Metrum Hex vs. Pavane or Menuet?


Has anyone compared the Hex to the Menuet or even the Pavane?  Looking at the pictures it looks like the Hex may be a bit better built, such as having 3 transformers, and multiple small caps vs the fewer larger caps in the Menuet.  But I know that the Menuet uses a different method to bring up the lower level signals.  I have a Hex, just wondering if it is worth the bucks to get the Menuet or Pavane, or even the less expensive Musette which does not use the new method but uses the new chips.  Anyone compared these?
dbarger

Showing 1 response by daren_p

Looks like I'm a bit late to the party but I'm currently a Menuet owner & sampled the Musette before it to confirm the Metrum Acoustics house sounds is what I was after.

To the OP, the Menuet has replaced the Hex & is the better sounding of the two.  Their lower end DAC's feature trickle down tech from the Pavane, when they first released the Musette it was a nice jump up from the Octave it replaced & had closed in on the performance gap between it & the Hex.  So the Menuet has again upped the performance vs the Hex & is now positioned between the old hex & the Pavane.

When speaking with Meturm they rated their DAC as ~, if Adagio is 100%, Pavane is 95%, Menuet is 80% & Musette is 50% (This was before Metrum started to offer the DAC TWO module upgrades to the Pavane).  Many have called the Menuet the poor mans Pavane (85% of its performance for ~50% the price).

I was told Metrum will be offering the DAC TWO module upgrade for the Menuet in the future.  This upgrade brings the Pavane very close to the Adagio & in turn the Menuet very close to the original Pavane (from what I was told by Metrum).

Even when listening to the Musette is was the first DAC I've had that made me go WOW right from the start.  It replaced a Teddy Pardo DAC (previously used a Simaudio 100D & the OPPO BDP-95).  Teddy was the best of the previous bunch, Musette was much better then the Teddy to these ears/what I'm looking for in a DAC.

Was always looking for the next upgrade in DAC's but is no longer the case.  I will likely get the Menuet upgraded with the new DAC TWO modules in the future, as it sounds like a cost effective way to squeak out a bit more for performance for not much $.