All
Merason
Website:https://en.merason.com/
Est. year: 2013
Merason is a Swiss maker of digital-to-analogue converters founded in 2013 by Daniel Frauchiger. Its first DAC was originally sold under the Purson name, and in 2019 the brand was renamed Merason with no change to the hardware. The company works on a less-is-more principle and keeps a small catalogue built entirely around conversion and the power supplies that feed it.
Range & what it's known for
The current range comprises the frérot, the DAC 1 Mk II, the DAC 2 and the Mountain DAC, plus the Reuss and the pow 1 power supply. The DAC 1 Mk II shows the house approach. It runs two Burr-Brown PCM1794A chips in mono mode, one per channel, and the maker quotes a dynamic range of 132 dB, five decibels above a single-chip stereo layout. Two transformers separate the digital and analogue sections, the digital side alone being fed by twelve independent supply stages on regulated 5 V and 3.3 V rails, while the analogue transformer feeds its own discrete regulator. USB input runs through an Amanero Combo 384 board, and the inputs cover USB, coaxial, optical and AES/EBU, with PCM up to 24-bit/192 kHz and both XLR and RCA outputs. Finishes include silver, black and a cider colour.
Who owns it and where it's made
Merason is run by its founder through his company dafraud GmbH. Frauchiger began in the 1990s as a mechanic before turning to digital audio design. Every product is designed, tested and assembled by hand in Switzerland by Frauchiger and his team.
The lineup in this catalog
DACs. Most Merason models cost between roughly USD 3,000 and USD 8,000, and the DAC 1 Mk II lists at USD 8,500.
Who it's for
Merason is for listeners who want a dedicated converter from a small workshop focused only on conversion. The frérot is the least expensive Merason, the DAC 1 Mk II and DAC 2 step up in parts and supply design, and the external pow 1 adds a further upgrade for an existing unit. It makes sense for owners of a streamer, transport or computer source who want balanced outputs and a hand-assembled Swiss DAC.
Range & what it's known for
The current range comprises the frérot, the DAC 1 Mk II, the DAC 2 and the Mountain DAC, plus the Reuss and the pow 1 power supply. The DAC 1 Mk II shows the house approach. It runs two Burr-Brown PCM1794A chips in mono mode, one per channel, and the maker quotes a dynamic range of 132 dB, five decibels above a single-chip stereo layout. Two transformers separate the digital and analogue sections, the digital side alone being fed by twelve independent supply stages on regulated 5 V and 3.3 V rails, while the analogue transformer feeds its own discrete regulator. USB input runs through an Amanero Combo 384 board, and the inputs cover USB, coaxial, optical and AES/EBU, with PCM up to 24-bit/192 kHz and both XLR and RCA outputs. Finishes include silver, black and a cider colour.
Who owns it and where it's made
Merason is run by its founder through his company dafraud GmbH. Frauchiger began in the 1990s as a mechanic before turning to digital audio design. Every product is designed, tested and assembled by hand in Switzerland by Frauchiger and his team.
The lineup in this catalog
DACs. Most Merason models cost between roughly USD 3,000 and USD 8,000, and the DAC 1 Mk II lists at USD 8,500.
Who it's for
Merason is for listeners who want a dedicated converter from a small workshop focused only on conversion. The frérot is the least expensive Merason, the DAC 1 Mk II and DAC 2 step up in parts and supply design, and the external pow 1 adds a further upgrade for an existing unit. It makes sense for owners of a streamer, transport or computer source who want balanced outputs and a hand-assembled Swiss DAC.
