5+ years old $5k player vs. current $2k player

tubegroover...the psa pwd has phase inversion adjustment. as a side note, also has some interesting (to me at least) filters as well.

Tubegroover and others who might be interested in the Octave (as I am): There has been quite some talk about it over at computeraudiophile.com DACs forum. Member bhobba has one (as well as several other well regarded DACs). There are several mentions to it too on other threads in that forum. Seems very interesting.

I am looking forward to Charles1dad views too.

Hi Lewinskih

I have been doing a bit of research on this DAC. Yesterday I e-mailed Cees Ruijtenberg the designer. Lead time is 8-10 weeks. The review in 6 moons conveys a real sense of the characteristics of this DAC which in many ways seems similar to the Havana, reading between the lines. I do expect however that it may be a bit more resolving but I'm not sure of Sarajan's experience with NOS dacs as the unfatiguing nature of this 16-24 bit approach without the upsampling/oversampling seems intrinsic. The problem with the Oppo and W4S is precisely the fact that at times they DO bring attention to what they ARE and NOT doing rather than keeping me relaxed and simply enjoying the music as the Havana is so completely able to do. There is a softer texture without leading edges becoming overemphasised yet it IS resolving, a simple design approach, less is more. The differences at times are subtle but over time they affect the overall listening experience and enjoyment factor. Having said that, I do recognize the things that the ESS Saber chip is bringing to the table, the ambient information and low level detail in particular and it sure would be nice to find a budget product that does both which it seems the Metrum might be the one. Preferences for any of these budget DACs/CD players are going to be contingent on system balance and listening preferences more than any one being a standout performer across the board at this price point. I am going to hold back a bit on the Metrum until I get further impressions from other opinions I respect including Charles1dad but I sure am tempted! I am hoping the Eastern Electric, expected this coming week, will fill in the gap and maybe even "blow me away". In the meantime I am quite happy with the Havana as it is the first digital device I have ever owned that I can listen to and relax in the same manner as vinyl yet clearly recognizing the differences.

Tubegroover,

I hear you. Moreover, I'm basically on your same camp. I figure from your user name you are a tube person, and I also have a tube pre and amp.
Also waiting for further user impressions. One thing to note is that it has been noted this DAC needs high rez data be fed to it to sound best and be able to output both smoothness and detail. That means it would unlikely be a good partner with a CD transport, unless one likes the typical NOS DAC sound signature.

BTW, the EE Plus is also intriguing to me, so please post your impressions when it suits.

Hi Lewinskih,
My impression of the Metrum per Srajan`s review and comparision with the APL NWO-M,TotalDAC etc. was based on redbook 16/44.1 playback(CD disc). He certainly did approved of it`s Hi-RES performance with the April Music U3 also.In his 2nd opinion article on the TotalDAC with it`s multiple DAC comparisons, I believe these were conducted in redbook native rate format,