Part-Time Audiophile Buyer’s Guide 2024

“We felt that while there are many excellent DACs out there for around the same amount of money, the Merason is one of the best digital players we’ve heard at any price, so much so that we would still be impressed if it was far more expensive. Sonically, it can go toe-to-toe with plenty of the big boy DACs. “What you get is a product that seems to be built for the audiophile that is primarily interested in performance and doesn’t require a lot of fancy features.”

Merason Audio DAC1 – Swiss Craftsmanship (Alpha-Audio)

“What makes the DAC1 so special is therefore difficult to describe in words. In any case, the DAC1 makes digital music less digital. A personal favorite is “Folklore” by Taylor Swift. We know this album through and through but the DAC1 still lets us, cliché alarm, hear new things. Or rather experience new things.”