 

[William166]

I find the Pavane sounds a tiny bit tubey, that's what I mean by "colored". Either NOS or OS. It's good. I'm not sure what Cees meant by "bypassing the signal conversion circuitry", but I suspect it was about connecting the Ambre in which case I agree I2S is the way to go. If however we are talking about connecting to a computer, I would think there is little benefit to using an I2S connection through a DDC, I'd just use a direct USB cable into Pavane and call it a day.

Yes because of the incompatibility between different i2s specs, we are talking only about connecting the Ambre so I agree. If you are using a computer how do you connect it?

 

[gvl2016]

Yes because of the incompatibility between different i2s specs, we are talking only about connecting the Ambre so I agree. If you are using a computer how do you connect it?

I meant in case of no Ambre, just a computer and a Pavane. You could find a USB to I2S converter with more or less compatible connector or rig something up DIY style , but Imo just going direct into the DAC with USB is technically the best .

 

[William166]

I meant in case of no Ambre, just a computer and a Pavane. You could find a USB to I2S converter with more or less compatible connector or rig something up DIY style , but Imo just going direct into the DAC with USB is technically the best .

Ok I was just wondering if your source was responsible for the coloring...