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Reviewer:
Srajan Ebaen, Frederic Beudot & John Darko
Financial Interests: click here
Source:
27" iMac with 3.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, 16GB 1.333MHz RAM, 2TB hard disc, 256GB SSD drive, ADM Radeon HD 6970M with 2GB of GDDR5 memory, OSX 10.8.2, PureMusic 1.88a in hybrid memory play with pre-allocated RAM and AIFF files up to 24/192; Audirvana 1.4.1, April Music Eximus DP1, Esoteric/APL Hifi UX1/NWO-M w. Bakoon BPS-02 battery-powered Audiophilleo 2, Apple iPod Classic 160GB/AIFF, Cambridge Audio iD100
Preamp/Integrated: ModWright LS-100 with Psvane tubes, Esoteric C-03, Bent Audio Tap-X,
TruLife Audio Athena, Bakoon AMP-11R
Amplifier
: First Watt SIT1, FirstWatt SIT2, ModWright KWA100SE
Speakers: Aries Cerat Gladius, Boenicke Aud
io B10, Voxativ Ampeggio
Headphone amp: Bakoon AMP-11R
Headphones: ALO Audio-recabled Audeze LCD2, Sennheiser HD800, Beyerdynamic T1 and T5p, AKG K-702; HifiMan HE500 & HE6
Cables: Complete loom of Zu Audio Event,
KingRex uArt USB cable with Bakoon BPS-02
Stands:
Artesania Esoteric double-wide 3-tier with TT glass shelf, Rajasthani solid hardwood console for amps
Powerline conditioning: GigaWatt PF2
on amps,GigaWatt PC-3 SE Evo on front-end components

Sundry accessories: Extensive use of Acoustic System Resonators, noise filters and phase inverters
Room size: 5m x 11.5m W x D, 2.6m ceiling with exposed wooden cross beams every 60cm, plaster over brick walls, suspended wood floor with Tatami-type throw rugs. The listening space opens into the second storey via a staircase and the kitchen/dining room are behind the main listening chair. The latter is thus positioned in the middle of this open floor plan without the usual nearby back wall.
Review Component Retail: €2.185 for the base version, €168/ea. for USB, AES/EBU and extended range output transformers


09 November 2012 18:53. "I intended to email you many times before. But due to our move to Maarsbergen and starting production of the Hex DAC, I failed just as often. For us the last few months have been a truly crazy mix of moving to the new location and rolling out first Hex units. Our pre-announcement created massive buzz and preorders. This happened before the production line and measurement facilities were ready. I'd simply never expected this many early adopters for a brand-new model without a single review.


"With this move my own office now occupies the same building as the production plant. Due to our working relationship going back nearly 12 years, we've decided to cooperate far more closely from now on. This led to the formation of a new entity called All Engineering, a limited liability company which presents me with the necessary freedom to focus on my job as electronics designer. Daily sales support and technical backup services can be handled by as many people as are required. Depending on production schedules this could involve from 10 to 15 folks sharing logistics, production and purchasing tasks. I never anticipated such growth over such a short period of time.

"Since the sales figures for the Octave, Hex and various OEM commitments have increased so rapidly, we've embedded a new measurement system in the production chain to verify our circuit boards at already a very early stage. This means that during build-up to finished product the electronics pass three different testing cycles which repeat the same measurements on frequency response, jitter, linearity and distortion. I'm really very pleased that the quality and reliability of our product has now reached such a high level.

"I intend to send you a Hex for review but we still have a small gap whereby outgoing orders continue to outpace the rate of incoming parts required for production. I'll get you a sample in a few weeks." - Met vriendelijke groet, Cees Ruijtenberg


Ruijtenberg's Metrum Acoustics Octave NOS DAC had ceesed its day with quite a bang. In the wake of my Blue Moon award-winning review—recommended reading for the full background—hifi critics like Martin Colloms had found it just as tasty. Forum feedback from owners added waves. Those soon created a small giant killer reputation. Predictable if unsuccessful were speculations about the identity of Metrum's industrial R-2R chips. We're told that they aren't from any of the usual hifi catalogues by AKM, Crystal, Texas Instruments, Wolfson, Sabre & Co but handle data rates up to 15MHz and output sufficient voltage at sufficiently low impedance to require neither a traditional analog output stage nor I/V conversion. [You might decide that the chips look like TI DAC8580 but even if they were, without Cees' glue logic you'd not get them to work properly.]


With the latest Hex model, Cees' proven multi-parallel scheme for increased signal voltage and lower noise has gone to 16 chips. In that it perfectly mirrors Scott Barry's £6.970 Computer Audio Design 1543 DAC which relies on vintage Philips TDA1543 silicon instead. The fully dual-differential Hex runs eight of its mystery DACs per channel. Over the minimalist Octave that ran four it then adds Lundahl mu-metal core LL1527XL output transformers, costlier parts and more extensive socketry. The latter breaks down as BNC, coax and twin optical inputs, RCA and XLR outputs and optional Cypress Semiconductor asynchronous USB and AES/EBU digital modules.

Complete Metrum system including hybrid electrostatic speakers shown at XFi 2012 in Holland


Cees' 6-layer boards enjoy full galvanic isolation and his 45VA power supply runs three toroids and 18 voltage regulators to separate the conversion circuitry, control logic and USB. Even though the Hex remains a non-oversampling converter, it handles full 24/192 signal on all inputs expect Toslink (24/96). Output voltage is a standard 2Vrms for RCA and twice that for XLR. Slew rate is 35VµS and jitter reportedly remains below 35ps. The upper response limit is 20kHz for 44.1kHz, 65kHz for 192kHz signal. Noise is down a full 130dB relative to a 2Vrms output. Output impedance is 40Ω on RCA, twice that on XLR. Dimensions are a 320mm footprint with 85mm height. Weight is 5.5kg.

Hex making its Swiss debut at HighEnd Suisse 2012 in domestic importer Colotube's system

Perhaps like gun-slinging comic-book namesake Jonah this Hex plays it basic on cosmetics. That focuses it on fast drawing performance over sex appeal which can get old quickly once in the rack. Our Dutch designer's professional roots, bless his heart, still hadn't been usurped by high-end audio's relentless fascination with excess.