Sonnet Audio Morpheus

Maybe it’s just me, but I feel that the Morpheus makes notable sacrifices in drive for a smidge of delicacy, particularly with its single-ended outputs lacking the output transformers of the Pavane, which in guises from the L1 to L3 sounds considerably better to me than the Morpheus. I also do not notice a marked decline in resolving power between the Morpheus and Pavane L3, but would argue it is modestly higher in resolution than the L1. I have only used the balanced outs on the above DACs, and - as ever - ymmv. I welcome the cost benefits of the Sonnet line , and I’ll be excited for Sonnet to release a flagship DAC that reconciles the best of both worlds but am sticking with the L3 for now.

@transience 
Your comment in another thread about Metrum Acoustics closing shop is correct according to this....
https://metrumacoustics.com/
Like a marriage, when SHTF only those involved in the marriage can figure out what really happened, and there are usually two sides to the story.
However, as a former Pavane L3 owner and current Adagio owner (and Jade, and Ambre, and baby Ambre) I can say without reservation that my dealings with Cees Ruijtenberg have been some of the most pleasurable I have had in my years in this audio hobby.  I am also glad Cees said he would help support Metrum Acoustics products if needed.   
The posting on Metrum's website sounds like sour grapes and was probably more of an emotional response than a tactical marketing response, which is usually a bad idea.  They had an excellent component line-up, solid customer base, and probably could have ridden the wave for awhile if they had only continued providing the stellar customer service I had received from Cees.  However, my great customer service experiences with Metrum were all with Cees directly.  If he was designing the products, overseeing manufacturing, and taking the lead on customer service, I can see where that would lead to overload and a need for a change in venue.  Pure speculation on my part.
Whether the Morpheus is better than the Pavane L3 or Adagio, I wouldn't know since I unfortunately have not heard the Morpheus.  I have been trying to decide whether I need a DAC in my living room, which is mostly set up with unobtrusive HT gear.  Actually, I am trying to find an excuse to purchase a Morpheus but haven't reached that point yet.  I do know the Pavane L3/Adagio are the best in digital that I have had in my system, which includes some very good CD players and DACs by Lampizator and Ayre.  They are quite natural sounding and have excellent drive.  However, I have consistently preferred the Adagio through my SMc Buffer rather than amp-direct.  I would really like to hear the Morpheus since some have spoken about how it fleshes out the sound more than the Pavane L3 or Adagio.  It is difficult for me to get my head around how the Pavane/Adagio have clearly superior chassis, more substantial power supplies, and use of separate boards, yet the fairly pedestrian Morpheus apparently at least matches if not improves on the sound of those two former Metrum flagship DACs, designed by the same person as the Morpheus.  However, all the positive reviews can't be horse hockey pucks so there must be some truth.  I am content to keep my Adagio until I can try and directly compare a Morpheus or the next higher level DAC Cees may reportedly be working on in his spare time. 

@mitch2 i share those sentiments entirely. Cees has accomplished so much with both Metrum and Sonnet. I simply wanted to weigh into provide a user’s direct experience, which tends to contradict the gushing reviews regarding the Sonnet’s purported sonic benefits. While it is a stupendous DAC offering a feature set and value proposition that outdoes what Metrum provided, I don’t yet feel that the sound is a universal improvement. I do feel it is better sound per pound and would recommend it for those seeking support from a solvent company. I urge everyone to hear what the Morpheus can do (which is quite extraordinary) but as a Pavane user who has explored the Sonnet Morpheus, and is willing to spend more and wait, I am anxious to see Cees scale the new heights I am certain Sonnet will achieve as it develops to a higher price point. Even now the Morpheus competes with Lampizator, PS Audio, and others, but I find the Pavane to be, bar none, the best digital audio converter I have ever heard in my system. Cees is a genius. 

I appreciate your comments on this thread.

I have never heard a Metrum DAC. For the last fives years or so I’ve been enjoying an Aesthetix Romulus Eclipse w/volume control and decided to try something new just for fun. So I purchased the Morpheus after researching as much as I could about it. As far as I know there are no dealers near me for an audition.

These two DACs have quite different sound signatures but I like them both. The Morpheus definitely has the upper hand in resolution and weight/punch, especially in the low end, while the Romulus has much better finesse and grace.
I’ve rolled the pairs of 12AX7 and 6922 tubes in the Romulus to my taste.

I’m currently using a Wadia 270SE transport with both DACs although I have other transports yet to try. Connected with 1.5m Shunyata Sigma XLR digital cable. Redbook only for now.
If Sonnet releases an upgraded DAC I would definitely consider a purchase.

There's a thread on 6Moons if you want to follow the development of the new Sonnet DAC, so far un-named. Not much information though.