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Metrum Octave dac is it sound really better ?

hi my friends.
it was very nice to reads all this good things about metrum dac.i wonder alot if this dac with compare to anothers dacs like i was sound in my country (that dont have metrum dac to hear ),i listen in to teddy dac,cambridge audio azur 840 c ,rdac,ORX jade 1 .and when i compare between them there wasnt diffrent between Rdac of arcam to cambridge audio azur 840 c and teddy dac that was alot expensive then my rdac.i wonder if this bzzz around this metrum dac that not so expensive will give the sound a reall imporvment ??
i wish it will be sound like a reall good cd player like the EAR Acute is it ???
my system is :
LEBEN CS 600
DEVORE NINES
FUJITSU ION PC i use usb port
FOOBAR 2000 MEDIA i set the output in foobar to kernal stream .

i hope to hear alot of response and i really consider to buy the metrum octave dac (i cant hear it in my country israel ) the only way is to trust you my dear friends i hope u will help me . THANKS ALOT
bolero32

Showing 2 responses by lewinskih01

lewinskih01
911 posts
 
Bolero,

Unfortunately I have the same issue: can't audition. By all accounts it sounds special, so I went ahead and ordered one. If it's not special enough I will likely be able to sell it at a small discount.

A couple of things to keep in mind:
- The Metrum does not have USB input. You mention you use the USB port in your laptop. You will need a USB-to-S/PDIF converter between laptop and Metrum. Look into a couple of threads discussing this in this forum.

- The Metrum is specified up to 24 bit / 176 kHz, and only 1 in 100 are said to work up to 192. This is only an issue if you have many 24/192 albums, which I don't.

My estimation is a laptop + good USB-to-S/PDIF converter + Metrum will outperform many CD players at the same price point. It should be even better with hi-resolution files (24 bit), which CD can't support. I have not tried this, though, hence it's an estimation.

Nice amp and speakers, BTW.

I hope this helps.

Shabat Shalom!
lewinskih01
911 posts
 
Bolero,

I don't think there is a "best" whatever in audio. Personal tastes come into play and some people would claim component A as the best (to their ears) while others will sure not agree. So EAR, while good, it's likely not "the best" CD player.

For the same reason the Metrum is not going to be the preferred DAC by all people. I think what matters, though, is what YOU like.

cheers
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