HiFi Subjectivist ¦ Audio Forum ¦ NVA User Group

i have just continuity tested the spk cables and interconnects for this system again and they are all good i will check the component inters as i add source's on the initial chat with cees he say's they have nevr had any problems with amps . If the dac continues to check out then i will speak to him about having it returned so it has then to be tested by them then that rules that out .

It sounds like the victim is being set up as the villain yet again.

I could create an amp that could have virtually anything done to it and it would still work, but would it be NVA would it do what NVA does NO!

I am in the hands of other people who can say what they want, just like Wilson Benesch did with a speaker that failed just about every CE requirement yet I still get the blame. Do I have to insist on a £5 Chinese DAC with a £50 linear power supply is only one used with NVA, you would think at these ridiculous prices, they might make something worth while. Savvy has or had both the £5 one and the multi hundred / thousand daft ones and other have heard as well so they can comment. I am seriously getting pissed off with this industry the overpriced crap they make and the lies that are told to protect themselves.

Anyway as you see I am starting to fume, so AS I SAID it is better to let this drop until the DAC is checked out.

If it needs someone to hand a scope off the DAC and see if there are any nasties coming out, Cheshire is within reach of Halifax.

Thanks, Lazmo will PM you.

The Metrum Amethyst is the most musical DAC I've heard.

The £50 chinese combo is the best value musical DAC I've heard.

I've heard several DACs that weren't musical at all, including one with an rrp of over £3,000.

If I'm correct, the Amethyst is the model that replaced the Musette in the Metrum range. Their DAC technology is certainly orientated towards musicality rather than measurement/specs. And I will agree that some far more expensive DAC's do not sound half as good.

Best affordable DAC's that I have are the AQ Dragonfly Red, Fiio X3 and the Cambridge DacMagic 100 (with LPSU). All excellent v.f.m..
I'm intrigued by Schiit DACs as well, some also use NOS processing - and their prices are very competitive.

Fretless wrote: ↑Thu Dec 06, 2018 12:43 pm If I'm correct, the Amethyst is the model that replaced the Musette in the Metrum range.

I believe so.

They have a cheaper DAC out recently. Half the price of the Amethyst, IIRC.

Why spend stoooopid money when all you need to spend is £50. Not having heard this Metrum thingy I have to accept it *may* be better, for how much more money, is that justified, not for me. I have tried lots of DACs and the £50 one is musically better than any of those, and doesn't cause my amps to fail (apart from at the show when I lost a couple due to loose wire in the mains block to it).

Now that has brought up a point I have found that an intermittent or sparking mains connections to DACS causes them to throw out DC and other nasties.

Dr Bunsen Honeydew wrote: ↑Thu Dec 06, 2018 1:18 pm Why spend stoooopid money when all you need to spend is £50. Not having heard this Metrum thingy I have to accept it *may* be better, for how much more money, is that justified, not for me. I have tried lots of DACs and the £50 one is musically better than any of those...

It's an interesting one.

I have some time for Metrum. They make their own digital chips rather than buy them off the shelf. I assume there is a larger than average cost for them to do that. Their DACs are assembled in the Netherlands by colleagues who are being paid a fair wage. You can talk to their CTO. I have confidence in their safety management and build quality.

On the other hand...their site is a 'lot of marketing' and I imagine their margins are 'mainstream'.

Overall, I think they are in it for the right reasons. Is it a compromise? Yes, and , of course, you cannot compromise innocently.

I have a lot of time for Chord who also make their own chips. The Mojo was a significant step up from the AQ Dragonfly Black and likewise the Qutest from the Mojo. I am aware of diminishing returns and would not spend more on a DAC. The Qutest responds well to higher sample rates and the results are quite stunning at 192 khz. I am intrigued by the Mscaler which provides 706 and 768 sample rates. I would like to hear it in my system.

I think the AQ Dragonfly Red is a bargain for its portability as well as SQ. I am out a lot and would not be without it. Audio Player Pro resolves the Android volume issue.