[rajesh]

Hope you don't mind some OT here. Their speakers looks very interesting. Wondering if anyone heard them!

[wilsynet]

I am not sure what you mean but even the Quad DAC goes to 174.6 khz and sometimes 192Khz was measured according to the dutch review.

I think I'm saying that only Metrum (that I'm aware of) has a high resolution DAC which is also NOS.

[RCduck7]

Hope you don't mind some OT here. Their speakers looks very interesting. Wondering if anyone heard them!

They do look intresting, they are electrostatic hybrid designs. I haven't gathered much info on forums on these yet, only 2 dutch reviews.

They seemed to really like these with Opera and classical music in this particular review, they also mentioned very easy sounding speakers...price at the bottom of page 4.
http://www.hifi.nl/recensies_pagina3/3636/Metrum-Acoustics-Syncope-De-Syncope-kit.html
http://www.hifi.nl/recensies_pagina4/3636/Metrum-Acoustics-Syncope-Het-resultaat-&-totaalbeeld.html

http://www.audioclubvelsen.nl/index.php?/Verslag-2003/december-2003.html

[rajesh]

Thank you RCduck7, that was helpful.

[mikecole]

RCduck7, how is the PRaT with this? I had thought about getting a Paradisea3, but the web site always says Out of Stock. I then read about this on the Netherland forum, but kept  seeing the words smooth and clean and it makes me wonder if it is pretty sounding but musically boring. The only NOS DAC I have experience with is the Consonance CD120 Linear. It had lots of tonal color and really made my foot tap. I was wondering if this description could be used with the Metrum. I hope so, cause it is really nicely priced.

Mike

[RCduck7]

RCduck7, how is the PRaT with this? I had thought about getting a Paradisea3, but the web site always says Out of Stock. I then read about this on the Netherland forum, but kept  seeing the words smooth and clean and it makes me wonder if it is pretty sounding but musically boring. The only NOS DAC I have experience with is the Consonance CD120 Linear. It had lots of tonal color and really made my foot tap. I was wondering if this description could be used with the Metrum. I hope so, cause it is really nicely priced.

Mike

Hi, what is a Paradisea3? Ok, must be a DAC your intrested in, will google it.
I don't feel that the Metrum is not musical but it doesn't sound colored to me, not in my setup, and it makes me tap my foot with the right music, it's not so that it isn't punchy.
If anything in your setup, amp and speakers sound boring then i don't think the Metrum only will make it all sound alive and kicking.
The reason you read silk smooth is that the DAC makes the music unstressed and with very low jitter, isn't that how it should be if there were no technical limitations?
I had other DAC's and in my systen the Metrum DAC sounded the most balanced, before the metrum sounds sounded detached, not much cohesion.
I realised that once the Metrum was playing, i also did A to B test.
But hey this is only my experience!! If you have been reading the Octave DAC review on 6moons, on thing is assured the Quad DAC is maybe even more worth the money. If anyone doesn't like the Quad DAC then don't spend money on the Octave DAC, it is the same just that little bit better, not VERY much.

[RCduck7]

I had thought about getting a Paradisea3, but the web site always says Out of Stock.

Well, i read the reviews and the Paradisea 3 looks promising, a niggle was that bass was a bit overblown. I guess one have to compare the Metrum and Paradisea side by side to know the differences. I also read the review at "positive feedback" and the intresting thing is that they mentioned they used also a Sony PS1 model SCPH-1001 as this cheap little wonder sounded good in comparison to cd players at high end prices. They mentioned the Paradisea sounded much like the PS1 only a bit better on all fronts and a bit darker. I do have an old PS1 but i'm not sure it is a SCPH-1001 model. I should check this out. If it turns out it is that model i must defenitly do a side by side comparison of the PS1 and Metrum Quad DAC.

[DavidS]

It's cool to read about how these bang for the buck dacs compare to one another (big fish in the small affordable dac pond) but would also be good to know how close these affordable dacs come to the big guys (4 to 7 k dacs) such as Wavelength, Ayre, EMM Labs, Berkley Audio, and Lampizator.  Technology seems to be changing so quick that there is another new product and approach on block every week or so. Another new competitor that I have been reading about in this same price range is John Kenny's new usb (ESS Sabre) dac.  Enjoying the read as people report what they are hearing. 

[Letitroll98]

....but would also be good to know how close these affordable dacs come to the big guys (4 to 7 k dacs) such as Wavelength, Ayre, EMM Labs, Berkley Audio, and Lampizator. 

I've heard many of the top units out there and the main differences are bass impact, treble sweetness, added detail and/or loss of haze, improved soundstaging and image solidity.  (read: more analog sounding, just buy a turntable     )  These are added in varying degrees of subtlety as you move up the ladder in price, however none of the improvements are in direct proportion to the increases in price.  In other words you may have a twofold or threefold increase in price to achieve a 10% increase in SQ. 

Whether this is worth it to you is a personal choice, if you're seeking the nth degree of resolution in an already expensive system, I would think yes.  For the rest of us a much harder choice as source components make a major difference in overall SQ, but where to draw the line varies with each individual.  Therefore the harder question is how do these Cheap and Cheerful DAC's compare to the $1-2k products.  Just my 2 cents.     

[mikecole]

I also read the review at "positive feedback" and the intresting thing is that they mentioned they used also a Sony PS1 model SCPH-1001 as this cheap little wonder sounded good in comparison to cd players at high end prices. They mentioned the Paradisea sounded much like the PS1 only a bit better on all fronts and a bit darker.

I read that review and was excited to read stuff like "The Paradisea+ also has more rhythmic prowess, more artful melodic flow, and a more luxurious harmonic development than the PS1." This is what I am looking for in a DAC and if the Metrum has this, then I want one   I am about 90% of the way there to pulling the trigger on one.

[RCduck7]

I have been looking at my playstation and it is a SPCH1002 and not the supposed 1001. But that's ok, the 1001 was the PS1 for the US market, the 1002 for Europe and the 1000 for japan, they are actually the same. But i bet it won't sound better then the Metrum DAC. And it is very reasonable the Paradisea will sound better to, i'll see when i get my PS1 up and running (if it still works that is).

I have to say if i saw the picture of the inside of the Paradisea DAC with the big CAP's they're using it sure should be worth the money. The Metrum DAC's board doesn't look that way but it is a completely different but very clever design, they don't even use a commercial available DAC chip to build a DAC around.

[rklein]

I ordered an Octave a few days ago. Cees said a 3 week wait, not bad. I have a highly modified Teredak Chameleon with 16 TDA1543 chips that I like very much. NOS sound is my cup of tea. The Octave does not qualify as cheap and cheeful according to forum description. About $1000 USD depending on Euro/USD conversion. Considering the gear Srajan compared to the Octave in his review, it is a huge bang for the buck. I'll keep you posted. 

Can anyone share if Metrum has any type of return policy?

Thanks,

Randy

[cheungfaihung]

Hi Rudie

Please can you share what you hear is the difference between you quad and octave, for what type of music.  I'm thinking of ordering one but undecided as to which.  I like classical music.

[rklein]

I contacted Metrum in regards to if they had any type of return policy and Cees Ruijtenberg got back to me in less than 20 minutes!! 

Anyhoo... here is his reply to my inquiry.

Hello Randy

As it is a direct sale prices are extremely low ( normal price after distributor and reseller About Euro 2500 ) therefore we cannot give a return policy. As you probably know from the 6moons review it was compared to Euro 4000-5000 devices. Lead time is about 8-10 weeks now due to the same review.

Best regards,

Met vriendelijke groet,

Cees Ruijtenberg

I would love to compare this DAC with the Schiit Audio BiFrost that I have pre-ordered.  However, even their lower priced Quad DAC shipped would be topping out at $500 and the Octave would be close to or over $1,000.

Randy

[Letitroll98]

As it is a direct sale prices are extremely low ( normal price after distributor and reseller About Euro 2500 ) therefore we cannot give a return policy. As you probably know from the 6moons review it was compared to Euro 4000-5000 devices. Lead time is about 8-10 weeks now due to the same review.

No return policy for an on line purchase?  What are they smoking over there?  How about they send me the DAC and if I like it, I'll pay them.    

[MttBsh]

No return policy for an on line purchase?  What are they smoking over there?  How about they send me the DAC and if I like it, I'll pay them.   

Apparently since the thumbs up from 6 Moons and the subsequent 8-10 week backorder they don't feel they need to have return policy, and I guess more power to them. Capitalism at its finest.  With some of the hottest DACs now coming from places like the Netherlands, Australia and China, the days of taking it back to the store if you don't like it are gone.

[JohnR]

I can understand it. Returns mean extra costs, and I've always been surprised when people say things like they "bought" three units (of whatever), kept the one they liked the best and returned the other two. Those costs surely have to be absorbed by having them added on (in effect) to the price that everybody else pays.

[JohnR]

Perhaps innovative would be a better word than revolutionary.  But is there another high resolution (ie. better than 16/44.1) DAC that is non-oversampling?

Any NOS DAC with a receiver chip that runs higher than 16/44.1 should work. In fact higher bitrates and NOS DACs make a lot of sense. I have one of those $50 TDA1543 DACs around here somewhere, I should try it at 24/96 and see if it works.

[RCduck7]

I never though i would do this, using a PS1 as a standalone CD player, and while i'm at it comparing it side by side to the Metrum Quad DAC. I allready read about the PS1 being a good cd player and that it could compete to 6000$ players but never payed any attention to it.
Also, performs a 6000$ cd player 6 times better then a 1000$ one?? I guess everybody knows the anwer to this. To much reviews mention how a DAC or any other component for that matter competes with gear at much higher prices. By now i'm bored reading this, as every 500$ component nowadays competes with a 5000$ component in almost every review as a matter of speaking.

At first when i turned on the PS1 after years not having it used and threw a cd in it the sound wasn't to good, bad actually. It sounded very flat and as if the bass and overall sound had trouble coming through. After more then an hour or 2 the sound turned from bad to pretty good to my suprise. I never heard such a turn around in a warm up from any component. I waited till the next day to do some serious listening and in the meantime it was a lot of the time on and playing a cd from time to time. Both PS1 and Metrum had the same RCA's and i used the same songs. Comparing was straightforward but i witnessed that the PS1 played a few db's lower then most cd players and DAC's. So i had to alter the volume a notch every time to play at the same volume level. The PS1 certainly doesn't sound unmusical but when listening to a track as a whole and when changed from the Metrum to the PS1 the soundstage fell down a bit and it still sounded a bit flatter, going back to the Metrum and the typical curtain when an upgrade takes place was present. with the Metrum placement of instruments was better and voices were dead center and came from a slightly darker background wich made it seem that the voice sounded a bit more upfront, while with the PS1 it went a bit more to the background. Frequencies were a little bit more rolled of to with the PS1. Still the PS1 is good as a cd player and with some songs that rely less on dynamics and detail the difference was harder to tell. To some degree the hype around the PS1 as a cd player is true as it isn't a bad one as someone would expect it to be but not much more.

[Rclark]

I don't think people use stock PS1, I think they mod them. Still pretty neat.