[Clemmaster]

Quote:

As i am dutch based also i put on my talking shoes and called them..i even got their main man on the phone..i told them iwanted a octave but with usb...we talked for 15 min..he is a very passionate man bout his products and music..and he told me between the lines that they are working on an octave with usb implementation..just like their hex (he told me it will be exceptional)..he also told me..they are trying to keep the upgraded octave under 1000 euro.....it will still take at least 2 months to get it into production because of testing..but he advised me to keep an eye on their site for the coming months...and i will..thats all i know..

 
Thanks for the input
 
I'm going to wait too and probably settle with the Quad + DI-V3 for the time being.

 

[Somnambulist]

Quote:

Am maybe not from uk..but amcoming to the london meet..am considering buying a m51 or a metrum octave ( they are workin on a usb version)..in the next months..so if u would be so kind to take urs with u so i can listen to it? I will be taking my laptop and my he500 with me....with hdmi cable. Pity i cant take my 337 with me as its to heavy...does the m51 pair well with a tube amp? Thanks for bringing the nad along if u will.

 
No problem.
 
No idea about tube amps, I use it with active speakers as it's part of that set up. Headphone (well, IEM) listening is all done on my DX100.

 

[zenpunk]

@hifimanrookie,
I wouldn't bother with the Octave if I was you as it is incredibly poor value for money. You can get equally good sound with many DACs that have better features for a lot less money.
 

 

[Clemmaster]

Quote:

@hifimanrookie,
I wouldn't bother with the Octave if I was you as it is incredibly poor value for money. You can get equally good sound with many DACs that have better features for a lot less money.
 

 
How do you actually feed the Octave with S/PDif signal?
 
With a Stello U3, the Metrum Quad is much more enjoyable than my NFB-27 Technically, it's not quite up par with it (it's more in the league of the Reference 5.32), but the sound is crystal clear, involving and, above all, non-fatiguing.
 
If you feed it with crapy S/PDif signal, well, yeah, it might suck... 

 

[zenpunk]

I used the reclocked/ dejiterred SPDIF out of the MDAC. I thought the Octave sounded superb but not any better than the other DACs. Actually I spent four days trying to hear differences and I couldn't...
It is just that value wise it just doesn't make sense considering it is featurless and the overall built quality is rather DIYish.
To make things worse you admit you have to spend more money on a SPDIF converter for it to sound good. 

 

[hifimanrookie]

Quote:

I used the reclocked/ dejiterred SPDIF out of the MDAC. I thought the Octave sounded superb but not any better than the other DACs. Actually I spent four days trying to hear differences and I couldn't...
It is just that value wise it just doesn't make sense considering it is featurless and the overall built quality is rather DIYish.
To make things worse you admit you have to spend more money on a SPDIF converter for it to sound good. 

They are bringing out a usb version within a couple of weeks..but we are here on the nad m51 apriciation thread..
 
how does the m51 do if u take into account its even more expensive then a wyred4sound dac or a antelope zodiac? Anyone compared any of them?

 

[hifimanrookie]

Quote:

 
How do you actually feed the Octave with S/PDif signal?
 
With a Stello U3, the Metrum Quad is much more enjoyable than my NFB-27 Technically, it's not quite up par with it (it's more in the league of the Reference 5.32), but the sound is crystal clear, involving and, above all, non-fatiguing.
 
If you feed it with crapy S/PDif signal, well, yeah, it might suck... 

Yes i also understand that this dac is very dependent on the source/cables

 

[Clemmaster]

Quote:

I used the reclocked/ dejiterred SPDIF out of the MDAC. I thought the Octave sounded superb but not any better than the other DACs. Actually I spent four days trying to hear differences and I couldn't...
It is just that value wise it just doesn't make sense considering it is featurless and the overall built quality is rather DIYish.
To make things worse you admit you have to spend more money on a SPDIF converter for it to sound good. 

 
Yes and I also admit that the lower Quad sounds better than my $1500,00 NFB-27 DAC
Your M-Dac sync output might not be good enough for the Octave then...

 

[hifimanrookie]

Quote:

 
Yes and I also admit that the lower Quad sounds better than my $1500,00 NFB-27 DAC
Your M-Dac sync output might not be good enough for the Octave then...

Guys..not to go to much offtopic here as we are here for the m51..but metrum is working on an upgraded octave version WITH usb just like his big brother the HEX..they told me personally it will be something special..not just a plug in card..and they told me they want to keep it under 1000 euro also!! am very curious..they told me its scheduled in the next 2-3 months..they told e to check their site regularely..if the octave is as good as clemmaster says and it wont be needing a spdif anymore it could then be a real slayer then..we have to see..and now back on topic for an also outstanding dac i understand..the m51

 

[zenpunk]

Quote:

 
Yes and I also admit that the lower Quad sounds better than my $1500,00 NFB-27 DAC
Your M-Dac sync output might not be good enough for the Octave then...

How did you come to that conclusion? What was your methodology to compare those? Did you volume matched? Where those two DACs fed the same signal and plugged into the same amplifier so you could properly A/B them?
Anyway, I had planned to replace my MDAC with a M51 but after my experiment my search for a new and better FOTM DAC stopped.

 

[Clemmaster]

Quote:

How did you come to that conclusion? What was your methodology to compare those? Did you volume matched? Where those two DACs fed the same signal and plugged into the same amplifier so you could properly A/B them?
Anyway, I had planned to replace my MDAC with a M51 but after my experiment my search for a new and better FOTM DAC stopped.

 
The thing is, I don't need to actually perform A/B testings to tell (nor do I have to match volume). Which means the difference between the 2 is not just subtle and I could never be wrong in a proper A/B test.
The Metrum sound more natural, never fatiguing and transparent.
The NFB-27 is more technical (tighter bass - too tight for me even - , wider sound-stage, more "reference" presentation, ...), more dynamic, but hard sometimes, which, in my case, involves fatigue. 
 
Anyway, back to the M51 (which is out of reach for me 

).

 

[hifimanrookie]

Quote:

How did you come to that conclusion? What was your methodology to compare those? Did you volume matched? Where those two DACs fed the same signal and plugged into the same amplifier so you could properly A/B them?
Anyway, I had planned to replace my MDAC with a M51 but after my experiment my search for a new and better FOTM DAC stopped.

So ur saying a m51 doesnt completely annihilate the mdac soundwise?interesting..

 

[preproman]

Quote:

How did you come to that conclusion? What was your methodology to compare those? Did you volume matched? Where those two DACs fed the same signal and plugged into the same amplifier so you could properly A/B them?
Anyway, I had planned to replace my MDAC with a M51 but after my experiment my search for a new and better FOTM DAC stopped.

 
 
What experiment was that?  Did it involve the m51?

 

[hifimanrookie]

 

[zenpunk]

Sorry, I have never heard the M51, I was just in the same situation as Hifimanrookie. After reading all the glowing reviews I decided to try the Metrum Octave and I had already planned to get a M51 next.
But After A/Bing the MDAC, Dacmagic, rDac and Octave, to my surprise I was unable to detect any differences.
 
@ Clemmaster,
I went through six DACs in less than a year and every times I was convinced the latest one sounded better than the previous. I even been arguing on here for and against certain units and was also able to describe how different they sounded, but now I am not so sure...