Metrum Acoustics Onyx (balanced Dac) and Jade (balanced Dac + Pre)

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by sacredgates, Oct 3, 2017.

  1. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    So I finally picked up a used Onyx. Have ~30 hours of warming up on it at this point.

    Initial impresssions: Compared to Gungnir Multibit, (which has been my reference for over a year), it's more different sounding than I expected. A very nice sounding DAC but definitely leaner presentation (Gungnir Multibit is much warmer) and maybe slightly rougher in the lower treble/upper-mid region, although it may just need a bit more warming up. Crazy precise imaging and instrument separation compared to Gungnir Multibit, which I had already thought had excellent instrument separation. So far, I like this DAC much better than the Holo Spring L3, which just didn't sound right to me. More to come later.
     
  2. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    always enjoy another reference point on Metrum DACs.
    how much are these going for on the used market?

    after warm up and before next impressions, can you include details on your source?
    possibly try SPDIF input compared to USB?

    until then, enjoy the tunes.
     
  3. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    This one came up about 35% off retail.

    Should have said I'm running these on a speaker setup as well. My initial source is Eitr fed from a SOtM SMS-200 Ultra. Only using Eitr initially because I wanted to switch quickly between DACs, which is a bit more painful to do with straight USB on the SOtM. However I will definitely be testing USB direct as well.

    Not sure if the Metrums need a lot of warmup time like the Schiit DACs or not, but I'll give it at least a few days before any significant critical listening and comparison.
     
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2018
  4. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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    This the one on CAM recently? Was thinking about testing the waters too...
     
  5. bengo

    bengo Friend

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    I would say the warm-up time is similar between Yggdrasil and Pavane. Give it 4-6 hours as a minimum.
     
  6. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    Yep that's right. There were actually 2 posted fairly recently. One black and one silver- picked up the silver to match my other Schiit gear.
     
  7. Magnetostatic_Tubephile

    Magnetostatic_Tubephile Friend

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    I unfortunately havent heard Gungnir Multibit yet but interested in further impressions of yours once you get accustomed to Onyx.

    From my perspective, vs Modi Multibit (on identical audio chain, w/ Eitr):
    • Onyx was considerably darker and less airy (NOS rolloff)
    • Onyx was considerably smoother and linear sounding (Modi Multibit had some grain, roughness and zinginess in treble while Onyx sounds perfectly natural to me except for the high treble roll-off)
    • Onyx images nicely (superior blackground, nice soundstage dimensionality) but the closed form OS filter from Schiit seems to add a bit more 3D effect to Modi Multibit's sound that NOS does not have. (Even Modi Multibit in NOS mode did not have it.)
     
  8. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    Thanks. I will mostly ignore your impressions for now so as not to bias my own impressions, but will be good to compare after the fact.

    I do have Modi Multibit as well that I will likely compare at some point. How old is your Modi Multibit?
     
  9. Magnetostatic_Tubephile

    Magnetostatic_Tubephile Friend

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    @sheldaze , any updates regarding the Onyx (NOS) vs Yggdrasil A2 (OS) comparison? I would be very interested to read a bit on the topic from your perspective... and for sure am not the only one!

    I've been very happy with Onyx for the past few months, considering it endgame. (Pretty much what I have in my signature now is my endgame since price/performance ratio already got too weak in this tier to my liking.) The only complaint I would have with Onyx is some lack of top-end airiness associated with typical OS DACs and not-as-great USB input (it kind of fucks up timbre). Otherwise I really dig it everyday. Onyx sounds clean and accurate from bass to treble, is calm and smooth but provides very nice level of detail and spaciousness, also got no timbral weirdness aka zinginess, steeliness, sharpness, muddiness, "plasticness", artificial OS/DS brightness, ... Very nice and versatile experience overall, no gimmicks. Very pricey though.
     
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2018
  10. sheldaze

    sheldaze Friend

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    I had a much longer bit of gestation written, before it quickly dawned on me how useless it would be. I cannot write in words in such a way to allow you to hear a DAC. I can only write down what I hear.

    Chord:
    See Me
    Feel Me
    Touch Me
    Heal Me

    Listening to you, I get the music
    Gazing at you, I get the heat
    Following you, I climb the mountain
    I get excitement at your feet

    Right behind you, I see the millions
    On you, I see the glory
    From you, I get opinion
    From you, I get the story

    Metrum:
    Really don't mind if you sit this one out
    My word's but a whisper your deafness a shout
    I may make you feel but I can't make you think
    Your sperm's in the gutter your love's in the sink
    So you ride yourselves over the fields
    And you make all your animal deals
    And your wise men don't know how it feels
    To be thick as a brick

    Schiit:
    Wooden ships on the water, very free and easy
    Easy, you know the way it's supposed to be
    Silver people on the shoreline, let us be
    Talkin' 'bout very free and easy

    Horror grips us as we watch you die
    All we can do is echo your anguished cries
    Stare as all human feelings die
    We are leaving, you don't need us

    Go, take your sister then, by the hand
    Lead her away from this foreign land
    Far away, where we might laugh again
    We are leaving, you don't need us

    What do I mean by this gibberish? Chord wants you to follow their lead, to agree with their clever way of doing things, and to hear everything. But I don’t think the result is hearing everything. Some things are clearer and some subtle things, elements of music that exist in reality, are lost. Metrum, you can hear it or ignore it - sit one out, if you will. Engage with it when you choose, or stay thick. I like this manner of having a lot of musical information presented, while allowing not forcing me to absorb. Apparently the lyrics I chose for Schiit were written by Crosby, Stills, and Jefferson Airplane founder Paul Kantner as they were gazing at the shore. They were imagining the casualties of a nuclear war occurring at that moment. This is the horror you cannot take your eyes away from. This is the way I experience music through the Yggdrasil, unable to look away, unable to un-feel what is expressed, in both a good and a bad way. It takes me by the hand, to foreign lands, wherever the music floats me.

    I know I wasn't asked about the Chord, but those are the three best DACs I own, each in close price proximity: Qutest, Onxy, and Yggdrasil
     
  11. Magnetostatic_Tubephile

    Magnetostatic_Tubephile Friend

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    The part above underlined by me describes Onyx very well. The DAC is in no way fuzzy, muddy or otherwise distorted but, at the same time, it does not sound artificial or gimmicky. Therefore Onyx simply does not draw attention to itself.

    The downside of that approach for some (me included) might be that such gear usually takes some time to fully appreciate. Onyx simply may not be "fleshy" enough to score when compared rather briefly to something like modern Sabre DACs or even Yggdrasil.
     
  12. sahmen

    sahmen New

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    Okay guys I have an issue I need help with. I have an Yggdrasil Analog 1, which I have just shipped back to Schiit Audio to get the Analog 2 upgrade. I also have a Metrum Hex, that is meant for a second rig, that I do not use as often as my reference rig, but with the Yggdrasil temporarily absent, the Metrum Hex is now in the reference system, and I am enjoying it as much as I always have... I know it sounds a little different from the Yggdrasil, but I enjoy each of them for what they can give, and I normally don't try to do head-to-head comparisons between them...

    Now here is the problem... I have the opportunity to trade the Hex up for an Onyx.. for half the price of Onyx (I mean that if I accept the deal, I will have to give up my Hex to the dealer, and get the Onyx for a little under half the price of the Onyx)... Now I have never heard any of the newer Metrum DACs before (I'm not familiar with the sound of the Onyx, Jade, Pavane or Adagio), so I do not know how different they sound, as compared to Metrum Hex, or how much of an upgrade they'll represent... I have of course read all the reviews, which almost unanimously claim that the Onyx/Jade/Pavane etc etc sound better, but I would know anything about that, and until I do, I have been adopting the "ignorance is bliss" attitude

    Make no mistake, I do ordinarily enjoy my Hex a lot already, which is why I have been hesitating, because I simply do not know what I am missing by not upgrading (or if I am missing anything at all)... My question is whether I should get the upgrade on these terms or not..., and whether the difference in sq will be worth my while. I guess you could say I like the NOS sound...

    I also enjoy my Yggdrasil a lot, and I am looking forward to the getting it back with the Analog 2 upgrade in order to find out how it sounds... In the meantime, I have this Hex to Onyx trade-up issue to settle, and would like to tap the collective wisdom of the forum for advice... Of course, if I do not do the trade up, I get to keep the Hex and use the bucks for something else, but I wouldn't want to miss out on the sound of Onyx, if it does represent a worthwhile upgrade...

    Any helpful thoughts would be welcome.
     
  13. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    I think their latest gen DACs are well worth the upgrade, across the board.
     
  14. sahmen

    sahmen New

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    Thanks... I just saw your post in the other thread, where I mentioned the Menuet... I think you're right about the Menuet... It looks I like I shall soon have an Onyx in the house...
     
  15. Thegabe

    Thegabe New

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    I'm coming up on 6 months with my Onyx. I'm bobbing my head so hard to the beat right now its hard to type this out. I've had most of "the Schiits", and a few of the 9028s, but the Onyx just sounds right - its presentation is just so natural. Detailed, but not artificially sharp. While some may dislike the NOS signature treble roll-off, I really like it because I tend to fatigue quite easily with extended treble. And, I also like how physically compact it is.

    I definitely agree with @sheldaze when he said "a lot of musical information presented, while allowing not forcing me to absorb". If I'm working, I just do my thing and occasionally tap my foot as the tracks fly by. But occasionally I stay up late to get some critical listening time. That's when I turn up the volume a notch, focus on the music, and just get totally sucked in. Once in a while I swap back in another DAC for kicks, but I just keep going back to the Onyx. That Metrum Kool-Aid is pretty good.
     
  16. damaged-goods

    damaged-goods Acquaintance

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    Does anybody know how the Onyx compared to the Pavane Level 1 (or Level 3)?
    This thing is so tempting. :)
     
  17. Arun

    Arun New

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    Just look at the gear on display here. Makes me feel like a novice. So much articulation about music. My journey of Audio Craziness started with a Technics turntable, a Marantz receiver (there were 2 pieces, so I am assuming that this was the preamp and amp) and Sansui speakers belonging to my uncle. Time consumed this setup and replaced it with a Fisher and later on, a Sony Hi Fi system and the LPs with cassettes and later on CDs. Since I started earning, I have been on the search for the sound of the Technics turntable. Not having guidance, I started off with the usual suspects, first Klipsch and then Bose which are the common premium audio systems available in India. While I was happy with them, I had always felt that music was sharper and various instruments kind of overlapped each other with these systems. Somehow they always felt artificial especially with acoustic instruments and vocals. I could feel this as I attend a lot of live Indian classical music performances and Indian cinema song performance by singers (called ganamelas - literally meaning song festivals) and the closest proximation of these hall performances was by the long lost system of my uncle. The search continued and the Bose was replaced by a pair of Tannoy Reveal 502s which is when I felt I was reaching somewhere. The sound started becoming more precise with these studio monitors and I quickly went through a series of audio interfaces starting with Presonus, then an Audient and finally an Antelope. While the music continued becoming more and more precise, there was no life to it. The small intonations and variations which is palpable in a live performance, was simply not there. PSI Audio monitors replaced the Tannoys and sound became even more articulate. These monitors gave me one of the most precise imaging and detailing without being too sharp. However, still very less body to the music. It is then that I started paying attention to dedicated DACs. The first DAC I bought was an Audioquest for my headphones (Beyerdynamic DT770). There it was, some of the life breathed into music. I started researching like mad on DACs and auditioned Chord Mojo (owned by a friend of mine), PS Audio DS junior and a Marantz HD DAC1. Terminilogies like DS, NOS, OS, FPGA, R2R, MB mean little to me.The only thing I gathered is that with a few exceptions, R2R FPGA chips provide a more life like expression of music than DS and this became evident from the ones that I had auditioned. PS and Chord were definitely much more closer to that old Technics vinyl. PS was out of my league and I could afford budget a little more than Mojo. After a lot of research, I shorlisted Qutest, Gungnir MB and RME ADI 2 DAC(supposedly a very good DS implementation) . It was then that Metrum announced its entry into India. I have been following this company through forums like SBAF, but it was previously unavailable in India. My original intent was to buy the Amethyst. But I decided I will strap my belt tighter for a few months and went in for the Jade. The set came in last week. Despite itching to play it off the shelf, I plugged it in and kept it on for 3 days before I started playing it. I immediately knew that I was in presence of something special. The music wrapped me. The vocals became more lifelike, acoustic instruments acquired that timbre and the background music..ah well, this has to be one of the darkest backgrounds I have heard. The missing body of music came back. But the interesting thing is that the sound is, for lack of a better word, soft. All the details are there if you look at it, but presented in a very subtle way.I was in presence of my beloved Technics, something which I felt palpably when I auditoned the PS Audio also. But this was a fraction of that price and the best part was the I need not spend money for a separate preamp. As each day passes by, the presentation gets a little more volume and presence. In a mail which I received from Anjo of Metrum, he had stated that this DAC would take atleast 3 weeks to sound at its best. So I am enjoying the journey now. I have since invested in a pair of decent XLR cables and a power cord which made the background even more darker. Sorry for the long post, couldn't help sharing this with you guys as you are one of the reason why I bought Jade and I would like to thank you all for it. I don't have the vocabulary that you guys have to express my feelings in a short para, so I took a slighlty long winded route.
     
  18. zach915m

    zach915m MOT: ZMF Headphones

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    The Pavane has more "space" and feels like a wider stage, it's a little more ethereal. For all intensive purposes the timbre is the same, and vocals feel a touch more forward on the Onyx. There's a touch more weight to the sound with the Pavane and micro/macro detail is slightly better represented.

    To be honest though, I use the Onyx as my personal choice 95% of the time, it's just so good, and the size is much more manageable. As far as Sonics, it's so good that those last slight percentages you get from Pavane may not be worth the price unless you have the space for a much bigger unit.
     
    Last edited: Oct 17, 2018
  19. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    [​IMG]

    You don’t have to have any special vocabulary to use line/paragraph breaks. It will make your posts easier and more appealing for others to want to read.
     
  20. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    Metrum Onyx DAC review (2-channel).


    Setup
    Chain is: SOtM SMS-200ultra > Eitr > DACs > Freya > Vidar > ATC SCM19 v2 or Dynaudio Special Forty. Volume was level matched within 0.2 dB when switching between DACs, and the same interconnects (balanced) and digital cables were used between this and the other 3 DACs I compared it to: Schiit Gumby1, Gungnir Multibit A2 and Yggdrasil A2. It was compared at various times over a 3 month period. I left the Onyx powered up for a week before I started to do any serious comparing.

    The reason I used Eitr, and not straight USB, is because the USB input on the Onyx was not very good. It sounded worse than I recall the Schiit Gen 2 USB sounding. It was strident and rough, with plenty of digititis compared to Gen 5 USB at least. I believe Metrum tout this as an M2tech implementation, but if they think this is a good USB implementation, they’re wrong. I believe this is an early version of the DAC (I purchased it used) so perhaps it has improved since then. But on this version, definitely use the SPDIF or AES inputs.

    Sound
    Compared to the Schiit DACs, the best word to describe the Onyx would be “dense”.

    The Metrum is more tonally dense than the Schiit DACs with excellent timbre and harmonics. Acoustic instruments really sing on this DAC. Piano sounds like real piano with great percussive dynamics and strong tonality. Acoustic guitars and pianos as individual instruments sound better on this DAC than the Schiits. Unfortunately it also has much denser staging, with less instrument separation and layering than the Schiits.

    Tonally I would say it’s pretty neutral with a bit of warmth. It has great blackground, on par or better than Gungnir Multibit A2, but not quite as good as Yggdrasil A2 (but close). Definitely better than Gumby1.

    Yes there is some NOS roll off, but not overtly so. Less rolloff than I recall with the Holo Spring L3, although my setup has changed a fair bit since then, so I can’t say for certain. I wouldn’t call it a “sweet” top end like the Spring either, just not as extended as OS DACs. This makes bright or harsher recordings a little easier to listen to with less fatigue overall.

    Of the 3 Schiit DACs, the Onyx is closest to the Gungnir Multibit A2 with similar tonality and dryness, although Onyx may be slightly wetter than the G2. However Gungnir Multibit is just waaay more open. Larger soundstage in every direction: width, height and depth. The G2 gives each instrument its own space with better layering of instruments and vocals. It also gives you far more sounds of the recording space. Onyx narrows everything down to a bubble between the speakers. It’s much harder to follow individual instruments during complex passages than on Gungnir Multibit, and things can start to get a bit mashed together. Everything just seems more 1-dimensional on the Onyx. Bass was similar between the Onyx and G2, with the Onxy having maybe a bit more punch in the mid bass, but the Schiit sounding like it went a bit lower.

    Speaker matching
    As far as speaker pairings, it didn’t complement either of my speakers well unfortunately- with the ATCs it was nice on the top end because of the rolloff - it took the edge off harsher recordings, which the ATCs can be a bit brutal with. However the staging was really, really small, especially since the ATCs don’t create a large stage to begin with, they need a DAC that is more open.

    The Dynaudio S40s present a much bigger stage normally, but on this DAC it was still not very big. But the real issue was the lack of sparkle and bite on the top end when the recording called for it - the S40s are already a bit rolled off and forgiving in the highs, so the Onyx didn’t complement it (damping the highs too much).

    Conclusion
    I love the dense tonality of this DAC, but I just couldn’t get past the closed-in nature of the staging, and lack of separation and layering that you get with the Schiit DACs. It also didn’t have much in the way of decay or microplankton like you get with all the Schiit DACs (but especially YggyA2) that really lets you hear the recording space and the air around people and instruments. In addition to the small staging, vocals and most of the midband are more forward on the Onyx than The G2, which is even more forward than YggyA2, so it’s quite forward and you feel like the performers are right in front of you. That may or may not be a good thing depending on your preference.

    If Metrum could just open up and push back the staging of this DAC (a lot), and add a bit more of the microdetails and atmosphere, I might even prefer it over Gungnir Multibit or Yggdrasil. It serves up some really tasty tones. Maybe if I had a larger room and could pull my speakers further apart (and sit further back) I wouldn’t notice it as much - my room is 11’ x 17’ for context.

    I’ve heard (and Zach reiterated above) that the Pavane is a more open version of the Onyx - which theoretically sounds great. But I will probably never hear it or own it, because it’s just way too expensive for what I’m willing to pay for a DAC. Maybe the Onyx would be a great DAC on headphones, if staging is not that critical to you, but on speakers I find the staging, separation and microdetails to be lacking.
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2018

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