Ambre & Baby Ambre Streamers
Product Information
Metrum AMBRE & Baby AMBRE :
Ambre $1995 - Baby Ambre $925
Dedicated 'ROON' End-Point Digital Bridges ... or any Music Server platform you wish to add.
N.B. Never switch off whilst Ambres are connecting with your network i.e. while Blue light is flashing - damage to SD Card may eventuate.
Ambre Roon Bridge
"Metrum Acoustics Ambre hits the spot for Roon devotees wanting an off-the-shelf bridge – and may even bring more unbelievers into the fold".
"Significant increase in sound quality over my reference Chord Poly"
Alpha Audio Introduce Baby Ambre
Jade & Ambre hit the list.
PERFORMANCE OPINIONS : AMBRE
3 Way DAC - Streamer stand-off .... Adagio/Ambre ... PS Audio Perfectwave ... Naim NDX 2
Lexicom MultiMedia 'sound-out' three alternative Music Streaming solutions.
The occassion - the arrival of Naim's new NDX2 and PS Audio DirectStream present themselves. The NDX2 has just received an 'Audio Excellence' Award from HiFiCritic. Their Sound Quality Ratings System put the NDX2 at 150 points. For historical reference the original Octave in Dac mode also achieved 'Audio Excellence' with a rating of 185 points. Check Digital Audio progress here ...
https://www.hificritic.com/digital-audio.html
Their findings may be of interest when deciding what each System has to offer and your own preferences/requirements from a Streaming/Dac solution. Review Translation ...
Subsequent to the Lexicom report above, other Platforms (Spotify etc.) are available by swapping SD Cards with alternative program installation.
For a change ... a French Review from 'Le Son de Chez Patatorz…& Friends' ...
Can Ambre compete or even get close to a dCS Network Bridge at US$4,250 ... or perhaps an Auralic Aries G2 (NZ$2900) ?
Well it seems it does stack up well !
"In conclusion, I would not have today a dCS Network Bridge at home, I think that the choice would be difficult between the dCS and Ambre".
Read the translated Review for more ... Information.
In an unusual situation Ambre is introduced and put through its paces by a Metrum Dealer ...
All you need to know in fact. Comparisons made with various alternatives in a two part series. Are they biased ? Well they stock some big High End Brand names - why elevate Ambre ? Seems they just prefer it and pricing factor might come into it. Approx. English translations follow :
Part One ... "There's no going Back"
Part Two ... "Europa League to World Championship"
ALPHA AUDIO REVIEW :
Jaap Veenstra slots Ambre into 2 High End Sytems and reports ... the circuitry is explored ... and not what it seems ... as you would expect from Metrum.
Metrum Acoustics shows with Ambre that excellent sound quality does not have to cost the power of God. For 1200 euros you will receive a beautiful, musical device. Especially in combination with an Onyx, Jade, Pavane or Adagio with I2S module you can play amongst the ... "Stars in Heaven" (English translation).
Metrum’s design philosophy is simple - concentrate on doing one thing … and do it right !
To this end Ambre is a purely dedicated Roon End-Point.
There are no frills, fancy displays or ergonomics involved with Metrum’s main stream Product range. The desire is to offer High End Audio at affordable prices. Innovative designs utilising carefully selected high quality parts with attention paid to Audio’s foibles - such as ; sufficient power supply and short signal paths with isolation controls.
All this adds up to 100% Pure and Natural Digital signal source Information.
To enable System compatibility with a wide range of ancillaries careful thought was applied to Output connectivity. Coaxial and Optical are standards that will suit most needs. AES/EBU is also provided to enable dedicated Digital connection at Professional level.
However Cees Ruijtenberg wanted to go back to Philips’ original PCM (CD) basic design protocols. Just like the Non-Over-Sampling techniques utilised in the world’s 1st CD Player from Sony.
To this end considerable time and effort has been spent working towards an ‘Inter-IC-Sound’ interface for connecting Digital devices (introduced and designed by Philips).
“The I²S bus separates clock and serial data signals, resulting in lower jitter than is typical of communications systems that recover the clock from the data stream” (Wiki).
An I²S Output is therefore also provided to enable connection to any of Metrum’s current Dacs – which can either be Factory installed or fitted at a later date by replacing the USB modules. I²S modules are Dac specific however.
Roon has over the last few years become the defacto choice for dedicated Audio enthusiasts.
For music it enables DSD conversion to PCM :
“In Roon's processing engine, the 64-bit DXD stream has the same data rate as a DSD512 stream--so there is plenty of resolution to ensure impeccable quality. Most DSD content is generated from a DXD master. DXD is PCM at 32bits/384kHz or 32bits/352.8kHz. This PCM signal is converted into a DSD signal via a process called Sigma-Delta Modulation.
Roon is not alone in this choice--DSD content is very often mixed/mastered in a DXD environment for the same reasons, and most other software players do not process DSD directly”.
But Roon is not just for Music. It finds photos, bios, reviews, lyrics, and concert dates and makes connections with artists, composers, performers, conductors, and producers.
What you get is a searchable, surfable magazine with your Music.
In use when hooking up to your network, AMBRE becomes a plug and play device with many Audio options to fine tune musical performance.
Connections :
LAN (local area network) Input :
Connect an UTP cable with your network. Ambre is a Roon end point and cannot work as a stand-alone device.
- Coaxial Output : A 75 Ohm Coaxial cable should be used to connect Ambre to other Digital audio equipment i.e. a DAC. The Coaxial output has galvanic isolation and can handle a maximum sample rate of 192 kHz.
- AES/EBU Digital Output : When using the AES /EBU digital output a special 110 Ohms XLR cable should be used. The AES/EBU interface has galvanic isolation and can handle a maximum sampling rate of 192 kHz.
- Optical Output : A standard Toslink cable can be used with maximum sampling rate limited to 96kHz.
- I2S Output : The I2S connection is probably the best way to connect Digital Audio equipment over short distances - without the intervention of commonly used connection interfaces. RJ45 plugs are employed.
However there is no I2S International Standard in terms of regulating the format or the connectors used. The I2S standard is optimized for connection between Metrum Acoustics Products of course but will work in most cases with other equipment. To check compatibilty with other products click "here".
If your Metrum Acoustics DAC has the I2S option installed, you can use a simple UTP cable to connect both devices.
And once connected, all you need to do is configure your Sound Quality and other Options.
Ambre matches the Amethyst Dac/Headphone Amplifier in both design and size.
Add Ambre to Adagio & Forte + Metrum's forthcoming Speakers (in Pic) for a complete ...
Little Ambre on top of the Alpha Audio Review System Rack with Pavane L2 handling conversion.
DSD becomes possible with a Metrum Dac ... Roon advise :
I²S or HDMI ?
When the lights go Green you have Music
Multiple choice connectivity.
On the right 'Track'. Ambre Endpoint board. As there is no standard for I²S (inter-integrated-circuit-sound) ... the right connection to the Dac is vital. 2 Ethernet Cables in the box.