CD/SACD-проигрыватели и транспорты — Métronome LE PLAYER 4+

The LE PLAYER 4+ is a hybrid of CD player and digital to analogue converter from the Classica line of the French digital source specialist Métronome, which positions it as an affordable DAC and CD player for audiophiles. It combines a disc drive with a set of external digital inputs, so one box can serve as both the disc source and the converter for other digital devices in a system.

Key specs that matter

An ESS ES9026PRO chip performs the conversion, rated for THD+N of minus 110 dB and a dynamic range of 124 dB. Impedance measures 100 ohms at the RCA sockets and 150 ohms at the XLR sockets, and each pair delivers a maximum level of 3 V at 0 dB. The disc section reads CD at 44.1 kHz and 16 bits. The chassis is 450 mm long, 120 mm high and 420 mm wide and weighs 12 kg. Its casework is offered in black or silver aluminium.

Engineering and use context

Beyond the drive, four external digital inputs are fitted. Coaxial and AES/EBU connections take PCM from 44.1 to 384 kHz at 32 bits and DSD64 to DSD128 over DoP. Optical Toslink tops out at 192 kHz PCM and DSD64 over DoP. The USB input goes furthest, taking PCM up to 384 kHz and native DSD from DSD64 to DSD512. A streaming module is offered as an option. It adds a gigabit Ethernet port and plays PCM up to 384 kHz with native DSD64 to DSD256, with support for vTuner, TIDAL Connect, Deezer, Spotify Connect, Audirvana and DLNA or UPnP, plus MQA rendering. The product is certified as Plays with Audirvana, which covers playback from the Audirvana software over USB or the network, and it also carries JPLAY Certified status for use with the JPLAY iOS app. With the streaming option, Qobuz Connect sends music straight from the Qobuz servers to the player rather than through a smartphone. Computers running Linux or macOS recognise the USB input automatically, while Windows machines need a driver that Métronome supplies for download. The front display measures 7 inches with a resolution of 480 by 128 pixels. Power consumption is 40 W in use and 32 W in standby, with an operating range of 5 to 35 degrees C and humidity of 5 to 90 percent.

Pairing

With a fixed line level on both single-ended and balanced sockets, the LE PLAYER 4+ feeds an integrated amplifier or a preamplifier at line level, and the balanced XLR route suits amplifiers with differential inputs. A computer can feed the USB input for high resolution files and DSD, while a television, network player or other transport can plug into the coaxial, AES/EBU or Toslink sockets.

Alternatives

The Métronome AQWO 2 is a hybrid of SACD and CD player, DAC and network streamer built around an ES9039MPRO chip.