Sonnet Audio Morpheus

Yes, that statement in the review intrigued me as well.
Now of course I’m wondering about the timeline and price point of the "upper echelon" DAC.

I bought a Morpheus back when it was first released, unfortunately haven’t had all that much time to "play" with it due to other priorities but can say it was a step up all around from my Metrum Menuet.

Back when I was purchasing I spoke to Cee’s about the possibility of a top of the line model & he did say it was likely but some time off (the streamer & mono amps to be released first). My guess would be looking a year down the road. Obviously not set in stone (& a lot could change) but he ballparked around a 70% price increase vs Morpheus.

Going by his past designs I would expect a doubling of the DAC modules, installed in a larger format, higher end case.

Bought a Morpheus recently and I’m liking it.
Might consider the Hermes when it becomes available.
Would anyone recommend the MQA card?

Maybe it’s just me, but I feel that the Morpheus makes notable sacrifices in drive for a smidge of delicacy, particularly with its single-ended outputs lacking the output transformers of the Pavane, which in guises from the L1 to L3 sounds considerably better to me than the Morpheus. I also do not notice a marked decline in resolving power between the Morpheus and Pavane L3, but would argue it is modestly higher in resolution than the L1. I have only used the balanced outs on the above DACs, and - as ever - ymmv. I welcome the cost benefits of the Sonnet line , and I’ll be excited for Sonnet to release a flagship DAC that reconciles the best of both worlds but am sticking with the L3 for now.

@transience 
Your comment in another thread about Metrum Acoustics closing shop is correct according to this....
https://metrumacoustics.com/
Like a marriage, when SHTF only those involved in the marriage can figure out what really happened, and there are usually two sides to the story.
However, as a former Pavane L3 owner and current Adagio owner (and Jade, and Ambre, and baby Ambre) I can say without reservation that my dealings with Cees Ruijtenberg have been some of the most pleasurable I have had in my years in this audio hobby.  I am also glad Cees said he would help support Metrum Acoustics products if needed.   
The posting on Metrum's website sounds like sour grapes and was probably more of an emotional response than a tactical marketing response, which is usually a bad idea.  They had an excellent component line-up, solid customer base, and probably could have ridden the wave for awhile if they had only continued providing the stellar customer service I had received from Cees.  However, my great customer service experiences with Metrum were all with Cees directly.  If he was designing the products, overseeing manufacturing, and taking the lead on customer service, I can see where that would lead to overload and a need for a change in venue.  Pure speculation on my part.
Whether the Morpheus is better than the Pavane L3 or Adagio, I wouldn't know since I unfortunately have not heard the Morpheus.  I have been trying to decide whether I need a DAC in my living room, which is mostly set up with unobtrusive HT gear.  Actually, I am trying to find an excuse to purchase a Morpheus but haven't reached that point yet.  I do know the Pavane L3/Adagio are the best in digital that I have had in my system, which includes some very good CD players and DACs by Lampizator and Ayre.  They are quite natural sounding and have excellent drive.  However, I have consistently preferred the Adagio through my SMc Buffer rather than amp-direct.  I would really like to hear the Morpheus since some have spoken about how it fleshes out the sound more than the Pavane L3 or Adagio.  It is difficult for me to get my head around how the Pavane/Adagio have clearly superior chassis, more substantial power supplies, and use of separate boards, yet the fairly pedestrian Morpheus apparently at least matches if not improves on the sound of those two former Metrum flagship DACs, designed by the same person as the Morpheus.  However, all the positive reviews can't be horse hockey pucks so there must be some truth.  I am content to keep my Adagio until I can try and directly compare a Morpheus or the next higher level DAC Cees may reportedly be working on in his spare time.