DAC Choices - $5,000 to $7,000

@bradhaf 

The Frerot on its own is a very nice dac, competes well with similarly priced dacs, the Frerot with the upgraded power supply is an absolute bargain. The Dac1 is an altogether different beast. A full fledged, highly capable dac with wonderful color, texture and tone. It hits harder while never losing its composure or delicacy. Full disclosure: I have since sold both Merasons. I opted for dacs with volume controls…you cant go wrong with the Dac1 one and it will not be the weak link in your system in the unlikely event you have one at all.

@dvdboulet 

I have a Totaldac D1 Tube MkIII and two Meinter MA3’s. Full disclosure: I have sold off one of my systems and will be selling one of my MA3’s. Its a terrific dac.

Hi @mitch2 there are so many wonderful dacs out there and while a great deal is system dependent and which input is used vs which one is optimized vs which one is optimized for our specific systems, aren't we all fortunate to be enjoying hifi today!

To echo @starboard , I own a Merason Dac1 ( I also own a Merason Frerot in my office system). It is quite the performer and I recently read the Ear review and thought "holy crud, what was he listening to? What he described in the review wouldn’t have lasted one track in my system. To further compound the confusion, the Merason Dac1 made their Best Hifi Components of 2021 list. The two digital products on the list were the Merason Dac1 and the Melco N10. Oh well, reviews are data points for our research rather than answers to a question. I am a former owner of Totaldac D1 Tube mkii, Nagra Classic Dac, Chord Dave, Lampizator Golden Atlantic, Aqua La Scala Optologic and most recently, a MSB Discrete Dac with ProUSB and the dual outboard power supply option.

Is the dac1 better than all of these? Well, I guess I would have to say no...but here is the context, both price and performance...no dac is better than all comers. I have found that the dacs I enjoy most are the ones where they are strong at what they are strong at while committing the least sins in those other areas. The mystiques, MSB’s, Totaldacs, etc are all terrific...the Merason Dac 1 belongs in the conversation IMO. I have another dac I own which is also exceptional but it doesn’t fit the price band of this conversation. The best news of all?....we are getting perilously close to a time when a really fine dac can become a long term occupant of a shelf in your systems. My thought process was always "something better will be out in a few years so buy knowing that fact....I no longer feel that way. Its not like next year that a dac will come out and make you feel like your old dac was broken....LOL...20 years ago, that was not the case.

Be well all....

@grannyring thanks for the thoughtful post and for taking the time to compare the dacs. I am more certain than at any time in the past that today the performance gaps between entry level, mid priced and the upper end of the price spectrum dacs compare favorably. Not that long ago, entry level dacs sounded broken…Mid level dacs left alot of us wanting and the upper end began to sound like music…today, if you have a border patrol or a merason or a mojo or a meitner they each sound terrific within their abilities.

@bradhaf 

The Dac1 is terrific…what system will you be dropping it into?