DST

Reviewer: Srajan Ebaen
Financial interests: click here
Main system: Sources: Retina 5K 27" iMac (i5, 256GB SSD, 40GB RAM, Sonoma 14), 4TB external SSD with Thunderbolt 3, Audirvana Studio, Qobuz Sublime, Singxer SU-6 USB bridge, LHY Audio SW-8 & SW-6 switch, Laiv Audio Harmony; Active filter: Lifesaver Audio Gradient Box 2; Power amplifiers: Kinki Studio EX-B7 monos & Gold Note monos on subwoofer; Headamp: Enleum AMP-23R; Phones: Raal 1995 Immanis, HifiMan Susvara; Loudspeakers: Qualio IQ [on loan] Cables: Kinki Studio Earth, Furutech; Power delivery: Vibex Granada/Alhambra on all source components, Vibex One 11R on amps, Furutech DPS-4.1 between wall and conditioners; Equipment rack: Artesanía Audio Exoteryc double-wide 3-tier with optional glass shelves, Exoteryc amp stands; Sundry accessories: Acoustic System resonators, LessLoss Firewall for loudspeakers, Furutech NCF Signal Boosters; Room: 6 x 8m with open door behind listening seat; Room treatment: 2 x PSI Audio AVAA C214 active bass traps
2nd system: Source: FiiO R7 into Soundaware D300Ref SD transport to Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0 Deluxe; Preamp/filter: Lifesaver Audio Gradient Box 2; Amplifier: Kinki Studio EX-M7; Headamp: Cen.Grand Silver Fox; Loudspeakers: MonAcoustic SuperMon Mini + Dynaudio S18 sub; Power delivery: Furutech GTO 2D NCF, Akiko Audio Corelli; Equipment rack: Hifistay Mythology Transform X-Frame [on extended loan]; Sundry accessories: Audioquest Fog Lifters; Furutech NFC Clear Lines; Room: ~3.5 x 8m
Desktop system: Source: HP Z230 work station Win10/64; USB bridge: Singxer SU-2; DAC/Headamp: iFi Pro iDSD Signature; Speaker amps: Nord NC500 monos with v2 input buffers; Speakers: Acelec Model One; Headphones: Final D-8000, aune SR7000
Upstairs headfi system: FiiO R7, COS Engineering D1, Cen.Grand Silver Fox; Headphones: Raal 1995 Magna, Meze 109 Pro, Fiio FT3
2-channel video system: Source: Oppo BDP-105; All-in-One: Gold Note IS-1000 Deluxe; Loudspeakers: Zu Soul VI; Subwoofer: Zu Submission; Power delivery: Furutech eTP-8, Room: ~6x4m
Review component retail: €4'950

Resuscitated? That the demise of the CD was a fake obituary everyone knows by now. Métronome of France just removed another nail from that coffin with the DST, a compact disc transport in their Digital Sharing range. Unusually, it embeds an upsampler to output 44.1kHz Redbook as 32/352.8 or DSD256; on I²S over HDMI. There's also classic AES/EBU and coaxial S/PDIF capped at 192kHz. The 3.9" display of 480 x 128px resolution is a touch screen but an IR remote is included as well. Finish options of the steel and aluminium chassis are silver or black. The USB port allows on-the-fly firmware updates. Dimensions are a compact 25cm squared footprint of 7cm height. Weight is 4.7kg. In case you weren't aware, today's deck is from the same digital experts who designed this €60K Kalista Dreamplay X. In keeping with our gig's more relaxed than hyper vibe, "so there's that". I let you do the math. Today it obviously means simpler cosmetics, a smaller footprint, a slot not top loader – and a far friendlier price. But it also means the same engineering DNA, aural aesthetic and sonic standards.

The mention of DSD256 for a pure disc transport could suggest SACD compatibility. Yet the DST press release and product page remained mum about it. You think they'd make some rightful noise. Current machines with that ability are uncommon. So I asked Jean Marie Clauzel, Métronome's boss. His catalogue already includes SA/CD machines with a mechanism from Denon & Marantz. Our Gallic crew have experience with the breed and the necessary parts for it. Was the DSD256 mention a webmaster's error; or oversight to promote SACD compatibility? While I had Jean Marie, I also asked for his I²S scheme since it's fixed not configurable. To use it successfully¹ requires a matching DAC. Whilst one of Métronome's own is an obvious answer, what if we have something else with an I²S-over-HDMI port like my Laiv Harmony DAC?
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¹ Success doesn't just mean sound but correct channel/phase allocation; an absence of all clicks and dropouts; and proper DSD transfer. Sound alone sadly isn't enough to validate a perfect match. There could still be issues baked into the sound. 

"The DST is a CD-only transport based on a StreamUnlimited mechanism from Austria but includes an upsampler. The I²S over HDMI pin config is the PS Audio 'standard'." With SACD out of the picture, this left the unexpected wrinkle of the upsampler being capable of resampling to DSD256 on the fly like my iFi iDSD Pro Signature DAC does all the way to 1'024? Did I read that correctly? "You got it, 16/44.1 can be resampled up to DSD256." The first time I ever came across an upsampling disc transport was with Ensemble of Switzerland very many moons ago. My current Denafrips Avatar can, too; but not to DSD. On that score the DST was a personal first.

Paraphrased from the StreamUnlimited transport site, the JPSL-33 is a slot loader whose traverse mechanism mounts directly to the loader chassis without any moving parts like a subchassis in-between. This guarantees vibration and noise-free operation even when playing an unbalanced disc. If you didn't already know, with original engineers from Philips this section of the Austrian firm continues directly in the vaunted CDPro2 tradition of non-PC music-dedicated mechanics. Like Teac/Esoteric, Denon/Marantz, JMF and Luxman, they are one of very few left who manufacture disc spinners not for computers, cars or DVD but upscale Redbook playback. If you don't believe such mechanics can make a difference, buy an Apple SuperDrive or similar at 1% of today's ask. If you want complete CD players for a few hundred euros, shop FiiO, Moondrop or Shanling. The format is enjoying a resurgence across the board all the way up the snow-capped peaks of CH Precision and Wadax.

Days after the final Munich HighEnd show closed, Métronome's Laura Olivier confirmed my address for immediate dispatch. Their catalogue's Digital Sharing range had added the DSAS, a 2-4TB streamer with fully integrated Audirvana OS, 3 years of their Studio license and a lifetime subscription to Origin for local files. As an enthusiastic user of Audirvana Studio on both my desktop's Win 64/10 work station and music room's 27" fully loaded iMac, I'd be an ideal DSAS client.

The latest Audirvana update has added this very intuitive 10-band EQ to augment its existing tuning options of two custom upsampler engines including on-the-fly conversion to DSD1'028 where supported. Building that into the DSAS updates Métronome's focus on classic audiophiles who still spin polycarbonate discs whilst wanting to ride the cloud- or local-files train in Orient Express style.

Unlike the nerdy HQPlayer platform aimed at power users, Audirvana's interface expects general consumers without IT degrees. Even retirees get to split the aural atoms. To create this ultra-basic compensation curve took me less than a minute. Move a few sliders, trim rotaries. Defeat the EQ to compare. Rinse and repeat until shiny. Done.

It will be obvious to even the most devout legacy/vintage practitioner that massaging the response in sound-optimized precision software is a surgeon's scalpel compared to swapping cables or footers, twirling old-fashioned tone controls, even upgrading core hardware for our ideal sound. That old way takes years and much coin through countless buy 'n' sell cycles. Those give with one hand but take away with the other. Tuning in software is instant, not reliant on new hardware and far more precisely calibrated.

When I pitched bundling the DSAS into this review, Jean Marie loved the idea but "we unfortunately only have one prototype which we need for our final developments. The DSAS will release commercially in September. So it’s up to you. Either get the DST now or wait until September for the combo." My reply were three letters. Now!

To hitch the DST ride in full glory, I'd wire up its I³S port to Laiv's Harmony DAC, that to Enleum's AMP-23 driving Raal 1995's triple-ribbon fully vented flagship headphones. It's my max-res scenario. It never hurts to apply one's best microscope for digital-domain effects. To insure 100% I²S compliance, I asked Laiv's Weng Fai Hoh which of his eight pin configurations is the PS Audio standard. "Our Laiv default mode is the PS Audio standard." Plug 'n' away? As a classic discrete R2R DAC not Holo, Laiv convert DSD to PCM before analogue conversion. That could confirm DSD256 resampling but not really support meaningful sonic assessments. I simply had no alternate I²S/HDMI deck. I'd still explore I²S vs coax and AES/EBU on standard Redbook then 176.4kHz PCM; DSD64 over coax; and PCM 352.8 over I²S. Remembering just then one excellent listener who deliberately converts PCM to DSD ahead of his Laiv DAC, I quickly tested that with a USB-direct connection into the Laiv whilst Audirvana resampled to DSD512. I had instant sound but a clear preference for PCM. The PCM⇒DSD⇒PCM rigmarole impacted clarity by injecting haze. I don't see why one would without a DAC that processes raw DSD as DSD. My iFi iDSD Pro Signature can but lacks an I²S input. So does the Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0 Deluxe. The twin feature of I²S and pure DSD processing was sadly absent from my DAC collection.