Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

Thanks for the feedback.  Is there a link to the dealer as well as the DAC?  I'm lazy i guess, lol...thanks.

Nice review Marc. Your words pretty well mirror what I have been hearing for the past year of owning the Pavane. I don’t know whether it is an "absolute top tier dac" but it certainly makes listening fun. The combination of Pavane and Antipodes DX results in the best sounding source I have owned.

Not to get off track, but do you guys still play vinyl?  I got my Rhea up and working with my Basis TT and Benz Glider cart yesterday.  Cleaned the albums nicely and got the static off.  Honestly, it's still been better than digital by a hair.  I need to get a new server, but I am running Steve's totally rebuilt one with the Paul Hynes power supply and it sounds incredible through the OSDE/SE with the upgrades.  The Vinyl just has a more relaxed presentation and a much larger and better placed sound stage.  It's hard for me to describe.  I love digital though in that I can stream Tidal (once I get a unit to set that up on as I've kept the mac mini off the grid) etc...  On Sunday's I'll probably always listen to vinyl until the wife wakes up and I"ll put on digital to play all day long.

To ctsooner :

Sorry I really don't know who is the dealer for Metrum in US. I am canadian and my dealer is here... But I am pretty sure you can have information by contact directly Metrum (info@metrum-acoustics.nl).

About the Vinyl sound. I started my Audiophile life with vinyls records. When I discovered the RIAA curve (10 years after using vinyls), I realized that the vinyl sound is totally artificial because you need to apply an strong equilization to create a vinyl (to managed Bass impact) and apply a counter-equilization to listen correctly the record (it's the primary function for phono-preamp). 

It's always funny to ask to an Audiophile who spend a lot of money on turntable and phono-preamp : Do you want use a equalizer to correct the sound of your system. Everybody, without any exception says : Of course not ! I am an audiophile !

IMHO (and it's just my opinion, please don't jump on me) a lot of people are confused about Vinyl and Sound. Vinyl don't sound better than digital. The both are limited in terms of dynamique, frequencies, etc... If you use a good phono-preamp or a good DAC your sound should be good in the both case. I know a lot of people who have bad sound with vinyl records because their equipments are not good enough.

I think people like analog sound not vinyl sound. For me the real challenge is here : how to have a real relax, detail and warm analog sound.