Metric Halo LIO-8

[Torpedo]

I will let you know as soon as I know the dates we will be there. I want to try to get together with Doug for dinner when I'm in Edinburgh. Despite the cost, the travel agent suggested a whiskey tour to my wife and she seemed into it.

Cool, it'd be great meeting all you in Edinburgh I hope the dates match.

[guzziguy]

Wouldn't it be easier for you to meet everybody in Chicago?

[Torpedo]

Sure, I wish we could get the free dates to attend Canjam. Trip is quite longer

[jp11801]

For those that take the leap of faith and pick up a MH or Sonic unit there is pretty good help on youtube under the metric halo channel. Also I can send anyone that needs it a template to get them up and running fast. The built in headphone amp is absolutely fantastic with Audio Technica AD2000s. I may prefer that sound to the exstata paired with the 404le. The monitor control function really makes output and input control super easy. This feature also makes volume control a breeze. You can also use a contour shuttle express or pro as a wireless controller for the monitor control.

[blubliss]

I saw a post saying that existing MH customers were receiving some nice discounts on getting new gear?? Al??

[jp11801]

I saw a post saying that existing MH customers were receiving some nice discounts on getting new gear?? Al??

Both Al and I are Sonic Studio customers

[Augsburger]

I am a Metric Halo customer, and one of their favorites I might add. If I can help Andy or anyone else let me know; just as long as the help isn't technical in nature or involve 'puters or amp circuits, or signal path routing or just about anything else.

[blubliss]

Thanks Greg, another customer on CA said he got some kind of coupon. You might have to be on their mailing list??

[jp11801]

Andy you will absolutely love the LIO- 8 the dacs are the best I have heard. I prefer it to the Berkeley Alpha (although I've only heard the alpha twice). The built in HP amp is pretty good sounding with JH13s and Audio technica cans that I have tried.

I think MH offers a no risk return on their stuff. I know you don't like macs but a mini used for just music would be minimal pain.

[blubliss]

I think Macs are cool, just never had the desire. I have been building my own PCs for awhile and I like the flexibility. If I go the MH route, a mini with a touch for remote would be very sweet.

I am going to try to demo both the prism orpheus and a ULN-8 at the same time.

[jp11801]

I'd be curious what you think of the prism vs the MH as two audio engineers I have spoke with preferred the MH but they may have different priorities than pure audio playback listeners

[Augsburger]

Thanks Greg, another customer on CA said he got some kind of coupon. You might have to be on their mailing list??

I should be since I emailed them enough about getting the setup right. But so far I have received no offer of any additional discounts. I have no problem emailing them for some concession if you decide to go that route.

[diebenkorn]

There was some talk about the Orpheus in this thread and I was wondering if anybody could chime in with some comparisons?

[luvdunhill]

I have a question about the breakout cable people use with these. Is there ever a point where you have two BNC connectors delivering a balanced signal? So, two BNC connectors each with half of the balanced signal... so, four connectors for stereo?

Does anyone have a setup like this? I realize I could make up some adapters, but I'm looking for someone in a few months to do some testing for me...

[Voltron]

I have a question about the breakout cable people use with these. Is there ever a point where you have two BNC connectors delivering a balanced signal? So, two BNC connectors each with half of the balanced signal... so, four connectors for stereo?

Does anyone have a setup like this? I realize I could make up some adapters, but I'm looking for someone in a few months to do some testing for me...

I've only seen xlr connectors.

[luvdunhill]

Thanks! XLR to BNC is what I need then. Carry on.

[blubliss]

No, you can make a digital RCA break out cable and use adapters.

[jp11801]

To bring this thread back from the dead, Just had my Sonic 305 (rebadged ULN - 8 ) back for a repair and mod and the service from Jon Stern at Metric Halo could not have been better. 

 

They do a mod to the DI input to better it as a phono pre amp. They also did a refresh of the caps on my mic pre board as they were getting a bit noisy after 4 years of pretty much continuous use. This unit as a DAC - Phono Pre _ pre amp ( I go direct into Genelec 8050's is truly superb. 

 

Now time to get stepping on more needle drops 

[Augsburger]

John, when you say "better" on the input side what do you mean?  Bigger step up?  Lower noise floor?  The ULN-8s can already function as phono pres so what was improved? 

Edited March 30, 2014 by Augsburger

[ironbut]

Don't know if any of you Metric Halo fans have heard, but BJ and the gang have some pretty wild upgrades coming around in the near future.

Large numbers of tracks with super low latency on USB2?

I don't think it's worth speculating until the units appear (but that hasn't stopped anyone yet!).

These upgrades will be available to "every unit" MH has produced which means that the ULN-2 I bought used in 2008 can be upgraded!

 

Here's the GearSlutz thread;

 

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/new-product-alert/916058-new-metric-halo-developments-part-2-a.html

[jp11801]

Greg, they modify the input to 47k to match a phono pre input 

 

Steve, I'll keep an eye out for the upgrades, here's to hoping we get thunderbolt options as well given that is where apple is going 

[macstah]

Long time lurker here w/a little info, if anybody hasn't already read. MH are not going with thunderbolt or USB3 at this point. Just plain ol' USB 2.0. The reasoning seems to be stability and universality. Of all of these, only USB2.0 is class compliant, so all the interfaces will now work not only w/Macs but also Windows and iOS devices and whatever else works with USB class compliant stuff. 

There's also a whole bunch of new stuff (or really improvements over the OLD stuff) having to do with how the host will see multiple MH devices if they are present, and how they connect to one another. Also, evidently this is going to free up a TON of resources on the box for the DSP effects section. (i.e. no more choking the memory with long delays, more instances of DSP plugins running simultaneously, etc.)

 

I'm mostly hoping that they improve the MIO Console software, which is (in my opinion) a little too menu-divey for my tastes. And the DSP effect params are not really MIDI controllable, so you're forced to click-click-click to get to anything. Since they're bragging about the iOS connectivity, I'd have to assume they're going to do something with the software in that direction, but who knows what.

 

Anyway, that's a little more on this stuff, in case you all hadn't read it elsewhere.

[jpelg]

...Just plain ol' USB 2.0. The reasoning seems to be stability and universality. Of all of these, only USB2.0 is class compliant, so all the interfaces will now work not only w/Macs but also Windows and iOS devices and whatever else works with USB class compliant stuff. 

Does that mean they are developing/porting software for Windows?

[macstah]

That was the implication. I think they'd have to, since the boxes don't/can't really do anything you don't explicitly tell them to do.

[macstah]

Oh, and also, for what it's worth, none of the boxes will be able to be bus-powered anymore. I know this is a LIO-8 thread, which was never bus-powered. But the ULN2 was...or...still is until they do the upgrade.