Sonnet Morpheus DAC

[karlsushi]

Just taken possession of a Sonnet Morpheus DAC on a home demo from a company called Ultimate Resolution (who incidentally I've found great to deal with).

I've been looking for a DAC for a little while now to fit into my second system. Currently a very pleased Chord DAVE owner and have been on the lookout for something which compares favourably, but at a more terrestrial price. The thought of owning two DAVEs in one house just felt a little too extravagant (not least because I've not long finished paying back the family savings for the first one!).

As I no longer have any analogue sources, I've been especially happy with the way DAVE behaves straight into a power amp using it's internal digital volume control, so I've been on the lookout for another DAC with the same ability to adjust volume without the need for a preamp.

I'm a previous Chord Qutest, Denafrips Pontus II and MHDT Pagoda owner.

The one I really had my eye on within my shortlist was the Metrum Adagio (which is priced at just over £5.8k RRP and therefore still a bit of a stretch in my current financial position - especially as I'm currently buying speakers!!). A kind of hybrid R2R DAC design with an internal volume control implemented straight off the chips (as for DAVE).

But then I came across the Sonnet Morpheus which seemed to be a slightly updated version of the very well-regarded Adagio, designed by the same well-respected designer (Cees Ruijtenberg), but under a new company venture (Sonnet). And especially intriguing, at an RRP more than £2k cheaper than the Adagio at £3.5k!!

So I have dived-in and early impressions are very positive indeed.

Only picked it up today, so will spend a few days with it and report back properly for anyone interested.

In the mean-time, a couple of piccies:



And one with DAVE in the same shot for context. Morpheus is plugged straight into my Pass Aleph 3 (the unit at the bottom is a SingXer SU-2 - a USB Bridge which I am using via coax into the Morpheus).

 

[Music At Home]

Looking forward to your impressions after you’ve had chance to acclimatise to it.

P.S. please can you buy a Mola Mola Tambaqui, Holo Audio May KTE and a Denafrips Terminator+ to throw into the mix and let us know how you get on

 

[karlsushi]

Some thoughts on the Sonnet Morpheus now I've had it for nearly a week.

Just to note, I have been using it in preamp mode connected straight to a power amp. Since that was the purpose I am intending to use it, that is all I can comment on.

First-up, on the less important matter (to me) of build quality. It is clear savings have been made on the build. It's decent enough, but when I think back to the Denafrips Pontus II I used to own for example, it feels pretty cheap and cheery. We're still talking about a £3.5k unit here, so I would have expected a bit more effort, but that wouldn't have been a deal-breaker for me - it's the sound that counts.

On that subject, another important thing to say is that, in an entirely unfair and irrational way, my point of reference throughout listening was against my Chord DAVE. At almost exactly three times the price, it is probably not a reasonable comparison, but that is how I judged it, so read into that as you will.

While I have owned other DACs at lower price points, they have always been used with a preamp and since I'm convinced that a DAC with an internal volume, straight into a power amp is the way to go, plus I don't have a decent pre these days, I felt I couldn't really compare.

So, onto the sound.

Fundamentally, I would say it is a decent-sounding DAC with good tone and a good dose of R2R 'smoothness'. Levels of detail are also very good.

However, my overriding feeling throughout my listening, was one of listening to a digital source, rather than an analogue one.

The deal-breaker for me was the overall coherence. By that I mean how the various instruments/sounds come together in a convincing and realistic manner. Instrument separation etc was definitely there and initially impressive, but for me, this ended-up being to the point of distraction. Some may confuse the smoothness and decent tone with a dose of 'musicality' (sorry!), but for me, it was all just on the wrong side of analytical.

Compared with DAVE, it was also more 2 dimensional with the imaging being a bit smeared and confused. My brain just didn't know where each sound was actually coming from. Less of an issue with electronic music though. Also, DAVE's ability to throw-up a 3D image is really nothing short of astonishing, so again, perhaps an unfair point of reference.

I really wanted to like it and in many ways it ticked the right boxes on an objective basis, being a cheaper DAC with a decent internal digital volume control and providing good performance for my second system. But in the end, I just found myself drifting off and being distracted, rather than being drawn fully into the music and I just don't think I could live with it on that basis.

So it's boxed-up and ready to go back.

I am considering trying it's more expensive brother, the Pasithea (RRP at £5k so still half a DAVE), but as there are limited dealers for Sonnet, I don't want to be the guy that just wastes this dealer's time listening to kit and not buying anything (that is Ultimate Resolution by the way, who have been excellent in terms of customer service for the demo).

So, the search continues to see if I can find an 'almost-DAVE' for a bit cheaper (suppose the obvious next attempt would be a TT2). Or just stop chasing unicorns and save up for another DAVE.

 

[Psilonaught]

Was the unit fully broken in do you know?

 

[karlsushi]

Was the unit fully broken in do you know?

Yes. A 2 year old demo unit apparently.

 

[naka]

Very interesting. What other dacs could on your list?

 

[karlsushi]

Very interesting. What other dacs could on your list?

I guess other than trying a TT2, based purely on reading reviews, the PS Audio DirectStream and the Rockna WaveDream were the other two of main interest. The former has just been upgraded to a mark II, but at £8k is getting close to Dave prices, so it would be the original version.

Also, possibly something from Lampizator, although their volume controls are analogue rather than done digitally off the chip.

 

[DomT]

@karlsushi is a Benchmark DAC2 or DAC3 not your cup of tea? Most reviewers really rate it. Stereophile made the DAC 3 a joint winner for DAC of the year with a sixteen times the price dCS Vivaldi. I own the DAC2 which sound the same as the DAC3 according to Benchmark. I compared it to Flash’s dCS DAC. The dCS was smoother but they had a lot in common.

CONCLUSIONS​

"There’s a complete absence of any sort of artifacts or noise; on very clean recordings, the presentation is uncanny in its purity."

- Paul Seydor, The Absolute Sound

Jim Austin wrote, "The DAC3 was all about depths, in several respects . . . I heard deeper into the music."

The concise conclusion to John Atkinson's Measurements sidebar: "All I can say is 'Wow!'"
Alpha-Audio.net tested 10 DACs side-by-side. Only one received the "Alpha-Audio Approved" award. That DAC was the Benchmark DAC3.



"Are you looking for the best DAC (d/a converter) in the price range from 1500 euro to 2500 euro? That’s great! Because we’ve put ten beauties side by side. And we tested it live on camera for you."

"It was incredibly instructive to put so many converters side by side. We clearly hear differences - and the viewers could as well."

"One of the models we all agreed on is the benchmark DAC3. This is a delicious musical product. Virtually no coloring, nice stereo image and plenty of inputs."

Stereophile's editors chose 10 products to receive their top award, the "2018 Product of the Year - Editor's Choice Award". Two Benchmark products made this exclusive list - the AHB2 power amplifier and the DAC3 HGC D/A converter.

“Benchmark has created a long line of DACs (several of which I've purchased) that present recordings with as little embellishment as is possible at their price points. The latest incarnation, the DAC3, is no exception, and excels at presenting the unvarnished truth, as the artist intended."

- Jon Iverson

1 min read

Awards DAC3 ~ Stereophile

TIE FOR FIRST PLACE, 16X PRICE DIFFERENCE​

"This contest produced another tie, and yet another contrast between two wildly different philosophies—economical, if not technical. As Jim Austin pointed out in his initial review, the DAC3 HGC D/A processor from Benchmark Media Systems—a company known for making pro-audio as well as domestic-audio gear—sells for less than the price of certain high-end interconnects. The dCS Vivaldi D/A processor sells for 16 times the Benchmark's price, and in our pages was first reviewed, by Michael Fremer, as part of a $114,996 dCS digital front end."
"Both DACs impressed their respective reviewers with magnificent sound—and in his measurements for both, John Atkinson offered the same one-word conclusion: "Wow!""

DAC3 DX - "BEST HIGH-END DAC", SECRETS OF HOME THEATER AND HIGH FIDELITY​

by Benchmark Media Systems December 03, 20181 min read

Awards DAC3 ~ HomeTheaterHiFi.com

"BEST HIGH-END DAC"​

"The Benchmark DAC3 DX DAC is designed for recording and mastering studios, but it is a great product for consumer use as well. Its clean, low distortion analog output and flexible setup controls will bring the studio to your home audio system."
- John E. Johnson, Jr., Editor-in-Chief

 

[karlsushi]

@karlsushi is a Benchmark DAC2 or DAC3 not your cup of tea? Most reviewers really rate it. Stereophile made the DAC 3 a joint winner for DAC of the year with a sixteen times the price dCS Vivaldi. I own the DAC2 which sound the same as the DAC3 according to Benchmark. I compared it to Flash’s dCS DAC. The dCS was smoother but they had a lot in common.

CONCLUSIONS​

"There’s a complete absence of any sort of artifacts or noise; on very clean recordings, the presentation is uncanny in its purity."

- Paul Seydor, The Absolute Sound

Jim Austin wrote, "The DAC3 was all about depths, in several respects . . . I heard deeper into the music."

The concise conclusion to John Atkinson's Measurements sidebar: "All I can say is 'Wow!'"
Alpha-Audio.net tested 10 DACs side-by-side. Only one received the "Alpha-Audio Approved" award. That DAC was the Benchmark DAC3.



"Are you looking for the best DAC (d/a converter) in the price range from 1500 euro to 2500 euro? That’s great! Because we’ve put ten beauties side by side. And we tested it live on camera for you."

"It was incredibly instructive to put so many converters side by side. We clearly hear differences - and the viewers could as well."

"One of the models we all agreed on is the benchmark DAC3. This is a delicious musical product. Virtually no coloring, nice stereo image and plenty of inputs."

Stereophile's editors chose 10 products to receive their top award, the "2018 Product of the Year - Editor's Choice Award". Two Benchmark products made this exclusive list - the AHB2 power amplifier and the DAC3 HGC D/A converter.

“Benchmark has created a long line of DACs (several of which I've purchased) that present recordings with as little embellishment as is possible at their price points. The latest incarnation, the DAC3, is no exception, and excels at presenting the unvarnished truth, as the artist intended."

- Jon Iverson

1 min read

Awards DAC3 ~ Stereophile

TIE FOR FIRST PLACE, 16X PRICE DIFFERENCE​

"This contest produced another tie, and yet another contrast between two wildly different philosophies—economical, if not technical. As Jim Austin pointed out in his initial review, the DAC3 HGC D/A processor from Benchmark Media Systems—a company known for making pro-audio as well as domestic-audio gear—sells for less than the price of certain high-end interconnects. The dCS Vivaldi D/A processor sells for 16 times the Benchmark's price, and in our pages was first reviewed, by Michael Fremer, as part of a $114,996 dCS digital front end."
"Both DACs impressed their respective reviewers with magnificent sound—and in his measurements for both, John Atkinson offered the same one-word conclusion: "Wow!""

DAC3 DX - "BEST HIGH-END DAC", SECRETS OF HOME THEATER AND HIGH FIDELITY​

by Benchmark Media Systems December 03, 20181 min read

Awards DAC3 ~ HomeTheaterHiFi.com

"BEST HIGH-END DAC"​

"The Benchmark DAC3 DX DAC is designed for recording and mastering studios, but it is a great product for consumer use as well. Its clean, low distortion analog output and flexible setup controls will bring the studio to your home audio system."
- John E. Johnson, Jr., Editor-in-Chief

Not sure why I've never really considered the Benchmark. Ticks a lot of boxes on paper and the studio credentials are often an appeal for me as it happens (in terms of sound at least - not keen on the visual styling).

Let me know next time you're over Nottingham way 😉

 

[DomT]

Not sure why I've never really considered the Benchmark. Ticks a lot of boxes on paper and the studio credentials are often an appeal for me as it happens (in terms of sound at least - not keen on the visual styling).

Let me know next time you're over Nottingham way 😉

I am visiting the UK this week and am likely to be in Nottingham Friday or Saturday. I have the DAC2HGC with me as I am comparing it to some other wammers DACs this week. Please PM me if you would like to meet up.

 

[Lurch]

I am visiting the UK this week and am likely to be in Nottingham Friday or Saturday. I have the DAC2HGC with me as I am comparing it to some other wammers DACs this week. Please PM me if you would like to meet up.

Fancy a/b-ing against my heavily pimped Black Ice when you pop over Tuesday?
Having benchmarked it against a £13.5k twin psu MSB Discrete & £22k Rossinni prior to its latest round of mods last October at Studio AV. I'd be interested in where it stands now against something at a similar price point.

 

[DomT]

Fancy a/b-ing against my heavily pimped Black Ice when you pop over Tuesday?
Having benchmarked it against a £13.5k twin psu MSB Discrete & £22k Rossinni prior to its latest round of mods last October at Studio AV. I'd be interested in where it stands now against something at a similar price point.

Definitely!!