Octave

About the Octave

The Metrum Octave is a NOS DAC designed by Metrum Acoustics featuring 8 industrial DAC chips working in parallel (4 per channel) originally intended for non-audio industrial applications, providing a unique sound signature characterized by warmth, smoothness, and a natural analogue-like tonality. It uses no digital oversampling or filtering, resulting in a clean, detailed soundstage with considerable depth and minimal artefacts. The DAC has a heavy 15VA internal power supply with dual toroidal transformers and extensive power supply smoothing via 26 capacitors totaling 12,000 uF, ensuring low noise and high channel separation. The output stage is direct, with no buffering, resulting in an output impedance of approximately 82Ω. Inputs include optical and coaxial S/PDIF, with USB available as an option in later Mk2 versions, supporting up to 192 kHz sample rates. The DAC outputs a standard 2 Vrms line level with a slew rate of 35 V/μS, THD below 0.04%, and jitter less than 40 ps. The Octave is praised for its fast, glitch-free performance, excellent bass definition, and a sound that matures after a few weeks of use. It is housed in a compact anodized silver alloy case and often paired with an external power supply unit. The Mk2 version integrates the DAC and USB input board into a single box and includes a modified HiFace USB receiver with isolated power supply to reduce noise. The Octave is regarded as a high-value, game-changing DAC in its price range, delivering a musical and transparent listening experience without digital harshness or smearing.