I did own an Octave for about 10 months before getting a Hex. Both are really great DAC's, imo. I have owned an ARC Dac7 and 8, and Naim Dac, and it would be really tough to say anything was better than the Hex. I went from the other Dac's to the Octave and did not feel like I was missing anything. When I got the Hex, it just got better. Just more detail and presence.
Tough to beat the value of the Octave. For the price, it is fantastic. Even price aside, it is a great dac.
One thing to bear in mind is that with the Hex, no intermediary device is needed, as it already contains an excellent input device, from M2-tech. So the USB input is superb.
Check out Martin Collom's great reviews of both the Octave and Hex. Great reviews, both.
Tough to beat the value of the Octave. For the price, it is fantastic. Even price aside, it is a great dac.
One thing to bear in mind is that with the Hex, no intermediary device is needed, as it already contains an excellent input device, from M2-tech. So the USB input is superb.
Check out Martin Collom's great reviews of both the Octave and Hex. Great reviews, both.