Ronrags - Not sure I understand your question, but I've been meaning to post an update on my Metrum experience so let me do that, which addresses reclocking.
I got the Metrum about 5 weeks ago and was immediately impressed by its vivid & immediate sound, the way it separated the voices and by the way it represented winds, brass & guitars. This is an excellent piece of equipment. But I also found it had some problems, especially with stringed instruments (violins, etc.) and to a lesser extent voices, which were sometimes harsh and brittle. Because I use an inferior transport, I introduced a reclocker into the chain (an Audio Gd DI-3) to see if that would help. The answer is yes, reducing jitter has had a clear impact (ron - I use it through coax/SPDIF). So the working rule that the Octave is very sensitive to transport quality is true in my experience. The Octave is so revealing that it highlights weaknesses in your audio chain and in the recording as well. It reminds me of my Magnepans, in that way.
Anyway, the Metrum is an excellent DAC, but it is very sensitive to jitter (not surprising due to its lack of filters) and I think cable quality, too, and may force system changes, which is a typical effect of a component that marks a big upgrade.
