[borrego]

http://www.metrum-acoustics.com/Amethyst.html

It looks like to the combining the Musette and the Aurix, sans the 10dB step up transformers.

 

[gandhisfist]

Heard one today with the HD800 and thought it was a pretty good pairing. The Amethyst has a meaty sound to it but doesn't have the bloom and slowness that a lot of other NOS DACs have and had enough power to run the HD800 without any issues. Good staging and imaging on this combo unit, definitely a step up from the musette to me.

 

[the limp man]

I bought one the previous week (after being a satisfied owner of the Metrum Hex for a year). Still running in, but what an improvement. If you are interested i will post some impressions.

 

[Arnold Schwartz]

I bought one the previous week (after being a satisfied owner of the Metrum Hex for a year). Still running in, but what an improvement. If you are interested i will post some impressions.

Would really like to hear your impressions, I've been thinking about this combo. Please indicate the headphones and other gear for comparison.

 

[the limp man]

Impression Metrum Amethyst

The all new Amethyst arrived on my doorstep last week. It comes in a nice package with a Powerchord, usb cable and manual. It’s about the same size as the Musette with the same number of inputs. 1x usb, 2x coax and 1x toshlink. The biggest difference are the all new DacTwo chips.

My System

• 432 Evo Streamer (via USB)
• Metrum Amethyst Dac (previously the Metrum Hex)
• Croft Micro 25R
• Croft Series 7
• Harbeth Compact 7 ES3
• Bottlehead Crack + Speedball and HD595/600

Sound

The first thing that strikes you is how silent the Dac is. There is no trace of hiss and the background is blacker than black. Music flows. Notes have a clear start and stop and everything is under control.
Placement of instruments is very good. I do not have a problem at all pointing out musicians on the stage, there is plenty of air around the instruments (including the vocals). Vocals are pretty much amazing with this Dac, full bodied, never harsh. Because the dac is so silent you can easly follow every nuance in the singers voice. This is especially apparent when May The Music Never End by Shirley Horn is playing.

Rock and the heavier stuff is very good, there is enough power when needed. The stage is placed a bit further back compared to what I'm used to, but still wide and very deep. Transparency is top notch, you can really see into the recording. Bass is firm with a good definition of notes. Guitars have that crunch that makes you pick-up your air guitar. This dac nails the tone and timbre of the piano, very beautiful.

 

[Arnold Schwartz]

Impression Metrum Amethyst

The all new Amethyst arrived on my doorstep last week. It comes in a nice package with a Powerchord, usb cable and manual. It’s about the same size as the Musette with the same number of inputs. 1x usb, 2x coax and 1x toshlink. The biggest difference are the all new DacTwo chips.

My System

• 432 Evo Streamer (via USB)
• Metrum Amethyst Dac (previously the Metrum Hex)
• Croft Micro 25R
• Croft Series 7
• Harbeth Compact 7 ES3
• Bottlehead Crack + Speedball and HD595/600

Sound

The first thing that strikes you is how silent the Dac is. There is no trace of hiss and the background is blacker than black. Music flows. Notes have a clear start and stop and everything is under control.
Placement of instruments is very good. I do not have a problem at all pointing out musicians on the stage, there is plenty of air around the instruments (including the vocals). Vocals are pretty much amazing with this Dac, full bodied, never harsh. Because the dac is so silent you can easly follow every nuance in the singers voice. This is especially apparent when May The Music Never End by Shirley Horn is playing.

Rock and the heavier stuff is very good, there is enough power when needed. The stage is placed a bit further back compared to what I'm used to, but still wide and very deep. Transparency is top notch, you can really see into the recording. Bass is firm with a good definition of notes. Guitars have that crunch that makes you pick-up your air guitar. This dac nails the tone and timbre of the piano, very beautiful.

Thanks for sharing your impressions. Did you audition any other dac before buying this one? I'm curious how it compares to others. I own a burson conductor amp/dac with the sabre 9018 which I very much enjoy but looking to step up without going to separates. This combo is of interest to me because it's one of the few in my price range that's R2R.

 

[G-E]

Impression Metrum Amethyst

The all new Amethyst arrived on my doorstep last week. It comes in a nice package with a Powerchord, usb cable and manual. It’s about the same size as the Musette with the same number of inputs. 1x usb, 2x coax and 1x toshlink. The biggest difference are the all new DacTwo chips.

My System

• 432 Evo Streamer (via USB)
• Metrum Amethyst Dac (previously the Metrum Hex)
• Croft Micro 25R
• Croft Series 7
• Harbeth Compact 7 ES3
• Bottlehead Crack + Speedball and HD595/600

Sound

The first thing that strikes you is how silent the Dac is. There is no trace of hiss and the background is blacker than black. Music flows. Notes have a clear start and stop and everything is under control.
Placement of instruments is very good. I do not have a problem at all pointing out musicians on the stage, there is plenty of air around the instruments (including the vocals). Vocals are pretty much amazing with this Dac, full bodied, never harsh. Because the dac is so silent you can easly follow every nuance in the singers voice. This is especially apparent when May The Music Never End by Shirley Horn is playing.

Rock and the heavier stuff is very good, there is enough power when needed. The stage is placed a bit further back compared to what I'm used to, but still wide and very deep. Transparency is top notch, you can really see into the recording. Bass is firm with a good definition of notes. Guitars have that crunch that makes you pick-up your air guitar. This dac nails the tone and timbre of the piano, very beautiful.

Thank you for your findings! Have you had the chance to use the built in headphone amp? Would love your impressions on this
I'm glad you mentioned that the dac isn't harsh, my ears are sensitive to this.

I'm in the market for a new dac, I'm torn between the Schiit Gumby and the Metrum Amethyst. Never heard an NOS R2R dac before, but the non fatiguing character should be welcomed by my sensitive ears. I have the Metrum on backorder, ETA is in september, so there's time to change my mind if needed. But so far, the reviews on the metrum that are out there are positive

 

[G-E]

double post.

 

[the limp man]

Thanks for sharing your impressions. Did you audition any other dac before buying this one? I'm curious how it compares to others. I own a burson conductor amp/dac with the sabre 9018 which I very much enjoy but looking to step up without going to separates. This combo is of interest to me because it's one of the few in my price range that's R2R.

No, I did not. I had a chance to buy one and after an a/b comparison between the Amethyst and the Hex it was a done deal.

Thank you for your findings! Have you had the chance to use the built in headphone amp? Would love your impressions on this
I'm glad you mentioned that the dac isn't harsh, my ears are sensitive to this.

I'm in the market for a new dac, I'm torn between the Schiit Gumby and the Metrum Amethyst. Never heard an NOS R2R dac before, but the non fatiguing character should be welcomed by my sensitive ears. I have the Metrum on backorder, ETA is in september, so there's time to change my mind if needed. But so far, the reviews on the metrum that are out there are positive

Never heard the Gumby, but I can recommend the Amethyst. I did a quick comparison between the Amethyst and the Bottlehead Crack and so far the Metrum wins on tone, transparency and precision. The whole image is a bit bigger when listening to the Bottlehead, but it lacks the focus of the Amethyst.

 

[Luckbad]

Not sure how this hasn't gained traction on Head-Fi. I got one in today. Doing my standard A/B testing (DAC section only, same amp from the Schiit Sys) after warm-up with a heavily modified MHDT Labs Atlantis and it's trading blows.

Basically, it's a very good non-oversampling R-2R DAC that also has a pretty solid amp right in there with it. It's capable of directly driving the Sennheiser HD650 surprisingly well.

 

[the limp man]

Yes, i know. As a dac, the Amethyst is superb. As an amp its better than my Bottlehead Crack and drives my HD 600 without a problem.

 

[alphanumerix1]

Following

 

[wahsmoh]

I decided to take the plunge. Have never heard a NOS ladder DAC but I decided the Gumby is too similar sounding to my Theta Digital DAC (also a little dryer and brighter) so I didn't feel that it was worth buying especially if my whole system is single ended. I wont be back in my hometown until September so the Metrum will be sittin in a box with my parents. I will be living through you guys and your impressions.

 

[G-E]

There is a sixmoons review on the Amethyst: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews2/metrum5/1.html

 

[wantan]

Why does the Amethyst have to little feedback here? It's seems to be quite polular at some review sites and Metrum has several high regarded NOS dacs.

I have a question regarding the soundstage of the Amethyst. I've never listened to NOS and have read a few comments that NOS Dacs have a very flat soundstage. Is this true, especially for headphones (I won't use it for stereo)?
Right now I'm using a Schiit Modi Multibit and would be curious to try the Amethyst.