Today is still possible to find Merason DAC1 mk1 brand new. Is it a worth purchase? I ponder between the DAC1 and the Aqua La Scala. How much would it cost upgrading the DAC1 to mk2 specs? Thanks a lot.
Anyone upgrade to the Merason Dac1 mkii?
I was wondering if any Merason Dac1 owners have upgraded to the Mkii version?
If so, I’d love to hear your impressions. How would you describe the audible differences? Would you recommend doing it? Was it an improvement or simply “different?”
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@ricco275 - I have the Merason Dac1 Mki. It’s a fantastic Dac, to be sure. I recommend it. I think the reviews are pretty spot on. @choiceaudio - You have the experience with both dacs in question. How would you compare the two? |
@bluethinker thanks a lot! are you familiar with the Aqua La Scala? It seems is appreciated for being relaxed and musical too. It has the advantage of having tubes. I don't like the aesthetics of it so I'm naturally for the Merason if the SQ is not too far from the Aqua. |
The Aqua La Scala is a wonderful DAC. Both the DAC1 and LaScala check that musical foot tapping, get lost in the music box. If you want my opinion of the differences, feel free to email me or PM me. james@choiceaudio.com They are both great, a lot depends on your associated equipment, if you have tubes already, you might want to lean towards the DAC1, if you are 100% solid state and want a little tube feel sprinkled in, then maybe the La Scala. Here is a quote about the DAC1 mk1 from one of my customers in MN.
“I sold my mojo audio mystique v3 over a year ago and have been on a constant search trying to replace it. I’ve tried many dacs, many more then I care to admit and finally found a dac that just plays beautiful music. No fatigue, no bloat, no fireworks, just good warm and at the same time detailed and dynamic music. No MQA, no DSD just 16/41 to 24/192. It’s the Swiss built Merason Dac1. The dac has a huge soundstage deep and wide, never ever bright with the perfect amount of detail. Bass is full sounding which helps to provide a great foundation of the music. This dac is very large sounding with plenty of meat on the bones. If anyone is shopping for a dac in the $5000 to $6000 range this is a great very musical fun dac to audition and own. Some of the dacs I’ve tried are the Denafrips Terminator, Holo Audio May kte, Sw1x tube dac, Sonnet Morpheus, Metronome Le Dac, Aqua La Scala Optologic, and a couple more lesser dacs. The Merason Dac1 is a better fit in my system to my ears than any of these and of course others mileage may vary. Blaine” Cheers, |
@ricco275 - Unfortunately, I've never heard the LaScala dac. I've had a sense that it might be one of the dacs suited for me, though. At least based on what I've read about it. |
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