Metrum Acoustics Pavane DAC listening impressions

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by jexby, May 15, 2016.

  1. skem

    skem Friend

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    With respect to replacing the Lundahl iron in Pavane/Adagio with something else....
    I happened to have a pair of the newish Hammond 140UEX laying around, which looked promising given their 80% nickel cores. The spec-sheet measurements are useless for comparison to CineMag, but I thought, what the heck, let’s try them on the Adagio and see.

    Wired up after a 6ft balanced-cable run, right at the 47kΩ input of my Pass XA25; the Hammond transformers were in many ways more lively than Metrum’s built-in Lundahl LL1540, but distorted. These did not last long
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2021
  2. skem

    skem Friend

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    For SE usage, I found Metrum Adagio sounds better just using half the DACs and skipping the output transformer completely. Pavane and Adagio are either case 4 or 6, depending on your amp.
    From https://crookwood.com/blog/dealing-with-unbalanced-gear-in-the-studio/

    There are 6 cases for connecting balanced and unbalanced without a transformer:

    1. Connecting mains floating unbalanced outputs to mains grounded balanced inputs.
    2. Connecting mains grounded unbalanced outputs to mains grounded balanced inputs.
    3. Connecting floating balanced outputs to floating unbalanced inputs.
    4. Connecting hard balanced outputs to floating unbalanced inputs.
    5. Connecting floating balanced outputs to mains grounded unbalanced inputs.
    6. Connecting hard balanced outputs to mains grounded unbalanced inputs.
    In all these cases, follow these basic rules:
    1. Always use balanced cable ( two internal wires, a hot wire and cold wire, plus a separate screen).
    2. If you’re wiring to a stereo jack, use two balanced cables, not one.
    3. At the unbalanced end, always connect the hot wire to the output or input pin, and the cold wire to the ground pin.
    4. At the balanced end, connect the hot wire to the hot pin (XLR pin 2), and the cold wire to the cold pin (XLR pin 3) – unless it’s a hard balanced output, in which case connect it to the shield pin (XLR pin 1).
    The following tells you how to connect the cable screens.

    1. Connecting floating unbalanced outputs to balanced inputs
    • At the unbalanced output, do not connect the shield to anything.
    • At the balanced input, connect the screen wire to the screen pin ( XLR pin 1).
    • At the balanced input also link the XLR pin 3 to pin 1.
    Note: the unbalanced gear will get it’s ground via the cold wire and connection at the mains grounded input. This configuration maximises the RF protection.

    2. Connecting mains powered unbalanced outputs to balanced inputs
    • At the unbalanced output, connect the screen wire to the input ground pin, together with the cold wire.
    • At the balanced input, do not connect the screen wire to anything.
    Note: the unbalanced gear will get it’s ground via the mains, so you want to separate the ground loop. Connect the screen at the unbalanced gear for maximum RF protection.

    3. Connecting floating balanced outputs to floating unbalanced inputs
    • At the unbalanced input, do not connect the screen wire to anything.
    • At the balanced output, connect the screen wire to the screen pin ( XLR pin 1).
    • At the balanced output, also short together pin 1 and pin 3 together on the output XLR.
    Note: shorting together pin 1 an 3 together on the floating output forces the output to float properly.

    4. Connecting hard balanced outputs to floating unbalanced inputs
    • At the unbalanced input, do not connect the screen wire to anything.
    • At the balanced output, connect the screen wire to the screen pin ( XLR pin 1).
    • At the balanced output, leave XLR pin 3 unattached – the cold wire should be attached to the screen pin ( XLR pin 1).
    Note: leaving pin 3 floating lets the hard balanced circuit work properly.

    5. Connecting floating balanced outputs to mains grounded unbalanced inputs
    • At the unbalanced input, connect the screen wire to the input ground pin.
    • At the balanced output, do not connect the screen wire to anything.
    Note: the floating output stage will get it’s ground reference from the unbalanced ground pin.

    6. Connecting hard balanced outputs to mains grounded unbalanced inputs
    • At the unbalanced input, connect the screen wire to the input ground pin.
    • At the balanced output, connect the screen wire to the screen pin ( XLR pin 1).
    • At the balanced output, leave XLR pin 3 unattached – the cold wire should be attached to the screen pin ( XLR pin 1).
    Note: leaving pin 3 floating lets the hard balanced circuit work properly, and by connecting the grounds at both ends, you maximise RF rejection and minimise hum.
     
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2020
  3. MyPetSasquatch

    MyPetSasquatch Friend

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    Bringing this thread back to life. I've been living with the Bifrost 2 for 10 months now and still think it might be the DAC bargain of the decade, but I happened upon a Pavane L3 for sale over the weekend for what seemed like a no-brainer price and jumped on it. I previously owned a L1 in addition to Onyx, PS Audio DirectStream, a Hugo TT and Hugo 2, RME ADI-2, Gungnir Multibit A1 etc. and always thought the Metrum DACs were among the best of the bunch, so hopefully my memory isn't romanticizing my time with the Pavane L1.

    Are there any happy L3 owners around, or has everyone moved on from their Pavanes? It seems that Metrum is back in business with Cees taking over the reins again.
     
  4. lehmanhill

    lehmanhill Almost "Made"

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    I'm a happy Pavane L3 owner. I bought it last December, used of course, and think it is the very best I have heard. I keep comparing it to other dacs; SFD-1, Onyx, Hands DIY AD1862 dac, and the EC Design MOS16. The first three of those are fine dacs and the MOS16 isn't bad after converting it to coax, but the Pavane remains my favorite. It just seems that little bit better than the others at reproducing the quieter passages and at clearly placing different instruments. I think the DIY dac has at least as good bass slam, but the Pavane does very well there too. I plan on keeping mine a long time.

    By the way, as I understand it, Cees was involved with resurrecting Metrum, but he won't be the designer. Apparently, he is going to keep being the designer at Sonnett and a new designer will be hired at Metrum.

    A side note, I have been following the discussion of the Morpheus and Metrum alternatives between sahmen and earnmyturns in the Sonnett Morpheus thread (page 9). I came away thinking that the Morpheus leans a little toward the Yggdrasil and decided that I am happy that I bought the last/best Cees Metrum rather than Morpheus. Not that one is better than another, but that the Pavane is on target for my tastes.

    Jac
     
  5. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

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    Was it the one at < $3000?
     
  6. TonyNewman

    TonyNewman Validated by Tyll removing Utopia from WOF

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    The L3 upgrade (to Adagio level) was key IMHO. Prior to that the Pavane was a little lacking in punch and slam - otherwise an excellent DAC. L3 fixed this. I love my L3 Pavane, using I2S feed from an Ambre. I see no need to mess with it.
     
  7. MyPetSasquatch

    MyPetSasquatch Friend

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    Yep, he was selling for $2950 but I made him an offer for $2800 all-in and he accepted. I haven't changed out any gear since the Bifrost 2 last year, so I'm not sure if the pandemic has affected used market prices, but that seemed like a steal considering what L3s were going for a year ago. Let me know if that has changed and it wasn't as good as I think it is haha. I think I remember the Pavane L1 was going for the $2k-$2500 region.

    Ahhh that makes sense. I'm glad Cees was involved in the resurrection of Metrum even if he isn't the main designer. I had read about the Sonnet as well but it sounds like the Pavane I remember is probably more up my alley in terms of sound signature.
     
  8. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

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    It was a terrible deal. They go for $2000 now on the used market... To help a friend, I will buy it from you for $2300 so you can recoup some $$$.

    Now that your heart stopped, I can reveal the above was a joke: $2800 is a great deal for a L3! :p
     
  9. MyPetSasquatch

    MyPetSasquatch Friend

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    Always such a selfless friend! |\/|

    Glad to know that nearly a year away from the used audio market didn't have me making a poor purchase haha. The pandemic situation has been so bizarre that I'm seeing a lot fewer classifieds, but in general prices haven't seemed to drop at all. I figured there would have been a flood of used gear available but I guess not.
     
  10. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

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    People at this gear level are privileged and can afford to keep them, despite what's going on, maybe?
     
  11. MyPetSasquatch

    MyPetSasquatch Friend

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    Yep, without getting too deep there are definitely specific industries and jobs that have been decimated, and a lot of us with expensive setups are much less likely to work in those industries. It's sad that so many people through no fault of their own are suddenly scraping to make ends meet or draining their savings.

    On that uplifting note the L3 should be here tomorrow. I'm excited to get it set up. I'll report back with some impressions once it's properly warmed up.
     
  12. lithiumnk

    lithiumnk Acquaintance

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    Hi
    I got my Pavane L3 i2s in Nov'18 & still have it. I don't have much experience with other dacs especially schiit. I am using modded ambre i2s( rpi 4b 4gb + custom linux).
    I have experimented with source/clocking/power with very good results. i2s sounds the best imo(never tried AES though).
    I have no intention to change. I really like the dense, full bodied, expansive, airy 3d sound with black bckgrnd. The vocals have a physical presence.The attack of transients & the decay is very diff from other DS/OS dacs. One downside for me is that I have to keep it on 24/7 for the best results. I have recently made permanent arrangements for this. It was worth it.
    Still a lot of work is left on source/power side before I "upgrade". I feel pavane has a lot to offer. I have only tried it in a treated 2ch room once. It sounded very good to me.

    Cheers
     
  13. MyPetSasquatch

    MyPetSasquatch Friend

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    Yeah in general I've heard R2R and multibit DACs need to be temperature stable for best performance, and from memory the L1 definitely sounded a little "tight" before it warmed up. I have my entire setup on sinewave UPS's (both just plain jane CyberPower consumer brand, but better than nothing) so my plan is to keep it on 24/7 like I do with all the DACs I've had through the house.

    I'm really excited to hear the L3. The Bifrost 2 has been great for the price, but there definitely is a performance step up with the Metrum DACs I've owned in the past (and the DirectStream, less so with the Chord DACs as I tended to find them sounding smooth and liquid but also a bit bass-light and thin). I'm really looking forward to getting a "bigger" sound with the L3, so hopefully it delivers.
     
  14. lithiumnk

    lithiumnk Acquaintance

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    I am using Vertiv (emerson) Liebert 1kva gxt MT + CT online UPS. The power in my apartment is very bad (fluctuations & voltage swings). I made a dedicated dual socket (220v/16A) using 10awg/6sq mm N & L wires and 2.5 sqmm ground from the UPS output. Digital & analog are connected separately. No power conditioner in the chain.

    Btw I had hugo2 before pavane. After trying onyx, I sold my hugo2. Never going to chord land even after trying maxed out hms/dave.
     
  15. MyPetSasquatch

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    I've had the L3 up and running for a couple hours now in my 2 channel setup. It's not fully warmed up but I'll provide some initial impressions.

    There was a bit of a weirdness with the voltage on the back showing a non-US voltage, but the seller was super quick and excellent with response saying that the prior owner said it was purchased directly from Metrum as a demo unit and switched to a US voltage at the factory. Hopefully the prior Metrum owners kept good records as I reached out to Metrum to verify with the serial number. However, it appears to be working fine and sounds lovely so far.

    Immediate things I noticed compared to the Bifrost 2:

    - Much "bigger" sound with the Metrum. The soundstage is definitely more intimate putting you much closer to the performers with the Metrum. It's more forward than I remember the L1 being, with the staging being more similar to what I remember out of the Onyx, but without the odd "wrap-around" feeling on the left and right extremes I got with the Onyx.

    - The BF 2 sounded a lot thinner through the entire frequency range except for the bass. This is a thicker NOS sound for sure with the Metrum. The tonality is also thicker and much more even on the Pavane. There was a bit of an uneven tone through the upper mids on the Bifrost, and I'm guessing it's partially due to what others here have referred to as a "sheen" in that DAC's treble.

    - Imaging on the Schiit was much more defined with more air. Each instrument had sharper edges, probably reflecting a sharper transient response that's very apparent in listening. The Metrum does layering better though, and the sound is taller and wider ("bigger" as I mentioned before) with the Schiit having instruments localized on sort of a straight left-to-right plane that was more fixed between the speakers without much height.

    In general I'll have to wait a couple days with 24/7 play to see if the sound and imaging evolve as the temperature stabilizes in the Metrum. So far I'm really enjoying it. The bass is tighter than I remember in the L1 and that NOS touch of lushness and thickness really has me nodding my head along with the music.
     
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2020
  16. lithiumnk

    lithiumnk Acquaintance

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    Metrum support told me that few weeks are reqd for pavane to settle after a cold start. It is better to leave it on 24/7. Please see that in standby mode ONLY the front panel is powered.
    What streamer/DDC are you using? Try to use i2s/AES if possible.
     
  17. MyPetSasquatch

    MyPetSasquatch Friend

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    Yeah I keep all my DACs on 24/7. I actually didn't even realize there was a standby mode. I'm assuming that's if I have the mains switch on in the back but the front power button is "off"?

    I have a little NUC I built in a fanless case as a Roon ROCK server feeding the L3 directly with USB but plan to grab an Ambre to try that out in the future.
     
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2020
  18. lithiumnk

    lithiumnk Acquaintance

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    Yes. In standby mode, there is subtle red light encircling the front power button.
     
  19. lehmanhill

    lehmanhill Almost "Made"

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    A couple of thoughts on input and output. Naturally, all of these are just my opinion.

    - Metrum USB isn't their strong suit. In my opinion, USB is the worst input on the Pavane. I obtained an i2s module and replaced the USB very quickly.

    - Coax input is good, the XLR AES input is noticeably better and, as lithiumnk said, the i2s is the best. If you are considering moving from the NUC USB input, consider a Raspberry Pi 3 with a Pi2AES hat and the RJ45 add-on to the Pi2AES for buffered i2s. With free software, you get a streamer controlled by your phone and excellent quality on Coax, XLR, and RJ45 (i2s) for about $200. Check out https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/dummies-guide-to-pi2aes-throw-away-your-pc-or-laptop.8878/

    - If you can, use the balanced output of the Pavane. The way that they converted the balanced signal to single ended (coax output) is a bigger step down than I think it should be. The Onyx is a clear step down for balanced output, but the coax is closer than it should be to the Pavane. Of course, even playing coax out, the Pavane is a good sounding dac, but its better balanced.
     
  20. lithiumnk

    lithiumnk Acquaintance

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    As far as I know the i2s module for pavane/adagio is different from onyx/jade.
    Also, the impedance on i2s module is 100ohms(source sonnet audio website).

    "Actually this format(i2s) was made for internal use and not able to drive long data lines. Sonnet is using a kind of data transport based on the typical impedance of a standard UTP cable. By using this technology it is important that both transmitter and receiver is made for this quite heavy load of 100 Ohms. As a result lengths of 30 meters between source and receiver can be used without loss and jitter."

    I am not sure if pi2aes has the proper impedance configurations as Metrum module. Same goes for singxer su6 & denafrips DDC which have rj45 based i2s.

    Only Ambre & Hermes has impedance matching i2s.
     

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