MERASON Frerot DAC
The Frerot DAC from Merason is the little brother of the $5000 DAC-1, with the same design philosophy and house sound. Like it's sibling, the Frerot is a non-oversampling, discreet circuitry DAC. It differs from the DAC-1 in that incorporates a single Texas Instruments (formerly Burr Brown) 1794A DAC chip, and an external wall wart style switching power supply.
Like the DAC-1 the Frerot adheres to the philosophy of simple circuit architecture, clean visual design, and high quality parts.
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Or Email Us at: sales@choiceaudio.com
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Wondering how this will sound in your system? Many products are eligible for our 10-day Home Audition Program, so you can listen in your own home before deciding to keep it. Call 651-217-2083 or email sales@choiceaudio.com for details.
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The Frérot
“The frerot tells a very musical story, but is not falsely nice telling fairy tales about your music. If you want the beauty and emotion of your music, the frerot alone or the frerot/pow1 could end your pursuit. At the end of her listening session my wife asked me expectantly, are you buying it? I could and not look back.”
Peering inside the Frerot, it becomes obvious that Merason takes great care in handling of the digital signal. The electrically incoming digital signals are all initially galvanically isolated. With the coaxial input isolation via transformer, and with the USB input capacitive isolation.
The signals are then converted into the I²S format using an AK4118 chip and fed to the 1794A DAC. The post DAC conversion of current to voltage is handled with discreet components and a Class A buffer. Voltage regulation is handled via a proprietary circuit.
“The Frérot DAC has an incredibly smooth and silky sound, which I find surprising from PCM files. It is also, as you would expect from the Swiss, a very precise and detailed sound. This is a great combination with the smooth and silky sound."
— The Audio Beatnik
Sampling rates
PCM: 44.1 / 48 / 88.2 / 96 / 176.4 / 192
Bit depth
24 bit PCM
Digital inputs
2 x USB2, 1 x S / PDIF (RCA), 2 x Toslink (optical)
Analog outputs
1 pair unbalanced (RCA), 1 pair balanced (XLR)
Power supply
9V DC Supply - via DC barrel connector
Power supply option
Outboard Linear PSU - via 5-PIN DIN connectot
Colour
Black or White