January 6th, 1987. Somewhere in California, astronomers watched a galaxy being born. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Ronald Reagan signed a shadowy order for covert arms sales to Iran. Aretha, Marvin, BB King, and Bill Haley were enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Whitesnake’s 1987 blared through headphones and boom boxes alike. Full Metal Jacket and Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam stamped their marks on pop culture. And in the quaint French town of Toulouse, far from the media circus, a small audio company quietly came to life.
A handful of obsessive audiophiles decided to take on the Goliaths of Hi-Fi. Over three decades later, that little band of rebels is still punching above its weight, producing machines that belong in the same conversation as the industry titans. Enter the Le Player 4+. And yes, I had expectations.
Pardon My French
Let’s geek out for a second. The pickup? Austrian Stream Unlimited—a company behind Chromecast built-in™, Google Assistant, Alexa, AirPlay 2. Chances are your home is already humming with their tech. The Le Player 4+ is the crown jewel of the Classica line, a Swiss-army knife of sound that also comes in the Le Player 4 transport plus Le DAC 2 combo, and a market-specific CD10 variant.
Top loader, multiple digital inputs, USB handling 32-bit / 384kHz and DSD 512, optical/RCA/AES-EBU at 24-bit / 192kHz. Ethernet streaming, optional streaming board. Dual-mono internal DAC. Simple, clean, modern—Metronome nails the visual restraint that whispers “I mean business” without screaming it. I’ve been running this alongside a Gryphon Scorpio.
Gryphon’s no-nonsense DAC lives inside, locked away, but the 4+ lets you poke around, tweak, and experiment. Value proposition? Off the charts for this level of French engineering. The brushed steel façade resists fading gloss like a stubborn wine stain on linen, and three Delrin cones plus an AQWO CD clamp hold court like a petite but formidable security detail. At $15k, this player demands to look the part—and it does.
Japanese Asahi Kasei chips handle the digital translation, turning ones and zeros into moving air that hits your eardrums like a revelation. Working in Toulouse years ago, I fell for the Midi-Pyrenees, its people, its architecture. The Le Player 4+ evokes that same sense of connection—intimate, precise, unpretentious.
The Real Deal
Performance. Here’s where things get fun. Compared to my Gryphon Scorpio—same price ballpark—the 4+ leans slightly lively, not neutral, but balanced. Top-loading tray, smooth as silk, immediate ceremony, no frustrating drawer dances. You feel the craftsmanship in every tactile interaction. We’re not talking mass-market plastic here. This is boutique obsession: a handful of units per year, high-quality materials, enduring performance. Classica is entry-level for Metronome, but already it’s clear where they sit in the hierarchy.
Royksopp’s Profound Mysteries—tracks like “Oh Lover” and “Tell Him”—showcase depth, nuance, Susanne Sundfor’s emotional delivery captured perfectly. Rickie Lee Jones’ The Evening of My Best Day is intimate and seductive, each track rendered without apology or compromise.
CD vs. streaming? Always a debate. I threw Sarah McLachlan’s “The Answer” on CD and streamed the same file from Spotify and Tidal. The Metronome delivered both identically. Piano, vocals, harmonies—everything present, balanced, never harsh, never lost. The data translation is near perfect.
Symphonics, Dire Straits, whatever—I threw it all at the 4+. Not a weakness to be found. Only minor gripe: the remote feels cheap next to the unit’s metal poise. Gryphon does remotes better, no contest.
Conclusion
Le Player 4+ is a no-nonsense, beautifully built, bold yet restrained performer. Over 30 years, Metronome has perfected a design language that is instantly recognisable, technically ruthless, and deeply satisfying. $15k may be out of reach for many, but in this league, value is more than price—it’s integrity.
High-end audio is a strange beast. Most homes will never see a $100k Kalista, but this French masterpiece offers a complete, future-proof, and exhilarating musical experience. From the tactile ceremony to the sonic payoff, the 4+ hits the sweet spot between technical mastery and emotional resonance. It’s on par with the Gryphon Scorpio; arguably, it’s better value if you want access to the DAC. No wireless streaming? Optional. But the music—it sings, it breathes, it lives. This is high-end French craft with a heart and edge.
Metronome Le Player 4+—if your wallet allows, if your ears demand it, if your soul wants it: c’est magnifique. Vive la France.
