Metrum Acoustics Pavane DAC listening impressions

Дом, милый дом

 

@drgumbybrain I hope you read the follow up responses by @Priidik and @Clemmaster to my original post about these non standard RCA to XLR cables. Proceed with caution.

 

DAC3 chips by Metrum

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2732247290320798&id=1455892664622940

 

Brand new (on loan) Pavane L3 listening impressions after two weeks burn in.

• If listening to music in a chain is a series of audio ingredients the Pavane has arguably the most significant flavour in the pot – so much so that it imparts its authority over the amp – this is especially true of the DSHA-3F (less so the BW2)
• That flavour is difficult to describe and I find myself going around in circles trying to find the right words – hyper-realism, photorealism, ultra HD all feel wrong – the Pavane isn’t like that, so I’ll just say: let’s say you really like a band and you’ve liked them for years and you go see them live for the first time – it’s like that.
• Outstanding micro data retrieval makes listening at low volume levels a markedly more satisfying experience – again especially true on the DSHA-3F where I found I was listening at higher volume levels to get my hits – on that point, volume is dangerously high at 11:00 on the DSHA-3F knob versus 14:00 from the Bifrost 2.
• Noticeably wide and deep sound stage with terrific placement, superb decay, layering and separation make for a cavernous and often wowing audio immersion – just stretches the serotonin out that big longer – again, this more so with DSHA-3F.
• I didn’t expect this but the low end carries huge authority and impact – e.g., the big drums in drum and bass, dark-side jungle or electro are almost jarring in their force (and I mean that as a compliment) – I remember reading some of the world’s military using sound as a weapon – you get the drift.
• Bass quality and quantity is increased – partly this is that NOS chiaroscuro but partly it’s just more and better – especially the texture – this also prevalent at low volume levels.
• In spite of all the micro and macro information and dazzling sense of space it has an uncanny ability to keep you bubbling with satisfaction – it’s never too much.

The not so good:

• It is absolutely huge - expect to rearrange wherever your rig is to incorporate it.
• Some tracks seem ever so slightly off – one is a recording from 1993 – will need to cross reference with Bifrost 2 but a sense of graininess in some of the drums – this might be too because it’s still at the two of four week burn in stage.
• The overall flavour of the Pavane won’t be for everyone – I can see why some will prefer the DS sound and an audition is an absolute pre-requisite to purchase – and an audition from a properly warmed up Pavane too – this one was noticeably grainy up until the 7-day mark and has relaxed somewhat since then. Unfortunately, I have to return this one this week so won't experience it at the double espresso 4-week mark.

Chain: Tidal -> Pi2AES -> AES -> Pavane L3 -> ECP DSHA-3F/BW2 -> Verite Open

 

Nice writeup! My DAC is an Adagio in a very similar chain, and I agree with almost everything you said about the sound. I do a decent amount of lower level listening and I never feel like I'm missing anything. I agree that it sounds better after warming up and keeping the temperature stable for awhile.

When I was auditioning DAC's a few years back I remember the PS Audio Directstream having a ridiculously large soundstage, very impressive in a way but it sounded a little artificial to me. Once I put the Adagio in, everything fell into place. Nothing is over-emphasized, there's a ton of detail but everything goes down easy.

 

If you want to get the absolute best out of the Pavane L3 I recommend the I2S chip (replaces the USB input). The SQ boost vs AES/USB was quite significant for me.

 

Has anyone tried Hqplayer upsampling into pavane/adagio ?
Please recommend what settings to use.
I can upsample upto 192/176.4khz due to rpi4 i2s limitation.
Is there any DDC which allows direct i2s rj45 connection without modding to pavane & supports upto 384/352.8khz ?

 

Isn’t Pavane I2S limited to 192Khz as well. But for DDC you can look into Singxer SU6 or Denafrips Iris/ Hermes/Gia or Audio Gd D20HE and if you are ok with AES then do add Gustard U18 to the list. Singxer is plug and play but for others you may have to get custom cable.
I do like HqPlayer with Schiit Bifrost 2 but with Sonnet and Metrum I am not so sure as I feel the sound gets too smooth. However I will keep trying various filters and noise shaper but with only 192Khz limit not all noise shaper provide good results.

 

I found mild benefits upsampling using PGGB 24 bit 192kHz.

 

The Pi2AES has buffered i2s output pins on the board. If you check with Michael Kelly at Pi2design he may still offer the little pcb that converts those pins to the Metrum RJ45 pinout. From there, any RJ45 cable will connect to the Metrum DAC, assuming your Pavane has the i2s module and not the USB module. If you are a DIY guy like me, you can just gets some female pin connectors, cut a RJ45 cable, and make your own cable direct to the pins on the Pi2AES. That's what I have been doing on my Pavane and Onyx for a couple of years.

I'm not sure how upsampling works with RPi. If you are upsampling in the RPi itself, it should work with the Pi2AES. I've never tried it.

Just curious, if you wanted upsampled music files, why wouldn't you upsample the files off line and save them as an upsampled file? That would take a lot of processing off the streaming RPi which should reduce background noise.

 

I’ve the rj45 module for pi2aes. @Michael Kelly confirmed about the max freq supported by pi2aes is 192khz for all outputs.
I'll be using hqplayer desktop for upsampling on my linux PC >pi2aes (Network Audio Adapter)> i2s rj45> pavane. I know that denafrips ddc rj45 i2s works with metrum but a custom cable is required & it supports upto 384khz.
Last resort is to install a customized HDMi i2s LVDS board instead of rj45 i2s board as explained on head phi thread & use conventional ddc like u18/su6 etc.

 

I think from 2018 onwards metrum abandoned the L2/L3 nomenclature. All new units came with L3 specs which support upto 384khz same as adagio. L2 upgrade was limited upto 192khz. Pavane upgrade program was launched in Q1'17.
Btw, my friend is using denafrips iris ddc rj45 i2s & metrum onyx with a customized cable. He has tried 384/352.8 files/upsampled stream with success.

 

I do have Onyx and I never realized it can take 384khz as I was not into upsampling until few months back. Although I do have I2S available but I mostly use AES. May be old habit

 

From the specs it is clear that both pavane & onyx supports upto 384khz via usb. The usb module is converting to i2s.

 

But to @Ksaurav402's system, AES/EBU only supports 192 in the Onyx specs.

Do you feel you get a useful improvement in sound at higher res? In my experience, upsampling sounds like oversampling in the dac. The sound gets a little bit more edgy or no perceivable change. After some experimenting, I have just left the files in their native resolution, usually 44k, 16 bit.

 

I'm thinking of making a custom cable to connect rj45 i2s to hdmi i2s. I've pi2aes (p3.3) as hdmi i2s source.
Has anyone tried this with success without harming the source/dac? If this works I can get gustard u18 to stream 384/352.8 directly.
Other option is to use rj45 i2s to HDMI i2s converter on aliE. The seller can make custom i2s sequence as well.

 

Unfortunately, I don't think you can connect RJ45 i2s to HDMI i2s. More knowledgeable folk,please jump in and correct me.

RJ45 i2s is the original i2s channels and is not a differential signal. HDMI is "low voltage differential signal" which means that the HDMI is kind of a balanced version of a digital signal to avoid common mode noise. It's not just as simple as changing the pinout of the cable. It looks like you will need to go to a ddc or a converter if you need to get 384.

 

There are two problems with this: 1) Pi2AES is limited to 192 PCM, hardware constraints on the Pi->Pi2AES interconnect; 2) as @lehmanhill said, I2S signal representation is different between typical HDMI and RJ-45 I2S wiring.

At some point, @Michael Kelly built a small rider board for the Pi2AES that delivers what Metrum DACs require, but still limited to 192 PCM. I actually own one of those that I no longer need, I'd be happy to give it away to a good home

 

Update:
I'm successfully using singxer su6 rj45 i2s/ pavane (20cm rj45 cable). With hqplayer embedded/roon on my linux server(Gentooplayer embedded x86/64 UEFI) & upsampling to 8x i.e. 384/24 the sound has changed by a good margin. Transients, airiness & micro detail/plankton retrieval are standout improvements. The density is a hair lighter but acceptable. Bass is more textured. Imaging & separation are better. In short, technicalities have improved but not at the cost of tone/timbre.
Chain: Linux server(Roon/HQPe/Diretta Host/Hdplex chassis/LPS) > RPI4 (hdplex lps) roon endpoint (Diretta target/ Gentooplayer) > Singxer su6 rj45 i2s > Pavane (XLR TO RCA cables by benchmark) > Magni Piety>Agd Audion> Kairos BS speakers.
I'll update the impressions after I receive my tube preamp (Herron VTSP 360 Reference).

 

Are the improvements listed in your post from changing over from the Ambre I2s feed to the SU6 I2s feed? I am a little confused on the context (my fault).