For the archives. I have the Meridian Director Dac in my office headphone system. I also have an RME ADI 2 FS, Denafrips Ares II, Gustard R26 for comparison. The Director is an excellent dac and does not suffer much in comparison to the newer entries. It is still very musical and only concedes some ground in ultimate detail, space, textural retrieval and feature set. I have found it does benefit from the addition of the Schiit Eitr USB to SPDIF interface more than the more modern dacs. In isolation, it's a very complete package and I don't find anything that detracts from engaging in the music. Meridian has a long history of making digital sound great and the Director is no exception. I have owned the 508.24, 506.24, 596 and G08 and the Meridian signature sound is there.
Meridian Direct DAC - Opinions
I'm currently using a Meridian Direct DAC while streaming via a Bluesound Node 2i. I picked up the DAC a few years ago for half-price when it was discontinued. I like how it sounds; in fact, I think that CDs streamed via FLAC files from my NAS drive sound better than CDs played on my (older) Meridian 508.24 CD player. I also prefer it to the internal DAC on the Node 2i.
My question is about how much DACs may have improved in recent years. The Direct DAC is probably 10 year old technology. I believe it sold for US$ 700 when new. Would current DACs in that price range (say, something like the Schitt Bifrost 2 or the Denafrips Ares II, for example) offer any meaningful improvement?
For reference, the rest of the system is decent stuff, but mostly twenty years old. Classe CP-45 preamp, CA-150 amp, Platinum Audio Solo speakers, Nordost Red Dawn interconnects, Transparent speaker cable. System is capable of very good detail and soundstage and I'm very happy with it (which is why I have not changed much in 20 years, but for the digital front end). Just curious if updating the DAC is worth looking into.
My question is about how much DACs may have improved in recent years. The Direct DAC is probably 10 year old technology. I believe it sold for US$ 700 when new. Would current DACs in that price range (say, something like the Schitt Bifrost 2 or the Denafrips Ares II, for example) offer any meaningful improvement?
For reference, the rest of the system is decent stuff, but mostly twenty years old. Classe CP-45 preamp, CA-150 amp, Platinum Audio Solo speakers, Nordost Red Dawn interconnects, Transparent speaker cable. System is capable of very good detail and soundstage and I'm very happy with it (which is why I have not changed much in 20 years, but for the digital front end). Just curious if updating the DAC is worth looking into.
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