Frérot

SPECIFICATIONS

Description Merason frérot
Output: max. 4 V RMS (balanced), max. 2 V RMS (unbalanced)
Frequency Response: 20 Hz bis 20 kHz +/- 0.2 dB
THD+N: < 0.006 %
SNR: > 120 dB
DAC: BurrBrown 1794A, discrete I/V stage
Power Supply: 9V DC, 12 W via enclosed external power supply unit. Enclosed external power supply unit 100V to 240V AC / 50 to 60 Hz, 40W.
Operation Ambient temperature 10°C to 30°C, 50°F to 86°F.
Humidity max. 80 %, non-condensing.
During operation, the device heats up by approx. 15 K compared to the ambient.
Input format 44.1 kHz@16 bit, 44.1 kHz@24 bit
48 kHz@16 bit, 48 kHz@24 bit
88.2 kHz@24 bit
96 kHz@24 bit
176.4 kHz@24 bit
192 kHz@24 bit
Dimensions Width: 22.5 cm, 8.86 In
Height: 5 cm, 1.97 In
Depth: 18 cm, 7.1 In
Weight: 995 g, 2.2 lbs (DAC), 200 g, 0.44 lbs (power supply)
Finish Grey Aluminium Nature or Black

IMAGE GALLERY

Introduction & TECHNOLOGY

Merason frérot

Input signal processing: The frérot has one USB, two RCA and two Toslink inputs. The USB input is based on Amanero technology and ensures a low-jitter music signal thanks to two precise oscillators, which is additionally galvanically isolated by capacitive isolator components. The signals arriving at the other inputs are also galvanically isolated and de-jittered by means of transformers. This guarantees that no external interference can affect the sensitive signal.

Digital-to-analog conversion: The task of digital-to-analog conversion is performed by a 1794A converter module from Burr Brown. The analog current signal is elaborately converted into a voltage signal in a discrete setup, which is buffered in Class A technology and routed to the output. The frérot is fully balanced, i. e. a total of four independent channels are implemented from the two converter modules to the output.

Power supply: As with the DAC1, each functional unit has its own power supply, and there are ten in total. Unlike the DAC1, all four output channels are supplied by one supply, which is generated by a switching voltage regulator.

Structure: Meticulous attention has been paid to the layout and component selection to ensure that both ensure good sound, which has been verified in many sessions and confirmed by many listeners.

Made in Switzerland: As with the DAC1, all critical work is done exclusively in Switzerland.

Awards

Documentation

Testen & Reviews

Part-Time Audiophile Buyer’s Guide 2024

“Small, simple and relatively inexpensive for the performance it offers, this DAC is perfect for [...]

Best Product 2021 Award

“The differentiation is an important advantage of this converter and it will be difficult for [...]

Part-Time Audiophile | The Best Digital Players | Buyers Guide 2022

“Small, simple and relatively inexpensive for the performance it offers, this DAC is perfect for [...]

Applause Award: Merason frérot DAC Review

“Musically, this DAC ticks along like a Swiss clock and never falters. No matter what [...]

Merason Frérot DAC + POW1 power supply (The Hans Beekhuyzen Channel)

“The first thing I noticed was the deep lows with fair texture very good for [...]

New Record Day Review

“This indeed is a type of DAC that is easy to fall in love with [...]

High Fidelity Review

“The tested Swiss device is a surprisingly nice design. The sound is dense, nice, pleasantly [...]

Review by HiFi PiG

“As there was really nothing about this product that I didn’t like, it gets five [...]

Merason Frerot DAC with Pow1 LPSU (ParttimeAudiophile)

“The Merason frérot, at $1350 USD, was easily the best DAC experience I’ve had at [...]

Hifi Voice Review

“10 out of 10 stars.”

Review by Alpha-Audio

“Merason Audio frérot NOS d/a converter; How does it all sound? Very refined, elegant and [...]

Review by avguide.ch

“Nun, umstöpseln auf den Frérot DAC … Oben rum ist zwar noch alles da, aber [...]

MERASON Frérot DAC, A New Swiss Contender (TheAudioBeatnik)

“Of course, as audiophiles, most of us want to know more about how it sounds. [...]

Review by Fairaudio “Kleine bruder”

“Als der letzte Ton des Albums verklungen war, hatte ich eben nicht das Gefühl, ‹okay, [...]

Mini-DAC rockt die Spitzenklasse (Lowbeats.de)

“In seiner Preisklasse gehört der Merason Frérot sicherlich zu den Besten. Der kleine Spielzeug-DAC zaubert [...]

Merason Frérot – Ganz schön erwachsen, das Brüderche (Hifi-IFAs)

“Ein Hifi-IFAs-HAMMER für frérot. Der MERASON Frérot lässt den Stallgeruch seines schweizer Entwicklungshauses Dafraud deutlich [...]