Yamamoto YDA 01 DAC

I use the Metrum Octave with an Audiophilleo2, and Amarra 2.3.
Inititially, it was a bit bright, but not sibilant. I like the sound a lot. It is very clear, rich and detailed, with slam. Bass is excellent. Most importantly, the sound doe not fatigue. This was still an issue with the Weiss Dac2 for me. It sounds much different compared to an traditional NOS dac such as the Ack Dac or the Promitheus Dac. They sound constricted in comparision, creating a sense of coziness at the expense of resolution and transparency. I would not describe the sound as lush or rich, rather as neutral and very fast.

Charles1dad: so sorry to hear that. That's frustrating! Will continue to look forward to your comments.

B_mueller: thanks for chiming in. Are you running preamp-less and with Amarra? Looking at your past threads I see you have had your fair share of experience with good DACs. Have you ever heard a Bryston BDA-1? It is good to see you describe the sound as detailed when you are coming from the Weiss. When people describe as non-fatiguing I can't help wonder if this is at the expense of detail resolution. I see it's not the case here - great news!
BTW, does your Octave have the 7 or 14VA power supply?

Thanks for sharing your early impressions. So far most new owners of the Metrum Octave seem to confirm Srajan Ebaen`s conclusion, exceptional transparency,detail and resolution coupled with fully fleshed out tone density,body and ease, That`s a tough act to pull off usally.

I run without preamp, directly into Nuforce 9SE V3. The Metrum is with a 14VA powersupply. Non-fatiguing is definitively not at the expense of detail. Initially, there was almost too much detail, detracting somewhat from what Sarjan might call "Gestalt" - but with time, the brightness settles, and the tome becomes more balanced, maybe even "lush". I have listened but not critically compared the RWA Isabella (this includes preamp), Nuforce HDP, Ack Dac, Promitheus Dac and Weiss Dac2. Those are all good products. The Metrum however is in a different league. I have not listened to other acclaimed products, such as PDX, Lampizator, Bryston etc. I have to admit, I am not pursuing the "holy grail", but want have a system where I can completely relax and forget about equipment (which is hard enough to get...). A long time ago, I used an Alphason Sonata with a Garrott P87 cartridge, Spectral DMC12 and DMA50 into Quad ESL63. I was happy then, and I am now. I hope it will last.

what a nice "metrum" thread
have ordered one as well but helas, only last week ..

Charles1dad what a bummer. what a stupid mistake of the post
My condolences..

Happy indeed you did not sell yr Yamamoto...